I explained Principal Sun's situation and the purpose of our trip to the provincial capital to the elder.
The elder listened silently. After I finished, he looked up and said, "This Sun fellow truly deserves to die."
He said no more. I knew the weight of his words; anyone he deemed deserving of death had little chance of survival.
Sun brought it upon himself, so no one else was to blame.
When we arrived at the airport, Jing Lei was waiting for us at the entrance with our tickets. She handed them to us, greeted the elder, and watched us enter the waiting lounge.
Jing Lei had brought the driver, so we handed our car over to her to drive back.
By the time we reached the provincial capital, it was already dark.
The elder told me, "I'll take you somewhere."
Although I had some reservations, I didn't say anything. Since the elder had decided to take me, he must have his reasons. Besides, there was so much we didn't know about him; he was an enigmatic figure.
We got into a taxi at the airport exit. The elder gave the driver an address. The driver grunted and drove off.
Wen Siqiang and I were both first-time visitors to the provincial capital, so we went wherever the elder directed, having no idea where we were going.
After a considerable drive, the taxi stopped at a street corner and said, "We're here."
Wen Siqiang paid the fare, and we all got out.
I glanced around. It was a commercial street, and further in was a pedestrian street, bustling with people.
The elder said, "Follow me."
We walked along the pedestrian street for about a hundred meters. The elder stopped, pointed at a tall building, and said, "We're going in."
I looked up. The building looked familiar; it was exactly like our Da Shijie, only taller, more magnificent, and with higher steps.
As we entered, a line of female greeters bowed ninety degrees and exclaimed in unison, "Good morning, distinguished guests! Please come in!"
Wen Siqiang and I, being accustomed to nightlife venues, were also startled by the grandeur.
The elder, however, remained composed and walked in at a leisurely pace.
Upon entering the lobby, a young woman approached us and asked if we had a reservation. The elder mentioned a name. The young woman paused for a moment, then quickly recovered her composure. She contacted someone via walkie-talkie, and after a short wait, a voice from the radio confirmed. The young woman then courteously led us to the elevator.
In the elevator, the young woman pressed the button for the third floor. The elder stood with his back to us, his expression unreadable.
When the elevator doors opened, the young woman led us to an office.
Wen Siqiang and I stood to the side, letting the elder go first.
The young woman knocked lightly on the door and then gestured for us to enter.
The elder strode in confidently, with us following closely on either side.
Inside, a short, dark, and stout man rose from his executive chair and hurried over to the elder, clasping his hands and saying, "Master, what a gust of wind brought you here! I've missed you dearly. You refused my invitations several times, but today I finally see you."
The elder remained impassive and said to him, "Binzi, these two young brothers are looking for someone in the provincial capital. I thought you might be able to help, so I brought them."
The stout man, addressed as Binzi, did not release the elder's hands and quickly replied, "Master, if you ask me, I'll dig them out even if I have to move mountains. Brother, who are you looking for?"
Binzi turned to me and asked, "A person named Brother Hui."
He suddenly exclaimed, releasing the elder's hands, and widened his eyes at me, "Did you offend him? Why are you looking for him?"
The elder chuckled, "What's with the scare? Is he going to eat people or something?"
Binzi said, "Master, you can ask me to find anyone, but I can't afford to offend this person."
The elder mused, "Can't afford to offend? Is there anyone in the provincial capital you can't afford to offend? It seems this Brother Hui is quite a character. Tell me, why can't you afford to offend him?"
Binzi explained, "Master, you may not know, but he has eyes and ears everywhere. In the provincial capital, there's nothing he can't handle, no connection he can't make. Offending him means offending everyone in the underworld. How can I possibly handle that?"
The elder pondered for a moment and said, "This is indeed a challenge. How about this: you provide me with one or two places he frequents, and I'll go meet him and see how divine he really is."
Binzi offered, "The two places he's most likely to be are Hong Fu Tang by Dianchi Lake, or the nightclub he owns, called 'Paradise on Earth.' If he's not at the lake, he's probably there at night."
The name alone conjured vivid images.
The elder declared, "Let's go to Paradise on Earth."
Binzi asked, "Master, you?"
The elder didn't look back and led us out.
Leaving the nightclub, the elder asked, "Do you have money on you?"
I replied that I had my card, and it was enough for our needs.
The elder said nothing further. We walked out of the pedestrian street and hailed a taxi to Paradise on Earth.
Unlike Binzi's establishment, Paradise on Earth was not located in the commercial district; the surroundings were even somewhat desolate.
I knew this didn't mean much, just like our own nightclub in the suburbs, which still had plenty of business every day.
If there were illicit dealings, a secluded location would be more suitable.
As we walked in, our eyes were once again opened. Not only were there no beauties to greet us, but five or six tall, dark-faced security guards, over 1.8 meters tall, blocked our entrance.
One of them stated that entry was not permitted without a reservation.
"Damn it," I thought, "doesn't everyone know that businesses should welcome customers? I didn't expect them to turn away paying customers."
I glanced at the elder. He gave me a look, then suddenly moved. His body flickered, and with swift movements, he lightly touched each security guard under the armpit. The guards froze in place as if stunned. Seeing this, I quickly pulled Wen Siqiang inside, and the elder followed us.
I asked, "Elder, if they discover we've entered, won't they notify the people inside?"
The elder replied, "It will take them more than ten minutes to fully recover. They have no idea we've entered right now. Come on, let's take a look inside and find out where this Sun fellow is."
Once inside, no one paid us any attention. The staff were busy with their own tasks. We took the opportunity to head upstairs.
What set this place apart from other nightclubs was its tranquility. Apart from the busy staff rushing about, hardly any customers were visible.
Even the private rooms, unlike those in other clubs where rowdy singing and drinking could be heard, were eerily silent. If not for the moving figures, it wouldn't have seemed like a functioning establishment.
I understood why it was like this; people who came here to indulge likely preferred discretion, wanting their privacy fully protected.
The elder said, "Ask someone, where does Brother Hui usually hang out?"
I nodded and saw a waiter approaching. I gestured for Wen Siqiang to ask him.
Wen Siqiang stepped forward, blocked the waiter's path, and cornered him against the wall, asking, "Which room is Brother Hui in?"
The waiter's eyes widened in fear. "Brother, I just started working here. I don't know who Brother Hui is."