Translation checker: Rin
Editor: a.s.
In Beijing, the dog days of summer are fittingly called “sauna days.” People sweat buckets, leaving bodies glistening under the unforgiving sun. When someone glimpses across the road, everything seem distorted due to the intense heat.
Under the scorching sun, Li Yan had planted himself at the alley’s mouth for about twenty minutes already, waiting for someone. His vest was thoroughly sodden and clung to his body like a second layer of skin. He simply took it off and wrung it out, before cramming it without ceremony into his trouser waistband, deciding not to wear it. He simply stood bare chested.
“Yo~ bro, standing bare chested out in the open affects the image of civilized life in the capital city~” A “ding dong” sound of a bicycle bell echoed in the alley, then a rusty bicycle came over. A man who looked to be in his early thirties pulled up next to Li Yan and slapped him on his shoulder before remarking, “You’re sweating quite a lot there, buddy~”
“Not as fucking much as you.” Li Yan took a long drag of his cigarette, flicked off the cigarette butt, and lifted the package resting at his feet. “Want me to tie it to the back seat for you?”
“Don’t bother. Don’t want the porcelain getting damaged. I’ll hold it myself.” The man took the package over and patted the large characters printed on the package that read Universal Express. “I trust you, so I won’t check the goods right now. You can go home and wait for the news.”
Li Yan nodded. “I’m in a hurry with this matter, so inspect them quickly.”
The man didn’t promise anything. With a package grasped tight in one hand and a tune on his lips, he rode away.
Two months prior, after Li Yan’s father concluded a business deal, he bequeathed the family business unto his son. However, soon after this torch had been passed, Li Yan’s mother met a grisly end, brutally stabbed in the sanctity of her own home. At the same time, his father mysteriously disappeared. Amidst the overwhelming grief, Li Yan found himself engulfed in profound shock.
After bringing his mother’s ashes back to his hometown in Hebei, Li Yan recounted the tragic tale to his grandfather. Hearing the story, the old man immediately decided not to let his only grandson return to Beijing. Alas, as the new generation heir, Li Yan was someone who was adept at acrobatics and skilled in the family’s unique martial arts since childhood—a prodigy unmatched by his peers. That very night, he skillfully pried open his grandfather’s specially crafted Double Swallow Woven Willow Lock, pilfered the special Five-Spice Sauce Beef made using a secret recipe, and clandestinely boarded the train bound for Beijing.
The blood debt festered still, unsettled, and to remain dependent upon the shelter of his grandfather’s wing was beneath the pride of one who considered himself exceptionally clever and skilled in martial arts. Li Yan was determined to get to the bottom of the matter, a commitment he would uphold at any expense.
The man who’d received the goods from Li Yan went by the curious moniker of Dogtooth. It was a common practice among those in his line of work to use pseudonyms and code names. Li Yan was unaware of Dogtooth’s actual name, and he was skeptical regarding the information the man could provide, but at present, he held no alternative solution at hand. He needed to urgently uncover the details of his parents’ goods—what they were and who they were sold to in the most recent transaction and even in the last few instances.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Kgeat yf abiv, Ol Tjc’r meggfca yftjnlbg bo qgslcu kfca jujlcra atf geifr bo atlr olfiv, jr la kjr merabwjgs ab xffq delfa jybea atf agjcrjmalbcr bcmf atf ubbvr kfgf fzmtjcufv. Xblcu yjmx ab agjmf atbrf yerlcfrr vfjilcur gfrfwyifv mtjrlcu joafg atf yesfgr obg gfmflqar, wjxlcu la tjgv obg qfbqif cba ab rerqfma Ol Tjc bo mbiijybgjalcu klat atf qbilmf bg jeatbglalfr. Qfgf la cba obg atf gfqeaf bo tlr fraffwfv ojwlis, cb bcf kbeiv tewbg atlr vfnljca defra bo tlr.
After his parents had come into possession of some mysterious item, they’d fallen victim to a string of unsettling calamities. Whispers of this tragedy should have already spread around the streets, instilling misgivings in everyone about the potential troubles said item would bring. Whether anyone would dare unseal their lips regarding the item or Li Yan’s father remained to be seen.
