As dusk fell, Chief Constable Zong arrived as promised. He first presented a housewarming gift, then walked around inside and outside the house, clicking his tongue in admiration. "Nice house, but it's too secluded."

  Chen Ming smiled and said, "I like the quiet. No noisy distractions to bother my ears."

  Chief Constable Zong noticed the courtyard was deserted and asked, "You live here all alone? Don't you feel lonely? Why not hire a few maids to manage the household? They could even warm your bed."

  At this time, the laws of the Great Ming prohibited the trafficking of people, but hiring maids who provided bed-warming services was an unspoken convention.

  "I'm used to it. Besides, I have a sister-in-law who will eventually marry into the family. That girl is quite jealous. If the vinegar jar were to tip over, it would be a terrible tragedy."

  The fact that Chen Ming had a sister-in-law who was also his fiancée wasn't a secret; anyone could learn it with a little inquiry. Chen Ming conveniently used this as an excuse.

  Chief Constable Zong shook his head and laughed at Chen Ming's timidity, being so afraid of his wife even before she'd married into the family. What would happen after the wedding?

  Chen Ming invited Chief Constable Zong to the table. Under the bright kerosene lamp, several fine dishes were laid out. Renhe was a land of fish and rice, so the cuisine featured freshwater delicacies: pickled vegetable and black fish slices, fish head and tofu soup, vinegar-braised fish, home-style braised assorted fish, steamed softshell turtle, grass lake eel slices, as well as soy sauce duck, hairy bamboo shoot and pork braise, and more. The wine was yellow rice wine, fine Yuezhou Nü'er Hong. In this world, liquor wasn't popular; everyone preferred yellow wine.

  Chen Ming poured wine for Chief Constable Zong, and the two drank heartily. After a few cups, emboldened by the wine, Chief Constable Zong asked, "Brother Chen, I truly admire you. You lost all your family wealth, yet within a month, you've made a comeback. I'm curious—where did you earn it all?"

  Chen Ming knew this was a major flaw. He answered vaguely, "Mainly by working as a Night rover, and I also dabbled in some business in Hangzhou on the side."

  Chief Constable Zong shook his head. "You're not being a true friend. If there's a way to get rich, we should get rich together. Why all the secrecy? I was the one who introduced you to the Night rover business. Do you think I don't know how much you can earn from that? This two-courtyard house is worth at least fifteen hundred yuan—definitely not something you could earn as a Night rover."

  Chen Ming countered, "Brother Zong, you're the Chief Constable of Renhe County, a position of power and importance. Are you short of money?"

  Chief Constable Zong sighed. "Look at me. I'm getting on in years and still a bachelor—that should tell you whether I have money or not. Being Chief Constable barely allows me to maintain a respectable appearance. As for buying a house, I wouldn't dare dream of it. I also don't dare to line my pockets. The County Sheriff tolerates no corruption and sees through everything. After all these years, I'm still stuck where I began."

  Chen Ming sighed sympathetically. "Every family has its own hard luck story."

  In the end, Chen Ming didn't tell Chief Constable Zong how he made his money, and Chief Constable Zong didn't ask, but the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. After drinking for only a short while, Chief Constable Zong excused himself, claiming official duties, and rose to leave. Chen Ming saw him to the door and watched his figure gradually dissolve into the night.

  Chen Ming returned to the table and looked at the nearly untouched dishes. He couldn't help but sigh. He had never expected that Chief Constable Zong would also be interested in making money. But he couldn't tell anyone about this method, because to do so would be to harm them. Besides himself—a transmigrator with a golden finger—who could venture into the forest unscathed? Yet Chief Constable Zong seemed to misunderstand, thinking Chen Ming was holding out on him, which had created a rift in their friendship.

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  Chen Ming drank alone for a while longer in melancholy, then stood up to clear the table. The weather was hot now; if the food and wine weren't properly handled, they would spoil and stink. As he picked up the glass Chief Constable Zong had drunk from, his eyes suddenly narrowed. He clearly saw two spiral patterns on the fingerprint.

