Chapter 58 Calm down

In the car leaving Sichuan, I gradually calmed down and began to analyze the situation.

Xiao Hua wasn’t wrong. I was going to Guangxi now and I was alone. Even if Granny Huo’s men dared to let me go in and die, I had little chance of rescuing them.

Their team—including Fatty and Poker-face—was full of experts, so if they were trapped, how could someone with my ability rescue them? But I had to get a group of people at least equal to them in skill if I wanted to save them. This kind of person couldn’t be found in a short amount of time.

The news that Granny Huo had an accident was enough for us to mobilize the Huo family, but things in this business were often different below the surface. There had to be conflicts of interest within the Huo family, and this was the perfect opportunity for those people to take advantage of. It was hard to say what they would do first, but the situation would be even more complicated if the news was made public. Not only would no one sincerely support the rescue effort, but some people might even obstruct it.

As a result, Xiao Hua’s plan was to suppress it first. It needed to be done in a roundabout way, but it was just like he said. I was merely an ordinary person without Fatty and Poker-face around me, and this matter was beyond my scope. In fact, if I thought about it carefully, it was really the case.

When I was thinking about my plan in the car, I found that I had no clue. In the past, I would immediately think of Fatty, but now I searched through all the contacts in my phone and found that there was no one who had anything to do with this matter except for Pan Zi.

And Pan Zi, who retired to the countryside… should I bother him?

But I really couldn’t wait any longer. I had experienced those dangerous situations before and knew how important time was. I could understand the Xie family’s cautious nature, but Old Dog Wu’s loyalty and open-mindedness were also flowing in my veins. I made up my mind. This time, I was really throwing caution to the wind.

In order to save time, I phoned Pan Zi before flying to Changsha.

Pan Zi sounded a little surprised on the phone. I told him about my situation and said that I needed to get together a team and hoped he could help me.

I thought he would agree immediately, but he hesitated for a moment before saying to me, “Ok. When you come, I’ll meet you at the airport.”

I had a strange feeling in my heart. Something wasn’t quite right and I wondered if there were any changes on his side.

I felt uneasy the entire way back as I thought of how his voice had sounded. It didn’t seem like his usual tone, and I couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened in his life.

When I got to Changsha and left the airport, I saw Pan Zi standing by the car. I was shocked when I saw him. I could hardly recognize him at all.

The soldier of fortune had white hair and looked several years older than before. Although his back was still strong, that first glance was really jarring.

I looked at him and couldn’t think of anything to say. “Little Master Three, you look good.” He gave a reluctant smile, took my bag, and put it in the trunk of the car.

I got in the passenger seat and found that it was a used car that was much worse than the one he used to drive. Although Pan Zi had always dressed in a rustic way, after seeing him this time, I felt that his vitality was gone. He was no longer the Pan Zi I saw before, the man who could stand up after having several holes pierced through his body.

As the car struggled out of the airport, I asked him, “Where’s the original car?”

“Sold. I borrowed this car from my friend.” Pan Zi said. “The car was originally given to me by Master Three. He didn’t come back, so the goods in the shop were all snatched and sold by the people below. All the local rats came to demand repayment of their debts. I sold them and paid off some debts. I can’t let those villains speak ill of Master Three.”

I was struck dumb. After the accident, I really hadn’t cared about Uncle Three’s shop at all.

“Didn’t you say you found a woman? Where’s sister-in-law?” I asked.

“Women.” He gave a wry smile. “With my character, fuck, I’m not qualified to want a woman. I don’t want to harm someone’s daughter.” He looked at me and said, “What about you? Listening to what you said on the phone, you’re still doing that stupid shit. What’s going on?”

I shook my head, “It’s still the same mess.” I told him the story again and then asked, “Based on your experience, how much does it cost to form such a team?”

