Republic of China

Chapter 350 Touch Code
The Astor Hotel has a long history and is magnificent. It is not only a den of luxury, but also the preferred venue for all diplomatic activities in Tianjin. Various powers have held important meetings here, and the United States even set up its consulate directly in the hotel.

Although most of the meetings here were full of humiliation to the Chinese nation itself, there were still legendary figures who served the country and the people, such as Mr. Sun Yat-sen and General Cai E. There is no need to say much about the rest, such as Yuan Da Naotou and Duan Wai Bizi, which made Lishunde's reputation particularly loud.

In addition to the officials, private gentry are willing to spend a lot of money to negotiate here. They feel proud even if they are talking about where to go to a brothel. Their sense of superiority is maxed out. But don't think that negotiations in high-level occasions are high-level. The facts often go to two extremes. The higher the level, the dirtier it is. Small thieves steal money, and big thieves steal the country.

Just like these two men in suits and neat bow ties are leisurely discussing the new tram routes in the Japanese Concession and the French Concession. However, after evaluation, it was found that conventional construction would harm the interests of both parties, so the two parties chose to damage the interests of Yanhuang to complete the project.

There are countless similar
The dazzling crystal chandeliers are like falling stars, and the light and shadows dance freely on the walls and the floor. The refracted halo is like a dreamy veil, gently covering every corner.

The male and female guests, dressed in gorgeous clothes, were either wealthy or noble. Their exquisitely tailored high-end suits, cufflinks and tie clips sparkled with a low-key and luxurious radiance, their leather shoes were shiny as new under the lights, and every step they took was filled with confidence and composure.

The ladies' colorful evening gowns and jewelry complement each other, their skirts sway like flowing clouds and water, and the necklaces around their necks, earrings on their ears, and bracelets on their wrists look like flowing stars under the caress of the lights.

The long dining table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, the exquisite silverware was neatly arranged, the crystal wine glasses were like exquisite works of art, the bubbles of champagne in the glasses rose like strings of pearls dancing happily, exuding the tempting aroma of fruit and wine, which permeated the air and blended with the light scent of perfume, weaving a unique and charming atmosphere.
In a booth behind a gauze curtain in the corner, the atmosphere was slightly subtle.

The man in the lead was wearing a black Zhongshan suit and was tapping his knees lightly with his hands to the beat of the music.

There were no dancers to accompany the drinks and no waiters to serve.

This man's name is Li Dasen. He is the top police official in Tianjin and holds considerable power.

The two men sitting next to him, although their status is not as high as his, their influence in Tianjin is equally huge. Apart from the Hong Gang, their "wharf" is the largest.

The short and stocky one is called Yuan Wenqiu, and the one with a strong build is Liu Guanghai, representing the two forces of the Tianjin Anqing Gang respectively.

Even though they are from the same lineage, they are more ruthless than anyone else. They just caused a big scene in a no-man's land and were called by Li Dasen to deal with the code.

"You two and I have known each other for a long time, and you both know how to handle things properly, so most of the time I would turn a blind eye, but this time, it's too much."

Li Dasen spoke in a calm tone with a slight smile, as if he was chatting casually rather than discussing the vicious incident that left nearly a hundred people dead and injured.

Judging from the atmosphere and level of the Lishun, there is really no need to make a fuss. Compared with what the military attachés of the great powers talk about, what they talk about is nothing special.

Yuan Wenqiu bowed his hands and said, "Sir, I just want to keep to myself, but Master Hai has raised the flag and asked for a one-on-one fight with Shan Zi Tou by name. If I don't accept it, how can I still have a place in Tianjin?"

What he said seemed to be sound. Yuan Wenqiu was indeed responding passively. If he still acted like a coward even after being named, it would be difficult for him to lead the team. There are rules for being a dock worker. There are a lot of rules to be followed, such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, loyalty, filial piety, integrity, shame, and courage, but the most important thing must be the word "qi".

