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墨書 Inktalez
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the injuries of the four had mostly healed. The cheerful laughter of Second frequently filled the "magnificent" mansion.
During this time, there had been a few burglaries in the mansion. Fat Steward once asked, "Sir, should we report this to the authorities?" The old man, appearing calm and composed, replied, "It's just some trivial items that were taken; it doesn't matter." Fat Steward wanted to say more, but the old man interrupted him, saying, "They're just petty thieves trying to make a living; it's best to ignore them."
Second laughed and said, "Old man, I didn't expect you to be so generous."
A young boy standing nearby spoke up loudly, "What do you know! My grandfather is a great benefactor here. Every year during droughts or floods, he provides porridge to help the refugees."
At that moment, the old man coughed a few times and habitually wiped his mouth with a towel. "Three Purities, do not be reckless."
The one called Three Clear Youth abruptly stopped his words.
The old man slowly stood up, and Three Purities hurriedly supported him with both hands. The old man said, "Please make yourselves comfortable; I have some small matters to attend to and will take my leave."
First said, "As you wish, we'll take a stroll ourselves." The old man clasped his fists slightly in apology before disappearing behind a curtain.
First glanced around for a moment before retracting his gaze. He turned to the others and suggested, "Shall we go out for a walk?" The four exited through the main gate of the mansion. This was their second outing in half a month; they remembered almost getting lost on their first trip out. Now they were quite familiar with the surroundings.
One couldn't help but admire the scale of this old man's residence!
South Town was a peaceful city. The war at North Gate and Eastern Pass seemed to have no impact here; the bustling activity exuded tranquility. Seven remarked with some emotion, "Once this matter is settled, I’ll settle down here. Then it’ll be family life with a warm hearth." The others laughed in response.
Second boisterously declared, "When that time comes, I'll be your son's godfather." Third was also caught up in the excitement and added, "Count me in too." First chimed in as well, "Then I definitely can't miss out."
Seven then said, "We haven't even started yet; why are you all so eager?" Second pretended to be angry and retorted, "You little rascal, dare you tease us?"
Their playful banter made the already warm sunlight in South Town feel even more inviting.
Suddenly, First straightened up and said seriously, "We need to get some guns!" Upon hearing this, Second became interested. His marksmanship had been well-known during his time in the army. This time he had lost his iron staff during their defeat in battle and had been left “in disarray.”
"Seven said, 'We are unfamiliar with this place. Where can we get a gun?'
That was indeed a question, Second replied.
Third, who had been silent until now, spoke up, 'Look, isn't a gun coming our way?' From the right side approached a man dressed in a black horse coat and a long robe, wearing a pointed round hat. He appeared slightly thin and, upon closer inspection, had narrow features and a sly smile.
He quickly walked up to them and said, 'At first glance, you all don't seem like locals.' Second arrogantly replied, 'How do you know we're not locals?'
The man immediately responded with familiarity, 'My surname is Wang, and I go by Er Gou. I may not have many skills, but when it comes to recognizing people, I’m second to none.'
Second was about to speak but was stopped by First, who asked, 'Then may I ask you, Brother Er Gou, what can you teach us?'
Wang Er Gou began to chat casually, 'I don’t deserve such a title. If you all think highly of me, just call me Er Gou. To say I can teach you something is too much; I noticed you seemed a bit anxious earlier—perhaps you have something urgent?'
Second replied, 'There is something urgent, but it's not something you can help with.'
Wang Er Gou's tone became serious as he said, 'I may not be able to say much about other matters, but in this area, I'm quite familiar and can still get things done. Whatever you need, I have connections.'
Second scoffed and quickly retorted, 'I want a gun. Do you have one?' First deliberately cleared his throat; however, Second remained oblivious.
Wang Er Gou casually replied, 'What did you think it was?' He lowered his voice and added, 'This isn’t the right place to talk. Please follow me.'
After a brief hesitation, they followed him. First advised, 'Second, always keep your guard up when meeting new people.' Second chuckled and said, 'I'll be more careful next time.'
Soon they arrived at a doorway where Wang Er Gou knocked five times on the right door knocker and five times on the left. Before long, someone came to open the door. The person inside exchanged glances with Wang Er Gou. He said, 'Business is here; get ready.' The person inside responded and quickly ran off.
Wang Er Gou called out to them: 'This way.' The four followed him inside.
As they walked in, Wang Er Gou introduced his brother while gesturing with his hands to illustrate the shape of guns. A glint of cunning flashed in his eyes that Third keenly noticed."
A few people walked through a small courtyard and entered the main house, moving deeper into a room. The last one, Wang Er Gou, closed the door and quietly bolted it while the others were distracted.
Inside the room, five or six burly men dressed in tank tops stood on the roughly ten-square-meter floor. The man sitting on a stool was dressed decently, sporting a middle part hairstyle and holding a pipe in his mouth, though it was unlit.
The group exchanged glances. Wang Er Gou, who had been lingering at the back, stepped forward and whispered a few words to the person who looked like the leader.
" Er Gou, don't pull any tricks!" Second said anxiously.
The leader raised his leg onto the table and pulled out a handgun from his boot, pointing it and saying, "Do I need to play any tricks to kill a few people?"
A smile spread across the leader's face as he pulled Second behind him and said, "Rude people don’t understand etiquette; I hope you can be forgiving!"
Wang Er Gou quickly chimed in with a smile, "Wu Ge, harmony brings wealth! There's no need to go against money."
The man called Wu Ge slowly put away his gun, shook his pipe, and one of his underlings prepared to light it. Wang Er Gou snatched it away and said, "I'll do it!"
