Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

In addition, she is still a child, and her image has a strong sense of approachability, making it easy for her to win people's hearts.

John bit his lip, finally making up his mind, "Okay, there's one more thing..."

“Have you been to the weapons shop in San Quintak? The gun shop owner, like you, is also yellow-skinned. There’s a side door there; if you open the side door and go up the stairs, there’s a secret casino, one of Mr. Angelo’s properties.”

"It's mostly business elites who come here, and the amounts are huge. Every Friday at noon, we have to go there to collect the money... The turnover is usually around five or six hundred US dollars. But there's also a vault by the wall. I don't know what's inside, maybe it's money too... If you add that in, it's hard to say."

"I heard that 'Yellow Tooth' runs the place, but I've never seen him. There are only other guards, about six or seven people."

"If...this information is helpful to you..."

----

"Understand."

Zhang Renfeng squatted down and patted Little John on the shoulder. "Regardless of the Italians' rules, my rule is that the person who provides the intelligence gets 30%."

"Huh?" Little John was startled at first, then his tone became incredulous. "Are you going to... rob it?"

"You just wait and see how your share of the money goes."

Chapter 222: Fellow Villagers Meet

Zhu Kuilong stood by the window, lost in thought, gazing at the luxurious city disappearing into the night. Just as he always kept secrets, his brows furrowed and his lips tightly pressed together.

His hands were behind his back, and he always seemed preoccupied.

The stories of the past could not be fully told even after several days and nights. Even though she was itching to go, Evelyn still had to go to sleep—this was related to her long-standing lifestyle; as a stage performer, physical management was paramount.

If you don't sleep well at night, your face will be slightly puffy the next day. Of course, you can cover it up with heavy makeup, but there will always be a time to remove your makeup after you get off the stage.

"The performers of the Dietersdorf family must always be prepared to be in the spotlight"—such a family motto is a bit extreme, but over the years, it has instilled in Evelyn a good habit of going to bed early and waking up early.

She went to sleep, but Zhu Kuilong couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He just stared out the window with a blank look in his eyes, as if he was still immersed in the memories of the past and hadn't come out of them.

"Boss Zhu, aren't you going to rest yet?" Qiu Yun was taking stock of the costumes for tomorrow's performance, carrying a large pile of opera props. As she passed his room, she saw that his door was wide open and unconcealed, and she sighed inwardly.

Because of the difference between men and women, she didn't go inside, but just stood at the door and said softly, "It's already... well... in our terms, it's already Hai Shi (9-11 PM)."

"I was just wondering, was he already this annoying when we first met?"

A smile appeared on his lips. "My master took him in back then simply because the sect was desperately short of money and wanted to secure a long-term meal ticket for him."

"Is that so?" Qiu Yun was quite surprised by this result. "Wasn't it because of his extraordinary talent that he was accepted?"

“How could a five or six-year-old child see this? His talent only gradually emerged after he started practicing. What others take five months to achieve, he can do in a month... I started practicing ten years earlier than him, but I often feel a sense of crisis. It's as if if I don't work hard, I'll soon be left behind.”

He shook his head, as if trying to banish these thoughts from his mind, and said coldly, "Besides, it's not necessarily a good thing for a young man to be too successful."

……

Beyond the lamplight, Qiu Yun's figure was shrouded in shadow, her almond-shaped eyes darting around, her gaze towards him filled with complex emotions. "After you take him back, what do you plan to do with him?"

"Should we hand him over to the imperial court in exchange for 107 million taels of silver?"

Zhu Kuilong laughed again, a meaningful laugh. "What? I thought Boss Qiu had long since given up on this guy, and didn't care whether he lived or died. Whatever I do with him won't affect you, so why bother?"

"If I wanted to harm you, why would I have saved you in the first place? Wouldn't that have been pointless?"

"..." This was indeed the truth, and Qiu Yun had no way to refute it, so she could only remain silent.

"Indeed, now that you mention it, I'm a little tempted... Ha... 1.7 million taels of silver. It's said that during the previous dynasty, an official named Heshen had his home raided, and they found 33,000 taels of gold and 800 million taels of silver. Even if I handed it over, what I would get would be just a drop in the ocean compared to that, but it would still be enough for me to live a life of luxury for the rest of my days."

"I personally captured the real culprit of the infamous 'Horse Attack Case' and sent him to the imperial court. In this way, all the accusations and smears against me will fall apart, and I can transform myself, restore my original status in the palace, regain my connections, and continue to be the royal court magician."

