Chapter Eighty-Five: Zhang Pei Appears

Sun Jiacheng’s family martial arts were Xingyi Fist and Soft-Hand Saber, both long-established combat arts in the port city.

Unlike the martial routines from Ning Zhiheng’s former life, which were chiefly performed for flowing movements and graceful postures, the fighting arts of this era were the real thing, created for lethal struggle and highly practical in use.

True Xingyi Fist was not pretty to watch. It prized broad, uncompromising movement and explosive direct strikes. In truth, it was not far removed from the close-quarters combat and free fighting used in the army. Since Sun Jiacheng had also trained in hand-to-hand combat while serving in the military, the two blended naturally in his hands, giving him a style of his own.

Ning Zhiheng was himself an accomplished fighter. Sun Jiacheng merely taught him some of the distinctive power-generation methods of Xingyi Fist along with a few personal insights, and he picked them up very quickly.

What astonished Sun Jiacheng was Ning Zhiheng’s astonishing physical condition. He reacted faster and moved with greater agility; with the same method of power generation, the force in Ning Zhiheng’s hands was terrifying. During sparring, a single shoulder check from Ning Zhiheng sent Sun Jiacheng reeling away.

Sun Jiacheng could not help but say with a wry smile, “Captain, your physical foundation is almost absurdly good. Still, that only makes things better. Real combat is decided in a single blow, with no room for flourishes. As long as you master these methods of power generation, one force can subdue ten techniques. The more direct, the better. You do not need to learn anything else.”

Ning Zhiheng also felt that his body was in excellent condition. Half a year earlier, a green leaf from the Bodhi Tree had improved his constitution, greatly enhancing his physical abilities. Over the past six months, his strength had still been growing slowly, only to begin leveling off recently, suggesting that the leaf’s effects had now been fully absorbed.

Still, if he could absorb another green leaf in the future, he believed his body would improve further. Just how strong would he become then? He felt great anticipation.

However, the Bodhi Tree’s green leaves improved his body on their own initiative; he himself could not actively communicate with the tree. The next enhancement might come at an unknown time.

Next came the dagger fighting Ning Zhiheng most wanted to learn. This martial skill was extremely suitable for real combat, because it involved weapons and therefore demanded precision and technique, while its killing power was immense.

In particular, Sun Jiacheng had fused it with the characteristics of reverse-handed saber work. His footwork was full of shifting feints and turning steps, excellent for sliding to an enemy’s flank. A short blade could be held in the reverse grip and tucked beneath the forearm, making it especially practical for surprise attacks.

Sun Jiacheng taught Ning Zhiheng everything without reservation, passing on both Soft-Hand Saber and single-handed saber techniques in full. Ning Zhiheng had an excellent foundation and an especially sharp mind, so he quickly grasped the essentials.

Time flew. Soon the New Year of nineteen thirty-seven had passed. Ning Zhiheng had spent the holiday having New Year’s Eve dinner at his teacher He Feng’s home, and most of the rest of his time had been spent at the Military Intelligence Office, practicing real combat with Sun Jiacheng.

His practical fighting skill, especially in short-blade combat, improved by leaps and bounds.

Before long, even Sun Jiacheng’s best short-blade techniques found it difficult to withstand Ning Zhiheng’s attacks.

During this period, Ning Zhiheng’s actual combat ability rose sharply. At the same time, he noticed that although Sun Jiacheng was a master fighter, he was not particularly outstanding with firearms. Coupled with the fact that Ning Zhiheng rather enjoyed instructing others, he took the initiative to offer guidance in shooting practice.

The two exchanged advice, and after sparring in combat they would often go to the shooting range to practice marksmanship.

Ning Zhiheng’s eyesight had become increasingly keen, and his arm strength was remarkably steady. His shooting skills had also improved significantly. By now, not only was his pistol marksmanship growing ever more accurate, but even with a rifle he could consistently hit the bull’s-eye. He could certainly be called a sharpshooter.

His brilliant performance greatly surprised Sun Jiacheng as well. One could say that Ning Zhiheng had now become a true tactical expert, equally formidable in shooting and in combat.

One day, Ning Zhiheng received a call from Chen Yanqing and learned that the matter he had entrusted to them had finally borne fruit: the Communist traitor Zhang Pei had at last been found.

Zhang Pei’s defection had directly led to the sacrifice of Shadow, Lu Ming, and Ning Zhiheng had long harbored a grudge over it. He had long since wanted to eliminate this man and remove the future danger once and for all.

Moreover, before Lu Ming died, Ning Zhiheng had personally promised to kill Zhang Pei and avenge him. This matter had already been delayed for more than two months. After the previous case involving the Shadow Unit ended, the Central Party Affairs Investigation Bureau had taken back all the action personnel who had been arrested at the time, including the Communist traitor Zhang Pei.

