“Alright, I never thought that after all these years traveling across the land, from the northern plains to the southern rivers, I’d meet my match here today,” Hou Shen, impersonating Zhao Dayou, said in a somewhat dejected tone. “I accept defeat like a man. From now on, there will be no more ‘Monkey God’ in the martial world. As you said, I shall be your humble servant, Master Mei.”
Mei Qing fixed Hou Shen with a steady gaze and said, “Hou Shen, I’ve told you before—I don’t require you to change your name or become my slave. Just serve under me, that’s all. A real man, having mastered extraordinary skills, can you really accept living the rest of your life branded as a thief, fading into obscurity in the martial world? I won’t make empty promises either. So long as you honor your word, I assure you—I will never betray you.”
Hou Shen lowered his head and replied softly, “Yes.” His tone was calm, yet now carried a firm resolve.
“Excellent. Dinguo, remove Hou’s chains,” Mei Qing said joyfully to Yao Dinguo.
“There’s no need to trouble anyone. These chains are nothing to me,” Hou Shen said, then twisted his body slightly. With a flick of his wrists, the linked iron cuffs binding his hands clattered to the floor with a loud metallic clang.
Everyone was stunned. These were no ordinary shackles—they were special restraints used by the internal unit specifically for capturing dangerous and slippery suspects. Once locked, no matter how strong or nimble you were, escape was nearly impossible. Yet Hou Shen had made it look effortless.
Hou Shen bowed and said, “Greetings, Master Mei. But I have one question—earlier you said my disguise had flaws. What exactly did you mean by that?”
Everyone turned their eyes toward Mei Qing. Even after Mei Qing had pointed it out, they had still failed to detect any imperfection in Hou Shen’s impersonation of Zhao Dayou. Curiosity filled the room.
A faint smile appeared on Mei Qing’s face as he said, “This is not the place to discuss it. Now that everything has settled, may I invite you all to move to the house outside the warehouse, where I can explain everything in detail?”
Everyone agreed and began packing up, locking the warehouse behind them. They entered the adjacent office. Mei Qing and Lu Zeyou exchanged polite gestures before sitting down. Hou Shen stood respectfully behind Mei Qing, while all eyes turned to Mei Qing, eagerly awaiting his explanation.
Mei Qing picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and gently placed it back down. Just as he was about to speak, a loud, grumbling voice came from the doorway: “Damn it! What bad luck! If I ever find out who that little thief was, I’ll beat him so badly his own mother won’t recognize him!” It was Zhao Dayou.
As the voice entered, so did Zhao himself, teapot in hand, swaggering in with his signature mustache. The moment he stepped inside and saw Lu Zeyou and Mei Qing, his angry expression vanished. He hurried forward with a broad smile: “Oh my! Director Lu, what a pleasant wind has blown you here! Director Mei, ha ha, everyone’s gathered—”
He was still greeting everyone when his eyes suddenly fell on Hou Shen behind Mei Qing. His smile froze instantly. His mustache twitched, his narrow eyes widened like copper bells, and his face began to twitch uncontrollably. He stammered, “You… you… who are you?”
At that moment, Hou Shen raised his hand, and only then did everyone notice that he had somehow retrieved Yao Dinguo’s teapot. He narrowed his small eyes, raised the teapot with flair, and took a couple of exaggerated sips. Then he said loudly, “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you even recognize me, Old Zhao? Heh heh, everyone knows that I, Zhao of the Brocade Guards, am famous for my tricks, drinking, gambling, and womanizing. Who in the capital doesn’t know me? If you don’t even recognize me, then you must be the fake one!”
Zhao blinked several times, then rubbed his eyes hard, shook his head, and even pinched his thigh hard enough to make his mustache tremble three times. He stared hard, confirming he wasn’t dreaming. Terrified, he let out a high-pitched scream: “Ghost! A ghost in broad daylight! Somebody help—!”
Everyone looked at him, a big, burly man acting like such a coward, and couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated. Lu Zeyou tried hard to suppress a smile, put on a stern face, and scolded him: “Zhao Dayou, you’re a senior officer of the Brocade Guards. How can you behave like this? What an embarrassment! This is Director Mei’s new subordinate—he’s just playing a prank on you, and you got scared like that! Let me ask you, why weren’t you on duty today? Where have you been all this time?”
“An impersonator?” Zhao’s face shifted from fear to curiosity. “Is he from Yichun Opera House or something? Even so, he looks too real. Is that even his real face?”
Before anyone could stop him, he reached out with his clumsy hands to touch Hou Shen’s face. Hou Shen flicked his wrist lightly, and Zhao yelped in pain, clutching his wrist: “What was that for? That hurts!”
