Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 254: Loyalty
Shu is known as the land of thousands of rivers. Most of the rivers in the area are branches of the Yangtze River. There are nearly two hundred navigable rivers in total. Thanks to this, Shu's water transport industry is also unique. Although the water transport gangs cannot compare with those in the water towns of Jiangnan, they are still a rare force in the west.

The leader of the Shu martial arts world is Dao Kui. Over the years, it is impossible for him not to take over such a lucrative business as the water transport. He has many water transport gangs under his command who are loyal to him. The most powerful one is the leader of the Jinsha River, the Jinsha Gang.

Although the name is a bit unsophisticated, the most important thing in the martial arts world is to have memorable features. From this point of view, the Jinsha Gang has done a good job. It has taken root in the Yangtze River of Shu and has made its business flourish. Its disciples are a gathering of elite warriors. It is a pity that there is no warrior who can build a bridge between heaven and earth, otherwise the Jinsha Gang might be able to become the leader of the Shu martial arts world.

The Jinsha Gang’s current success is inseparable from the real leader behind the scenes… Mr. Qin Sanye.

Mr. Qin Sanye used to work as a middleman in the capital, and now he is the father-in-law of the sword master. With such connections, even a pig can ride on the wind and waves to get by in Shu.

However, when doing business, one will naturally not be confined to one place. Shu and Qin are not far apart, so the Jinsha Gang naturally has some connections and influence in Chang'an.

At midnight, a drizzle was falling in a small town just a hundred miles southwest of Chang'an.

Shi Shoujin dismounted in front of a tavern. In front of the tavern, there were many carriages parked with flags with the word "gold" hanging on them. The tavern was bustling with people toasting each other, and dim light seeped through the gaps in the door and the window paper.

Bangdang————

Shi Shoujin pushed open the door, and the pub became quiet in an instant, accompanied by the strong smell of alcohol, sweat and women's scent. The raindrops outside the pub mixed with the cold air blew into the room.

It can be seen that there are more than a dozen small tables in the lobby. Big men in open-collared sweatshirts are sitting cross-legged in front of the tables. One of them is holding a prostitute in his arms and holding a wine bowl. They all have fierce expressions and it is obvious that they have crawled out of a pile of corpses.

Shi Shoujin was dressed in a white scholar's robe and looked very gentle and refined, but he looked very frail in front of them.

However, as a Cao Gang, the Jinsha Gang is mainly businessmen. Although they look fierce and have fought many times, they have no interest in bullying others. Someone raised his hand calmly, "This restaurant is reserved by our Jinsha Gang. Didn't you see the flag outside?"

Shi Shoujin raised his hand and threw out a gold bar, saying, "I came to discuss business with your leader. Is this gift enough?"

Talking about business?
Someone weighed the gold bar and smiled. It was heavy. The prostitute next to him looked over curiously, but he pushed her aside and she stood up and walked to the back of the tavern. "Follow me."

There was a private room at the back of the tavern. Two people were sitting inside, toasting each other. One of them was a burly man in a short martial arts uniform. He was none other than Wei Hetong, the leader of the Jinsha Gang.

"Boss, this guy wants to discuss business with you. He's very generous and he's from a wealthy family."

Wei Hetong didn't even raise his head, "Get out of here, don't you see I'm discussing business with Master Fan?"

"Master Fan?" Shi Shoujin raised his hand and slapped away the hand of the man next to him. He glanced at the man next to Wei Hetong and said, "Master Fan from the Jiuli tribe?"

The Jiuli tribe was too mysterious. Even Dong Yan was not very clear about it. She only knew that there was such a force in Miaojiang. With Luo Shuzhi's suspicious nature, he naturally could not tolerate the existence of such a mysterious force in the Dali territory. Therefore, he investigated for several years and found out that the Jiuli tribe was controlled by five major clans, one of which was the Fan family.

The reason why the Fan family was found was because the Fan family had close contacts with Daokui, so they were able to trace the clues and find out, but they didn't know much else.

Therefore, Shi Shoujin was just guessing.

The man looked at Shi Shoujin in surprise, then touched his wrist that had been slapped, which already had a bruise... This weak scholar actually had this much strength?
He also knows martial arts?
The man gave Wei He the same look, this guy was probably a tough guy.

Wei Hetong frowned.

But Shi Shoujin had obviously guessed right. Master Fan stroked the wine glass with his fingertips, glanced at Shi Shoujin, and was surprised. "Not many people know Jiuli..."

As he said this, he looked at Wei Hetong and smiled, "The people who want to discuss business with Boss Wei are more interesting than the others."

