Ninth In the World

“Yes, I came to meet a client.” Di Jiu nodded.

Qi Xiang, who believed Di Jiu this time, said, “Brother Jiu, it will not be easy to meet Ji Baishan. Even if I helped you find Ji Baishan’s house, you would not be able to get close to it. There are armed guards stationed in his house, who will not hesitate to shoot anyone who approaches the house at night.”

“You have not been to Ji Baishan’s house to beg for charity?” Di Jiu asked in disbelief.

Ji Baishan was extremely wealthy. To be blatantly honest, Qi Xiang was just a thief. How could a thief not target Ji Baishan?

“You must have mistaken me for a thief, Brother Jiu. I want you to know that I am not a thief. I earn money through honest means. The money I earn is given to me willingly. I would never target such a kind, charitable person as Ji Baishan. Even if I did, I would not be able to get anything out of him,” Qi Xiang said firmly.

Although Di Jiu was still confused, Qi Xiang would not explain any further. He simply said, “In my opinion, you must never have seen the Ji Family before or know them personally. Am I right?”

“Yes, indeed.” Di Jiu did not even know the way to Ji Baishan’s house.

Qi Xiang laughed as he said, “You came looking for Ji Baishan’s house so late at night, even though you do not know the family. I guess you must be here for the same reason I am. You have come to beg for charity. Do you happen to know someone who can heal Ji Xiaoting? Did you want to inform the family and earn some money in the process?”

“You are right.” Di Jiu smiled. “Would you help me?”

The amount of information that Qi Xiang had guessed correctly was rather impressive. However, no one, including Qi Xiang, could have guessed that he was the doctor who could heal Ji Xiaoting.

“If you trust me at all, do not go there tonight, Brother Jiu. I am not saying that your disguise is bad, but you will be shot to death if you proceed, despite your disguise.”

Di Jiu had a really powerful punch. Both he and Qi Xiang had been able to enter the island because their talents complemented each other. If Qi Xiang was able to learn martial arts from Di Jiu, it would be beneficial for his future.

“Do you know of a way to help me?” Di Jiu looked at Qi Xiang in confusion.

Qi Xiang chuckled as he said, “Ji Baishan has a granddaughter named Ji Xiaorong, who is currently a student at the Swallow University. She is extremely concerned about her brother. You can start by approaching Ji Xiaorong. This will make it easier for you to approach the Ji Family.”

“Alright, thank you!” Di Jiu approved of Qi Xiang’s plan.

…

On his way back, Di Jiu learned that every technical job required a different skill set. Qi Xiang had both a car and a small automatic inflatable canoe.

Considering that Qi Xiang sneaked around a lot, one would expect him to drive a small, inconspicuous car. However, Qi Xiang drove a sport utility vehicle running on full exhaust. The vehicle’s engine made a loud purring sound at night.

“It is considered a taboo to do things cowardly in our line of work, Brother Jiu. The more one ventures into this job, the more forthcoming they should be in their everyday life. I choose to drive this vehicle to remind myself that I should be weary from the moment I step out of the car.” As soon as he sat in the driver’s seat, Qi Xiang no longer regarded Di Jiu as an outsider.

“How exactly do you beg for charity?” Di Jiu asked casually.

Qi Xiang chuckled as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a tiny camera. “There are many people here who have done nasty things. I use this camera to capture evidence of their dirty business and then send a copy of the photographs to them, along with my bank account number,” he said.

Di Jiu looked at Qi Xiang in surprise. The man was a genius who had taken advantage of his talent and found a fitting job.

Qi Xiang, who seemed to guess Di Jiu’s thoughts, stopped smiling. “My line of work has its dangers. I always have to leave in the early morning, and I was almost caught red-handed many times. Just yesterday night, I met two men with a huge reputation. It was fortunate that they did not notice me, or I would have been dead by now,” he said.

“What happened?” Di Jiu used to possess both power and wealth in the past. No one would have dared provoke him back in Pearl City. Back then, he had been able to bully others, but no one had dared bully him. Therefore, he had little understanding of Qi Xiang’s line of work.

Qi Xiang lowered his voice before he said, “My target last night was Yan Zhenfang. It was almost one in the morning, and I was hiding under a banyan tree outside Yan Zhenfang’s house. Suddenly, I saw a car parked directly under that tree. Yan Zhenfang had kidnapped two women. I heard them talking in the car. Do you know who the kidnappers were? They were Trustworthy’s men.”

“Who is Trustworthy?” Di Jiu asked in confusion. He had not known Qi Xiang for long, but he could tell that he was not a timid man. Nevertheless, Qi Xiang’s voice started shivering slightly at the mention of Trustworthy.

Although no one could hear them in the car, Qi Xiang lowered his voice before he said, “Trustworthy’s real name is Jia Qian. It makes sense that you do not know him. This man has a reputation in the dao and he knows many African mercenaries. He has a business in Luo Jin called the Morgue Ring. His business is a secret. I only found out about it during my investigations…”

“The Morgue Ring belongs to Trustworthy?” Di Jiu asked in shock before he added, “I heard that the Morgue Ring belonged to Bi Zhengsheng. How could it belong to Trustworthy?”

Qi Xiang sneered as he said, “Despite his skills, Bi Zhengsheng has no real power. He is merely Trustworthy’s dog. Trustworthy is the real mastermind. He is treated with respect everywhere he goes. It was rumored that a European oil tycoon called Tovey died a mysterious death in his own mansion after punishing one of Trustworthy’s men. His assets were then gradually transferred or bought by someone else. According to my big brother, most of Tovey’s assets are now in Trustworthy’s possession.”

“You have a big brother?”

Qi Xiang’s expression darkened as he said, “Yes. My big brother and I used to work in Ping Hai City. Even though our line of work was shady, we worked hard to support ourselves. Our job was to obtain information for people, both domestically and internationally. While my big brother was working on a case, he found out some secrets about the Bei Family. He was later silenced. I would have died as well, if it hadn’t been for my big brother’s protection.”

Qi Xiang turned to look at Di Jiu before he said, “I might work in the dark, but I am a good judge of character, Brother Jiu. I have told you so much because I know that you can be trusted. I would like to be your apprentice, but I know that a well-educated man like you might look down on someone like me…”

Di Jiu laughed as he said, “I used to be rich and powerful. Even though I would not boast about being a righteous man, I was not a bad person either. Tell me more about where Trustworthy’s men went after kidnapping those two ladies. If you wish to learn martial arts from me, that will not be an issue. If you have martial roots, I could teach you as soon as we get to your place.”

Now that Di Jiu knew about the existence of an Immortal Dao, the Di Clan’s Seven Sabers had lost its important place in his heart. Qi Xiang was highly resourceful, so he would be able to provide a lot of help. Plus, Qi Xiang’s temperament suited Di Jiu, who would not mind imparting a few of his moves to the other man.

Qi Xiang suddenly seemed to recall something. “Oh yes, Brother Jiu. I heard the two men talk about capturing someone from Luo Jin. I think his surname was Di. That person must be notoriously hard to capture, because they were planning to capture him along with Sister Lui Wan. Isn’t your surname Di, Brother Jiu?”

Di Jiu patted Qi Xiang on the shoulder and laughed. “You are right. The person they want to capture is me. Did you know that I am an enemy of Trustworthy’s? Are you still willing to learn martial arts from me?”