Photographic Memory

Zhong Ping recognized the man in the lead: it was Qian Bao, the leader of the Tiger Gang.

The two were business associates and were reasonably well-acquainted with one another.

As they collided, Zhong Ping was just about to offer a greeting, but the other man spoke first.

Qian Bao spoke with the tone of a host: "Steward Zhong, I never expected to see you in Mudstone Alley. Please forgive my lack of a proper welcome!"

"You are too kind, Gang Leader Qian. I just happened to be passing through on some private business," Zhong Ping replied with a light chuckle.

He glanced at the formation of men behind Qian Bao and asked with curiosity, "Gang Leader Qian, may I ask what this is all about?"

"I won't hide it from you, Steward Zhong. Three of my brothers went missing without a trace two days ago. I fear they have been harmed by some villain, so I am taking my men to settle the score!"

Speaking of the matter, Qian Bao was filled with righteous indignation; between his words, a biting chill could not help but seep through.

Zhong Ping's eyes flickered upon hearing this. Two days ago—wasn't that exactly when...

His thoughts raced, and suspicion stirred, but he dismissed it all in an instant.

The truth of the matter was hard to discern, and it had nothing to do with him; there was no need to invite unnecessary trouble.

With that thought settled, he cupped his hands and said, "Since Gang Leader Qian has pressing matters, I shall take my leave."

"It is my poor hospitality today. I shall invite you to the Spring Breeze Pavilion another day to make amends, Steward Zhong." Qian Bao was in the heat of anger and did not attempt to detain him.

Zhong Ping stepped away, but as they brushed past each other, he seemed to recall something. He called out to stop Qian Bao and asked curiously, "Gang Leader Qian, forgive this humble one for being presumptuous, but may I ask who you believe harmed your men?"

Qian Bao, having been stopped, showed hesitation; he was somewhat unwilling to disclose the information.

But considering that the two sides would inevitably deal with each other often in the future, he hesitated for a half-beat before whispering, "It is no harm to tell you, Steward Zhong. I suspect this person is Su Qiang!"

Su Qiang was a member of the Little River Gang and was usually at odds with Qian Biao.

Whether it was gang disputes or personal grudges, there was sufficient reason to point the finger at him.

High suspicion did not necessarily mean he was the true culprit, but if it could be used to restore the dignity of the Tiger Gang, intimidate the small-fry, and eliminate a rival, that was enough.

"Su Qiang?" Zhong Ping frowned slightly after hearing this.

He knew Su Qiang; the two had a bit of an acquaintance, though not a deep one.

That was not important. What was important was that Su Qiang and Hong Ming had a very close relationship.

The previous transport job that Hong Ming had taken was introduced to him by Su Qiang through his connections.

Now that Qian Bao was going after Su Qiang, it was clearly a case of killing the chicken to scare the monkey. The problem was, was this guy not afraid of Hong Ming's retaliation?

Almost forgot—Qian Bao's intelligence network wasn't that sharp; he likely didn't know about Hong Ming's current situation.

Should he warn Qian Bao?

Zhong Ping felt a wave of hesitation.

Asking himself, he did not want to get involved in this; what did Qian Bao's life or death have to do with him?

But the man was usually quite respectful and had sent many favors his way.

Besides, heaven knows if their meeting would reach Hong Ming's ears and cause a misunderstanding.

If Hong Ming suspected him of being involved in this because of it, he would truly be like a mute eating coptis—unable to voice his bitterness.

Thinking of this, Zhong Ping pulled Qian Bao to the side of the road and lowered his voice: "Gang Leader Qian, I advise you to be cautious regarding this matter."

"Steward Zhong, is there some hidden depth to this?" Qian Bao's expression turned solemn.

Zhong Ping patted Qian Bao lightly and said quietly, "I cannot say much more, but I will tell you this: Su Qiang has a friend named Hong Ming, and he is a Bright Force martial artist!"

"What?" Qian Bao was instantly struck with shock.

He had heard of Hong Ming's situation and had assumed the man's pursuit of martial arts was nothing but a pipe dream. He never expected that the fellow had actually succeeded!

Bright Force—that was a realm even he could only look up to from afar!

