Ding Tiechui

The watch the little girl had found proved that she had not been lying.

It also proved that Peach Blossom had indeed met with an accident.

It was just a pity that the little girl was too young; other than seeing Peach Blossom's carriage being snatched away, she had no idea who the perpetrators were.

"Sir, I don't know anything else. Can I have the gold coin back?"

The little girl looked longingly at the gold coin in Lin Fei's hand, her stomach growling; she had already gone hungry for several meals.

Lin Fei stuffed the gold coin into her hand and turned to look at the other young beggars.

The eyes of these young beggars were filled with envy, greed, and jealousy.

Lin Fei had no doubt that as soon as he left, the gold coin in the little girl's hand would be snatched away by them.

"I have more gold coins here. Whoever can help me find out who snatched that carriage and where it was taken, I will give the gold coin to them."

Lin Fei took out another gold coin and tossed it directly to a vendor selling flatbreads by the side of the road.

"I'll take all your flatbreads."

The vendor was overjoyed; his flatbreads were worth at most one hundred copper coins.

A single gold coin was enough to cover a year's worth of sales.

"Thank you, sir!"

Lin Fei looked at the young beggars and said to them, "Eat as many flatbreads as you like. Once you've had your fill, you can go and gather information."

"I will wait here for you. Whoever brings the news back, the gold coin is theirs."

The young beggars immediately scrambled toward the flatbread stall, and in no time at all, the flatbreads were snatched up.

They all rushed off to gather information, terrified that someone else would get there first.

The little girl who had received the gold coin only grabbed two flatbreads.

She did not follow the others to gather information, but instead turned and left.

Lin Fei noticed a man quietly following the little girl.

The little girl had not gone far before the man knocked her to the ground and snatched her gold coin away.

The little girl wailed and cried, unable to catch up, watching helplessly as the man ducked into an alleyway and disappeared from sight.

Seeing this scene, Lin Fei could only sigh silently.

Perhaps he shouldn't have given the little girl a gold coin; she was too young and simply couldn't keep it safe.

In South City, robberies and thefts were common occurrences.

Let alone a gold coin, even a silver coin was enough to tempt many people.

Lin Fei did not go to help the little girl; there were too many unfortunate people like her, and he could not possibly help them all.

Even if he gave her another gold coin, she wouldn't be able to keep it; it would just be snatched away again.

At this moment, the flatbread vendor, who was preparing to leave, approached him.

"Sir, regarding the matter you were asking about, I saw it too, and I know who did it."

"You know?"

Lin Fei looked at him, his gaze urgent.

The vendor gave a sheepish smile and asked in return, "I just heard you say that there is a reward for providing information, right?"

Lin Fei did not waste words and gave him another gold coin directly.

The vendor was a bit greedy and added, "If I tell you, I'm taking a risk as well..."

Lin Fei did not blame him for his greed and gave him ten gold coins at once.

"Is that enough?"

"Enough, it's enough!"

The vendor was overjoyed and hurriedly hid the gold coins, terrified that someone else might see them.

"Sir, the people who snatched the carriage that day were from the Blood Wolf Gang. I recognize one of them; he often eats my flatbreads without paying."

"This man is called Ding Tiechui, and his father runs a smithy. Their family specializes in forging weapons for the Blood Wolf Gang."

"All the vendors on this street are afraid of him; we have to pay him protection money every month..."

Seeing that the vendor was rambling on endlessly, Lin Fei interrupted him.

"Where is this Ding Tiechui you speak of now?"

"I'm not sure about that."

"Then what about his family's smithy?"

"It's not far ahead, called the Ding Family Smithy. Please don't say it was me who told you, otherwise he won't spare me."

The vendor hoisted his flatbread stall and hurried away.

Lin Fei headed to the Ding Family Smithy, where several blacksmiths were hard at work, each drenched in sweat.

Due to years of forging, they possessed a lean and sturdy build, with thick arms and bulging muscles.

Lin Fei sent his servant back, choosing to remain alone to observe the smithy.

Ding Tiechui is with the Blood Wolf Gang; I wonder if he is a martial artist?

Although his own body had been significantly strengthened, he had only learned the Xingyi Five Elements Fist, which was sufficient for fighting ordinary people.

If he were to encounter a trained martial artist, he feared he would be no match.

To extract information from Ding Tiechui, he had to prepare for two scenarios.

First, to bribe him with money.

If he cooperated, it would save Lin Fei the trouble.

Second, if he refused to cooperate, he would have to resort to force.

To ensure everything went smoothly without leaking any information, he would have to ask for help.

Lin Fei went to the Thousand Gold Pavilion to ask Li Ruxue for assistance.

To be precise, he was asking the maid Xunmei for help.

Xunmei had previously mentioned that she was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, so she must be quite formidable.

Li Ruxue did not refuse and agreed to help.

With Xunmei's assistance, Lin Fei felt much more confident.

Lin Fei discussed the specific timing and plan with Xunmei, then took his leave.

Arriving at the Ding Family Smithy, Lin Fei asked, "Excuse me, is Brother Tiechui in?"

"What do you want with my son?"

A burly old man with a broad back and thick waist looked at Lin Fei; he had a face full of whiskers and dark, tanned skin.

"Greetings, Uncle. I heard that Brother Tiechui is responsible for managing the street ahead, and I would like to open a shop there to do some small business."

"This is a small token of my respect, please accept it, Uncle. Furthermore, I am hosting a banquet at the Welcome Guest Restaurant tonight, and I hope Brother Tiechui will do me the honor of attending."

Lin Fei gave Ding Tiechui's father a gold coin, and the old man's eyes lit up, promising he would certainly tell his son.

That evening, Lin Fei booked the entire Welcome Guest Restaurant.

Ding Tiechui arrived, but he did not come alone; he brought two companions with him.

This was outside of Lin Fei's expectations.

"Who is it that wants to see me?"

"Are you Brother Tiechui? It is I who wishes to see you. Why don't we head to a private room to eat and chat?"

Ding Tiechui looked very much like his father, also sporting a full beard, with a strong, powerful build.

Despite his rough and rugged appearance, he was not simple-minded.

He looked at Lin Fei with a wary gaze and asked, "There's no need for a meal. Say what you have to say and be quick about it; I don't have time to beat around the bush with you."

Seeing this, Lin Fei had no choice but to take out a gold note with a face value of one hundred.

"Brother Tiechui, there is a matter I would like to consult you on, and this is a token of my gratitude."

Ding Tiechui took it without hesitation, then circled around Lin Fei, looking him up and down.

"You're quite generous with your money. You don't look like a businessman to me—what is it you want to ask?"

"Could we step aside to speak?"

"Step aside for what? Stop your babbling; if you have a question, just ask it."

Even after taking the money, Ding Tiechui refused to show him any respect.

Lin Fei gritted his teeth in frustration, but he kept a smile plastered on his face.

"Brother Tiechui, five days ago, my wife and her maid were traveling by carriage when I heard they were abducted by you. Might I ask if they are well?"

Ding Tiechui's brow furrowed, and he played dumb: "I don't know what you're talking about. You've got the wrong person."

With that, Ding Tiechui turned to leave with his men.

"Don't go!"

Lin Fei grabbed Ding Tiechui by the shoulder, and Ding Tiechui spun around, throwing a punch.

Lin Fei was unable to dodge in time and was struck in the chest, stumbling back several steps.

Ding Tiechui sneered, his face filled with a fierce, savage aura.

"I knew it. A stranger inviting me to dinner for no reason—it certainly wasn't going to be anything good."

"Since you've come knocking on my door, I'll send you to join your wife today!"