Chapter Fifty-Nine: Beating

  "What's with the big brother, what is that person's identity? Why are you being so respectful to him? And does he really know Old White? Or is he just bragging?" On the way, the younger yin messenger hesitated several times, seemingly bursting with doubts and finally asked the yin messenger surnamed He.

  Mr. He gave him a cold glance. This kid usually addressed himself as Old He, but today he was calling him Big Brother He?

  He actually didn't like this partner from the bottom of his heart, relying on being a distant relative of a division judge to get into the civil service sequence and partner with himself. When things went wrong, he would complain all day, pointing fingers and acting as if he were some kind of big official. Only someone without background like himself would tolerate him, afraid of stirring up unnecessary trouble.

  However, today being a joyful occasion for oneself, one's spirit is refreshed and doesn't want to be on the same level as him. Also wanting to take the opportunity to teach him a lesson, he adopts a tone that is serious yet full of concern, saying: "Little Li, I've always told you to put your skills on display, why don't you ever listen? Although in the mortal realm, we represent the underworld's ability to control ordinary people's reincarnation, there are still many people we can't afford to offend. Especially those who can see us, they're absolutely not ordinary individuals. If I hadn't pulled you back, you would have stirred up big trouble today."

  "What's the background of this cold young master? We small fries aren't qualified to know, but I do know that when he came to the underworld, it was Old White Impermanence himself who personally escorted him and even accompanied him to meet the God of Death..."

  "Ah, Old White has personally come to greet us and we can meet the Lord?" Little Li heard this and couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. If it were any other time, Lao He would have spoken to him in such a manner, he would have scolded him back with a straight face long ago. But today, his mind was completely elsewhere.

  He's just his own uncle, a mere district judge, yet he already feels superior and full of himself. But this position, not to mention meeting the Lord, doesn't even have the qualifications to sit with Bai Lao Da, so what identity does that cold young master have to be able to meet the Lord?

  When he saw Xiao Li's stunned expression, Lao He felt a sense of dark satisfaction in his heart, and his contempt for him grew even stronger. He raised his head with a swagger and said, "This time you're lucky, thanks to me helping you out in time. If not, you'd be finished. Last time, there was an unlucky guy who came to Yangjian to perform official duties, but somehow he offended Lord Leng, and when he returned to the underworld, he only had one breath left. Until now, he's only recovered half his life force, so he had to retire early."

  "Look at your expression, you don't believe me? If you don't believe me, go ask Wang Da Huang Zi from the 9th district. He's more senior and capable than I am, but what's the use? When you provoke someone you can't afford to mess with, all you can do is admit defeat. The position of Deputy Patrol Officer that was supposed to be his also ended up going to Zhu Lao San instead. You young people are like this, thinking you know better and not listening to old folks' advice, suffering losses right before your eyes..."

  Lao He was muttering to himself there, and Xiao Li's heart grew colder the more he listened. He had heard about the matter of Wang Da, the blind man from the 9th district, which had been widely spread at the time. The specific reason was unclear, but he had still mocked him with his companions for being a useless yin ren (a low-ranking official in the underworld). It wasn't the first time that a yin ren had gotten injured while performing their duties, but this was the only time after getting injured that the underworld didn't take any measures against outsiders apart from comforting the yin ren. Who would have thought that the mastermind behind all of this was actually this so-called Cold Gongzi?

  "Good heavens, Old He, just a few years ago this Cold Lord was only slightly older than me, how could he have defeated Wang Da Mangzi?" Although Little Li had already believed about 70-80% of what Old He said, she still felt greatly surprised. Even if Yin Cha was not very capable, he was still an official in charge of executing public duties in the underworld, let alone Wang Da Mangzi who was also a team leader, his abilities were far beyond what they could compare to.

  "Extraordinary people must have extraordinary qualities." Old He glared at him and said somewhat discontentedly, "What makes us qualified to know this?"