“Right now, it’s not a question of money. You have to give each person at least ten thousand if you’re hiring outsiders or however much you want. But these people are useless. A useful person makes their decision not only on how much money you pay but also your background.” Pan Zi said. “Everyone considered Master Three’s status because they knew that he could make them money. But you can’t do it now. These motherfuckers can’t be stopped at all. When the time comes, you won’t be able to trust them.”

“What can I do about it? Little Brother and Fatty are both in there. I don’t know what the situation is. If they die in there, I’ll be damned.” I sighed, feeling very uncomfortable as I remembered what Pan Ma had said.

Pan Zi didn’t speak, but lit a cigarette. “I’ve already realized it, what with our profession, but damn, I can’t die.”

“How is Uncle Three’s shop now?” I asked. “Can you handle it? Find a few capable guys?”

“Shop? Fuck the shop,” He cursed. “It’s all rotten. That flock of birds forgot how good Master Three treated them, and now look how they’ve returned the favor! There are only a few people that still have a little conscience. Wait a while, I’ll ask some of them out to dinner and see if they’ll help.”

I was rather surprised. Although I had heard about what happened under Uncle Three before, I didn’t expect it to reach this level.

“Why did it suddenly become so bad? Not a lot of time has passed after coming back from Tamutuo.”

“People’s hearts are disgusting.” Pan Zi said.

We drove to a farmer’s house in the suburb first, where Pan Zi returned the car to his neighbor and said we would take a taxi later. Then, he took me to the house he rented, which was surrounded by family homes. I looked at it and sighed with emotion, “It’s too bad. What’s the difference between this and living on the street? Under these conditions, not even prostitutes will visit.”

Pan Zi smiled wryly, “Shit, it’s just me anyways. So what if it’s like this? It’s not like it’s your house.”

“Why not buy one?” I asked.

“Can’t afford it. I always thought that Master Three would still be here, and I would go live in a nursing home with him when I got old, so I didn’t save much money. Who knew this would happen?” He pulled out a bench from under the flat bed and set it down for me.

I kicked aside the garbage can filled with lunch boxes and sat down. That was when I noticed Uncle Three’s memorial shrine off to one side.

“We still don’t know what exactly happened to Uncle Three. Isn’t it unlucky for you to do this?” I asked.

“It’s because I don’t know that I’ve put in an early effort. What if Master Three can’t eat there?” He replied while handing me a bottle of beer.

I unscrewed the cap and examined the details around me. I noticed that there wasn’t a TV here, and there was only a broken radio beside the bed. Pan Zi’s clothes were hanging very neat and tidy off to one side. I could see that they had been carefully ironed, which was probably a habit from when he was a soldier.

When he looked at me, he lost his smile. “I’m a simple man. Even if you look again, you won’t find any silk flowers. For people like me who got mixed up on the knife’s edge, I’m very happy to wake up naturally every day and find that I’m in the city where no one has killed or been cut down.”

“Then you have to have some fun,” I said. “What do you do every day? Look at the four walls?”

“Who said that I have no fucking entertainment? I eat pickles and drink beer at the window while looking at the women in the hair salon below. I live more comfortably than fairies.” Pan Zi apparently didn’t have a second stool and sat down on the bed while taking out his cell phone. “I’ll call them now. But Little Master Three, I have to warn you that these are different times. I used to be uncompromising, but now we’re asking for help. Be prepared. When you hear them speak later, their words may not be so pleasant.”

I felt uneasy when he said this. I wasn’t the type of person who could stand cold dishes very well.

Pan Zi started calling. There were several times where he only managed to say that I was here and looking for help before he was immediately hung up on. Some of them simply couldn’t be reached. There were only two or three that agreed to dinner. After the battle, Pan Zi looked at me and said comfortingly, “It’s ok. Three people are willing to come, which is much better than I thought.”

That night, I met the three men at the International Trade Center hotel. When I looked at them, I realized that I actually knew all of them. When Uncle Three was around, these were the grave robbers who had the best relationship with him. I had even called them all uncle at some point.

