Returning from the Immortal World

“I was seriously injured after that match,” said Li Laoshan. “After being hospitalized for more than two months in the hospital, I went to his house but didn’t find his shadow at all. That’s why I sent some people to secretly investigate him. It was the result after painstaking efforts.”

“But how did you come to the conclusion that he sells intel, though?” asked Tang Xiu.

“You gotta ask your own disciple about that Brother Tang!” said Li Laoshan. “Hasn’t Chen Zhizhong told you about Guo Tao already?”

“Huh?” Tang Xiu was strangely surprised. “Chen Zhizhong also knows about Guo Tao?”

“The reason why my men found out Guo Tao is engaging in selling intel was because they bought the info from your disciple, Chen Zhizhong!” explained Li Laoshan. “He may know more than I do about Guo Tao.”

“I see. I’m gonna call Chen Zhizhong first, Old Brother,” said Tang Xiu. “I’ll find you for some drinks later.”

“Okay.”

After speaking, Li Laoshan laughed and directly hung up.

Tang Xiu, however, didn’t hurry to call Chen Zhizhong but slowly shut his eyes as information about the Darkwind organization unraveled in his mind.

This organization was like a pair of eyes in the sky, always staring at everything that happened in every nook and cranny of the world. It was like an invisible imperial sword hanging over everyone’s head, and those who were not cautious would have their necks beheaded by it.

“How far are we now?” asked Tang Xiu as he suddenly opened his eyes.

“About 40 minutes driving,” answered Jin Shi respectfully.

“Don’t head to the Golden Coast for now and withdraw most of our intel operatives who are still keeping an eye on that place.” Tang Xiu ordered in a deep tone. “Leave a few elite operatives to keep tabs on a few people. That’s right, keep a close eye on Guo Tao. There may be a hole of breach around him.”

Tang An’s figure silently appeared next to Tang Xiu, causing Jin Shi, who sat shotgun, have his complexion slightly changed since a bit of dread secretly rose inside him. The former then asked, “How about directly sneaking there, Grand Master? Won’t we be able to obtain all the information directly?”

“I have a hunch that things are not so simple. There’s more than meets the eyes here. You can stay invisible. I also have Invisibility Charm, but I don’t think it’s a very safe means.” Tang Xiu shook his head. “If the Golden Coast employs such strict defense and security works, it’s likely they have means to detect us. That’s why we can’t alert them this time. We just need to focus on closely keeping tabs on one or a few people, then exploiting any breach they leave before we unravel and understand this organization thoroughly.”

“Alright, then I’ll keep an eye on Guo Tao,” said Tang An respectfully.

Tang Xiu gave her a light nod and spoke again, “Jin Shi, you go with Tang An! And park the car on the roadside now. I’ll just take a cab to find a place to stay. Remember to immediately notify me once the targets we’ve determined have left the Golden Coast.”

“Roger!” Jin Shi replied.

As the car was parked on the roadside, Tang Xiu got off alone. There were no buildings nearby and only bankers on both sides of the road, so Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and dialed Chen Zhizhong’s number.

“Master.” Chen Zhizhong’s respectful voice was heard on the phone.

“Where are you?” asked Tang Xiu.

“Liangang,” answered Chen Zhizhong.

“Come over quickly to the address I’m going to text you soon!” Tang Xiu ordered faintly. “Keep in mind not to act ostentatiously and just come by yourself.”

After half an hour, a black Audi parked next to Tang Xiu. After the driver’s door was opened, the black-suited Chen Zhizhong strode to Tang Xiu and spoke, “Why are you in Liangang, Master?”

“That’s the question I wanna ask you too,” replied Tang Xiu.

“I found the secret of an old friend and I’ve been following him secretly. That’s why I came to Liangang,” said Chen Zhizhong. “Also, there are many special people gathering in a certain place in Lianggang. It’s a private club called Golden Coast. I’m going to find this old friend of mine to settle our feud once their party is over.”

“Is your old friend Guo Tao, by any chance?” asked Tang Xiu with squinted eyes.

Chen Zhizhong looked surprised, but he shook his head and said, “It’s not him, but Wen Feng.”

Tang Xiu’s eyes lit up and he said in a deep voice, “Tell me about this Wen Feng, Guo Tao, and that group of special people from all over who are at that Golden Coast now. Tell me everything about them.”

“My guess is that they are all members of the Darkwind organization, Master,” said Chen Zhizhong. “Further, today must be the important three-year meeting of what they call “Nether Swap, or Shifting Location” for the Darkwind organization in China. So, these people who came to the Golden Coast today should be the heads of the Darkwind in various provinces and cities across the country.”

‘The Darkwind?’

Killing intent flashed in Tang Xiu’s eyes as he asked again, “What is this Nether Swap or Shifting Location, exactly?”

