Chapter 310 - 245: Imperial Capital’s Underground Leader (2)

Chapter 310: Chapter 245: Imperial Capital’s Underground Leader (2)

"Understood."

The man acknowledged the order and left once more.

Zhang Fan turned back and smiled at Wu Liangchen. "Master Wu, what do you think of my arrangements?"

Wu Liangchen also gave a slight smile. "You’re too kind. This is your territory, so we’ll do things your way."

Zhang Fan rubbed his hands together with a sly grin. Just as he was about to say something, another person ran in from outside.

"Boss, that He Chang’an is here. He hasn’t requested any of the girls and is just sitting in his room drinking tea. Looks like he’s waiting for someone."

"Good. Keep him under secret surveillance."

"Yes, sir!"

While Zhang Fan was secretly deploying his men, He Chang’an was sitting in his room, drinking tea with a heart full of anxiety.

Anxiang Pavilion served only the finest floral teas, but at this moment, the sweet brew tasted like wax in He Chang’an’s mouth.

He had been feeling an intense sense of crisis lately.

Ever since he had risked his life to save Xu Kai, he thought he could use that act to win Wu Liangchen’s trust and successfully worm his way into his inner circle.

But reality had turned out differently than he’d expected.

Although Wu Liangchen showed nothing on the surface, his cold attitude toward him recently made it clear that he had become suspicious.

This left He Chang’an feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles. So much so that the first thing he did after recovering from his injuries was contact Wei Heng to get in touch with the people from the East Sea.

He knew the risk of exposure was high, but right now, he couldn’t afford to worry about that.

He was afraid that if he delayed any longer, his life would be forfeit.

Just as he was waiting anxiously, the door creaked open, and Wei Heng walked in with a smile.

"Lord He, it’s been a while! I trust you’ve been well."

He Chang’an breathed a sigh of relief.

’Good. Looks like I haven’t been completely abandoned yet, or this Wei Heng wouldn’t have come to see me.’

He also put on a warm expression, as if seeing an old friend, and stood up. "Shopkeeper Wei, please, have a seat."

After Wei Heng was seated, the two exchanged a few pleasantries before He Chang’an said with a smile, "How are things with that batch of goods I asked you to handle, Shopkeeper Wei?"

As he spoke, He Chang’an dipped his finger in his teacup and wrote a few words on the table.

I need to see the lords.

"Most of it is already gone. It should all be cleared out before the new year. When the time comes, I’ll personally deliver your share to your estate, Lord He," Wei Heng said, while also writing a few words on the table.

Not today.

He Chang’an grew anxious. Forcing down his impatience, he said, "Then I’ll be counting on you, Shopkeeper Wei."

At the same time, his finger flew across the tabletop as he wrote several more words.

Wu Liangchen must be onto me. If this keeps dragging on, I don’t think I’ll make it out alive.

"Haha, you jest, Lord He. I rely on your support to make a living here in the Imperial Capital."

At the same time, he wrote two words on the table: "Calm down."

He Chang’an could no longer contain himself and blurted out, "How can I not be agitated? It’s easy for you to say since you’re not the one in the hot seat!"

Wei Heng’s expression grew cold. He glanced from side to side, then said coolly, "I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean by that, Lord He."

"Stop playing dumb! This isn’t what you promised me. You said you’d support me as Regent Prince after we wiped out the Great Yan’s high command. But what happened? I was nearly blown to bits, and now you want to burn the bridge after crossing it, is that it?" He Chang’an said, his face contorted in a snarl.

He was truly desperate.

Back then, to win him over, this gang from the East Sea had not only gifted him immense wealth but had also promised that he would wield great power and become a pivotal figure.

But now, after he had paid the price, not a single one of their promises had been fulfilled. Instead, his very life was in danger. How could he not be furious?

Seeing that He Chang’an had completely dropped the facade, Wei Heng decided to stop pretending as well. He leaned back in his chair and said coldly,

"He Chang’an, you’d better think before you speak. What do you mean, ’burn the bridge’? We never said we wouldn’t help you. You’re just being too hasty."

"Bullshit! If you were being watched by that Wu Liangchen, you wouldn’t be hasty?" He Chang’an seethed.

Wei Heng’s expression shifted, and then he suddenly broke into a smile.

