This world has never been short of the wise who appear foolish, but it lacks the truly wise who are wise enough to appear foolish.
There are always those self-important clever people who subconsciously treat others as fools, believing themselves to be the masterminds, the hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Zhang Chengxiang was one of them.
In our profession of trickery, there's a classic saying.
After joining a gambling game, if you can't figure out who the sucker is within a round of cards... then have no doubt, you are definitely the sucker being led to the slaughter!
What banquet to express gratitude? It's all fake!
Zhang Chengxiang wanted to use the pretext of a banquet to ask for my help again!
If he truly wanted to thank me, he wouldn't have just said thank you and ended it simply last night.
He's still putting on airs, unwilling to tell me the truth. How much does this Zhang Chengxiang look down on us tricksters?
Originally, according to my plan, if Zhang Chengxiang could clearly and profoundly recognize his mistakes after this incident, I wouldn't mind burying the hatchet and cooperating deeply with him.
But his behavior of achieving his goal and then turning his back on me, continuing to put on airs, truly surprised and disgusted me.
Therefore, not only will I refuse the invitation, but I will also completely sever ties with him!
Since Zhang Chengxiang, this underworld figure, fundamentally looks down on my identity as a trickster, I won't cooperate with him. I'll directly spend money to hire someone from my own circle.
...
Since I decided to cooperate with Su Liuli, I was bound to offend the "mad dog" Xiao Tianyu in the gambling match six days later.
After completely falling out with someone like Xiao Tianyu, my personal safety would be completely unprotected.
Therefore, I needed to spend money to hire protection for myself.
And most importantly, at a critical moment of life and death, these people would have to risk their lives to fight the enemy for my safety!
The world is vast and full of wonders.
In this great martial world, there exists a profession that everyone fears.
They not only seek wealth, but they also... dare to take lives!
Everyone, can you guess which school it is?
It's okay if you can't guess, I'll directly reveal the correct answer.
That is: the Que Zi Men (Lack Character Gate)!
Throughout history, the martial world has seen all sorts of people who engage in unorthodox professions, and among them, those who dare to seek wealth and take lives belong to the Que Zi Men.
The Que Zi Men are not among the Eight Great Gates of the martial world, but rather among the Three Peripheral Gates outside the Eight Great Gates.
To be honest, the reputation of the Three Peripheral Gates is even more despicable and unspeakable than the lower eight generals of the Thousand Gates.
Words like "low-class" are completely insufficient to describe the Three Peripheral Gates.
The people of the Three Peripheral Gates are truly like rats crossing the street, hunted by everyone!
Because the Three Peripheral Gates are: Pi Men (Skin Gate), Ci Men (Porcelain Gate), and Que Men (Lack Gate).
The so-called Pi Men are those who sell dog-skin plasters.
Of course, they are all fake medicines.
In the rural areas of the 1990s, people from the Pi Men selling dog-skin plasters were very common; now they are fewer.
Next, let's talk about Ci Men.
Ci Men are those who stage fake accidents for extortion and money. The people of Ci Men are truly ruthless individuals who dare to break their own arms and legs, and smash their heads for money.
If you are extorted by someone from Ci Men, and you have no evidence to prove they staged the accident, absolutely do not call the police!
Because it will not only be useless but will also bring great trouble!
Perhaps they will let you go temporarily out of respect for the police, but afterward...
Heh heh ~ It's not about losing your fortune, but at least your savings will be squeezed dry.
Compared to Pi Men and Ci Men, what the people of Que Men do is even more unconscionable and wicked!
As long as the money is right, the people of Que Men dare to take any job, and do anything!
Including: killing people... for no reason!
This is why, earlier, I said that the people of Que Men seek wealth and dare to take lives, causing fear and avoidance among other martial artists.
Of course, ordinary people will definitely not encounter them.
If you truly encounter them, as long as you are an ordinary person without status or background, nothing will generally happen to you.
For me, finding someone from Que Men is not difficult. I can use the most common method in the martial world: "people of the martial world find people of the martial world."
The difficulty lies in not understanding the market!
It is said that the Que Men conduct business with a fixed price, meaning they do not accept bargaining or negotiation, only a single price.
If you don't understand the market and quote a low price, the Que Men will directly ask you to turn around and leave.
If you quote a high price, then you will definitely be ripped off!
Because the cost of hiring someone from Que Men is very, very high, so high that many wealthy martial artists cannot afford it!
I once heard Uncle Tuo recount that before the start of the Thousand Gates Competition in '99, someone outside spent a seven-figure sum to hire someone from Que Men to deal with him.
Keep in mind, that was a seven-figure sum in '99!
Now it's almost '09.
Although I have some savings, I haven't broken through eight figures yet. According to today's market conditions, if someone from Que Men were to be hired...
The balance of my bank card would plummet like a roller coaster, and it's not impossible that it would even reach zero!
Thinking of this, after refusing him, Han Jinlun went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash up. I took out my phone and called Su Liuli.
The moment the call connected, without any beating around the bush, I directly asked: "Miss Su, you've been operating casinos in Longxi for so long, do you know anyone from Que Men?"
"Yes!" Su Liuli replied decisively.
Su Liuli's answer did not surprise me, because casinos must have had cases of "slaughtering pigs."
Casinos would never use their own people to do such "slaughtering pig" jobs.
Therefore, someone from Que Men must have been involved.
After a moment of thought, I tentatively asked: "Then can you tell me how much it costs to hire someone from Que Men for a job?"
"The fixed price starts at one million, with no upper limit!"
Hearing this answer, my heart sank, and slowly fell.
My heavens! Has inflation become so severe? The starting price is now one million!
Seeing my silence, Su Liuli on the other end of the phone suddenly said: "What's wrong, Chen Xiang? You're asking me about Que Men for information, do you have a very tricky matter that needs to be resolved?"
"If so, I happen to know someone from Que Men who can introduce you, and you can discuss the specific details yourselves!"
Su Liuli was as cautious and prudent as ever. As long as it didn't concern her, she would distance herself first.
Without much hesitation, I directly replied: "Okay! Then I'll trouble you, Miss Su!"
"Wait for my call!"
After saying that, Su Liuli hung up the phone.
Time ticked by, minute by minute...
As evening approached dinner time, Su Liuli called me.
She said she had arranged a meeting with someone from Que Men for me and would send me the person's name and address on my phone shortly, and I could go directly there.