243

Lu Jian really didn't expect that Cheng Xi would appear in Panyu at this moment and even move into the Zhong family.

Why not inform him directly, but use such means instead? Does it mean that you don't trust him anymore?

Noticing the change in his expression, Cheng Xi said frankly, "I was on Xishan Island before. I heard the news of the bandits' attack and rushed here specially."

Lu Jian's heart tightened, and he immediately asked, "Could it be that there is something wrong with those chaotic soldiers?"

On their return voyage, the army had indeed made a special stop at Xishan Island. Lu Jian had originally thought this was intended to intimidate the government troops, shock the merchants, and boost the prestige of the Red Flag Gang, but he hadn't expected it to be an attempt to conceal Cheng Xi's disembarkation.

Doesn't this mean she's been keeping an eye on the goings-on in Panyu for a while? The reason she came here in secret must be quite significant.

"Of course, we shouldn't be afraid of the rebellious troops, but we must be on guard against the conspiracy behind them." Cheng Xi sighed softly, "I've thought about this for a long time. If Ning Fu really has plans, I'm afraid it will fall on you."

Hearing this, Lu Jian laughed instead: "Why, he wants to kill me and use this to cause chaos in Panyu City?"

However, as soon as he said this, he felt something was wrong because Cheng Xi didn't laugh.

The smile on his face faded. Lu Jian walked over to Cheng Xi and sat down as close to her as possible. He said in a deep voice, "Do you really think Ning Fu would try every possible means to assassinate me? If he kills me, aren't you afraid that all the businesses in Panyu, big and small, will be in danger and turn against the Changjing Gang?"

Indeed, killing him would leave all the bank's shareholders, both large and small, unable to take care of themselves, the trading floor would be deserted, and the Red Flag Gang's layout in Panyu would be greatly shaken.

But at the same time, those big sea merchants are also going to become alienated from the Changjing Gang. Now, which merchant in Panyu City has no connection with the Chiqi Gang? Isn't this forcing people to rebel?

Cheng Xi said, "What Ning Fu wants is nothing more than chaos in Panyu. As for popular support, once the winner is decided, many will switch sides. This is the simplest method, and only in this way can we make arrangements a month or two in advance and avoid any mistakes."

Lu Jian believed this. He couldn't control his subordinates at close range. Even if Ning Fu had extraordinary abilities, he would still make mistakes.

Just like the previous assassination attempt on Cheng Xi, it was obviously a spur-of-the-moment act, which ended in a miserable defeat and uprooted the power of the Changjing Gang. Ning Fu would never do such a stupid thing.

But then again, this speculation may not come true. What if it was an illusory shot that attacked somewhere else?

Feeling suspicious, Lu Jian naturally spoke out, "These bandits are only approaching Panyu City, but their real target may not be here. What if they want to lure out the troops from the nearby garrisons and turn around to attack Dongning? If Dongning becomes a major chaos, the Red Flag Gang will be truly unstable."

This is the question of whether it is cost-effective. It is not so easy to capture a strong city like Panyu.

Moreover, if a fight were to break out, the city would inevitably increase its security, and an assassination at this time would mean death.

On the other hand, attacking Dongning is different. As long as the troops of Panyu can be tied down, a successful attack will immediately cause chaos in the Red Flag Gang. Ning Fu will understand this clearly.

Cheng Xi shook his head: "If it were someone else, they might have acted this way, but Ning Fu would definitely choose assassination, and he would definitely choose you. Don't forget what happened in Tingzhou."

Lu Jian's face darkened. There were probably few people in this world who knew better than him what happened in Tingzhou. It was a joint effort between him, the Suoyi Gang, and the Chiqi Gang. If anyone was to talk about the masterminds, it was naturally him and Cheng Xi.

Ning Fu had been injured and disfigured in that battle, and if he'd spared no effort in revenge against Cheng Xi and the Red Flag Gang, why couldn't he target him? Lu Jian knew just how vindictive Ning Fu was, having been picked on by him before. Now that he could kill two birds with one stone, he wouldn't hold back.

