Chapter 133: Loose Sands
January 4th, Saturday.
Northern Myanmar, Old Street. A large entertainment venue at the central intersection.
“Cao Kuang, you really have some guts to come here alone at this time!”
In a private luxurious room, Cao Kuang, dressed in a fashionable suit, met Zhu Bixian, who was in shorts and a T-shirt.
The two sat at opposite ends of a poker table, playing Texas Hold’em. Instead of the usual chips, there were stacks of hundred-yuan bills.
“I have a big deal in mind, and I want to see if you’re interested… fifty thousand!”
Cao Kuang pressed down on his playing cards and slowly revealed one corner. A second later, he laughed exaggeratedly as if he had a great hand, “I have a contract to create a chain of events for the Wang family and the Hidden Alliance. If you’re interested, I can introduce you to the big boss.”
Saying this, Cao Kuang tossed out five stacks of cash with a showy flourish.
The croupier, a female member of the Black Blood Clan, had eyes like silk, with glances frequently exchanged, because she could take a five percent cut from every round.
“Are you taking any business? Fifty thousand, what kind of crappy hand gives you so much confidence? Don’t tell me you’re afraid of losing your pants with me, no deal!”
Throwing down the cards along with a stack of cash, Zhu Bixian sneered, “I don’t know what you, Boss Cao, have backed you this time, but how dare you hit both the Wang family and the Hidden Alliance at once… Let me put it this way, I can do business, but I don’t do risky things!”
Cao Kuang’s expression grew grim upon hearing this. “Zhu, don’t think I don’t know you have big-shot support abroad. Otherwise, with the Liang family in chaos and the Wang family involved, where do you get the guts to help the Black Blood Clan and the Rogue Blood Clan smuggle in?”
“And if this deal succeeds, my people say that aside from the reward, they could help us find Qian Guilong’s whereabouts. Time is running out; you wouldn’t want our hard work to be suddenly wiped out by that old coot one day… ”
As he spoke, Cao Kuang crumpled the cards in his hand, glaring fiercely at Zhu Bixian’s face.
Zhu Bixian remained silent but gestured, and his aide, Pang Yun, quickly stepped forward to light a cigarette.
A minute later, Zhu Bixian smiled and said, “With the two of us together, Qian Guilong may not be our catch after all… You mean I should join you in the mainland to complete your scheme?”
Cao Kuang lit a cigarette and confidently pushed all the money in front of him to the center of the table, full of bravado.
“Anyway, if this deal goes through, whether it’s the Wang family or the Hidden Alliance, they’ll probably be out for my blood. I can’t stay in S Province anymore. I plan to move to Y Province to be your neighbor, what do you say?”
“I just want to establish a name for myself, while Qian Guilong is entirely part of the Black Blood Clan; you wouldn’t oppose that, would you? Think about it, thirteen years ago, the previous second-in-command of the gang, Chen Magan, had just entered into baron promotion suspension and then died…”
“Going back further, eighteen years ago, my brother Wang Hu had just reached the peak of senior baron but vanished mysteriously before he could promote to suspension. Back then, no one doubted Qian Guilong.”
“Zhu Bixian, how many generations of the association are you and I in? I’ve seen it; Qian Guilong is precisely targeting those of us who have already or are about to be promoted to baron. You being able to successfully promote to baron two years ago was not because the old coot was kind enough to let you go; it was because he was also in suspension…”
“If we could get insight into Qian Guilong’s movements, it would make it easier for both of us, whether we attack or defend. We brothers can make a name for the Black Dragon Society again.”
Having said that, Cao Kuang stood up, extending a hand and gazing intently at Zhu Bixian, seemingly waiting for his final answer.
“Give me two days.”
Zhu Bixian dropped his cigarette butt and stood up, shaking hands with Cao Kuang.
After Cao Kuang left, Zhu Bixian lost the mood to play and returned to his secret residence.
Inside the room were rows of bookshelves, but not a single book; instead, various strange items were displayed, large blocks of jade raw stones, a few gruesome human skulls, and several old weapons.
These were all trophies that Zhu Bixian considered significant, and in a corner, a peculiar phone was added.
While smoking, Zhu Bixian admired his collection, planning to find a female subordinate to play with when he heard a text notification from his phone.
Zhu Bixian took out his phone; upon seeing the number, his expression changed. He got up to check outside the door, confirming that his trusted aide Pang Yun was outside, then opened his computer and logged into his email.
A few minutes later, Zhu Bixian’s expression became more peculiar.
“Pang Yun, come in!”
“Brother, what’s up?”
The hefty guy stood in front of the computer desk, looking puzzled.
“About that sniper you captured a few days ago, are you sure he crossed back from Myanmar?”
Zhu Bixian picked up a strange old-fashioned button phone from the bookshelf, examining it repeatedly with a look of confusion. “What’s he like now?”
“Not bad, not even a week, and he’s wanted to join us like a coward; it’s good enough we didn’t have to kill him for being mixed-blood.”