He took out a box of matches from his pocket, struck one, and lit Wu Ge's pipe. Wu Ge took a deep puff and exhaled heavily several times; soon the room was filled with swirling smoke.
After a moment, Wu Ge spoke up, "You all don’t look like poor folks or small-time traders. Why not be straightforward?" He raised his voice. "A-San, Ah Si, bring the goods up."
A-San and Ah Si walked out of the room, unlocked the door upon returning, and entered carrying a box.
They placed the box on the table and opened it to reveal an array of weapons—rifles, handguns, and grenades.
Wu Ge casually picked up a gun and weighed it in his hand with a cold smirk. "Why don’t you all give it a try?"
"These are good guns—imported!" Wang Er Gou remarked.
The four exchanged glances; Seven stepped forward to test a gun while Second was held back by First. Seven approached and casually selected a gun from inside the box. He first inspected the barrel and frowned slightly before chambering a round.
"Wu Ge" said, "Be careful not to shoot accidentally." "Seven" adjusted the gun's muzzle and pulled the trigger at an empty spot, but nothing happened; it wasn't loaded. "Wu Ge" and a few of his subordinates laughed, while "Seven" asked expressionlessly, "What does this mean?" "Wu Ge" replied, "There are many people here; we don't want to hurt anyone."
"Wang Er Gou" chimed in, "Without bullets, everyone is safe, right? You all saw the goods; now let's talk about the price."
"Seven" stepped back, and the others glanced at him. "Third" remarked, "A gun is a gun, but it can't compare to imported goods." They all had a rough idea of what to expect.
"Wu Ge" stated directly, "Let's get straight to the point. Regardless of the type of gun, it's this price," as he held up five fingers.
"First" asked doubtfully, "Five silver dollars?" "Wu Ge's" fingers remained extended. "Second" shouted, "You dare to ask for fifty silver dollars for that piece of junk!" "First" quickly intervened.
"Wu Ge" said, "Since Er Gou brought you here, I can make a concession: forty-nine silver dollars. What do you think?" At this moment, "Wang Er Gou" remained silent in the corner.
"First" glanced at "Wu Ge" and said, "I can't go along with this; I'll take my leave."
"Wu Ge" stood up immediately, and two men moved to block the door, drawing their guns and glaring at the four. "First" whispered, "It seems it's impossible to leave unscathed."
"Wu Ge's" voice rang out: "If the deal falls through, we can still part as friends. I, Wu Qingshan, love making friends! Bring out the drinks!"
The two men guarding the door holstered their guns and retrieved two jars of liquor from an inconspicuous corner of the room. The table was already filled with bowls.
The two men exchanged glances and began pouring drinks. "Wu Qingshan" called out to "Wang Er Gou," saying, "Come over and have a drink with me." He raised his bowl and downed it in one gulp, showing the empty bowl to everyone as he said, "After finishing this drink together, we will be friends—brothers." "Wang Er Gou" took the lead and did the same, displaying his empty bowl. Both men now focused on the four.
"Third" signaled to the others.
"Wu Qingshan" said, "Do you all look down on me, Wu Qingshan?" "Wang Er Gou" added encouragingly, "If you drink up, you can leave here."
"Second" asked skeptically, "Is that true?" "Wu Qingshan" affirmed, "Of course."
Without hesitation, "Second" stepped forward and drank from a bowl. Seeing this, the others understood the situation and followed suit.
In less than a minute, they were all unconscious. "Wu Qingshan" and "Wang Er Gou" burst into laughter as their subordinates joined in! "Wu Qingshan" exclaimed, “You’re no match for me! Er Gou, you’ve done well; I’ll share a portion with you later. Looking at how these people are dressed, they must have valuable things on them.”
A few subordinates searched the man who had been found on the mountain, discovering only a few silver coins. They didn’t find much else. Wu Qingshan watched all of this unfold and spat, cursing, “Look at how they dress, but who would have thought they’d be like this!”
Wang Er Gou chuckled a few times but remained silent.
“Search him again! Then put him in a sack and bury him alive in the mountain!” During this speech, one of the men suddenly flipped over the table and grabbed Wu Qingshan by the throat, saying, “Don’t move, or I’ll snap his neck right now.”
The sudden turn of events left the others momentarily stunned. Wu Qingshan hurriedly said, “Don’t do anything rash.” At that moment, the man slowly moved his feet and casually slapped the necks of the three subordinates a few times until they regained their senses.
Once they understood the situation, they quickly grabbed a few guns. The tables had turned; suddenly, it was clear who was the predator and who was the prey.
Wang Er Gou, realizing he was outmatched, said, “Gentlemen, spare my life! I didn’t recognize your prowess and offended you!”
One of the men rushed over and gave him a beating. Wu Qingshan, however, remained stoic and didn’t utter a word of plea for mercy.
After they left, no one was killed; they were merely knocked unconscious. The assailants took a few guns and some ammunition before departing.
When the others woke up, A-San asked, “Wu Ge, should we seek revenge?”
Wu Qingshan cursed back, “Revenge? What nonsense! We’ve run into tough opponents today; let’s just accept it! As long as we’re alive, that’s good enough.”
Wang Er Gou woke up still dazed and was promptly beaten by Wu Qingshan’s men before being thrown out. He cursed as he left, “Keep your eyes open next time.” At that moment, Wang Er Gou felt like a mute eating bitter herbs—he had no way to express his frustration. Deep down, he cursed silently, “The green mountains will remain; the flowing waters will endure. Just wait and see!”
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