Mei Qing coughed lightly and said, “Enough, Zhao Jingli. Earlier, Director Lu asked where you went. Where have you been all this time?”
Zhao immediately straightened up and put on a pitiful expression: “Directors Lu and Mei, you don’t know. If I say I’m diligent and conscientious in my duties, that I’m ready to sacrifice everything for the group, even in my sleep I’m thinking about our important matters. But today, my stomach betrayed me. I don’t know what’s wrong with it—it kept acting up. You know how it is, nature calls, so I had to rush to the latrine. But then—”
Zhao’s round face suddenly turned angry, and he clenched his teeth: “Damn it, some little thief threw a big rock into the latrine while I was doing my business, splashing me with filth. If I ever catch that little bastard, I’ll skin him alive, rip out his tendons, gouge out his eyes, and rip out his tongue—”
“Alright, alright, no need to curse. You look perfectly clean now. I don’t see anything wrong with you,” Lu Zeyou interrupted.
Zhao replied, “I was covered in filth! How could I face anyone? I had to sneak out and go home to change. But then that cursed horse, I don’t know what was wrong with it, started having diarrhea too. It took forever to get home. I didn’t even dare blink, changed immediately, and rushed back as soon as I could. I swear it’s the truth!”
Everyone exchanged knowing glances. It was now obvious to all that the one who had thrown the rock and splashed Zhao was none other than Hou Shen. Thinking back, Hou Shen had impersonated several people, tricked Lu Zeyou and Qian San, and cleverly gotten rid of Zhao before appearing as Zhao himself. Such cleverness was truly hard to guard against. His nickname “Monkey God” was well-earned. And yet, Mei Qing had managed to detect the flaw in an otherwise perfect plan. Everyone couldn’t help but feel even more admiration for him.
Mei Qing smiled slightly and asked Zhao, “Zhao Jingli, let’s not dwell on today’s incident. But tell me—do you think the man behind me looks like you?”
Zhao squinted and examined Hou Shen up and down. He clicked his tongue and said, “Looks like him? He looks exactly like me! Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was the real one and I was the fake. Even my wife might not be able to tell the difference—she might drag him straight into our bedroom!”
Everyone burst into laughter. Lu Zeyou smiled and said, “Director Mei, don’t keep us in suspense. Tell us how you saw through the disguise. Even now, I can barely tell them apart.”
Mei Qing smiled and said, “Hou Shen’s impersonation was indeed flawless in appearance, tone, and manner. However, everyone has certain habits that are hard for others to mimic perfectly. Likewise, one’s own habits often surface unconsciously. Although Hou Shen’s Zhao Dayou appeared perfect, there was a subtle difference in the way he walked.”
He paused briefly before continuing: “At first glance, Hou Shen’s walk was also a swaying, unsteady gait. But upon closer observation, there was a significant difference. Hou Shen is naturally agile and skilled in lightness kung fu. Although I don’t know how he managed to make himself look so bulky, it wasn’t his real body. Therefore, his center of gravity while walking was different from Zhao’s. Zhao has a large belly; his swaying gait isn’t by choice, but out of necessity to move his body. Hou Shen only imitated the swaying, so his center of gravity was shifted forward, unlike Zhao’s. Moreover, Hou Shen’s lightness kung fu is so refined that he walks without stirring even a speck of dust. Earlier, when he entered the warehouse to open the door, he moved in effortlessly. Our real Zhao certainly doesn’t have such nimble footwork.”
Everyone recalled Hou Shen’s first entrance and indeed noticed subtle differences compared to Zhao’s usual heavy steps. They nodded in agreement.
Mei Qing continued, “Besides his footwork, Hou Shen’s hand movements also revealed the truth. Although he held the teapot like Zhao, there was no movement at all—no sound of water sloshing inside. Zhao, on the other hand, has carried a teapot for years, yet when he walks, the water inside gently sways. The difference is clear once you notice it.”
“Also, although Zhao speaks loudly, whenever he meets Director Lu or me, he always hurries forward to greet us. He would never shout from a distance like Hou Shen did just now. Hou Shen, you’ve never worked in official circles, so such subtleties might have escaped your notice.”
As Mei Qing spoke, everyone recalled Hou Shen’s earlier greeting from afar. At the time, they had felt something was off, but hadn’t thought much of it amid the chaos. Now that Mei Qing had pointed it out, all their faces lit up with realization.
Lu Zeyou sighed, “Without Director Mei pointing this out, who could have noticed such subtle details? It’s clear why Master Liu holds you in such high regard. Your insight is truly remarkable!”
Mei Qing smiled modestly: “Not at all. I was simply more observant. I don’t deserve such praise from Director Lu.”
But in Hou Shen’s eyes, a flicker of admiration and determination passed. He opened his mouth slightly, glanced around the room, then remained silent.
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