Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 192: Chapter 148: Using Connections, A World of Difference

The snow had stopped by the time the three of them headed back after their meal. A thin layer covered the streets, and the sunlight reflected off its surface in a myriad of glittering specks. It crunched under their feet as they walked.

Nearing the entrance to the martial arts hall, Wan Ze and the other two noticed a black sedan parked on the side of the road. A fine layer of snow already dusted its body, a clear sign it had been there for a while.

The emblem on the hood was half-covered by snow, but the license plate was visible.

Zhou Xianchuan’s eyes swept over it. He paused, his voice tinged with surprise and doubt. "Is that... a car from City Hall?"

He frowned, thinking. That license plate series... it looked like it belonged to a councillor, but he couldn’t place it off the top of his head.

Tan Xiao glanced over and explained in a low voice, "A councillor probably came for a visit. It happens all the time. Nothing to be surprised about."

Wan Ze nodded, not giving it much thought.

But it was a different story for Zhou Xianchuan.

He followed the other two inside, his heart pounding with excitement.

’A car from City Hall... That means this visitor isn’t just anybody. It’s someone with real pull in the Holy City.’

’He didn’t know what would bring someone like that to Dragon Eagle’s doors in person, but he knew one thing... For a councillor to come asking for a favor, just how important must the matter be?’

’When he first started practicing the Martial Dao, all he wanted was to build up his physique.’

’But the deeper his understanding of the Martial Dao became, the more he realized that the status of a Martial Artist was, in itself, an ace up his sleeve—a source of leverage.’

’His Zhou Family was in business. All year long, his old man had to grease countless palms, wining and dining people and showering them with gifts just to get things done.’

’But what if he became strong enough to protect the Zhou Family himself...?’

’Wouldn’t the very people they had to humbly beseech come knocking on their door instead?’

Lost in these thoughts, his steps grew a little lighter.

Just as the trio stepped through the main gate, they saw Master Qin seeing a guest out.

A middle-aged man in his early fifties stood at the entrance to the main hall. He wore a dark gray wool overcoat with the collar turned up, revealing the white shirt underneath. His hair was meticulously combed, and he wore a perfectly measured smile. His tone of voice carried the reserved dignity of a superior addressing someone he respected.

Standing behind the middle-aged man was a man in his thirties with a buzz cut. He stood ramrod straight, and one look at the thick calluses on his hands was enough to tell he was a practitioner.

"Master Qin, please, don’t trouble yourself." The middle-aged man gestured for him to head back inside, his tone cordial. "We’ll be counting on Dragon Eagle for the joint operation."

Master Qin cupped his fists. "Councillor Sun, rest assured. Dragon Eagle will make all the necessary arrangements."

Councillor Sun nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then turned to walk toward the gate.

The younger man followed. As he passed the trio, his gaze lingered on Wan Ze’s face for an instant before he looked away.

The trio only approached after the car had started up and driven off into the distance.

Tan Xiao and Zhou Xianchuan called out, "Master." Wan Ze followed suit, "Master Qin."

Tan Xiao sidled up, his face full of curiosity. "Master, what’s happened? To have a councillor come in person."

Master Qin glanced at him and didn’t hide the details. "The Holy City is planning a clean-up operation. City Hall is taking the lead, with several martial arts halls cooperating. Dragon Eagle will need to send some of our people as well."

Tan Xiao’s eyes lit up at once.

"Master, what about me!" He took half a step forward and patted his chest. "I haven’t been slacking off at all! I’ve been training every single day!"

Master Qin looked up at him and said gruffly, "You? You need more practice."

Tan Xiao grew anxious. "Master, I’m insanely strong right now! Just let me go, I guarantee I won’t disgrace Dragon Eagle!"

Master Qin didn’t answer, his gaze simply resting on Tan Xiao’s face for two seconds.

Then he spoke. "I happen to have some free time today, so I’ll spar with you. If you can withstand three of my moves, I’ll let you go."

The excitement on Tan Xiao’s face instantly froze.

Zhou Xianchuan, who had been standing to the side, was also eager to volunteer. His mouth had just opened when he heard this, and he promptly snapped it shut. His eyes darted about as he stole a glance at Tan Xiao.

’That look on Brother Tan’s face... It’s the look of a man who’s suffered his fair share of brutal beatings.’