Qian Bao's expression shifted unpredictably. After a long while, he calmed himself slightly, looked at Zhong Ping, and said respectfully, "Thank you for the warning, Steward Zhong. Otherwise, I fear I would have committed a grave mistake!"

"It is nothing. We are friends, it is only right. It is just that Su Qiang..." Zhong Ping stopped mid-sentence.

Qian Bao's face changed in an instant, his tone firm: "Rest assured, Steward Zhong. Since Su Qiang is Master Hong's friend, it is absolutely impossible for him to have harmed my men."

One was a distant relative, the other was a Bright Force martial artist; the weight of each was clear at a glance.

"In that case, I shall not disturb you further."

Zhong Ping was very satisfied with Qian Bao's attitude. He replied with a cheerful laugh and took his leave.

Qian Bao returned to his team and led his men to change course.

"Leader, did we take a wrong turn? The Su family does not live in this direction."

"We aren't going to the Su family. We are going to the Hong family!"

Since a Bright Force martial artist had emerged in Mudstone Alley, it was only right and proper for him to pay a visit.

On the way, just as he was preparing to gather enough sincerity for the visit, he didn't know whether to call his luck good or bad, but he ran into Su Qiang and his two siblings.

Su Qiang was dragging his family along in a formation that didn't look like they were moving house—it looked like they were fleeing for their lives.

"Oh no, it's the Tiger Gang!"

Su Qiang also spotted Qian Bao and the others, his expression changing drastically.

After learning of Qian Biao's death, he had sensed that something was wrong and rushed back to Mudstone Alley overnight, intending to take Su Sheng and Su Lan away from this place.

He never expected to walk straight into the tiger's den.

With matters having reached this point and nowhere left to retreat, Su Qiang had no choice but to step forward and face the threat head-on.

At the same time, he whispered a warning to Su Sheng and the others to take the opportunity to escape.

Yet at this moment, a voice as gentle as a spring breeze rang out: "Why, if it isn't Brother Su!"

Qian Bao is greeting me?

Su Qiang felt a sense of absurdity; wasn't this guy here to seek revenge? How had he become so amiable?

Refusing to be fooled, Su Qiang sternly demanded, "Qian Bao, what do you want?"

"Brother Su, you jest. You are a friend of Master Hong; how would I dare do anything to you?" Qian Bao said with a benevolent smile.

Master Hong?

Su Qiang was slightly stunned. Who was Qian Bao referring to?

"Brother Su, I have urgent business to attend to, so I won't disturb you any further. If you happen to see Master Hong in the future, please put in a good word for me."

Qian Bao chuckled as he took his leave, changing his mind and heading back home.

As for when to visit Hong Ming, that would depend on when Su Qiang went to the Hong family.

Qian Bao had left, but his words only left Su Qiang more confused. Master Hong again—who was he?

Suddenly, he froze. Could it be A Ming?!

The Hong Family Grocery Store was far more bustling than it had been in the past.

No one knew where the news had come from, but neighbors from all around had come to offer their congratulations.

Although Hong Ming felt helpless inside, seeing his grandfather so happy, he went along with his wishes.

The whole family was busy until midnight before things finally settled down.

The house had grown quiet, but that sense of liveliness lingered in the hearts of Hong Zheng and the others, refusing to fade and becoming an indelible memory.

Hong Ming had finished "business" early and returned to his room to cultivate, and no one dared to disturb him.

On the contrary, with him gone, his family and the neighbors felt much more at ease.

Hearing the sound of the doors closing outside, Hong Ming summoned his overjoyed cousin, Hong Yi.

"Brother Ming."

Hong Yi trotted over, looking very happy tonight.

However, his happiness was reflected in his appetite; his mouth was slick with grease from eating, and his belly was round and bulging.

The delicacies he had eaten tonight were more than everything he had eaten in the past combined.

"A Yi, come here. I'll give you another piece of Osmanthus Cake," Hong Ming coaxed.

As Hong Yi took the Osmanthus Cake and began to wolf it down, he took the opportunity to check his entries.

[Entry: Photographic Memory (Level 2 · Gold)]

[Status: Can be solidified]

[Required Luck: 18 points]

[Solidification Effect: Remember anything after reading it five times.]

Seeing this, Hong Ming did not hesitate and chose to solidify it immediately.

[Consumed 18 points of Luck, successfully solidified the "Photographic Memory" entry.]