With the Power of Alcohol, Turn the Hairpin to the Dark Clouds
Tiangou, smiling, leisurely sat down without caring for the gaze on him. Even though his grey robe came with a hoodie, he chose to leave his forgettable face exposed. He looked more worn out than he should have for someone his age.
Tiangou was exempted from the Fiendsâ Genesis arrests still taking place in the capital. Having said that, none of the arrested â dead or alive â members of Fiendsâ Genesis in the capital were notable members of the group, though the Seven Stars were never considered suspects in the first place â except for Jiang Chen. I stayed in contact with Tiangou after I placed him back in his exam room using Voice Transmission. He left Taishu Hall before I did on the last day of the exam, so nobody suspected him.
âNo words can express my gratitude, Brother Ming. I have filled Shitou in on everything.â
Tiangou wasnât thankful I placed him back in his exam room. As soon as he woke up, he met up with Shitou â probably on Gongsun Chuâs instructions.
Gongsun Chu couldnât get along with Fiendsâ Genesis when he used them as disposable pawns. While it was true that he held a high position and was the brains of the group, Tiangou could no longer trust him. Shitou was likely Gongsun Chuâs last gift for Fiendsâ Genesis. Considering Shitouâs skills, there would only be a handful of elites in the capital capable of locating him once he recovered.
âHow is Brother Shitou doing?â
Tiangou shook his head. âDue to the length of time he was in that state, itâs hard for him to fully recover. Moreover, he is hurt badly. He was virtually unable to walk when I found him. He slips in and out of consciousness; I assume he is still slipping back into the illusory world. When he is fine, he speaks identically to back then. When heâs in the illusion, though, heâll cry, smile and be hostile at random. Itâs a good thing you didnât take the fire jade.â
Tiangou tapped on the box. âThanks to you having someone send it over, we managed to deal with the urgent problem. Had it not been for your timeliness, he mightâve hurt people around and himself even more. Otherwise, he would still be a mad man even though he has been freed from the illusion. There is no way we could repay you for it.â
âItâs nothing. Itâs nothing.â I couldnât stop Tiangou from kowtowing to me, so I just had to force a smile. I may have been shameless, but I didnât just let people bow to me. I only felt a little more accepting since he had attacked me, and I had drugged him.
Tiangou was unaware of my relationship with Zero and wasnât aware my subordinate was responsible for Shitouâs severe injuries. I had Zero lend them the Nine Dragons Fire Jade to completely rid Shitou of his old problem. I couldnât pay Gongsun Chu much, so I figured Iâd help him clean up where I could.
âIt may be nothing to you, but it is tantamount to giving us life.â Tiangou got to his feet. âThat is why I must say it again: sincerely, thank you very much, Brother Ming.â
I stood up to reciprocate. âYou need not thank me. Have a seat.â
As we sat back down, I swept the box over to myself. It wasnât easy to sell the box I used to store my celestial spider silk, but it was worth a lot. Plus, I needed the jade to repay my debt.
âWhat plans do you have next, Brother Gou?â
âWe plan to retrieve what belongs to us.â
The look in Tiangouâs eyes signalled that he already had a complete plan. He was loyal to Shang Bieshi, so it was natural for him to rescue Shang Bieshi now that Shitou had returned and attained Divine Realm. Although Fiendsâ Genesis wasnât a mighty force, they had grown their forces over the last two decades. Yes, the imperial court was hunting them down, but those in the underground palace definitely werenât involved with the fiasco. With Shitou and the Seven Stars still alive supporting them, they had a reasonable chance of growing into a group that could rival the Cold Mountain Temple that the Qilin Guards had put under siege.
âIs Fiendsâ Genesis really going to return?â
I didnât probe into whether they knew Shang Bieshiâs whereabouts or not since that was their privacy and secret. I was under the assumption Shitou knew Shang Bieshiâs location. There was no better time to rescue Shang Bieshi than when Uncle Jiyi was busy with his headache. I was willing to bet Fiendsâ Genesis had people watching Cold Mountain Temple already to prevent any information leaks. Shang Bieshi wouldâve likely added another strong wind to the ongoing tornado once he returned.
Tiangou stopped to think prior to replying, âMaster once said that we have our principles; it is just that they may not be the same as yours. Fiendsâ Genesis has always been a place for those who are outcasts in your world, but it was never a utopia. We must still struggle to survive; however, we know for whose sake we do what we do. We were and are not pawns created for Jiang Chen to use.â
âI like it.â I slammed the table. âItâs an honour to drink with someone like you. When you finally return, donât forget to invite me. Iâll be there to support you.â
Tiangou was surprised â in a good way. âThere has never been a better instance of forming a friendship after an exchange of blows. Brother Ming, I am proud to call you a friend.â
Tiangou pulled out a small knife from his short, sliced the tip of his finger and then dripped his blood into his cup. âIf you would please.â
I accepted the knife passed to me and praised, âItâs a good knife.â
âMaster personally forged the knife. I hope you accept it as a gift.â
âShang Bieshi truly is special.â I sliced the tip of my finger and dripped a drop of blood into my cup.đđ˛đąđ§đ¨đđ˛đš.đđ¨đŚ
After we finished our drinks, Tiangou threw his cup and conveyed, âHenceforth, Fiendsâ Genesis is your ally. We will be there with you through thick and thin. All our conflicts in the past are past tense.â
âFrom an exchange of blows, friendship grows.â
We enjoyed a merry drinking session and set a reunion date before we went our own ways.