Upon hearing this, Wei Hetong immediately understood what he meant. Master Fan probably wanted to know the identity of this person, so he raised his hand gently and asked, "What is this person's name?"

"Shi Shoujin." Shi Shoujin bowed lightly, then showed no fear at all. He pulled up the hem of his robe and sat cross-legged in front of the table.

Master Fan sipped his wine, said nothing, and just listened with an amused look on his face.

The backer behind the Jinsha Gang is Mr. Qin Sanye. This news is considered a secret in the underworld, and not many people know about it. Wei Hetong then looked at Shi Shoujin seriously, and said in a serious tone, "What do you want to talk about?"

"For so many years, Boss Wei has never been content to stay in a small corner of Shu. He has always dreamed of expanding his territory. I'm afraid you have been coveting Chang'an Wharf for a long time. I have a way to help you take over Chang'an Wharf."

Wei Hetong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said:

"Dreams are dreams, reality is reality. People in the martial arts world only recognize fists. No matter how big the territory is, it cannot be defended without the endorsement of a martial arts champion-level expert. Although Yangshe Congyun has been stripped of the martial arts champion plaque, his strength is still unmatched in Shu. As long as he is not defeated, he will still be the leader of Shu, but he is only the leader of Shu. The Jinsha Gang depends on Yangshe Congyun. If he can't reach Chang'an, then even if I take over the Chang'an Wharf, I can't keep this territory."

Shi Shoujin raised his eyebrows frivolously. This Wei Hetong is actually a smart man. That's right, few of those who can make a name for themselves in the underworld are fools.

Wei Hetong said bluntly: "Although I don't have the confidence to take over Chang'an Wharf, I also know the benefits... I'm sure you won't give up this benefit so easily. Are you an enemy of Zhu Yunliang?"

Zhu Yunliang is currently the person in charge of Chang'an Wharf. However, for a mere gangster like him to be the leader of the Cao Gang in a big city in Qin like Chang'an, there must be someone behind him... In fact, it is the Crown Prince Luo Shuzhi. This wharf is also one of Dong Yan's financial sources.

Therefore, Zhu Yunliang is naturally Shi Shoujin's man, but not many people know about this... A secret agent, a secret agent, when so many people know about it, can it still be called a secret agent?
Shi Shoujin stroked the wine glass and did not answer directly, but said lightly:
"Although the Cao Gang has the responsibility to collect taxes at the docks, the power of the Cao Gang does not come from Wu Kui... but from the court. Most people in the Jianghu do not recognize the court, but recognize the Cao Gang. That's why Zhu Yunliang can collect money at the docks. But he has been a little arrogant in recent days. He has collected money but paid less to the court. No one has stopped him yet because he has enough influence in Chang'an and has some relationship with the governor. But if he offends someone he shouldn't..."

As he spoke, Shi Shoujin snorted coldly.

Wei Hetong and Master Fan exchanged a glance, and then Wei Hetong immediately remembered something, and said in a surprised tone, "According to the date, Marquis Weiming should come to Shu. If he takes the water route from Chang'an...hiss, are you Marquis Weiming's man!? You, no, you want to use the Chang'an Wharf to call on our Jinsha Gang!?"

Shi Shoujin:?

When did I become Zhao Wumian's subordinate?
But Wei Hetong obviously had the wrong idea. He immediately stood up and paced back and forth. "Having Marquis Weiming's endorsement is much more useful than some so-called sword master..."

He reacted and quickly poured a glass of wine for Shi Shoujin, saying with a smile:
"Sir, please tell me more about this business! To be honest, when the Marquis came to Shu, many people in the martial arts world thought that the Marquis was young and hot-blooded. Yangshe Congyun has been famous for many years. Although he cannot be called the shame of the Ten Martial Champions, he is definitely a master among the top Martial Champions.

After all, the Marquis does not have the bridge to communicate between heaven and earth, so he can never be a match for Yangshe Congyun. But in my opinion, in front of the Marquis, the sword master is just an old man who is about to die, nothing more than a chicken and a dog."

Shi Shoujin's eyes twitched. Although he would do anything to achieve his goal, he was not the kind of person who would remain indifferent if he was misunderstood as a subordinate of his enemy... But if he disguised himself as Zhao Wumian's subordinate and caused trouble in Shu, Zhao Wumian's reputation would definitely be ruined in the end.

Hiss... This is a good idea, but how to do it specifically?

Just as Shi Shoujin was pondering, Master Fan beside him suddenly slapped the square table. Under the tremendous internal force, the wooden table was immediately turned into powder, and the wine and food on it fell to the ground with a crackling sound.

