Southern weather is more conducive to life than the north, so the moment Zhang Dabiao stepped off the plane, he took a deep breath and declared that if he had money, he would definitely buy a house in the south to live with his wife.
Zhang Dabiao's感慨 made Hu Yuan pout, giving him the look of a country bumpkin seeing a city slicker. He said, "Country bumpkin, first time on a plane, huh? Just watch more TV. Buying a house, you really think your dad is rich?"
"Damn it, you're looking for death." Zhang Dabiao's face turned red, and he reached for his waist, only to find it empty, which immediately made his face look ugly.
Hu Yuan chuckled, "A bumpkin is just a bumpkin. Don't you know some things can't be brought on a plane? You've really embarrassed yourself to your grandma's house..."
Facing Hu Yuan's mockery, Zhang Dabiao was so angry his lungs felt like they would explode, but he couldn't do anything about him. When he boarded the plane, his item was confiscated by security. If Wang Defa hadn't intervened, he would have been detained for carrying a dangerous weapon. In the end, it could only be checked in as luggage.
I patted the panting Zhang Dabiao and said, "Brother Zhang, don't argue with this idiot, it's not worth it. When we get into the mountains, let's see what tricks this kid can pull."
"Heh heh... I'll definitely make him run back from the mountain with his pants down..." Zhang Dabiao chuckled, understanding what I meant.
Just then, the female driver who had driven us there passed by and happened to overhear Zhang Dabiao's words. A not-too-loud, not-too-quiet vulgar remark reached her ears. This time, Zhang Dabiao didn't get angry, but directly said, "I'll wait for you to run back from the mountain with your pants down."
Facing Zhang Dabiao's teasing, the female driver didn't reply. Instead, Wang Defa, who was walking at the back, said, "We're all partners, is there any need to make things so tense?"
I shrugged my shoulders, indicating that this matter had nothing to do with me. Zhang Dabiao also snorted and remained silent. Bullying a female driver was harmless, but offending Wang Defa made me fear the road ahead would be difficult.
After leaving the airport, I realized what "wealthy and powerful" meant. A matte black Hummer SUV was parked in front of the airport, with police maintaining order. Although it caused a stir among the passengers, no one dared to criticize it too much.
Before getting into the car, Wang Defa specifically kept me in the last car, which I found very confusing.
Zhang Dabiao also wanted to ride in the same car as me, but Wang Defa refused, citing the narrowness of the vehicle and that it couldn't fit so many people. Hu Yuan was also refused. In the car were only me, Hu Sixi, and Wang Defa. The driver was the female driver with a very foul expression.
After getting into the car, I didn't speak and sat directly by the window. Hu Sixi sat on the other side. It was as if there was an invisible wall between us, and neither of us was willing to acknowledge the other.
After Wang Defa got into the car, the vehicle began to move slowly. At the same time, Wang Defa spoke, "I know there's some friction between you two, but I hope that during this mission, everyone can cooperate sincerely and avoid unnecessary trouble. What do you two think?"
Hu Sixi snorted and said, "I have no problem. Our Hu family is also magnanimous and won't argue with the younger generation."
Seeing Hu Sixi's statement, Wang Defa's face lit up with a smile, as if he had eaten a magpie's droppings. He looked at me and said, "Brother Song, what do you think?"
"The old immortal said he wouldn't argue with the younger generation, so how could I, a younger generation, argue with the old immortal? It's because he has a big mouth and I have a small one. If I suffer, I can only swallow my words." Although I was unwilling, I had to give Wang Defa face, but I could still get some advantage with my words.
Hu Sixi's face changed, and he said, "You... junior, if you are disrespectful again, don't blame me for bullying the small with the big." He had lived for so many years and had never suffered such humiliation. Everywhere he went, people were respectful to him. Now, someone dared to call him an old immortal in front of him, wasn't this a blatant slap in the face?