The chunky guy paused, not understanding why he was mentioning that person. “Brother, did you find something?”
“Someone is looking for him, sent me the information, wanting to find this person’s whereabouts, indicating his identity isn’t simple…”
The strange phone in his hand had power and signal but could not dial normal numbers; instead, there was a flickering strange signal light, suggesting it might be a specially made secure telephone.
Zhu Bixian’s face grew darker, but his eyes darted around, seemingly contemplating something.
A minute later, Zhu Bixian put down the phone and smiled mysteriously at Pang Yun, “The people who know this person’s background should stay tight-lipped; make sure not to ruin him. He could be a good bargaining chip… ”
“Oh, then I’ll go check on him right away!”
Pang Yun was almost obedient to Zhu Bixian’s words and was about to leave immediately.
“Wait, don’t rush.”
Zhu Bixian called back his aide, looking at him with a satisfied expression. “Pang Yun, you’ve been with me for over twenty years, with high skills and the ability to take charge. I’ve promised Cao Kuang; I’ll go to the mainland with him in two days, and it’ll take about a month. You’ll manage things here.”
“Just avoid hard nuts, and take decisive actions against the unwary.”
After saying this, he patted Pang Yun’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, brother, I know what to do… Brother, are you really going to cooperate with Boss Cao to deal with Qian Guilong…?”
Pang Yun lowered his voice, looking a bit uncertain.
“Qian Guilong is from the Iberian Bloodline; to say he’s the number one nemesis of our Ganges Bloodline is not an overstatement. If he becomes a count and controls the blood slaves, even if we don’t die, we will forever be his slaves.”
“There’s no way around it; if he doesn’t die, I’ll always live in fear… Actually, I’ve always wondered, why doesn’t he allow people in the association to be promoted to baron?”
The room fell into a brief silence as both men’s expressions turned strange and ruthless.
……
Y Province, B City.
B City, a major town in Southwest Huaguo, rich in history and a key point in the ancient Southern Silk Road. Over seventy years ago, that world war made it an important hub for Huaguo’s international support.
As Wan Yue and her group entered the city, they noticed unusual tension in many details.
Wan Yue probably never expected that Xiang Zuxing actually had a permanent base in B City, indicating his southern operations were not a temporary decision.
The mountain-dwelling tendency of the Hidden Alliance had even led Xiang Zuxing, who often considered himself a direct descendant of the dominating faction, to focus on layout in Y Province. However, such matters were no longer of concern to Wan Yue today.
Xiang Zuxing’s base appeared as a large jade handicraft store, yet it was quite substantial. The entire three-story ancient-style building belonged to him, and there was even a secret underground space for storing various supplies.
“Brother Xiang, Sister Wan!”
Upon entering the store’s hall, Guo Hao quickly stood up. Around him stood several burly men.
“Where are the Luo family people?” Xiang Zuxing frowned as he looked at the people in the room, “Didn’t we say to meet today?”
“They left early; besides intelligence, they left a contact number… Recently, the police have been inspecting almost every household in B City, even using many special devices; I suspect they are looking for someone.”
Guo Hao looked worriedly at the street outside, lowering his voice: “Currently from B City to L City, all border control is very strict; several teams from Dark Arrows have concentrated here. We have to be quite careful when going out.”
“Let’s talk upstairs, Wan sister.”
Leading the way, Xiang Zuxing took Wan Yue and Guo Hao up the stairs while Jiang Yan obediently remained in the hall, mingling with a few unfamiliar young members of the Hidden Alliance.
From Jiang Yan’s perception, the several young men were all knights, likely part of Xiang Zuxing’s direct lineage. Almost everyone radiated a fierce aura, clearly trained under strict conditions and long-term brutal combat. Compared to them, among the knights of Fengxin, aside from Zhao Peng, the others were far behind.
Knight and knight, in fact, still diverge greatly; not to mention that night over a month ago when Yaoyao encountered the mysterious person at the Zhong Pharmaceutical production base, which dramatically broke Jiang Yan’s understanding of mid-level knights, let alone those who had the level of power but were weak at heart.
This was the foundation of the Hidden Alliance, huh? It seems the Dark Arrows have never clashed with them before. Jiang Yan, grasping her surroundings, subtly moved to a corner, pretending to admire various jade handicrafts but keeping her attention on the youths.
Setting aside Jiang Yan’s actual level of power, just that faint air of battle-hardiness resonated as a remarkable connection among similar types.
The secret conversation between Wan Yue and Xiang Zuxing lasted almost until evening, while Jiang Yan silently waited in the lobby for several hours.
Finally, as the lights brightened and the commercial pedestrian street outside the jade store became lively, Wan Yue walked down alone, inviting Jiang Yan to go shopping and eat.
Colorful jade and various handicrafts filled with ethnic charm, Wan Yue surprisingly strolled through the entire commercial street like a traveling young girl, soon buying a lot of things.
Finally, Wan Yue, still not tired of the experience, led Jiang Yan into a specialty restaurant where they had B City’s local dish, hot pot beef.