However, Master Fan looked at Shi Shoujin coldly and said in a cold voice, "I have a useless brother named Fan Li. He was young and arrogant. He followed Huanzhen Pavilion and Qing Liantian to the capital. As a result, he was beheaded by Zhao Wumian with a knife. His head was hung in Bailu Square for public display. With such a blood feud, how dare you, a rat, show up in front of me?"

Shi Shoujin:?

No, he didn’t even know that Fan Li was from the Jiuli Fan family!
This cannot be blamed on Shi Shoujin. After all, even the Detective Department does not know this information. It was Li Jingnan who told Zhao Wumian this. No matter how well-connected Dong Yan is, it is impossible for her to know everything.

Shi Shoujin opened his mouth, and wanted to use Zhao Wumian's banner to stir up trouble in Shu, but the idea was crushed before it even sprouted. He could say that he was Dong Yan, but Wei Hetong was eyeing him covetously and might even hold his head in his hand to pay homage to Zhao Wumian. If he didn't say anything, this Master Fan would dig out his heart.

He was caught in a dilemma and could only answer vaguely, "I am not Zhao Wumian's subordinate. I came to visit Boss Wei just to tell you that Zhu Yunliang is dead. If you want to share the soup at Chang'an Wharf, I can help, but you need to contact Mr. Qin San for me."

Since Mr. Qin Sanye became the father-in-law of Dao Kui, he claimed that he had retired from the underworld and lived in seclusion behind the scenes, but no one knew where he was usually. He looked like he had to hide from his enemies even with the protection of Dao Kui. That's why Shi Shoujin approached the Jinsha Gang, hoping to ask for their help.

Master Fan sneered, "Words are not enough. Who knows if you are Zhao Wumian's man... Come on! Capture him first!"

boom--

Two figures instantly smashed the windows in the house, and raindrops mixed with wood chips flew everywhere. Before the wood chips flew out, a cold light surged out from inside, with murderous aura, pointing directly at Shi Shoujin.

Ding ding————

The tavern was suddenly noisy. After two sounds of fighting, there was a "bang" and the white-robed scholar flew out from the broken wood on the roof of the tavern. With a light tap of his toes, he flew onto the horse parked in front of the tavern, squeezed the horse's belly, and rode away with a long whistle.

"The Fan family of Jiuli also wants Zhao Wumian's head? We should have cooperated, but we fought each other because of a misunderstanding. I, Shi Shoujin, will remember this grudge! If you don't believe me today, don't blame me for not giving you face if you want to seek help in the future! Zhao Wumian will land in Chang'an soon, you can watch if you don't believe me!"

The Jinsha Gang's minions squeezed out of the tavern with swords in hand, but saw Shi Shoujin had already fled on horseback, and they hesitated as to whether they should give chase.

Wei Hetong leaped onto the roof of the tavern with a sullen face. He looked at Shi Shoujin, who was riding away like a cloud of dust. He was silent for a few seconds before raising his hand calmly, "Don't chase him. There is no grudge or benefit. It's not worth the effort. Don't delay tomorrow's business..."

As he spoke, Wei Hetong jumped into the tavern again. Looking at Master Fan, whose expression was uncertain, he was a little surprised. "I didn't expect that Master Fan's brother would die at the hands of Marquis Weiming..."

Next to Master Fan stood two close guards in straw raincoats, with a slightly gloomy look on their faces. They glanced at Wei Hetong, then calmed down after a few seconds and smiled as usual, "If Master Wei wants to make Zhao Wumian surrender, you might as well chop off Master Fan's head and bring it over." "Master, you really know how to joke." Wei Hetong touched his head and laughed.
“The Jinsha Gang has cooperated with the Fan family for many years. Now, thanks to you, we are able to establish a connection with the Tang family and do business with them… There are only two martial arts masters in the Shu martial arts world. In this way, Qing Liantian and the Tang family are both related to our Jinsha Gang.

As the saying goes, it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. The Jinsha Gang is now inferior to Qing Liantian and the Tang family in Shu. Even if I follow Zhao Wumian, can he look down on my Cao Gang? He might even use these brothers under my command to clean the toilet!"

"Oh?" Master Fan said with a fake smile, "Didn't the gang leader just say that even the sword master is nothing but a chicken and a dog in front of Zhao Wumian..."

"It's just polite talk. Everyone knows that Zhao Wumian has never bridged the gap between heaven and earth." Wei Hetong said with a smile,
"If Dao Kui really meets him, he will beat the shit out of him. I will write a letter now, asking Dao Kui to use more strength in the duel, and directly injure him severely. This way, if Master Fan wants to take revenge, he will have a good opportunity."

