Book 15: Chapter 18
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 Fiends’ Genesis arrests still taking place in the capital. Having said that, none of the arrested – dead or alive – members of Fiends’ Genesis in the capital were notable members of the group, though the Seven Stars were never considered suspects in the first place – 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.
“No words can express my gratitude, Brother Ming. I have filled Shitou in on everything.”
Tiangou wasn’t thankful I placed him back in his exam room. As soon as he woke up, he met up with Shitou – probably on Gongsun Chu’s instructions.
Gongsun Chu couldn’t get along with Fiends’ 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 Chu’s last gift for Fiends’ Genesis. Considering Shitou’s skills, there would only be a handful of elites in the capital capable of locating him once he recovered.
“How is Brother Shitou doing?”
Tiangou shook his head. “Due to the length of time he was in that state, it’s 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 he’s in the illusion, though, he’ll cry, smile and be hostile at random. It’s a good thing you didn’t take the fire jade.”
Tiangou tapped on the box. “Thanks to you having someone send it over, we managed to deal with the urgent problem. Had it not been for your timeliness, he might’ve 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.”
“It’s nothing. It’s nothing.” I couldn’t stop Tiangou from kowtowing to me, so I just had to force a smile. I may have been shameless, but I didn’t 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 wasn’t aware my subordinate was responsible for Shitou’s severe injuries. I had Zero lend them the Nine Dragons Fire Jade to completely rid Shitou of his old problem. I couldn’t pay Gongsun Chu much, so I figured I’d help him clean up where I could.
“It may be nothing to you, but it is tantamount to giving us life.” Tiangou got to his feet. “That is why I must say it again: sincerely, thank you very much, Brother Ming.”𝒷ℯ𝓭𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓮𝓵.𝒸ℴ𝓶
I stood up to reciprocate. “You need not thank me. Have a seat.”
As we sat back down, I swept the box over to myself. It wasn’t 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.
“What plans do you have next, Brother Gou?”
“We plan to retrieve what belongs to us.”
The look in Tiangou’s 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 Fiends’ Genesis wasn’t 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 weren’t 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.
“Is Fiends’ Genesis really going to return?”
I didn’t probe into whether they knew Shang Bieshi’s whereabouts or not since that was their privacy and secret. I was under the assumption Shitou knew Shang Bieshi’s location. There was no better time to rescue Shang Bieshi than when Uncle Jiyi was busy with his headache. I was willing to bet Fiends’ Genesis had people watching Cold Mountain Temple already to prevent any information leaks. Shang Bieshi would’ve likely added another strong wind to the ongoing tornado once he returned.
Tiangou stopped to think prior to replying, “Master once said that we have our principles; it is just that they may not be the same as yours. Fiends’ 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.”
“I like it.” I slammed the table. “It’s an honour to drink with someone like you. When you finally return, don’t forget to invite me. I’ll be there to support you.”
Tiangou was surprised – in a good way. “There 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.”
Tiangou pulled out a small knife from his short, sliced the tip of his finger and then dripped his blood into his cup. “If you would please.”
I accepted the knife passed to me and praised, “It’s a good knife.”
“Master personally forged the knife. I hope you accept it as a gift.”
“Shang Bieshi truly is special.” I sliced the tip of my finger and dripped a drop of blood into my cup.
After we finished our drinks, Tiangou threw his cup and conveyed, “Henceforth, Fiends’ Genesis is your ally. We will be there with you through thick and thin. All our conflicts in the past are past tense.”
“From an exchange of blows, friendship grows.”
We enjoyed a merry drinking session and set a reunion date before we went our own ways.