With a large copper pot and charcoal stove, resembling a hot pot, various beef and fresh vegetables whetted Wan Yue’s and Jiang Yan’s appetites.
“Wan sister, is there a setback this time? Do we still have to wait?”
It had almost been a week since they set out, but something seemed to be hindering the next steps of action, prompting Jiang Yan to ask.
“We’ll set off the day after tomorrow, crossing the border from L City, with the Luo family guiding the way. We don’t need to worry about weapons and equipment; Xiang Zuxing will prepare them.”
Wan Yue did not look up, carefully savoring the beef tripe in her bowl, her tone calm.
“The Luo family? The company that Zhong Jing is about to register in C City is going to collaborate with the Luo family in the future?”
Jiang Yan had heard about the Luo family repeatedly during these days and was curious.
“Yeah, the Luo family was originally just an ally by marriage of the Wang family, a baron family a hundred years ago, with influence almost spanning the whole Ya Province and half of Myanmar.”
“Over seventy years ago, they nearly exhausted their assets fighting the Japanese and fell into decline, later having to rely on the Wang family. The current head is only a mid-level baron, although there are several barons; this time they plan to take advantage of the Wang family’s war against the Black Dragon Society to reclaim their territories and business on both shores of the Nu River.”
“The Luo family has distributed some rare Southeast Asian wood and traditional Chinese medicine business to us, which should net at least tens of millions in profit a year… Interesting, without even fighting, the division of spoils has already been settled.”
Wan Yue smiled nonchalantly, putting down her chopsticks and quietly staring at the store entrance, “For the past few decades in the southwestern border, the underground world’s benefits have become increasingly large, allowing no single entity to dominate. The Luo family didn’t guard their share back then, nor could they, and even the Wang family wouldn’t dare easily barge in.”
“This is the inevitable outcome of our country’s development; the normal world’s progress will also benefit the bloodline world. Who would have thought over a century ago this was the poorest place in the bloodline world?”
Jiang Yan nodded in agreement with Wan Yue’s words.
Just earlier, during their roughly hour-long stroll, Jiang Yan had detected no less than seven or eight subtle foreign auras, even noting obvious “impurity” in some Black Blood members, which made her frown for quite a while.
The density of this bloodline coexisting with normal people should be the first time Jiang Yan encountered since she became a bloodline member. Or perhaps, only by becoming a bloodline member could one truly appreciate their presence in human society.
This was a unique scene found in small cities in the remote southwestern regions of Huaguo; perhaps it would be even more evident beyond national borders.
“Xiang Zuxing and the Luo family are planning something big; they aim to completely clear out Zhu La’er’s stronghold in Old Street and take over all the Black Dragon Society’s territories inside and out.” Wan Yue chuckled coldly, lighting a cigarette as she unfurled a travel map on the table, pretending to hum a travel guide, “Tsk tsk, this is one of the most crucial underground trade routes for bloodlines in Asia aside from maritime routes.”
Jiang Yan stared at the map, slowly nodding, “Wan sister, is the core of the Hidden Alliance practically defunct? Is Xiang Zuxing planning to reestablish his territory here?”
Wan Yue nodded, always taking a mocking tone when discussing this topic, “The ruling faction has fallen into disrepair after the war, and the Hidden Alliance began integrating and absorbing various wandering bloodline factions in the country. Since then, the Hidden Alliance has gone down the wrong path—this was inevitable.”
“Xiang Zuxing has significant influence in the ruling faction; he was a brother-in-arms of my former fiancé and should draw quite a few people to his side… After Chu Songming’s death, most remaining Chu family descendants are mediocre in quality, and the old man Chu has little time left; he probably hopes for Xiang to protect the heirs of the Chu family.”
“Huaguo has developed too rapidly in recent decades, the cake has grown larger, and every faction in the Hidden Alliance wants a piece. The idea of splitting up and living separately actually began thirty years ago.”
After speaking, Wan Yue fiddled with her phone and stood up to settle the bill.
Wan Yue might not have left the Hidden Alliance due to internal strife; she likely sensed earlier than anyone that the Hidden Alliance was not a place to stay… A shocking guess suddenly flashed in Jiang Yan’s mind.
She initially thought that months of living together had given her a deep understanding of Wan Yue, but until today, Jiang Yan felt she knew nothing about Wan Yue. The secrets on the other person and the thoughts swirling in her head were perhaps more extraordinary than her experiences with bloodlines.
A faint purple butterfly appeared suddenly outside the store, gliding quietly over the crowds on the commercial street, followed closely by several police officers hurriedly pushing through the crowd.
A few minutes later, a wandering bloodline member or Black Blood member with merely a blood servant level, looking as if he were drooling, was being carried along the street by police, with passersby hastily avoiding him.
“Good grief, another drug addict… judging by that person’s appearance, he doesn’t seem to be from our country.”
“Probably came over from the west; I heard the police have been cracking down on these old drug dealers along the border recently. If it were up to me, they should just shoot them.” Several bystanders standing outside the store whispered to each other.
