"no."
Even though the person standing in front of him was a renowned "expert" in Ash City, Liang Cheng still refused.
He noticed the man's unfriendly expression and quickly explained, "Expert, it's not that I don't respect you, nor that you haven't paid enough. It's just that things are very tense lately. You know, Master Black Hand was assassinated and is furious. At this critical juncture, I dare not trade according to the usual rules."
“She’s just an ordinary little girl, she’s not fully grown yet. It will cost a lot of money to raise her.” The expert said patiently, believing that this was Liang Cheng’s tactic to raise the price: “To be honest, she is just the sister of one of my apprentices. If you ask for too high a price, I will not pay too much for an apprentice.”
"It's really not about raising prices, sir." Liang Cheng wiped his sweat. "It's not about money."
Not wanting to offend this extraordinary individual, he explained, "All the people we bought have been sent to the ship. They'll depart tomorrow, heading out to places like Sky Tower City. I'm only in charge of the Ash City transactions..."
Liang Cheng dared not look the other person in the eye, and could only lower his head timidly, looking at the wooden table.
He was in charge of human trafficking in Ash City and a member of Blackhand's closest team, but he was not a superhuman and dared not offend even the "experts" who were famous among superhumans.
But he dared not provoke the powerful boss who was already in a rage. Liang Cheng had worked under the Black Hand for over a decade and knew exactly what kind of person this boss was... He'd heard that the boss had been aimed at by a rifle used for hunting dragons and had almost died. If Liang Cheng went to inquire about the boss's situation at this moment, he would be inviting trouble...
Liang Cheng shuddered, not daring to think about it any further.
The "expert" frowned and asked, "Isn't there any room for compromise?"
Liang Cheng nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice. He thought for a moment, then added, "I can find out later where those people sold them, and let you go and buy them in advance..."
This was actually a very euphemistic excuse. Liang Cheng knew that the experts never left the land of the former Song Dynasty. This was normal and not uncommon; many wanted criminals would sometimes choose to hide here. Liang Cheng had always considered the "experts" to be one of those wanted criminals.
The "expert" didn't say much and turned to leave.
"Phew..." Liang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and watched the extraordinary person leave his home.
"Wife, bring me some wine," Liang Cheng called out to the woman he had bought, "and boil some peanuts too."
It's enough to live a stable life; there's no need to risk offending someone when the boss is already in a bad mood, just to curry favor with an "expert."
...
"Black Hand" Lu Gang, wearing his signature black wide-brimmed hat, lightweight armor with gauntlets and leg guards, and silent iron boots, arrived outside a door.
This is his secluded villa. "Black Hand" Lu Gang sometimes brings his mistress here to spend his days. On other days, he lives on the big ship.
Someone as insecure as him was always ready to use the river that runs through the city to drift downstream and leave.
He composed himself, respectfully half-squatting down to bow to the door—no, to the esteemed person residing within it.
"My lord, the investigation has been completed."
Lu Gang, the "black hand," controlled his voice, keeping it neither too loud nor too soft. He kept it soft because he was worried about disturbing the distinguished person inside, but he also kept it loud because he was afraid the other party wouldn't hear him.
After a short while, the voice of the distinguished person inside rang out. It was clearly a woman's voice, very pleasant to the ear, but with an exceptionally indifferent tone: "Let's talk outside."
"Yes." Lu Gang dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. The other party had already demonstrated a terrifying power that surpassed his own, and even that of the entire Ash City.
“The people who tried to assassinate me were a mercenary group from Tianta City called ‘Black Flag.’ They were hired by Hidden Tower to assassinate me,” Lu Gang said. “Hidden Tower wouldn’t tell the assassins who their employer was, so I couldn’t get the answer out of them. All I’m sure of is that I was their target.”
At this point, Lu Gang shuddered. Who would want to assassinate him? Several candidates immediately popped into Lu Gang's mind, his expression shifting between light and dark.
If it weren't for the protection of a distinguished figure, his reputation as "Black Hand" might have disappeared from Ash City!
The distinguished figures inside remained silent, but Lu Gang was speechless. He had recounted all the intelligence he had gathered, and he was somewhat at a loss, unsure of what to do next.
"Did I extract too little information from him? Yes, those captured assassins refused to reveal the abilities and appearances of the others..." Black Hand Lu Gang thought to himself, "So this esteemed figure is dissatisfied with my investigation and is therefore remaining silent?"
After waiting a little while longer, Lu Gang, the mastermind, had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak: "Sir..."
"Come in." The indifferent female voice sounded almost simultaneously with Lu Gang's voice. Lu Gang quickly shut his mouth and pushed the door open to enter.
Behind the door was a quiet bedroom. A young girl, dressed in a red dress and looking no more than sixteen, was gazing at the mist outside the window. The way she sat on the bed made Lu Gang immediately lower his head, not daring to look.
Her dazzling beauty was secondary; what truly intimidated Lu Gang was her aura and power.
"Here's some information." The girl casually handed over a piece of parchment-like paper with several names written on it.
Lu Gang took the document and glanced at it, then immediately froze. It contained a list of members of the "Black Flag" mercenary group, including descriptions of their abilities and appearances.
"Don't delay our business," the girl said indifferently.
Suppressing his inner shock, Lu Gang quickly said "Yes," left the room, and closed the door.
She was still reeling. How could she obtain information on an entire mercenary group after just getting a name? It was unbelievable, terrifying!
Is this a terrifying ability belonging to a cultivator, or simply knowledge and connections? No, either way, it's terrifying and frightening enough to make one hesitate to delve into it. I felt completely exposed and naked before her!
Then, Lu Gang realized that the paper he was holding was strange; it felt very similar to…
A thought struck Lu Gang, filling him with shock and fear. The paper with these words written on it was made of human skin!
It was even slightly warm.
He quickly bowed and took his leave outside the door, then hurried back to inform his subordinates of this information.
Lu Gang, the mastermind behind this, is not some spineless coward who would remain silent after being assassinated!
Once Lu Gang returned to his large ship in the ship district, he informed the supernatural beings, cultivators, and various captains loyal to him about the enemy. These people then transformed into sharp blades in the darkness and began their advance into Ash City.
Lu Gang leaned on the table and suddenly remembered what that esteemed gentleman had mentioned.
"Don't delay our important business."
Who are we...? Isn't that important person all alone? Or is she part of some organization?
Lu Gang felt that the fog in Ash City was getting thicker and thicker. He hadn't encountered a situation like this, which was beyond his control, for more than a decade.
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