Investigation Report
Just from behind them, one of the men shouted;
"Take anything you want, your bill is covered", he said referring to Gui Shan and Tan Ning.
Just then, Gui Shan and Tan Ning took interest in them and decided to play along.
"Waiter!!! Bring us more wine", Tan Ning said as he returned pleasantries.
"Seems something is up with these men", Gui Shan said to Tan Ning in a hush tone.
"Shhh..., I noticed also, just play along", Tan Ning said.
These when continued to drink as they discussed among themselves.
They drank themselves to stupor and started uttering some words which seemed stupid to others, but it read meaning to Gui Shan and Tan Ning.
"Ahhh... we're going to make good money tonight. Cheers!!!", One of the man said.
"Hahaha...", they all laughed.
"Yes!!! Remember by 9pm at Zu coffee shop tonight", one of them said being drunk.
At this point, Gui Shan and Tan Ning paid rapt attention and were able to get some information.
"Ahhh... ahhh... let's return home and get ready", one of them said.
"Yeah... ahhh... hahaha...", they all laughed.
"Waiter!!!", one of the men called out.
"How much is our bill?", the man asked the waiter who was already at his front.
"50 copper coins", the attendant replied.
"Hahaha... keep the change", the man said as he gave the attendant one gold coin which is equivalent to 100 copper coins.
"Thank you very much sir", the waiter said in appreciation.
"No problem, it's just a little token for your service", he said.
After that, the four of them stood up from where they were seated and left the ink drunk.
Meanwhile, Gui Shan and Tan Ning had been listening to their conversation.
"Something smells fishy here. How can they be expecting such huge amount of money for just an overtime job", Tan Ning said.
"Quick, let's follow them and find their whereabouts", Tan Ning said.
So they both stood up and left their table since the men already paid for their wine. They came out only to discover that the four men had dispersed.
But luckily for them, they spotted one of them who was still in view. Gui Shan and Tan Ning decided to stalk him.
They followed him stealthily as the man headed for his home. Unfortunately, the man led them to his house without him knowing.
Gui Shan and Tan Ning got to his residence and hid in a bush nearby. To their utmost surprise, the man was with wife and children.
The wife and children welcomed the man upon his arrival.
"Welcome back Papa...welcome back Papa...", the little boy and girl shouted as they approached him. The man was seen griping his children in tight embrace.
"Good kids, how are you doing? How was school today?," the father asked.
"School was fun dad, but our teacher gave us homework to write about our father's business. But I don't know what to write",
"You would be helping me with it later right?", the little boy asked.
"Yes, but remember to study hard and make me proud", the father said as he was about to cry.
"Dad! Your eyes seem heavy, is everything alright?", the girl child asked.
"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just imagining how much we're going to miss the scene in Sushi village", he said.
"Dad! Are we going to really leave Sushi village?", the boy asked.
"Yes, maybe tomorrow we'll move to somewhere better", the father answered.
"But dad, I like it over here in Sushi village", the girl said.
"Not to worry, when we get outside, you'll no longer miss it", the father said as he patted the child at the back.
Meanwhile, the wife watched from a distance. The husband then walked to her and hugged her affectionately.
"Don't worry, things will get better", he said as he held her in tight embrace.
During the moment, Gui Shan and Tan Ning were so absorbed in that singular moment by the affection the family shared.
"What a beautiful family!!! I hope the father won't make the kids sad", Gui Shan said.
"Yeah, I just hope they continue in this happiness", Tan Ning said in a hush tone.
Just then, Gui Shan mistakenly stepped on something and made a sound.
"Who is that?", the man said as he moved forward to see what made the sound.
"My goodness! It was just some domestic animals", the man said as he heaved a sign of relief.
Luckily for Gui Shan and Tan Ning, they were able to leave without being caught on sight.
After that lucky escape, Gui Shan and Tan Ning decided to head back to the inn to make further strategy on how to intercept the men and see what big catch it was.
After walking some distance, they arrived at the inn. They entered immediately without wasting time and headed straight for their rooms.
They got to their room and proceeded to knock on the door. Gui Shan knocked on the door and waited for a reply.
Hu Mei who already was having a nice nap was disturbed by the knock and got up to see who it was.
He already anticipated the arrival of Gui Shan and Tan Ning, so he wasn't shock to see them.
"Welcome back", he said to the bith of them.
"I wonder what took you guys so long", Hu Mei said as he returned to the couch he was laying on.
"Actually, we had something important we were attending to, and it pertains the investigation", Gui Shan said.
"Huh...I just hope your investigation paid off",
"Ours was a huge success. Not to worry, you'll get full details during our meeting later this evening", Hu Mei said.
After a little discussion, Gui Shan crouched on his bed in order to get some rest. Tan Ning also did similar as they awaited the meeting later in the evening.
...
Time ran fast and it was eventually evening. As usual, they assembled in one room for the meeting. Elder Si Yin was already present with them.
"Good day to everyone", elder Si Yin greeted.
"Good day Elder", they all responded.
"Hmmm... with the look on your faces, I can tell that you all have reports to give from the investigation today",
"So who will go first? Team one let's hear you out", Elder Si Yin said.
Chen Feng then stood up to speak on behalf of team one.
"Good day Elder, good day everyone", Chen Feng said as he gestured.
"Positively speaking, our efforts paid off and we have some leads now", Chen Feng said as he continued.
"In our tour today, we encountered a lady in a coffee shop which I confirmed to be a member of the poison tribe", he said.
"With our wits, we were able to fool her that we are bandits who dirty jobs for money", Chen Feng said.
"She was interested and seem to be in need of men like us. So she arranged an appointment with us by 9pm tonight",
"She agreed to pay us big provided the job is done. My instincts tells me that this has to do with the missing people", he said.
"So we agreed to meet her at the coffee shop later at night to begin with the proceedings", Chen Feng said after which he sat down.
After Chen Feng's report, Elder Si Yin cleared his throat to speak.
"I'm impressed, seems Elder Ming did a great job on you guys. I believe you just need little of my guidance to spice it up, then this mission would be a huge success", Elder Si Yin said.
"From your report, I think it'll be to our advantage if you stick to the plan and play along. But make sure you're vigilant and don't engage in combat which may leak your identity", he said.
"Be extra cautious and follow her wisely to prevent suspicion. Only act when necessary", he added.
"Thank you master", Chen Feng and Hu Mei said almost the same time.
"You're welcome", Elder Si Yin said.
"Over to team two, may I hear your report?", he said.
Qin Feiye stood up as the senior and answered. She cleared her throat and began narrating all what happened that day.
"As part of our investigation tactic, we decided to stop over a pawn shop", Qin Feiye said.
"On getting there, we met a middle-age woman who seem to be very knowledgeable. Although we didn't bear in mind what to sell or exchange",
Bi Yao was smart enough to present her bracelet as a trading asset.
"But to our surprise, the middle aged lady who is the pawn broker declined accepting Bi Yao's bracelet. She claimed that her store cannot afford to pay for such item of great value", Qin Feiye said.
"We were stunned by her disapproval. But in few minutes, Bi Yao was able to convince her to state some of the reasons for the strange occurrence in the village.
... continue reading from the next chapter...