Chapter 38: Madness Drug
At the banquet, Master Lan, under the influence of alcohol, boasted about everything, acting like a know-it-all. The Fifth Concubine, beside him, echoed his words, flattering him to the utmost, leaving Yin Chuan and his companions both amused and confused. Meanwhile, the three men from Yeducheng Film Company remained absorbed in their food and drink, appearing cautious and oblivious to the clamor at the table.
"Third concubine, you should also tell us about those wonderful past events when you were in the underworld. Come on, tell everyone about it!" Master Lan said to Luo Mei nonchalantly.
Du Yunzhang was furious when he heard this, thinking that this fat-headed eunuch was really talking about something he couldn't bring up! He wanted to interrupt, but Luo Mei was very frank and smiled slightly, "Since the master wants to hear it, then I will tell you all."
"Luo Mei! You..." Du Yunzhang glared at her.
Luo Mei paid no attention to Du Yunzhang's expression, reciting a series of stories from his days as a thug. They were all filled with bloodshed, either a life-or-death battle with another gang of tomb robbers or watching a fellow accomplice get killed by a trap in a tomb. In short, it was all dark and bloody, causing everyone present to frown. Master Lan couldn't bear to listen any longer and quickly stopped him, "Enough, oh, you're really unbearable. I'm almost scared to death."
Du Yunzhang then breathed a sigh of relief and secretly admired Luo Mei's wit.
"Mr. Lan, I heard from the Third Wife that you plan to visit Shen Wansan's tomb this time for that treasure?"
Master Lan frowned and hissed at Yin Chuan, "Don't talk about secrets like this in public. I thought Third Concubine came from the underworld and understood the ways of the world, but I didn't expect her to be so open-mouthed and tell everything."
"No, I want to ask you, it's the Republic of China now, why do you still believe this nonsense? Where is there such a treasure pot in the world?" Yin Chuan asked in a low voice.
Master Lan snorted disapprovingly, "You don't understand, do you? It's better to believe it than not to believe it. Shen Wansan's wealth back then was definitely not without reason. If there really is such a treasure, wouldn't our Lan family soar to the sky?"
Although Yin Chuan found it funny, he still asked seriously, "Since you are so sure, I would like to ask, how did you know that Shen Wansan's tomb is near the canal?"
Master Lan had a strange expression on his face, as if he was both about to say something and worried about something. He glanced at the three people from Yeducheng Film Company, intentionally or not. But just as he stole a glance, the director, Fan Zheng, also looked at him. The moment their eyes met, Master Lan trembled slightly, and Fan Zheng also felt a little uneasy. It was unclear what each of them was thinking at that moment.
"I can't answer that. Stay...stay..." Master Lan said perfunctorily, then stood up and left, meaning to go to the bathroom. Seeing that the other party was unwilling to talk more, Yin Chuan didn't dare to ask any more questions, but he always felt that there seemed to be some deep meaning in the gaze between him and Fan Zheng.
The banquet continued. Not long after Master Lan left, Fan Zheng whispered a few words to his one-armed assistant, Yuan Laoer. Yuan Laoer's eyes suddenly flashed with murderous intent. He nodded, his only right hand unconsciously clutching his waist, and stood up to leave. Yin Chuan's heart trembled, and a bad premonition suddenly struck him—was this Yuan Laoer going to cause trouble for Master Lan?
Thinking of this, Yin Chuan also left his seat and followed Yuan Laoer, intending to see what he was up to.
As for Master Lan, who had left the table, he wasn't really going to relieve himself; he was just using the excuse of going to the bathroom to secretly communicate with Director Fan Zheng. The look they'd exchanged earlier implied they had something to discuss privately, something they couldn't discuss openly. Little did he know, however, that Director Fan had a more cautious approach. To avoid arousing suspicion, he had only sent his subordinate, Yuan Lao Er, to make the contact.
However, Yuan Lao Er was a fool with a poor mind. He didn't even exchange a few words with Master Lan before he, upon disagreeing, pinned him down with one hand. Yin Chuan, who happened to be following behind, witnessed the scene and couldn't help but let out a cry of "Ah!" Upon hearing someone approach, Yuan Lao Er put one foot on Master Lan and, with his other hand, pulled a dagger from his trouser leg and pressed it against Master Lan's neck.
"Who? Come out!"
Yin Chuan was afraid that he might get so excited that someone might die. It wasn't that he cared about Mr. Lan's life, but he just didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for the Cao Gang, so he quickly stepped forward to stop him. "Brother, don't get excited, it's me."
"Why are you following me?" Yuan Lao Er asked with a frown.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm just here to relieve myself. We should stay out of each other's way."
"Nonsense, I'm not here to relieve myself, don't try to fool me!"
After such a commotion, everyone in the front hall heard the noise and rushed here.
Yuan Lao Er saw that the situation had gotten out of hand, and that Boss Fan had also arrived, winking at him repeatedly, and he couldn't help but panic. Master Lan was now terrified, his face pale as ash, and he kept begging for mercy, "Please spare my life, my dear! Please spare my life! I agree to all your terms, and I can even give you the medicine. We can discuss anything."
