I could hardly bear listening any longer. I rose and walked out of my bedroom to the living hall and barked at Zheng Shuang who was still outside the door. “All right, just come in. Stop snooping from outside,” I said, before I spoke to my mother, “Of all the people you could’ve picked on, you just have to pick a police officer! It’s fortunate that Zheng Shuang is a friend, or things could have turned hairy!” My mother giggled playfully as she allowed Zheng Shuang into the house.

Zheng Shuang came in. He waited until Mother walked out of the living hall, watching her leave. “Say, Brother Shiyan,” he asked in a hushed voice, “Th-that’s your mother? B-but she looks so young! She could barely be older than you!” I nodded, saying nothing. Noticing my unwillingness to reply, Zheng Shuang thought that he must have said something wrong. Then a look of realization came over him. “I know! She’s your father’s… second wife?”

I opened my mouth to speak but a voice from behind beat me to it. “She’s my first.” The sudden and unannounced appearance of my father made both Zheng Shuang and I jumped as our heads jerked towards his direction. A man, appearing nearly my age, stood at the back of the couch we were sitting on. Exasperated, I scowled at Father. “You could have surprised us to our deaths, Father!” Zheng Shuang’s eyes immediately went as wide as dayang coins at my mention of “Father”. “Wh-what! F-Father?! … Err… Hello, Uncle.” Zheng Shuang managed as he wrestled with both shock and disbelief. Father giggled jovially and waved him off, saying, “Be at ease, Little Zheng.” Out of nowhere he took out a cigarette and offered it to our guest. “Do you smoke?” Father asked. Zheng Shuang’s trembling hands extended slowly and took the cigarette and lighted it. He took a puff, and a surprised look came to him as he removed the cigarette from his lips and peered closely at it suspiciously. He stared at the festering cigarette between his fingers, although he could find nothing peculiar about it. But I knew. Father’s cigarettes were different, although “different” could only be an understatement. There had yet to be anyone who had tasted Father’s cigarettes failed to notice that his cigarettes were unusually superb. I myself had once asked Father about his cigarettes, only to have my curiosity repudiated with an apathetic response that they were from his private stores.

I had made ample observations whenever Father was puffing on one of his cigarettes and had all of my attempts to find any distinct differences between normal cigarettes and his to be in vain, continually missing all chances to find out the brand of his cigarettes. I have noticed that the box of his cigarettes was one which I had never seen around us, a packaging which we had never seen before. There were no stencils of a brand name on the box, save for an illustration of a mountain hanging in mid-air, shrouded in mists. I had tasted his cigarette before myself, feeling the same invigorating sensation whenever I sampled his cigarette. Hence I was sure that everyone who had tasted Father’s cigarettes would be as amazed as Zheng Shuang, just like how I had always felt. Father had noticed Zheng Shuang’s astonishment and tenseness, hence the offer of a smoke for the latter to relax.

Zheng Shuang took two more hungry swigs off the cigarette, settling down comfortably on the couch. Father shuffled to a seat opposite us. “The item in the photo that your friend sent you yesterday, Little Zheng, is a method used by an evil cult called the Creed of the Eight Trigrams to control the ghosts of the children they butchered.” Father lighted himself a cigarette and drew a puff. “This evil cult, the Creed of the Eight Trigrams,” said Father, “is a subsidiary of the White Lotus Society which, as you all know, is a bona fide cult of nefarious purposes itself. The Creed has always disguised themselves as Taoist priests, hence all Taoist denominations were also collectively and simultaneously persecuted by the Qing Dynasty beginning from the era of Qianlong Emperor; the magnitude of the brutal oppression was so comprehensive that Taoism itself was nearly snuffed out, and it was all thanks to the Creed of the Eight Trigrams. The Creed has followers and acolytes of varying entities: humans, demons, and even ghosts or wraiths; and, there was an accursed grimoire known to be hallowed within the cult, the magnum opus that defined their very existence, called the Sacred Writ of the Five Maidens. The book contained spells for infernal magic to bestow one with everlasting life. Moreover, the teachings of the cult promoted the beliefs of luxury and extravagance, thus attracting deceitful and avaricious people from different walks of life into their fold.”

Zheng Shuang had been listening intently to my father’s tale. “But now that this Creed has resurfaced, Uncle,” he said, “Will they be too strong for us to handle? A story of this nature would be easily conveyed during the Qing Dynasty. But I cannot repeat any of this to my superiors in current times, not with what’s going on to the country! I might be demoted, if I’m lucky, or even sacked! Can I trouble you with this matter? Will you help us to deal with them?” Father giggled, his head shaking gently. Father would never be interested to travel so far only to deal with some lowly minions, I thought quietly. With a hand on my chest, I said boldly, “Hmph… I’ll go!” Father looked at me with an amused expression, nodding approvingly. But little did I realized that there was another reason that Father had refused to go to Inner Mongolia; a reason that I would later find out.

