Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

Li Wenguo's family discipline was always straightforward—just two light spanks on the buttocks, as light as dusting off a beating, purely for show.

It neither causes real harm nor undermines the enemy's arrogance.

What was truly agonizing was the two hours of ordeal that followed.

Dong Haitang was so terrified by the scolding that she could barely breathe. Only later did she realize that those few slaps were practically a mercy.

She was worried about whether she would be able to step over the threshold by herself tomorrow morning.

……

"Madam, Mr. Li has instructed that from now on, my brother and I will personally drive you to and from get off work!"

As dawn broke, Dong Haitang, gripping the doorframe, gritted her teeth and shuffled out of the door. There she saw Wen San had already parked a rickshaw steadily in front of her on the steps, with Wu Xiaogou standing behind it, his hat pulled low over his shoulders.

The two had just been released from prison yesterday after a "leave of vacation," and Li Wenguo immediately put them next to Dong Haitang as shadows.

Being a spy is like walking on a knife's edge, your life is constantly in danger. If Li Wenguo doesn't protect you, who will?

That jerk!

Dong Haitang looked up into the courtyard, and for some reason, the stuffiness suddenly dissipated, replaced by a warm feeling in her heart.

She understood that this was a quiet act of kindness from Li Wenguo.

For the first time, this agent, who was used to working alone, experienced what it was like to be genuinely cared about.

After getting into the car, Wen San and Wu Xiaogou steadily dropped her off at the entrance of Lixingshe, then disappeared into the shadows of the trees at the street corner.

As soon as she took a step to carry out her mission, those two gazes followed her like a shadow, neither too close nor too far, never leaving her side.

"Thick eyebrows, small eyes, flat nose bridge, wide nose tip, and an old scar about an inch long on the left cheek near the ear..."

Dong Haitang spoke steadily as he recounted to the portrait artist the "Japanese spy" that Li Wenguo had created.

Chang Binghui stood to the side, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

His appearance was so striking, undeniably ugly, that you could remember him at a glance—but it was precisely because he was so recognizable that it seemed strange: would a spy really dare to parade around looking like that?

Could it be... that Li Wenguo just made it up?

Suspicion quietly crept into my mind.

Li Wenguo himself did not expect that this wicked sense of humor would actually arouse Chang Binghui's suspicion.

Fortunately, he had prepared a backup plan—his clone was already sitting by the window on the second floor of the teahouse, coldly watching the entrance of the Lixing Society.

As soon as they set out, he would follow them and stage a scene of "chance encounter → escape in panic → arrest → death by poisoning".

With witnesses and physical evidence, Li Wenguo's identity as a Japanese spy was irrefutable; while Li Wenguo remained innocent and unharmed.

Perfectly clothed.

As for the case remaining unsolved and the leads completely exhausted? Let them worry about it.

The streets were bustling with people, carrying loads, hawking their wares, and pushing carts, all huddled together, brimming with life.

But those in the know understand: beneath this bustling facade, the core has long been hollowed out, leaving only a shiny, greasy exterior.

The agents split into pairs, each clutching the forged photograph, and stopped people one by one to question them.

That person's appearance was so distinctive that you could draw him with your eyes closed after just one glance.

At this moment, the clone emerged from the alley and headed straight towards Dong Haitang and Gao Yang.

It's him?

Their eyes twitched, and they exchanged a glance—their surprise was deeply hidden, but their faces remained expressionless, waiting for them to get closer and closer before making their move.

The clone remained completely unaware and continued walking forward as before.

In the blink of an eye, the distance closed.

Just as he "perfectly" widened his eyes, Gao Yang and Dong Haitang simultaneously grabbed his arms tightly.

"Who are you? What right do you have to arrest me?"

His voice rose, filled with astonishment and defiance.

Passersby swarmed around, but dared not get too close, peeking out on tiptoe.

Gao Yang suddenly uttered a sentence in fluent Japanese: "You're under arrest!"

The clone was clearly taken aback, blurting out, "Baka!!!"

The proof is like a mountain!

Immediately afterwards, he suddenly slammed his shoulder down and jerked it away. Dong Haitang was caught off guard and was thrown off balance, almost falling over.

He was already at the limit of human physical ability, how could Dong Haitang withstand such brute force?

With a swift swing of his other hand, Gao Yang was struck in the chest and staggered back two steps.

The clone turned and disappeared into the narrow alley next to it, its footsteps so fast that only a blur remained.

"Chase--!"

Gao Yang roared and drew his gun, firing a shot into the air.

"Bang!!!"

Gunshots rang out, and the crowd erupted in chaos, screaming and scattering in all directions, leaving a long, empty street.

Gao Yang and Dong Haitang took off after them.

Hearing the commotion, his colleagues who were patrolling in the distance immediately ran over.

"Haitang, hit his leg!"

The clone took off at breakneck speed, moving like a shadow. Gao Yang and Dong Haitang chased after it desperately, but the distance between them only grew. The alley was winding and full of forks in the road; in the blink of an eye, the clone would vanish without a trace. Gao Yang immediately shouted, "Shoot!"

boom!

boom!

boom!

Three gunshots ripped through the air, the bullets precisely biting into the back of the doppelganger's knees. He stumbled and fell to the ground, never to rise again.

Gao Yang and Dong Haitang's chests heaved violently as they leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

"That son of a bitch, he couldn't even catch up to him if he were to run away with oil on his feet!"

Gao Yang spat and cursed, his Adam's apple bobbing.

The team members behind them had also rushed into the alley entrance, and their footsteps were getting closer and closer.

The two exchanged a glance and immediately stepped forward—they had to keep the credit for themselves!

The clone turned its head, glared at them fiercely, and suddenly roared to the sky: "Your Majesty the Emperor—!"