I completely ignored his threat. Hu Sixi was like a local emperor in the north, but this was not the north, but the south. Even if your Hu family was powerful, you couldn't control this area. Moreover, Wang Defa was here. No matter how capable you were, you couldn't do anything to me.
"Team Leader Wang, with only us for this operation, I'm afraid we won't be able to deal with the threats in the mountains. Should we find some more companions?"
My words were not alarmist. The mountain spirits alone were not something ordinary people could handle, let alone the ghost mountain spirits, which were simply a nightmare for the underworld. If we were surrounded by those ghost mountain spirits, even Hu Sixi would have a hard time.
"Brother Song, you can rest assured about that. The main force has already gathered at Molu Village. People from Maoshan and Longhu Mountain have come forward. After all, a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake. Moreover, once they heard the news, it's hard not to let them participate." Wang Defa's eyes were a little resentful, and he looked at me, covering his forehead.
I completely ignored his resentful gaze and explained, "You can't blame me for this. If my own things are stolen and there's no way to appeal, what should I do? I can only complain to the world. I had no choice, I was helpless."
Hu Sixi's face darkened when he saw that the blame was about to fall on him. He opened his mouth to curse. If anyone was wronged, he was more wronged than anyone else. He had originally intended to quietly obtain the Tiger Kui Seal and then stealthily search for the Half Yin Realm. By then, the Hu family would have influence in both the yang and yin realms, making them omnipotent.
But what was the result? Now the whole world knew that the Hu family had obtained the Tiger Kui Seal, and various parties rushed to the Hu family to demand an explanation. If it were only同行 in the underworld, the Hu family could still handle it, but if the government intervened and wanted to act secretly, it would be impossible.
The final negotiated result was that all parties would jointly search for the Half Yin Realm. As for control, forget it. It had already been decided by important figures in the capital. Even if the Second Master Hu were alive now, he couldn't change this fact. The important figures in the capital were not to be trifled with, otherwise, none of the Hu family descendants would be left alive.
"You..."
"Enough, Old Hu. It's normal for children to have some grudges." Wang Defa stopped Hu Sixi from speaking and also lowered his face, saying to me, "Little friend Song, although you are capable, you cannot always speak disrespectfully. I hope this is the last time. If Old Hu really gets angry, I can't stop him."
I'm not a fool. Since Wang Defa said so, it was clear he was displeased with my repeated sarcastic remarks towards Hu Sixi. I quickly changed my tone and said, "Team Leader Wang, I also have a lot of grievances! I was thrown into Beishan Mining Town and almost died. I need an explanation for this matter, don't I?"
"What kind of explanation do you want?" Seeing my attitude change, Wang Defa quickly asked.
"Five million, for emotional compensation, not a penny less."
"This is naked robbery, five million, not a single bit of it." Hu Sixi's face turned red with anger. He had already given me five million to obtain the Tiger Kui Seal, and now he wanted another five million. Did he think the Hu family's money was blown in by the wind?
Wang Defa also had a headache. Five million didn't sound like much, but it wasn't a small sum either. He could only brace himself and persuade, "Brother Song, you see, five million is not a small amount. Can you reduce it a bit?"
"It's not impossible to reduce it, then three million!"
"You..."
"Okay, three million. I'll give you two million on behalf of the higher authorities, and the Hu family will give you one million. Your grievances will be resolved, but you must tell us the route and dangers of entering the mountain, otherwise..."
"Don't worry about that, I won't be like some people, saying one thing to your face and another behind your back."
"Hmph..." Hu Sixi snorted, implicitly agreeing to Wang Defa's proposal.
I also took the opportunity to agree.
"From now on, the conflict between the two of you is resolved. If there are any conflicts in the mountains again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Seeing that we were silent, Wang Defa took out a map and said, "Brother Song, you've been into the mountains once, so please mark the dangerous places."
Looking at the detailed map, which almost marked every tree, I couldn't help but admire the methods of the important figures in the capital. I wondered how many lives were lost to obtain this map.
"Here... here... and here, all dangerous..."