Li Yan mopped his face with his sweat-dampened vest, casting his gaze towards the oppressive sky. The stifling atmosphere, laden with heat and humidity, made each breath a laborious struggle. Beads of perspiration cascaded along the seams of his shoulders, tracing a path past the newly inked Swallow tattoo that adorned his lower waist.
Universal Express was the express courier company previously owned by Li Yan’s parents. Generally, companies with such lofty names rarely boasted more than a handful of employees. Currently, including Li Yan himself as the young boss, the employees at Universal Express numbered a meager eight. While the company’s coffers teetered near empty, it served primarily to cover their tracks.
Four days had passed since Li Yan sent a set of celadon plates with cloud dragon patterns to Dogtooth. That day, following the completion of a clean delivery, he’d received a text message from Dogtooth. The content was simple, instructing him to deliver goods to a specific person. The delivery day, dawn had barely cracked when Li Yan woke up, then promptly set out towards the designated goods pickup point. After savoring his breakfast at a leisurely pace, he went against the tide of people heading to work, to deliver the goods.
Cradled inside his backpack were two small wooden boxes, no larger than the palm of his hand. The lighter one had a single word etched on top—”Huang”—while the heavier box bore the mysterious markings “9-702.”
The delivery location, being a residential area, proved easy to locate, but then thunder grumbled in the distance before giving way to the crash of lightning, the dark clouds above swollen and heavy with rain. The skies opened up as Li Yan neared his destination, releasing a week’s worth of oppressive heat in a torrential downpour.
Dashing through the rain muttering a string of curses, Li Yan arrived at the entrance security duty room, his sopping appearance eliciting laughter from the young security guard. After registering his arrival, Li Yan followed the guard’s directions and rushed towards Building 9. Taking the lift to the 7th floor, Li Yan paused to catch his breath before ringing the bell at 702.
Swiftly, the door swung open, revealing a slightly stooped elderly woman with graying hair. “Who are you looking for?!”
“Hello, granny. May I ask if your surname is Huang?”
“Huh?” The old lady was a bit hard of hearing. “I’m not surnamed Wang!”
Feeling something was off, Li Yan stepped back, double-checking whether it was indeed apartment 702. “Is your family name Huang? Huang! Huang!!”
As he was speaking, the adjacent door creaked open, and out stepped a tall man with short hair and glasses. His refined temperament and handsome appearance exuded an approachable aura. “I’m surnamed Huang. Are you here to deliver the pet food?” The man’s deep, slightly husky voice, smooth as an announcer’s velvet drawl, eclipsed even his striking looks.
Li Yan nodded and turned to the elderly lady. “Sorry, granny! I knocked on the wrong door!”
As the old lady retreated into her apartment, Li Yan shuffled after Mr. Huang towards apartment 703. Since he was still dripping wet, Li Yan refrained from entering the apartment; instead, removed the packages from his bag in the entranceway.
“I hope it’s not something that’ll get ruined by water.”
Mr. Huang extended his index and middle fingers and made a gesture of bringing them together. Li Yan understood and mirrored him using thumb and forefinger pressed together. Together, they executed a motion akin to unlocking a lock—a secret signal used for discreet deliveries on the streets. After the parcel exchanged hands, Mr. Huang went inside and returned with a towel.
Li Yan politely declined, preferring not to soil someone else’s towel. “Please check if the items are correct. I won’t come in.”
Mr. Huang, understanding the sentiment, didn’t insist either. He took the towel and walked back into the apartment. Li Yan stood at the door, his sodden clothes forming a puddle at his feet. He simply removed his drenched vest and wrung them dry by the doorway, then used it to wipe his damp hair before stepping into the apartment.
On the living room table, a box lay open, revealing an intricately carved eggshell wrapped in wire mesh and cotton. While one half remained intact, the other was intricately engraved with a complex pattern. However, Li Yan couldn’t make out the specific carvings. Casting a glance at Mr. Huang, Li Yan saw a subtle furrowing of the man’s brows, stirring a hint of unease within him.
