Chapter 1561 — The Gaokao Is Coming

"On the surface, our task force still has to lock Wei Zhao in as the criminal suspect. That cannot be helped. But in private, I am giving you a secret mission. Go investigate in the shadows and find out the truth. To the outside world, I will announce that you have been given leave. I hope you can unravel what really happened. If you need anything, call me anytime. I will cooperate with you in every way I can!" Yang Huaijun said.

"Yes! Thank you, Brother Yang!" Qiu Lingshan was both startled and delighted by Yang Huaijun's words, and she nodded at once. "Rest assured, I will complete the mission, uncover the truth, and clear Wei Zhao's name!"

"Mm, by the way, it has been some time since we met. It seems you have taken a bit of a liking to Wei Zhao?" With business finished, Yang Huaijun made a joke. "Before, were you two not bickering sweethearts?"

"Brother Yang, you are teasing me again..." Qiu Lingshan said, embarrassed as she smoothed her hair.

"What? Embarrassed now?" Yang Huaijun asked with a smile.

"Not exactly. It is just that I have been pursuing him all along, but I have not succeeded yet." Qiu Lingshan decided to tell the plain truth. "Besides, my strength was raised with his help."

"Him? He helped you improve?" Yang Huaijun was taken aback. He himself came from an aristocratic family, so he knew very well the internal cultivation method Qiu Lingshan practiced. The Song family's mantra leaned toward dual cultivation, yet Qiu Lingshan said her pursuit had not yet succeeded, which meant the two had not cultivated together. Without dual cultivation, how had her strength been raised?

Suddenly, Yang Huaijun recalled a phone call Wei Zhao had made to him some time ago, in which he had apparently said he had found a way to restore his own strength. Could it be that Wei Zhao had used that same method on Qiu Lingshan?

"It is funny to tell, actually. He raised both Chen Yutian and me to early Xuan rank in one go..." Qiu Lingshan said with a bitter smile. "Brother Yang, do you think someone as formidable as Wei Zhao would still go and commit those crimes?"

"Chen Yutian too..." Yang Huaijun drew in a sharp breath of cold air. He had not expected that even Chen Yutian had leveled up. Then was he himself not the only one left around Wei Zhao who was not even a Huang-rank fighter?

"Yes!" Qiu Lingshan nodded. "So, as you know, Brother Yang, with such a trick in hand, Wei Zhao could go to any aristocratic family, or even any hidden house, and be honored as a revered guest. What money could he not have? Why would he rob a bank? And as for teasing young girls, that is even more absurd. Never mind the pretty darlings waiting in line at his home, even I am waiting right here. Instead of teasing us, he goes to tease others? What kind of mindset would that be?"

"Ha ha!" Yang Huaijun was amused by Qiu Lingshan's words and smiled. "Lingshan, in fact I have believed from start to finish that Wei Zhao did not commit these cases. I have watched the recording too. Although the man in it is indeed Wei Zhao, he did not give me that feeling of closeness. It was more like a familiar strangeness. Outwardly he looks like Wei Zhao, but if you look closely, you feel he is not!"

"Yes, since you support me too, Brother Yang, I feel even more confident. I will get to the bottom of this!" Qiu Lingshan said, clenching her fists.

The video recording had been posted online by a citizen filmer. At the same time the police saw it, ordinary citizens naturally saw it too, and that of course included Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Tang Yun!

The three sat around the computer, watching the clip posted on the internet over and over.

"This is not Wei Zhao..." Tang Yun was the first to shake her head, speaking with certainty. "I cannot say why, but I trust my feeling. If I must give a reason, it is that I feel no quickened heartbeat, no spark, toward the man in the picture..."

"Yeah yeah, this is not Brother Arrow!" Shen Yushu nodded as well. "I have seen Brother Arrow without his clothes on. I know him best. This man is definitely not him."

"I do not think it is him either..." Gu Mengyao also shook her head, though she added with some difficulty. "The trouble is, the police will not believe us. We cannot produce any convincing evidence!"

"This man does not look like an internal master at all. Though he is not weak, he looks far more like an external master!" Wu Chengtian was a cultivator, and one who trained in both internal and external arts, so he could see the discrepancy at a glance!

"Oh? Wei Zhao is an internal master, so can that serve as evidence?" Gu Mengyao's eyes lit up with joy as she asked at once.

"Probably not. It is only a feeling I have, and I have no way to prove it!" Wu Chengtian shook his head. "But we can be basically certain this man is not Boss Wei Zhao, so we need not worry too much. Once Boss Wei Zhao returns, he should be able to settle this!"

"That is the only way." Gu Mengyao nodded after hearing Wu Chengtian's words. If it was certain this man was not Wei Zhao, then all was well. Even if he looked very much like Wei Zhao, the day Wei Zhao returned would be the day the truth came to light.

Day after day passed, and the criminal suspect continued to offend with undiminished arrogance. Yet because of his strength, the police were never able to catch him in the act. As the matter grew larger and larger, the pressure on Yang Huaijun grew heavier and heavier.

Likewise, Qiu Lingshan was nominally on leave, but in secret she moved through the commercial districts of Songshan City, hoping to run into the fake Wei Zhao who was committing the crimes. Yet after many days of effort, Qiu Lingshan still had not discerned the fake Wei Zhao's pattern. The man acted with no logic at all, appearing here today and there tomorrow, utterly without method, which only added to the difficulty of her search!

Afterward, Qiu Lingshan simply stopped chasing after the fake Wei Zhao and instead staked out a single area. No matter where the fake Wei Zhao appeared, she would not change places, but would lie in wait right there! It had to be said, Qiu Lingshan's approach was, for the moment, the best available.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the Gaokao arrived. As the three girls' close guard, Wu Chengtian naturally had to escort them personally to the examination hall! Since it was the day of the Gaokao and there were many cars on the street, the three did not ask Uncle Qing to drive them, but had Wu Chengtian drive Gu Mengyao's Audi S5 to the site!

Although Gu Mengyao had said she could drive herself to the exam, Wu Chengtian firmly refused to agree!

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