Chapter 435: Grand Finale (Part 1): The Four Titans of Changsha Tomb Raiding

These four individuals controlled the very source of the industry chain: burial goods. Due to the unique nature of tomb raiding, a valuable artifact is irreproducible, with value highly concentrated, and all downstream distributors had to grovel to get high-quality merchandise. Perhaps these four factions weren't the wealthiest, but without them, this trade wouldn't exist.

Beyond that, these four factions were all desperados, every bit as fierce and unreasonable as Panzi. If you dared to owe them money or play tricks, you might disappear the next day, only to be dug out from some unknown ancient tomb eight hundred years later, already rotted to dust. The rich feared the reckless, and everyone was deeply wary of them.

Normally, these people had an ambiguous relationship with Third Uncle. On one hand, they relied on him to organize the "lama" operations and provide information on ancient tombs; on the other hand, they constantly tried to take advantage of him—since Third Uncle took the lion's share, often eighty percent of whatever came out of the ground had to go to him. When Third Uncle suddenly disappeared, they were both delighted and terrified. Delighted because they could split the larger share among themselves, terrified because without Third Uncle, where would they find information on ancient tombs? So, as soon as the news of Third Uncle's trouble got out, they must have secretly contacted other "iron chopsticks." Chenpi A'si had taken advantage of this situation to gain some benefits, but unfortunately, he too met with trouble later. The other "iron chopsticks" were far inferior to Chenpi A'si and Third Uncle; otherwise, these four wouldn't still be sitting here.

This was the biggest force. Panzi and Xiao Hua weren't afraid, they said, because they had no choice but to wait and see. Their only fear was that these people might take advantage of the chaos to demand a renegotiation of the profit split, but that was ultimately just a matter of money.

The more troublesome ones were actually the distributors—those standing up. Wang Baqiu was one of the wealthiest among them. These people had always been suppressed at the bottom of the supply chain. Although they had money, they were humiliated everywhere and desperately wanted to change the status quo. Moreover, they didn't really understand what tomb raiding entailed, thinking that as long as you had money, you could organize a team and bypass Third Uncle to take the profits directly. So once Third Uncle was gone, many of them started recruiting and arming their own people. Although the goods wouldn't be as good as when Third Uncle was around, at least it was their own business. Even if they took losses, it was their own, and they were willing to slowly nurture it.

Earlier, when Third Uncle was gone, Pan Ma had long stopped handing over money. Now that Third Uncle was back, they saw the money they'd pocketed recently about to be spat out, and they were the ones most unwilling.

The four underground factions sat down in order. I won't describe their appearances or bearing here, as it's not very relevant to what followed. Xiao Hua arranged the seating order while moving chairs, and I just memorized their names one by one. After that, Xiao Hua also herded the seven distributors into place.

I glanced at these people and began silently reciting the incantation Panzi had taught me earlier, matching them to the names Panzi mentioned. Besides the four seated, a few people Panzi told me to pay special attention to: first, the big guy on the far left, wearing a yellow rubber T-shirt, Western pants, and galoshes, looking like a fishmonger at the market; second, a middle-aged woman on the far right, slightly plump but very well-dressed, obviously quite attractive in her youth; and third, a young matronly woman, by her bearing probably over thirty but very well-maintained, with good figure and skin, wearing a ponytail, looking very capable.

Of these three, the fishmonger was Wang Baqiu's close ally. The two had built their careers together and been taken under Third Uncle's wing together. They always advanced and retreated together, so this guy was definitely Wang Baqiu's mole here. As for him, Panzi said no tricks would work, so just give up on him directly.

The middle-aged woman was Wang Baqiu's mistress. Of course, Panzi didn't know if there was any real affection; he only knew that this fat woman was exceptionally fiery and aggressive. Apart from Third Uncle, who was immune to both soft and hard tactics, basically no one in the Changsha trade could handle her. Wang Baqiu being with her was probably some form of political marriage, since the territories they controlled were two adjacent villages. Wang Baqiu was very strong in business operations, while this middle-aged woman excelled at networking. Together, they could complement each other, which might be why Wang Baqiu dared to be the first to oppose Third Uncle. In the past few years, the two of them had probably made a lot of money on the sly.

As for this middle-aged woman, Panzi's opinion was to be cautious and wait and see. Women in this trade were definitely shrewder than men. Unless she was blindly devoted to Wang Baqiu, it was hard to say which side she'd end up on.

As for the young matronly woman, she looked very pleasing to me, but she was the most troublesome. Because she might have had some kind of relationship with Third Uncle in the past.

Panzi wasn't sure, but he said that after she entered the trade, she developed very quickly. From a small shop owner on a clear pond (a Changsha antique street) to cooperating with Third Uncle in faction business, it took her just over a year. It would have been impossible without a big shot in the industry backing her. And this woman acted very low-key, showing no obvious exceptional qualities. So many speculated that she might be Third Uncle's woman.

I looked at her and found it hard to judge. I had always thought Third Uncle loved Wenjin, but Wenjin said Third Uncle was actually Xie Lianhuan in disguise, so his love for Wenjin might have been fake. If that was the case, it would be normal for him to have had a few women over the years. First, a man living alone inevitably has moments when he can't hold out; second, Third Uncle is a true formidable warlord of the old school, a real man with money, so women would throw themselves at him even if he didn't seek them out.

Suppose this woman really was Third Uncle's woman. Then things would get serious. In the intimacy of the bedchamber, there are no distances—the details on Third Uncle's body would certainly not escape her eyes, and women are even more attuned to habits in gestures and posture. If any flaw showed, she would definitely notice.

