Into the Tiger's Mountain

Run? That thought crossed Pang Jinghe's mind for only a single second before he abandoned it. Han Qingyu and Wu Xu had once struck within three meters of him, killing the Snow Lotus envoy Stan in broad daylight. Afterward, they had gone to Medical Station 101, where over three hundred people led by the seven clans' greatest experts were waiting... and yet the two of them were still alive today. "Old Crab! Tsk, you're truly hopeless," the host muttered reprovingly in Pang Jinghe's ear. In a rush, he hauled him up and pulled him onto the stage, urging, "Quick, bow to the boss and thank him." The microphone was thrust to his lips. *I'm probably going to die today,* Pang Jinghe thought. Clutching his cleaning rag, he stood stiffly on stage like a wooden post and mumbled with a deadpan expression, "Thank you." "What kind of thank-you is that?" the host hissed anxiously. "Smile! Show some teeth!" "Heh heh heh, thank you," Pang Jinghe said, his face still as lifeless as a corpse. The audience was stunned for two seconds before erupting in thunderous laughter and raucous jeering. Amid the clamor, the host bent low and turned around, gesturing an apology toward Table 46, then turned back to instruct him again, "Louder!" "Thank you, Boss Han!" This time, like a cornered, frantic child, Pang Jinghe hollered at the top of his lungs. *So what if I die? I don't want to work this dead-end job anymore anyway...* Under the dim lighting at Table 46, Han Qingyu raised his hand once more. Smiling, he said in an ordinary tone, "You're welcome. Why not come down and have a drink with us, Brother Pang?" *So they know each other,* the crowd thought. *Looks like Old Crab has a story!* Music started up again, and the performance resumed on stage. With the cleaning rag taken from his hand by the host, Pang Jinghe walked alone to Table 46 in the corner. He stopped, took a look, sat down, poured himself a glass of beer, and gulped it all down before setting the glass on the table. "You're here to take me back, aren't you?" "Perish the thought," Wen Jifei said with a smile. "Though this is our first time meeting, I've heard Qingzi and Wu Xu mention Brother Pang quite a few times. We're all on the same side. We just happen to need Brother Pang's help with something..." "You... need my help?" Pang Jinghe looked bewildered. "Yes, indeed. But don't worry, it's not difficult, and it's something Brother Pang is already very adept at," Wen Jifei continued smilingly. *Adept at?* Pang Jinghe thought to himself. *Aside from mopping floors and carrying props, what else am I adept at?* "It's like this. Recently, the Hengduan Qu clan has been convening a joint alliance assembly of secluded clans..." Amid the blaring, intense music, Han Qingyu spoke in a low voice while filling Pang Jinghe's glass to the brim. "What?! Y-You want me to betray our clans again?" Pang Jinghe understood now. He suddenly realized what he was supposed to be adept at. "Again?" Han Qingyu asked back with a chuckle. He turned around and filled the glasses of Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and Wu Xu as well. Then he took the lead in raising his glass, saying to Pang Jinghe, "Here's to a pleasant collaboration." Pleasant, of course, was out of the question. But refusing to cooperate meant he would probably die on the spot, or be handed over to Azure, which would end in his neck getting chopped just the same. Pang Jinghe wrestled with himself for a moment before looking up, only to see Wu Xu, Wen Jifei, and He Tangtang all raising their glasses to him. "So... you won't sell me out again when the time comes, will you?" Having no other choice, Pang Jinghe ventured timidly. "Sell you out?! How could you say that? That never happened, Brother Pang! Didn't Wu Xu and I yell at you with all our might to come over back then?" Han Qingyu said, sounding thoroughly aggrieved. Wu Xu nodded from the side. "Yeah. You're the one who didn't come." *Was that really how it went?* Pang Jinghe searched his memory. It really did seem to have happened like that. *So if I had gone over back then...* "If you had come over back then, we definitely would've protected you and taken you with us. Fortunately, Brother Pang has formidable strength of his own and was blessed with great fortune," Han Qingyu said, tapping his glass against Pang Jinghe's. Pang Jinghe's dilemma was that, first of all, he seemed to have no other choice. Secondly, he thought, *If they actually keep their word, won't I be walking the righteous path from now on...?