Zhao Quan's background was not actually poor. His father had been a migrant worker in the north during his youth, and because he had the foresight, he had accumulated some wealth shortly after Zhao Quan was born.
Therefore, from junior high school onwards, his father sent him to attend excellent private schools.
It was because of this that Zhao Quan met He Shao and other wealthy young masters, and he maintained good relationships with them.
Moreover, Zhao Quan was quite clever and knew how to handle himself. Although his status in that circle was not high, he was an indispensable lubricant.
With the connections and resources of those young masters, he managed quite well. He couldn't make a fortune, but he was better off than many and worse off than few.
Things began when that group of young masters went to Qingyan Town for fun.
At the time, Zhao Quan thought it was just ordinary recreation, as usual. They drove luxury cars, brought along girlfriends, fished there, and threw parties.
Initially, they had a great time.
The Qingyan Town area was said to be developed by a group of retired soldiers, who built farmhouses offering various attractions unfamiliar to city dwellers.
However, on the third day, trouble erupted.
A group of young masters, being somewhat reckless in their revelry, some of them indulged in drugs in the farmhouse inn where they were staying, and began a wild party with the girls.
Coincidentally, the waitress at that farmhouse, for reasons unknown, entered the room with some items.
Those who had lost all reason disregarded everything and assaulted the waitress until she was nearly dead.
When the waitress didn't return for a long time, the owner of the farmhouse came looking for her. Upon seeing the scene, his eyes blazed with fury.
The old soldiers were then informed and all rushed over. Conflict arose between the two parties, and the young masters were severely beaten, in a way they had never experienced before.
Zhao Quan was among them at the time and was beaten, though not unjustly.
The old soldiers were not in the habit of handing such matters over to the police. They detained the group and there were internal disagreements on how to deal with them.
The injured old soldier was fiery-tempered, wishing to execute those scumbags directly with a gun.
However, the other old soldiers, having retired, had somewhat restrained their battlefield demeanor and forcibly dissuaded him.
Unexpectedly, late that night, someone rescued the group of young masters and their entourage.
The escaped young masters, unable to swallow their pride and being in the wrong, did not wish to use their influence. The next day, they gathered friends, hired some thugs and gang members, and went for revenge.
The result was that although the old soldiers had many disabilities, as former elite soldiers, they were not easily dealt with. Instead, they routed the attackers, capturing several young masters who had been drained by drink and women.
The situation escalated.
At this point, the young masters intended to involve their families and use their influence.
Under their influence, those old soldiers would surely have no choice but to submit.
But just then, someone declared he had firearms and proposed to go all out, kill a few old soldiers, and vent their anger thoroughly.
After all, with their status and influence, killing a few old soldiers could be easily covered up.
"At this point, I was shocked!"
Zhao Quan said, "I advised them that they were already in the wrong, and if they killed more people, it would be irreversible."
"But I couldn't dissuade them, especially Zheng Yi and a few others. When they were caught for defiling someone's wife, they were kicked hard where it hurt. After days of fear, they were completely impotent and their desire for revenge was extremely strong!"
"Since I couldn't persuade them, and I couldn't find an excuse to leave and distance myself, I could only stay vigilant!"
Chen Fan frowned slightly.
The content so far was of limited value to him.
Zhao Quan said, "They went with guns to deal with the people, but the few guns couldn't intimidate the old soldiers. Instead, they were in a dilemma and didn't dare to fire."
"But the conflict escalated, and finally, someone fired a shot, killing people."
"The old soldiers' blood boiled, and they went all out!"
"Then, as the conflict widened, they completely lost their minds and became insane, even killing all those old soldiers!"
Chen Fan's eyes turned red. "Who fired the first shot?"
Zhao Quan shook his head. "The situation was chaotic at the time, and I couldn't see clearly. But it wasn't a handgun, it was a rifle. Several people were killed instantly!"
"The old soldiers were full of spirit and charged directly!"
Chen Fan's face darkened. "Those scumbags all deserved to die!"
"I was terrified at the time and immediately turned and ran!"
Zhao Quan said with remorse, "However, as I ran towards a car, I heard someone making a phone call inside."
"If I hadn't heard that phone call, perhaps I wouldn't have lost my family and home later!"
"What was said?"
Chen Fan's breathing quickened slightly, and he asked in a deep voice.
"The person in the car was Liang Zhida, someone from our circle. He told the person on the other end that the items weren't found, but the job was done. He Shao and the others opened fire and killed people. Most of those old soldiers wouldn't survive, and it was a good opportunity to find the items!"
Zhao Quan gritted his teeth and said, "Only then did I realize that the killing was not so simple, but that Liang Zhida was instigating it."
"I've thought about this countless times over the past three years."
"It was surely not a coincidence that the waitress, the old soldier's wife, entered the room. Someone must have asked her to deliver something to the room at that time."
"The room door wasn't locked, so she could go in directly. There must have been someone else who deliberately made sure she couldn't escape!"
Chen Fan's fingers gripped the armrest of the hospital bed, and it creaked, beginning to crack.
"And the night they were held by the old soldiers, it was Liang Zhida's men who rescued them."
"The escalating conflict between the two sides was also due to Liang Zhida's instigation!"
Chen Fan's eyes were red. "This Liang Zhida is already dead!"
He had massacred those seven families back then, and the Liang family was one of them.
At that time, the man had begged for mercy, but Chen Fan, having lost his reason, naturally showed no leniency.
At the time, he hadn't thought much of it. By the time he realized something was wrong, the forces behind it had already made their move, and many related individuals had been silenced.
"When I heard that phone call, in my panic, I made a sound, and Liang Zhida saw me clearly."
Zhao Quan said, "Then I drove away and spent the following days in a state of anxiety."
"After that, you went and massacred the seven major families."
Learning that Chen Fan had massacred the seven families, Zhao Quan became even more terrified and went into hiding. As a result, his family was murdered.
Later, he narrowly escaped and was taken in by Ji Cang.
During these three years, he had also discreetly inquired about news in the ghost market. However, there were too many eyes and ears there, and he was timid, not daring to be too obvious. Furthermore, due to the warnings from Ji Cang and others, he had obtained very little information.
From various clues, he deduced that the force pursuing him was extremely terrifying, and even the King of Ningnan, Ji Cang, was extremely wary, warning him not to leave the ghost market.
Chen Fan, however, was lost in thought.
The incident in Qingyan Town was not too complicated.
What truly demonstrated the vast power of the mastermind were the subsequent events and their impact.