"Lord He, please calm down. I understand how you feel. How about this: I’ll go back and inform the lords. I’ll give you a reply by tomorrow at the latest. What do you think?"

Only then did He Chang’an give a cold snort. "That’s more like it."

"Alright, we’re all serving the Monarch now. No need to be so petty. I was too blunt just now. Allow me to offer you this cup of tea as an apology. How about it?" Wei Heng said, flicking his sleeve and raising his teacup.

He Chang’an didn’t want to lose too much face either. Hearing Wei Heng’s words, he softened his tone.

"If you’d said that earlier, I wouldn’t have gotten so worked up."

With that, he picked up his cup and drained the tea in one gulp.

Once he confirmed that He Chang’an had drunk the tea, Wei Heng finally broke into a happy smile and drained his own cup as well.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you company. Take your time and enjoy yourself, Lord He. I’ll have someone send you a message tomorrow."

After saying this, Wei Heng stood up and left.

He Chang’an sat back down, watching Wei Heng leave. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Just as Wei Heng was leaving Anxiang Pavilion, Wu Liangchen, who had been hiding in a room downstairs listening intently, suddenly spoke.

"Elder Jiang, go interrogate He Chang’an. And be quick about it. I don’t think he has much time left."

It turned out that as soon as Wei Heng had appeared in Anxiang Pavilion, Wu Liangchen and Jiang Minghai had been alerted. Zhang Fan had then arranged for them to be in this downstairs room.

This way, they wouldn’t arouse suspicion as they might in an adjacent room, yet they could still overhear the conversation.

Although Wu Liangchen couldn’t know what He Chang’an and Wei Heng had discussed by writing on the table with tea,

the information they revealed later in their conversation was more than enough to confirm his suspicions about He Chang’an.

Moreover, Wu Liangchen could tell that Wei Heng had developed killing intent. The toast of tea was clearly a front for something more sinister.

But Wu Liangchen didn’t intervene.

After all, a man like He Chang’an wasn’t worth mourning, and this saved Wu Liangchen the trouble of dirtying his own hands.

Jiang Minghai chuckled. "Don’t worry. And you be careful too, Xiaowu. These guys have powerful firearms!"

"Understood!"

As soon as he spoke, Wu Liangchen leaped out the window and vanished into the colorful night of Kyoto.

Meanwhile, He Chang’an sat quietly in his room for a moment. After calming his nerves, his mood brightened, and he decided to call a few girls over to have some fun.

But just then, Zhang Fan kicked the door open, poked his head in, and flashed him a toothy grin.

"Lord He, enjoying the fine atmosphere, are we?"

"Zhang... Zhang..." He Chang’an recognized Zhang Fan at once, his face draining of all color in shock.

At the same time, Jiang Minghai also walked in and gave He Chang’an a slight smile.

"Lord He, my name is Jiang Minghai. I’d like to ask you a few questions before you depart. I hope you’ll cooperate."

...

After leaving Anxiang Pavilion, Wei Heng immediately ducked into a small alley.

Though he was an outsider, he knew the major and minor alleys of the Imperial Capital like the back of his hand. He quickly vanished into the web of side streets.

After turning countless corners, Wei Heng finally stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and scanned his surroundings.

The area was pitch-black, with only the faint flicker of lights visible in the distance.

There wasn’t a single sound behind him.

Only then did he let out a long breath of relief.

Coming to see He Chang’an had been a huge risk.

After all, while his cover identity was cleverly constructed and could even withstand scrutiny, it would still be seen as a flaw in the eyes of a determined observer.

’It seems He Chang’an hasn’t drawn the full attention of Wu Liangchen and the others yet.’

’Although his ’sudden and mysterious death’ will certainly arouse suspicion from all sides...’

’...what good will that do them? Worst comes to worst, I’ll just change my identity.’

’As for trying to trace this back up the chain, that’s absolutely impossible.’

’By then, the lords and I will have long since left the Imperial Capital and returned to the Huangpu Guard.’

At this thought, he glanced warily behind him again. Confirming he was not being followed, he darted into a narrow alley as quickly as a fox or a rat.

Less than thirty seconds after he left, a figure suddenly appeared where he had just been standing. After briefly getting their bearings, this person also slipped into the same alley.