Chapter 965: Asking About the Family Gate at the Bottom of the Tongcao Sea

The front of the Xinglong'an treasure house never hangs a flag, nor does it have a signboard. Outsiders only see this small building with hanging windows and exquisite carvings.

A two-story small building occupies the street corner, remote and elegant, and the front door rarely hangs a curtain.

To talk about businessmen, except for the cold weather in the north, who hangs those thick door curtains! Doesn't this dislike guests coming?

But this Xinglong'an hangs two heavy and thick door curtains, never letting people see what kind of business they are doing.

The guests coming in and out are all dressed in brocade and rich clothes.

But there are no secrets in Zhigu City that can be hidden from people. The gossip in the streets and alleys says clearly that the owner of Xinglong'an has no asshole when he has a son, and he runs a harmful opium den.

Zhigu's water system is developed, so there are many floods.

A local Li philanthropist built two rows of earthen houses on a piece of wasteland in the northwest of his garden, Rong Garden, named "Li's Small House", and rented them to disaster victims.

Some disaster victims could not afford the rent, so they built "rolling dragons" to live in, connected to each other, seven high and eight low, unequal in size, concave and convex, extremely chaotic.

This attracted many hooligans and miscellaneous bullies from the Green Skin trade, and gradually the public security became chaotic.

When the Boxer Rebellion happened, the imperial court and the foreigners agreed to borrow foreign ships and artillery to quell the chaos, and also received the foreigners' offerings, selling another piece of land next to Li's Rong Garden to the foreigners to build the Holy Church's Chongde Hall.

This piece of land where people gathered in chaos was thus named "Qiande Village"!

Here, opium dens and foreign firms are its specialties.

Opium shops are scattered all over the Aideri, Shangderi, and Anderi areas covered by Chongde Hall.

This kind of shop has low costs, and can open with only a counter and a copper scale.

But shops that are well-managed, like this Xinglong'an.

It is equipped with exquisite red sandalwood pear-wood heated brick beds, opium pipes cleverly combined with bronze and yellow bamboo, Guangzhou-style lamps, and top-grade Yunnan opium, all showing dignity and elegance.

Lifting the curtain, thick smoke hits the face, which ordinary people call extremely smelly, only those opium addicts who are thin and bony, with shoulders hunched and necks shrunken, looking like sick people, think it is immortal mist. When they smell it, they are invigorated, and the light of excitement emerges from their deep eye sockets.

Excluding the private rooms on the second floor, there are about twenty or thirty heated brick beds in the hall, and each bed is separated into two positions by a table, with one person lying on each side.

On the table is a Guangzhou-style glass lamp, tea bowls, and lamp plates, all exquisite.

The opium addicts curl up on the bed, holding a large opium pipe in their hands, reaching out to the lamp plate to light it, and then take a deep breath, unwilling to exhale for a long time. Often there are servants and bookboys standing on the side, also poking their heads to inhale the smoke exhaled by their master, showing a hungry look.

That disturbing appearance, however, is ignored by their master, and some even deliberately blow the smoke into their faces.

The clerk nods and bows to the person who enters, vividly describing this scene that is like a 'fairyland'.

But Lao Guangming, who entered, just felt a chill.

He took off his hat and scanned the circle.

The intoxication of floating like an immortal appeared on everyone's face in this poison den, but the rotten yellow teeth, the deep eye sockets, and the dark circles could not hide the decadence and depravity even with the air of wealth.

People in the hall, even the strong and healthy, were exhausted and tearful after inhaling the smoke!

The eyes they looked over with were dull and carried a trace of hunger. The constricted pupils were as greedy as jackals, tigers, and leopards, but they were anesthetized by the smoke.

Revealing greed and laziness.

Both greedy and desirous and angry, but those kinds of hunger were numbed by the smoke, revealing a kind of arrogance... eyes that were three parts like demons and seven parts like ghosts.

Lao Guangming was used to seeing demons and ghosts, and seeing that kind of eyes, he couldn't help but feel numb in his heart.

Those opium addicts, are they still human? They clearly revealed the true form of ghosts and monsters, about to reveal their true colors of eating people!

The clerk saw him standing at the door for a long time without entering, and gave a wink to the two hooligans guarding the door.

The two hooligans, with their eyes slanted and hats crooked, walked over sideways, looked at Lao Guangming from top to bottom, and sneered: "So it's a black-skinned dog, why, don't you look at where this is before you come to make trouble?"

Lao Guangming pressed his hand on the matchbox at his waist, looked at the two hooligans, and smiled skin-deep: "Why, is there anyone in this Zhigu City I can't afford to provoke? Why don't you brothers show your eyes and let's discuss the bottom line!"

"What are you talking about?"

Lao Guangming shouted.

"Eagle claws talk big (official people talk big), the five words in the door are respect, study, eat, fear, seek (we are people of the Green Gang)."

The hooligan slanted his eyes: "The sea-wing people take the big head (officials take the big head), brothers drink tea (brothers take the small head)."

Lao Guangming bowed: "May I ask what water you eat and what firewood you burn?"

The hooligan replied: "Ask the gang, not the place, ask the Hailin place. Eat the long-flowing water, burn the Kunshan firewood, forty-six grain ships in total, thirty-eight sailing, ten under repair. Usually fly white flags and white numbers, yin-yang moon, fly white flags with red borders on the first and fifteenth, half-moon. Wooden ships with black oil sparrow poles, golden hook as you wish, also known as the golden stick, the gang nickname is Dead Eagle Wing."