Moreover, even if she didn't notice, I didn't know about the relationship between her and Third Uncle. Once alone with her, if she asked a couple of questions, my voice wasn't the same, and I didn't know the answers, I'd be completely exposed.

After entering, I felt her gaze sizing me up. It really was different from how the others looked at me. Whether it was just my imagination, I didn't know. I had to fix my eyes firmly on the fishmonger, trying to show a restrained murderous intent, making her feel I had no time for her right now, that my mind was only on killing that fishmonger.

Among the group were several people who had previously eaten with us along with Wang Baqiu. I matched them one by one. When I felt I had a good handle on things, I took a sip of tea as a signal for Xiao Hua to continue.

Xiao Hua glanced at me and then said to the others, "Everyone, I believe you've all been wondering why Third Master hasn't shown up for so long, with all kinds of rumors floating around. Let me tell you now: those are all baseless. Third Master was found to have health issues the year before last, and recently he had a minor throat surgery, so he's been recuperating. Some people with ulterior motives started talking nonsense at this time. That's why Third Master is here to show himself—don't believe every wind that blows." "Oh, then is Third Master all right now?" A bald man at the back, who looked so honest and simple it was downright disgusting, said, "I was just saying, it's all petty people spreading rumors. Brothers here never believed any of it, right?" He turned to the person beside him.

The person beside him nodded awkwardly.

I knew this bald man. He was the most stable among Third Uncle's four lama factions. During Third Uncle's long absence, they were the only ones whose books were in order. He wasn't a great guy either, but at this moment I couldn't help feeling a bit of warmth toward him.

Xiao Hua continued, "Third Master's health is fine, but he still can't talk much, and Brother Pan is also injured, so please forgive us. This time, I'll speak on behalf of Third Master. We're all familiar, so I won't introduce myself. If no one objects, let's start. Let's not delay Third Master's rest—let's get this over with quickly." Then he turned to the fishmonger and said, "Old Six, what are you standing there for? Same as usual, you go first."

"Go first for what? I'm afraid Third Master has long forgotten us brothers. Sickness? He didn't even say a word before he left. When the younger brothers asked me, I didn't know what to say," the fishmonger said, his voice very thin, a huge contrast to his build. "Well, now he's back, not a single word of explanation—first thing, check the accounts. You know, Old Six, I work the streets. Came back covered in mud yesterday, can't sort out the books. Sorry, Third Master. Next one, please. I came empty-handed today."

Trying to intimidate me on the first move! I thought. Just as expected. Panzi had put him first to gauge his attitude. From his attitude, I could guess Wang Baqiu's stance and see how far they were prepared to go.

Still, that tone just now was somewhere between arrogance and complaint. I breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed like Wang Baqiu was only testing the waters.

When he finished speaking, the others exchanged glances, not daring to agree or object. Xiao Hua said, "Old Six, long time no see. Your lisp hasn't changed, but your temper has grown. You sound like an old wife complaining her husband never comes home. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

The crowd burst into laughter, but the fishmonger remained unmoved, saying, "Laugh, laugh, keep laughing. I just don't have the accounts." Then he said to Xiao Hua, "Master Hua, no one can match your elegance. My lisp came from my mother's womb; I didn't train it to sound as nice as yours. Why don't you stay out of this? This is the Wu family's turf. Standing over here, I almost thought you'd changed your surname. Hurry up, next one."

Xiao Hua gave a wry laugh, clearly not expecting the guy to talk back like that. He leaned on the table and said, "The Wu and Xie families are bound by iron. This time, Third Master's illness was very serious. If the big shots outside Changsha found out, they might cause trouble. Third Master didn't say anything—what's wrong with that? It's for your own good!"

The fishmonger laughed too, but showed no fear: "If Third Master doesn't say anything, would those people not cause trouble? That old bastard Chenpi killed six brothers half a year ago, and I couldn't find anyone to get justice! Third Master, those were brothers! Without your word, I didn't dare confront Chenpi. Did those brothers die for nothing? Let me put it plain: Third Master, with all this game of hide-and-seek, we brothers can't take it. Do us a favor—if you're really too sick to take care of us, then let go. Otherwise, we brothers can't make a living anymore."

After he finished speaking, Xiao Hua was about to respond when the middle-aged woman on the other side also spoke: "Exactly, Third Master, Lao Liu is right. These past few months, you weren't here. Do you know how badly the brothers have suffered? My turf was almost gone. If not for these four sitting here holding things together, Changsha would have been out of your hands, Third Master. Now that you're back, you need to give us an explanation. The brothers below need a satisfactory explanation!"

After he finished, the people below were all nodding. One of the four seated spoke: "Third Master, I understand what the two of them are thinking. However, that woman Ah Hong did get one thing right: during this time, the brothers have indeed suffered heavy losses. You need to think carefully about how to tell the brothers this. Personally, I don't believe that you, Third Master, are the kind of person who would be so scared by a minor illness that you wouldn't even bother to inform us."

I glanced at the middle-aged woman called Ah Hong, thinking to myself that this back-and-forth was quite coordinated. The points they made were very apt. Third Uncle had been busy searching for riddles during this time and must have neglected many business matters. These grievances must have been building up for a long time, and now they were just finally erupting.

Moreover, these words were reasonable. In China, reason is above all else. I couldn't ignore them, so I just grinned wryly. After thinking for a moment, I suddenly realized how I should respond, so I lowered my head and wrote a line on the paper.