Zhou Xianchuan silently took half a step back, completely abandoning the idea of speaking up.

Seeing their reactions, a rare smile touched Master Qin’s lips.

"How has Xiaofan been doing lately?" he asked.

Tan Xiao paused, scratching his head. "Huh? I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in the past couple of days."

Master Qin snorted irritably. "I told you to look after her in your spare time. Don’t you know what she’s like? She’s gone missing again. Who knows where she’s run off to this time."

Tan Xiao’s head throbbed. He nodded repeatedly. "Alright, alright, I’ll go talk to her. Don’t worry, Master."

Master Qin waved his hand, dismissing them to go about their business.

Wan Ze then parted ways with them and headed for the rear courtyard.

Just as he rounded a corner in the covered walkway, he nearly ran into someone.

And as luck would have it, it was Sun Fan.

She was wearing a short puffer jacket, with cargo pants tucked into a pair of small leather boots. Her ponytail was tied high, and she walked with a brisk, energetic stride.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Wan Ze, and she quickened her pace.

"Wan Ze!"

Seeing her spirited expression, Wan Ze couldn’t help but smile. "Out playing the hero again?"

Sun Fan’s eyebrows shot up, her expression seeming to say, ’How did you know?’

"Caught two thieves today," she said, trying to sound nonchalant, but her eyes betrayed a hint of pride. "On the street right behind the hall. I’d been staking them out for days and caught them red-handed today."

Wan Ze chuckled.

Remembering what Master Qin had just said, he gave her a reminder. "Master Qin was just asking about you. He said you’d gone missing again and told Tan Xiao to keep a closer eye on you. Don’t be too reckless. Stay safe."

Sun Fan waved a dismissive hand. "Relax, relax. I only go after petty thieves. I’m not about to mess with actual Martial Artists who know how to throw down."

’She wasn’t stupid, after all.’

’She knew her own limits perfectly well.’

’The Blood Tempering Realm was more than enough to handle ordinary people, but against a seasoned veteran, she’d be easy pickings. Besides, with her current status, she couldn’t get involved in the feuds between Martial Artists anyway. The people at the top handled those things; it wasn’t her place to worry about them.’

’That was why Master Qin both indulged her and reined her in from time to time.’

’Of course, compared to the trouble Situ Bai’s disciples got into, her little escapades were nothing. Zhai Jia and the others were the real masters of mayhem, one more proficient than the last. Even Wan Ze, who knew enough to focus on his Cultivation at the hall, would occasionally stir up a massive commotion...’

’Zhai Jia and his crew had once trashed the garrison headquarters in the next city over, and she never heard Situ Bai say much about it.’

’In Master Qin’s eyes, her little scuffles were probably no different from children playing house.’

Sun Fan waved to him and continued inside, her steps light and her ponytail bouncing behind her.

Wan Ze watched her go before looking away and heading to the rear courtyard to continue his Cultivation plan for the day.

「And then, on the third day.」

Sun Fan was in trouble.

The incident happened at four in the afternoon. The news reached Wan Ze at 4:16 p.m., just as he and Tan Xiao were in the middle of a heated sparring session.

"This is bad! Brother Wan! Brother Tan!"

Sun Jing ran over, completely out of breath and with red-rimmed eyes. "Sun Fan... Senior Sister Sun is in trouble!"

Tan Xiao froze, his expression changing in an instant.

Wan Ze had already strode over. "Start from the beginning. What’s the situation?"

Sun Jing panted, her words coming out in a rush. "A little after three, she took a phone call and left... She said she’d be back for training at four on the dot, but she’s still not back! I just tried her communicator, but no one’s picking up."

Tan Xiao frowned. "Who called her?"

Sun Jing shook her head, but then she seemed to remember something. She said hesitantly, "I think... Senior Sister Sun was looking into something recently... That’s right! The day before yesterday at lunch, she mentioned it in passing... the Golden Gate Sect."

"The Golden Gate Sect?" Tan Xiao was stunned.

The name sounded familiar to Wan Ze, so he looked at Tan Xiao.

Tan Xiao said quickly, "It’s a dance hall on Zhujiang Road. A real cesspool, attracts all kinds of shady characters. But why would Sun Fan be investigating a place like that?"

Sun Jing, on the verge of tears from anxiety, asked, "Should we call the police?"

