Chapter Thirty-Seven: Aid

With Han Mufeng’s guidance, Qin Yang had achieved a refined control over his own strength. He no longer focused solely on brute force in combat, but gradually shifted his pursuit toward the mastery of technique. His fist grazed his opponent’s cheek, the wind from the blow stinging the skin, pain sharp but fleeting. His movements flowed with intent; stepping forward with his right foot, he pressed himself almost flush against his adversary. The other man couldn’t withdraw his arm in time, and Qin Yang’s elbow crashed fiercely into his armpit. A muffled grunt sounded as the attacker staggered back five or six steps, his left arm limp, his entire body trembling.

The other stranger, seeing this, was instantly enraged. He swung his fist and charged, but from behind came a thunderous shout from Ji Lietiger: “Stop!”

The command rang like thunder. The man halted at once, no longer advancing, but shifted to a defensive stance, eyes fixed on Qin Yang.

“What are you doing here?” Ji Lietiger strode forward, slapped his subordinate on the shoulder as a sign to relax, and smiled. “Your wife let you out? And you, honestly, coming here to indulge yourself while still injured—your wife is already a beauty beyond compare. Don’t go thinking wildflowers are sweeter than those at home.”

His teasing left everyone exchanging glances. Moments ago, Ji Lietiger had roared like a lion, and now he was joking? Even Cao Long in the back wiped the cold sweat from his brow, frightened. Clearly, Qin Yang and Ji Lietiger shared an unusual relationship, but why did no one know who this damn Qin Yang truly was? For Ji Lietiger to treat him so amicably, could he be anything but formidable? The investigation had turned up a blank dossier: either he really had been unremarkable before, or someone had wiped his history clean by special means. Such a person was nothing but trouble.

“My injury is almost healed. What are you doing here causing trouble?” Qin Yang glanced at Cao Long behind him, his expression playful.

Ji Lietiger sneered and pointed at Cao Long. “Just collecting a bit of interest.”

“Looks like you have plenty of creditors, Cao Long,” Qin Yang said with a smile.

Cao Long shuddered, quickly stepping forward. “Boss Ji, I’m just a worker. Orders from above—I dare not disobey. Sure, we have some grievances between us, but there’s no need for outright conflict, right? If anyone’s truly at odds with you, it’s not me, but Cao Xianhu.”

“Spare me the nonsense. I didn’t come here today planning to leave empty-handed.” Ji Lietiger’s voice was cold. “Since I’ve been betrayed, I intend to uncover it, piece by piece.”

Qin Yang knew this was beyond his ability to mediate. Ji Lietiger’s friendliness toward him was merely an accident of fate. The man valued loyalty above all, but having saved Qin Yang’s life before, he’d repaid his debt. At best, he could arrange a negotiation. Ji Lietiger took two steps forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Qin Yang. “Tell me Cao Xianhu’s schedule.”

Cao Long gave a bitter laugh, waved his men away, and led Ji Lietiger and his companions into an office. Qin Yang, as the mediator, was invited in as well. He lounged on the sofa, sipping imported wine. Cao Long poured drinks for the three. “Boss Ji, let’s set aside the fact that I don’t actually know Cao Xianhu’s whereabouts. More importantly, even if I did, as his subordinate, do you think I could tell you?”

“I have my ways to make you talk,” Ji Lietiger scoffed.

Cao Long’s expression grew serious. “I may be driven by profit, but I know the meaning of loyalty.”

“Bullshit,” Qin Yang cursed, rolling his eyes. This guy could really talk—loyalty, indeed. He hadn’t shown any when he sold out Long Qiu Tiger.

Still, this approach worked on Ji Lietiger, who valued honor above all. Cao Long’s righteous act actually softened his stance; at least, Ji Lietiger’s expression eased. His two subordinates grew anxious—this was not the time for emotional appeals. They wanted to interject, but Qin Yang moved first, sitting beside Ji Lietiger. “Cao Long, don’t refuse the wine and force yourself to drink the penalty cup.”

Cao Long’s face changed. If Qin Yang chose to side with Ji Lietiger, things could get very messy. Remembering Qin Yang’s temperament, he felt helpless. Even if he tried to expose Long Qiu Tiger’s dealings as Qin Yang’s instructions, this bastard would just shrug and say he didn’t care. Most importantly, Qin Yang genuinely wouldn’t care. He was already bound to Qin Yang’s ship—if he tried to jump off partway, he’d likely end up dead and forgotten, even if Qin Yang had to pay a heavy price.

“Mr. Qin, won’t you let me off?” Cao Long shifted his focus back to Ji Lietiger, pleading.

Qin Yang’s eyes grew cold. “Do you believe I won’t set fire to your gold den right now?”

“Qin Yang.” Ji Lietiger placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. He looked at Cao Long and said coldly, “This time, for Qin Yang’s sake, I’ll spare you. Next time, I won’t be so easy on you. You know what you must do.”

“Rest assured, Boss Ji,” Cao Long replied, his eyes darting slyly.

