Inside the Wei family villa, Wei Jun ended the call, set down the receiver, and looked up. "Senior Zhao agreed. He'll make some calls, coordinate with all sides, and give us backing."
Looking at Jiang Wei and Shao Xiaobie, he said slowly, "Back then, under Senior Zhao's lead, we got rid of Shen Zheng. Now we can get rid of that Chen Chuan just the same."
Jiang Wei said, "It shouldn't just be us in this."
Wei Jun nodded. The elite upper echelon of the Mutual Aid Society had to be brought into this. Even though they would be the ones carrying out the deed, everyone shared in the benefits. Even if the others didn't lift a finger in the process, they had to stand together through thick and thin and share the risks.
They had already convinced themselves that Chen Chuan had to have backing behind him. Only by banding together could they suppress any storm that might break out and keep Yangzhi under the old order.
Just like three years ago.
"Once you two head back, start making calls and notify everyone."
Jiang Wei immediately stood up from the sofa and headed out.
Shao Xiaobie gave a nod and walked out with him.
Over the next few hours, as call after call reached villas and estates across the city, an undercurrent began surging through Yangzhi City.
At the training hall, Chen Chuan stood on the terrace, meticulously wiping down the Xuejun Saber. Below him, the river flowed steadily on and on. Following the thunderstorm, the sky had cleared considerably, though wisps of remnant clouds still lingered.
As he finished cleaning it, the crimson streak along the spine of the Xuejun Saber grew clearer. Held in his hand, it felt attuned to his breathing; with a slight surge of jin, the blade hummed in resonance.
Holding the blade, he slowly guided it into the scabbard, and once it was far enough in, took hold of the hilt, snapping it fully home with a soft click. Then he stood, returned to the living room, and placed the saber on the weapon rack.
Returning to his seat, he pulled over the bag Tan Wang had carried with him and emptied out the contents. Gao Ming had already inspected them, remarking that there was nothing of real value—only items related to Tan Wang's personal cultivation and training.
Flipping through them, what caught his attention most was a fierce drawing of a black snake. The serpent possessed three heads—or more accurately, front, left, and right perspective views cleverly joined to a single body to create the artistic effect of a three-headed snake.
On the snake's body were three concentric circles, each containing distinct pointer lines leading out to various parts of the serpent's form.
At first glance, he had thought it was some secret technique diagram, but looking closer, he realized it was actually an order catalog. It listed over twenty items, all concerning implant modification techniques, covering nearly everything from internal organs to the body surface, from skin to deep tissues.
The three circles presumably represented different stages.
For instance, among the checked items such as "High-Density Musculature Implant" and "Multi-Segment Bone Modification," the former was likely already completed. The multi-segment bone modification altered the limbs and torso to resemble a serpent's skeleton; Tan Wang's neck seemed to be modified this way, but the rest of his body appeared normal, meaning he had probably only undergone part of it.
Individual sub-items also featured upgrade paths and progressive tiers.
There were also surface-level options like "Hard Scale Implant," "Subcutaneous Gland Implant," and "Toothed Sheath Implant," which had to be carried out in sequence.
Among them, the "Toothed Sheath Implant" was a vicious lethal weapon. Once the surgery succeeded, muscle contractions could extrude dense or elongated serrated blade-teeth from between the scales, pairing with Secret Snake Cult techniques to entwine and slice apart an opponent. Tan Wang had likely only completed the preliminary stage.
Viewed this way, Tan Wang had not been fighting at full potential when they clashed. If he had finished all the checked implant surgeries, his combat power would have been entirely different.
Even so, none of the items listed here offered a direct boost to speed—whether because none existed or simply because none were listed.
Taking that alone into account, even if Tan Wang had undergone every implant on the sheet, he still would not have won. A hair's breadth of difference in speed was the line between life and death; the outcome would have been no different.
Looking down, he noticed the words "Internal Order Form" marked at the bottom of the page. In that case, the Secret Snake Cult not only modified their own members, but also sold specialized implants to outsiders.
Still, seeing how much Tan Wang had cared about a single coat, this so-called internal order catalog probably was not cheap.
Just then, he heard the sound of a car approaching downstairs. After a moment, a security guard came up and said, "Brother Chen, a Solicitor Song says he was engaged by someone to come speak with you."
Hearing the commotion, Gao Ming stepped out of a nearby lounge and said, "Cousin, there's no need for you to show your face. I'll speak with him."
Chen Chuan nodded.
Gao Ming went downstairs with the security guard and met a middle-aged solicitor in his forties with slicked-back hair, who introduced himself as Song. Gao Ming stepped forward to shake his hand, smiling. "I am Gao Ming, Mr. Chen Chuan's fully authorized solicitor. If Solicitor Song has anything to discuss, you can speak directly with me."
"Ah, Solicitor Gao. May I ask which firm you practice with?"
Gao Ming smiled. "Mi's Law Firm."
"Mi's..." Solicitor Song's expression turned slightly graver. "Very well, let us take our time and discuss this."
