Hong Ya, the little senior sister, stepped half a red embroidered shoe across the threshold, then quietly withdrew it.
She dragged a small stool from the corner of the room, moved it to the bedside, sat down with her hands on her cheeks, and said like she was listening to a story: "Little junior brother, tell me the details, senior sister loves to listen."
Feng Mu blinked, wanting to speak but holding back.
Hong Ya suddenly realized: "Oh, right, you just entered the sect, so you don’t trust me yet. According to Third Senior Brother, this is called ’people’s hearts are separated by a belly,’ and trust needs to be built time and again, by killing together."
Third Senior Brother?
In Feng Mu’s mind appeared Zhao Zhixin’s slightly righteous square face, then he looked at the little senior sister before him, pure and kind-hearted.
He nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly: "Third Senior Brother is truly wise. Uh, it’s not that I don’t trust you, senior sister, it’s just that this matter is complicated and can’t be explained in a few words."
Hong Ya’s eyes were wide open, full of anticipation.
Feng Mu, keeping a straight face, laughed: "That person, with a complexion like charcoal, likes to carry a branch covered with ants everywhere, eyebrows and eyes..."
Hong Ya pouted, then somehow produced paper and pen, and quickly sketched a face on the paper according to Feng Mu’s description.
Feng Mu glanced at it, pointed out a small difference, and Hong Ya adjusted it. In a few minutes, the face Hong Ya drew was about eighty to ninety percent similar to the dark Number 2 in Feng Mu’s memory.
"Amazing, little senior sister is multi-talented, junior brother is impressed." Feng Mu gave a thumbs up.
He called Hong Ya, who was shorter than him and seemed younger, little senior sister, and complimented her without feeling awkward at all.
The key was that his face remained expressionless and sincere, making Hong Ya’s face bloom with smiles.
She seemed to particularly enjoy being called "little senior sister" by Feng Mu. As for whether she was actually younger than Feng Mu or just youthful-looking, don’t ask; a woman’s age is always a secret.
Hong Ya beamed with joy: "Where, my drawing is average, Sixth Senior Brother’s portraits are the real deal, like photographs. The Arresting Bureau often uses his portraits as guides, and they never miss their mark. I learned drawing from Sixth Senior Brother."
In Feng Mu’s mind appeared the image of the silent and reserved Sixth Senior Brother, Wang Yu, who liked to nod at the corner.
He suspiciously asked, "Does Sixth Senior Brother have a job outside?"
Hong Ya nodded as if it was obvious: "Sixth Senior Brother works at the Arresting Bureau, specializing in drawing portraits of criminals."
The Arresting Bureau is also a law enforcement agency, on the same level as the Patrol Office.
The difference is that the Patrol Office is responsible for both chasing criminals and solving cases, while the Arresting Bureau only focuses on chasing criminals, somewhat like the relationship between detectives and special police in modern times.
When the Patrol Office can’t handle a criminal, they ask the Arresting Bureau to step in.
Given the Patrol Office’s somewhat unreliable capability and the lack of surveillance cameras in Lower City.
Many times, when the Arresting Bureau is called in, they don’t even have a clear frontal photo of the criminal, so the bureau had to establish the position of "portrait artist."
Wang Yu handles this, and of course, he also participates in capture or elimination operations, making him quite versatile.
Feng Mu was momentarily stunned; he assumed that the senior brothers and sisters in the sect didn’t need jobs, being supported by the sect to focus solely on martial arts training.
Seeing his confusion, Hong Ya explained, "Not just Sixth Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister also works at the Arresting Bureau, Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother are advisors for the Investigation Corps, while First Senior Brother and Fifth Senior Brother work in prison."
Hong Ya ignored herself, and Feng Mu, understanding the implication, didn’t ask why she wasn’t employed.
The little senior sister seemed to fear that Feng Mu might ask why she was special, so she didn’t give him a chance to inquire, adding: "The sect doesn’t lack the salary of senior brothers and sisters, with the money from the ordinary students in the martial arts gym, we don’t worry about food and martial arts training needs."
"Taking jobs outside is a way to change the mood while training, or to hide identities. After all, in the eyes of some perceptive martial artists, the scent of blood on the senior brothers and sisters can’t be concealed."
"But with these jobs, that bit of blood scent doesn’t need to be hidden anymore. According to Third Senior Brother, this is called putting a wolf in a dog’s skin, so the dog can’t smell its scent."
Feng Mu seriously suspected that the senior brothers and sisters only valued the second reason, but that’s not right; the opportunity for legal killing must be a particularly wonderful way to relax for them.
Perhaps, in the eyes of these abnormal people, the first reason is more important, who knows.
No wonder, Second Senior Sister is cautious, planning murders; she is responsible for tracking down criminals, her professional skills couldn’t be more relevant.
Abusing power for personal gain, the thief cries "catch the thief"?
Feng Mu didn’t know how to describe it, just that it’s good, so good that a momentous surprise suddenly dropped onto his head.
Feng Mu never expected that joining a sect would come with such hidden benefits.
"Now, the Arresting Bureau and the Investigation Corps are like having my people there, and also, First Senior Brother and Fifth Senior Brother are in prison, how convenient is that, I just happen to have some subordinates in prison," he thought.
Hong Ya enthusiastically talked with Feng Mu for a while longer, and after confirming the accuracy of the face in the sketch, she hugged it like a treasure and left.
As she left, she mentioned with a trace of regret: "Little junior brother doesn’t know where his enemy lives, just like Master, who doesn’t know where his enemy hides."
"This is not good. Even if you can’t kill the enemy immediately, you must always know where they are hiding. Little junior brother, you must remember this principle."
Hong Ya nagged a couple of sentences, fully displaying her senior sister’s earnest teachings, then cheerfully added: "But don’t worry, as long as your enemy is still in Zone 9, our Second Senior Sister will definitely find him."
Hong Ya patted her chest confidently: "In Zone 9, if Second Senior Sister wants to kill someone, no one can hide."
Feng Mu was infected by Hong Ya’s confidence, grinning widely, and throughout the courtyard was the happy sound of Hong Ya’s footsteps skipping.
Hong Ya first went to First Senior Brother’s room.
First Senior Brother used to live with Fifth Senior Brother, but today, for some reason, insisted on sleeping alone and moved to another vacant room.
Hong Ya pushed open the door, and in the dimly lit room, she saw the wooden bed almost filled by a lying figure; Li Bashan had already gone to sleep.
"It can’t wait until tomorrow, I must get First Senior Brother a bigger bed," she thought.
Hong Ya thought to herself as she frowned and pulled out the socks stuffed in First Senior Brother’s mouth.
Li Bashan rubbed the eye gunk, yawning.
Hong Ya suspiciously asked, "First Senior Brother, why do you sleep with socks in your mouth?"
Li Bashan foolishly scratched his head: "Hong Ya, did something happen?"
Hong Ya slapped the portrait onto Li Bashan’s chest, excitedly saying: "First Senior Brother, little junior brother has enemies outside; how can you sleep soundly?"
Li Bashan immediately widened his eyes, instantly awake, spitting out a growl as fierce as a waking tiger ready to pounce: "Hmm?"