  "Thank you for Mr. He's maintenance and guidance today, I'll set up a table of wine at Zui Xian Lou after work to thank Mr. He for his kindness, please do me the honor of attending." Little Li said with a flattering smile.

  "Zui Xian Lou?" Old He's heart skipped a beat. Although Zui Xian Lou was not top-notch in the underworld, for people of their level, it was already an unattainable height, a place they didn't dare to imagine. It was said that even the simplest consumption inside would cost them half a year's salary, truly something to be admired from afar but never attainable.

  Colleagues who have been there would, whether they spent a fortune or just tagged along, boast about it nonstop, as if afraid others wouldn't know they'd been to Drunken Immortal Pavilion. The look on their faces made them seem like they thought themselves superior to everyone else.

  However, there's no good feast, Lao He also has his own conscience. If it weren't for the possibility of meeting Bai Laoda himself, would this self-interested Little Li be willing to spend a lot of money to invite him to Zui Xian Lou? Who knows what other schemes are behind this.

  He thought for a moment, and Old He shook his head slightly, with a hint of reluctance and a bit of pride, saying: "Forget it, wait a minute, I still have to go see White Lao Da about Cold Gongzi's request. Who knows if White Lao Da will have any instructions, can't be late."

  Xiao Li cursed in his heart: "Hmph, you're just a fake tiger, stepping on dog shit and getting lucky, letting you meet Old Man Bai. What is Old Man Bai's status? It's already good that you can see him, what kind of thing would make someone like you go and do it? Truly delusional." But on the surface, he continued to wear a brilliant smile and said: "That's right, let's focus on the important matter. Old Man Bai isn't someone who can be seen by just anyone, He Da Ge will soon rise to prominence, don't forget to bring your brother along when that happens. When the time comes, I'll definitely host a banquet at Drunken Immortal Pavilion to celebrate for He Da Ge."

  Thousands of holes, millions of holes, but not a single hole in the horse's buttocks. Although he didn't like Little Li as a person, Old He still felt delighted when hearing these words, but on the surface, he maintained his composure and waved his hand calmly: "Alas, Little Li has spoken too much, this matter hasn't even started yet, besides, doing things for Old Bai is our honor, we don't have any expectations of rapid advancement."

  Xiao Li secretly curled his lip, but still smiled and said: "That's that, He Dage has a high awareness, not something we can compare to. But how could the wise and powerful Bai Lao Da ignore someone as talented and virtuous as He Dage? A promotion is imminent, I'm here to congratulate you in advance, Big Brother."

  "Alright, alright." Even if Old He could calm down, a hint of joy still appeared on his face. In his heart, he thought: "Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank, it's about time for me, Old He, to have my turn and show off. This sweet talk really does sound comfortable, even though I know it's just flattery, but it makes one feel relaxed all over, no wonder officials like being flattered so much. Hmm, in the future when I've made it big, getting this little Li to come and flatter me wouldn't be bad either, heh heh." At this moment, this originally quite annoying Little Li seemed to have become more lovable.

  Standing there for a long time, Leng Bing finally remembered the family heirloom that his mother had mentioned earlier. He went to the main hall and searched under the ancestral altar for half a day before finally finding a dusty wooden box from a gap in the wall bricks.

  Dust removed, the box is about the size of a palm. It was originally crimson, but due to its age and poor preservation conditions, the color has become mottled and almost invisible. However, the various patterns carved on the box are still clear, including ladies washing clothes, blooming lotus flowers, and fish swimming in water. The knife work is very delicate, with vivid facial expressions that seem lifelike.

  Gently open the box, and the inner layer is a golden-yellow satin, but the color has also faded somewhat. In the center of the satin lies a small thumb-length jade needle, the quality of which should be very good, crystal clear and translucent, with a heavy feel in the hand, a soft and smooth surface, natural luster, sharp workmanship, and rich glaze. Even someone as ignorant as Leng Bing Xue can sense its uniqueness.

