At one in the afternoon, Sunshine Billiard Hall.
Despite being named Sunshine Billiard Hall, the establishment, located in the basement, was so dim it was almost pitch black.
Anyone serious about business would never be foolish enough to open a shop in a basement.
It was clear that the owner of this billiard hall was not serious about business.
Undoubtedly, this business-averse boss... was none other than Helian Shan!
And Sunshine Billiard Hall was the "old place" he had mentioned.
Helian Shan, a formidable figure in his youth who had carved out a name for himself with a knife all over the southern city, had opened an underground billiard room after retiring from the martial world to keep himself occupied.
It served as a way to pass the time and also as a place for his retirement. (Of course, Helian Shan, who had just passed the age of fifty, wasn't considered very old, but he had always joked that he was so old he could barely lift his cleaver anymore.)
As soon as I entered the main hall of the billiard room, I was hit by a nauseating stench, a mixture of cigarette smoke, alcohol, foot odor, perfume, and male essence.
Among these, the persistent smell of feet was the most offensive.
After gagging four or five times, I finally managed to calm my insides by lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag.
To put it without exaggeration, in the six years I followed Uncle Tuo, if there was one place I least wanted to go, it was undoubtedly Helian Shan's billiard hall.
The reason for this will be revealed shortly...
The old timer Helian Shan was lounging back on a messy and somewhat dilapidated sofa, looking utterly at ease.
Looking at his slightly bruised eye sockets, and the splotches on the gray wall behind the sofa.
One of them, fresh and flowing from top to bottom, a whitish-yellowish fluid that was almost dry, immediately registered with me, and I froze on the spot!
That height, that trajectory, did he take medication?
It seemed that Brother Shan, who was "everlasting" like a treasure bird, truly kept his word. He had indeed brought back some unfortunate young woman from somewhere and "saved" her properly!
The newly formed, almost dried trace on the wall was the best testament and manifestation of this!
Do you know why I didn't want to come here?
Besides the messy and unhygienic environment, it also had to do with this faintly yellowing gray wall!
I distinctly remember when I was fourteen or fifteen, just starting to follow Uncle Tuo here, I asked Helian Shan what those splotches on the wall were. He had solemnly replied that they were snot.
At the time, believing him, I had mimicked him several times, smearing my snot all over this gray wall.
But later, I discovered that no matter how long the snot I smeared stayed there, its color didn't seem to match the slightly yellowish "snot" on the wall.
One time, driven by curiosity, I couldn't help but lean in to examine the "snot" on the wall.
I sniffed it, I touched it...
It was on the day I couldn't help but get up close and personal with the "snot" that Helian Shan finally chose to tell me the truth.
To this day, I still remember his words vividly.
"Silly boy, that's the essence of my life! This wall, it's your Brother Shan's wall of love!"
"Every drop of essence represents a tear-jerking love story."
"By the way... does my life essence smell good?"
I vomited then and there.
And I vomited so hard, so much, that my whole body felt like it was about to fall apart!
...
Seeing me standing there stunned at the entrance, Helian Shan sat up from the sofa and beckoned me in.
Snapping out of my memories, I suppressed the inexplicable discomfort that suddenly surged from the depths of my heart, shifted my gaze elsewhere, and immediately walked briskly towards Helian Shan.
As I got closer, to mask my earlier awkwardness, I offered him a Red Nanjing cigarette.
Seeing this, Cheng Minglang, a loyal fan of Helian Shan, immediately and perceptively scurried over to light it for him.
This was a young man who admired triad movies and yearned for the thrill of sword fights and swift revenge.
He had been following Helian Shan for longer than I had followed Uncle Tuo.
Tall and thin, Cheng Minglang was not only Helian Shan's last disciple but also his number one fan.
The reason he was the number one fan was that Cheng Minglang himself was almost obsessively devoted to the "Young and Dangerous" film series.
He always felt that Helian Shan's story of establishing his identity and status with a knife in the martial world during his youth was very similar to the rise of the movie protagonist Chen Haonan.
Unfortunately, when Cheng Minglang chose to follow Helian Shan, Helian Shan had already begun to consider retiring from the martial world.
He didn't experience the days of flashing blades for long before returning to a peaceful life...
After leisurely exhaling a puff of smoke, Helian Shan finally spoke, "You must have a reason for looking for me, so spit it out."
Hearing this, I didn't reply but shifted my gaze to Cheng Minglang beside him.
Seeing this, the shrewd Helian Shan immediately understood my intention and said to Cheng Minglang, "It's so hot today, go buy some popsicles to cool down."
After saying that, Helian Shan fumbled in his pocket and pulled out five yuan.
After taking the money, Cheng Minglang left without a word to run the errand.
After Cheng Minglang had gone far away, I finally spoke to Helian Shan, "Brother Shan, I need to trouble you to find me some unfamiliar faces to handle a matter."
"Money is no object! But they must be new faces, and they must be reliable!"
Upon hearing my words, Helian Shan immediately frowned and asked, "What's going on? Why do you need new faces?"
"Don't tell me you've clashed with that Yu Shuang again?"
"I'm telling you, that woman has a complicated background! And Ming Tai is also involved, something about a 'Thousand King'..."
Seemingly realizing he had said too much, Helian Shan stopped himself almost instinctively.
Fortunately, I didn't pay much attention to Helian Shan's words.
My mind was entirely occupied with how to break the deadlock and how to find the mole.
Shaking my head slightly, I replied, "It's not what you think, Brother Shan. I just need people to set up a situation."
Hearing that he needed people, Helian Shan immediately waved his hand and said, "Hey~ It's just this? Easy! Wait!"
"They'll be here any minute!"
"Any minute!?"
Hearing this, I was a bit confused.
According to my previous plan, the entire plan to catch the affair would require at least 3-4 people, each with their own duties and responsibilities.
Seeing my bewildered expression, Helian Shan chuckled and shook his head, saying no more.
I could only forcibly suppress my curiosity and, following Helian Shan's instruction to "wait," quietly waited beside him...
Not long after, Cheng Minglang, who had gone to run the errand, returned.
The moment Cheng Minglang stepped into the basement, Helian Shan stood up from the sofa and pointed at him, saying, "Him!"