My exclusive card pool

Chapter 147 Who's Holding a Funeral in the Middle of the Night?
Wang Xi asked Liang Tao to bring a leather bag and stuffed all the valuables into it.

He took the leather bag and said:

"From now on, you will be the leader of the Sanhe Gang."

"Huh?" Liang Tao was stunned.

But he quickly realized what was happening and knelt down again with a thud.

"Thank you for sparing my life, Lord Xie Dingxian!"

Liang Tao pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice trembling.

"Liang swears that he will restrain the members of the Sanhe gang, turn over a new leaf, and do legitimate business!"

"..."

Wang Xi stood silently.

A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

In chaotic times, expecting such江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) gangs to retire is nothing but wishful thinking.

He is not some living bodhisattva who guides people towards goodness.

If we kill Boss Tian today, Boss Zhang or Boss Li will take his place tomorrow. It's better to keep Liang Tao—he's smart enough, and easier to control than a fool.

"Listen to me." Wang Xi stood up casually, dusted off his sleeves and hem, and held the leather bag containing money in his hand. "If the steward of the Liu family in the provincial capital sends someone to ask, just deal with it casually. As for the Black Eel Army, there's no need to pay any attention to them."

He turned and walked towards the door, and from the shadows came the last words: "I will come back to you when I need you."

Liang Tao remained kneeling on the ground, repeatedly responding, until the footsteps completely disappeared at the end of the alley before daring to raise his head.

Cold sweat had already soaked through the back of his shirt.

...

...

Wang Xi did not return directly to the Huo Family Martial Arts School, but instead went to the Black Eel Army Barracks in the north of Qingwei Town.

After activating the "Mudfrog in the Dark," he could easily spot both overt and covert sentries. He silently and effortlessly infiltrated the innermost part of the courtyard.

Until he stood outside the study, Commander Dong, Captain Mao, and the two adjutants inside were completely unaware.

Wang Xi stood quietly for a while.

He raised his hand, turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open to enter.

"Um?!"

The four people sitting inside turned their heads in unison, and their expressions changed drastically.

Then, they all stood up abruptly, as if by unspoken agreement.

"It's, it's you?!"

Mao Xinrong stared in disbelief, pointing at the young man.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Putting aside how this person escaped from the militia's prison, let's just say this is the Black Eel Army Barracks!

There were thirty or forty brothers standing guard and patrolling outside. How did this guy get in?!

"Captain Mao, did you deliver the message I asked you to take?"

Wang Xi gently closed the door behind him.

He then completely ignored the two adjutants' actions of drawing their guns and pointing them at him, and walked straight to the sofa and sat down.

Mao Xinrong remained rooted to the spot.

"Put the gun down." Regiment Commander Dong Yaojie glanced at Mao Xinrong, his expression unchanged, and raised his hand to signal. "Mr. Xizhi means no harm."

"Oh?"

Wang Xi looked at the young regimental commander, who was thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with interest and smiled.

After the adjutant put away his gun, Dong Yaojie picked up the purple clay teapot on the coffee table, walked over, and poured a cup of tea for the young man.

"We were completely unaware of your arrival, sir. If you truly wished to harm me, you would have had the opportunity to act just now."

The man had short hair, wore a crisp black military uniform, and had a gentle smile on his stubble-covered face.

"Please." He gestured with his hand. "These are red whelks sent by the Liu family from the provincial capital."

Wang Xi picked up the colorful porcelain teacup and took a sip.

Seeing his unbridled manner, Dong Yaojie's expression grew even more serious.

"It tastes alright." Wang Xi put down his teacup and smacked his lips. "You have a good relationship with the Liu family?"

"It's not good."

Dong Yaojie smiled, didn't sit down, and leaned against the edge of the sofa to explain:

"The Liu family tries to win over the officers under Master Han by giving them all sorts of gifts. But a small regimental commander like me, far away in Qingwei Town, is not actually taken seriously by them."

"Captain Mao has delivered your message. I will not interfere in the matter between the Sanhe Gang and the Huo Family Martial Arts School, so please rest assured, sir."

Hearing this, Wang Xi raised his brows.

In fact, he had overheard Mao Xinrong speaking ill of him outside the door, naturally embellishing his words. Commander Dong only occasionally asked about the details, without offering any opinion.

He is a very calm and cautious person.

"Captain Mao, I told you I would only give you one chance, but unfortunately you failed to seize it."

Wang Xi suddenly said something.

Upon hearing this, Mao Xinrong was shocked and only managed to shout, "Commander!"

Dong Yaojie's pupils contracted slightly.

He saw the young man raise his hand, lightly dip his index finger into the teacup, and flick it.

The tea froze into ice, vanishing in an instant.

The next second, Mao Xinrong, at the other end of the coffee table, clutched his neck, his eyes wide, and collapsed. Blood instantly stained the clean carpet, and neither of the two adjutants had time to react.

"..."

Dong Yaojie froze.

He took a deep breath.

It's impossible not to be nervous right now.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that there was anyone in this world who could kill someone with a drop of tea.

Fortunately, Dong Yaojie was a man who had seen a lot, and he quickly adjusted his mood.

"You two, carry the body out and dispose of it somewhere secluded."

He turned his head and gave instructions to his adjutant in a deep voice.

"It was publicly stated that Mao Xinrong's hand injury was too severe, and he would no longer be able to handle a gun, so he was repatriated to his hometown."