* He'd take the gamble. Gritting his teeth, Pang Jinghe lowered his head and reached out to raise the glass from the table. That night, Southern Scala lost a cleaner known as Old Crab. Rumors spread among the employees that he had actually been a big boss of the jianghu back in the day. After falling from grace, he had concealed his name and identity to hide from enemies, eking out a living here. Yet the people of the jianghu had not forgotten him... They had finally tracked him down to invite him out of retirement. "The jianghu will probably see another bloodbath," a young worker said with longing in his eyes, mimicking the tone of a Hong Kong movie. ...... Moonlight, a river valley, the sound of flowing water and chirping insects. Yang Qingbai sat on a boulder, smoking a cigarette. Not far behind him, the helicopter's cabin door stood open. A suit of iron armor was sitting there, head craned as she gazed repeatedly into the distance, Shen Yixiu's legs dangling outside the doorway, swinging gently. Suddenly, with a clatter, her feet hit the ground. Spotting them from afar, Rusty Sister jogged forward to meet them. "You're back! You were gone for so long." Running up to Han Qingyu, she asked, "How was it? Is the city here fun? Where did you guys go?" This eager enthusiasm felt somewhat abrupt, much like a child from a village who had never stepped beyond its borders asking about the outside world... Han Qingyu hesitated in thought, then raised his hand and patted her iron helmet gently. "We didn't look around. Next time we'll take you with us, and then we'll explore." "Ah, okay." Rusty Sister seemed to smile, then added, "But I can only hide in the car." "Then we'll go in the dead of night, in the early hours of the morning. When we get there, we can open up the roadside shop doors ourselves so you can browse to your heart's content. If you like anything, we'll just leave the money behind," Wen Jifei chimed in. Rusty Sister nodded. "Mm." She glanced sideways and spotted the unfamiliar Pang Jinghe, then He Tangtang, and then the person on He Tangtang's back... "Oh no! What happened to Wu Xu?! Is he hurt?! Did you run into Snow Lotus or someone else?" Han Qingyu shook his head. "No, he's just drunk." "Huh? You guys drank alcohol? Did Wu Xu drink a lot?" "A ton. About two glasses," Wen Jifei said, gesturing with a grin. They tossed Wu Xu onto the aircraft, squeezed in, and took off to return to the Shang clan's detached estate. The next evening, when the setting sun and evening breeze were just right. In a corner of the farmhouse courtyard, Han Qingyu sat on a stone stool, washing clothes. They had always washed their own clothes. This time, because they had brought few spare changes of clothes, they had to wash them even more frequently. In this regard, Rusty Sister had it best—she didn't need to wear clothes. *Splash!* A full bucket of water was drawn and easily hoisted up. Bathed in the golden dusk, Rusty Sister walked over to Han Qingyu, bent down, and poured the water into the washbasin. Carrying the empty bucket, she stood to the side and asked, "Is that enough? If not, I can fetch more." *Why is she acting so well-behaved?* Han Qingyu turned his head to look at her. "Did you take the wrong medicine?!" The iron helmet tilted. "Huh?!" "Haven't you been picking on me lately? This... you have an angle, don't you?" Han Qingyu sized her up, looking guarded. "Nuh-uh," Rusty Sister said. "It's precisely because I've been bickering with you lately that I thought maybe I ought to mend our relationship and salvage our friendship..." "No need. Too late. Beyond saving." Han Qingyu scrubbed a garment as he spoke. "From the day you blurted out 'Han Qing... Croak,' there's been a massive hole between us that can never be patched." After about two or three seconds of silence, Rusty Sister said, "Oh." She stood there stiff as a post, not moving. "Do you have something you want to tell me?" Han Qingyu asked. "Um, could you..." She paused, and then Shen Yixiu spoke in a rapid rush: "Could you wash a garment for me? My cloak is dirty, and I..." Though her hands were dexterous, they were encased in iron plating after all. It was hard to wash clothes, and