"Forget it." Master Fan sat down on the still intact chair, pondered for a moment, and said, "I can't believe everything that Shi Shoujin said, but it's a clue after all. If Zhao Wumian really got off the boat in Chang'an and caused some trouble...why don't you help me go and find out the truth?"

Wei Hetong's face turned green, "That's Wei Ming Hou. Even if our Jinsha Gang is the best gang in Shu, it's not enough for him to beat with one hand."

"Boss Wei claims that he is not capable enough and is unwilling to interfere in the transportation of grain transport in Chang'an, but I know a thing or two about whether he has stationed people there." Master Fan smiled and said:
"I was just gathering information, but I didn't ask Gang Leader Wei to kill Zhao Wumian. If time wasn't too tight and I hadn't had time to arrange for manpower, I would have gone to Chang'an to find a way to surround and kill him. As long as the gang leader is willing to help, my Fan family can also do what Shoujin promised... Isn't it just a little territory?"

Wei Hetong pondered for a while. He actually didn't know much about the Fan family. He only knew that Yangshe Congyun had always been courteous to the Fan family. The force that could make Daokui treat the Fan family like this must be extraordinary, so they would be so subservient to Master Fan. Therefore, this guess by the man surnamed Fan was correct.

Therefore, Wei Hetong agreed and bowed to say goodbye.

After Shi Shoujin's disturbance, he couldn't eat the meal. Anyway, the business had been negotiated long ago, so he should hurry to Chang'an as soon as possible.

After Wei Hetong led the team away, the guard beside Master Fan whispered: "We are just going to Chang'an to gather information about Zhao Wumian. Anyone can do it. Why choose him? What if he really surrenders to Zhao Wumian and exposes Master..."

"What I want is for him to be exposed." Fan Li laughed in silence.

"Then the batch of goods he has..."

"That's the Tang family, not my Fan family."

Four days later.

"My Lord, do you really want to be like Yang Guo and marry this little dragon girl?"

The Queen Mother was lying on the soft couch, her face supported by her small hands. Her mature and beautiful face showed a teasing and somewhat feigned shyness. Her phoenix eyes looked at Zhao Wumian with shyness and resentment. Her hips under her green skirt were like mountains, forming a very attractive curve at her waist. Her two small feet under her skirt were wearing white socks, which rose and fell, raised and fell.

During the time on the boat, Zhao Wumian was bored. Apart from comprehending the Red Silk of Naraku, he secretly bullied his master with the little mute behind the Queen Mother's back and told stories to the Queen Mother.

The mute princess Luo Xiangzhu also listened with great interest, holding the bowl of lotus seed soup in both hands. After she finished listening, she was surprised to find that the soup in the bowl had gone cold.

Zhao Wumian drank some water to moisten his throat. He didn't need to say anything. Mu Li'er, who was sitting next to the empress dowager, raised her hand and patted her hips. Her green skirt was like the sea, with waves rising and falling. "What nonsense are you talking about? I was just telling you a story to cheer you up, why are you putting yourself in it?"

The Queen Mother felt pain and felt that being spanked in front of Zhao Wumian was a loss of dignity. She pinched Mu Lier's waist and said with dissatisfaction while frowning:
"It's only a matter of time before he calls me aunt, so why can't I put myself in his shoes? But now that I think about it, Xiaolongnu has Yang Guo by her side in the ancient tomb, and I am all alone in the deep palace..."

"I haven't been to the palace to see you in these years?"

"How many times a year do you come to visit me?" The Queen Mother blinked her right eye at Zhao Wumian again. Her every move was like a teenage lady from an aristocratic family, noble and lively. "When you return to the capital, you may as well stay in the palace. Although Kunning Palace doesn't have a cold jade bed, it has me."

Zhao Wumian wanted to say, is this comparable? I can sleep on the cold jade bed, but can I sleep with the queen mother? This is definitely not something he can say.

The Queen Mother knew what Zhao Wumian was thinking from the look on his face. An inexplicable expression appeared on her mature and beautiful face. She tapped her red lips with her fingertips and asked softly, "My Lord, do you want to sleep with me?"

Luo Xiangzhu, who was sitting obediently on the side, blushed when she heard this, and her eyes revealed a bit of disbelief, as if asking "Are you so extravagant?"

Mu Lier got angry, "Shen Nange! Do you still look like the queen mother every day?"

The Queen Mother looked at Mu Li'er blankly and pretended to be stupid: "Am I the Queen Mother? Li'er, I'm not saying anything bad to you. Now that you are leaving the capital incognito, you can't mention your identity. If there are ears on the other side of the wall and your identity is exposed, who knows who will come to murder me."

