"No, I'm not that foolish!" I chuckled after catching my breath.
"Then how much money is in that card?" Han Jinlun pressed urgently.
I patted my pocket, pulling out a real bank card and waving it. "That's not my card at all. How could I possibly know how much money is in it?"
"Holy crap! Brother Xiang, that move of yours is like a cow sunbathing – utterly brilliant!" Han Jinlun exclaimed, giving me a thumbs-up.
Shaking my head dismissively, I fell silent and turned my gaze to the window, scrutinizing the surrounding traffic. The "golden cicada shedding its shell" trick was merely a temporary measure. The real problem was figuring out how to completely shake off Cao Hongliang and his gang. Running was out of the question. The three of us were too conspicuous, and if Cao Hongliang's group spotted us again, the consequences would be unimaginable.
If we couldn't run, we had to hide. But where could we hide? After leaving Jinling Railway Station completely, the question of where to hide had become a persistent worry.
"Where are we going now?" Cheng Minglang asked as the taxi drove further away from the station.
His question jolted me back from my thoughts. "If I remember correctly, Brother Shan mentioned your hometown is Jinling, and you two met here," I asked, looking at Cheng Minglang. "Do you have any close friends left in Jinling?"
Cheng Minglang gave a wry smile. "I left Jinling nearly ten years ago. Even if I had friends, we've lost touch."
Hearing this, I stopped asking and told the driver to head towards the outskirts of Jinling. For some reason, I had a nagging feeling that we hadn't completely lost Cao Hongliang's group. If we brought those tails all the way back to Anhai, we'd never have a peaceful day.
As I pondered our next move, Cheng Minglang spoke up again. "Even though I don't have friends in Jinling, I heard Brother Shan say he has a friend here. And they've been in contact recently."
His words made my eyes light up. I figured anyone who could be friends with Brother Shan must have good character and personality.
Three hours later...
After a series of winding turns, the taxi driver dropped the three of us – Cheng Minglang, Han Jinlun, and myself – in a village in the Dachang District. This was the place Cheng Minglang mentioned where Brother Shan's friend lived.
Before we arrived, Cheng Minglang had already called Brother Shan. To avoid worrying him, I hadn't let Cheng Minglang tell Brother Shan about our recent troubles. We simply said we had some business in Jinling and wanted to see if Brother Shan, who knew many heroes across Kyushu, could arrange for a friend to show us the local customs and bathing culture of Jinling. The latter part was added at Han Jinlun's insistence. After all, Han Jinlun, who had shared battles and close calls with us, was practically one of us now.
According to Han Jinlun, an expert in folk customs and bathing culture, Jinling had not only the "Twelve Beauties" cigarettes but also the "Twelve Beauties" bathing culture. In Han Jinlun's words, the women working in these bathhouses had a tough life. Their fathers were in debt, their mothers had run off, or they had younger siblings to support through school. They struggled to survive, living under harsh conditions. Helping them was the duty of a good citizen.
Ahem, getting sidetracked. Back to the main point!
Following Cheng Minglang, we soon approached a middle-aged man dressed in an ostentatious manner.
"Are you Brother Hao? I'm Brother Shan's brother," Cheng Minglang said, a rare smile on his face as he greeted the man. It was clear this was Brother Shan's friend, Brother Hao, who also belonged to the Jianghu.
Perhaps sensing we had arrived empty-handed, Brother Hao ignored Cheng Minglang, frowned, and let out a heavy snort. Even though it was our first meeting, it struck me that Brother Hao seemed to have a very high opinion of himself and didn't appear to be an easy person to get along with. But since we were here, there was no turning back.
With that thought, I pulled out a pack of red Nanjing cigarettes, offered one to Brother Hao, and said with a smile, "Apologies, Brother Hao! We came in a bit of a rush without much preparation. Please bear with us!"
"I'll handle things in a moment!"
Brother Hao remained silent, not taking the cigarette. Instead, he glared at us with a fierce expression. Even the naive Han Jinlun sensed something was amiss. Cheng Minglang subtly reached towards his waist. I knew he was reaching for his extendable baton.
Before I could figure out what was happening, a Wuling Hongguang minivan sped towards us from nearby. Cao Hongliang and his men then emerged from the vehicle with sinister smiles.
"You chose the path to hell when the road to heaven was open! Did you think a little trickery would let you shake us off so easily?" Cao Hongliang sneered. "Boss Xiao's influence is far beyond your imagination! Your previous actions have thoroughly angered Boss Xiao, so he's decided... not to take your hands anymore, but to take your life!"
As he spoke, Cao Hongliang and his subordinates slowly advanced towards me. Unlike our previous encounters, this time Cao Hongliang was holding a gun!
"Kneel down and call me master!" Cao Hongliang commanded, pressing the gun to my head. "If you kneel before me, I might consider letting you die a less painful death later." He shook his head with a swagger, eerily reminiscent of Liu Huaqiang in the TV series "Conquest."
However, Cao Hongliang was not Liu Huaqiang, and I was not Feng Biao to be slaughtered at will. Although I wasn't sure if Cao Hongliang's gun was real, I knew he was serious this time. If he wants me dead, then...