Chapter 53: Just About to Find You

Stars scattered across the deep night sky, the Poor District was quiet, almost no one in sight.

Guo Ye and the two others leaned against the wall, constantly gazing into the distance.

As time passed bit by bit, the three grew restless.

"How long has it been? Why hasn't that guy shown up yet?" one of them complained.

"Yeah, maybe he's deliberately messing with us, making us wait here forever," another said, looking at Guo Ye.

Guo Ye felt his heart sink as he listened.

Yeah, that kid might be doing it on purpose.

On the surface he makes us wait for him here, but in reality he never intended to come back.

Thinking that he hadn't earned a cent today and was still standing here like an idiot waiting so long made him angry.

Just then, a faint footstep sounded.

The three immediately lifted their heads.

A figure emerged from the darkness.

"Brother Jiang, you finally came."

Guo Ye immediately broke into a grin.

The other two were also beaming, showing no trace of their earlier complaints.

"Take me there."

The one who arrived was Jiang Cheng, and he didn't waste words.

"Fine, fine."

Guo Ye bobbed his head like a chick pecking grain as he led the way ahead.

After winding through many turns, the group stopped in an alley.

Guo Ye reached out, pointing to a mud‑brick house on the right, and whispered, "Brother Jiang, that's where Liu Yang and his two companions live."

Dots of light spilled from the house he pointed at—obviously someone was home.

Jiang Cheng glanced at it and asked, "Do the three of them live together?"

"Yeah."

Guo Ye explained, "If they live together, they only need to pay the Wild Wolf Gang a management fee of one thousand a month; if they lived in two places, they'd have to pay an extra thousand."

Jiang Cheng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three, "I'll go take a look. You stay here, don't move, and don't make a sound."

The three exchanged a glance and could only nod.

Jiang Cheng lightened his steps and walked toward the house Guo Ye had pointed to.

As he drew nearer, he could faintly hear voices speaking.

He approached the door, pressed his body against the wall, and listened closely.

Inside the house.

Liu Yang and the two others sat around the table, bowls and dishes laid out but empty—evidently they had just finished dinner.

"Burp…"

One of them let out a full belch and said, "I wish there were more meat; I can't get enough."

"You've got the nerve to complain—I and Liu Brother only ate a few pieces, the rest went to you."

"What are you talking about?"

The man protested, "I only ate three pieces."

Saying that, he glanced at Liu Yang.

"Enough."

Liu Yang coughed, "It's just a few pieces of meat—once we save up that thousand, I'll take you out to a restaurant."

"Liu Brother, just mentioning this makes me furious—Jiang Xiong and his gang of bastards, if they'd acted sooner none of this would have happened; they dragged it out a day, and it turns out that kid just happened to get his membership card that day, it drives me crazy!"

"Exactly, he's feeling wronged too—damn it, one of these days I'll beat him up."

"Beat him up? How?"

Liu Yang laughed.

"Just the three of us, and we're supposed to beat him?"

"Liu Brother, in reality we can't beat him face‑to‑face, so we can only vent behind his back."

"Yeah, they've got the Wild Wolf Gang backing them—how could we dare to fight them?"

Jiang Cheng didn't listen any further.

He stepped lightly and came before Guo Ye and the two others.

They had already been waiting impatiently.

Seeing him, they hurriedly asked, "Brother Jiang, it's correct, right? Those three guys of Liu Yang live right here."

"Later you come with me and call the door open." "What!"

Guo Ye gasped, then quickly covered his mouth, "Jiang… Brother Jiang, what did you just say? Have me call the door?"

"What else?"

Jiang Cheng gave him a cold stare, "Call the door open, and our past grudges will be wiped out—as long as you don't come looking for trouble for me, I won't go looking for you either."

Guo Ye was on the verge of tears.

"What a joke—do they really think they can go looking for trouble with Jiang Cheng because they feel they've lived too long? But if they go open the door…"

Liu Yang knew he was the one who showed the way—what good would come of it later?

Although he wasn't afraid of them in his heart, needlessly making an enemy wasn't wise.

"Huh?"

Jiang Cheng's eyes turned cold.

Guo Ye shivered in fear.

He turned his head to look at the two juniors beside him, and only then realized that, without noticing, they had already stepped back two meters.

Seeing him look, they all turned their heads aside.

"Two ungrateful brutes."

Guo Ye cursed inwardly.

But now that things have come to this, choosing to refuse is no better than refusing from the start; having already brought the person here, refusing again would please no one.

"Brother Jiang, I can go and have the door opened, but I have a small request," he said, glancing timidly at Jiang Cheng.

"Speak."

"When I have the door opened later, Liu Yang and his group will definitely know I'm on your side; after that they won't dare act against you, but they'll still dare to attack us. So, if they beat us later, Brother Jiang, could you avenge us?"

Guo Ye showed a pleading expression.

"Alright."

Jiang Cheng agreed in a single breath.

This made Guo Ye uneasy, thinking the other had just said it offhand, perhaps not even hearing what he said.

"Don't worry."

Seeing this, Jiang Cheng added, "I guarantee those three will never be able to retaliate against you later."

Hearing that, Guo Ye finally let out a sigh of relief.

Jiang Cheng set up a stall on the street; they wanted to find him, it was far too easy.

But he didn't look happy; had he known these things would happen, he shouldn't have gone out today. No, he shouldn't have agreed to Liu Yang's guy in the first place, getting involved in this mess.

"Give me the sticks you're holding."

Jiang Cheng shouted toward the two people two meters away.

The latter exchanged a glance and obediently handed the stick in their hand to Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng weighed it twice; it was solid wood, nearly a jin in weight.

"Let's go. Remember, don't betray me, or you'll know the consequences."

"It won't happen, it won't."

Guo Ye forced a bitter smile; how could he dare?

"Brother Jiang, please stay silent later; I'll take all the blame."

The two, one ahead of the other, arrived outside Liu Yang's house.

Because they didn't try to hide their footsteps, as soon as they got close, the people inside heard them, and the conversation inside abruptly stopped.

The two outside the door exchanged a glance.

Guo Ye knew there was no way back, took a deep breath, reached out, and knocked on the door.

"Brother Liu, are you asleep?"

"Who is it?"

A voice sounded from inside.

"It's me, Guo Ye."

"Guo Ye?"

A cold snort sounded.

"You still have the nerve to look for me? I was just about to look for you!"

Guo Ye, hearing that, immediately let out a sigh of relief, realizing that opening the door today was almost certain.

(End of chapter)