“Mr. Huang, is there a problem with the item?”
“No problem,” Mr. Huang said without lifting his head before crushing the egg with one hand. Li Yan flinched as if struck, a phantom pain flickering between his legs.
“Mr. Huang?”
At this moment, Mr. Huang finally raised his head. “Come in and sit.”
With that said, Li Yan had no recourse but to enter. Leery of dirtying the pristine sofa, he perched cautiously on a wooden chair by the dining table. Mr. Huang got up and tossed the eggshell’s remains into the kitchen trash bin before returning with a steaming cup of water for Li Yan. As he walked past Li Yan, he halted briefly and pointed at the swallow tattoo on Li Yan’s lower back, giving him a start.
Mr. Huang smiled slightly. “Little Swallow?”
Li Yan forced a dry laugh. “You can drop the ‘little.’”
“Got it. I’m Huang Yuliang.” The second box yielded not treasure, but a mundane glass, as mundane as it could be. The kind that could be bought for a measly ten yuan in any supermarket. Li Yan’s visit here, guided by Dogtooth’s instructions, wasn’t merely for delivering goods; it was to gather intelligence from the person in front of him. The shattered egg carving seemed to be a tool for conveying messages, but the glass’s purpose eluded him.
Sensing Li Yan scrutinizing the glass in his hand, Huang Yuliang nonchalantly gave it a slight shake. “It’s for drinking water.”
Li Yan, feeling the awkwardness hang heavily, straightened and put on his damp clothes before saying, “Um, Mr. Huang, I’m not familiar with your business rules, so I’m not sure how to ask, but Dogtooth sent me to bring you something. Are you… well, the person I’m looking for?”
“That sounds quite ambiguous.” Mr. Huang turned to look at him, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “Are you looking for the customers of the last-generation Swallow, or the person himself?”
Li Yan’s heart trembled in his chest. The man before him was indeed the lead Dogtooth had provided. And now, Huang Yuliang had laid bare the very two paths Li Yan sought to explore. “I…”
“Let me explain the rules of my business first.” Huang Yuliang paused. “Firstly, I want to make it clear that I have no knowledge of the two matters I just mentioned. If you can find over 80% of the clues before me on your own, I won’t require any payment and will also share the remaining information I have with you.”
“That sounds fair. You seem to run your business with integrity.”
“However, I will be the one to estimate the progress.”
Li Yan chewed on the offer. Even if the progress estimation would be at Huang Yuliang’s discretion, compared to the exorbitant fees charged by regular information dealers, Huang Yuliang was indeed a conscientious person in the industry. Moreover, with Dogtooth’s information network, he wouldn’t have ceded the chance to profit if the truth could be easily unearthed. The fact that he allowed Huang Yuliang to pursue the case indicated that the situation was not simple, and so was the man before him.
“As for your compensation…”
“I usually charge after the job is done, depending on the situation. If things don’t work out, I won’t ask for a penny. If the job is successful, I will ask for a portion that you are sure you can afford.” Huang Yuliang briefly stopped speaking, “Of course, while hiring me, you can also hire others if you wish.”
Li Yan nodded, thinking only someone with absolute confidence could say such things. Trusting Dogtooth’s judgment, Li Yan gave a slight bow to Huang Yuliang. “So, I’ll leave the two matters I mentioned earlier to you.”
“No, I won’t take on your father’s matter for now.” Huang Yuliang raised his hand to stop Li Yan. “Generally, focusing on one thing yields greater profits.”
Meeting each other on the first chapter! Yay. The story seems really interesting although it’s a little bit complex for my small brain lol
Thank you for the chapter. 🤍
Yeah, first comment!
Intriguing, I like. Thanks for translating this one! I’m a sucker for supernatural novels.
Thank you for sharing this translation! The premise reeled me in immediately and I’m looking forward to seeing what twists and turns unfold!
Thankfully the novel seems to have a proper plot. As expected of PiaPia.
Thanks for the chapter!