Chapter Sixty-Three: Beidaihe

Beneath my feet, an unsmoked cigarette butt smoldered. It was the object that the Heaven-Breaking Master had angrily hurled at me just moments ago.

At this point, the cigarette butt was still burning, wisps of blue smoke carrying a faint, pungent tobacco odor drifting into the air.

The sight of that cigarette butt made my heart race with trepidation while simultaneously stirring up intense excitement!

Because I recognized that cigarette butt! It was a "Beidaihe," a brand of cigarettes sold exclusively in Hebei Province!

The cigarette smoked by the Heaven-Breaking Master turned out to be a Beidaihe, a brand extremely difficult to acquire in Shandong!

This led me to rapidly piece together a series of events.

Before coming to Shiren Gu, I had specially brought two cartons of Beidaihe cigarettes for my former squad leader.

They were not expensive, but my former squad leader loved smoking them. Furthermore, because of regional distribution protections, this Hebei-made brand was hard to buy in Shandong.

Later on, Wang Hou and Xian Hongye encountered the "cat demons" on Old Qi Road. That pack of feral cats had taken advantage of the chaos to snatch our luggage. Although we eventually recovered some of the medicine and clothing used to suppress the White Food Gu, the valuable sundries, food, and the two cartons of cigarettes I had prepared for my squad leader had all completely vanished.

Cats certainly could not smoke... yet why would they steal cigarettes?

In my mind, they must have been offering them as a "tribute" to someone.

And that person... was most likely this very Heaven-Breaking Master!

Faced with such a monumental coincidence, I immediately realized the crucial importance of this cigarette lead.

Weren't these precisely the kinds of "evidence" Xian Hongye had constantly reminded me to search for?

Because of these cigarettes, the connection between the Heaven-Breaking Master and the cat demons had finally been established in my mind.

And finally... the moment for my counterattack had arrived!

Everyone present was unaware of the calculations going on in my mind, and the matter regarding my former squad leader's cleaver was not yet resolved. Therefore, I could not leave just yet.

Thus, taking advantage of the moment Gui Yuxiu was busy counting money, I pulled Ah Si aside.

I whispered an assignment to him, asking, "The organization is giving you a task. Do you have the confidence to complete it?"

Upon hearing this, little Ah Si immediately nodded and said, "As long as Brother Tian gives the word, and it doesn't break the laws or regulations, I'm ready!"

Seeing him so enthusiastic, I felt relieved enough to boldly instruct, "Go out and tail that Heaven-Breaking Master for me. I suspect he is the murderer who killed my former squad leader."

Sending Ah Si on this errand was the result of careful consideration.

Compared to the rest of us, Ah Si was a dwarf. His small stature made him easier to conceal, and he possessed another distinct advantage: extraordinary agility.

After all, he had worked in a circus, and the physical prowess he displayed at the yin-goods shop had been unforgettable—he had bitten me all over, leaving me covered in injuries!

Sending him felt like the safest and most prudent choice.

Receiving my mandate, little Ah Si hurriedly nodded and asked, "You want me to tail him?"

I nodded, cupping my fists in a gesture of entreaty. "This is a matter of life and death, and I'm placing it entirely in your hands, brother! Stay safe!"

My words caused a wide, dark-toothed grin to break across Ah Si's face. He looked at me and asked, "You... called me brother?"

Why wouldn't I?!

I smiled and told him with the utmost sincerity, "Ever since Luzhou, you've been my brother! Otherwise, when you saved me on the highway back then, wouldn't you just have been saving an ungrateful wretch?"

My words brought a glistening moisture to little Ah Si's eyes.

The little guy nodded at me, then bolted out like a wisp of smoke.

Watching his retreating figure quickly disappear, my heart still felt somewhat unsettled.

For now, the matter concerning the Heaven-Breaking Master had to be entrusted solely to him; I hoped he could shoulder this heavy trust.

Turning my attention back, I looked at Lei Ren and Gui Yuxiu, who was still counting the money, knowing I had more pressing matters to handle right here.

The Heaven-Breaking Master had been chased away by Lei Ren, and now... it was my turn to chase him.

Just as Gui Yuxiu was about to count the very last bill, I suddenly snatched the money right out of my sister-in-law's hands and unceremoniously tossed it back to Lei Ren.

Startled by my abrupt action, Gui Yuxiu trembled, her triple chin quivering in displeasure as she demanded, "What are you doing! Kids shouldn't make trouble!"

Making trouble? I wasn't just making trouble—I was actively sabotaging the deal!

Facing Gui Yuxiu's reprimand, I immediately replied with a smile, "Aunt-in-law, I don't mean any harm. I just feel like we're selling this blade way too cheap."

As I spoke, I leaned close to Gui Yuxiu's ear and whispered to nudge her along, "That Lei Ren is from Taiwan! He's rich, and he has a grudge against our family. We've got to fleece this bastard."

Gui Yuxiu might not have listened to anyone else, but when it came to "money," my aunt-in-law would definitely listen. And I... was merely speaking the language of cash.

