Republic of China

Chapter 351 It’s time to come

As a big brother in society, there is nothing wrong with Liu Guanghai in the public affairs.

He brought Zhang Xiaogou and Kuai Nan's son to visit early in the morning. Knowing that Zhao Sanyuan and others came from Feng Province outside the Great Wall, he specially found a cook to cook Benxi mutton soup and Andong flower rolls overnight.

I also heard that Zhao Sanyuan's master loved wine, so I specially brought two jars of Lao Baigan from the Tongzhi period.

A good teacher produces good students. With a foundation like Zhao Sanyuan's, his teacher must be an expert among experts. However, no one has seen the old man. When Zhao Sanyuan was asked, he didn't know either. He said that his master had gone to visit a friend early in the morning and was like a dragon that was hard to find. It was unclear when he would be back.

Liu Guanghai felt a little helpless and could only compromise and gather Zhao Sanyuan and others, begging them to help, or at least to catch the murderer behind the murder of Tong Weishan, and promised to reward them handsomely after the task was accomplished.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s money or not, Zhao Sanyuan made it clear.

"Oracle bones. To be honest, Haizitou does some antique business, and the late Tong Weishan is in charge of it. So I have heard a little about oracle bones. Foreigners in the Japanese and British concessions are very interested in them, but they are hard to come by. I have only heard of them but have never seen them. If they appeared in Tianjin, I should have heard about it, but to this day I have not heard of anyone holding oracle bones or where they have been traded."

As he spoke, Liu Guanghai observed the changes in Zhao Sanyuan's expression. He was afraid that telling the truth would make people feel that there was no benefit, so he immediately made his attitude clear.

"Gentlemen, rest assured. I will use all my power and connections to find clues. As long as the oracle bones are still in Tianjin, I will give you a definite answer within seven days. To be honest, I have not seen the treasure left by our ancestors more than 3,000 years ago. I really want to take a closer look at it."

Zhao Sanyuan poured two cups of warm tea. "In that case, we will also try our best. However, we are unfamiliar with the place, and we will need the help of Hai Ye's brothers in many things these days."

Liu Guanghai took the teacup with both hands, tilted his head slightly and called out in a deep voice.

"Gouzi, from now on you will be in charge of Baolin Foot Company. All the brothers from Wumiao to Jintang Bridge will be under your command. Please cooperate with the gentlemen and don't ruin our reputation."

"Yes, Master Hai."

The negotiations went smoothly, and both sides formed a temporary alliance to meet their needs.

After answering many of Zhao Sanyuan's inquiries about details and information, Liu Guanghai led his men away, leaving Zhang Xiaogou to wait for instructions.

"Master Hai, are you really going to pawn all your treasures to them? Even if Brother Gouzi is the guarantor, we have only known each other for a day after all."

Kuai Nan's son raised the question reluctantly. After all, his father had just been rescued, and it was a bit unkind of him to say bad things about others behind their backs. However, the Hai Gang was now facing internal and external troubles. From Tong Weishan to his biological father, the backbone members of the gang had recruited people to plot against them one after another. If he didn't give an explanation as soon as possible, people's hearts would be dispersed.

"I know what's going on. I'm afraid your father won't be able to get up these days. You'll have to take care of the work on the account."

Of course, Liu Guanghai would not bet big on a single thing. If he had always gambled based on his own feelings, how could he have established his current foundation?
Just last night, after listening to Zhang Xiaogou's story, he immediately sent someone to Nanguankou Lane to inquire about the name Zhao Sanyuan.

Tianjin is well connected and has convenient water transportation, so all kinds of information will be gathered here. Throughout history, there have always been people who make a living from this, and as long as they are willing to spend money, they can find out what color bellyband Jiang Xippi's wife wears.

When it was still dawn, Liu Guanghai got a sealed wax pill.

There were a few lines of small words written on the note inside.

——One of the owners of the Sandwich Teahouse in Taoguantun, suspected to be Dingxiang’s disciple Ma, who once saved the life of the local chief Wang Ao and burned down the Fu Dachang opium den. Later, he often consulted with high-ranking officials in Fengtian City about fortune-telling and other matters. The rest is unclear.

The intelligence contained very little information, only describing some of the things Zhao Sanyuan had done. The rest of his origin, background, and reason for entering the customs were unknown. But these were enough, at least to confirm that this person was capable enough, otherwise he would not have been able to make a living in Marshal Zhang's hometown.

The price of just this bit of information was several times the thank-you gift given to Zhao Sanyuan just now.

"Have you found out anything about that matter?"

"Replying to Master Hai, a brother did see Master Tong go to Yoshino Street in the Japanese Concession that day. As for whether he met Yuan Wenchu, we have not found out yet."

"Keep investigating. Whether he is a traitor or it was just a coincidence, I want to know why he went to Yoshino Street secretly that day."

Inside the inn.