Tan Xiao instinctively looked to Wan Ze.

Wan Ze considered for a moment before speaking. "We’ll take a two-pronged approach."

He took out his communicator and dialed Sun Fan.

Again, no one answered.

He hung up and looked at Tan Xiao. "Brother Xiao, we’re going out to look for her. Sun Jing, you stay at the hall and wait for news. If there’s still no word by five o’clock, call the police... But in the meantime, keep quiet about this. We don’t want to tip them off."

Sun Jing nodded firmly. "I’ll wait for word from you!"

As he walked toward the exit, Wan Ze dialed another number.

The call connected almost instantly. "Brother Wan?"

"Feiyang, I need you to check a place for me." Wan Ze’s voice was steady. "The Golden Gate, that dance hall on Zhujiang Road. A friend of mine was looking into it, and now she’s missing... Yes, just now. It happened sometime after three... Check who was coming and going from the Golden Gate around that time, see if there was anything out of the ordinary..."

"Got it. Wait for my call."

Wan Ze hung up. Reaching the entrance of the hall, he turned back to Tan Xiao. "Brother Xiao, can you drive?"

Tan Xiao scratched his head, looking a little sheepish. "I... haven’t gotten my license yet."

Wan Ze: "..."

Just as he was wondering whether to call a car, someone walked toward them.

Speak of the devil. It was Lei Ming.

He was dangling a set of car keys, apparently just back from running an errand. Seeing the state the two of them were in, he stopped, surprised. "Ah Ze? Brother Tan? You two look... like you’re in a hurry?"

Wan Ze’s eyes lit up. "Brother Ming, did you drive?"

"Yeah," Lei Ming said, looking from him to Tan Xiao, completely baffled. "What’s wrong?"

Wan Ze walked over, slung an arm around his shoulder, and smiled breezily. "Come on. I’ve got a great opportunity for you."

Lei Ming’s eyes lit up. "For real? What is it?"

"First, we’re going to the Golden Gate." Wan Ze pulled open the car door and got into the passenger seat.

Tan Xiao followed behind him, looking like he wanted to say something but holding his tongue.

Genuinely believing it was something good, Lei Ming happily started the car. He floored the gas pedal, and the car shot off toward Zhujiang Road.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the mouth of an alley diagonally across from the Golden Gate.

Lei Ming was about to unbuckle his seatbelt when Wan Ze stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Brother Ming, wait a second."

Lei Ming’s hand froze. He turned to look at Wan Ze. "Ah Ze, come clean. What’s really going on?"

Wan Ze was silent for two seconds before he spoke. "Sun Fan is missing. It might be connected to the Golden Gate."

Lei Ming froze for a second, then he blew a gasket. "What the hell? Does the Golden Gate want a death wish? They dare kidnap someone from Dragon Eagle? What are we waiting for? Let’s go trash the place!"

He looked at Wan Ze, then at Tan Xiao in the back seat, his expression urgent.

Tan Xiao quickly tried to placate him. "Junior Brother Lei, I know you’re anxious, but try to calm down... Let’s wait for Ah Ze’s plan."

At this, Lei Ming forced himself to bottle up his anger and looked to Wan Ze.

Wan Ze didn’t speak right away.

Sitting in the passenger seat, he stared through the window at the building across the street. Its neon lights were still dark. The Golden Gate. Three stories high, with two guards in black suits standing at the entrance. There weren’t many people coming or going; nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"Brother Ming..." Wan Ze said after a moment’s thought. "Drive. Do a lap around the Golden Gate. Let’s see if we can spot anything."

He had too few clues to work with right now.

Without another word, Lei Ming started the car.

They hadn’t even completed a full lap when Wan Ze’s communicator suddenly rang.

It was Tie Feiyang.

"Brother Wan, I’ve got something. The Golden Gate Sect’s Bai Zhishan went out in person a little after three this afternoon. He went to Xitang Port... Someone over there heard gunshots, maybe three or four rounds. I had someone ask around on the quiet... They were grabbing someone. A young woman. A Martial Artist."

Wan Ze’s gaze sharpened. "What did she look like?"

"The description is a bit vague, but they said she had a ponytail and was wearing a short, black jacket." Tie Feiyang paused. "Brother Wan, I suspect it was your friend they grabbed... Should I make a move?"

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