Chapter 111: Bai Yulan's Revenge

Inside the small parlor, Qin Lang remained uneasy. Bai Yulan was no ordinary woman; no one dared to underestimate her. To survive in Ice City as a young, beautiful woman, and to navigate with ease among the various powerful underworld bosses—such a woman made many men feel ashamed of their own inadequacy.

Bai Yulan walked in, holding a hand warmer, with A-Xiang following closely behind. The calm and composed demeanor of the mistress and her maid was something rarely seen in ordinary women. Especially the aura of grandeur and self-confidence radiating from Bai Yulan—it was the bearing of one accustomed to authority, something that could not be feigned.

"Boss Bai," Qin Lang said with a slight bow, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Second Young Master Qin, please sit." Bai Yulan gestured toward the host’s seat and sat down. "A-Xiang, serve tea."

"Many thanks," Qin Lang replied, taking a seat.

"Second Young Master Qin, if you have something to say, please speak plainly," Bai Yulan asked.

"How is Brother Sen?"

"Zhou Sen is currently out of danger; he will recover after a period of rest. It is kind of you to be concerned, Second Young Master Qin," Bai Yulan nodded.

"Boss Bai, I have come specifically to ask for forgiveness from you and Brother Sen." Qin Lang stood up, cupped his hands solemnly, and bowed deeply.

"Oh? How so, Second Young Master Qin?"

"I have a man under me named Hua Laosan. He was secretly bought off by my eldest brother, and he leaked the whereabouts of Brother Sen and me this morning. That is what led to Brother Sen being shot at in Xiaonan Park today," Qin Lang explained.

"I see. And where is this Hua Laosan now?"

"After I found out, I cut off one of his arms. He is currently at the hospital getting bandaged," Qin Lang said.

"Since he was your brother's man, I presume this information was also disclosed to your brother, was it not?" Bai Yulan asked. She had already deduced that Qin Xiong was the one behind the attack, but Qin Lang’s words merely confirmed it.

"Yes."

"Do you know who fired that shot at Zhou Sen?"

"I can roughly guess. The best marksman under my brother is Scar-faced Liu." Having decided to come clean, Qin Lang saw no point in continuing to hide the truth.

"Where is he?" Bai Yulan asked directly.

This caught Qin Lang off guard. He could at most guess that the shooter was Scar-faced Liu, but he truly had no idea where the man was hiding.

"You severed Hua Laosan's arm, which is effectively telling Qin Xiong that you know he had you followed and that he orchestrated the shooting of Zhou Sen. What do you think he will do?"

"My brother will definitely hide him away."

"Based on your understanding of him, where would he hide him?" Bai Yulan pressed. Showing remorse required more than just a simple confession; did he truly think he could get off so easily?

"I..." Qin Lang was stunned. Although he had confessed about Qin Xiong planting a spy among his own men, he hadn't intended to betray his brother entirely. Now, it was clear that Bai Yulan intended to extract information from him.

"Zhou Sen is my man now. Your brother’s attempt on his life has crossed my bottom line. Do not blame me for what comes next," Bai Yulan said coldly. "Qin Lang, I know you do not want to betray your brother, yet you do not want to offend me and Zhou Sen either. Essentially, you still want to watch the tigers fight from the mountain top. In this world, there is no such easy path."

Hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Qin Lang. He considered himself a ruthless man, but in front of Bai Yulan, he felt as though he had been laid bare. This woman was far too formidable.

"In this Ice City, many have received my favor. I don't need them to die for me; I only need a piece of information. Do you really think I couldn't find Scar-faced Liu's whereabouts on my own?" Bai Yulan sneered.

A chill crept up Qin Lang's spine.

"Scar-faced Liu is not particularly lustful, but he is a man. He has a mistress who works as a train attendant. She lives in Sangeshu. I don't know the exact address, but I know her name is Xiang Juan. It shouldn't be hard to find out."

"Very well. Thank you, Second Young Master Qin." Bai Yulan nodded. "A-Xiang, show our guest out."

"Yes, Sister Lan."

"How is Brother Sen? I would like to see him," Qin Lang said as he stood up.

"No need. He has taken medicine and is resting. He is not receiving visitors." Bai Yulan dismissed him directly. With a man like Qin Lang, the colder her attitude, the more respectful he became.

...

Flap, flap...

A pigeon landed on the stone table in the courtyard. A-Xiang walked over, caught the bird, and removed a small cylindrical tube from its leg.

"Sister Lan, news from Uncle Lao Ba has arrived." A-Xiang trotted into the room and handed the bamboo tube to Bai Yulan.

Bai Yulan took the tube, flicked her finger, and a small paper scroll popped out. She glanced at it once and handed it to A-Xiang to throw into the burning charcoal brazier.

"A-Xiang, ready the carriage. You're coming with me."

"Should we call Brother Wu'en?" A-Xiang asked.

"No, he doesn't need to know," Bai Yulan shook her head.

...

Wenchang Bridge, Su Residence.

Su Wenqing was waiting, and when the footsteps of the old steward, Su Xing, finally sounded outside, even the composed Su Wenqing could not help but stand up to greet him.