When Yin Chuan heard the word "medicine", his heart couldn't help but move.
"Brother Yuan, please put down the knife first. Just tell me if you have any requests." Yin Chuan tried to move forward.
Although Yuan Lao Er was strong, he was only one-armed after all, and the stalemate was becoming increasingly unbearable for him. He stared at Yin Chuan and said, "You are the one who keeps your word in the Cao Gang, right? Come here, I'll send Lan back."
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go over there and you let Master Lan go."
No one expected Yin Chuan to agree to his unreasonable request. Du Yunzhang and Linlang had no idea why Yin Chuan would do this. But it happened so suddenly that it was too late to stop him. Yin Chuan had already offered his neck to Yuan Laoer's knife.
"Yuan Laoer! What are you doing?" Fan Zheng spoke at this time.
"Boss, didn't you say the medicine was in the hands of Mr. Lan or the Cao Gang? Mr. Lan was just bluffing, and only this guy named Yin was cooperating, so I took it upon myself to rob him."
"What kind of medicine is this?" Du Yunzhang asked Fan Zheng with wide eyes.
"Hey, it's just medicine for Yuan Lao Er. He took the wrong medicine before, taking the cold medicine instead of the insanity medicine, so things aren't normal here now." He pointed to his head and then said to Yuan Lao Er, "If you let him go, how can he give you medicine if you treat him like this?"
"No, I'm afraid he won't be honest."
"What kind of medicine do you want?" Linlang asked.
"Insanity medicine? Where in our Cao Gang can we find the antidote for this medicine?" Baohan looked puzzled.
Yin Chuan had already guessed his intention. "I know. Since you said that Master Lan or our Cao Gang would have it, you must be referring to the tomb of Shen Wansan, right? Or is it that the treasure bowl is your real target?"
"Don't be so slanderous! We're here to film a movie, and we're also exploring the Shen family tombs with Master Lan. You seem interested too, so why not join us?"
Du Yunzhang was unhappy at the time. "Why are you making things difficult for Yin Chuan? I've already agreed to go to the tomb with Master Lan, why does he insist on going with me?"
"I can tell you're a martial artist. We can't trust you alone. We need someone who can control you. Mr. Yin has come to us on his own initiative. Why not?"
Fan Zheng left Du Yunzhang speechless, leaving him feeling anxious. Then Linlang spoke up, "If you insist on taking Brother Yin with you, you have to include me!"
"You? What do you do?"
Yin Chuan was a little anxious, "Linlang, this has nothing to do with you, don't get involved in this mess."
"No, if you want to go, there's no reason for me not to follow you. Mr. Fan Zheng, you're not afraid of a weak woman like me, are you? With me in your hands, you have an extra bargaining chip, right?"
Fan Zheng thought for a moment, "Okay. I can tell this is your lover, right? It's rare to find a woman as loyal as you in these troubled times, so come with us. But don't do anything rash or hold us back, or you'll blame us for being ruthless."
Seeing Fan's distraction, Du Yunzhang was about to strike. At that moment, another assistant from the film company—the dwarf named Tan Zhuozi—silently appeared behind Du Yunzhang. Du Yunzhang felt something pressing against his waist, and then heard a deep voice behind him shout, "Don't move! Listen to our Boss Fan, or we'll shoot you!"
Du Yunzhang was not going to fall for this. He had originally planned to catch the other party off guard like a monkey stealing a peach, but when he saw Yin Chuan, who was being held hostage, shaking his head and winking at him repeatedly, it seemed that he had his own plans. So he had no choice but to raise his hands and let the other party do whatever he wanted.
"Alright, everyone's satisfied now, right?" Fan Zheng chuckled. "We have more than enough carriages. Shorty, drive them to the door. We'll set off right away."
Tan Zhuozi agreed, handed the gun in his hand to Fan Zheng, and went out to drive the carriage.
"Mr. Fan," Yin Chuan asked with a smile, "you don't look like someone who works in the film industry. Could it be that you are also a veteran in the film industry?"
"You don't need to ask so much," Fan Zheng replied. "Mr. Lan has a plan anyway, and his third concubine is also a knowledgeable person. So if you have any questions, feel free to ask them. Oh, and Di Feiyan, did you remember the treasure map we agreed on?"
Luo Mei, the third concubine of the Lan family and the tomb robber nicknamed "Earth Swallow," nodded. "Of course I won't forget. Anyway, we've made sufficient preparations for this Shen family tomb-exploring and treasure-hunting trip. Now that we have so many people gathered, you feel confident enough, right?"
Fan Zheng laughed loudly, "Haha, of course, of course. I'm determined to get the rare treasures in the Shen family tomb. When the time comes, we can add two and one to make it five, so no one will suffer a loss. How about it?"
"I hope so." Luo Mei replied with a sneer.
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