Before he could finish speaking, he clenched his teeth, causing the venom sac to burst. His body jerked violently, his head lolled to the side, and he died on the spot.

"Oh no!!!"

Their pupils contracted sharply, and they rushed over.

"Potassium cyanide! He committed suicide by poisoning himself!"

Gao Yang pried open the clone's jaw and looked inside. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He slammed his fist against the brick wall with a thud, sending debris raining down...

The plump duck that was within my grasp suddenly flew away through my fingers.

Dong Haitang's face was pale, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

At this moment, the crowd gathered around, saw the corpse clearly, and shook their heads and sighed.

Everyone heard that desperate roar—a clear indication that he was a Japanese spy. Once the man died, all leads died out; not a single clue could be extracted.

"Huh? Wait a minute!"

"This is a codebook!"

Gao Yang searched through the pocket of his clone's body and pulled out a hard-covered booklet.

This was a foreshadowing by Li Wenguo: the genuine goods he had smuggled from Kotaro Kōji's warehouse had come in handy this time.

The moment the clone fell to the ground and closed its eyes, its consciousness quietly returned to the space.

With a thought, Li Wenguo realized the matter was settled and immediately reset his clone to Yang Zhengde, returning to reality.

The capture of the codebook was a major breakthrough. Boss Dai was very pleased with himself at headquarters and immediately approved the following: Gao Yang and Dong Haitang were each promoted one rank; the entire action team was rewarded with ten silver dollars each.

After personally examining the corpse, Chang Binghui's last shred of doubt dissipated—Li Wenguo was indeed reliable.

Afterwards, he called Dong Haitang into his office.

"Haitang, this promotion is entirely thanks to the path your man paved!"

"Without the intelligence he provided, how could we have accurately seized this Japanese spy by the neck? Let alone retrieved the codebook from his pocket."

Dong Haitang lowered her eyes and nodded: "I understand."

"What a pity..." Chang Binghui sighed. "If we had captured them alive, we could have followed the clues and taken down the whole group. You would have been promoted more than one level, at least two levels."

Dong Haitang frowned slightly: "Who would have thought that the short guy, who looked unremarkable, was incredibly strong and ran like a cheetah. We had no choice but to hit him on the knee, but who knew he had poison in his mouth and died in the blink of an eye."

Chang Binghui nodded: "Keep a closer eye on things next time. But Haitang—"

"This Japanese spy was caught by your man himself. He works for a foreign firm and has a keen eye for information. He could run into the Communists or he could uncover the Japanese spy's tracks. The Communists are all under our control, so we don't interfere; but this Japanese spy..." He paused, his gaze turning somber, "You have to keep your man firmly tied to our ship."

Dong Haitang remained silent, her fingertips quietly digging into her palm.

She knew in her heart that if the fire spread into her home, it would be a catastrophe—the bloody lesson of the Flying Eagle Gang was right under her nose.

"Go back and think about it carefully. Okay, go ahead."

Seeing her gloomy expression, Chang Binghui waved his hand and said nothing more.

This matter cannot be rushed.

"Jianwei, when are you bringing Xu Meijing over so I can meet her?"

In the private room of the bar, Mr. Xu, dressed in a snow-white suit, had a smile on his round face and was holding a half-empty glass of whiskey.

Xu Jianwei, also known as Young Master Xu, unconsciously rubbed the rim of the cup with his fingers.

Seeing that he didn't answer for a long time, Young Master Xu's smile gradually froze, and his voice turned cold: "What? She won't come?"

Everyone knows that Mavis Hee doesn't want to see him at all—this doesn't need to be stated explicitly; a decent person knows how to behave appropriately.

"Young Master Xu, things have stalled." Xu Jianwei took a deep breath. "She just got engaged. I've contacted the man, but he's very firm and has a powerful background... I've tried, but I just can't get him to agree."

He dared not mention Li Wenguo's name, but laid out his difficulties: the man's sinister nature and the ashes of the Flying Eagle Gang were still fresh in his mind; he dared not gamble, much less get involved. So he simply handed the hot potato to Young Master Xu.

But with this handover, the connection between him and Young Master Xu is likely to be loosened.

If we can't connect, so be it. Xu Jianwei knew perfectly well that life is precious, far more valuable than face.

"Just who is that person?!"

As soon as Xu Gongzi's voice turned serious, Xu Jianwei immediately spilled the beans, revealing all of Li Wenguo's secrets.

When it came to the matter of the Flying Eagle Gang, he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a single word.

After all, words are meaningless. If I say anything, it will only make me look like a coward who doesn't even dare to get involved in gang warfare. Wouldn't that just make me even more vulnerable to being trampled into the mud by Young Master Xu?

Upon hearing this, Young Master Xu curled his lips into a sneer.

"Oh!"

"A mere police chief makes your legs tremble?"

"Think you can still make it in the underworld? You won't even be able to get past the threshold!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jianwei immediately understood that this was a trap to entice him. In the past, he would have been fired up and accepted the challenge.

But the Flying Eagle Gang had only been wiped out a few days ago? His bones were still cold; how could he dare to gamble with his life?

He immediately forced a wry smile and blurted out a lie: "Young Master Xu, you are wise! This bureau chief had a past relationship with my grandfather. If we really offend him, it would be a loss of face for our elders..."

"Oh—I see."

Young Master Xu dragged out his words, slightly raised his eyelids, and his face was full of "I don't believe you for a second," but he didn't expose him.

In a flash, an idea struck him: "Since he's the manager of a foreign firm, why don't you order a batch of arms from him first—specifically, weapons made in the United States! Once the goods arrive at the dock, immediately report him for smuggling contraband. Caught red-handed, wouldn't that be a piece of cake?"

I bother!

Wanting to pick peaches but refusing to get muddy, do you think I'm a sucker to be played with?