Li Dasen half-jokingly asked, "Why do you want to fight to the death? Have you ever thought about the reason?"

"Yes, I also want to know what made Master Hai so angry."

Seeing the two of them singing the same tune, Liu Guanghai looked indifferent, but he sneered in his heart.

A double act, right?
How many people in Tianjin don't know that you, Yuan Wenqu, were supported by Li Dasen? There are countless interests involved in the past ten years. Wasn't the brothel you opened on Yoshino Street in the Japanese Concession specifically for Li Dasen and his gang?
"Sir, I, Liu Guanghai, am a rough man who only cares about distinguishing between gratitude and resentment. Four years ago in Lion Grove, Yuan Wenqu allowed his men to rape and kill the wife and daughter of my foot shop accountant. Afterwards, he said it was a family punishment, but anyone with a discerning eye knew that Yuan Wenqu secretly sent her to Guangzhou. For your sake, I endured it."

"Two years ago, on Yoshino Street in the Japanese Concession, his men beat and killed and injured fifteen of my fellow footmen in the street. The reason was that both sides were drunk and their minds were clouded. For your sake, Mr. Da, I endured it."

"Half a year ago, the entire family of the Jin family in Dongxin Street had their tongues and thumbs cut off overnight. The murderer has not been caught yet, but I have a scale in my heart. Isn't it because the Jin family's chain store wanted to be sold to me instead of someone else?"

Liu Guanghai kept every blood debt in mind, but that didn't mean he was a gentleman. Over the years, there were many attacks on Yuan Wenqiu.

We are all working at the docks, who can have clean hands?

Yuan Wenqiu didn't care about this at all. He thought that the more he dug up old grudges and exposed his inner feelings, the more Li Dasen would dislike him.

"More than a month ago, my brother Tong Weishan died in a no-man's land opium kiln. Because the cause of death was bizarre, I followed the clues of the opium and found that the same batch of opium in that kiln was in very small quantities, and they all disappeared after the incident by coincidence. Haha, I don't know if he was robbed, or if the goods that Master Yuan sold can be recovered."

"Mr. Liu, didn't you and I discuss this matter at Astoria?" Yuan Wenqu shook his wine glass, his expression showing undisguised sarcasm. "I did ship that batch of goods, but I don't know who stole it. Besides, what does Mr. Tong's death have to do with me? According to what you said, you shouldn't look for me. You should go to Shanghai to find Mr. Du who shipped the goods to me, or you can go across the ocean to East India to find someone who grows opium."

Seeing that the two sides were at a stalemate and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly confrontational, Li Dasen spoke again to smooth things over, "Brother Liu, I have always kept Tong Weishan's matter in mind, and the detective team has been working overtime to investigate until today. It would be somewhat biased to condemn Brother Yuan just because of the opium."

Then the tone of his voice changed, with a hint of warning and admonition.

"It's been a long time since the beginning of the autumn. The outcome of the battle between the Beiyang Army and the Nationalist Army is still undecided, the Zhilu Allied Forces are still jumping around, and the Japanese and American troops have just withdrawn from Jiaodong. This has caused the capital region to be in a state of panic. The slightest disturbance will lead to a disaster. It's not easy for me to be the director. Will you two brothers hold me back at this time?"

It was at the climax of the cocktail party.

The three of them left Lishun with their own plans.

Li Dasen sat in the back seat of the car and closed his eyes to rest, while the neon lights on the street gradually receded.

"Any progress?"

The driver drove the car with his eyes fixed on it, and replied softly, "In reply to your question, sir, I found out that Yuan Wenqiu had someone contact Tong Weishan privately two months ago, but I haven't found out what they talked about yet."

"Continue investigating. I want to find out why Yuan Wenqiu would take such a big risk and even bear Liu Guanghai's wrath."

