The King of Black Fog

Chapter 146, 8 PM on the 28th



"The Commander's son was just as unsubstantial as the rest," the man scoffed coldly.

Li Changzhou caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, a man about forty years old with pale complexion who, in the dim light, resembled a corpse lying in a coffin.

Li Changzhou hadn't even heard his heartbeat, and had not noticed him until he made his move.

"A wise man submits to circumstances," Li Changzhou said with a sycophantic smile, "Brother, just say what you need, how much money? Whom do you want to save from the prison?"

"Money? I want your life!" the man pushed the knife deeper, and blood seeped from the neck.

"No, no, no! Brother, let's talk! Let's talk!" Li Changzhou hastily shouted, retracting like a gate outside as he moved backward.

Not following with the knife, the man grabbed Li Changzhou by the collar of his suit and pulled him close, staring at him like nails.

"Swallow this." The man handed him a white pill.

"Wha, what is this?" Li Changzhou looked down at his eyes, terrified.

"Just eat it if you don't want to die."

"Eat! Eat!" Li Changzhou took the white pill, glanced at it briefly, and put it in his mouth.

After confirming he really swallowed it, the man said softly and quickly, "If you don't want to die, come to the pear garden on the evening of April 28th to watch the 'Chun Emperor' play."

Without waiting for Li Changzhou's response, he opened the car door and shot out.

The car door swung twice, and the sound of gunshots poured in as if finding an entrance.

In the car, Li Changzhou raised his hand that had pinched the pill, the king cobra stood up, its forked tongue licking over.

He then raised his left arm, and the king cobra gently bit it.

"Interesting," Li Changzhou rubbed the cut made by the knife with his right hand, turning the blood into beads and tossing them into his mouth.

He had thought that coming to 1928 wouldn't present him with any formidable opponents, but in one night he had encountered so many curious and unusual events.

Liu De knew visualization techniques, and the man hiding in the car also had a visualization technique to weaken his aura.

These two weren't very strong, but surely, there were stronger people in Song City.

April 28th was the day after tomorrow.

The king cobra released its bite and disappeared into the air, the two careful bite marks slowly healed.

"Second Master." Liu De returned, his presence heavy with blood and hostility, "The first assassin was killed by random shots, the second had reinforcements and was rescued."

"Forget it, let's go back."

"Yes," Liu De acknowledged, then shouted toward Lin Mansion, "Come out and clean up!"

When Lin Ziwen and others came out, the three cars of Li Changzhou just drove away.

"It's over!" Lin Ziwen regretted, beating his chest and bowing his head.

"How is it over? Is Second Master Li injured?" Mrs. Lin asked anxiously.

By then, Lin Ziwen had no time for her as a guest, who couldn't leave in time, said, "Second Master Li was ambushed here, and Lin Mansion did not lend a hand. Does this not mean it's over?"

The words carried a mix of mockery and excitement.

The situation of the Lin Family had already been tough, and now having offended the soon-to-be ruler of Song City, Second Master Li, who would still care about their face?

"Those people had guns, what could we do? Second Master Li wouldn't blame us for this, would he?" Mrs. Lin's face grew paler as she spoke.

Lin Yin looked at the bullet marks at the doorway, shattered cars, and bodies pierced by bullets, her face equally pale.

Li Changzhou didn't take the assassination seriously, first, because since the Value Game began, being ambushed by players and ambushing players, though not yet common, wasn't something to make a fuss about.

Second, he was still preoccupied with his sister and Miss Yang.

Third, more than the mission, he was interested in whether he could learn something from the instance, and now suddenly two experts appeared (one of them was an underling, but it required time to spot), which exactly met his wishes.

Liu De, following Second Master, saw his calm pace, not minding the recent attack, and couldn't help but admire this young master who had returned from abroad, truly worthy of the Commander's son.

The temporary Commander Mansion was luxurious and opulent. Just recently, Li Xinghua had moved in with his seven wives; soldiers were stationed in Song City to prevent trouble.

Uncle Li, Li Bichang was also there, though he chose to live in a foreign-style building outside.

Second Master Li, Li Changzhou, having spent many years abroad, was requested by the Commanderon his return to stay in the Commander Mansion, not only because they had not seen each other for many years but also to protect his son without close confidants.

Walking through layers of courtyards and meandering corridors, not knowing how many gates he passed, and several Moon Gates later, he finally saw the female servants of the mansion, including old maids and girls around twelve or thirteen years old.

Those who saw him from afar avoided him; those who couldn't, bowed early and called out, "Second Master."

When had Second Master Li been respected like this?

He reminded himself inwardly: Li Changzhou, you are a successor of communism, you must not be corrupted, and must remain a healthy successor of communism.

The courtyard was brightly lit, filled with electric lights, displaying date trees, willow trees, peonies, and several beautiful large water tanks filled with lotuses.

There were even more flowers and trees, but because it was dark, Li Changzhou didn't recognize them—he mainly didn't know their names.

"Second Master, the Commander has asked for you in the living room," a maid approached him.

"Hmm, thank you," Li Changzhou nodded and walked towards the living room.

The living room was a Western-style building, with a red carpet laid out at the entrance, looking much like a palace in Europe.He had just reached the entrance when he heard laughter and chatter.

"I only used two tiles earlier, didn't touch anything, how do you claim I have 'eight harmonies'?" a woman's voice was shrill, a bit noisy but with a pretty tone.

"Are you planning to deny your loss?" another woman spoke, her language soft and muted, evidently from Gusu.

"You kept calling 'Pong' earlier, not letting me touch the tiles for three rounds, did I complain?"

"Are these two things the same? Do I pong when I have a tile or not? Commander, some people here are being unfair."

