Chapter 146: Re-entering Qingyuan

The evening of September 9th, the day before Zhang Mingze was to be released without charge.

Qingyuan Boxing Stronghold.

Liu Saner arrived at the residential area of the inner stronghold.

Ever since the incident where the Green-Faced Ghost attempted to assassinate Zhang Mingze, he had been temporarily arranged to stay in the residential area by the Grand Leader, to avoid being targeted by the Tiger Blade Gang after leaving the boxing stronghold.

Not long after, the fake Green-Faced Ghost was captured, and Liu Saner felt it should be safe, so he returned to his own home.

Little did he expect that before he could settle down for long, the "Market Entrance" incident erupted, and the Green-Faced Ghost killed seven officials in a single night!

Although he was unclear about the various inside stories, out of a certain intuition, Liu Saner felt that the one who appeared later was the real Green-Faced Ghost, and that the other party had not been caught.

So he considered whether to return to the boxing stronghold to stay, but felt that the Tiger Blade Gang shouldn't be targeting a small fry like him.

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly received a phone call.

After hanging up, Liu Saner hesitated repeatedly, but ultimately ran back to the Qingyuan Boxing Stronghold at top speed, arrived at the residential area of the inner stronghold, walked all the way in, and was stopped outside a large courtyard.

The large courtyard inside was where the Grand Leader lived; unless personally summoned by the Grand Leader, a boxing agent like Liu Saner had no qualifications to enter.

"Big Brother, please help me report this; I have an urgent matter and request to see the Grand Leader."

Liu Saner said with a smile to the guard at the gate.

The guard sneered: "Who are you? Is the Grand Leader someone you can see just because you want to?"

"It's a matter concerning the Green-Faced Ghost, it really is a very urgent matter!"

Liu Saner leaned in and whispered.

"Green-Faced Ghost?"

The guard was startled, exchanged a look with Liu Saner, and said, "Wait here, I'll go in and report."

A few minutes later, the guard ran back out and said to Liu Saner:

"Go on in, the Grand Leader wants to see you."

"Thank you!"

Liu Saner was overjoyed and followed the other person into the courtyard for the second time.

Afterward, he walked into the main hall with weapon racks placed on both sides again and saw the Grand Leader sitting on the grand armchair.

The other party was still dressed in green, wearing a long ponytail, with a cold temperament and eyes like swords.

"This subordinate greets the Grand Leader."

After the guard retreated, Liu Saner hurriedly bowed to the other party.

"You said you had an urgent matter to find me about, related to the Green-Faced Ghost; has the Green-Faced Ghost contacted you again?"

The woman in green asked very directly.

"The Grand Leader is brilliant; that is indeed the case."

Liu Saner said with his head lowered.

"What did he want with you?"

"He said he wants to have a chat with the Grand Leader, concerning the survival of the Qingyuan Boxing Stronghold."

Liu Saner looked up at the woman in green and said cautiously.

"Heh."

The woman in green sneered, "He's quite good at alarmism. How does he want to chat with me?"

Seeing that the Grand Leader was not angry, Liu Saner breathed a sigh of relief and said hurriedly:

"He left a phone number for me."

The woman in green looked at the bowing Liu Saner and asked with interest:

"Why are you willing to pass messages for him?"

Liu Saner's body trembled, and he hurriedly said: "It concerns the boxing stronghold; this subordinate thought that even if one percent of what the other party said is true, the Grand Leader should know!"

"Is it just that?"

The woman in green asked with deep meaning.

Liu Saner subconsciously looked up and happened to meet her eyes.

He only felt that the Grand Leader's gaze was like a sharp sword, piercing through him at once, pointing straight at his heart!

Liu Saner's mind went blank, and he said subconsciously:

"I... I admire the things he did and want to help him as much as I can."

Once the words were out, Liu Saner felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, instantly cold from head to toe, feeling that he was dead for sure.

But to his surprise, the Grand Leader was not angry, and the look in her eyes toward him became a bit softer:

"Give me the phone number."

"Yes."

Liu Saner handed over a slip of paper with numbers written on it with both hands, and then he consciously took his leave.

After Liu Saner left, the woman in green walked toward the wooden table in the corner where the rotary phone was placed, picked up the receiver, dialed the rotary, and called the number on the slip of paper in her hand.

A few seconds later, the call was connected.

"Green-Faced Ghost?"

The woman in green spoke first.

"..."

The other end of the phone was silent for a moment.

The woman in green's tone turned cold: "If you don't speak, I'm hanging up."

"I am the Green-Faced Ghost. Are you the Grand Leader of the Qingyuan Boxing Stronghold?"

A low voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Liu Saner said you wanted to talk to me about the life and death of the Qingyuan Boxing Stronghold. You don't even dare to show your face, and you're talking to me about this over the phone; don't you find that ridiculous?"

The woman in green asked coldly.

"No choice, I've offended a few too many people, it's not very convenient to show my face."

"I'll only give you ten seconds. If the matter you want to discuss doesn't interest me, then there's no need for us to talk."