On the other side, Yuan Wenqiu did not take a car, but took a rickshaw to a back alley. Someone had been waiting for a long time to lead Yuan Wenqiu.

After passing the back alley and entering a back door, we arrived at the back hall of the restaurant.

Nalan Rongcuo was sewing a theatrical robe himself in front of the dressing table. Although singing Jingyun Drum does not require fancy clothes, Nalan Rongcuo is used to doing some things himself.

"Master Yuan."

"has not rested yet?"

"I heard you were at Astoria, and I thought you might come over tonight."

"How's it going?"

“To no avail.”

"Do you also have times when you stumble?"

"It's my fault. I didn't expect the other party to hire an expert guard."

"An expert? I haven't heard of any expert that Liu Guanghai and his team hired. Could it be that they really avoided my sight?"

"This person is definitely not a simple person. He defeated the scorpion ghost very neatly. But Master Yuan, rest assured, I will complete what you have asked me to do."

In front of Yuan Wenqiu, Nalan Rongcuo seemed particularly respectful, even a little cautious.

Everyone in Tianjin knew that anyone who performed folk art or juggling was under Yuan Wenqiu's control. With just one word, he could make someone lose their job in Tianjin, or even destroy the voice of a crosstalk artist or chop off the hand of a zither player. When Yuan Wenqiu's name was mentioned, everyone in the folk art circle gnashed their teeth, but that was just gnashing their teeth. Yuan Wenqiu nodded when he heard this. Although he didn't know exactly how much Nalan could tolerate mistakes, judging from his past success, he thought there would be no mistakes this time.

"Try to hit the target with one strike. I remember that every time you use the Snake Ghost, it causes irreparable damage to your body."

"I have no regrets working for Master Yuan."

"It's late, take a rest."

"Um"

At the same time, Liu Guanghai was in a bad mood.

He returned on foot to Beitai and was extremely angry at Li Dasen's bias, but he had no good solution.

Because Yuan Wenqiu had many connections and background in the Japanese Concession, and he was supported by Li Dasen, people would always side with Yuan Wenqiu.

This time is no exception. It looks like the result is a slap on the wrist for both parties, but in reality, no matter how high the fine is, it cannot solve the root of the problem.

Even though there was no evidence, Liu Guanghai was very sure that Tong Weishan's death had a lot to do with Yuan Wenqiu. It was precisely because he could not find any evidence that Liu Guanghai had to go to extremes and confront it head-on.

Now with Li Dasen's warning, Liu Guanghai was very hesitant about whether to continue doing it or swallow his anger.

"Master Hai, Master Kuai is burned."

Before he returned to Beitai, his brothers came to report the news.

"How did it get so hot? Wasn't he settling accounts at Beitai?"

"I don't know the details, but I heard from the brothers who were there that something evil happened."

Liu Guanghai quickened his pace and patted the man on the shoulder, "Let's go, we'll talk on the way."

One problem after another made Liu Guanghai even more upset. Kuai Nan was the one with the character "Hai" in his name and was also the first brother to join the gang. If anything happened to him, the accounts would definitely be in chaos.

After hearing that Kuai Nan’s skin was almost rolled off, Liu Guanghai was completely convinced that he was being targeted by some strange person in the martial arts world.

After Tong Weishan's accident, they did try to find a way, but they only had half a bottle of wine, and they couldn't invite the monks and Taoist priests in the famous mountains and ancient temples.
"Hmm? You said that the fellow villagers that Gouzi brought were rescued by Lao Kuai?"

"Yeah, they said that he would be fine after a few days of rest. I don't know the details, but I heard from people present that it was like a storytelling book, very mysterious."

"Where is he? I want to see him now."

"Uh, Brother Gou insisted on taking him to eat Erduoyan fried cakes, so we went together."

Liu Guanghai was at a loss for words, feeling both angry and amused. Zhang Xiaogou was a young man whom he valued very much. He was good at fighting and had a bright brain. He would become a great man in the future. It was just that he acted too arbitrarily sometimes.

