Chapter Sixty-Four: A Risky Move in Warfare

Happy weekend, everyone! This chapter is as long as two chapters, nearly 4,000 words, and I’ll post another before midnight! Thank you for your bookmarks, comments, and recommendations!

"Unless? Unless what?" Li Zimu tensed up at once. "He’s powerful and influential—what could he possibly need my help with? Don’t tell me he wants me to kill someone!"

Ye Dong’s eyes lingered for a long time on the olive-green vase with tea leaf glaze resting on the coffee table before he finally spoke. "Unless you can help me find an antique of even greater value—at least a whole grade above that vase."

"Something a whole grade above this vase? Wouldn’t that have to be a national treasure?" Both Li Zimu and Xu Si froze, glancing at each other, but neither dared to respond.

Seeing the worry etched on their faces, Ye Dong immediately understood—they didn’t dare reveal the identities of Wei Ye and his associates.

"What’s wrong? Can’t do it?" Ye Dong demanded coldly.

Faced with his interrogation, Li Zimu stammered for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence. "Brother Tian, I—"

Liang Lingzhi, standing nearby, barked impatiently, "Stop wasting Brother Tian’s time! Can you do it or not? Just say so!"

Xu Si nudged Li Zimu. "Brother, can you or can’t you? This is about our lives!"

Ye Dong let out a sinister chuckle. "You’re wrong, Xu Si. You once saved my life—yours is safe. But Li Zimu, you don’t know what’s good for you. Live or die, the choice is yours."

Hearing this, Li Zimu looked up, his face crumpling in despair. "Brother Tian, you’re asking for a top-grade national treasure!? That's a capital offense!"

Ye Dong removed the cigar from his lips, eyes cold and murderous. "That ship you ran into tonight, the one in a shootout with customs—that was mine."

"What?!" Li Zimu was even more dumbfounded. "Brother Tian, don’t tell me that ship was smuggling national treasures?"

Ye Dong’s gaze was sharp as a blade, boring into Li Zimu’s mind. "Damn, I’ve asked something I shouldn’t have!" Li Zimu slapped himself across the face. "Stupid mouth! Serves me right!"

"Haha!" Ye Dong’s smile was wicked. "So what if it was a national treasure? I, He Wentian, take responsibility for my actions!"

Li Zimu panicked. "So... it really was a national treasure?!"

Ye Dong flung his cigar to the floor. "Damn it, why did customs have to show up then? Just like that, I've lost a hundred and twenty million!"

He glared menacingly at Li Zimu. "Tell me, why were you there at just that moment? Are you involved? And now you come to me for help—are you a cop, an undercover agent?"

"No, no!" Li Zimu shook with terror. "Even if I had the guts of a leopard, I wouldn’t dare cross you, Brother Tian! I swear, your lost treasure has nothing to do with us! I was there by pure accident, I swear!"

At that moment, Dachun leaned in to whisper to Ye Dong, "Brother Tian, just to be safe, why don't I do as before and take care of everyone remotely suspicious? That’ll settle it once and for all."

A chill ran down Li Zimu’s spine. "Even if his stuff was seized, it has nothing to do with me. But now that I know his secret, if I refuse him tonight, I probably won’t get out of here alive."

He glanced at the clock. "Only an hour left until payment is due. Brother Tian, if you trust me, what I’m about to say might help you."

Ye Dong turned to him, signaling for him to go on. "Lie to me, and I’ll chop you up and feed you to the dogs."

Li Zimu licked his lips. "As far as I know, my suppliers are about to make a move again. This time, they seem even more prepared. I suspect it’s a big deal—if it goes through, there could well be national-level treasures involved!"

"How do you know?" Liang Lingzhi demanded harshly.

Li Zimu lowered his head. "I overheard, what else? Brother Tian, I swear, this is something I heard myself."

Ye Dong weighed his words. "Given the circumstances, he wouldn’t dare lie."

In his earpiece, Officer Li’s voice sounded. "Tian, pretend to refuse him for now."

