Chapter Sixty-Six: Luring the Tiger from the Mountain

As expected, you can always tell a master by a single move. Today’s events had everyone in Fudigou talking, yet not one person had hit upon the truth. But as soon as Fatty explained it, I felt his reasoning was sound.

I asked Fatty, “So you mean, for something like this to happen, the burial ground of the Chen family ancestors must be on an exceptionally auspicious feng shui spot, perhaps even the legendary Dragon’s Lair?”

“Snakes already resemble dragons the most, and they can transform into jiao or dragons. For an ancestor to manifest as a snake, it must be a Dragon’s Lair. Right now, I really can’t figure out what’s going on with your Fudigou. To be honest, I’ve seen the Chen family’s ancestral graveyard—it’s in a location just a notch below that feng shui well your little girlfriend used to live near. But even if it were the feng shui well of all of Fudigou, it couldn’t possibly be this powerful,” Fatty replied.

I was on the verge of telling Fatty about the paper figures and horses, because I felt sure that if I told him, he could unravel the mystery for me, or at least give me a reasonable answer. Yet I hesitated and decided not to say anything.

But I couldn’t suppress my curiosity and asked, “Fatty, what if all the ancestors of the Chen family’s patriarchal line buried in the ancestral graves are just clothing tombs, and the real remains are somewhere else? For example, in the Dragon’s Lair you mentioned?”

“That would make sense. Many people did that in the old days—powerful officials and nobility often had multiple clothing tombs—one, to prevent theft, and two, to conceal the true feng shui of their burial site, so no one could discover it. What emperor would allow someone else to be buried in a Dragon’s Lair? In ancient times, if a Dragon’s Lair was found, it was destroyed; if they found someone buried there, it was a capital crime—entire clans would be executed for treason!” Fatty replied.

After he finished, he gave me a strange look and asked, “King of Thieves, do you know something?”

“No, no, I was just asking along those lines,” I hurriedly replied.

Fatty looked at me with a sly grin and said, “Be honest. You’re a terrible liar—I can see right through you.”

“I really don’t,” I insisted.

“Really?” Fatty pressed.

“He’s lying,” someone said from outside the door just then. Suddenly, a group of people flooded into the hospital room. I hadn’t recognized the voice, but as soon as I saw their attire, I knew who it was. Sure enough, after the crowd entered, Tang Renjie strolled in at the back.

Damn it, it’s precisely what I was afraid of—Tang Renjie coming back for revenge after Chen Dongfang left. Now he was here. I immediately tensed up, shifted sideways to shield Uncle Zhu from him, and challenged Tang Renjie: “Boss Tang, Chen Dongfang just left and you show up right after. What’s the meaning of this? You don’t dare go after him, so you come to bully us instead?”

Fatty looked at Tang Renjie with the same impatience as me, but not as tense. He fixed his gaze on Tang Renjie and said, “Tang, Chen Dongfang already settled the last score with you, and I didn’t say a word. But do you really think you can push me around? Let me make it clear—Chen Dongfang may not fear you, and I, Fatty, may not either!”

Tang Renjie raised his hands in a mock surrender and said, “Of course I know Fatty has friends everywhere—any one of whom could squash me. There’s no need for you two to be so tense. Have you forgotten we’re friends? Chen Dongfang returned, and I came to pick him up as an old war buddy, but he embarrassed me in public. Still, just because he’s heartless doesn’t mean I have to be. I didn’t retaliate, did I? Today, I’m just here to clear things up with you two. Even if Chen Dongfang has a problem with me, you can’t let a few of his words ruin our friendship, can you?”

“Oh, please. When you sent killers after us, you weren’t thinking about friendship,” I said, watching him warily. If Tang Renjie really wanted to take action, Fatty and I wouldn’t stand a chance. The other day I’d only succeeded because of a sneak attack; facing these professional bodyguards, I’d be half as useful in a fight.

“That was a misunderstanding. Enough—everyone out. Can’t you see I’m talking to my friends?” Tang Renjie snapped.

The people who’d just entered actually obeyed and left. Once they were gone, Tang Renjie dropped the act. The fake smile vanished, and he spoke seriously: “I admit I sent the assassins last time, but it was a misunderstanding. You both know Old Liu gave the order—I couldn’t refuse.”

“Old Liu always takes the blame for you, huh? Everything gets pinned on him,” Fatty sneered.

“Fatty, I know you won’t believe anything I say right now. But look, this isn’t the place to talk. Rest assured, I’m not stupid enough to kill anyone in a hospital in broad daylight. Let’s meet at Xinghualou, the same place as last time, and talk things through,” Tang Renjie said.

“No way. You show up with a group, play the bad cop, then switch to the good cop and expect me to be grateful? If I refuse, will your men just storm in again? Do as you please—let’s see if I’m afraid. If anyone so much as frowns, they’re a coward!” Fatty declared.

“Fatty, aren’t you interested in the Chen family ancestors’ transformation into dragons?” Tang Renjie asked.

That question tempted Fatty a great deal. It tempted me too. After he said it, Fatty’s refusal wavered, and he even glanced at me as if seeking my opinion. What could I say? I just shrugged.

“I’ll trust you one last time. But let me be clear—if anything happens to Chen Zhu here, I guarantee you’ll pay for it, Tang Renjie. That’s a promise, not a threat,” Fatty said.

“Understood, Fatty. Rest assured, if anything happens to Chen Zhu, you can hold me responsible,” Tang Renjie replied, visibly relieved by Fatty’s change of heart.

We left the hospital, got into Tang Renjie’s car, and returned to the same private room where we’d eaten last time. Tang Renjie had already prepared food and drink, but even Fatty, who usually loved to eat, didn’t touch a thing. Tang Renjie said, “Let’s eat first, then talk.”

“No thanks, I’m afraid you’ll poison me. Just say what you came to say,” Fatty replied.

Tang Renjie set down his chopsticks and said, “Fatty, don’t hold it against me. Last time, it really was Old Liu’s idea. I tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn’t listen. I’ll be frank with you: the order to kill Chen Zhu came from Chen Shitou in Fudigou. He’s much closer to Old Liu than I am now.”

—When Chen Dongfang told me about this, he hadn’t said it outright, but it was clear Chen Shitou had probably already sided with Old Liu. So when Tang Renjie said this, I believed he was telling the truth. I asked, “Let’s leave that aside—Old Liu’s not here, so you can say whatever you like. First, tell us about Chen Dongfang’s family.”

Tang Renjie hesitated and replied, “I don’t know much, but the remains of the Chen ancestors are all in the Twelve Ghost Caverns.”

He picked up his chopsticks and started eating again, but Fatty and I just sat there waiting, so I couldn’t help but ask, “That’s it?”

“That’s not enough? If I’m not mistaken, Chen Dongfang must have told you the Chen family is responsible for guarding the Dragon Head Stele, acting like some principle-bound tomb-keeping clan. I admit I wasn’t exactly noble in this matter, but let’s be honest—I’m nothing more than Old Liu’s dog, doing it for the money. You know as well as I do that money is the purest motive in all this. But for Chen Dongfang, when you trace his family line back, their ambitions aren’t so simple,” Tang Renjie said.

“What exactly are you trying to say?” I asked him.

“You two are different. For you, it’s all about getting to the truth now that you’re involved. So let’s cooperate—it’ll be a win-win. Just don’t harm that little drought demon, let what’s in the Twelve Ghost Caverns see the light of day, and I guarantee no one will be hurt. When it’s over, you’ll have your answers, and I’ll be able to walk away and even give you both some money or shares in the company. Life is too short—why not enjoy it while you can?” Tang Renjie said.