Chapter Nine: Chief Hu

Li Qun briskly entered the central courtyard hall.

“Master, sir, the men have been brought back. They’re waiting at the gatehouse now.”

He Lishan dared not delay. After informing the old gentleman, he immediately straightened his clothes and personally went to the gatehouse to invite them in.

Though he had long heard the name “Old Owl of the Sea,” he had never met the man in person. Meeting him today, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Jiang Chenghai, aside from dressing lavishly, carried himself with the demeanor and appearance of a simple country farmer.

In contrast, the bald man with the ringed eyes by his side looked far more like a fierce outlaw from the green woods.

This man’s real name was Li Tianwei. As a child, he once ventured into the mountains and was mauled by a bear, leaving half his face disfigured. It was said that a master later advised him that the character “Tian” (Heaven) in his name was too grand to bear; “Heaven’s supreme power” overflowed and hindered further progress. So, he changed “Tian” (Heaven) to “Tian” (Add).

Li Tianwei had known Jiang Chenghai the longest. In his youth, they had sworn brotherhood and roamed the mountains as bandits, bound by a life-or-death friendship. Later, when their gang clashed fiercely with a security squad surnamed Zhang, suffering heavy losses, he followed Jiang Chenghai to Fengtian to pay respects to Zhou Yunfu.

He Lishan brought the two men into the central courtyard hall, where the old gentleman, He Xinpei, immediately rose to greet them with a clasped fist.

“Brother Hai, greetings!”

Jiang Chenghai, sleeves wrapped around his arms as usual, smiled and replied, “Greetings!”

He Xinpei stepped aside. “It’s been many years. Please, come inside and sit.”

One was a retired escort master, the other a former outlaw. Due to their professions, they had crossed paths a few times before, though their acquaintance was shallow—just familiar faces.

Once seated, they exchanged the usual pleasantries. He Lishan and Li Tianwei stood quietly to the sides, saying nothing.

He Xinpei exhausted the polite talk but never mentioned the theft at the Wang residence. Instead, he nonchalantly brought up a misunderstanding from the previous year's escort job.

“My old bones can’t handle much anymore. I usually don’t meddle in the bureau’s affairs. I only heard of this misunderstanding recently and was planning, come spring, to personally visit Brother Zhou in Fengtian to apologize.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chenghai’s eyes widened in surprise. “That? I had no idea!”

He Xinpei’s lips twitched as he asked, “So Brother Zhou didn’t take it seriously?”

Jiang Chenghai chuckled awkwardly. “Not sure.”

He Xinpei grew restless and pressed, “Brother Hai, what brings you here this time? What business do you have?”

Jiang Chenghai laughed again. “Brother He, are you teasing me? I’m here visiting family. I haven’t touched a single shipment this trip—how could I be doing business?”

He knew nothing, spoke vaguely, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter.

No matter how He Xinpei hinted, Jiang Chenghai feigned ignorance.

He Lishan, annoyed, couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Jiang, did you hear about the burglary at a house in the southern city the night before last?”

This question was a direct confrontation.

Li Tianwei immediately slammed the table. “Hey, He Lishan, what do you mean by that?”

“Second brother, sit down!” Jiang Chenghai chastised. “Their secure house was robbed, asking about it is normal. Why are you so angry?”

With the tension clear, He Xinpei quickly took over the conversation.

“Brother Hai, since you say so, I won’t beat around the bush. Could this be a misunderstanding between our two families?”

“Brother He, I dare not say. My men are used to the mountains—hot-tempered and hard to control. I have to ask them. But rest assured, if this really involved them, I’ll have them ‘wear armor’ and come apologize in person.”

The so-called “wearing armor” was a harsh punishment used by outlaws beyond the Great Wall, only in winter.

Disobedient juniors would be stripped naked and hung from a tree, with a large basin of cold water poured over them from above.

The punished would shiver uncontrollably. The cold wind would freeze the water instantly, coating the body with a layer of fine ice.

Repeated dousing would cause lips to turn purple, skin to ache and itch.

By night’s end, the victim would be encased in a layer of “ice armor,” resembling an ice pop. Blood would freeze, flesh would necrotize, and fingers, toes, and ears would fall off at a light touch.

This was the unique law of the northern bandits.

Upon hearing this, He Xinpei’s face darkened. “Then Brother Hai, thank you for your trouble. Bring tea!”

Jiang Chenghai stood and clasped his fists. “Brother He, no need for ceremony. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. After I’ve interrogated them, I’ll come visit again.”

He Xinpei said coldly, “Then I won’t see you out.”

And indeed, no one rose. Neither father nor son from the He family stood, and outside, Li Qun naturally looked away as if nothing was amiss.

Jiang Chenghai didn’t mind. Smiling, he left.

After they departed, He Lishan leaned close to the old gentleman.

“Father, that old fox Jiang Chenghai is feigning ignorance—he’s really prepared to go head-to-head.”

He Xinpei snorted coldly. “Let it break! A strong dragon can’t suppress the local snake! No matter how powerful Zhou Yunfu is, I don’t believe he can drive me out of Liaoyang!”

Though the Changfeng Escort Bureau no longer held its former prestige, it had operated for many years and had friends in both the underworld and official circles. It would not be easy to wipe them out entirely.

“By the way, hasn’t Chief Hu returned yet?”

“Should be soon.” He Lishan turned to shout outside, “Chief Hu, when will you be back?”

Li Qun replied from outside, “Master, Chief Hu said yesterday he needed to arrange things with the client over there. He should be back this afternoon. Judging by the time, he’s probably already on the way.”

***

Elsewhere, Jiang Chenghai and Li Tianwei left the Changfeng Escort Bureau. No more than a few steps away, three brothers suddenly appeared and approached.

“Big brother, are you alright? What happened inside?”

Jiang Chenghai waved them off. “Nothing, the plan remains the same.”

“That Zhang Jiu is a real bastard. He talks a good game, but turned right around and sold us out!”

“Damn it! Once this is done, we’ll take him out!”

Jiang Chenghai was unfazed. “Let him sell us out. It’s normal. We’ve had a friendship of over ten years—we can’t just abandon him in his hour of need. Besides, even if he hadn’t spoken, Old He would’ve suspected us sooner or later.”

“So do we wait back at base now?”

“Wait for what? Go back and listen to stories. That gentleman earlier had some skills and spoke well—I was even thinking of rewarding him!”

As he spoke, Jiang Chenghai reached for his belt, then suddenly his expression changed sharply. He cursed, “Where’s my wallet?”

At that moment, a crisp sound of horse hooves came from nearby.

“Clop, clop, clop!”

They all looked up and laughed.

“Big brother, Chief Hu from the Changfeng Escort Bureau is back.”

From afar, the man appeared to be in his forties, with a distinctive look: a face full of pockmarks, a big gap between his teeth, and a full beard that seemed like a built-in mask.