The happiest person was Zhang Xiaogou. After Liu Guanghai and others left, he was so happy that he almost wanted to flip out his teeth.

"Have you eaten bee poop? Look how happy you are. You're just an acting shopkeeper, what a promising young man." Zhao Sanyuan complained as he prepared his stuff. Are all the guys working at the docks like you, who will be happy as soon as they get a little sweet treat?
"Hey, brother, you may not know that this Baolin Foot Shop is the branch of a company with the prefix Hai. It was previously managed by Master Tong. According to seniority, it is not my turn to lead it, even if I am a substitute."

Zhao Sanyuan was not interested in the structure of the gang's dock. He also knew that the water in the Anqing Gang was too deep and muddy, so there was no need to be curious. However, this time it was indeed a headache. It was not much better than being completely in the dark. But after asking Liu Guanghai, he at least got some clues.

Since Liu Guanghai is sure that Yuan Wenqiu is behind all this, then he should follow this line of thought. No one knows you better than your opponent.

"The geographical conditions for raising scorpion ghosts are very demanding. They must be in extremely gloomy places, and also in places with a lot of people. So after screening, we have a few places to explore."

"Brother Liu, go to the brothels run by Yuan Wenqiu and enjoy your sight. I know you like it."

"Hey, you understand me, brother. I really don't believe I can meet a painted skin ghost again."

Everything that happened in Luanming Pavilion is still vivid in his mind, but your Brother Liu is your Brother Liu after all. The nature of an old pervert cannot be changed, and his wretched appearance has the advantage that it is most convenient for him to go to a brothel without being so conspicuous.

"Xiucai, you go to the shops and restaurants, Lao Kang, you go to the gambling houses, and I'll go to the docks run by Yuan Wenqiu. As usual, if you encounter something, do it if you are sure, and retreat if you are not sure. We will join together and do it together."

In general, the brothers are used to following the arrangements of their younger brother, and the level of their tacit understanding is needless to say.

Kang Muang thought for a moment and then said, "Sanyuan, Tianjin is a big city. I think there should be people from Da Chongjiu here. Why don't we ask them to come out and help? After all, they are half colleagues."

"Forget it." Zhao Sanyuan rejected the proposal after weighing the pros and cons. "Although we are both listed in the Da Chongjiu Festival, and our monthly salary will be sent to Lao Li, but he has been taking money without doing anything. I can't lose face like this. I have to do some work for the government office to make it better."

The two men were not aware that drastic changes had taken place within Da Chongjiu, and the entire yamen was plunged into a bloody internal struggle. Not to mention the figureheads, even the senior officials in various places had not been able to contact their superiors for several days and were all in the dark.

The task that Zhao Sanyuan mentioned would fall on his head sooner or later, and he would have to pay the price for drawing salary without doing any work during this period, including the principal and interest.

At noon, light snow fell from the sky, decorating the eaves of shops along the street.

Although it was snowing, the weather was not too cold. There was a constant stream of ships coming and going in front of the Osaka dock. The porters sang songs and unloaded batch after batch of goods busy but not chaotic.

The dock road extends to the long street, with cars, horse-drawn carriages and carts flowing continuously. The shouts of various vendors can be heard everywhere. There are also beggars begging for food and pickpockets stealing.

In short, standing here, you can truly feel the strong atmosphere of fireworks and the overlap and combination of the old and new worlds.

Standing by the red wall outside a French cafe, Zhao Sanyuan sipped coffee and ate a pancake, gazing at the huge ironclad ship emitting black smoke at the dock in the distance. It was the first time in his life that he had seen such a huge industrial beast.

“It’s really big.”

"It's OK. You haven't seen a bigger one. What's it called? Right! A vanguard ship! That's really big. It can't even enter the Haihe River. It's covered with black gun barrels."

"Is it ours or the foreigners'?"

"You are so bold to ask. Let alone the vanguard, we have to use all our strength to build a locomotive."

Zhao Sanyuan was a little embarrassed and indeed asked a stupid question.

If such a large ironclad ship could really be built, Tianjin would not have a large area of ​​concessions by foreign powers.

"Don't think I'm talking too much. Is there really someone who can raise a little ghost here?" Zhang Xiaogou wiped the oil stains on his hands. He always felt that it was unreliable to come here to step on the plate. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. There is no better way, unless--"

Before he finished speaking, a familiar breeze blew by.

Huang Xiaoliu appeared beside Zhao Sanyuan and looked at the modern girl in the cafe window with some curiosity, or more precisely, at the little blue cat in the modern girl's arms.

A rare thing I've never seen before.

A foreign raccoon?
I always feel that his eyes are silly and not very smart.

"How's it going, Uncle Six? Did you find out anything?"

"Of course, the City God of Guannei will also have to give me some face."

"Oh, yes, yes, who doesn't know the reputation of Wong Tai Sin? Where in Tianjin is this dirty thing being raised?"

