Chapter 427: Stone Shadow: Calm Down

On the car leaving Sichuan, I gradually calmed down and began to analyze the situation coolly.

What Xiao Hua said was actually not wrong. Now that I was going to Guangxi alone, even if Old Mrs. Huo's men dared to let me in to die, my chances of rescuing them were slim.

Their team had Fatty, Poker-face, and many experts. If they were trapped, how could someone with my skills rescue them? To save them, I would need a team at least as capable. Such people couldn't be found in a short time.

As for Old Mrs. Huo's accident, that news was enough to mobilize the Huo family's forces. But matters in the underworld are often different from appearances. There must be conflicts of interest within the Huo family. When the head is in trouble, it's first an opportunity for those below. What they would do first was hard to say. If the news spread, the situation would become even more complicated. Not only would no one genuinely support the rescue, but some might even hinder it.

So Xiao Hua planned to keep it quiet for now and take a roundabout approach. And as he said, without Fatty and Poker-face by my side, I was just an ordinary person. This matter was beyond my ability to handle. On careful reflection, that was indeed the case.

Thinking about my plan in the car, I found I had no clue. In the past, whenever something came up, I'd immediately think of Fatty. Now, I scrolled through everyone in my phone and found no one related to this matter except for Panzi.

And Panzi had already retired to the countryside. Should I disturb him? But I really couldn't wait any longer. I had experienced those dangerous environments and knew how important time was. I could understand the cautious nature of the Xie family, but the righteousness and openness of my Wu family's Fifth Master also flowed in my blood. I made up my mind. This time, I was really going all out.

To save time, I called Panzi from the airport while flying to Changsha.

Panzi sounded a bit surprised on the phone. I told him about my situation and said I needed to set up a crew and hoped he could help.

I thought he'd agree immediately, but unexpectedly, he hesitated and only said, "Sure, come first and we'll talk. I'll pick you up at the airport."

I felt something strange, like something was off. Could something have changed on his end? I was anxious the whole way, thinking about his tone. It didn't sound like the old him. Had something happened in his life? When I arrived in Changsha and walked out of the airport, I saw Panzi standing by his car. I was stunned—I almost didn't recognize him.

The former soldier had gray hair and looked several years older than before. Though his back was still straight, it was jarring at first glance.

We looked at each other, and for a moment, neither of us could speak. "Third Young Master, you look well," he forced a smile, took my bag, and put it in the trunk.

I got into the car and saw it was a used vehicle, much worse than the one he used to drive. Panzi had always dressed shabbily, but this time, I felt that spark in him was gone. He was no longer the Panzi who could stand up even with several holes in his body.

The car rattled out of the airport, and I asked, "What happened to your old car?"

"Sold it. This one is borrowed from a friend," Panzi said. "That old car was given to me by Third Master. After Third Master didn't come back, the goods in the shop here were all snatched by the underlings, and the grave-robbers came to collect debts. I sold it to pay off some debts—can't let those scumbags badmouth Third Master."

I was speechless. I hadn't taken care of Third Uncle's shop at all after the incident.

"You said you found a woman. Where's your sister-in-law?" I asked.

"Woman," he laughed bitterly. "With a personality like mine, I don't deserve one. I shouldn't spoil some other man's daughter." He looked at me. "What about you? From what you said on the phone, you're still caught up in that mess. What's going on?"

I shook my head. "Still the same mess." I explained the situation again, then asked, "In your experience, how much would it cost to put together such a team now?"

"It's not about money now. If you pay ten thousand each to hire outsiders, you can get as many as you want. But those people are useless. The useful ones don't just look at how much you pay—they look at your background," Panzi said. "With Third Master's status, people would think twice because they know he'd call them to make money. But you can't do that now. Those bastards won't listen to you, and you won't know who'll end up eating who."

"So what can I do? The kid and Fatty are inside. I don't know what's happening. If they die in there, I'll..." I sighed, remembering what Pan Ma had said, and felt very uneasy.

Panzi didn't speak, just lit a cigarette. "In this line of work, I've long accepted that. But dammit, I've accepted it the most, yet I can't die."

"How's Third Uncle's shop now?" I asked. "Can you handle it? Find some capable men?"

"Shop?" he cursed. "There's no shop left. It's all ruined. Those bastards—how did Third Master treat them, and how do they repay him? Only a few local branches still have some conscience. Later, I'll call a few of the branch heads for a meal and see if they're willing to help."

I was quite surprised. Though I'd heard about Third Uncle's situation before, I never thought it would be this bad.

"Why did it deteriorate so quickly?" Not much time had passed since he returned from Tamutuo.

"Human hearts are really disgusting," Panzi said.

The car first drove to the outskirts, to a farmhouse. Panzi returned the car to a neighbor, said we'd take a cab later, and took me to his rented home. It was barren inside. I sighed and said, "This is really unkempt. What's the difference from living on the street? With conditions like this, even a prostitute wouldn't come."

Panzi smiled bitterly. "Dammit, I'm alone anyway. What's the point of keeping it nice? The house isn't mine."

"Why not buy one?" I asked.

"Can't afford it. I always thought Third Master would be around forever, and when we got old, we'd go to a nursing home together. I didn't save much. Who knew it would end like this?" He pulled a stool from under the flat bed and gave it to me. I kicked aside a trash can full of takeout boxes and sat down, then saw Third Uncle's spirit tablet on one side.