"In that case, letting the bandits attack Panyu is also imitating what happened in Tingzhou?" Lu Jian couldn't help asking.

"Sun Yuanrang used this trick before. Now he is copying it exactly. It may be a revenge." Cheng Xi answered straightforwardly. In fact, she became alert after hearing about the bandits' attack.

For those with a strong desire for revenge, "revenge by similar means" is the most satisfying way, but the target is not her, but Lu Jian.

This is really a case of interconnectedness, and there is no way to refute it. Lu Jian exhaled: "Then how are you going to deal with it?"

Cheng Xi glanced at Lu Jian and said, "There are two options. One is to follow me now and hide on Luoling Island for a while."

Lu Jian naturally wouldn't agree: "I don't know when the Changjing Gang will send troops, and when this battle will be over. If I leave Panyu for a few months, the foundation I have worked so hard to build will be destroyed."

This answer was exactly what Cheng Xi had expected. She continued, "The second method is to use the same tactics against the assassins, repel the assassins, and kill all the spies. However, the risk is quite high, and the situation may recur."

There are definitely risks. This is basically using yourself as bait. If you are not careful, disfigurement is the least of your worries, and death without a burial place is also common.

What's even more terrible is that no one knows how long this assassination will last. As long as all the secret agents of the Changjing Gang are not killed, his safety cannot be guaranteed.

However, Lu Jian did not hesitate: "In that case, use me as bait to lure out the assassin."

Being hunted by a tycoon on the sea, an ordinary person would be scared out of his wits, but he chose the most dangerous and easiest path as always.

Cheng Xi did not hesitate: "There is no way to confirm how many people are coming, and I don't know when they will choose to take action. From today on, I will be by your side to deal with any emergencies that may arise."

Lu Jian's brow furrowed immediately. "No, what if Ning Fu is trying to lure you out?"

"The battle with the Qingfeng Gang ended too quickly. He probably didn't expect that I would return so soon. Besides, I hurt him with my own hands. With Ning Fu's personality, how could he let others kill me so easily?" Cheng Xi answered calmly.

These words made Lu Jian's heart tighten, but the next moment, he felt relieved for some reason.

If he didn't want to kill Cheng Xi, then it wouldn't necessarily be dangerous for her to stay by his side. And with her protection, he would definitely be much better off than with anyone else.

"Then what do you plan to do?" Lu Jian stopped being pretentious and asked.

"Of course it's the same as last time." Cheng Xi replied with a smile.

…

The attack of bandits made Panyu City nervous. The city gates were put under martial law, the port was temporarily closed, and the number of soldiers on the streets increased several times, causing this big city in the South China Sea to fall into tension.

"With this kind of noise, I'm afraid the trading market will have no business recently." Zhu Ming sighed.

This statement immediately drew a wave of agreement. The wind was blowing at the moment, and the trading market was busiest. Everyone had invested in the market, and now, suddenly, the situation was disrupted by the chaotic soldiers. It was truly unpleasant.

"You said the timing of their arrival is quite strange. The autumn harvest has clearly passed. Could there be another disaster somewhere?" someone muttered.

"I heard it has something to do with the Straw Cloak Bandits. Previously, the bandits were in internal strife and destroyed Jinghu. With waves of bandits running around, it's not surprising that a few of them showed up."

"Alas, I don't know how the imperial court suppresses the bandits. The more they suppress them, the more bandits there are. Business is so difficult."

"Who says not? We're so lucky since we're near the sea. In some places, you can't even make money, you're just lucky to be able to save your life."

The richer and more powerful one is, the more they fear encountering chaos. If they weren't all shareholders of China Merchants Bank, they might have been as anxious as everyone else. Fortunately, they still had the Red Flag Gang to back them up. Even if chaos broke out nearby, they had a way out.

