Following the operation to capture Scarface, Chen Chuan returned to his daily training routine.
In the mornings, he went out for foundational training. Back at the dorms, he practiced his jin technique and Orthodox Sanshou. At night, he maintained his breathing technique without interruption, fitting in time to practice his saber forms as well.
Because he needed practical combat experience with weapons, he had consulted Cheng Zitong, who wrote him an authorization slip. With this, he could visit the training hall to spar with students from the Weapons Division. He planned to practice there whenever he had free time, so that he would not be clumsy with real applications once he actually earned his weapons license.
At the same time, an issue began to surface. Because his training hours far exceeded those of ordinary students, he went through a significant amount of training supplements each day.
He realized that if things continued like this, his semester quota of medicinal supplements would run out in a month or two, after which he would have to pay out of pocket.
Even if Cheng Zitong could get him the lowest price, the year-long expense would hardly be negligible. He still needed to find ways to take on more commissioned missions.
He checked his Second Self. The fading blurriness that had persisted since capturing the Child in the Well was still there, though he could sense it was getting fainter. Clearly, it was gradually weakening. Perhaps he should wait a bit longer—once it vanished completely, he could try asking Cheng Zitong about a second commission.
That evening, returning after practicing his saber forms, he began cleaning and maintaining his blade with a special saber oil sent by Old Lady Ni.
The more he practiced his forms, the more proficient he became. Yet gradually, he could also feel something distinct from this saber. Channelling jin through it was relatively effortless, which made sense given that the weapon was likely forged to channel jin in the first place.
However, he also sensed there was something within it he had yet to identify or master. He could not put his finger on what it was, but the feeling was undeniable.
Right in the middle of maintenance, the dorm supervisor called from outside, "Student Chen, you have a phone call."
Chen Chuan had a good idea of who it was. He opened the door, thanked the supervisor, walked over to the payphone, and picked up the receiver. "Hello, this is Chen Chuan."
Sure enough, Wei Chang'an's voice came through: "Junior, Scarface has talked. We're setting a trap for Tong Qianjiang tonight. You must come. If it's convenient, I'll pick you up at seven."
Chen Chuan replied, "Alright, Brother Wei. I'll wait at the dorm."
After hanging up, Chen Chuan returned to his room. He glanced at his wristwatch; it was not yet six-thirty, leaving him half an hour. He continued slowly wiping down the blade. Once the oil was thoroughly applied, he gave the weapon a slight flick, and a gleam of cold light flashed across the steel.
With the maintenance finished, he sheathed the saber, washed up in the bathroom, changed into clothes suitable for heading out, and headed downstairs.
It was still slightly before seven. Outside, darkness had fallen, though the streetlights were already on. Just as he stepped out, Wei Chang'an's Tuotu sedan pulled up. Wei Chang'an greeted him from inside, and Chen Chuan walked over, opened the door, and got in.
Wei Chang'an reversed, turned the car around, and drove out through the school gates along the main road. He retrieved several forms and handed them to Chen Chuan.
"Junior, these are the forms for the previous commissions, including the captures of Brother Tian and Scarface. Sign each of them. Once I turn them in, I can get you your receipt, and your payment will be transferred afterward. By the way, do you have an account now?"
"I do. I'll give you the account details later, Brother Wei."
Chen Chuan took the papers, took out a pen, and signed each one. Even though the car was moving, his hand remained remarkably steady, without a single slanted or crooked stroke. Handing them back, he asked, "Brother Wei, you don't seem to be in the best mood today?"
"You noticed?" Wei Chang'an said with self-deprecating humor. "My old man always tells me that even though I'm good at dealing with people, I can never keep things hidden. If I don't fix that, I'll never achieve anything big."
Chen Chuan thought to himself: *I don't know about other things, Brother Wei, but you certainly didn't hide that mop very well.*
Wei Chang'an carefully put the documents away, let out a breath, and said, "The lead for this mission to capture Tong Qianjiang has been replaced.
"The company made an excuse that my previous operation incurred too many losses and resulted in severe injuries, so they put someone else in charge of this mission.
"They even squeezed out the men I originally led and replaced them with their own people."
He glanced at Chen Chuan. "If you hadn't been a primary participant and the key figure in both captures, they would have crossed you off the list as well."
Chen Chuan knew that intrigue and power struggles were unavoidable anywhere. This was clearly someone swooping in to reap the rewards, and there was nothing he could do to help.
He thought for a moment and asked, "Brother Wei, for this capture of Tong Qianjiang, did Scarface give up his whereabouts?"
Wei Chang'an shook his head. "No. Scarface is still bedridden. You struck hard, Junior. He survived, but a full recovery is practically out of the question. Luckily, we had truth serums and extracted some information out of him.
"In truth, Scarface was mostly in possession of the drugs Chou Huzi left behind. The person handling contacts was his subordinate, Tian Yaozu, who knows most of the details. The kid agreed to cooperate, so through him, we regained Tong Qianjiang's trust and set up a deal tonight for him to collect the goods. As long as Tong Qianjiang shows up, it's practically in the bag."
Chen Chuan thought to himself that it was no wonder. The commissioning agency's intervention was impeccably timed. At Wei Chang'an's current commissioner rank, he obviously had no power to resist.
Watching the road for a moment, he asked, "Brother Wei, are we heading to Xigang District this time?"
"Yes," Wei Chang'an said. "The meeting spot is back in Xigang District, where Tong Qianjiang was first sighted. The company has already set up an ambush. As long as he arrives, we'll definitely capture him."
Over twenty minutes later, the car reached an abandoned factory in Xigang District and drove straight inside. From the outside, nothing looked amiss, but the interior was brightly lit, clearly powered by a generator.
Wei Chang'an said, "To avoid alerting Tong Qianjiang, we'll leave the car here. From here, we walk to the ambush site."
As the sedan pulled further inside, several vehicles were already parked there. "All company people," he remarked.
Once parked, Chen Chuan asked as he got out, "Brother Wei, if you don't mind me asking, who replaced you as the mission lead? Someone from upper management?"
Shutting the car door, Wei Chang'an said derisively, "Hu Shiguang, the second son of the company's boss. All his past commissions were done with others doing the legwork for him. This mission is just the boss handing his son an easy win to pad his resume.
"Anyone can see this is free credit ripe for the picking. If they catch Tong Qianjiang, they can follow the leads to root out Fang Dawei's whole gang. That will skyrocket his industry standing in one go. The boss is paving the way for his son to take over the company's business."
He shook his head again. "Once your Brother Wei becomes a senior commissioner, I'm striking out on my own, done with running with this crowd. Enough about that—can't let my troubles ruin your mood, Junior. Let's go."
After stepping out of the factory, Wei Chang'an took out a flashlight and led the way down an overgrown path. Chen Chuan noticed he walked quickly, suggesting he had been here before.
After walking about two li, they arrived beside another abandoned factory. On the surface, no one was around, but Chen Chuan could sense numerous eyes watching them from the shadows and in the open.
Wei Chang'an walked up to a side door, knocked, and said, "I'm Wei Chang'an. I'm here to see Mr. Hu to check on tonight's arrangements."
After a brief wait, the door opened. A man who appeared to be a team leader stood inside, followed by a security guard. He glanced at Wei Chang'an, then looked at Chen Chuan and asked, "Commissioner Wei, who is this?"
Wei Chang'an shot him a sidelong glance. "You don't recognize him? My junior, Chen Chuan!"
Chapter 79