The two adjutants swallowed hard, exchanged a glance, and replied in unison. They dared not look at the young man in the long black coat on the sofa, and instead bent down to lift Mao Xinrong's body.

Not long after.

Only Dong Yaojie and Wang Xi remained in the study.

"Commander Dong is a smart man."

Wang Xi smiled. Dong Yaojie's words just now were addressed both to the adjutant and to him—making it clear that he would not pursue the matter of Mao Xinrong's life.

"Mr. Xizhi flatters me."

Dong Yaojie remained calm and composed, and then poured him seven-tenths of the tea.

"It is my great honor to befriend a master like you who transcends the mundane. I offer you a toast with tea instead of wine."

He raised his teacup and said in a deep voice:

"As long as I am stationed in Qingwei Town, please feel free to give me any instructions."

...

...

After a while.

It was almost midnight.

Wang Xi was escorted out of the barracks by Dong Yaojie.

The soldiers patrolling and standing guard along the way were all secretly astonished by this scene. They wondered who this young man in the long black coat was, that even Commander Dong was personally seeing him off.

As they parted, Wang Xi patted the Black Eel Legion commander on the shoulder and remarked with emotion:

"Xiao Jie, I think you're a good person. You know when to advance and when to retreat, and you have a bright future ahead of you."

"You flatter me, sir."

Dong Yaojie forced a smile and said, putting on a brave face.

Wang Xi toyed with a beautifully crafted revolver, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said:
"I really like this gift. I'll come visit you for tea again when I have time."

Although firearms were less practical for him than a spell, sometimes the deterrent effect of firearms was more convenient than magic.

After saying that, he pocketed his revolver and walked away.

Only after the young man's figure disappeared into the night did Dong Yaojie breathe a sigh of relief.

A thoughtful look flashed across his eyes, but he finally decided that he should avoid offending this person if possible.

...

...

The night is deep.

There were no streetlights in the town, only the faint moonlight, accompanied by the flickering firelight from the paper windows of a few houses.

The Huo Family Martial Arts School is located on the main street in the southern part of Qingwei Town. It takes about 20 minutes to walk there.

Wang Xi walked alone on the bluestone path, his footsteps sounding particularly clear in the quiet environment.

He walked on, but didn't see a single patrolman, nor did he hear the night watchman's clapper. Even the barking of dogs and the chirping of insects had mysteriously disappeared.

The pale moonlight spilled onto the street, making the doors, windows, and alleyways on both sides look like dark, gaping mouths.

Wang Xi's shadow trailed lonely behind him. He unconsciously slowed his pace and frowned slightly.

'Something's wrong.'

The thought flashed across my mind.

It was as if he had suddenly become the only living being left in the entire town, which was incredibly eerie.

pat.

Wang Xi suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Without warning, he smelled the pungent odor of burning paper and looked up.

At the corner, two pale lantern lights flickered and swayed in the night.

It was a funeral procession.

Wang Xi narrowed his eyes.

A funeral in the middle of the night?

Something's up here!
He instinctively retreated into the shadows at the base of the wall, observing from the shadows.

Eight sedan chair bearers, draped in white paper robes and wearing white hats, slowly carried a coffin. The night was too dark to see their expressions, but their faces were painted with exaggerated blush and their lips were painted with vermilion from the corners of their mouths to their ears.

The eight men marched with terrifying precision, and the poles on their shoulders did not budge an inch. The pale lantern bore a large character for "offering sacrifice," but the candlelight remained perfectly still, as if it had been painted on.

Ding--

A bell rang out from the ranks.

It was particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

Wang Xi then noticed that the leader was an old woman dressed in hemp clothing, expressionless, shaking a bell in her hand, and every three steps she would grab a handful of paper money and throw it into the air.

The sound of splashing and rustling was incessant.

The paper money drifted down slowly.

Wang Xi held his breath and tried to look at the old woman and the sedan chair carriers. However, the next second, his pupils contracted slightly.

Caius's probe yielded no response.

It's like all you've detected is a cloud of air.

Wang Xi's breathing froze.

This was the first time he had ever encountered such a strange thing.

He refused to believe in superstition and silently activated the "Mud Howling Dark Frog," but he couldn't see any pulsating red heartbeat line in his vision.

'Hallucination? Illusion?'

He secretly thought.

What exactly happened?

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swirled up ashes and hit his face. By the time he brushed the ashes away, the entire procession had vanished at the end of the street, leaving only scattered paper money on the ground.

Wang Xi, with his sharp eyes, noticed that there seemed to be writing on one of the half-burned paper money slips.

Upon picking it up, I saw his name and birth date written on it in crooked handwriting!
“Interesting,” Wang Xi murmured. “It’s really unbelievable, isn’t it…”

His expression turned slightly cold. He dropped the paper money and turned to chase after the funeral procession.

Ultimately, the fear stems from insufficient firepower. With Wang Xi's current strength, he can practically do whatever he wants in Qingwei Town.

He wasn't afraid of encountering evil.

When Wang Xi caught up to the street corner, both sides were empty; there was no sign of the funeral procession.

Not even a single piece of paper money could be seen.

It was as if everything I had just seen was an illusion.

"..."

Wang Xi stood at the intersection like a statue.

It must be admitted that he was mentally prepared before he descended into the mysterious world.

But when strange things happen, one gets a chill down their spine.

(End of this chapter)