she could easily tear them to shreds by rubbing too hard. Besides, *asking a boy to wash a girl's clothes doesn't seem quite right? And no matter what, he's that Major The Qing, after all,* Rusty Sister thought. Completely calm, Han Qingyu nodded and gestured toward the washbasin beside him. "Go get it." "Really?" "Obviously." The iron armor happily scampered across the courtyard and returned to her room. Shang Nianhua watched the scene unfold with amusement, chuckling softly. Walking out from the corner of the wall, she approached behind Han Qingyu and called, "Qingzi." Han Qingyu turned back to look at her. "Sister-in-law... do you have something to tell me too?" He wondered to himself: *Don't tell me you want me to wash your clothes as well? That'd be crossing the line.* Shang Nianhua hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. I've been thinking about this from last night until now. You guys don't actually have to go this time, right? Having one less item is just having one less item. It's really too dangerous there. Let me break it down for you: first, there's at least one super combat power; then, probably three to five top-tiers; plus hundreds or even thousands of war slaves; and who knows what kind of trouble Zhu Jiaming might stir up..." "Thank you, Sister-in-law. I've considered all that too. Plague Chicken and I will plan carefully," Han Qingyu said with a smile. "So you mean you absolutely have to go?!" Shang Nianhua's tone grew urgent. "You insist on taking the risk?!" Han Qingyu kept smiling. "Actually, I mostly just want to check it out. When the time comes, if it's truly dangerous, I'll definitely prioritize getting away. I won't be reckless." Those were the words, but in truth, they had to go, even knowing the dangers. At this stage, the few of them appeared very leisurely and safe. But that was only because, on Azure's side, the recent incident was still under intense, fervent scrutiny by everyone. During this period, Alphonse would be questioned and watched by countless eyes. He had to tread carefully and did not dare make any rash moves. However, people could not maintain attention and vigilance over the matter forever. Once this phase passed and Alphonse had breathing room, he would definitely find a way to track them down and strike—whether he moved in person or used other means. Alphonse's strength was formidable; this was evident from the bizarre, gruesome wound on Shao Xuan's arm after clashing with him. At the same time, that old bastard wielded immense influence... So although Han Qingyu had never said much, their situation was actually already precarious. Han Qingyu could not bring himself to find a place to hide for the rest of his life, nor did he want a day to come when Chen Buer and the old chief of staff were gone, leaving them and their families unprotected and at the mercy of others... The only thing he could do now was step into super combat power as quickly as possible—the sooner, the better. *As long as I reach super, we'll have a fighting chance.* The repeated battles to the death they had survived gave Han Qingyu great confidence in himself, Wu Xu, Rusty Sister, and even Plague Chicken and He Tangtang. *Clatter, clatter...* The sounds of running iron armor drew near. "Sigh." Why couldn't they listen to reason? Shang Nianhua sighed helplessly. "Alright then. Just be sure to remain cautious. Sister-in-law can't help with any of this." "Don't worry, Sister-in-law," Han Qingyu said. Shang Nianhua turned and walked away. Shen Yixiu hurried over, clutching her prized red cloak. Another bucket of clean water splashed into the wooden basin. Han Qingyu remained seated on the stone stool. The iron armor squatted down beside him. "It looks like the hem is dirtiest. Yeah, this section right here—it's too long, so it picks up dust." "Don't trim it shorter; it won't look good trimmed." "Hey, it's not fading! That's great! I was worried about that for the longest time." "Shut up, you're too noisy!" Han Qingyu barked. "Make any more noise and I won't wash it for you." "Oh." The iron armor clapped her hands over the mouth of her helmet. *Shhh, shhh-shhh...* The sounds of splashing water and the laundry brush continued for maybe ten seconds. "Aiya, brush more gently, Brother Han Qing... Qingyu." "I only have this one set of clothes. Don't go scrubbing holes in it." "..."