Chapter 14

"Hey, Yanko, tell me, what do those gangsters really want?" Xu Yan was puzzled: "They came with so many people, caused such a big commotion, just to spend a day in the police station? That doesn't make sense, does it?"

Liu Yang was an optimist; he never thought about complicated things and said carelessly, "Who cares? At least we kept the money from selling the gold, that's what matters! After we finish eating, let's find a KTV to relax and get rid of the bad luck..."

"Ahh!" Xu Yan suddenly shouted, jumping up from his seat: "Not good!"

Liu Yang was startled and asked anxiously, "What's wrong, Yanko? Did you lose the money?"

"The money is fine, but someone might be in trouble. The Miss Zhu from last night is still waiting for me. I promised to bring her food, but it's almost evening now! Oh no, she'll be starving—Hey, boss, pack me a roasted duck, a serving of char siu, a bowl of rice, and a side of vegetables. We need to take it with us."

Seeing Xu Yan busy, the fat man asked suspiciously, "Uh, Yanko, don't tell me you didn't go back at noon and the girl was waiting there? Can't she just call for a delivery? Yanko, there's a restaurant right downstairs from your place; she could go down and find something to eat, right? She wouldn't starve, would she?"

Xu Yan hesitated slightly and shook his head: "Fatso, Miss Zhu is a bit strange. She doesn't understand human affairs and doesn't even know what RMB is. She might really starve herself—forget it, let's just go back quickly."

"Alright, I'll help you pack."

The two quickly packed the roasted duck and the food, but they didn't notice that at the next table, two ordinary-looking men were eating. They had been eating with their heads down, but their heads were slightly tilted towards Xu Yan and Liu Yang. After Xu Yan and Liu Yang finished packing and paid, they left. The two men looked up and whispered to each other. One of them took out a phone and made a call, speaking softly:

"Hey, Brother Yue, it's me, Wu... Yes, those two guys were eating just now and have already left... They didn't mention anything about the gold. They talked about packing food for a girl, who seems to be Xu Yan's girlfriend. She sounds a bit mentally challenged, can't even take care of herself... Yes, that's all. Boss, should we follow them back?... Oh, don't alert them? Got it, we'll head back then."

He hung up and said to his companion, "Alright, the boss told us to stop. No need to follow them anymore."

"Great! This kind of surveillance is exhausting, even more tiring than fighting. You have to be careful, can't even raise your head or speak loudly. Now it's finally over—Boss, bring us two bottles of beer."

On the other end of the call, Qin Yue, the black society boss of Xinqiao District, put down his phone. He lit a cigarette and watched the smoke rise, thinking for a moment before dialing another number: "Hey, Chief Zhang, hello, it's me, Old Qin... Yes, thank you for your help today... Haha, nothing much, I just wanted to ask if anyone spoke up for those two guys at the police station? Oh, no one from the leadership? Oh, the police station didn't receive any calls? Alright, that's good, that's good... By the way, shall we meet at the Red River tomorrow night? Haha, sure, sure, it's been a while since we last met, I really miss you, Chief Zhang... Alright, let's set it for tomorrow night. You're busy, Chief Zhang, I won't disturb you. See you tomorrow night~"

Just as Qin Yue put down his phone, another call came in. He picked it up: "Hey, it's me, Qin Yue. Lang, did you find out anything?"

"Brother Yue, we asked around through our contacts at Shudu University. Xu Yan and Liu Yang are second-year students in the Economics and Management Department at Shudu University. Xu Yan is from Luodan County in Shuchuan, his family runs a small furniture store there, no background; as for the fat boy Liu Yang, he's from our Jincheng, his father works at the Jinhua District Government, just a regular clerk, no background either."

"Jinhua District Government? Which department?"

"Seems like... the Party History Office of the Jinhua District Government."

"Oh, I see. Keep investigating, but don't alert them."

Qin Yue hung up with a smile. He knew that the Party History Office was under the district party committee, not the district government. But considering the knowledge level of his subordinates, it was too much to ask them to distinguish between the government and the party committee. Even he, when he was young and worked in the government for half a year, often couldn't tell the difference.

Looking at his cigarette, Qin Yue felt good. Although it was a bit troublesome, things were finally becoming clear. He could confirm that the two college students who came to sell the gold had no special background or connections—both the information he gathered and their experience at the police station proved this. If their families had any connections, they would have quickly found a way to contact the police station when their sons were detained and demanded compensation.

But the police station and the district police didn't receive any calls all day, which meant that their families had no such connections. For an opponent with no connections or background, he could act without hesitation.

Qin Yue knew this well: no matter how powerful a gang, once it lost the protection of its umbrella, it was not far from its downfall. Over the years, he had seen countless powerful gang leaders fall, and the reasons seemed varied, but Qin Yue had long summarized the fundamental reason: they all lost their protective umbrellas.

But the "protective umbrella" was not omnipotent. If they provoked someone they couldn't afford to offend, even their own backer might not be reliable. Therefore, over the years, Qin Yue had always been very cautious. Before taking action, he always thoroughly investigated the opponent's background and understood their situation before making a move. This cautious and deliberate style had cost him many opportunities for development, but he did not regret it. Those powerful figures from the past, who were once in the limelight, were now either dead on the streets or executed. His development was slow, but after years of steady growth, he had become one of the top underground forces in Xinqiao District, and he was not noticeable, with a solid foundation.