"..."

However, the other end of the phone was silent again.

"You have seven seconds left."

The woman in green frowned, about to lose her patience.

"Hao Yi."

The person on the other end of the phone suddenly said a name.

The woman in green was startled upon hearing this and subconsciously tightened her grip on the receiver, but her tone remained unchanged:

"Who?"

"Is he your senior brother?"

"..."

At this, the woman in green finally lost her composure, and a hint of killing intent emerged in her tone:

"Who exactly are you?!"

"I think we can meet and talk."

"Huh?"

The woman in green let out a laugh, then her eyes turned cold, "Alright, where do you want to meet?"

"Right at the Qingyuan Boxing Stronghold. I'll come to see you."

This answer was completely unexpected to the woman in green, and she sneered:

"It's getting more and more interesting. Fine, I'll wait for you at the boxing stronghold."

Having said that, she hung up the phone.

"Someone come."

She called over a subordinate, "Pass the word down: if the Green-Faced Ghost enters the boxing stronghold later, bring him directly here to see me."

"The Green-Faced Ghost is coming to the boxing stronghold?"

"Don't ask questions, just do as I say."

"Yes!"

Afterward, the woman in green sat back down on the grand armchair and waited quietly.

Now that the second major search operation had officially begun, there were search personnel everywhere in the Qingyuan District, and there were even more eyes watching outside the Qingyuan Boxing Stronghold. She was very curious as to how the Green-Faced Ghost would enter the boxing stronghold silently to see her.

"Stop! Do you have your National ID?"

Li Fei was stopped by several inspectors.

"I do."

Li Fei took out his National ID from his bosom without panic and handed it over.

The National ID issued by the Great Lan Dynasty had several pages, containing over a dozen types of personal information such as native place, registered residence, National ID number, date of issue, education level, occupation, place of residence, and so on.

Moreover, in order to ensure that the "person and document match," the National ID also had a column specifically for filling in physical characteristics, such as a square face, where a mole is on the face, double or single eyelids, etc.

The final and most critical piece of personal information was the "fingerprint record."

On the National ID, fingerprints were distinguished by two types of characteristics: "whorl" patterns and "loop" patterns. When filling out the document, the ten fingers of the holder would be examined one by one, and the information would be entered into the corresponding columns.

"Whorl" patterns were marked with "〇," and "loop" patterns were marked with "ム." The characteristics of all ten fingers were recorded to prevent forgery. (Note 1)

"You live in the Inspectorate family compound; are you a descendant of the Inspectorate?"

The inspector checking Li Fei's national ID card asked in surprise after seeing the information in the address column.

Li Fei nodded: "Yes."

"Who is your father?"

"Do I have to say?"

"Haha, no need. You snuck out here to play, right?"

"Hehe."

Li Fei rubbed his head in embarrassment.

Smiles appeared on the faces of the several inspectors in charge of the inspection, and their gazes toward Li Fei became much friendlier.

Li Fei's upright appearance made him look like a good kid at first glance, and being a descendant of the Inspection Academy, they let him pass without too much questioning, even urging Li Fei to be careful.

Next, Li Fei encountered two more inspections on his way to the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold, both of which he passed safely.

After all, the Green-Faced Ghost was a murderous and cruel expert with the combat power of a Martial Master; how could he be associated with an upright-looking Inspection Academy descendant under 18 years old?

It would indeed be difficult for the Green-Faced Ghost to enter the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold without attracting attention, but Li Fei was different.

What does the Green-Faced Ghost killing people have to do with me, Li Fei?

Thus, Li Fei entered the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold openly and smoothly.

Although there was a major inspection outside, the fist stronghold was still bustling with noise and excitement.

Li Fei found a dark corner where no one was paying attention, put on a hood, turned his clothes inside out, and put on a black robe over them, completing his disguise.

Carrying the Green-Faced Ghost's mask on his person was too easy to expose, so he only brought these items when he left this time; even if inspected, he would have an excuse.

Li Fei, his entire body shrouded in the black robe, walked out of the dark corner and headed toward the residential area of the inner stronghold.

Soon, he was stopped by guards patrolling the fist stronghold.

"I am the Green-Faced Ghost, here to see your Great Dragon Head."

Li Fei said in a low voice.

The several guards were startled, and the leading martial artist at the Body-Breaking Realm looked at Li Fei cautiously:

"Follow me."

Li Fei was then led all the way into the courtyard in the residential area.

"The Great Dragon Head is waiting for you inside."

The guiding martial artist said, then turned and left.

The Great Dragon Head had said she would see this person alone, so no one followed inside.

As for the safety of the Great Dragon Head, none of the fist stronghold's martial artists were worried about that.

Li Fei stepped into the main hall and saw the woman in green sitting on the grandmaster chair.

As they locked eyes, Li Fei felt as if a sword were stabbing toward him; the steel armor implant in his body stirred, almost triggering 'Tyrant Body' subconsciously!

Li Fei was secretly shocked and immediately controlled the restless implant in his body.

