Chapter Twenty-Two: Sketch Portrait

But this couldn’t really be blamed on Liu Datong; without entering the apartment, he had no way of confirming Wang Yunfeng’s suspicious identity.

It wasn’t important anyway. As long as Wang Yunfeng dared to return to the rented room, Ning Zhiheng would apprehend him at once.

He had no intention of letting the line out to reel in a bigger fish.

Once Wang Yunfeng was captured, he would be interrogated under severe pressure; and if that failed, the Bodhi Tree would be used to extract his final memories before death.

Such a method was ruthless, utterly indifferent to whether the subject was willing or not. Nothing could stop Ning Zhiheng from obtaining the information he desired.

Life with a golden finger was just so capricious!

With this thought, Ning Zhiheng ceased to dwell on the matter and said, “From what we know now, it seems only the landlord knows Wang Yunfeng’s true appearance.”

All three of Liu Datong’s group nodded in agreement. Indeed, they hadn’t seen Wang Yunfeng; neither had the neighbors. Everything they knew had come from the landlord.

“Could it be that the landlord is suspicious?” Chen Yanqing suddenly realized.

Ning Zhiheng waved his hand, “That’s unlikely. Anyone with sense wouldn’t choose their own home as a communication point—it’s far too obvious. Besides, he could have fabricated a more plausible identity. The dentist’s identity itself is a flaw.”

Suddenly, Ning Zhiheng thought of something else. He continued, “Does the landlord have family? When Wang Yunfeng came to pay the rent, did they see him? If his family saw him, then Wang Yunfeng is real, and the landlord can be cleared of suspicion.”

“He has a wife, a son, and a daughter. I didn’t record their details, as I hadn’t considered him a suspect at first,” Chen Yanqing added.

“It’s eight o’clock now, not too late. I want to meet the landlord tonight,” Ning Zhiheng said gravely.

Time was pressing; sometimes, opportunities disappeared in the blink of an eye. Not a minute could be wasted.

The three hadn’t expected Ning Zhiheng to be so urgent, but orders from Chief Ning could not be neglected.

Without further ado, Ning Zhiheng stood up, motioned for the three to follow him, and headed out.

Beihua Street was a considerable walk from Ning Zhiheng’s residence. The others had come on foot, which would have wasted time.

Ning Zhiheng’s house was close to the Military Intelligence Bureau, chosen for convenient access to work.

He led the three back to the Bureau first; even at night, the place was heavily guarded, as it was a key military institution. Ning Zhiheng could not bring strangers inside without proper procedures.

He had them wait at the guard post while he fetched a military jeep. The four then headed to the landlord’s home.

On the way, Chen Yanqing briefed them on the landlord. His name was Liu Merlin, a native of Jinling. He was well-off, with several ancestral properties rented out. His wife was a teacher at a nearby elementary school; they had a son and a daughter, and their background was clean.

They quickly arrived at Liu Merlin’s residence—a stand-alone two-story house. Though night had fallen, the refined exterior was still visible; clearly, this was an upscale home.

Chen Yanqing went forward to knock. After a moment, someone inside asked who it was. The two seemed to know each other; hearing Chen Yanqing’s voice, the door was opened.

“Back again? It’s late—something urgent?” came the weary voice of a middle-aged man.

“Brother Liu, there were things left unrecorded this afternoon; I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you a bit longer,” Chen Yanqing said politely.

Locals like Liu Merlin, whose family had lived here for generations and who had extensive connections, were not to be offended unless necessary, even by the police.

Liu Merlin opened the door and let them in. Jinling, being the national capital, was home mostly to the affluent, and security was relatively good. He wouldn’t have admitted them so easily if they weren’t acquaintances.

Having local contacts made everything much easier; otherwise, Ning Zhiheng alone wouldn’t even have gotten the door open.

They settled in the living room. Seeing Ning Zhiheng’s unfamiliar face, Liu Merlin asked, “Young man, I haven’t seen you before—are you a new colleague at the police station?”

Despite Ning Zhiheng’s youthful appearance, his demeanor was composed. The three others clearly deferred to him.

Liu Merlin, experienced in reading people, noticed that Ning Zhiheng led the group and so addressed him directly.

Ning Zhiheng gently waved off Liu Datong’s introduction and took out his officer’s credentials from his breast pocket. “Ning Zhiheng, Captain of Operations, Military Intelligence Bureau.”

Hearing “Military Intelligence Bureau,” Liu Merlin’s eyelids twitched violently. Damn, not the police!

Unlike ordinary citizens, Liu Merlin had heard of the Bureau—one of Jinling’s few privileged organizations.

Especially since it oversaw the military, police, and constabulary—its power was terrifying. Even his brother-in-law, a director at the city government, had warned him to stay as far away from such military agencies as possible; once entangled, it was like losing a layer of skin, or worse—one’s life!