"Exchange grain in Shimen and Tongxiang counties of Jiaxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. Each ship exchanges 1,225 shi of grain, totaling 45,000 shi. The head ship is the master, surnamed Li, first name Yan, last name Lin, the waist master is surnamed Yu, single name Rui. Rely on the Prince Pier, store grain at Laoniu Temple, exchange grain at the small red bridge pier eighteen miles from Zhaozhou Dam."

"Imperial-granted Phoenix Ticket, the ship's name is Stone Tip."

This long string reports the family gate.

It is also a kind of ritual. The Green Gang disciples enter the gate strictly, need to open the incense hall, worship the three masters, and be taught various secrets in the form of cut-mouths.

What flag, what water to eat, what firewood to burn, what place name, whose grain to load, how many shi of grain, where to unload, what marks, how many peaceful, how many under repair, total how many grain ships, what flag to fly on the first and fifteenth, the form of the flag, whether there are ribbons?

This asks about the symbol of the secret Dao path opened by the Luo Ancestor overseeing the three religions and the Boatmen's Guild.

The Green Gang, Boatmen's Guild, Hong Gang, and Ge Lao all originate from this Dao path, each forming branches. Among them, the Green Gang and Boatmen's Guild submit to the imperial court and do business. The Hong Gang and Ge Lao are tied to the previous dynasty and do the business of rebellion.

One is Anqing, one is lost land, which is the reason for the two branches.

Lao Guangming sneered: "So it's the Green Gang Jiahaowei!"

Lao Guangming crossed his hands, one thumb up and one down, his right hand still holding the middle finger and ring finger underneath, holding the Yu Sansheng Seal, forming a Profound Truth Seal.

"Fought the two dragons of the Green and Boat, only one palm suppresses the Nine Rivers. Worship the Yu Sansheng in the family temple, ask the Profound Truth when brothers go out!"

(Worship the Yu Sansheng of Creation at home, the identity when going out is a Profound Truth Sect member. Our sect's three fights suppressed your two over-the-river dragons of the Green Gang and Boatmen's Guild. According to the rules, we have the final say in Zhigu City.)

"What is asked is not the matter in the door, what is used when going out is the reputation in the sect!"

(This time I came to probe your bottom line, not using the identity of the public gate, but for the sake of the Profound Truth Sect.)

The two Green Gang disciples looked at each other and still didn't speak.

Lao Guangming took another step forward: "Anything else to say?"

The two Green Gang disciples had no choice but to hold their fists and say: "When going out, we are all brothers in the rivers and lakes. Your sect won two rounds, but there is still a third round. The Green Gang loses people but not the formation. After the big fight is completed, this restaurant will naturally offer a share of money."

Lao Guangming just said coldly: "The sect does not allow matches or smoking opium. I'm afraid money can't settle this. At that time, naturally, there will be deacons in the sect to talk to you. But I came this time to investigate the hair ghost. A woman in the river in front of the door wore the Hair-Keeping Granny's wig and was pregnant with a child. Today she became a floater, so I want to ask you brothers for the reason!"

At this time, the shopkeeper saw that the Green Gang couldn't settle the matter, so he had to come up himself.

He first sent a bag of silver, then greeted with a smile: "Second Master, we really don't know the identity of that woman. In this hall, we do men's business. How could I keep a hair-keeping woman?"

"This silver is for you to drink tea. Another day, I will personally visit the sect and visit the Profound Truth Luo Temple."

Lao Guangming said calmly: "I was sent, and although this time it is not because of the identity of the public gate, the superiors also have words. The sect has clearly stated that our Zhigu Port talks about etiquette. The shopkeeper should know the truth of being polite first and then using force."

"I came to ask about etiquette this time. Since I dare to come to the door, there is naturally a reason. If the shopkeeper deals with me, I'm afraid he won't be able to deal with the later people!"

This was half a threat and half the truth.

After the hair ghost case broke out yesterday, he was called by someone in the Profound Truth Sect to ask questions. Only then did Lao Guangming know that his patrol identity had never been hidden from the people in the sect.

The Profound Truth Sect also let him investigate the case.

Therefore, he half-actively and half-passively came to the opium den to probe.

Outside the Xinglong'an opium den, the patrol chief led a team of people hiding in a small alley, and only after a long time did he see Lao Guangming come out, his hands tucked in his sleeves, making a gesture in their direction.

"Wait and don't move?"

The chief wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at the Imperial Observatory Daoist priest beside him suspiciously.

The Imperial Observatory Daoist priest had a solemn face, but still signaled him to wait.

Lao Guangming walked quickly to the front of the Chongde Church gate, lowered his hat, and walked in, recalling the shopkeeper's ugly face at first, and then his face changing repeatedly.

"That woman floated up, and half the city saw it! My nephew from my mother's side naturally went to see it. That is a sect woman. Her man is a foreman at the port, and sometimes brings her to the foreign church for worship. Her man is a foreman at the port, and sometimes transports private goods by foreign ships. Sometimes we collect some things from him, mostly blood smoke."

"You know, foreign opium is first-class, and local opium is third-class. The reason why foreign opium is better is because of that blood medicine."

"Her man is a blood demon who betrayed his ancestors, a bat demon!"

Lao Guangming closed his eyes in front of the church.

The gate in front of him slowly opened, revealing the huge silver triangle worshipped by the Holy Hall above.

A silver lamp hung on the top corner, and on the two corners parallel to the ground, there were two holy cases, each placing a silver cup and a mirror... ===== CHAPTER 966 =====

The great gate in front slowly opened, revealing the huge silver triangle enshrined on top of the sanctuary.

A silver lamp hung from the topmost corner, and on the two corners parallel to the ground, there were holy altars, each holding a silver cup and a mirror...