Chapter 44: Qi Gong Master

"Want a cigarette?"

Zheng Hai took out his cigarette pack as a gesture, but Tang Wen just kept a cold face, so he could only awkwardly laugh and light one for himself.

Now all three of them stood on a pier extending from the Golden Beach, beside which was an ordinary iron-hulled fishing boat with several bundles placed on it.

That van had also been driven onto the wooden pier, and Tang Wen was sitting in the open trunk.

The sea breeze was strong; Zheng Hai didn't even take a few puffs before tossing it into the sea, then squinting his eyes to ask:

"I've always had a question: you made hundreds of thousands just selling diesel engines here. Where did you get the stock?

Your diesel engines have no marks or labels; you must have torn off the labels, right?"

"Don't tell me it's from the Northeast; I don't believe that story."

"That diesel engine quality is quite good; it should be Kubota, right?"

Seeing Tang Wen still silent, Zheng Hai showed a curious expression again and said:

"Tell me, which brother supplies you? Maybe I even know him."

It had been over half an hour since they were brought to the beach, and Tang Wen had been searching for an opportunity.

The pier extending from the beach was too narrow, with the sea right beside it.

Whether it was rescue by others or escape by himself, the terrain made it impossible to make any move.

The electric wire binding him wasn't much of a problem; as soon as his hand touched it, a recycling prompt immediately appeared:

【Copper detected: 416 grams, Oil 389 grams, Recycling rate 89%, recycle?】

【Steel detected: 2153 kilograms, Oil 35 kilograms, Aluminum alloy 126 kilograms, Overall recycling rate 82%, recycle?】

Breaking free from the restraints was simple; he could even take the car away, but the two people standing in front of and behind him were troublesome.

Tang Wen didn't have a slow-motion skill and didn't want to study whether a person or a bullet was faster within seven steps.

Zheng Hai, full of vigilance, and his underling kept their guns in hand at all times, deliberately maintaining some distance to leave room for a reaction.

To find an opportunity, Tang Wen could only try to speak to attract the other's attention:

"Before I answer, I'd like to ask why you appeared here.

Boss Zheng, five hundred thousand isn't a lot for you; you can make that amount in a single job, right?"

Hearing Tang Wen's counter-question, Zheng Hai's face immediately turned gloomy.

"Speaking of which, this has a lot to do with you."

"Me? Was the boat broken or the engine broken? The engine on that boat was fitted by you yourselves."

"Neither; it's the characters you printed."

As if realizing something, Zheng Hai gritted his teeth and said:

"Last time, although we quickly shook off the cops, the four characters painted on the boat were remembered by someone."

"This trip clearly involved dozens of boats acting together, yet the port police just wouldn't let go of us, willing to let everyone else go just to intercept us.

Because we carried cars, our speed wasn't as fast as last time, and one motor was damaged, so we had to find a wild beach to run aground."

"Only Anan and I managed to escape. After I got out, I found out it was those four characters that caused the trouble; that's why the port police were so desperate to chase us.

Tell me, isn't this because of you?!"

The more Zheng Hai spoke, the more agitated he became, finally raising the Black Star directly, his ferocious face looking as if he were about to eat Tang Wen.

The latter never expected that a casual creation would cause trouble, but it was indeed reasonable.

Secretly engaging in some tax-free import-export trade and directly provoking the Grandfather were two completely different things.

If his own authority was challenged, the Grandfather would truly go all out, fighting to the death.

However... something still seemed off.

"Then you still bought four boats; half the deposit alone is enough to drive two away. Xiangjiang's hand can't reach here, right?

There will be plenty of opportunities later; why be so extreme?"

After Tang Wen asked this, Zheng Hai's face changed again; he wanted to say something but held back, yet he no longer showed a good face.

"You talk too much; knowing too much isn't a good thing."

"Best have your people bring the money over honestly; if I see cops, I can only say sorry!"

After finishing, Zheng Hai uneasily shook his foot and couldn't help taking off his leather shoes.

The wet shoes had been worn for most of the day; once he relaxed, his soles started to itch.

He looked around the beach, saw no movement, and said:

"Anan, turn on the heater and blow on my shoes for me."

The underling Anan immediately climbed into the driver's seat, started the engine, and set the temperature to the highest.

Zheng Hai picked up his leather shoes, glanced at Tang Wen whose arms were bound until they left marks, and walked toward the car door with a face full of disgust.

However, just as he passed the rear of the car, he felt a chill by his ear.

In his horrified gaze, the van that had clearly brushed against his body suddenly vanished into thin air.

Anan on the driver's seat fell straight to the ground, landing with a painful thud, still not understanding what had happened.

Just the next instant, a great force accompanied by piercing pain knocked him to the ground.

Tang Wen, jumping up to elbow-strike, nearly made Zheng Hai vomit blood, then slammed heavily onto the latter's back.

Zheng Hai, lying face down on the ground, only felt his hand go empty; the Black Star seemed to have disappeared as well.

When Anan pushed himself up and turned his head, he saw Tang Wen punching the boss's back of the head.

"Brother Hai!"

But before he could grab the shotgun originally placed inside the car, which had also fallen to the ground, Tang Wen had already lunged at him.

In the life-or-death crisis, adrenaline made Tang Wen feel almost no pain; he kicked Anan in the waist before the latter could get up, directly kicking him into the sea.

He also picked up the shotgun that had fallen on the pier and, without hesitation, raised it to aim at Zheng Hai on the ground.

Having suffered repeated heavy blows, Zheng Hai panted heavily, struggling to lift his head and stare fixedly at Tang Wen:

"Who are you? Are you human or ghost? Where's the van? Where's the van!"

Tang Wen ignored him and immediately turned to face Anan in the water; the latter, who had originally tried to climb onto the pier, now swam frantically beneath it upon seeing the shotgun.

At the same time, he kept shouting:

"Don't kill me, Lord of the Roaming Gods! I have worshipped Mazu; may Mazu protect me!"

He did not know why such a large van had vanished as if it were air, but seeing Tang Wen standing there perfectly fine, he naturally begged for mercy with all his might.

Zheng Hai, who could only lie prone due to the elbow strike, also tremblingly stretched his hand toward the spot where the van had just been.

After confirming the van had truly disappeared, goosebumps broke out all over his body.

Regardless of whether Tang Wen did it, he knew he had truly encountered a ghost—no, a deity.

Both he and Anan could only be considered half-locals, but after prolonged contact, they too believed in the fishermen's ways: before undertaking major tasks, one must worship Mazu and cast the holy cups.

Moreover, the entire nation was currently in the golden age of qigong; from top to bottom, everyone believed in extraordinary individuals.

For instance, he had personally witnessed feats such as eating glass, plunging bare hands into boiling oil, and stopping electric fans with one's fingers.

Telekinesis and ears recognizing characters on newspapers and television were no less common; naturally, he regarded the van's disappearance as a form of "telekinesis."

He had just thought the black five-star vehicle had been kicked into the sea by Tang Wen, but upon reflection, he feared it too had been taken away by a master.

Once he realized it was a qigong master, Zheng Hai's original resistance vanished instantly; he hurriedly shouted loudly:

"Great Master, just now I failed to recognize Taishan and offended Master Tang.

The Great Master's skill in telekinesis is truly rare in the world; I beg you, my lord, to overlook the faults of a small person and spare me. I promise to wash my hands of this trade henceforth and surely perform good deeds!"

After speaking in haste, Zheng Hai forced himself to rise despite the excruciating pain in his head and back, then knelt on the ground and began kowtowing with three loud thuds, making the wooden pier planks bang loudly.