He silently cursed Liu Datong and Chen Yanqing for bringing such a dangerous tiger into his home but kept a calm face.

He carefully examined the credentials; they were finely made, with Ning Zhiheng’s photo clearly displayed—undoubtedly genuine.

He respectfully returned the documents, bowing with a forced smile. “Apologies, I didn’t expect an officer from the Military Intelligence Bureau—please forgive my lack of proper welcome!”

“Mr. Liu, I’m sorry to call so late. It’s official business, I hope you understand,” Ning Zhiheng said kindly, trying to ease Liu Merlin’s tension.

“This visit concerns the population survey this afternoon. The tenant at 402 Beihua Street, Wang Yunfeng, is under serious suspicion. We believe he may be a Japanese spy. Aside from yourself, have your wife or children seen him?”

Liu Merlin immediately understood—it was about Wang Yunfeng again. Clearly, this fellow had gotten himself into serious trouble, enough to bring the Bureau to his door.

How laughable that he had once thought the man honest, always coming by to pay rent in person—truly, one could know a face but not a heart!

“Please don’t misunderstand; this is just an investigation. There will be no harm to you or your family. We simply wish for a more detailed description of Wang Yunfeng’s appearance,” Ning Zhiheng sensed Liu Merlin’s hesitation and reassured him.

“Of course, you know that concealing facts or withholding information can be treated as complicity,” he added.

“That’s right, Brother Liu. This is serious, or it wouldn’t have involved Chief Ning. Don’t be foolish,” Chen Yanqing explained. “We’re all acquaintances—who would harm you? There’s nothing to hide; just clarify, and it’ll be fine.”

After a moment’s thought, Liu Merlin finally replied, “He usually comes to the house to pay rent. My wife has seen him several times.”

At this, Ning Zhiheng relaxed. If his wife had seen Wang Yunfeng, then Wang Yunfeng was indeed real, and Liu Merlin could be cleared.

“Then please ask your wife to help describe Wang Yunfeng’s appearance,” Ning Zhiheng requested.

Liu Merlin nodded, and under Ning Zhiheng’s gaze, called for his wife.

Liu Merlin’s wife, a teacher, was calmer than her husband. When asked to describe Wang Yunfeng, she carefully recalled, “He is fairly decent-looking, not tall—about the height of this young man.”

She pointed at Liu Yong, and the group looked at him. Liu Yong was about 168 centimeters, average for southern men.

She went on to describe him much as Liu Merlin had, adding that Wang Yunfeng’s accent was northern. Southern speech tended to be softer.

She couldn’t pinpoint the exact region, only that he was likely from the north.

“He’s quite cultured, polite in conversation. Once, he even brought pastries as a gift—really, you can’t judge by appearances,” Liu Merlin remarked.

Ning Zhiheng asked for white paper and a pencil, and, guided by the couple’s descriptions, began to sketch.

In his previous life, he had studied portrait drawing—his parents enrolled him in extracurricular classes during his school years.

They had hoped he might use it as a specialty for college entrance exams, but he later abandoned it for various reasons. Yet those years had given him a solid foundation.

Portraiture requires careful structure, from composition to brushwork, shading, and detail—all to render a lifelike image.

Over two hours, with repeated corrections and adjustments, a clear sketch gradually emerged under his hand, astonishing everyone present.

In this era of the Republic, Western drawing techniques had only just begun to enter the country and few were familiar with them. Ning Zhiheng’s skill elicited surprise and admiration.

Witnessing this, Liu Merlin couldn’t help but marvel—damn, even spies are so talented these days!

“It’s remarkably accurate. Your Western technique is more lifelike than traditional painting—it’s almost like a photograph!” Liu Merlin’s wife exclaimed.

The three colleagues were equally shocked. Chief Ning, so young, was skilled in both literature and martial arts—such talent!

His drawing alone was enough to make a living.

Ning Zhiheng was quite satisfied. In truth, he was adept not only at sketching but also at traditional painting.

In his previous life’s final years, he dealt mostly in antiques and art, never letting his skills lapse. Tonight, he had stunned everyone—hadn’t he?

“Haha, you flatter me! I doodle for fun, please forgive my clumsy efforts,” Ning Zhiheng replied modestly.

By now, it was late. Ning Zhiheng rose to take his leave. “I’m deeply sorry for disturbing your rest so late. Please accept my apologies—I’ll be going now.”

At first, the Liu couple had felt awkward and wary about Ning Zhiheng’s identity, but after extended conversation, they found the young man not at all arrogant, but gentle and courteous. Their impression of him grew increasingly positive.

They walked the group to the door. As they departed, Liu Merlin even invited Ning Zhiheng to visit again when he had the time.