Ning Zhiheng had later made inquiries from many directions, but after Zhang Pei was taken back by the Central Party Affairs Investigation Bureau, he had never appeared again, and all news about him had been tightly sealed.

Ning Zhiheng could not personally track him around the clock, so he handed the task to his peripheral contacts.

The job had been assigned to Chen Yanqing and Hou Cheng. When Zhang Pei was arrested, photographs and records had been left behind, and Ning Zhiheng had given all of them to those two, specifically charging them with uncovering Zhang Pei’s whereabouts.

But after so long, there had still been no definite news. Only one thing was known: the traitor had been placed by the Central Party Affairs Investigation Bureau in a residential district under its own exclusive control.

That residential district housed only people from the Central Party Affairs Investigation Bureau, with guards patrolling day and night and security extremely tight. Zhang Pei was very cautious; he never went out alone, and unless absolutely necessary he did not even leave his room. Chen Yanqing and Hou Cheng could not enter the district at all, and thus had no way to learn his exact location or movements.

Chen Yanqing had seen Zhang Pei twice near that district, but only for a brief moment each time. He flashed into view and then slipped back inside the residential area again.

Every few days, Chen Yanqing would report Zhang Pei’s situation. Ning Zhiheng was helpless about it. Zhang Pei was like a turtle with its head tucked into its shell, never showing himself and leaving Ning Zhiheng with no opportunity at all.

Yet unexpectedly, today there was finally movement.

Ning Zhiheng put down the phone and hurried to the Hongyun Teahouse not far from the entrance of the Military Intelligence Office, the place he had agreed to use as a meeting point with his peripheral men.

When he arrived, Chen Yanqing was already waiting for him. The moment he saw Ning Zhiheng, he quickly reported, “Two days ago, Zhang Pei finally appeared. He was accompanied by two action men and actually left the Party Affairs Investigation Bureau residential district. I followed them all the way and found that they entered an apartment in the north of the city, and after going in they never came out again. I watched for another two days and nothing changed, so I figured he wasn’t going anywhere in the short term and hurried to report to you.”

Ning Zhiheng immediately said, “Take me there now.”

The two of them hired two rickshaws and hurried to the northern part of the city, where they found Hou Cheng, who had been in charge of surveillance.

Hou Cheng pointed to a two-story apartment ahead and said, “Zhang Pei is in there. He’s only shown himself twice in the past two days, and he’s always been protected by two guards.”

Ning Zhiheng nodded and praised them, saying, “Good work. Stay here and keep watching. I’ll go take a look at the terrain.”

Disguised as a passerby, he strolled around nearby at random, roughly surveying the front, back, left, and right of the apartment. Silently memorizing the layout of the building and the routes for entering and leaving, he then slipped back.

He said to Chen Yanqing and Hou Cheng, “You stay and continue monitoring. Report to me immediately if anything happens. At midnight tonight, you can leave. Understood?”

With that, he tossed over two thick stacks of banknotes. “You’ve been looking for him all this time. It has been hard on the two of you.”

The two men took the money. Knowing that Officer Ning had always been generous, they did not refuse, only nodding repeatedly. “Thank you, Officer Ning! Thank you, Officer Ning!”

Watching Ning Zhiheng walk away, Hou Cheng turned to Chen Yanqing and said, “Who exactly is this Zhang Pei? He must have a grudge against Officer Ning, and a big one at that, or else why would Officer Ning have us searching for him for so long? Just wait and see. That Zhang Pei won’t be able to jump around for many more days. He’ll surely die at Officer Ning’s hands.”

Chen Yanqing waved the banknotes in his hand and lowered his voice as he snapped, “Monkey, are you sick of living? How dare you run your mouth about Officer Ning’s affairs? What kind of unit is the Military Intelligence Investigation Office? And what sort of man is Officer Ning? Don’t you know?

“Never mind that we’re earning our bread from them. Do you think Officer Ning is someone who can tolerate sand in his eyes? He could kill a man without even blinking. Have you already forgotten how Wang the Skin-Flayer died?

“If you can’t keep your mouth shut and let something slip, do you understand what the consequences will be?

“I’m warning you. If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you.”

Hou Cheng was stunned by Chen Yanqing’s words and hurriedly explained, “I didn’t say anything. How many heads do I have that I’d dare go around talking nonsense? It’s just us brothers chatting. In front of outsiders, I’d be as tight-lipped as a clam.”

Only then did Chen Yanqing’s expression ease slightly. He was genuinely afraid that Hou Cheng would go around talking recklessly and ruin Officer Ning’s affairs, in which case he himself would be unable to explain things clearly.

Ning Zhiheng’s ruthlessness was deeply rooted in Chen Yanqing’s mind, and it filled him with awe.

He said to Hou Cheng, “The matter of Zhang Pei is known only to the two of us. Even with Big Head and the others, you must keep it secret. If something goes wrong, we won’t be able to shoulder it.”

Hou Cheng hurriedly nodded in agreement and did not dare say another word.