Chapter 426 - 383: Netherworld (4)
Chen Li nodded.
The Steward turned and called out. A fit, tough-looking man immediately jogged out from the gambling den. From his attire, he looked like one of the establishment’s Instructors.
The Steward whispered a few instructions to him. The Instructor nodded and immediately drove a green-canopied carriage out from a nearby alley.
"Please, get in. The way is a bit winding; I’ll take you two there."
The Instructor pulled back the carriage curtain and said respectfully.
The carriage weaved through the winding streets and alleys of Thunder Shock County.
About half an hour later, it finally stopped on a quiet little street near the river, the air thick with the reek of fish and the smell of waterweeds.
A row of low storefronts lined the street, mostly general shops dealing in fishing net repairs, tung oil, boat nails, and the like. One of them had a crooked wooden fishery sign hanging on its lintel.
The Instructor stepped forward and knocked gently on the closed wooden door.
A voice came from inside, deliberately strained into a strange, high pitch: "Ding Bugou. Is the sin not false?"
The Instructor was about to respond as ordered, but Bai San, standing beside him, recognized the voice. He shouted impatiently at the crack in the door, "Old Bao, enough with this pretentious nonsense. Open up, the master’s here!"
There was a moment of silence from inside.
A moment later, the bolt was swiftly drawn back. The wooden door opened a crack, and Gossip’s face peered out.
When he saw Chen Li and Bai San outside, his eyes lit up. Heaving a long sigh of relief, he quickly pulled the door all the way open. He cupped his hands in a salute to the Instructor driving the carriage. "Thank you for your trouble, brother. You can head back now, we’re all good."
The Instructor nodded and, without asking any questions, quickly drove the carriage away until it disappeared.
"Master Chen, please, come in quickly!"
Gossip closed the door, slid the bolt home, and even pressed his ear to the wood to listen for any sounds outside before finally turning around.
The room was sparsely furnished and filled with a mingled stench of dried fish and must.
Once Chen Li and Bai San had seated themselves on the dilapidated stools in the room, Gossip used a flint to light another oil lamp.
Bai San glanced around the room. "Old Bao, what’s with all this drama?" he asked. "Hiding out like a spooked bird, even coming up with a secret password? What’s the matter, got ghosts on your tail?"
Gossip’s expression soured. "Don’t you start with me. If I hadn’t been backed into a corner, who would give up a comfortable life to come hide in this hellhole? I’m on edge all day, can’t even get a decent night’s sleep. But..."
As he spoke, he looked toward Chen Li, his face filled with relief. "But now that you’re here, Master, I can finally rest easy."
Bai San’s expression turned serious. All trace of his earlier joking was gone. "What’s wrong?" he asked. "Is someone really targeting you?"
Gossip sighed heavily, his face a mask of lingering fear and simmering rage. "Targeting us? It’s worse than that. Several groups are after us. And they’re out for blood!"
"Which ones?"
Chen Li asked.
"The Hai Jiao Bang, the Saltwater Bang, the Celestial Sword Sect, the Su Family..."
Gossip counted them off on his fingers. "Oh, right, and the Sect!"
Bai San was flabbergasted. "What on earth did you do to cause such a huge mess? How did you manage to provoke all these monsters and fiends? Old Bao, I gotta say, you’ve got a real talent!"
A muscle twitched in Gossip’s cheek. "It’s not my doing. It was those sons of bitches from the Tuo Long Bang. They don’t give a damn about the code of the Jianghu. They broke their word and leaked our information..."
He looked at Chen Li, his voice seething with rage as he spat the words through clenched teeth, "Master Chen, the Tuo Long Bang... they deserve to die by a thousand cuts. It’s a good thing I sensed something was off and got out of there fast with that kid Peng Anming. If I hadn’t, they would’ve caught us for sure. We can’t let them get away with this!"
"The Tuo Long Bang? Li Sanli?"
Chen Li asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he sought confirmation.
"Yes! That’s him!"
Gossip nodded. "Master Chen, you know him?"
Chen Li nodded, but a flicker of surprise flashed deep in his eyes.
’He never imagined Li Sanli would be so audacious as to return to Jiangzhou.’ "What happened?" he pressed.
Gossip didn’t dare to hesitate and immediately recounted everything that had happened over the past two months.