"Haste makes waste, sharpening the axe doesn't delay the cutting of wood, and careful planning ensures a long-term success." Now that he had a clear understanding of the opponent, Qin Yue began to think about how to act.

The fat boy Liu Yang, whose father worked in the government, although the Party History Office was a cold and idle department, he was still an official, working in the district party committee, and might be able to speak to a leader, potentially causing trouble. But since his target was not Liu Yang, he didn't need to worry too much.

Qin Yue's real target was Xu Yan—the gold was Xu Yan's, he decided to sell it, and he received the money. Clearly, among the two, Xu Yan was the true owner of the gold ingot. Moreover, Xu Yan's last question hinted that he had more gold ingots, which was the reason Qin Yue decided to take action.

A poor college student suddenly having a gold ingot was suspicious. According to Qin Yue's guess, the most reasonable explanation was that Xu Yan had stumbled upon a treasure trove left by the Ming Dynasty, finding a pile of gold ingots—otherwise, he couldn't explain the origin of the gold ingots with the "Ming Dynasty Ministry of Revenue" inscription. Although the ingots looked new, it was not impossible. Qin Yue speculated that the treasure trove was well-sealed, not exposed to air, which kept the gold in good condition.

"Or maybe it's an ancient tomb? Or a hidden cellar? Since it's a treasure trove preserved since the Ming Dynasty, it must contain more than just gold, there should be other things. Since the gold is in such good condition, the other items should also be well-preserved—those two guys don't know the value, they only brought out the gold ingots to sell, they really missed out on the bigger prize. In the Ming Dynasty antiques, there are many things more valuable than gold ingots! Even a few cups and plates would be valuable antiques."

Thinking about the ancient treasure trove buried underground and unknown to the world, Qin Yue felt an unbearable itch. The thought of valuable porcelain, ancient books, and paintings being neglected and possibly damaged because of Xu Yan's poor management made him feel as if his own things were being destroyed.

The most critical thing now was to find the hidden treasure trove as soon as possible. It was clear that the college student named Xu Yan would not easily reveal this secret. Since he had confirmed that the opponent had no background, Qin Yue could act without hesitation—though cautious, he was not soft-hearted. To achieve his goal, he was not afraid to get his hands dirty.

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Xu Yan and Liu Yang returned home. Hearing their entrance, Zhu Youxiang came to the door to greet them.

"Master Xu, you're back—oh, and this—uh—fat gentleman, you're here too."

Xu Yan waved and said, "I'm back," then he jumped onto the sofa, spreading his limbs. Liu Yang, unable to get the sofa, sat on the floor and complained, "I'm exhausted!"

Seeing their weary and exhausted appearance, Zhu Youxiang was surprised: "Master Xu, Master Liu, what happened to you two?"

She brought out two cups of water and handed one to each of them. Xu Yan was thirsty and drank the water in one go, then he noticed something unusual: a cool and sweet sensation flowed down his throat, as if washing his entire body, washing away his fatigue and exhaustion. He felt refreshed and full of energy again.

Xu Yan looked at the cup in surprise: "Xuan Yun, where did you get this water? It's very sweet and refreshing, and it feels great! After drinking it, my mind is much clearer, and I don't feel so tired anymore!"

The fat man also drank the water and felt refreshed, nodding in agreement: "Right, Yanzi, this water isn't sweet, but it feels really good, better than cola! This feeling is amazing, I don't feel tired at all, my legs don't ache, I could run another 3,000 meters without any problem!"

He looked at the girl suspiciously and then at Xu Yan: "Yanzi, is your girlfriend giving us some kind of stimulant?"

"Fatso, don't be silly—Xuan Yun, what is this water?"

Zhu Youxiang said politely: "Master, please forgive me for taking the liberty—seeing that you and the fat gentleman were very tired, I added a military pill to your drinks."

Xu Yan looked at Liu Yang, and Liu Yang looked back: "Fatso, when did they start making military pills? Is it from Coca-Cola or Amway?"

"I haven't heard of it... but the name sounds familiar, it's like an Amway product. Beauty, where did you get this stuff? It seems really good, I'll buy a few bottles to keep at home next time."

"The origin of the military pill, according to legend, comes from Zhuge Wu Hou of the Three Kingdoms period, or from the Cloud Sage among the Twelve Virtuous Assistants, who created it for the imperial army during the Northeastern Wilderness War. However, its true origin is now unknown. Originally, the military pill was a necessary medicine for the military, used to remove fatigue and restore strength. Because it is easy to carry and effective, it has gradually spread to the civilian population. Travelers often carry it. However, if you want to buy it, Master Liu," Zhu Youxiang smiled apologetically, "I'm afraid it's not available in your area yet."

Liu Yang held his forehead and complained, "Here we go again! Yanzi, isn't it strange? We can understand every word the beauty says, but when put together, we don't understand at all!"

Xu Yan shrugged, indicating that he didn't understand either—though he roughly understood that the military pill was something Zhu Youxiang brought and was not available outside.

At this moment, Xu Yan remembered why he had rushed back. He put the food box on the table: "Sorry, I ran into some trouble today and couldn't bring you food as promised. You must be hungry, right?"

Zhu Youxiang smiled: "Master, don't worry. I am used to traveling and am not pampered. In the past, if I missed a place to stay, I often slept in the wild. Missing a meal or two is not a big deal—though I appreciate your concern and effort."