They all nodded after the meeting, but I found that they didn’t stand up at this time. 

I took a deep breath and looked at their expressions. They didn’t seem very reluctant, so I gradually relaxed. Pan Zi ordered some dishes, chatted with them for a while, and then got to the point.

At that time, we had set a script that we had worked out in advance. We didn’t say how horrible the Zhang Jialou was, just that it might have a good haul.

While they were lost in thought, I said, “Uncles, it’s difficult to meet such a big opportunity in this bad world. I want to borrow a few of your guys and create a team to do a job.”

I looked at their faces, only to find that they were all showing difficult expressions.

“Little Master Three, is this a tomb robbery?” A person asked me. I remembered this guy was called Uncle Qiu.

I thought about it, “Sort of. Not really.”

“A rule in this business is that you have to throw something out before you plan a grave robbery. How do we know whether what you said is true or not? You know this field is full of uncertainty. You haven’t been in this business very long, have you? Even if I were to sell you face, my brothers wouldn’t listen to me.” Uncle Qiu said.

After that, the other two both nodded, “Little Master Three, it’s not easy for everyone to muddle along now. It’s not so convenient to send a brother since everyone has to pay for it.”

“Master Three already made the down payment.” Pan Zi replied. “Having been brothers for so many years, you can be regarded as having watched Little Master Three grow. Why sound so distant?”

“Master Three prepared Master Three’s money.” Uncle Qiu said. “You also said that he’s Little Master Three. Is he Master Three’s son? If that’s the case, then Master Three’s money is your money. But unfortunately, you’re not his son. Isn’t that right? We’ll explain everything. I took the money and spent it, but it has nothing to do with you.” (1)

When he said this, he looked at Pan Zi again. “Even Little Master Three can’t control the money. What are you playing at Pan Zi?”

The guy’s voice got louder as he spoke, and the two people beside him urged, “Lao Qiu, you know Pan Zi’s temper. Don’t talk like that.”

Pan Zi sneered but didn’t say anything, so Uncle Qiu continued, “Little Master Three, let’s give Master Three face here and call you Master. If you really want to think about this, it’s better to do it. Give us the lease to Master Three’s shop in Hangzhou and we’ll go with you. It’s your luck if you can retrieve your things. If you can’t, it’s your own bad luck.”

“Fuck you!” Pan Zi burst out. “Shit, why are you willing to come out today, thinking about Master Three’s shop? Let me tell you, I may have no money now, but I’m a son of a bitch who’s slaughtered more people than you have fingers. You try and touch Master Three’s ancestral property and I’ll kill your whole family with a knife.”

When Pan Zi exploded, Uncle Qiu obviously feared his temper and knew that he could really do it. He stared at him while another uncle said, “Oh, come on, we’re all brothers here.”

Uncle Qiu stood up and slapped the table while saying, “Well, you’re certainly ruthless. You can go to hell along with that guy Uncle Three’s ancestral property.” He glanced at me and said, “Little Master Three, I’m sorry. I was trying to be charitable and came here to tell you a few things. But in light of your Uncle Three’s absence, who the fuck are you in Changsha City? You’re even worse than a fucking dog. I’ll release the message tomorrow. You won’t get a team even if you have money. I’ll be waiting for you to come begging me on your knees!”

With that said, he shook his hands and left. The other two saw that they couldn’t eat anymore and hurried after him, leaving the two of us alone at the table.

I was completely blindsided and didn’t know what was going on. It took me a long time before I eventually felt sick.

Pan Zi had obviously experienced a lot, so it didn’t matter to him. He took a deep breath to calm down and then said to me, “Now you know how these people are.”

<Chapter 57> <Table of Contents><Chapter 59>

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TN Notes:

(1) Basically Pan Zi is saying these guys owe Uncle Three money and can repay that by helping Wu Xie and the dude’s like “nope, you’re not his son so I have no obligation”

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Updated 12/2/2020