  But even the best jade, about the size of a needle, is not worth much money, even if it's an antique from a distant era. Of course, for ordinary farming families, it's definitely a huge fortune, no wonder they cherish it so much and pass it down as a family heirloom, generation after generation, also serving as a symbol of the family's faith and emotions.

  Carefully and quietly, I put this item away in the ring of Yuanyu, waiting for little Wei to grow up later, and then give it to her. This thing is not just a family heirloom for her, but also a yearning for home and a token of affection.

  After finishing all these things, Leng Bingxue took out the beeper from the Mingyaojiezi and was about to dial the home phone number. However, after pressing a few keys, he seemed to suddenly remember something, furrowed his brow for a moment, and finally dialed Zhu Jianjun's beeper.

  Because the two mobile phones were bought together and had consecutive numbers, with Liang's ending in 0 and Zhu Jianjun's ending in 1, they were easy to remember.

  This big brother has been holding it in his hand since he got it, but this is the first time he's using it. However, to be on the safe side, he makes sure to fully charge it every day at noon in the power bureau's house, so he doesn't have to worry about running out of battery when he needs it. It's just that the battery life of this big brother's phone is weird - it can only last for three hours after a full charge, and if you don't use it for a long time, the battery will drain on its own, what can you do?

  "Jianjun, it's so late, what's going on?" The voice of Zhu Jianjun on the other end of the phone was a bit short of breath, as if he had just run back from a 1,000-meter dash. Of course, at this time, Zhu Jianjun would definitely not be running a 1,000 meters.

  "Unbelievable, Chen Yaxin has only been back in Hong Kong for such a short time and you're already... aren't you afraid she'll find out and peel your skin off? Is there no one around now?" Although he's only ten years old now, his past life and this life combined make him almost forty years old. How could Leng Bingxue not know what Zhu Jianjun is up to right now, especially with his ambiguous heavy breathing?

  "Hehe, don't worry, Xiao Han, I'm hiding in the bathroom to answer this call." Zhu Jianjun smiled awkwardly and said: "Men are like that, just pretending to be heroes, a successful man should have a red flag at home and colorful flags outside."

  Zhu Jianjun said it calmly, but Leng Bing Han's heart still skipped a beat. Think about it, when you're in the middle of a romantic moment, being able to get out of bed and answer the phone in the bathroom requires great willpower and courage. And who knows what the other person is thinking? Maybe they won't let him back on the bed...

  For these boring thoughts that suddenly emerged in his mind, he couldn't help but laugh and start praying for Zhu Jianjun in his heart.

  "Isn't this over yet?" Leng Bingxue said somewhat impatiently. Not a hint of the consciousness of a ten-year-old child was present. This was also thanks to Zhu Jianjun on the other end of the phone, who had blind faith in him; if it were someone else, they would definitely be laughing out loud. Hearing a ten-year-old say these things was truly unpalatable.

  "Finished?" Zhu Jianjun said discontentedly, "With my fighting ability, how can it be finished in less than half an hour?" Chinese people are good at being humble, but when it comes to this kind of thing, probably all men won't be humble.

  After that, Zhu Jianjun said pitifully: "Han Shao, either you don't call me, or you call me at this time. If in the future I have any aftereffects and affect our family's Ya Xin's happiness, I'll let her go find you to demand huge economic compensation."

  "Get out of my sight." Leng Bing Xue coldly scolded: "You little brat, you're causing trouble outside and still have the nerve to come back, Chen Ya Xin is looking for me? That's perfect, I'll tell her all about your great achievements, how the red flag at home doesn't fall, but the colorful flags outside are fluttering..."

  "It's cold outside, but don't talk like that." Zhu Jianjun panicked and quickly said: "We're all men, this kind of thing is mutually understood, we should be considerate of each other."

  "I'm still a boy, not a man." He corrected coldly with an icy gaze.