Huang Xiaoliu raised his finger and shook it in a circle.

"What do you mean?"

“They’re everywhere. Too many to count.”

"???"

Zhao Sanyuan's eyes were filled with confusion, just like the blue cat in the cafe.

"What does it mean that you can't count them? Is it popular in Tianjin to raise little ghosts?"

Huang Xiaoliu spread his hands and said he was helpless. "How should I know? Maybe it's because of different customs. There are so many people at home and abroad. If you check them one by one, you won't be able to finish them until the next year's Ghost Festival."

It was a truly unexpected development.

The information was already fragmentary enough, so I was hoping that Uncle Six could get something out of the local city god. But who would have thought that the customs and practices in big cities were so different.

"The Black Worm and I have been following you into the seclusion for so long, we are a little tired, we need to slow down, you should take it easy, if you encounter any trouble, please don't hesitate to ask the immortal."

After saying this, Huang Xiaoliu turned into green smoke and disappeared.

Although they have followed the disciples into seclusion for a year, it is not their real bodies but their immortal consciousness and spirit. Except for some extreme cases, the real bodies cannot be too far away from the Changbai Mountains which are full of spiritual energy.

When Zhang Xiaogou saw Zhao Sanyuan finished talking to himself, he asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Did the Immortal find out anything?"

"Ugh"

With a sigh, the answer was obvious. Zhang Xiaogou tactfully stopped asking any more questions. The two of them just basked in the sun for a long time in silence.

It was not until dusk that a thin man came walking quickly.

"Meet the shopkeeper, Mr. Zhao. The talisman paper has changed."

As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of green talisman paper folded into a triangle from his arms, but it was wet as if it had been soaked in water.

This is a talisman made temporarily by Lao Kang. It is an assembly-line version of King Luo Ping's soul-searching talisman. It is a one-time use and its function is to react as long as an evil spirit appears near the holder of the talisman.

"where?"

"Mr. Zhao, have you seen the passenger ship? Some people just got off the ship, two women and one man. I have sent a smart brother to hang behind them."

Zhang Xiaogou looked at Zhao Sanyuan and asked, "Brother, what do you say?"

If it was before talking to Huang Xiaoliu, Zhao Sanyuan would have chased after them without hesitation, but the problem now is that there are many people who keep dirty things in Tianjin, and he cannot be sure that these three are problematic.

"Don't act rashly. If they come into contact with someone with the character Shan in their surname, come back and tell me." Zhao Sanyuan chose a safer plan.

However, this seemingly prudent decision caused Zhao Sanyuan to miss extremely fatal information.

After the three men left the dock, they got into two cars that had been waiting for a long time, while the Foot Brothers followed behind on foot and were not left behind.

The vehicle drove into Asahi Street in the Japanese Concession and stopped in front of a magnificent building.

When the brothers saw the place, they turned around and left, because it was a martial arts hall, which was usually used as a place for the garrison troops and expatriates in the concession to practice martial arts and keep fit, and had nothing to do with Yuan Wenqiu.

This place covers a very large area, and the area of ​​the buildings alone is more than 2,000 square meters.

The three entered the martial arts hall and saw many overseas Chinese wearing Taoist robes practicing swords. They did not care about the arrival of the three people and just thought they were ordinary overseas Chinese.
They walked through the front hall, across the lawn, and arrived at the rear building which was not open to the public without any obstruction.

The people inside were either wearing standard military uniforms and leather boots, or wearing white hunting robes and tachi-no-hats.

Except for the officers, they are all Onmyojis!

The man among the people who came was none other than the Chief Military Attaché of the 837th Army Special Section stationed in Kwantung, Tsuchimikado Toaki!
"let's start."

In the conference room, Tsuchimikado Toaki sat upright and looked at the wall of photos. All of them were street photos without exception, and the one who appeared the most was Zhao Sanyuan.

"After investigation, we determined that this person is the target that the colonel is looking for. He entered Tianjin two days ago. There are five people in the group. The owner of the Sandwich Tea House is also here. There is also a young man named Lu Jinhe, who is a graduate of Northeastern University. When he was young, he worshipped under the monk Hongguang in Mount Wutai. In order to avenge his loved ones, he regards the Yin-Yang Master as his mortal enemy."

The terrifying efficiency of the Japanese intelligence can be seen from this. Zhao Sanyuan and others were targeted two days after arriving in Tianjin, and Lu Xiucai was thoroughly investigated.

Tsuchimikado Toaki turned his gaze to another photo, in which an old man was happily feeding a donkey with wine.

"Who is this old man?"

"I don't know yet."

"Except for Lu Jinhe, have you found out the backgrounds of the others?"

".It is under investigation."

"Who is Zhao Sanyuan's master? What field of magic is he best at?"

“Has not yet been found”

The smile on Tsuchimikado Toaki's face suddenly disappeared, and the officer in charge of the explanation didn't dare to breathe, as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

(End of this chapter)