"Looking at it this way, there are only advantages, and I can't think of any reason not to do it."

His voice suddenly changed, becoming high-pitched and icy, "Besides... all of this should have been mine, something I've painstakingly built up over decades! It was that brat who acted recklessly, killing the governor of Liangjiang and creating a case of massacring an entire family, which dragged me into it. Don't you think he should compensate me?"

……

Qiu Yun looked at him quietly, without saying a word. Or perhaps, the silence that made him feel uneasy was her answer.

"Are you serious?"—She uttered this question with a silent rebuke.

"It's getting late, Boss Qiu... you should get some rest."

Zhu Kuilong didn't bother to argue further. He rested his hands on the windowsill and looked out the window with great interest.

The crimson warhorse moved like lightning through the town's alleys.

"And what about you?" Qiu Yun asked. "You have a performance tomorrow, right?"

"Don't worry about me. If we don't perform, there are plenty of other people who will... It's the middle of the night, and they still can't stop."

Zhu Kuilong took a dark black outer robe from the hook. The robe was very loose and had a hood. He put the hood on, covering his long braid and head, so that most of his face was hidden in the shadow of the brim.

"You'll be busy for a while."

The next moment, his figure lightly touched the windowsill, like a nimble wild goose taking off from the ground and disappearing into the night.

----

"Boom boom boom!"

A loud knocking sound.

The shop owner yawned, startled awake from his drowsy state, put the newspaper aside, raised his voice, and said irritably, "This shop is closed. Please come back tomorrow!"

……

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

……

The knocking intensified and became increasingly persistent, as if saying, "If you don't answer, I'll keep knocking." The owner, driven to a frenzy by the noise, muttered curses under his breath. He pushed himself against the table, flipped over the counter, and strode over, yelling, "Damn it, can't you understand human language?! I already said, this shop is closed. See you at Qidian tomorrow morning..."

The moment he opened the door, his language system seemed to be suddenly attacked by a virus and shut down.

A dark gun barrel was pressed against his forehead.

"Ah...ah..."

"Go in," Zhang Renfeng ordered without changing his expression. "Close the door behind you. If you dare to make even the slightest unusual sound, you know the consequences."

----

If you think about it carefully, this was actually his first time entering a weapons shop in Saint Quintak.

These two Volcano pistols were a parting gift from Istavo, and they carried many memories, both domestically and internationally; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them his personal weapons. Even with better options, such as Colt or Lemat revolvers, he never considered changing them.

As for bullets, just search the bodies of the people you've killed, and even the gun oil. Zhang Renfeng has killed so many people and has a good habit of looting corpses; so far, he hasn't spent a single penny on that. Besides, he has too many methods of killing; guns aren't the only option.

Now that Theon, a master gunsmith, has joined the team, there's no need to go to any weapon shops anymore.

The first time they came, it was by robbery, which is somewhat unsettling.

……

"This is a gun shop in a big city, it's practically indistinguishable from a luxury goods store..."

Looking at the firearms displayed in the glass case, from the romantic old-fashioned pirate flintlock gun to the most advanced double-action revolver, Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but sigh.

The boss, like him, had yellow skin, wore an inconspicuous gray mandarin jacket, a Chinese-style round hat, and a short braid at the back of his head. He waved to him repeatedly, forcing a flattering smile on his face.

He seemed to be trying hard to recall the Chinese he was about to forget, and when he spoke, it sounded like a foreigner speaking Chinese, very awkward.

"Don't, don't kill me..."

"We're from the same hometown! We're from the same hometown!"

Chapter 223: The boat grows small in Guazhou, and the person grows old in Yangzhou.

"Fellow townsman, right?" Zhang Renfeng quickly scanned him from head to toe, then revealed a meaningful smile and put away his gun. "Where are you from?"

"Yangzhou." The shopkeeper retreated step by step, back behind the counter. Throughout this process, he kept his hands raised to indicate that he posed no threat, forcing a smile that made his wrinkles almost overflow. "Sir, have you ever been to Yangzhou before? It's a land of fish and rice, truly a wonderful place. Even Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong praised it highly!"

"Am I that old?" Zhang Renfeng looked at him with a half-smile. "Just call me Grandpa."

"They say a boat gets small when it reaches Guazhou, and a person gets old when they reach Yangzhou. We Yangzhou people are very polite. Seeing that you are in your thirties or forties, we should call you Grandpa." The boss saw him put away his gun and slowly lowered his hand, smiling ingratiatingly. "Not to mention you, even if a child came, we would call him 'Little Brother' when we chat."