"Commander, she was the one being unfair!"

A man laughed heartily with a strong voice, "Ladies, no need to be upset. Let me kiss each of you once, and let's put this matter to rest."

"Stop it, Yingru is still here."

"Commander, I won't be at a disadvantage; if you kiss me, I'll kiss you back."

"Alright, alright, kiss! Kiss!"

"mua~"

Alas, these days... almost compare to playing games alone at night.

Li Changzhou entered, just in time to see Commander Li being applied lipstick on his face by a seductive woman with a fiery appearance and figure.

There were two mahjong tables in the living room, surrounded by maids serving snacks and drinks, which were all laid at one side, more extravagant than any snack, pastry, or deli shop.

"Changzhou is here!" a dignified-looking woman called out.

"Second Aunt," Li Changzhou smiled as he greeted her and then called out to the other five aunts.

Li Bichang and Li Changzhou's biological mother, the senior madame, was not present—his mind was crammed with the most basic family relations due to the game.

The youngest of these six aunts, who was three years younger than him, only seventeen (or perhaps sixteen), had just been brought into the harem by Commander Li after he arrived in Song City.

Besides these people, there was Li Bichang's official wife, Zhong Yingru, who sat at the table full of women, joining them in playing mahjong.

Li Changzhou also called out to his sister-in-law.

Zhong Yingru smiled and nodded at him, replying, "Second Uncle."

This was a delicate-looking young wife, dressed in a form-fitting black robe with red Mu Dan flower patterns, her hair pressed under a Golden Toad Pearl, with a Spanish hard-shell fan stuck in slantwise.

Commander Li, counting his six wives plus Zhong Yingru, had just enough people to make up two mahjong tables.

"Kid, come here," Commander Li beckoned while he shuffled the cards.

Li Changzhou walked over.

"Sit," Commander Li tossed his head to the side, indicating for him to sit on a stool.

"Brother, what do you think about Lin Yin? Does she suit your taste?" asked the fiery-bodied third aunt, sitting on Commander Li's right side.

Li Changzhou sat on Commander Li's left side, sandwiched between Commander Li and the fourth aunt from Gusu with the surname Shen.

Directly opposite Commander Li was the youngest seventh aunt, her eyes both timid and curiously sizing up Li Changzhou.

"She seems gentle on the outside," Li Changzhou smiled.

"Only on the outside?" another aunt from the other table spoke up, her appearance charming and her demeanor frivolous—she used to be a dancer.

"Not satisfied?" Commander Li asked.

"Just okay," Li Changzhou said.

He couldn't remember who the official wife of the second son of the Li family was in history, but whoever she was, he was only here until July and didn't want to waste time on women.

"Hmm," Commander Li nodded. "After all, fulfilling my promise, whether you marry her or not, taking more concubines if unsatisfied is okay; multiple wives and children are blessings."

Li Changzhou just smiled and said nothing.

Just as Commander Li was about to draw a card, the fiery third aunt yelled, "Pung!"

"Aren't you going to talk about tonight's matter?" Commander Li, temporarily free, addressed Li Changzhou again.

"I'll handle this little issue myself."

"Good! You've got your father's spirit; I want to see how you handle it! By the way, the money's been transferred to your account, feel free to use it. Your brother and I will be out of the city suppressing bandits. If anyone comes looking for me or your brother, just say we're not in. You run Song City in our absence."

Commander Li always had a bandit's rise; fighting relied on ruthlessness, and making a fortune always involved robbery, characterized by ferocity and carrying out his plans alone.

Speaking of which, it was his turn again.

"Pung!"

"Damn, are you even letting me play?"

"Commander, don't be angry. We'll each give you a kiss, and let this matter drop~"

"Two kisses!"

As Commander Li indulged in the pleasures of the harem, Li Changzhou bid farewell and left without him even nodding in response.

Stepping out of the living room, he stood under a date tree. In late April, the date flowers were fragrant. Enjoying the fresh scent, Li Changzhou admired the century-old moon and marveled at the incredibility of the game.

Was this truly a return to the past? Or just a virtual game, with their actual bodies still asleep on a train?

Footsteps approached from behind.

"Second Uncle."

Li Changzhou turned his head and saw his sister-in-law Zhong Yingru, a paragon of beauty, wearing a white scarf with red flowers around her wrists, contrasting her appearance in the living room.

"Sister-in-law," Li Changzhou nodded.

"The assassin didn't hurt you, did he?" Zhong Yingru said with concern.

"No... Sister-in-law?" Li Changzhou held her extended hand.

"What is it?" Zhong Yingru's gentle and concerned eyes turned cold as she interrogated, "Is that Lin Yin so charming that you don't recognize me as your sister-in-law anymore?"

She put heavy stress on the words "sister-in-law."

"?"

Li Changzhou quickly searched his memory, but it only contained some key information; it certainly wouldn't detail every interaction the second son of the Li family had.

"You think I really came to play mahjong with those ladies? It was all to catch a glimpse of you, you cultured beast!" Zhong Yingru whispered angrily.

"No, sister-in-law, I... am just in a bad mood today."

"I don't care whether you are in a bad mood or have been seduced by some lady. Come to the Pear Garden on the night of the 28th at eight, I'll be waiting in the private box."

The same time and place as the assassin's demand.

Was Zhong Yingru undercover?

Or was there something significant happening in the Pear Garden on the night of the 28th at eight?

"Remember," Zhong Yingru kept her voice even lower, "take a shower before you leave, especially down there, or don't touch me!"

"..."

Watching Zhong Yingru leave, Li Changzhou put his hands back in his pockets, looking at the moon through the treetops.

My Qing Lan, where are you? There's a tigress here trying to devour me!


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