"A-Xing, any news?"

"Our men inquired at Xiaonan Park. The police bureau has cordoned off the area and won't let anyone near. However, some saw that shortly after the gunshots, a group of people left across the river on dog sleds. There were quite a few of them."

"Why did the police bureau get involved? Wasn't it the Gendarmerie?" Su Wenqing asked in surprise.

"It was the Gendarmerie at first, but after the police bureau arrived, the Gendarmerie withdrew, and the police bureau stayed behind."

"Who from the police bureau? Section Chief Wan from the Criminal Division, or 'Big Head' Lin from the Special Affairs Division?" Su Wenqing asked.

"It seems it was Director Lin."

"Why would it be 'Big Head' Lin?" Su Wenqing was stunned. If Lin Dakuan was involved in this case, the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.

"A-Xing, go immediately and find someone in the police bureau we have connections with. Ask them exactly what is going on. Quickly!" Su Wenqing ordered, feeling the gravity of the situation.

"Yes, Master, I'm going now." Su Xing, already advanced in age, struggled with the constant running back and forth.

...

At dusk, an unmarked carriage entered Sangeshu, an area where railway workers congregated.

Beyond the station staff, there were many service workers here. Because of its proximity to the railway line, there were numerous grain processing plants and oil mills nearby. The finished flour and cooking oil from these factories were shipped directly by train to Xinjing, Fengtian, and other places.

Naturally, factories required workers, which led to the formation of densely populated and prosperous residential clusters. There was also a Japanese district here, primarily because after the Japanese took control of the Chinese Eastern Railway, a large number of Japanese moved in.

Sangeshu was home to the vehicle maintenance and repair depot. After the Japanese arrived, they carved out a section and built a district in the Japanese style. It was close to the railway line, and security was maintained by the railway police. The police bureau had a substation in Sangeshu under the Taiping Precinct, but it could only govern the Chinese sectors; they were powerless in the Japanese residential district. The Japanese district was not exclusively inhabited by Japanese; there were also a small number of Manchurians and Koreans.

In a small alley off North Tree Street, about twenty or thirty meters in, stood a small gate adorned with bright red couplets.

There was a courtyard of about ten square meters, with three main rooms facing south. To the east was a kitchen and a storage room, attached to the main quarters. To the west were the eaves of the neighboring house. This was Xiang Juan's home in Sangeshu.

Creak!

The sound was faint, but it startled Scar-faced Liu, who was lying on the kang. He wasn't in a deep sleep, but rather resting with his eyes closed.

"Who's there?" Scar-faced Liu drew a dagger, opened the door, and stepped out quietly, keeping the dagger behind his back. He moved into the courtyard, listening intently to his surroundings, hunched over in a ready stance.

Just as he finished checking the kitchen and storage room and found nothing out of the ordinary, he turned to return to the house. Suddenly, a red ribbon hooked around his neck. Before he could raise his dagger to cut it, the ribbon passed through the crook of his arm. In three moves, he was bound like a parcel.

Scar-faced Liu was terrified. He was a person of some standing in the underworld, and his martial skills were top-tier. To be captured without even seeing his assailant was deeply unsettling. Who had he offended to attract such a formidable enemy?

"Sister Lan, the gun has been found." A-Xiang pushed the door open, carrying a rifle.

Only then did Scar-faced Liu see who had subdued him.

"Bai... Boss Bai..." Scar-faced Liu was trembling, so tightly bound that he could barely speak.

"Scar-faced Liu, you still recognize me?" Bai Yulan stood in a crimson cloak, her beautiful face cold and severe.

"Boss Bai, I, Scar-faced Liu, have never offended you. Isn't this a bit against the rules?" Scar-faced Liu challenged, though his bluster was weak.

"Rules? You want to talk to me about rules?" Bai Yulan sneered. "Have you ever kept any rules with the souls that died by your hands?"

Scar-faced Liu fell silent. He had killed countless people in his life; morality and rules had long been nothing but trash to him.

"That shot in Xiaonan Park this morning, you fired it, didn't you?" Bai Yulan asked.

Scar-faced Liu’s eyes darted around; clearly, he had a guilty conscience regarding this question.

"Not going to say? This rifle holds five rounds in the magazine; there are four left. Furthermore, we found a casing in your pouch. Did you think that by picking up the shell, no one would know it was you?" Bai Yulan sneered, taking the gun and the casing from A-Xiang.

"Since you already know, Boss Bai, do whatever you like!" Scar-faced Liu turned his head away, resigned to his fate.

"A person like you, left in this world, will only harm more innocent people. Therefore, you cannot stay!" A streak of red light flashed from Bai Yulan's sleeve.

Scar-faced Liu felt a numbness in his chest, and his face quickly turned purple. "You... you are the Blood Swallow."

"Knowing my other identity before you die—you have no reason to complain," Bai Yulan said lightly.

Scar-faced Liu fell dead.

"Sister Lan, how should we dispose of the body?" A-Xiang asked.

"Burn it."

"With pleasure," A-Xiang replied cheerfully. Playing with fire was her specialty.