Ye Dong sneered. "So what if I believe you? Even if you’re telling the truth, your intel isn’t worth thirty million, is it?"

Li Zimu understood all too well. "Thirty million... I’ve only seen that much money once in my life! Either way, if I can’t get the money tonight, I’m dead!"

He pulled out his phone. "Brother Tian, if you help me out of this, my life is yours! How about this—I’ll introduce you to them directly? This phone is the only one I use to contact them."

Ye Dong couldn’t help but laugh. "You think I’d expose myself like that?"

He kicked Li Zimu hard in the chest. "Do you think they’re idiots? That they’d just meet me so easily?"

Li Zimu clutched his chest, gasping for breath, clearly in pain.

Ye Dong’s earpiece buzzed again. "Ease up! Any more and he’ll need a hospital."

Xu Si steadied Li Zimu. "Brother, just tell them everything you know!"

Li Zimu, face contorted in misery, protested, "I was just about to, but Brother Tian kicked me—ah, that hurts!"

Liang Lingzhi cursed, "Stop stalling. If you have something to say, say it!"

Li Zimu coughed a few times. "My supplier is called Wei Ye. That day, Brother Zhi made quite a splash at the auction. They all noticed. If Brother Zhi and I go together to make the payment, they’ll be cautious, but they’ll also be curious about his intentions. After all, who doesn’t want to make a fortune?"

Liang Lingzhi’s eyes bulged. "Damn it, you want me to walk into a deathtrap with you?" He raised his foot to kick Li Zimu, but Ye Dong stopped him. "Zhi, he’s right. Go with him."

"But—" Liang Lingzhi was clearly reluctant. He jabbed his finger at Li Zimu in the air. "You got lucky today because Brother Tian is here!"

Li Zimu already knew Liang Lingzhi was not someone to cross. He sobbed, "Thank you, Brother Zhi, for the chance. Thank you, Brother Tian, for your kindness!"

Ding ding.

Li Zimu’s phone rang—Wei Ye had sent a message: "Is it settled?"

Li Zimu didn’t know how to reply and handed the phone to Ye Dong. "They’re looking for me."

Ye Dong took the phone and typed a few words. "Done. Buyer Liang Lingzhi wants to discuss a big deal with you."

Wei Ye replied quickly. "Not interested."

Ye Dong sneered inwardly. "This guy is pretty cautious." He tossed the phone back to Li Zimu. "Tell him it’s a big deal—a top-grade artifact."

"Big deal. 01."

"01" meant a national-level relic in their code.

"Not interested." The same cold reply flashed on the screen.

Li Zimu’s hands began to tremble. Right now, Wei Ye literally held his life in his hands.

He quickly texted, "The buyer is Liang Lingzhi, whom you saw the other day, and the one who sent him is He Wentian. I can’t afford to offend them."

"You’re afraid of him, but not me?"

"I’m under their control now. All the money is with them."

"If you don’t bring the money by 2:30, you die all the same."

"If you don’t give me a chance, I’ll die right now."

Wei Ye finally fell silent. After all, thirty million is a fortune—a whole sack of cash.

"Wei Ye, could this be a setup?" Lixing, who was with Wei Ye, asked warily.

Lecheng agreed. "Maybe Li Zimu’s already been caught by the police."

Wei Ye knew all too well this might be a long-term police sting. He said coldly, "We’ll take the thirty million, and I want to see He Wentian and Liang Lingzhi. But not with my own eyes."

Lixing grinned. "Wei Ye’s magic will come in handy again—impressive!"

Lecheng clapped. "If not for Wei Ye, He Wentian would have swallowed up every cent."

Wei Ye was pleased, but kept his expression neutral. "If we can latch onto He Wentian, we’ll make it big!"

After a long pause, Wei Ye finally replied, "Don’t play tricks. You know what I’m capable of."

"Much appreciated."

"I’ll tell you the time and place later."

"Thank you, Wei Ye."

