Gou Feng, having achieved his objective, beamed with delight and solicitously produced a bank card from his pocket, handing it to Jin Chunfeng.
"Master Jin, this small token of appreciation is for you. Once this matter is settled, I will prepare a generous gift to properly thank you!"
Jin Chunfeng’s smile was equally radiant. After accepting the bank card without hesitation, he replied.
"Ah, brother Gou, what are you saying? We've known each other for so many years, what's there to distinguish between us! Haha..."
"Heh heh..." Gou Feng also wore a fawning smile. "Yes, yes, with you here, my Gou family can rest assured!"
...
After a round of polite exchanges, everyone resumed their revelry in the nightclub as if nothing had happened.
Only Hou Cang occasionally glanced at the cold young man in the corner, a look of confusion on his face.
Afterward,
Unable to contain his curiosity, he pulled Pingtou aside and repeatedly questioned him.
"Pingtou, who exactly is this young man Master Jin calls 'Little Chang'? How dare he take on such a difficult task alone?"
Pingtou looked equally perplexed. "What? Brother Hou, you don't even know him?"
Hou Cang shook his head.
Pingtou seemed to find a quick explanation, and then said, "That's true, you've been stationed in the Yiyang district for a long time, so it's normal not to be aware of some of the new changes here."
He then glanced around mysteriously, cautiously leaned closer to Hou Cang's ear, and whispered, "He's not a normal person!"
Not a normal person?
Hou Cang became even more confused.
What did he mean by "not a normal person"?
Pingtou quickly continued, "I'm not sure exactly what kind of existence he is. I only know that Master Jin treats him as an honored guest. Moreover, I, along with Liu Zhi and Da Huang, are no match for him!"
Upon hearing this, Hou Cang and Hei Lang simultaneously sucked in a breath of cold air.
They knew Pingtou's strength very well, let alone adding Liu Zhi and Da Huang, who were his equals.
That young man looked so delicate and frail, how could it be that even these three were no match for him?
"Brother Pingtou, you're not joking, are you? If the three of you can't defeat him, then how strong must he be? Is he even human?" Hei Lang voiced the question Hou Cang most wanted to ask.
"Tsk... I wouldn't joke with you two! Besides, this isn't something glorious for me, why would I joke with you about this? He's just not an ordinary person!"
Seeing Pingtou's serious demeanor, Hou Cang and Hei Lang, though shocked, believed him to be about eighty percent truthful.
Suddenly,
Hou Cang seemed to recall something and said urgently.
"Right, I heard years ago that Master Jin had several mysterious enforcers under him. Although they rarely made a move, their mission success rate was always one hundred percent! And I heard some rumors that there are many such mysterious existences in this world, and they can cultivate..."
Hou Cang was cut off mid-sentence by Pingtou, who covered his mouth. "Brother Hou, please stop talking! This is most likely true, not just a rumor. But, it's good that you know, just don't spread it around, it won't do us any good!"
Pingtou's words precisely confirmed Hou Cang's thoughts. His face was filled with disbelief, his eyes wide open, and his mouth agape, too shocked to speak.
Seeing his reaction, Hei Lang became even more bewildered and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Master Hou, Brother Pingtou, what are you talking about? I don't understand at all!"
"Tsk..."
Pingtou cast a slightly reproachful glance at Hei Lang and helplessly leaned in to whisper something in his ear.
Soon, Hei Lang's expression became identical to Hou Cang's.
Seeing the two stunned men, Pingtou handed them each a cigarette and said, "To calm your nerves!"
Then he specifically cautioned Hei Lang, "Hei Lang, just keep this to yourself, don't go blabbing about it! That Little Chang is not to be trifled with!"
Awakened Hei Lang nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, disaster comes from the mouth! I understand this principle, brother. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Pingtou!"
Pingtou patted his shoulder with satisfaction, then turned to Hou Cang and said.
"Brother Hou, it's been a while since we've seen each other. How about we go to a different place and have a couple more drinks?"
Hou Cang also calmed himself down, forcibly pushed his thoughts aside, and replied with a smile.
"Sure, you pick the place, I'll pay!"
Meanwhile,
One night, Lingyue Mountain
Han Lang stood behind Ma Long with a helpless and disgusted look, watching him rummage through the bushes with a wooden stick.
"I say, Brother Ma, are your cravings for wild game that strong? In the middle of the night, you drag me out here to find something to eat? Don't forget, you just ate those two big black dogs from the Gou family two days ago!"
Ma Long, hearing this, was also speechless. While carefully searching the bushes, he replied impatiently.
"I say, little sir, you're too quick to burn bridges! What do you mean my cravings are strong? When we ate that dog meat, who was it that begged and pleaded for me to show them some skills learned in the army? And now you want to wash your hands of it? Humph, no way! Stop the nonsense and hurry up and look. If we can get one or two pheasants, I'll show you what a delicacy is!"
Han Lang, upon hearing this, couldn't help but lick his lips. He then picked up a wooden stick from the ground and trotted along, imitating Ma Long's actions as he searched.
But he didn't back down verbally.
"This Lingyue Mountain is so small, if there were any wild game, it would have been taken by the nearby residents long ago! No matter how hard you try, it's probably a futile effort!"
Ma Long replied, "There's no other way! All we can do today is try our luck here. If it doesn't work out, we'll make time to go somewhere further tomorrow."
As they were speaking, there was a sudden rustling sound in the bushes, as if something had been disturbed.
Ma Long was overjoyed. "Ah! There is something! I'll go chase it, you keep looking here for anything else!"
Saying this, he chased after it with an odd gait.
Han Lang, helpless, continued to search with his head down.
Suddenly,
A huge dark shadow flashed past him from behind.
Han Lang quickly turned his head, frowning as he looked in the direction the shadow had disappeared, murmuring to himself, "Such a large dark shadow, could it really be a wild boar? This Lingyue Mountain is truly full of hidden surprises!"
Saying this, he was about to give chase.
Just as he was caught off guard, the dark shadow suddenly lunged out, and illuminated by the myriad lights of Lecheng, a cold glint shot directly towards his chest.
Han Lang's face turned pale with shock. He quickly dodged, but the sharp dagger still managed to cut his shoulder, causing blood to gush out.
Han Lang leaped back to create distance, his eyes instantly sharpening. He glared at the dark shadow and sternly demanded.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking me?"
"Heh heh heh..."
A sinister laugh suddenly echoed from the darkness, and then a white figure gradually emerged.
He looked at Han Lang playfully and let out a cold snort.
"Hmph, on this dark and windy night, of course, I'm here to kill!"