Sure enough, the moment I finished whispering, Gui Yuxiu's expression shifted entirely. She glanced at the bewildered Lei Ren, then turned back to me with urgent anticipation, asking, "How much should we ask for?"

I thought for a brief moment and replied, "Leave the talking to me. Whatever it is, it's got to be a lot more than ten thousand!"

Hearing that I could squeeze out even more money, Gui Yuxiu nodded without a second thought.

With Gui Yuxiu's confirmation secured, I chuckled heartily, turned around, and shouted to Lei Ren, "Old man! The Zhao family thinks your offer is too low! If you want to buy the cleaver... you're going to have to sweeten the pot."

My words made Lei Ren boil with rage. Through my previous actions, he had already figured out that I was the mastermind behind all of this.

Yet, what good was anger? Things had reached this point, and since I was now negotiating business on behalf of the Zhao family, he naturally had to respond to me.

Consequently, Lei Ren puffed out his beard and glared as he demanded, "Name a figure... how much do you think is appropriate?"

Instead of answering him, I just chuckled, deflecting the pressure right back at him. "That depends on how much you're willing to add. But there's one thing—we want hard cash!"

I was probing Lei Ren's bottom line because I had no idea how much capital he actually possessed. If I wanted to buy the cleaver myself, I had to gauge how much financial backing I could muster.

And... I still had one advantage I hadn't yet deployed.

Pushed into a corner by my questioning, Lei Ren hastily took the bait. He held up his fingers and stammered, "I'll... add another thousand! Eleven thousand! How about that?"

His words couldn't help but draw a smile from me.

The fact that Lei Ren was increasing his bids in increments of a mere thousand indicated that the fellow didn't have much cash on hand! Furthermore, judging by his hesitant expression, he was completely lacking in confidence.

I had already calculated things in my mind: when I left, Wang Hou and I had brought a total of ten thousand. Although we had spent some, the bulk of it remained. Xian Hongye was a minor wealthy heiress, so she surely had at least a few thousand on her. And Zhao Honggang had just sold his breeding pigs; according to him, the final payment had already been settled, meaning that sum was definitely substantial.

If everyone pooled their resources, I figured I could still scrape together twenty or thirty thousand to go toe-to-toe with Lei Ren.

Therefore, I turned to Sister-in-law Gui Yuxiu and said boldly, "Sister-in-law, why don't you sell the blade to me instead! I'll also offer eleven thousand. Selling it to me sounds much better to outsiders—at least it's better than handing it over to an enemy of the Zhao family!"

I considered this remark quite clever, as it struck directly at Lei Ren's soft spot.

After all, he shared an old feud with the Zhao family, whereas I was the designated "successor" of the Zhao family. Standing side by side as buyers, the difference between us was instantly clear.

Moreover, as long as I offered the same amount as him—or even slightly less—reason and emotion dictated that the Zhao family would sell the cleaver to me.

Money-obsessed though Gui Yuxiu was, she was not blind to this logic.

Hearing my words, Lei Ren naturally understood the implications as well.

Consequently, he grew furious, his white beard fluttering up and down in a rather comical fashion.

Yet, of what use was his anger? In terms of reasoning, he was a step behind me; in terms of financial resolve, he didn't seem quite so formidable either.

Even so, refusing to accept defeat, Lei Ren snapped at Zhao Haikun and Gui Yuxiu, "I offer twelve thousand... sell it to me."

I quickly chimed in, "Aunt-in-law, we'll also match twelve thousand. Let me put down a deposit first..."

"Wait, wait... I offer fifteen thousand..."

I immediately followed up, "I'll match fifteen thousand too, Aunt-in-law. We absolutely cannot let this prized blade fall into the hands of an enemy."

"I offer sixteen thousand!"

"......I'll match sixteen thousand."

......

And so it went. Whatever price Lei Ren named, I matched it, clinging to his coattails like an unshakeable scoundrel.

This pricing strategy, sticky as tree resin, was the best method I could devise at the moment.

Because I knew that as long as I kept biting at Lei Ren's heels, the cleaver was firmly within my grasp.

And Lei Ren could not possibly raise his bid infinitely.

Finally, when Lei Ren pushed the price up to twenty thousand yuan, he finally reached his breaking point.

Cursing me viciously as a "two-faced turncoat," Lei Ren turned to face everyone present and shouted, "Tian Bu'er! Since both of us want this cleaver, we should compete fairly, settling the ownership by the rules of the Five Viscera Temple, rather than playing the emotional card and acting like a rogue!"

I chuckled and retorted, "The rules of the Five Viscera Temple? What?! Do you want to play a round of 'Heart-Spectrum Combat' with me?"

Faced with my challenge, the old man did not back down in the slightest. "That's right! I want to engage you in a duel of 'Blade and Fire in Unison.' Whoever wins takes the prized blade. What do you say?!"

"Blade and Fire in Unison?" I laughed upon hearing this, wearing the expression of someone who had already secured victory.

This duel of Blade and Fire in Unison was, after all, one of my specialty skills!