ebookslot Chapter 65 River-Suppressing Money
Chapter 65 River-Suppressing Money
Zhou Xing picked up the copper coin.
It feels heavy in the hand, with blunt edges, typical of Kangxi Tongbao coins, but it's thicker than usual. The characters are almost flattened from being rubbed, and the color is a dark greenish-black, exuding a chilling, watery feel.
The instant my fingertips touched it, an extremely strong and stubborn thought crashed into my mind!
[The people of Zhenhe are obsessed: Lock the riverbed beneath the sea, don't let it out!]
Zhou Xing's brows furrowed suddenly.
What lock? Under the Haihe River? Don't let "anyone" out?
The intense, almost tangible pressure of the obsession was met with only this vague and ambiguous warning.
He checked the information several times to confirm that there was no other information.
He looked up at Li Wenyong: "Where did this come from?"
"There's a charity branch called Jishetang, where incense is offered on a table."
Li Wenyong recalled, "It looked quite old and strange, unlike ordinary objects, so I had someone bring it back with me."
Zhou Xing nodded, his fingertips stroking the cold, rough surface of the copper coin.
There are very few clues, only the location "Haihe River".
He gripped the copper coin: "Check if there's anything unusual about the Haihe River in recent years, especially the strange rumors among the old boatmen and riverside residents. Write them all down."
"Understood." Li Wenyong nodded and made a note of it.
As they were talking, the sound of slightly hurried leather shoes came from the corridor outside the door and stopped outside the archives room.
Then came the slightly tense report from the patrol officer on duty: "Report! Inspector Li, Inspector Reno has arrived and is waiting in your office."
Renault? Coming now? Wasn't the list just submitted?
Li Wenyong and Zhou Xing exchanged a glance.
The two stood up. Li Wenyong straightened his uniform collar, while Zhou Xing put the river-suppressing coin into his pocket and locked the cabinet door.
I pushed open the door and entered Li Wenyong's office.
There were now four more people in the room.
The two were Chinese constables from the bureau, and they stood ramrod straight, their faces tense.
The third person, with his back to the door, stood in front of the window, looking out at the police station courtyard.
He turned around when he heard the door open.
This was a white man around forty years old, about the same height as Zhou Xing, wearing a well-tailored dark gray wool hunting suit, matching riding breeches, and knee-high riding boots with some mud stains.
Underneath the jacket was a light-colored shirt and a dark tie, and the jacket itself was a brown leather holster strap slung across his chest. A noticeable bulge was visible under his right armpit, which was the holster.
He was holding a pair of soft deerskin gloves in his hand.
He had short, brown hair, a thin, pale face, high cheekbones, and a straight nose. His lips were thin and pressed into a straight line.
But what's most striking is his eyes.
Those were very unusual eyes.
In the dim indoor light, the pupils surprisingly took on a pale golden vertical shape, almost like those of a feline, with a faint green tinge at the edges.
When he looks at you, his eyes seem to pierce through your flesh and go straight into your bones; they are cold, sharp, and devoid of any human emotion.
Standing beside him was an adjutant in a trench coat, stocky and expressionless, with his hands always tucked into his coat pockets.
Danger!
Almost the instant their eyes met, the hairs on Zhou Xing's entire body stood on end silently!
The listening skill activated spontaneously, but what it captured was like a deep pool. The other person's heartbeat was extremely slow, their breathing was so long that the gaps were almost inaudible, their muscles were relaxed, and there was no sign of them exerting any force.
This means that he has reached a state of perfect control over his body and can unleash a thunderous attack at any time.
An invisible force enveloped the entire room. It was cold, viscous, and carried the smell of rust and gunpowder.
Better than Liu Yishou.
Much stronger.
Renault's gaze lingered on Li Wenyong's face for a moment before landing on Zhou Xing.
Before Li Wenyong could introduce them, he slightly raised his chin towards the two Chinese constables standing in the room:
"I don't want these two."
His voice was calm, with a slight nasal resonance, but his pronunciation was clear and articulate, with almost no foreign accent.
Li Wenyong was taken aback, then quickly said, "Captain Renault, these two are the most experienced in the bureau..."
Renault raised his hand, decisively interrupting him, indicating that the two could leave.
The two men, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, lowered their heads and quickly retreated. The adjutant silently walked to the door and closed it behind him.
Renault's gaze never left Zhou Xing, his grey-green cat-like eyes narrowing slightly as he looked him up and down.
"Zhou Xing?"
"Yes, sir."
How tall are you?
"180 centimeters."
Reno nodded: "Five feet eleven inches. That's rare among you Chinese. You Chinese are generally short."
Zhou Xing said calmly, "I was lucky; I was able to have enough to eat when I was a child."
Renault's lips twitched slightly, and he asked again, "Do you know how tall the 'Judge of Tianjin' is?"
"I don't know."
"Five feet seven inches."
Renault said casually, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Xing like a ruler, "Taller than the average Chinese person. I've heard that your Chinese martial arts, when practiced to the bone, can alter one's height?"
Zhou Xing frowned and thought for a moment: "That's a saying."
"I heard you also know martial arts?"
"I know a little."
"and you,"
Renault took a few steps forward, their faces almost touching, so close they could smell each other. His cat-like eyes were fixed on Zhou Xing's, and his voice was lowered.
"Has it reached the bone marrow?"
The atmosphere suddenly tensed. Li Wenyong held his breath, sweat beading on his forehead, while his adjutant placed his hand on his waist. The sounds of the city outside the window seemed distant.
Zhou Xing was quite surprised, even a little amused, and shook his head, saying:
"I'm still young, far from it. There are very few people in Tianjin who can train to the bone marrow level."
Renault didn't speak, but simply stared at Zhou Xing with his gray-green cat eyes, unblinking.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Zhou Xing lowered his eyes, avoiding eye contact with him, but his senses were heightened to the extreme.
He clearly felt an invisible and intangible fluctuation, like the slightest electric current, sweeping across his skin, muscles, bones... and even trying to penetrate inward.
This person is investigating him!
Zhou Xing understood instantly.
He forcibly suppressed his physical instincts, calmed the burgeoning inner strength and fist intent, and circulated the Toad-Fishing Force to its most gentle state, closing his pores and smoothing his blood and qi.
He hadn't even reached the level of marrow refinement.
The probing fluctuations lingered around him for a few breaths before finally receding slowly.
"You're the one."
Reno turned around, his tone returning to its usual calm. "Brave, skilled, and familiar with boxing gyms and techniques. Report to the Central Police Station's Special Investigation Team at nine o'clock in the morning, three days from now."
"Yes, sir."
Zhou Xing responded, then looked up and asked, "Excuse me, is there a reward for this operation?"
Renault visibly paused for a moment, a hint of amusement flickering across his lips:
"This time, the higher-ups are very generous."
Having said that, he said no more, nodded slightly to his adjutant, put on his gloves, opened the door, and went out. The adjutant followed closely behind, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
The office fell silent for a moment.
Li Wenyong opened his mouth, as if to say something.
Zhou Xing stopped him with a look and shook his head slightly.
"Inspector Li,"
Zhou Xing spoke, his voice as usual, "Then I'll go down and prepare."
"Okay." Li Wenyong swallowed the words that were about to come out and nodded.
Zhou Xing turned and went out. The Annamese policeman outside the door was standing there, his legs numb, but he still held his gun and didn't move.
Zhou Xing swiftly drew his spear from his waist, tucked it under his arm, and walked downstairs without looking back.