When he said "little brother," the last word had an upward intonation, which made people want to laugh.

Thanks to his constant joking around, the atmosphere in the store became a bit more relaxed, and it didn't seem like they were there to rob someone anymore.

"May I ask, 'fellow villager,' have I come to the right place?"

"Um... I'm not quite sure, what does the old man mean..."

"I'm asking if the second floor of this restaurant is Italian territory?"

"Huh?" The boss's face immediately showed a shocked expression. "You knew? You knew and you still dared to rob me? Are you out of your mind?!"

“Take my advice, don’t do something foolish. Angelo is no ordinary man. Although he’s not the mayor, in San Quintakry, he’s the one who calls the shots on everything, big or small. Those blue-clad men in the police station are actually his private army.”

“I don’t know where you heard this news. Before things get out of hand… let it go. Go home and I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.” He earnestly advised, as if he were genuinely concerned for Zhang Renfeng, his fellow villager. “Old man, there are many ways to make a living. Why provoke such a powerful figure?”

Seeing his sincerity, Zhang Renfeng seemed genuinely moved. After a moment's thought, he nodded.

"Now that we've come this far, if I don't leave, it'll seem like I'm being unreasonable, won't it?"

"Yellow-toothed guy?"

……

The boss suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of malice in his expression, and with a loud shout, slammed his palms hard on the counter.

"boom----!!"

The heavy wooden corner of the counter, pushed by this palm strike, made a heavy, almost roaring scraping sound on the floor, immediately leaving four white scratches. The glass lid on the counter, along with the guns stored inside, was no small weight. Yellow-toothed Man gritted his teeth, not letting out a breath, his hands trembling slightly.

A smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

"It was worth it... At this distance, something of this weight could break his back. Once his back is broken, he won't even have the strength to pull the trigger, let alone draw his gun."

In a flash, based on his previous experience, the yellow-toothed man made his judgment: "I won!"

----

"Thump—!!!"

Spin around.

Kick!

The sense of power almost materialized into lines, rushing towards him and overwhelming him. With this kick, the sliding wooden cabinet was smashed in two, glass shards and wood chips flying everywhere, and guns clattering and scattering on the ground.

"You're kidding, this thing... weighs at least ten kilograms!"

A shard of glass grazed the yellow-toothed man's eye, and he quickly closed his wide-open mouth to avoid accidentally swallowing a piece.

After delivering this astonishing kick, Zhang Renfeng acted as if he had shattered a wooden stake, showing no sign of pain. He simply turned halfway around and stared at him expressionlessly.

It resembles a muscular clouded leopard gazing intently at its prey.

"Wait! Wait!"

This time, not only was his slow, deliberate tone gone, but even his Yangzhou accent disappeared. The yellow-toothed man knelt down with practiced ease.

He knew very well that any slower and he'd lose his head. At times like this, every sound that came out had to be simple, easy to understand, and convey as much information as possible.

"There's money... $2000! There's a safe on the second floor; it contains the casino's emergency cash reserves. Those guys gambled too much and couldn't withdraw the money immediately, so they used it as a temporary measure. The combination is three 7s!"

Yellow-toothed man glanced at the cash register on the counter, his voice trembling with fear. "Besides these, here's the weapon shop's revenue for today, not much, around $150. And the guns and bullets here... take whatever you want, just please spare my life!"

"Give them all to me, so readily?" Zhang Renfeng found it somewhat amusing. "Then why did you slam your hand on the table just now?"

"As the saying goes, a wise man submits to circumstances... We're both martial artists, and I know very well how big the gap is between us." He shamelessly leaned closer, forcing a fawning smile. "Spare my life, and I can be your inside man... You want to deal with Angelo, right?"

“Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, but that guy is far more cunning than a rabbit; he's a true old fox. No matter how skilled you are in martial arts, it's useless if you can't find him. Just Saint Quintak alone has many residences; he's here today and there tomorrow, and sometimes he doesn't even stay overnight in the city.”

Seeing that Zhang Renfeng's expression was somewhat hesitant, Huang Ya Lao seized the opportunity, carefully stood up, stepped forward, and volunteered.

“Me! I can help you. I can be your eyes and ears among the Italians. As long as you don’t kill me, I’ll definitely make my money back with interest someday. If you’re interested, start with the guard arrangements upstairs.”

----

……

A long time passed, but the weapon shop remained tightly shut. Staring blankly at the table that had been kicked in two, the yellow-toothed man was overwhelmed with lingering fear, barely able to breathe. His legs were weak, and fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.

Just a little bit.