"Daring to come to this fist stronghold to see me alone, you have quite a lot of nerve."

The woman in green said coldly.

"If I didn't come in person, how could I show my sincerity?"

Li Fei said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Since that is the case, why send Liu Saner to pass a message first? Are you testing me?"

The woman in green looked straight into Li Fei's eyes, as if she could see through a person's heart.

Li Fei was startled inside; unwilling to let the other party lead the rhythm, he said:

"The Great Dragon Head may have extraordinary strength, but I wonder if you are confident in resisting the combined forces of the Chief's faction and the Tiger Blade Gang?"

Li Fei asked.

The woman in green was stunned and asked calmly: "You came to find me to tell me that the Chief's faction and the Tiger Blade Gang are going to join forces to deal with the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold?"

Li Fei nodded and said sincerely:

"I am not fear-mongering. Please, Great Dragon Head, think carefully: looking at the entire Xingcheng, I belong to neither the Chief's faction nor the Tiger Blade Gang, yet I dare to strike at both sides. Which faction am I most likely to belong to? My appearance has disrupted the situation in all of Xingcheng; who is most likely to benefit in the end? Who are Gu Zhenhui and Yu Hu most likely to suspect?"

"Why couldn't they suspect that the Chen family sent someone to do it?"

The woman in green asked.

Speaking of the visible forces in Xingcheng, the local top aristocratic family, the Chen family, was the third-largest force, second only to the Chief's faction and the Tiger Blade Gang.

Li Fei said without hesitation: "The Chen family is, of course, a target of suspicion, but the degree to which the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold is suspected is certainly far above the Chen family. After all, I appeared in the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold from the very beginning, and it was also here that I assassinated Zhang Mingze."

In fact, this was Li Fei's initial plan; he deliberately disrupted the situation to drag the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold into the game, thereby finding an ally he could cooperate with.

Only in this way could he enter the game as a 'chess player'.

But after making that phone call and hearing the Great Dragon Head's voice, his thoughts changed.

The woman in green was amused to the point of anger, looking at Li Fei coldly:

"Are you trying to say that you did those things with the ultimate goal of slandering my Qingyuan Fist Stronghold and inciting suspicion between the other two parties?"

Li Fei shook his head and looked at her squarely:

"I did those things more out of my own heart, to follow my own will, for my own satisfaction."

"Follow your own will, for your own satisfaction?"

The woman in green looked into Li Fei's eyes, and after a moment of eye contact, her tone softened slightly:

"Then why did you specifically come to warn me to be careful of the Chief's faction and the Tiger Blade Gang joining forces?"

Li Fei: "I wanted to tell the Great Dragon Head that the Chief's faction and the Tiger Blade Gang will definitely join forces to deal with the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold; please prepare early!"

"Oh?"

The woman in green narrowed her eyes, "Why are you so certain?"

"Because this is a great opportunity for both sides. It is rare for them to have a consistent goal to join forces, and they happen to have a reasonable target for suspicion. So, regardless of whether I am a person from the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold, they can directly count me as one and use that to deal with the stronghold!"

Li Fei said:

"This second city-wide search will inevitably search the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold. When the time comes, they only need to find someone to impersonate me, and the Chief's faction and the Tiger Blade Gang will have a reason to deal with the stronghold. By then, Great Dragon Head, are you confident you can withstand their combined forces?"

The woman in green fell into deep thought.

She had to admit that what Li Fei said made a lot of sense; if she were Gu Zhenhui or Yu Hu, she might also be unable to resist wanting to seize such an opportunity.

And there was another important reason: compared to dealing with the Chen family, which had deep local roots and connections everywhere, dealing with the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold, which only had experts holding the fort, was easier and better to clean up after.

"So you came to find me because you want to join forces with me?"

The woman in green exposed Li Fei's intentions.

She seemed to have an ability to point straight to the human heart, always able to see through others' schemes and thoughts at a glance.

Li Fei nodded: "That's right. Although this was not my original intention, the current situation was indeed caused by me, so I am willing to join forces with the Great Dragon Head to resolve this crisis together."

The woman in green looked at him: "You are meticulous and logical; you are a rare, clever person. Have you thought about another possibility?"

Li Fei: "What possibility?"

"I capture you right now and hand you over to the Chief's faction or the Tiger Blade Gang; then the crisis of the fist stronghold will naturally be resolved, and I could even trade for some benefits."

The woman in green said in a leisurely tone.

As her voice fell, she leaped up from the grandmaster chair and pounced toward Li Fei, her momentum like thunder!

Note 1: Loop patterns have openings on the outer edges, like high mountains and flowing water.

Whorl patterns are the opposite of loop patterns; they are roughly circular fingerprints, usually composed of N concentric circles.

In short, if the outer circle of the fingerprint is closed, it is generally classified as a whorl pattern.

Interested friends can look it up yourselves; besides identifying identity, this stuff can also be used for medical diagnosis, fortune-telling, and measuring marriage prospects. There are quite a few ways to use it, and this book will involve some of it later.

(End of chapter)