After handing the phone back to Ye Dong, Li Zimu let out a long sigh. "He agreed to meet. The time and place will be arranged."

Ye Dong scrolled through their chat and sneered. "So, it’s all about the money. Don’t forget—it’s my money that saved your life."

Relief washed over Li Zimu, and he slumped to the floor. "Thank you, Brother Tian. Thank you!"

Xu Si held him tightly. "Brother, if Brother Tian helps, we’ll at least keep our lives."

"Back again?" In the dimness beneath the ancient well, an elderly man with white hair and a long beard seemed displeased by the visitor. "Why do you keep coming down here? If you like it so much, why don’t you stay a few days and let me out for some fresh air?"

"Uncle Master, I’m just worried you might suddenly pass away down here, so I brought you some good wine to lift your spirits." The visitor, dressed in plain clothes, was none other than Chen Yao. "Dean Zuo and Aunt Zhen only visit you three times a day. They’re worried for your health and won’t bring you good liquor, since drinking is bad for you."

At the words "good wine," the old man’s eyes lit up. "Yao, don’t drink so much! High uric acid, you know!"

Even before he finished, he’d grabbed the wine from Chen Yao and gulped down several swigs, then smacked his lips in delight. "Ah, this is vintage Maotai, isn’t it?"

Chen Yao chuckled, snatching the bottle back and pouring some into a cup. "Uncle Wei, good wine is to be savored, not guzzled!"

The old man was indeed Daoist Wei Zi.

Wei Zi shook his head and laughed. "I may be nearly a hundred, but I’m still hale and hearty. That Zuo Leng—every time he comes down, he won’t bring me any wine. I scold him, but he just smiles and tells me to quit drinking."

Chen Yao poured him a full cup. "I heard you helped Dean Zuo open his heavenly eye after he lost his sight?"

Wei Zi nodded. "That’s right. I helped him open his heavenly eye."

"I heard he lost his eye saving someone?"

"Yes. Heaven took one of his mortal eyes, so I gave him a celestial one. That settles the score."

Chen Yao laughed heartily. "Uncle, how is that settling the score? I think you opened his heavenly eye to help watch over the orphans, to see if any were haunted by spirits, right?"

Wei Zi chuckled. "You know, yet you still ask? The children are young and innocent. They can’t tell good from evil, nor recognize cunning ghosts who hide themselves. Now that Zuo Leng has a heavenly eye, he can better protect them."

Chen Yao nodded. "So, Uncle, when you have time, could you open my apprentice’s heavenly eye as well?"

Wei Zi laughed. "Didn’t Zilong and the other two already master the art?"

"It’s my four new apprentices," Chen Yao said, smacking his lips. "Those four are true prodigies in the Way."

"So you think highly of them," Wei Zi said with a smile. "But opening the heavenly eye requires fate. Cultivation is the proper path—and anyway, none of them are blind, are they?"

Chen Yao explained, "It’s urgent. One of my apprentices has joined an undercover police operation, playing the lead role. I’d like him to have the heavenly eye as a precaution."

"Aren’t you able to do that yourself? Why ask me?"

"Sigh. I’m trying to preserve my spiritual power for tracking that scoundrel Yuelang. His power has grown rapidly—if I slack off, I won’t be able to defeat him."

"I understand. Leave your apprentice’s heavenly eye to me," Wei Zi replied. "Yao, you’ve aged a lot these decades, chasing after Yuelang."

Chen Yao laughed. "That villain Yuelang has been on the run from me for decades—he hasn’t had it easy either!"

"Nearly thirty years, and you still haven’t let go of your grudge?"

"As for the grudge itself, I let it go long ago. Now I’m just upholding justice and cleansing our ranks." Chen Yao drained his cup of wine. "Try these chicken wings—my daughter Nianxue made them herself. She said you’re an old coot who should taste her cooking."

"Nianxue? I remember the name, but not her face. After that incident, I haven’t seen her since. She must be a fine young lady now?"

Chen Yao nodded. "Yes, ever since that day, everything changed..."