As she spoke, the Queen Mother looked at Zhao Wumian again, her charming face showing a somewhat foolish smile, "But the Marquis will definitely protect me, right? Yang Guo failed to protect Xiao Longnu, but I know that the Marquis is not Yang Guo, so I will not be Xiao Longnu either."

It has to be said that the Queen Mother's smile and words were enough to make any man in the world's heart beat fast, but Zhao Wumian knew that this woman's words could not be trusted at all. If he took them seriously, he didn't know how he would be teased, so he also smiled.

"Nan'er is Nan'er, why do you always compare her to Xiao Long Nu?"

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "I am reminding Marquis Weiming that I have learned a lot from your story."

"What did you learn?"

“How did Yang Guo win the hearts of so many women? On the one hand, he is a skilled martial artist, a free and easy person, and a handsome face. On the other hand, he is good at talking.” The Queen Mother raised her head slightly, her face proud, “If you don’t believe that Wei Minghou can ask me anything you want.”

"When your Majesty the Queen arrives in Chang'an, what do you want to do most?"

"Seeing that the Marquis punishes evil and promotes good, I am moved by this." The Queen Mother looked at Zhao Wumian and showed a youthful and brilliant smile.

"…The Queen Mother is indeed Miss Shen's aunt. She is very good at teasing men."

The Queen Mother pretended to be surprised and gently covered her pink lips with her small hand. "My Lord, do you mean that I am just as fond of Xiangge as you are? That won't do. Jokes aside, it's absolutely not okay for an aunt and niece to accept me at the same time. But I am also very curious..."

The Queen Mother tilted her head to look at Zhao Wumian, her eyes full of interest and a hint of aggression, "From your perspective, who is more pleasing to you, me or Xiangge? I'm referring to men and women..."

Before she finished speaking, Mu Lier raised her hand expressionlessly and grabbed the Queen Mother's face, "If you continue to say such shameless words, we will send someone to take you back to the capital after we get off the boat."

"Wow, I was wrong..."

Zhao Wumian laughed loudly, but was then pulled down by Mu Lier, "You too, why did you respond to the Queen Mother's jokes?"

After teaching the Queen Mother and Zhao Wumian a lesson, Mu Lier gave Zhao Wumian a look with a cold face, then left the cabin and went into the next room.

Zhao Wumian followed closely behind, and as soon as the door was closed, he lightly lifted his master's delicate chin and bent down to kiss her red lips.

"Hmm..." Mu Li'er struggled a little. This time she didn't even get on the bed. She was directly pressed against the wall by Zhao Wumian and was tasted wantonly. There was a wall between her and the empress dowager. She could vaguely hear the empress dowager complaining to Luo Xiangzhu, saying things like 'Li'er is so boring. She was just joking with her apprentice.'

"Evil, evil disciple! You are so impatient, I think you just want to take advantage of your master's body!" After a short break, Mu Lier hit Zhao Wumian hard with tears in her eyes.

"Master has beautiful eyes, a slender waist, and a very familiar feeling when hugged. Her lips are moist and soft. Perhaps because of her martial arts training, her skin is also very elastic..."

Zhao Wumian listed all the treasures, but before he could finish, Mu Lier grabbed his ear and said angrily, "Didn't your teacher ask you to list all the places you are greedy for?"

"I know, there's no way to list them all, I'll just pick a few at random."

"You!" Mu Lier was so angry that her chest heaved.

"The poison hasn't been removed yet..." Zhao Wumian reminded.

Mu Lier looked at Zhao Wumian with dissatisfaction, and then turned her face away angrily.

Zhao Wumian lifted his master's chin with his fingertips, then bent it back and tasted his master's lips again.

It was almost midnight, and the ship traveled day and night, and arrived at Chang'an Wharf in the early morning of the next day.

The river was filled with merchant ships, connected in groups with colorful flags fluttering. The noisy voices of dock workers mixed with the river breeze drifted in.

Zhao Wumian and his companions stood on the deck. Even though they had not yet entered the city, they could still see the prosperous buildings and the crowds of people outside the port.

They all looked a little excited, as they had finally arrived in Chang'an.

When we entered the port, we saw many people at the dock wearing uniforms, holding rosters and wearing swords at their waists, checking the identities of people getting off the ship.

There is a war going on, so those who enter and leave the port should be checked in detail. There is nothing wrong with that. However, the Queen Mother looked at him for a few seconds and frowned slightly, "This is not someone from the government."

(End of this chapter)