Lu Jian said, "These bandits came unexpectedly, so we must not take them lightly. Don't forget that the Long Whale Gang is also watching closely. If they take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, it will be difficult to deal with them."

This immediately made everyone nervous again. Someone asked cautiously, "Brother Mingde, have you heard any news?"

Lu Jian was straightforward: "There is some news from Manager Zhong, but he has already made arrangements in the city. We just need to be more careful."

Everyone present knew what Zhong Ping did. Zhu Ming hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up, relying on his age. "Mingde, the world is not peaceful these days, so you have to be more careful. Go to Luoling Island more often. I heard that Gang Leader Cheng has already gone back."

Lu Jian's face froze at these words, and he almost glanced at the people behind him. Even worse, after Zhu Ming started the conversation, the others joined in, saying that the bank and the workshop weren't serious matters, and that he shouldn't worry too much and should focus on Luoling Island. Their overt and covert message was simply: Don't neglect Miss Qiu.

Lu Jian knew exactly why they said this. He had deliberately misled them, making them think that there was something fishy going on between him and Cheng Xi. But now, the "affair" between Gang Leader Fu and Shen Sandao was almost known to everyone, and it was inevitable that others would look at him with a bit of a strange look.

After all, no matter who looked at it, Shen Feng was more handsome than him, not to mention his reputation. But this matter could not be explained, and the more he talked about it, the more confusing it became. Lu Jian could only grit his teeth and endure it.

After waiting anxiously for the banquet to end, Lu Jian immediately led his entourage out the door. Seeing the carriage in front, the servant who had been following him quickly stepped forward and helped him open the curtain.

Without even looking at each other, Lu Jian got into the car first, and the servant followed closely behind.

After the curtains were lowered and there were no more people around, Lu Jian breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to the people around him, "I told you, there's no need to follow so closely. We're all shareholders of the bank, and outsiders can't get in."

"Assassination is all about surprise. The more lax the place is, the more likely it is to go wrong." The servant opposite said seriously. He raised his head which had been lowered, and found that there was a pair of bright and lively eyes on that mediocre face.

Others really couldn't tell who she was in this disguise. Lu Jian was originally worried that those people would make associations when they saw Cheng Xi, but in the end, they didn't even look at her, which shows how powerful her disguise was. However, these were secondary. He coughed again and said, "Don't take those people's casual comments to heart."

Once these words are spoken, it will inevitably cause embarrassment, but it would be inappropriate not to say them. If the person involved hears you talking behind their back, how can you not apologize?

How could Cheng Xi not know what he wanted to say? She chuckled and said, "It's just a few idle words, who would take it seriously? Mingde, you haven't had an easy time recently."

Hearing this, Lu Jian smiled bitterly and quickly changed the subject: "I haven't found any clues in the past few days. Could it be that I guessed in the wrong direction? Maybe those people are waiting for me to leave Panyu."

This wasn't impossible. After all, the Long Whale Gang were standard pirates, so hiding one or two ships wouldn't be surprising. And with the unrest in Panyu, it was perfectly normal for them to retreat to Luoling Island. Intercepting them at sea might be easier than on land.

Cheng Xi shook his head. "If I could take action before Tingzhou was sealed off, then Ning Fu could do the same. We can't let our guard down lately. We just need to keep our guard tight inside and loose outside."

Does this mean that Cheng Xi will have to live in the outer room of his room for a few days? When Lu Jian heard her say that she would play the role of his servant, he thought it was just like when they took over the island before, and she would just follow him when he went out. Who would have thought that she would actually stay by his side all the time?

But he had to admit that Cheng Xi's disguise was really flawless, and sometimes even he would forget that there was such a person following him.

However, since this was a matter of his own life, it was not the time to let his thoughts run wild. Lu Jian shut his mouth obediently, and did not disturb Cheng Xi who continued to watch out the window. He closed his eyes and rested.