Chapter Three: Half a Key to Tidelistening House

Jibai sat him at a long table and tore open the shirt at the shoulder. A fragment had carved a bleeding line. Nearby, old burns spread from shoulder blade to ribs. The explosion seven years ago had been real. So was the man who survived it. Yanci remained silent through the disinfectant, but when tweezers caught the fragment, he crushed Jibai's wrist. “Say it if it hurts.” “Will that reduce the pain?” “No. But I can be gentler.” Yanci studied him, then slowly released him. “Zhou Chengyue once said the same thing.” After the explosion, a fishing boat had rescued Yanci with burns across his face and damage to his voice. Following instructions left by Yanci's mother, Zhou Chengyue moved him out of a private hospital and created the identity Yan Ci.