"Ye Lanzen was known as the Tianjin First Fist. In his younger days, he'd won the martial examination and received a yellow riding jacket from the emperor. He had longstanding ties with the Directorate of Astronomy, the Daoist and Buddhist orders, and the great men of the imperial court."
"Since Qin Geng was his disciple, he naturally belonged to the same circle as Cao, Lu, Zheng, and the rest of that lot on the imperial payroll."
"Piece by piece, incident by incident... once you connected them, the whole picture became clear."
Abacus Song's gaze finally settled on the three characters of Ye Lanzen's name.
"Lu Xingmin and Zheng Tonghe were his senior martial brothers, and those two were old friends of Third Master Cao from the Earth Official's Office. They were all part of the same circle."
"Today, I poked a hole in the web behind the authorities!"
The moment Abacus Song grasped that, a chill ran down his back. Cold sweat soaked through his undershirt.
He had thought the Dragon King Society's collusion with the foreigners to make Snake Corpses was well hidden.
But now it seemed they'd been under watch all along. Qin Geng and the others had probably gone into Bell Mountain to investigate.
By taking men to make trouble at Master Zhu Xin's house today, he had charged straight into a sack they'd held open for him.
"As the ancients said, fortune and misfortune leaned on each other."
Abacus Song looked at the names on the paper. The last glimmer of hope vanished from his eyes, replaced by the resolve of a man ready to smash his cooking pots and sink his boats.
"What happened today might yet prove a blessing."
The Dragon King Society's ship was about to sink.
Jiang Hailong's dealings with the foreigners were like asking a tiger for its skin. Sooner or later, they would devour him without leaving so much as a splinter of bone.
Once the matter came to light, entire households would be seized and wiped out.
Though Abacus Song held no low position in the society, he was still an outsider, an adviser who offered plans. Jiang Hailong kept its deepest secrets from him, and the foreigners hardly treated him as human.
If he stayed aboard that ship, the best he could hope for was to become a scapegoat when the authorities came to settle accounts—and lose his head.
He had wanted to jump ship for a long time. He just hadn't found a suitable place to land.
"As the ancients said, fortune and misfortune leaned on each other. How true that was."
"If this hadn't happened today, I really would have taken Qin Geng for an ordinary fighter."
"But this ruckus brought so much to light. Now I see how it all fits together."
"Whether I live depends entirely on whether I can use Qin Geng to reach the shelter of Cao, Lu, and Zheng tonight."
Abacus Song picked up the sheet of rice paper covered in names and held it to the oil lamp's flame.
With a whoosh, fire caught the corner and raced across the page.
Abacus Song watched in silence as the names twisted and curled in the flames, until they became black ash that drifted into the air.
What he burned was his past—and the last shred of loyalty he felt toward the Dragon King Society.
Years ago, Jiang Hailong had done him a kindness. Later, he had devised plans that helped build the Dragon King Society into what it was. He had repaid that debt...
When it was done, Abacus Song blew out the lamp and sat upright in the darkness, waiting.
Qin Geng would come.
That character, "Guan," was his Pledge of Allegiance.
He did not know how much time had passed.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three firm, steady knocks sounded at the courtyard gate.
He's here.
Abacus Song sprang to his feet, hurried across the courtyard, and went to open it himself.
He drew back the bolt. With a creak, the heavy vermilion gate swung inward.
Outside, beneath the cold moonlight, Qin Geng stood alone.
No—not alone.
Qin Geng grinned, showing a row of white teeth. In the night, his smile looked rather sinister.
He stepped to one side, revealing a line of figures behind him.
On the left stood Daoist Miaoxuan in her Daoist robes, her expression solemn.
On the right stood Third Master Cao of Hengtong Pawnshop, an amused look on his face as he rolled two iron balls in his hand.
Beside him was Shopkeeper Lu Xingmin of Osmanthus Fragrance Studio, smiling as always.
The last was Zheng Tonghe of Hundred Herb Hall.
Not one was missing. They had all come.
Abacus Song's heart plummeted.
I underestimated Qin Geng!
The thought flashed through his mind.
He had expected Qin Geng to read the letter and come alone.
Then he would have had room to maneuver. He could have played the elder offering guidance, used his information as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Qin Geng, and had Qin Geng introduce him to Third Master Cao. Perhaps he could have found a way to redeem himself by helping them.
But he had never imagined Qin Geng would act so decisively!
On the strength of a single character—"Guan"—Qin Geng had brought the entire lot on the imperial payroll straight to his door!!
They hadn't come to negotiate. They had come to raid his house!
They had come to convene a tribunal and put him on trial!
Qin Geng had seen through every little scheme he had.
Before Abacus Song could speak,
Third Master Cao chuckled, squeezed past him with the ease of an old acquaintance, and walked straight into the courtyard. The two iron balls rattled in his hand.
"Little Song, it's been a while. You've done well for yourself. This place is spacious—much better than my pawnshop."
Third Master Cao patted Abacus Song on the shoulder. The force was neither heavy nor light, yet it made Abacus Song seem to shrink by half.
"We're here on official business today. You know what that means."
Qin Geng and the others filed in behind him, then shut the gate.
In the vast courtyard, only their small group remained.
"Yes. I understand, I understand."
Abacus Song nodded repeatedly, his manner utterly humble, and pointed to an empty room beside the main hall.
He had already sent away the servants, the older women who worked in the house, and even his son, who was studying.
He meant to show them he had nothing to hide.
"Gentlemen, please come inside."
They entered the room and took their seats.
No one spoke. Several gazes fell on Abacus Song at once, so sharp they seemed almost tangible.
Abacus Song, the strategist who could usually talk his way through anything, found it hard to breathe.
The pressure was ten times worse than when he had faced Qin Geng alone in Master Zhu Xin's courtyard.
Abacus Song knew that one wrong word today might keep him from seeing tomorrow's sun.
He drew a deep breath, cupped his fists to Third Master Cao, and said gravely, "Third Master, gentlemen. Qin Geng and I clashed today over a private matter. That was my fault. But by a stroke of luck, it also gave me a warning and made me realize a few things. Heaven hasn't abandoned me. It's given me a chance to live."
He came straight to the point, hiding nothing.
"I'll tell you everything. Jiang Hailong, the Dragon Head of the Dragon King Society, has joined forces with the foreigners in the west of the city. They're raising Snake Corpses inside Bell Mountain. Every one of those Snake Corpses was made from someone with real ability here in Tianjin. It's an outrage against heaven and humanity."
"I was forced into it too. Once you're in the jianghu, your hands aren't always your own. In my position, I couldn't avoid it. Now I want to atone by helping you. I only ask that you gentlemen spare my life, seeing as I can still be of some use."
Every word Abacus Song spoke sounded utterly sincere.
Third Master Cao stroked his chin, thoughtful, but made no rush to give an answer.
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