The next morning, after Fatty and I got up, we found that the people watching our room were gone.
The entire village was deserted, and no one came to bring us food even by noon.
Fatty asked if I wanted to go check the situation. I shook my head and said, "It's best if we don't get involved in this kind of thing right now."
As I spoke, I went to find some potatoes, added some coal to the stove, and we roasted some potatoes to fill our stomachs.
Just as we finished the potatoes, gunshots suddenly rang out outside. Fatty glanced at me, "Master Xiang... have they started fighting?"
I pondered for a moment and said, "It looks like it..."
In the afternoon, as I was waiting for Da Kui to find me, to my surprise, he didn't come, but Old Man Qu did.
Old Man Qu's expression was grave, and several people followed him, each carrying a weapon.
Pushing open the door and seeing Fatty and me, Old Man Qu stared at me and said, "Brother Xiang, you haven't left?"
I quickly stood up and smiled, "Master Qu, what are you saying? Without your permission, how dare I leave?"
Hearing me say this, he grinned, "Brother Xiang is indeed a man of principle..."
"Master Qu, what was happening outside just now..."
He waved his hand, signaling the others to leave. Then he sat down in front of me and took out his pipe, lighting and smoking it. "That scoundrel Da Kui has abandoned his post, and I've told him to get lost."
I knew the matter was not that simple, but I didn't ask further, instead feigning surprise, "Master Qu, what are your plans next?"
He looked at me, his expression somewhat unpredictable. "Brother Xiang, I've heard that your Anyuantang in Guangling has always been doing good business..."
My eyes darted, and I instantly understood what he meant. I said, "Master Qu, whatever you need me to do, just say the word. As long as I can do it, I won't hesitate."
He smiled, looking at me with satisfaction. "Brother Xiang, we have so many people gathered here, and we've bet everything on this Guandong Army treasure, only to end up like this. I'm truly unwilling to accept it..."
"Master Qu, I do have a suggestion." I said.
"Oh? What suggestion do you have?"
"You see, now that the brothers are either injured or dead, if they continue, no one will be willing. Why don't Master Qu do me a favor and leave the treasure hunt to me? I'll organize people myself. When the treasure is found, you can decide how to divide it."
Old Man Qu looked at me with some surprise. I continued, "I still have some money on hand, though not much, but I can put it all out for the brothers, so they can feel a bit better."
"Does Brother Xiang mean you want to cooperate with me?" Old Man Qu asked with interest.
I nodded, "Yes, I hope Master Qu will give me some face."
"Then how much money are you prepared to offer?" Old Man Qu asked.
I gestured with five fingers, "Five million. This is all the cash I can come up with at the moment. Consider this as Master Qu's upfront fee for your hard work."
He hesitated, taking another puff of his pipe. "So many of my brothers have been stationed here for over a year. To find that treasure, the time and effort spent are far more than just this amount of money..."
"I understand, but Master Qu, this is also all my savings. If you feel it's too little, you can take a larger share of the treasure when it's found." I said.
"Then how do you think it should be divided?" Old Man Qu asked.
I thought for a moment, "You take forty percent, and I'll take sixty percent. I'll handle the descent."
He chuckled, "Brother Xiang, this division seems a bit unsuitable, doesn't it? I have so many brothers, and I still need to provide for the families of those who died..."
He then exhaled a puff of smoke. "You take twenty percent, and I'll take eighty percent." 138 Reading Network
I frowned, "Master Qu, this..."
"Since you want to cooperate with me, you need to show some sincerity, right?" Old Man Qu said. "As far as I know, for the Guandong Army treasure, even ten percent would be enough for you to live extravagantly for a lifetime, let alone twenty."
Actually, I didn't care about the treasure at all right now. All I wanted was to go down and find the person quickly.
Whether Jiang Lingxi was alive or dead, I had to find her.
If I didn't go down, I felt I would regret it for the rest of my life.
It was I who should have gone down in the first place. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't be sitting here haggling with Old Man Qu.
"Alright! Then twenty-eight! But I need to know the specific details of the entire treasure, and I need to contact my people to come over." I said.
"Of course, no problem." Old Man Qu smiled. "But before that, I need Brother Xiang to fulfill his promise first."
"Okay, I'll call someone to transfer the money later." I said.
Old Man Qu smiled with satisfaction, then had someone bring me a satellite phone. Before leaving, he said to me meaningfully, "Brother Xiang, we are all on the same boat now. I advise you not to play any tricks, otherwise, don't blame me for turning hostile."
"Master Qu, don't worry. When there's money to be made together, why would I play any tricks?"
Da Kui's failure to usurp power, honestly, didn't surprise me.
Thinking about it, Old Man Qu is not someone to be trifled with. Did he not have any backup plans?
Besides, the people in this place are all somewhat wary of Old Man Qu, most likely because he holds something against them.
Once Old Man Qu falls, others will probably realize they'll be in trouble too.
Da Kui was too impatient. If it were me, and I wanted to pull this off, I would never have let Old Man Qu come up alive.
After all, underground would have been the best time to strike.
Of course, these are not my concerns. Now I need to contact people quickly and go down to find Jiang Lingxi.
To go down to that place, I have three candidates in mind, and all three are absolutely trustworthy.
I first called back to Guangling and asked Hong Yunpeng to transfer all the money from my account to the account designated by Old Man Qu.
The money in my account was given to me by Sister Ying when she left Guangling. I had never touched it, and now it turned out to be useful.
Next, I called Yang Hanxue and told him about the situation here, hoping he could lend me a hand.
After receiving my call, he didn't hesitate and said he would come as soon as possible.
Then I called Wu Tingxiu and asked her to lend me Song Bing.
When she received my call, Wu Tingxiu asked, "I heard you went to the Greater Khingan Range? When are you coming back?"
"The situation is a bit complicated now, and I need you to help me with something."
"What is it?"
"I want to borrow someone from you."
"Who?"
"Song Bing."
"Alright, give me your location, and I'll have him come find you right away."
"Okay, thank you."
"No need for thanks. Handle your matters there, and come back quickly. I've made a new discovery."
"New discovery?" I was startled.
"Yes, but I'm not entirely sure yet. I'll tell you when you get back."
"Okay, we'll talk about it when I return."