“That’s impossible. If this person is Xiao Chen’s bodyguard, then Xiao Chen would have no reason to throw down his corpse and escape.” Lei Dianfeng shook his head: “At the present, Master Lou has blocked the news and is secretly investigating the identity of the black-clothed person who died along with him! But according to our speculation, the most likely thing is that after this black-clothed man saw Vicious Wolf, he wanted to get a bonus, so he fought. One has to know, Vicious Wolf is a wanted outlaw and the reward on him isn’t low. If I did not follow Young Master Ming, even I probably would have been tempted!”
“Oh? If the two people perished together, then that their strengths were about the same. How come this black-clothed man still dared to move his hand?” Lou Zhenming was a bit baffled.
“Humans die for riches as birds die for food. The strength of this black-clothed man was definitely higher than Vicious Wolf, but don’t forget how rich of a fighting experience that Vicious Wolf had! Even if the black-clothed person’s strength is high, Vicious Wolf could have won the fight because he had more fighting experience, so dying together still is possible!” Lei Dianfeng said: “As for the true strength of the black-clothed man, we must wait for the Worshipped One to come and personally examine!”
After a Martialist dies1, within a short time, those who have high strength will be able to determine the corpse’s strength from a residual breath behind on the corpse. However, Lei Dianfeng clearly did not have this ability. Even if the entire Lou Family helped, only the Worshipped One had this ability!
“How can I be so unlucky?” Lou Zhenming was really speechless. He had found a wanted outlaw to strike Xiao Chen with great difficulty, but the result was the outlaw being killed by other people in vain. Moreover, his death was dubious, making Lou Zhenming very depressed!
But he could not start to Xiao Chen for a short time again. On one hand, wanted outlaws are hard to find and on the other hand, if he asked Lou Family to help him get rid of Xiao Chen, then it would bound to be information for Deng Xiaokun to use against him. The most taboo thing in this profession is being untrustworthy.
On the path of settling disputes, it was either fight a life or death battle, or negotiating a figure. Apologize or planning to have a fight. In the case that negotiating a figure or paying later on is ruined, who would want to negotiate a figure? They would directly go and fight a life or death battle!
This was clearly not in line with interests in this profession. After all, modern day underworld gangs also had interests as priority, not pure fierce fighting. Lou Zhenming did not dare to start this precedent.
At the same time as Lou Zhenming was depressed, in a recreational vehicle, the young man from the afternoon was quietly waiting for news. It was just that when he heard the news that the black-clothed man was killed by an outlaw, he was immediately astonished into not knowing what to say!
“What did you say? Our person and that outlaw Vicious Wolf died together?” The young man incredulously asked as he stared at the man who relayed the news.
“Young Master, it was Lou Family’s assistance. The spy we bribed passed over the news the moment he got it. That wanted outlaw was the help that Lou Family sought for.” A butler-like person stated.
“Lou Family’s help? They sought for an outlaw to get rid of my person? Why?” The young man frowned. He and Lou Family did not have any injustices or enmity. Lou Family’s hired spy was merely for inquiring for news, not for making use for whatever.
“This is also something I can’t think through. After all, why would Lou Family’s hired hand be a wanted outlaw? Whatever this outlaw was asked to do, not even talking about our hired hand within Lou Family that doesn’t have that high of a position, even if their status was high, they might not necessarily know. It was only heard that Vicious Wolf was hired to help Lou Family’s Young Master Lou Zhenming handle some matter.” The butler said.
“Help Lou Zhenming handle a matter? Help Lou Zhenming handle a matter, what matter does it have to do with my people? Killing my person, isn’t this like having an illness? When did I provoke him?” The young man’s face was livid: “Don’t tell me that he’s acting to get Xiao Chen get out of trouble? Or is it a coincidence?”
“This, I am also not clear on.” The butler shook his head.
“Investigate Lou Zhenming for me. Investigate his relationship with Xiao Chen in school!” The young man said with overcast calm and collected face.
“Understood, Young Master!” The butler replied with a nod.
This evening was destined to be a sleepless night. Lou Zhenming was in the hospital and very quickly obtained the information; the black-clothed man was a Peak Third Layer Inner Qi Martialist. As a result, Lei Dianfeng’s explanation actually possibly made sense. Generally speaking, a Peak Third Layer Inner Qi Martialist wanting to defeat a just-advanced Third Layer Inner Qi Martialist, had much assurance. It was probably that the black-clothed man did not expect to encounter a fighting master like Vicious Wolf!
An underground illegal boxer Martialist, how could he be an ordinary Martialist? That was a person with rich actual combat experience!
It was feared that Lou Family’s person never would have dreamed that black-clothed man’s combat experience was not weak and that the reason he died at the scene was not because of Vicious Wolf, but because of Xiao Chen!
“Teacher Lei, can you find another wanted outlaw?” Xiao Chen not dying made it hard for Lou Zhenming to disperse the foul odor within his heart. At the thought of Xiao Chen fooling him for that seafood banquet and running away, and then looking at Ma Gangmen’s barely alive appearance, Lou Zhenming wished that he could kill Xiao Chen as soon as possible!
“Young Master Ming, this is basically impossible, at least not within a short period of time!” Lei Dianfeng replied: “Although Lou Family is helping us cover this up, now that Vicious Wolf is dead, all the internal people within our Lou Family know, Vicious Wolf died on behalf of Lou Family sending help to us and even though everyone doesn’t know what Vicious Wolf came to do for us, if another wanted outlaw comes again, it won’t be the same. Therefore it can be said that if it was the case that Vicious Wolf had no problems and went away after killing, it was calculated that no one would notice, but if Xiao Chen was killed by a wanted outlaw, there would be no guarantee that no one would link us and the previous matter together! Our Lou Family is not all-powerful, there are definitely other families or gang’s spies! They will not let off any opportunity to attack our family.”