Once both were seated, Gao Ming gestured for him to wait a moment. Reaching under the table, he pulled out a case and placed it on the desk. Opening it revealed a pre-adjusted wire recorder. He pressed the record button, made an inviting gesture with his hand, and said with a smile, "Solicitor Song, we may begin."
Two hours later, Solicitor Song drove away.
Gao Ming returned upstairs and said to Chen Chuan, "Cousin, they want to invite you for a talk, and said they hope it can take place in the next day or two."
Chen Chuan said, "Do they think I'm certain to go?"
Gao Ming smiled faintly. "Solicitor Song deliberately mentioned your elementary and middle schools, as well as the names of several classmates you know well. I suppose it was meant as a threat."
Chen Chuan gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment. He did indeed have many acquaintances and good friends among his former classmates, but if they thought they could use that to threaten him, they were delusional. He would not change his course of action because of it; he would only find a way to deal with the perpetrators afterward.
At times, the more you cared, the more rampant they became; the less you cared, the more wary they grew.
Gao Ming said, "I told Solicitor Song that we need to consider it and will give him an answer before midnight tonight." He looked up. "Cousin, I recommend going to the meeting tomorrow. It will settle this sooner, and with so little time, they'll have less room to prepare, making it easier for them to leave openings."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Then let's set it for tomorrow."
Gao Ming said, "Only, the exact time and place probably haven't been finalized yet."
Chen Chuan said, "That doesn't matter. I won't just be sitting idly by either."
After a moment of thought, he walked over to the telephone and dialed Cheng Zitong's number. Once connected, he said, "Teacher, someone from the Mutual Aid Society came. They asked to meet with me, and I plan to keep the appointment."
Cheng Zitong asked solemnly, "Little Chuan, what do you need me to do?"
Chen Chuan laid out his thoughts.
Cheng Zitong said, "Little Chuan, though I know you always act with measure, I'll say it again: be careful. I will do everything I can on my end to back you up."
"Thank you, Teacher."
After hanging up, Chen Chuan dialed Bureau Director Lei's number. When it connected after a brief wait, he said, "Director Lei, I have an appointment to keep tomorrow, but things might get out of hand. I need to ask you for a favor."
Bureau Director Lei said, "I told you, whenever anything comes up, you can reach out to me and He Nan at any time."
Chen Chuan stated his request, and the other end agreed without hesitation. After ending the call with Director Lei, he began dialing the final number.
"Hello, constabulary? This is Chen Chuan. Yes, Captain Nian's nephew. I need to speak with him." Once his uncle came on the line, he said, "Uncle, there's something I need to let you know in advance..."
When all the calls were finished, he slowly placed the receiver back on the telephone and looked up at Gao Ming. "Gao Ming, you can give them our reply."
Gao Ming nodded, turned, and walked out.
In an office on the top floor of the Wuyi administration building, a white-haired elder was practicing calligraphy with a two-meter-long brush. A young teacher hurried inside and said, "Teacher..."
The white-haired elder didn't look back at him, the brush in his hands resting steadily against the paper pinned to the wall as he asked, "What's the rush?"
The young teacher walked over and spoke several sentences in a low whisper.
"Oh?"
The white-haired elder turned around abruptly, a sharp gleam stirring in his eyes. Then he tossed aside the two-meter brush and took a couple of paces. "Good. Very good."
He said, "Three years ago, we didn't react in time. This time will be different. Not only is this a fine blade, but the hilt rests in his own hand. Good, truly good. Since the blade is already unsheathed, we cannot let it return empty-handed. Let us lend him some strength. Mm, mobilize those students as well."
The young teacher was puzzled. "Teacher, will they be of any use?"
The white-haired elder said, "A crowd may not always be useful, but numbers always command momentum. When that momentum gathers, it becomes a raging river. Let us see whether this flood can breach that sturdy dam."
Back at the training hall, Gao Ming returned from outside. "Cousin, the time is set. Four in the morning tomorrow. The location is the old Li'an Machinery factory district in the west of the city."
The name sounded somewhat familiar to Chen Chuan. He thought for a moment, his eyes shifting slightly. "That place?"
Gao Ming said, "I checked. That's the one."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Tell them I'll be there on time."
Gao Ming said all right and turned to leave.
After he left, Chen Chuan looked outside. It was just evening, and clusters of sunset clouds burned across the sky. Tomorrow would likely bring fine weather.
He sat down slowly on the mat, guiding his inner and outer breathing together. In his deep, unbroken meditation, the scene outside changed seemingly slowly yet swiftly, the sky gradually dimming into darkness.
Until at a certain moment, his eyes snapped open. He glanced at the clock nearby, stood up, and first washed up before changing into formal attire. Walking over to the weapon rack, he took the Xuejun Saber in hand, picked up a case from the floor, and stepped out of the building.
Gao Ming was already waiting there. The driver and car sent by He Nan had also arrived, the car door open.
Chen Chuan glanced upward. In the summer night sky, stars twinkled, though dark clouds occasionally obscured their light. He walked over and got into the car. Gao Ming closed the door for him and tapped lightly on the chassis. The headlights switched on, instantly illuminating the road ahead, and the car slowly rolled forward.
Chapter 181