“It’s the name of an important meeting that happens every three years.” Chen Zhizhong explained, “As the name implies, the person in charge of each province will exchange position with the head of other provinces, as with those who are in charge of a city with another city. The entirety of the Darkwind organization’s structure and members will be completely disrupted and reshuffled, becoming responsible for new places.”

“Why do they do this, though? Isn’t it very troublesome?” Tang Xiu wondered.

“It’s to prevent members of the organization from secretly developing their own private force,” said Chen Zhizhong.

“But how do you know so much about this matter?” Tang Xiu asked inquisitively.

Chen Zhizhong fell into silence for a moment and then forced a smile. “Master, I actually used to have a lot of contact with Wen Feng and Guo Tao, and we even had some important issues happening then. 10 years ago, both of them looked for me, hoping to buy several precious herbs from me. We became friends after constant contact. Moreover, all three of us are martial artists, so our friendship continually got better since we got something in common. We then burned the yellow paper, drinking our blood to be sworn brothers then.

“Yet, Wen Feng’s mind is like a fox full of schemes and intrigues. The more I interacted with him, the more I found that I didn’t understand him; whereas Guo Tao is a man you can literally call ruthless. In public, he shows himself as a steady and successful man, but he changes into a wholly different man, just like when he gets drunk or when he has a fight with others.”

Up to this point, Chen Zhizhong then took out a half-pack of cigarettes. He took one from it and handed one to Tang Xiu. He lighted it up for Tang Xiu and lit one for himself. After taking a puff, he went on, “On one occasion, Guo Tao got drunk and blabbered about the Darkwind organization as well as his position as the Head of the Shaanxi branch. He also told me that Wen Feng is the supervisor in Liangang—which the latter then found out and then tried to get rid of me. I’ve had a lot of clashes with them secretly, and I even thought of hiring two martial arts grandmasters to protect me for a while. The two of them dare not let others know the exposure of their identity, let alone by their superior leaders in the Darkwind organization. They were then negotiated for me to keep their secret and they’ll no longer send people to kill me.”

“And things are not over yet, I suppose?” asked Tang Xiu lightly.

Intense killing intent overflowed from Chen Zhizhong’s eyes. “The things are, of course, far from being over, Master! Those two bastards did promise with some great words, yet, they still sent people to assassinate me, and my wife died during their assassination.”

“And so, you’ve been constantly investigating them?” asked Tang Xiu.

“That’s right.” Chen Zhizhong nodded. “I’ve been trying everything I could to investigate them for many years. I even bought intel on them, be it fake or true. I just don’t care. What I care about is just to get more on everything they did and do every time they are in contact.”

Tang Xiu was silent as smoked his cigarette. Then, he asked in a deep voice, “If I were to hand you a team of powerful experts, can you be their commander? Do you have the confidence to kill all those members of Darkwind gathering in the Golden Coast club?”

“I’m sure. Absolutely!” replied Chen Zhizhong with eyes lit up.

Tang Xiu nodded and then dialed a number. Then, he spoke, “Senior Duanmu, do you want to pluck out some cancer cells in China?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” replied a voice in a confused tone.

“The Darkwind,” continued Tang Xiu with a deep voice.

“They are very cunning and stay hidden all the time,” said Duanmu Lin slowly after he was silent for a few seconds. “The state intelligence operatives may have a small number of them under surveillance, but most of them are uncertain about their identity. That’s why we’d better not beat the grass and frighten away the snake so as not to worry these dogs will leap over in desperation and bring dangers to the society.”

“And if there’s a chance to help the state get rid of this cancer, I wonder if you want to root them out?” asked Tang Xiu.

“Are you sure?” asked Duanmu Lin hurriedly. “Can you really dig out all of the Darkwind people in China?”

“A few fish may slip through the net, but compared with the whole intelligence network of the Darkwind in China, with thousands and tens of thousands of their intel operatives, I think it can be done,” said Tang Xiu.”

“That would be worth enough to act. Absolutely!” Duanmu Lin then asked quickly, “Where are you now, Tang Xiu?”

“Liangang,” answered Tang Xiu.

“I’ll be there in five hours,” said Duanmu Lin in a deep voice. “Send me the specific address in Liangang and I’ll be there to catch up with you soon.”

“You have to be careful when you come over, Senior Duanmu,” said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. “Liangang has now become the gathering place for all the high-level executives of the Darkwind organization in China. The number of intel operatives of this organization may be too many to count here. This city has become their den in this period.”

“No worries,” said Duanmu Lin with a full of confidence voice.

Tang Xiu hung up and then smiled at Chen Zhizhong, “You’ll lead these experts from the Special Abilities Bureau. But, do display a good performance. We’ll start the operation at once when we have more information.”