Chapter 231: The First Ring

Chapter 231: The First Ring

Before long, Han Wubing entered, his shoulder wrapped in bandages, unrestrained, his face full of surprise at the scene before him.

He did not look like a captive, but rather like someone convalescing within, and though the wound seemed not severe, his bearing remained composed, with no hint of weakness.

Seeing the room, Han Wubing was startled: "Brother Seven? And this dark-faced fellow is..."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Sha Qiye, with his throat still gripped, began to laugh, and his subordinates joined in.

Zhao Changhe said with a straight face: "You're looking well?"

Han Wubing instantly recognized his voice, overjoyed: "Brother Zhao! It's you! Uh, this..."

Zhao Changhe said: "So this is a misunderstanding? They've been treating you well?"

Han Wubing replied: "They did take me in."

Zhao Changhe said: "But you've been tricked."

Han Wubing paused, his gaze toward Sha Qiye quickly turning suspicious.

Clearly, his trust in Zhao Changhe far outweighed that in Sha Qiye.

Sha Qiye merely smiled, seemingly unconcerned that his throat was still tightly clutched, nor that Zhao Changhe was about to expose him; instead, he appeared intrigued.

Zhao Changhe said: "For instance, did they tell you I was coming here?"

"No."

"I knew it. Otherwise, you would have come to see me."

Han Wubing laughed.

This feeling of trust and understanding was truly good.

Zhao Changhe continued: "They didn't tell you, which means their hospitality was not well-intentioned. I wasn't too far off in thinking you were captured."

Han Wubing said: "Indeed. Cutting me off from information is no different from being captured."

He quickly drew his longsword, guarding Zhao Changhe, and pointed it at the Kang Le Gambling House thugs who held blades to Zhao Changhe's neck.

Sha Qiye sighed: "I did take you in, and you turn on me so readily."

Han Wubing said: "I had already fled. You offered to let me recover here, and the relaxed atmosphere seemed genuine, so I stayed. But in the end, you were isolating me from news, using me?"

Sha Qiye ignored this and instead asked Zhao Changhe: "How did you figure it out, young hero Zhao?"

"Didn't you tell me yourself?"

"Did I?"

Zhao Changhe said: "I was buying a pancake on the street when I got robbed. Not only that, but the robber inexplicably let slip that Han Wubing was being hunted, and then inexplicably mentioned a 'Sha Qiye.' I thought then, which young master is this Sha Qi? The way he leaked information was far too abstract."

Sha Qi said: "What does 'abstract' mean? Couldn't it just be some random thug babbling?"

"..." Zhao Changhe couldn't be bothered to argue, continuing: "In any case, none of the information I gathered mentioned Han Wubing being wounded, so even if he was hurt, it couldn't be serious. Given his temperament, he's no saint—if not badly injured, he wouldn't flee far but would hide in the city, waiting for a chance to retaliate."

Han Wubing smiled again.

Zhao Changhe went on: "Assuming Han Wubing hadn't left, and I entered the city with my broadsword and even fought, no matter what mask I wore, he should have known his brother was here. Why didn't he come to me? That meant he was likely captured. But from what I learned, it wasn't the Ji family or Yan Lianping. If captured, it had to be a third party—who could it be? The abstract words of that thug suddenly made sense. Obviously, Sha Qiye was hinting that Han Wubing was with him, calling me to come."

Sha Qi laughed: "Correct. But why didn't you come directly to me instead of disguising yourself and leaving your blade? At first, I didn't recognize this 'Ji Bochang' as you, Zhao Changhe, until you made your move."

"Old brother." Zhao Changhe sighed helplessly: "From your perspective, Han Wubing was fine. But from mine, I thought you had captured him. Would I just come talk to you? Walk into a trap? Of course, I disguised myself first to scout. Before entering, I didn't plan to act—just to look around..."

"You used your inner energy to move my dice—to gauge my strength?"

"Yes. My energy invaded without you noticing, so your skill is mediocre. The problem is your numbers; among your men, there might be real experts. Going in hard wouldn't save anyone, but a surprise capture of you was a gamble worth taking—and the simplest choice. So I acted on impulse. Otherwise, I had a companion, and not using her power feels like a loss..."

Sha Qi: "...Just say I'm weak; I can take it."

"You're not weak, just underestimated me." Zhao Changhe smiled: "But I can guess what you want to discuss with me."

"Oh?" Sha Qi said with a deadpan expression: "Go on."

"Han Wubing fought over rumors about me right in front of your gambling house. That revealed he'd mastered a new sword technique. Ji Yinan and Yan Lianping both came knocking—there's no way you didn't know, right at your own doorstep?" Zhao Changhe laughed: "Your 'kind' sheltering of Han Wubing was just to wheedle the secret of the ancient sword out of him."

"Then why didn't I torture him and play the good guy?"

"How should I know? I thought you had captured him all along..."

"..."

"Maybe because Han Wubing isn't easy to handle—going hard might backfire. Why use force when you can play nice and coax it out? Unless you couldn't get anything and lost patience, but three days isn't enough for that... In the process, you learned I'd entered the city and remembered that I, too, benefited from the ancient sword's secret. So you sent word, hoping to get me as well."

Sha Qi finally shook his head with a wry laugh: "Damn, this is bizarre. In this whole affair, the Pinghu Society and Xingyi Gang are in chaos, everyone's eyes on them. How did you manage to see that Han Wubing's whereabouts had nothing to do with them—that it's a separate thread?"

"Because I have no interest in their gang disputes. From start to finish, my only goal was to find my friend."

The air fell silent for a moment. Even the thugs holding blades to Zhao Changhe's neck had a shift in their eyes.

Sha Qi was quiet for a while, then said slowly: "Why are you still holding your blades? Put them down."

Someone said: "Young master, your neck is still being squeezed!"

"If you put down your blades, he'll naturally release my neck. A man looking for his friend—since his friend is unharmed, why would he kill me?"

The thugs exchanged glances, then slowly lowered their blades.

But Zhao Changhe didn't release Sha Qi's neck; he dragged him out: "Well said, Seventh Master. But I dare not let you go yet—outside first."

Sha Qi's face twisted: "Fuck you..."

Zhao Changhe stepped outside and suddenly paused: "Seventh Master, you cleared the area?"

"Nonsense!" Sha Qi snapped: "With someone gripping my throat, of course I had to clear the place so no one would see. Otherwise, how could I ever show my face in Sword Lake City again!"

"So there's no one else around?"

"Hmm..." Zhao Changhe suddenly said: "Then, Seventh Master, how about we really talk about a partnership?"

Sha Qi almost laughed: "In this state between us, how can you even think of the word 'partnership'?"

Zhao Changhe remained unruffled: "Why not? Is there any irreconcilable enmity between us?"

Sha Qi said: "Seems not. What, are you now willing to share the ancient sword's secret with me?"

"I just want to ask you, Seventh Master—do you want to dominate Sword Lake City? I doubt Master Ying Wu sent you here just for the ancient sword, did he?"

Sha Qi narrowed his eyes, and after a long pause said: "How is it that you suddenly trust me enough for such a partnership?"

"As you just said, the feud between those two gangs is a separate thread from your affairs. The ones colluding with the barbarians and spreading rumors about me—whichever faction it is, it's not you. After thinking it over, if I'm to find a partner, you're the only one left."

Sha Qi sighed: "From now on, if anyone dares tell me Zhao Changhe is just some mountain bandit, I'll slap them so hard their own mother won't recognize them!"