The fellow villager you brought with you is obviously a noble person, and he saved the abacus with the character "山" in his name, and you took people to eat at a roadside stall? You can't buy on credit if you don't have money!
When he was angry at his subordinates for not living up to his expectations, he happened to see Zhang Xiaogou walking towards him at the gate of Beitai. He was picking his teeth and humming a little tune, and seemed to be in a good mood.

"Hey? Master Hai, you're back."

"Where is the man?"

"I was the only one selected from my group. The rest were kicked out."

"I'm asking where your fellow villager is!"

"Brother? He was picked up by his brother. I heard he's staying at the inn over at Four Trees."

Liu Guanghai breathed a sigh of relief, at least he was sure that the person was still in Tianjin.

"What good place can there be over at Four Trees? Tomorrow morning you go to the counting house and carry five bundles of red. Then come with me to visit. Now go back and tell me who your fellow countryman is."

Zhang Xiaogou immediately perked up. Five hundred dollars is a lot of money. He has prepared such a generous gift before even meeting the person. Hai Ye is really far-sighted and knows that his brother is a noble person.

It’s not that Liu Guanghai is so foresighted, but there is really no better way, so he just treats it as a last resort.

Liu Guanghai's heart sank when he heard Zhang Xiaogou say that he had only known Zhao Sanyuan for a few hours.

When he heard that the man wanted to stab someone as soon as they met, Liu Guanghai's heart sank.

After hearing how great Zhao Sanyuan was when he talked about Kuai Nan, his heart was rekindled and he was in a state of ups and downs.
The backyard of the Four Trees Corner Inn.

Zhao Sanyuan and his brothers sat in a row soaking their feet and watching the horses grazing.

After hearing his brother's story, Lao Liu said earnestly, "Sanyuan, we can't do anything illegal or criminal. If you want to kill people and get involved in society, be careful that the ancestors will beat you in your dreams."

Lu Xiucai suggested a path that had never been imagined. "How about joining the army? At least killing people is not against the law. He can go to the battlefield. He is old enough, so why don't we get together and send him to military school?"

"Hey? That's a good idea. We can follow the Zhang family's path, or we can follow Brother Gao's path. They all have connections." Lao Kang agreed. If he could really make a name for himself, he would have a lot of good days in the future.

Zhao Sanyuan rolled his eyes. "What's the point? Right now I just want to find the oracle bones quickly, and then continue to wander around. When the storm outside the Great Wall is over, I will go home and continue to run the teahouse. I will look after things when there is work to do, and play with Dachui and Dou Miao when there is nothing to do. What a wonderful life. When Master passes away, I will wear mourning clothes to see him off. Brother Liu and Lao Kang, you two should go before me. Xiucai and I will take care of your affairs. For me, this life will be complete."

The brothers were filled with emotion.

If it were really possible as described, it would be the life I long for.

But people living in the world always have their disappointments, just like this time he went into the pass to avoid the limelight. The old man must have his reasons for making such a decision. The power of the Japanese Yin-Yang Master is definitely much greater than imagined. However, after entering the pass, things seem to happen one after another. He is always busy. When he thinks about it carefully, all these things have nothing to do with him, but they also seem to be very related.
"Then it's a deal." Old Liu grinned and said, "I'm leaving first, you take care of the funeral, and when you die, my son will see you off."

"It's not certain who will die first. I think the scholar will live longer, because he has the Buddha's blessing."

"Forget it. My karma is too heavy. I will be satisfied as long as I can kill a few more Yin Yang Masters. Even the Buddha can't stop me. What do you think, Brother Kang? Do you have any style of shroud you like?"

"I'm fine with that, just don't forget your glasses. I'm afraid I won't be able to see clearly down there."

"Pah, pah, pah, what bad luck! We all want to live a long life."

"Yes, live a long life."

(End of this chapter)