Tong Zaitian did not return to the Scorpion Gang gathering place to find others to help with recruiting personnel. Instead, he rushed to meet Duan Yunyou again.
He and Duan Yunyou did not meet directly. He first gave Duan Yunyou a signal to meet, and then they went separately to the agreed rendezvous point.
After listening to the report, Duan Yunyou scoffed, “He really wants to participate in the ‘Bronze Sparrow Martial Affairs’. I do not know where he gets the confidence to compete.”
Speaking of this, Tong Zaitian hesitated and said, “I suspect it might be related to the ‘Stone Heart Residence’.”
“Stone Heart Residence?” Duan Yunyou suddenly turned his head and stared at him. “What makes you say that?”
Tong Zaitian said, “He told me to contact him at the ‘Stone Heart Residence’ after the matter was settled. I also secretly followed him and found that he indeed lives there.”
Duan Yunyou frowned slightly and fell silent. How should one put it? The accommodation price at the Stone Heart Residence was indeed outrageously high. It was certainly not a place for ordinary people to stay. It was not that everyone could not afford it, but for most people, unless they were very wealthy, there was really no need to waste that money.
How many cultivators planned to stay in this chaotic place, Tianji Mountain, for their entire lives? Everyone who came here to take risks wanted to earn enough money and then leave. They were all here to save money, and few squandered it recklessly.
Furthermore, staying at the Stone Heart Residence was too conspicuous. Coming and going made it easy to be targeted by those with ulterior motives, making one an easy target like a fat sheep.
However, that did not mean there was anything wrong with splurging there. He said slowly, “Did you not say he is young and wilful? He just happened to make a fortune at the temple. It is normal for young people to enjoy themselves when they have money.”
Tong Zaitian said, “Gang Leader, the problem lies right there.”
Duan Yunyou asked, “Oh, how so?”
Tong Zaitian replied, “Gang Leader, you may not know this. From my observations, neither that little moustache gang leader nor that burly confidant looks like someone who squanders money. There is more than one inn in Kuilei City, yet they specifically went to the most expensive one, the ‘Stone Heart Residence’. He gave me one day to finish the business and find him, which means he is staying at the ‘Stone Heart Residence’ for more than one day. This does not look like just going to taste it, nor does it resemble the style of either of them.”
Duan Yunyou shook his head slightly. “On this point, my view differs from yours. I do not know about the burly one you mentioned, but that little moustache fellow’s background is definitely extraordinary. Breaking through to the Xuan grade cultivation at such a young age requires a massive amount of cultivation resources to pile up. Can an ordinary family afford to support that? How many people in the cultivation world have accumulated resources by unscrupulous means for more than half their lives, only to achieve just this much.”
What he did not know was that Yu Qing had not only broken through to the Xuan grade cultivation at a young age, but had done so in an extremely short period of time with a vast amount of resources. Furthermore, he was not the only one with such resources. The group of people around him all had them. Each of them had spent enough cultivation resources in a very short time to equal what others would accumulate in more than half a lifetime. Their cultivation realms were not just barely breaking through to the initial Xuan stage. Almost every one of them had reached the peak of the initial Xuan stage.
Tong Zaitian reminded him, “There are plenty of such people without good backgrounds. The world is not short of people who get lucky and make a sudden fortune.”
Duan Yunyou said, “The Heavenly Dao is unfair. There are indeed many who get lucky and make a sudden fortune, but it is rare to find someone who simultaneously possesses his level of strength. You have not fought him, but I have confronted him face to face. The cultivation technique he practices is absolutely a highly sophisticated inheritance. A family that controls such an inheritance is definitely extraordinary. This also explains why he had enough cultivation resources to break through to the Xuan grade at such a young age. I suspect this is the true source of his confidence in daring to compete for Bronze Sparrow Lake.”
Tong Zaitian nodded thoughtfully, also thinking his reasoning was sound. However, he quickly shook his head again. “Gang Leader, what you say is certainly reasonable, but I must still say that those two fellows truly do not look like people who squander money. Not to mention anything else, just look at the clothes they are wearing. After the two of them arrived in Kuilei City, they actually bought and changed into the cheapest fabric clothes available.”
Duan Yunyou laughed and said, “What is the problem with that? It is perfectly normal for someone to want to dress a bit more low profile. What is wrong with you today? You are really overthinking it.”