  He froze for a moment, as if unable to believe it. The alcohol-induced haze instantly dissipated.

  In an instant, many things that had puzzled him fell into place.

  Chief Constable Zong was the mastermind! He was the one who had schemed to harm him.

  Without the backing of someone in the government office, how would Manager Jin have dared to openly embezzle from the Chen & Zhu Firm?

  But Manager Jin had died too suddenly, likely leaving behind incriminating evidence. Afraid of exposure, Chief Constable Zong had simply burned down the Chen & Zhu Firm to destroy the evidence.

  Chen Ming's wallet and luggage had been stolen within a single day—too much of a coincidence. Only Zong Wenqi, as Chief Constable, could have directed the thieves in Renhe County to carry this out.

  His motives for doing so were certainly malicious: he wanted to drive Chen Ming into a corner. Then, pretending friendship, he tricked Chen Ming into becoming a Night rover. Few Night rovers met a good end; this was essentially a death sentence—a truly vicious plan.

  But Chief Constable Zong could never have imagined that Chen Ming had a golden finger. Not only did he not die in the forest, he actually got rich from it, completely foiling his scheme.

  The truth of the matter was that Chief Constable Zong loved money. He had secretly protected Manager Jin as he chipped away at the Chen & Zhu Firm's assets, taking a cut of the proceeds. But after the Chen & Zhu Firm was destroyed, this source of income was cut off. Chief Constable Zong, now short of funds, was naturally anxious.

  He harbored deep hatred for Chen Ming. Seeing that Chen Ming had not only survived as a Night rover but was thriving, he deliberately recommended that Chen Ming live near him, the better to watch him day and night and wait for an opportunity to strike.

  Chen Ming broke out in a cold sweat. How foolish he had been, treating a venomous snake as a friend and keeping it close, nearly getting himself killed.

  He also hadn't expected his plan to draw the snake out to work so effectively, revealing the true culprit immediately.

  Fortunately, no one in this world understood the wonderful applications of fingerprints. It was precisely this oversight that had exposed Chief Constable Zong's fox tail.

  Murderous intent surged within Chen Ming. He resolved to take revenge.

  The next day, Chen Ming first left the city for a while. Upon returning, he主动 sought out Chief Constable Zong and said to him, "Brother Zong, last night I thought it over. As they say, share hardships, share wealth. Now that I've gotten rich, I can't forget my friend. So I plan to bring you in on it."

  Chief Constable Zong was overjoyed. "Really? Brother Chen, what kind of business are you in that earns so much money?"

  Chen Ming smiled mysteriously. "Come with me."

  As if spellbound, Chief Constable Zong abandoned his duties and followed Chen Ming to his new home. Entering the main room, Chen Ming bent down, pulled out a box from under the bed, and opened it with a click.

  Chief Constable Zong's breath caught in his throat. His eyes went wide.

  The box was piled high with gold and silver jewelry, glittering with an enticing light under the kerosene lamp!

  He suddenly came to his senses and shouted sternly at Chen Ming, "You've become an outlaw!"

  Chen Ming shook his head. "I've become a different kind of outlaw. The people I rob don't fight back."

  "What kind of people don't fight back?"

  "Dead people!"

  Chief Constable Zong picked up a necklace, brought it close to his nose, and inhaled deeply. His brow immediately furrowed. "There's a faint smell of decay. You're robbing graves?"

  Chen Ming laughed. "Even simpler than that. Earlier, Manager Jin took me to the forest to kill me and silence me, but instead, I killed them. And I accidentally discovered that the forest is littered with corpses, many with gold and silver jewelry on them. I just picked some up and got rich!"

  Chief Constable Zong was stunned. "Is that true? I've heard the forest is extremely dangerous, crawling with monsters everywhere!"

  Chen Ming laughed heartily. "Brother Zong, you're supposed to be brave. Why fear these wild superstitions? I've gone in and out of the forest countless times. Have I lost a single hair? So, how about it? Want to join me?"

  A flicker of greed flashed in Chief Constable Zong's eyes, but he hesitated.