"We don't even know what happened to Third Uncle yet. Isn't this bad luck?" I said.

"Precisely because we don't know, I want to be prepared. What if Third Master can't get a meal on the other side?" he said, handing me a few bottles of beer.

I opened one and drank, looking around the room. There was no TV, only a broken radio by Panzi's bed. His clothes were neatly hung and clearly well cared for—a habit from his military days.

Seeing my expression, he laughed and said, "I'm a rough guy. No matter how much you look, you won't find any flowers. For someone like me who's lived on the edge, waking up naturally every day in the city with no one trying to kill me is already happiness."

"But you need some entertainment," I said. "How do you spend your days? Staring at the walls?"

"Who says I don't have entertainment? I eat pickles and drink beer by the window, watching the salon girls downstairs. Happier than a god." Panzi sat on the bed—there was no second stool—and took out his phone. "I'll call them now. But Third Young Master, things are different now. I used to have the final say, but now I'm asking for favors. You'll have to be patient. When they talk, it might not sound so good."

Hearing that, I grew anxious. I wasn't good at swallowing cold leftovers.

Panzi started making calls. For some calls, as soon as they heard I needed help, they hung up immediately. A few couldn't be reached. Only two or three agreed to have a meal. After finishing, Panzi looked at me and comforted me, "It's okay. Three people will come. That's better than I expected."

That evening, I met the three people at a hotel in Guomao. When I saw them, I did recognize them all. Back when Third Uncle was around, these were his closest confidants, and I always called them Uncle.

After we met, they nodded, but I also noticed that this time, none of them stood up.

I took a deep breath. Seeing their expressions didn't seem too forced, I gradually relaxed. Panzi ordered food, chatted with them briefly, and then got down to business.

We had prepared a set of talking points beforehand. We didn't mention how terrifying Zhangjia Lou was, only talked about how likely it was that there were goods there.

After I finished, they all fell into thought. I said, "Uncles, times are tough. It's rare to come across such a big haul. I want to borrow some of your men, or maybe we can team up and do this together."

I watched their expressions and saw that they all looked troubled.

"Little Third Master, is this considered a 'jia lama'?" one of them asked me. I remembered this guy was called Uncle Qiu.

I thought about it and said, "It is, and it isn't."

"According to the rules of the underworld, before you 'jia lama,' you need to show something. How do we know if you're telling the truth? You know, things underground are never certain. You haven't been down there many times, have you? Even if I give you face, my men won't listen to me," Uncle Qiu said.

After he spoke, the other two nodded and said, "Little Third Master, it's not easy for anyone to get by these days. Sending brothers out isn't so convenient; everyone up and down needs to be paid."

Panzi said, "Hasn't Third Uncle already set aside today's share money? We've been brothers for so many years, and you've watched Little Third Master grow up. Saying this makes things so distant."

Uncle Qiu said, "Third Uncle's money was set aside by Third Uncle. You say this is Little Third Master. Is Little Third Master Third Uncle's son? If Little Third Master were Third Uncle's son, then Third Uncle's money would be your money. But unfortunately, you're not. Isn't that a damn shame? In everything, we talk about reason. I took the money and I spent it, but that has nothing to do with you." Then he looked at Panzi and said, "Even Little Third Master can't control this money, so why are you, Panzi, butting in?"

His voice grew louder as he spoke. The other two quickly tried to calm him: "Old Qiu, you know Panzi's temper. Don't say things like that."

Panzi sneered and stayed silent. Uncle Qiu continued, "Little Third Master, here we are giving face to Third Uncle by calling you 'Master.' If you really want to pursue this, it's easy. You pawn the deed to Third Uncle's shop in Hangzhou to us, and we'll give you men. If you can get the goods out, it's your luck. If you can't, then you're out of luck."

"Fuck your mother!" Panzi exploded. "Damn it, no wonder you agreed to come out today—you've been eyeing Third Uncle's main shop, haven't you? Let me tell you, right now I have no men and no money, but I've killed more people than you have fingers. If you dare touch Third Uncle's ancestral property, I'll take a knife and slaughter your whole family."

After Panzi's outburst, Uncle Qiu was clearly wary of Panzi's temper, knowing he really might do it. He just glared at him. Another uncle said, "Hey, we're all on the same side, don't be like this."

Uncle Qiu slammed the table and stood up. "Fine, you're tough. Go ahead and die clutching that bastard Wu Sansheng's ancestral property." Then he looked at me and said, "Little Third Master? Pah. I've been doing charity by calling you that a few more times. Let me tell you, without Wu Sansheng, you're nothing in Changsha. You're worse than a dog. I'll spread the word tomorrow—even if you have money, you won't be able to 'jia lama.' I'll wait for you to come crawling on your knees to beg me!"

After saying that, he threw up his hands and left. The other two saw that the meal couldn't go on, so they hurriedly followed Uncle Qiu out. In an instant, only the two of us were left at the table.

I was completely stunned, with no idea what was happening. It took a long time before a wave of nausea rose in me.

Panzi had clearly been through a lot and didn't care anymore. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and said to me, "Now, do you know what kind of people these really are?"