Tong Zaitian waved his hand, his face solemn. “Gang Leader, if it were for a low profile, would he still stay at the ‘Stone Heart Residence’? Furthermore, wearing cheap goods while staying and moving in and out of a place like the ‘Stone Heart Residence’ is actually more conspicuous. How does that count as a low profile?”
Hearing this, Duan Yunyou could no longer laugh. He froze, seeming to realise something.
Tong Zaitian lowered his head and pondered. “Previously, I was quite puzzled by his decision to revive the old ‘Scorpion Gang’ signboard as the new gang’s name. I always felt the reason he gave was too far fetched. You do not know until you make contact. After interacting with them for a while, how should I put it, it was not until I saw the cheap goods on them earlier that I realised something. I suspect it is related to the clothes worn by the Scorpion Gang members.”
Related to clothes? Duan Yunyou was somewhat confused. However, thinking about what he said regarding buying clothes made of cheap fabric, he could not help but blurt out, “To save money?”
“Yes!” Tong Zaitian nodded. “Exactly to save money.”
Duan Yunyou was momentarily speechless and quite exasperated. Could one really play it this way? Was he actually going to be defeated by this sort of person?
Tong Zaitian continued, “Gang Leader, just imagine. How could someone who saves money whenever possible spend a large sum on accommodation just for enjoyment? There must be a reason for doing this.”
Duan Yunyou nodded slowly. “If it is truly as you say, then his stay at the ‘Stone Heart Residence’ is probably indeed…” He paused suddenly. “Stone Heart Residence… Bronze Sparrow Martial Affairs… Stone Heart Residence…” His eyes flashed repeatedly, as if he had realised something, and he turned his head to look at Tong Zaitian.
Tong Zaitian also discerned the connection from his words. “That proprietress is Nie Rifú’s mistress. Could it be that he wants to take this route?”
Duan Yunyou said, “If he can truly succeed in this route, the competition of the ‘Bronze Sparrow Martial Affairs’ will just become a mere formality. Whoever gets Bronze Sparrow Lake is ultimately up to Nie Rifú. It is quite possible that the fellow might actually succeed.”
Tong Zaitian said in a low voice, “Gang Leader, it is not safe to rely on guesses for this matter. We must find a way to confirm it.”
Duan Yunyou nodded. “I will arrange this matter.”
“Good.” Tong Zaitian nodded and asked again, “What should we do about recruiting fifty personnel? I feel this is a great opportunity to bring him under our control. Just imagine, once everyone around him is our people, what kind of situation would that be?”
Did he even need to say that? As soon as Duan Yunyou heard the report, he knew what to do. Without needing to say much, he raised his hand to stop him. “It needs to be arranged. After all, our people have fought them before, so we must choose some unfamiliar faces. Furthermore, this matter is of great importance, so we must choose relatively reliable individuals. You go back first and prepare to pretend to recruit people. I will send you a message once I have the personnel ready here.”
“Understood.” Tong Zaitian cupped his fists in salute and took his leave.
The next day, as the vast land was just beginning to be bathed in the dawn light, the terrace of the Stone Heart Residence was already bathed in the warm sunlight of sunrise. The cool air between heaven and earth was quickly dispelled.
At a small dining table, the bright and captivating Lian Yu and the towering Mu Aotie sat opposite each other. The latter had been invited by the former to share breakfast.
Mu Aotie rarely spoke. From beginning to end, he almost just kept his head down and ate. Although Yu Qing had repeatedly instructed him on certain matters, and he himself wanted to play a useful role, he ultimately did not express a single word.
Basically, only Lian Yu was there chatting and laughing. Lian Yu found this thin skinned man quite interesting, and teasing him in her speech became even more amusing.
“Young Master Liang, Young Master Liang, the proprietress has a guest and really has no time.”
Hu Niu’s shouting interrupted the cheerful chatter here.
Liang Ban, who had barged in abruptly, had already heard the cheerful chatter and also saw the man and woman dining together like a couple.
He had come here intending to invite Lian Yu out. He knocked on the door and met Hu Niu, only to be told by Hu Niu that Lian Yu was accompanying a guest and had no time.
He felt that Lian Yu might be fobbing him off again. Thinking of the threat posed by Mu Aotie at the previous banquet, he decided to intensify his offensive. Thus, he simply barged straight in to find out the truth, only to discover that she was indeed not fobbing him off and was truly accompanying a guest.
The scene before him made his face turn ashen. Feeling humiliated, the folding fan in his hand was almost crushed to pieces by his grip.