Zheng Shuang must have felt the confidence permeating from me, for he calmed down, asking me of how we should go on. Remembering well my advice that we should not mobilize the police force to prevent alarm, he threw in a suggestion of his own. “How about we go there as undercovers? You did say that we cannot organize a police expedition, no?” Father burst out guffawing suddenly. Zheng Shuang stared at him, feeling surprised. “Little Zheng, my boy,” said my father to him, “What an innocent boy you are. The acolytes of the Creed may not amount to much, but there are still foul and evil entities among their ranks that are capable of much deceit and perfidy. I daresay that you will instantly be recognized as a member of the police force, even if you go north disguised. I’d suggest that you stay here for this duration.” Zheng Shuang eyed Father warily. He could hardly believe that Father had been able to predict his mind at every juncture!

But I, being long accustomed to my father’s quirks, ignored Father’s magnanimous demeanor and brushed off Zheng Shuang’s gawking amazement, continuing straightforwardly, “All right. I’ll go in your stead to meet your friend and run our investigations there. By now, the news of the Thirteen Apostle’s downfall would have reached their ears. They would surely be watching closely on the movements of the police force here, hence even a small tiptoe would surely raise alarm.” Father’s head bobbed in agreement as I went on. “We’ll get ready and depart for Inner Mongolia as soon as possible,” I said, “Inform your friend of our coming and ask him to be ready to meet us quietly. We will go as tourists and we’ll investigate the case of this evil cult with your friend. We’ll need all the intelligence we can before we can act.”

Zheng Shuang had breakfast at my home, before we went to the Center together. We relayed the mission plan to Lin Feng and Yuan Chongxi. Hearing that we would be going to Inner Mongolia as tourists, Lin Feng grew interested, muttering something about bringing Yuanyuan along. My hand shot up immediately to his face. “Our trip northbound as tourists is only a cover, Brother,” I berated quickly, “We’re actually going there for war. Moreover, how can you be certain of her safety in case things turn ugly!” Lin Feng’s head drooped in disappointment and grew silent. We began discussing our plan, going through all the details again and decided to make arrangements as soon as possible. I had even asked Zheng Shuang for his friend’s number and placed a call to his ex-schoolmate.

Zheng Shuang’s ex-schoolmate was a man called Tao Gang. Tao Gang was Zheng Shuang’s closest friend when they were schooling together at the Police Academy. For some reason, Tao Gang was assigned to Inner Mongolia following his graduation. I waited as the line connected and a beep rang in the earpiece before a man’s voice answered. “Hello, may I know who’s calling?” I spoke softly into the phone instead of handing it over to Zheng Shuang. “Is this Tao Gang speaking?” I asked and the man on the line said he was. “We have a mutual friend, Zheng Shuang. He has seen the picture you sent him. The situation you now encounter up north is the same as what happened here. The perpetrators we have apprehended has confessed that these are all the acts of an evil cult.” I could hear the deep and surprised gasps from Tao Gang through the phone before he collected himself and said, “Can you elaborate more on this? And, is Zheng Shuang with you?” I nodded to Zheng Shuang, hinting him to speak as I held out the phone and activated speaker mode. Zheng Shuang whispered into the phone, “I am here.” We heard another deep heave of breath. “Ah… We’re at a deadlock with the case here. It’s good that you’ve solved the case at your end. Or else…” “Wait.” I cut him off swiftly. “Let us not continue here. Get to a noisy place with lots of people and call me back.” I ended the call at once.

“Why all the cloak and dagger, Brother Shiyan?” Zheng Shuang asked when I clicked off the call. “We do not know where the enemy still is, my friend,” I said to him, “You remember the Third of the Thirteen Apostles? The mastermind of their operations here?” “Ah! You are afraid that Tao Gang might be watched and the enemy might have spies around him who have magic to make themselves invisible!” I nodded in return. Just then, a little girl came in through the door with a bag hoisted on her shoulders. She stopped at the door. Feeling the palpable tension in the sitting area, she stared at us, mewling to Lin Feng in a fearful voice, “T-teacher… Wh-what’s going on…” Lin Feng waved at her, calling for her to come to him and the little girl scurried past us into a room. Zheng Shuang did not usually come in full police uniform. He was here in haste from his post, hence his appearance had slightly unsettled Lin Feng’s little apprentice.

The four of us traded looks. We smiled abjectly to each other when my phone rang suddenly. I hit the “Answer” button and the squawking cacophony of a bustling hubbub roared through the speaker of my phone. It seemed that Tao Gang had gone to a market. “All right. Is this place noisy enough for you?” His voice came amidst the thick of the boisterous tumult. I nodded with a “Hmm” and began making introductions. “My name is Shiyan, Murong Shiyan in full. The police force here is ready. I’ll be coming tomorrow with two more men to meet and assist you with the investigations. The police force of Wu Zhong County will not be making any move as to prevent from alerting the enemy, hence I and my companions will be coming as tourists. I’ll count on you to receive us once we arrive.”

Tao Gang expressed his agreements and we discussed some further details about our rendezvous before I hung up the call. Zheng Shuang left not long later, returning to his post to make arrangements of his own. I called for Yuan Chongxi, Lin Feng, and his little apprentice, and the four of us traveled back to the National Studies Institute.