  "Hey, boys will eventually become men. If Han Shao can't hold back his nature, I can find a few beauties to help him complete this transformation process ahead of time. What type does he like? Is it the pure and lovely girl or...? Or should we use uniform temptation?" On the other end of the phone, Zhu Jianjun's somewhat sly laughter was transmitted, and without guessing, it was clear that his facial expression at this moment was also extremely lewd.

  "Get out." Leng Bing Xue was both angry and amused upon hearing this, but after arguing with Zhu Jian Jun in such a childish manner, her previously suppressed emotions were relieved.

  "These things, just be more mindful of them yourself. A man can be romantic but absolutely cannot be lewd. Don't be unable to move your legs whenever you see a woman." Cold Ice Han said seriously to Zhu Jianjun: "I won't chat nonsense with you, I have serious business to ask you."

  As soon as he heard the cold and stern tone, Zhu Jianjun immediately put away his playful smile, sat up straight, and held his breath.

  "Don't be nervous, it's not a big deal." Leng Bing said coldly, as if he could see Zhu Jianjun, "I just want to ask you how the phone was registered when I bought it for my brother. Will the call be traced back to who made it?"

  Zhu Jianjun was somewhat confused and asked: "Han Shao, why are you asking this?"

  Leng Bing Han briefly told him what had happened, then said: "You know, I don't want to be exposed in the public eye, so now I need to make a phone call to inform the relevant departments that I've been rescued by you, and let them come pick me up. But I'm worried they'll investigate who made the call through the number, and then this whole thing will fall apart."

  As soon as he heard that Leng Bing Han had been kidnapped, Zhu Jian Jun was startled, but then he immediately put his mind at ease. Who is Leng Bing Han? In his heart, she was a figure so extraordinary that she could be compared to a goddess, how could anything unexpected happen to her? Moreover, since she was still calling him now, it must be fine.

  However, the calm tone of Leng Bing Han's words made Zhu Jian Jun's heart skip a beat: "I killed three of the four kidnappers and knocked one unconscious." The feeling was not like talking about killing people, but rather like talking about killing a chicken. This made Zhu Jian Jun feel sorry for those poor, stupid thieves: Why did you have to kidnap Leng Bing Han? It's as if you're asking to die - you're just looking for trouble.

  What puzzled him even more was that he didn't feel anything unusual or wrong about the cold-blooded murder, but instead felt that it was absolutely right and wise. It seemed that he had been poisoned by him long ago. On the other end of the phone, Zhu Jianjun sighed and shook his head helplessly, just to comfort himself.

  Of course, Leng Bing Han told Zhu Jian Jun about the private matter of killing someone. On one hand, it was to make Zhu Jian Jun feel that he really considered him as his own person and didn't hide anything from him. On the other hand, there was also a hint of intimidation: Don't look at my young age now, but I can even kill people. If you do something that betrays me, killing you won't be difficult either.

  But this cold ice is indeed a waste of wax, from the very beginning to now, with one incredible miracle after another born in Cold Ice and his own hands, Zhu Jianjun has already deified Cold Ice in his heart, and he can't even give birth to half a thought of betrayal.

  "Don't worry, in Hong Kong, prepaid SIM cards are anonymous. As long as you have money, you can top up and use it. If the balance is used up and not recharged, you won't be able to make calls. Even if they investigate our phone numbers now, they won't know who's using them, so there won't be any problem."

  It's a bit absurd to hear, yes, it's still nearly a month before 1990, phones aren't widespread, and detective techniques and facilities are also very backward. It's not like later generations where you can pinpoint the exact location with just one phone call and find out the specific situation of the person making the call. I guess I've been too influenced by modern thinking.

  "It's all right, nothing happened, you continue, hehe." Leng Bing said with a cold smile.

  "What's the point of continuing? We've been talking for so long that things have gone cold. Hanshao, where are you now? I'll come pick you up."

  "Haha, no need, now the police have to come and pick me up, what's your business here? Since you've softened up, get some rest early, although young, still need to take care of your body. Finish the steel factory thing as soon as possible so I can go to R city, there's not much time left to prepare."