“Young Master Liang?” Lian Yu stood up with a look of great surprise and asked Hu Niu, “What is going on?”
Hu Niu had to step closer and whispered a few words, indicating that due to Liang Ban’s sudden and forceful intrusion, she could not use force and failed to stop him.
Hearing this, Lian Yu frowned slightly and sensed a crisis. She realised that Liang Ban seemed to have lost his patience and appeared to have a tendency to use force. Once he actually used force, what could she do, and how could she deal with him?
She glanced at Mu Aotie, who still maintained a cold demeanour, and realised that she might have overplayed her hand, instead causing Liang Ban to show signs of going mad. However, matters had reached this point, and abandoning her shield would probably only cause more trouble. She had no choice but to continue.
Mu Aotie glared coldly at Liang Ban. A sense of inexplicable anger also welled up in his heart over this fellow forcefully intruding into Lian Yu’s residence.
It was the kind of anger one feels when another man barges into his own woman’s home, although he did not show it too much.
“I said I was here. How could you, Lian Yu, not even show your face? I thought something had happened to you, so I barged in out of anxiety. I did not expect there to truly be a guest. I was abrupt. Forgive me for the disturbance. Please continue.” With an ashen face and a fake smile, Liang Ban threw down these words, turned his head, and left, his eyes revealing resentment.
“Young Master Liang, Young Master Liang.” A rather worried Lian Yu chased after him and called out a few times, but it was of no use.
Humiliated and angry, Liang Ban did not look back. He strode away, leaving only the sound of the main door slamming shut.
When Lian Yu walked back with a bitter smile, she found that Mu Aotie had also stood up, and she immediately gestured for him to sit down.
Mu Aotie said, “I have finished eating. Do not worry about me. Just attend to your own affairs.”
He nodded to thank her for the hospitality and left.
He also sensed that Liang Ban was truly enraged. He knew that with his own abilities, he probably could not handle this matter, so he had to inform Old Fifteen immediately.
“Sit for a while longer.” Lian Yu only offered a polite remark and did not try hard to keep him. At this moment, she truly had no mood to continue teasing Mu Aotie due to Liang Ban’s fury.
Once the outsider was gone, she sat in the room and sighed heavily.
Having walked not far along the circular corridor, Mu Aotie was just about to place a weight on the rope to summon the rope ladder. The moment his hand touched the weight, he sensed something was wrong. He suddenly turned his head and saw Liang Ban, who had been waiting with his arms crossed in the corner, walking over with eyes blazing with fire.
Mu Aotie immediately became highly alert, and his hand subconsciously reached for his sword hilt.
Fortunately, Liang Ban, upon walking up to him, did not make any excessive moves. Instead, he placed a weight and let it slide down.
The rope swayed, and the semi open rope box soon arrived. Liang Ban opened the door, walked in, and after throwing another weight down, stared at Mu Aotie and said coldly, “I think you are really tired of living. If you do not want to die, scram as soon as possible!”
Mu Aotie stared back at him just as coldly. The five fingers gripping his sword were itching to move. He was also suppressing anger in his heart and had the impulse to draw his sword.
The rope swayed, and the passenger carrying rope box quickly descended. Liang Ban’s gloomy face disappeared from his sight.
Mu Aotie immediately turned around and took the stairs. The room he was staying in was also quite high class, located just one floor below.
He quickly returned to his room, found Yu Qing, and recounted the incident, finally emphasising, “It is obvious that he is truly enraged.”
Yu Qing paced back and forth with a furrowed brow, finally stopping to say, “This person is a huge trouble. He might very well block our path to wealth. Using force is not a good idea. It is better to write a letter to Qing Ya and see if there is any way to deal with this Liang Ban.”
He was actually very reluctant to do this. Previously, when he asked Qing Ya to inquire about the whereabouts of the Three legged Crow, he had felt it was inappropriate, as it was easy for Qing Ya to guess his destination. After all, Qing Ya was the one who pointed out the location of Tianji Mountain. Now, asking about Liang Ban again, if Qing Ya had the intention to investigate, it would not be difficult for him to find out where Yu Qing was.
However, the threat was imminent, so he had no choice but to seek help from Qing Ya.
Although he did not have a pleasant relationship with Qing Ya, overall, Qing Ya was one of the more capable and reliable people he knew. With the secret of that “Lady Li” keeping him in check, Qing Ya would not dare to act recklessly.