“Okay, I understand.” Lou Zhenming knew what could not be done, so no longer insisted, only somewhat depressed.
“Brother Ming, don’t get angry. I’m all right. This hatred, we will recompense it later. We can permit Xiao Chen to feel free for a period of time!” Ma Gangmen, upon seeing that Lou Zhenming was depressed, said to ease his anxiety.
“Gangmen, what you said is right. Later, we’ll try to find some solutions!” Lou Zhenming nodded. He temporarily gave up the idea of dealing with Xiao Chen and planned to discuss it again after a period of time: “Right! Guys, help me think; how should I pursue Cheng Mengying? The past and present are not the same. Now, there’s an annoying Jin Beibei. Now that she’s there, I cannot fully display my skills. This little girl’s mind is full of different cheats and schemes. If I’m not careful, I’ll be duped!2”
“Brother Ming, I feel that picking up girls has nothing more than a few methods. Since Cheng Mengying is Cheng Family’s Young Lady, the money offensive definitely won’t do, so the remaining methods are either moving her romantically or moving her by using ‘Hero Saving The Beauty’. Beauties like romance and heroes!” Shou Hou had great opinions. He is usually reputed as Lou Zhenming’s trusted advisor; whenever it’s time to produce some ideas, he’s the one with the brain.
“Romance……‘Hero Saving The Beauty’……” Lou Zhenming pondered over Shou Hou’s words. He thought that it was very reasonable. Indeed, things that can gain the favor of a girl are not more than these two points. For being romantic, there is Jin Beibei by Cheng Mengying’s side, so even if Lou Zhenming thought about being romantic, he couldn’t be romantic. No matter what he does, it could all be distorted by Jin Beibei, so Lou Zhenming thought about it a lot and could only start from the ‘Hero Saving The Beauty’ aspect: “You guys talk, how can I become the ‘Hero Saving The Beauty’?”
“Brother Ming, this ‘Hero Saving The Beauty’ thing is nothing more than running into Cheng Mengying when she is in a dangerous situation, coming forward and processing the danger, thus winning the Cheng Mengying’s favor.” Shou Hou said: “For example, if Cheng Mengying encountered a robbery or something.”
“Robbery?” Lou Zhenming’s eyes shone: “So there is this way to handle it! We can find two of my own people, pose them as robbers. Then, they go and rob Cheng Mengying. At that time, I will appear!”
“How about we give Teacher Lei a call and ask him to send over two people?” Shou Hou suggested.
“Out of question. I just told Teacher Lei that Lou Family’s gang is not strong enough. In the case that someone lets it slip and lets Cheng Family people know, then not only will Cheng Mengying dislike me, but will hate me!” Lou Zhenming beckoned his hand and said: “If Gangmen wasn’t injured, you and Gangmen could pose as robbers, but right now we’re missing a person. One robber is not enough shock, and your body is too thin, unlike a robbers’.”
“Brother Ming, although I am injured, my younger brother Ma Gangchuan’s stature is not inferior to mine. You have also seen him; making him substitute for a robber is possible!” Ma Gangmen said after he thought it through: “It’s just that my younger brother’s head was smashed by a brick when he was a child. He isn’t too bright, but it’s fine as long as you tell him the details of what he is to do. Otherwise, he’ll have a blank expression when it comes time.”
“Ma Gangchuan?” Lou Zhenming nodded. He remembered that Ma Gangmen’s younger brother steel tower-like appearance3. Ma Gangchuan’s mind wasn’t too bright and had dropped out of school early. He was currently helping Ma Gangmen’s father run a small casino. Because there was Lou Zhenming’s covering for them, the small casino business was very good. Ma Gangchuan acted as a hired thug in the casino and solely from his body being large, it was very scary when he scolded. Ma Gangchuan was also sturdier than Ma Gangmen, so making him pretend to be a robber was actually a good choice!
Although that guy seemed to have a foolish appearance, he was at least a person on his side, therefore Lou Zhenming approved: “Okay, Shou Hou, you and Gangmen plan something, I’ll go back first.”
“Okay, Brother Ming.” Shou Hou nodded in agreement.
After Lou Zhenming left, Ma Gangmen immediately called Ma Gangchuan to ask him to come over and the three people then discussed the ‘Hero Saving The Beauty’ plan.
Putting on a play, although Ma Gangchuan wasn’t an expert in it, he also knew that Ma Family’s casino today flourishing was because of their relationship to Lou Zhenming. Otherwise, how would they have the strength to open up a casino? This was the most important industry of an underworld gang, how could one casually let others manage it?
But because Ma Gangmen is Lou Zhenming’s henchman, Lou Family’s party would not make things difficult for Ma Family. Instead, when Ma Family’s casino ran into some problems, the first thing Lou Family did was bring people to drive people away. Therefore, Ma Gangchuan was very grateful, so he was incomparably careful about Lou Zhenming’s matters.
- TLN: So, I screwed up and put ‘Warrior’ from Chapters 37~40 even though I already had ‘Martialist’. Sorry for screwing up guys, I’ll keep it ‘Martialist’ from now on. ↩
- TLN: Says the guy who has been duped before ↩
- TLN: Funny thing about this is that Ma Gangmen is also described as this. I may have put it as ‘iron tower-like appearance’ before or the like, but it’s really supposed to be ‘steel tower-like appearance’. The joke is that ‘Gang’ within both their names means ‘steel’…Dammit Chinese… ↩