Qin Yang shot him a glance and sneered, “You can try. If it comes to it, I’ll set sail and become a pirate. But I promise you—every last one of your backers and cronies will be wiped out.”

Cao Long broke out in a cold sweat, nodding hastily. Ji Lietiger glared at him, then said to Qin Yang, “Let’s go have a drink.”

“Make sure you do it right. I expect a satisfactory answer tomorrow,” Qin Yang ordered.

Cao Long hurriedly agreed.

After Ji Lietiger and his group left, Cao Long finally breathed a sigh of relief, bitterness filling his heart at how he had provoked Qin Yang. The feeling of being so tightly controlled was unbearable. Qin Yang was like a nouveau riche who seized every opportunity, betting all his capital on a single hand like a madman. Others tried to maximize their gains step by step; he squeezed everything out at once, but somehow did it without completely breaking his opponent’s bottom line.

Never mind the mess of his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Qin Yang’s group found a restaurant. Ji Lietiger ordered several bottles of wine with his usual bravado. “These are my two brothers, Zhang Qi and Li Meng. Both are top men in my team. Sadly, the team was scattered, and only these two still follow me. You two, get acquainted—this is Qin Yang. If not for him, I’d already be on trial, sentenced to death, maybe even drinking tea with the king of hell right now.”

“Boss Qin,” the two greeted with quiet respect.

Qin Yang waved his hands in panic. “I’m just an honest worker. Don’t call me boss, or the police will haul me off.”

Ji Lietiger rolled his eyes. “We’re all brothers here, no need to be so formal. Qin Yang, how did you end up involved with Cao Long? The guy’s notorious—not a good sort.”

“A business deal,” Qin Yang replied, not hiding anything, and told Ji Lietiger about the matter with Long Qiu Tiger. Ji Lietiger was furious at the treachery, but hearing how Long Qiu Tiger had been reduced to a rat scurrying in the streets brought him satisfaction. He gulped down his drink. “You’d better watch out for Cao Long—and more specifically, the man behind him, Cao Xianhu. The night you were ambushed, some of Cao Xianhu’s men were among the attackers. You have no enmity with Cao Xianhu, do you?”

Qin Yang shook his head. “No, I’m still investigating who ordered the hit on Liu Mulan that night.”

“Mr. Qin,” Zhang Qi switched to a more formal mode of address. “We’ve heard about that night, and might know something. Previously, on the Haotian underworld network, a bounty was posted: capture Liu Mulan alive, reward ten million. Many were tempted, but since police officer Sun Qi is close to Liu Mulan, no one dared act. The one who posted the bounty is an outsider—who exactly, we don’t know.”

“She’s worth that much?” Qin Yang laughed. “Didn’t expect her to stir up chaos in the entire underworld.”

“Even I was tempted,” Ji Lietiger joked. “If it weren’t for her being your wife, I’d have made a move. I’m short on cash right now.”

“Didn’t you rake in plenty before?” Qin Yang asked, curious. “How are you this broke? That business is supposed to be hugely profitable, isn’t it?”

Ji Lietiger sighed, but said nothing, just drank. Qin Yang turned his gaze to Zhang Qi and Li Meng. Li Meng looked to Ji Lietiger, who nodded, then explained, “There was a traitor in our team. He joined forces with several other groups and swallowed up all our resources. Now, rumors are spreading that Boss Ji has been executed. Our old brothers believe it, so they’ve followed the traitor, some even taking the chance to retire.”

At this, the three men’s faces twisted with anger.

Qin Yang frowned. “Seems the traitor holds a high position. Old Ji, if you’re short on cash, I can give you a million. Not much, maybe, but it could be seed money to start again.”

Ji Lietiger’s eyes lit up. He was desperate for cash. Without money, he had no men; with just the three of them, revenge would be almost impossible. Without enough incentive, the retired brothers wouldn’t be moved to return.

“Forget it, raising a beautiful wife isn’t easy,” Ji Lietiger said, shaking his head. “Your wife’s worth hundreds of times what you are. That’s a lot of pressure. Besides, you shouldn’t get involved in our line of work. Once in, there’s no way out. Even a hint of it makes you a target for the authorities. Better to live your life in peace.”

Qin Yang laughed. “Don’t pretend to be a wise elder. I may only have a million now, but that’s just for the moment. After I give it to you, I can make more. Besides, if I give you the money and neither of us talks, who’ll know? More importantly, with a ten-million bounty on Liu Mulan, I’m relying on you to rebuild your team and have the bounty withdrawn. And of course, the money isn’t for nothing: help me find out who’s targeting Liu Mulan—I’ll deal with them myself. Also, there’s a gang of jewel thieves recently arrived in Haotian City. Find out where they are. You don’t need to act; I have a life-and-death feud with them, and I must take revenge personally.”

“Agreed!”

Ji Lietiger, hearing the words “life-and-death feud,” grew serious. Without further ceremony, he made up his mind—the fate of the Haotian underworld would be changed by that one million.