Chapter 85: Blackmail

“What kind of help?” I asked.

Han Jian said, “I’m leaving tomorrow, taking a boat to find that tower. I want you to come with me. We’ll share information, and if there’s really something there, we split whatever we find fifty-fifty. How about it?”

I stared at him and smiled. “Why? Just because of a rubbing that may or may not matter, and a former owner who vanished into thin air? I don’t buy it. I don’t believe that’s enough to lure you in. Uncle Han, your excuse is a little too flimsy.”

I paused, then tapped my knuckles on the table. “If you want my help, first you need to tell me the truth.”

Hearing that, Han Jian instinctively glanced at the tightly shut door across from us. Then he picked up the water cup beside him, took a sip, and after a moment of thought, spoke in a low voice:

“I don’t know where your Fourth Brother is right now, but I can guarantee you this: his next stop is the Nu River. There’s something there they’re looking for, but they’re already a step behind. When I arrived here, the information had already leaked. Old One-Eye knows about the tower now, so no matter what, you have to help me.”

I didn’t know how he was so sure that Fourth Brother’s next destination was the Nu River, but judging from his words, he seemed to be on Fourth Brother’s side. If we assume he got his hands on some inside information, then maybe he was involved in the Nine-Ring Project too.

And if he was, then what about his older brother, Han Cheng?

The thought made my skin crawl. I didn’t dare dig too deep into it. What I needed right now was someone to help me analyze things from an outsider’s perspective. So I said, “Let’s wait until He Yu wakes up.”

With that, I got up and walked around the sofa toward the bedroom next door. I shut the door behind me and locked it with one of those old-fashioned bolts. When I turned around, I saw He Yu had shifted positions and was sleeping like a log on the bed, except he wasn’t snoring, which was unusual.

I sighed and walked over to pat him. “Cut the act. How long have you been eavesdropping?”

As soon as I said that, He Yu cracked one eye open and grinned at me. “How’d you figure it out? Guess I still need to work on my acting.”

“Please. Who’d want to eavesdrop on your boring conversation? Look at me, look at this injury. I took that hit for you, and what do I get? You two ditch me in here like I’m dead. I was dying of thirst and no one even brought me a glass of water. Then I woke up, and it’s not my fault I’ve got sharp ears. I only heard a little. Not much.”

I handed him my enamel tea mug. He drank half of it in one go like a thirsty ox, eyes rolling back in satisfaction. I smacked him to shut him up and checked his wound. He Yu had a strong constitution; the bleeding had already stopped.

“What do you think? Do you really believe that bastard?” He Yu asked in a low voice.

I shook my head.

He Yu let out a breath. “Good. So you’re not totally brain-dead. Still got some sense left.”

I raised my hand like I was going to hit him again, and he ducked, shielding his bandaged head. I had no choice but to lower my hand.

He Yu said, “That Han guy’s not trustworthy. Why don’t you go find Lu A’yao? Since he’s teamed up with that Han, he’s gotta know a lot.”

“Like hell I will. You go if you want,” I cursed at him.

No way was I going to throw myself at someone who clearly didn’t want me around.

“Doesn’t matter how much of what Han Jian said is true or false, there’s definitely something big behind all this!” He Yu slapped his thigh.

“Why are you so sure?” I asked.

He Yu said, “Forget Han Jian. If it’s enough to catch Qiao Sangui’s attention, then it’s gotta be some top-tier treasure. If Qiao Sangui’s a fly, then this dish must be a full imperial banquet^[1].”

“When Qiao Sangui sent people after you, they didn’t try to kill you. I fought a couple of them, and they didn’t go all out. Later, they even tried to kidnap me to use as leverage to bring you back. What does that tell you?”

I didn’t quite follow. I just stared at him in silence.

He Yu clicked his tongue. “It means Old One-Eye never intended to kill you. That’s not like him. At first, I thought maybe he was getting soft in his old age, but after hearing what Han Jian said just now? Pfft!”

“Turns out you’re the hot commodity now. Wherever you go, the flies follow. You’re worth more than that lousy jade around your neck. Got it?”

He Yu’s thinking wasn’t far off from mine. I was already pretty sure that Qiao Sangui’s sudden move wasn’t really about the Luan Bi. He only used it as a pretext. What he really wanted was me.

“Maybe that tower under the Nu River is full of traps, and the old man already figured that out from the rubbings. If you were him, would you rather bring along someone who knows about mechanisms, or lead the charge in yourself? Obviously the first option!” He Yu said.

If our guess was right, then Lu A’yao’s anger upon finding out I was in Yunnan made total sense. According to He Yu, Qiao Sangui basically ran the entire underground scene in Yunnan. Getting into the province was easy enough, but getting back out would be another story entirely.

That explained why Han Jian, despite his rush, hadn’t tried to force my hand. He knew I’d figure it out sooner or later. This deal, I had no choice but to take it, whether I wanted to or not. If I didn’t go with him, what was the alternative? Follow Qiao Sangui, that scheming old bastard?

“So what do you think? Which side is Lu A’yao on?” I asked He Yu.

He Yu sat up and beckoned me closer. “I think… he’s on neither side.”

I thought it over and had to admit it made sense. That man had always been elusive, and when it came to martial arts, neither Qiao Sangui nor Han Jian could touch him. Wherever he went, he was a free agent. Judging by his reaction earlier, his temper meant he had absolutely no intention of letting me tag along.

He Yu glanced toward the closed door and whispered, “If we can get him on our side, that would be ideal. He doesn’t owe me anything, but as long as he shares those three copper coins with you, he’s bound to help you unconditionally. So we don’t need to panic just yet.”

No sooner had he spoken than Han Jian knocked on the door from outside, asking if we’d made up our minds.

I thought to myself, You’ve already set everything in motion. Does our opinion even matter at this point?

So that very night, we began packing our gear. The entire second floor of the old house was stacked with Han Jian’s supplies. Every window frame upstairs was sealed with black paper, blocking out all sunlight and keeping any indoor light from leaking outside.

Black duffel bags of all sizes were crammed into every corner of the floor. He Yu unzipped a few and found that twenty were packed with professional diving gear, while another twenty held firearms and restricted bladed weapons.

I had no idea where they’d gotten all this gear. Since I didn’t know how to use guns, I just picked out a few machetes and trench knives from the bags to carry with me.

He Yu, on the other hand, loved firearms. He grinned and said, “Hell yeah, finally time to splurge a little,” and started stuffing gear into his pack.

Han Jian pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. Written on it in blue ballpoint pen was a short list of items. Setting aside a large bag, he crouched down and began packing it according to the list.

I only caught a brief glance at it, but that was enough to guess who that gear was meant for.

“Uncle Han, how many people are going on this trip? I get that you want to keep things under wraps, but we still need to think about safety,” He Yu asked as he loaded guns and ammunition into his bag.

Han Jian didn’t shy away from the question. He looked up, did a quick mental count, then smiled and said, “This is a joint expedition with the company. There’ll be professional divers. At the very least, we’re looking at a few dozen people.”