Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

Two hours later, looking at He Shuting who was fast asleep beside him, he quietly got up and went to Xu Meijing's room.

After all, she was more than nine months pregnant and about to give birth. These days, Li Wenguo stayed by her side almost every night.

A week later.

Finally, we heard some movement from Wu Xiaogou and Xiao Jie's side.

The two men who were tailing Li Wenguo finally got in touch with the mastermind behind the scenes.

The tracking also yielded results—

But that place was too conspicuous, and the Lixing Society dared not touch it easily.

Because that's the territory of the little notebook.

That's right. On the surface, it's the "Mitsui & Co., Ltd." with its signboard, but in reality, it enjoys diplomatic immunity. Anyone who dares to force their way in or take action will immediately escalate from a public security case to a diplomatic incident, causing a huge and serious problem.

These days, the small-time officials are just looking for an excuse to make things difficult, but this chamber of commerce is really not to be messed with.

The moment they made a move, they became scapegoats, tasked with appeasing the anger of the other side on behalf of the entire authorities.

"Mitsui & Co.? Tsk, troublesome."

It was the Mitsui Trading Company, which was headed by Kotaro Kōji.

It is this that is backing the stalkers.

And those who were targeting Li Wenguo were undoubtedly Japanese spies.

"Master Li, the Mitsui Trading Company is not to be trifled with—I've heard that they have deep roots in Japan's hometown, have been entrenched for many years, and their members are either in charge of the cabinet or wear military uniforms with generals' stars. They even have spies around the Emperor to deliver messages."

Wu Xiaogou lowered his voice, his brow furrowed in a frown.

In his eyes, the Mitsui family was just like those other powerful families in the country besides the Chiang family, whose influence could shake three provinces with a stomp of their feet—they had connections everywhere.

"Yes, I understand."

How could Li Wenguo not know? In later generations, the Mitsui Group would be a behemoth holding the reins of the economy, with its influence spanning banking, steel, shipping, and energy. It would be strange if it weren't powerful!

My heart suddenly felt heavy.

"Master Li, since the Chamber of Commerce is untouchable, let's take down those two errand boys first, pry them open, and follow the clues to find the mastermind behind it all!"

Wu Xiaogou scratched the back of his neck, his tone revealing a hint of embarrassment.

They were so confident and assured me before, but now they're stuck halfway through, which is really embarrassing.

"Mr. Li, in my opinion, the Mitsui & Co. Ltd. itself may not be the headquarters of Japanese spies, but rather a 'messenger station' that was used as a front."

Xiao Jie suddenly interjected, his eyes bright.

Li Wenguo nodded immediately upon hearing this—Kōtarō had done business with him more than once or twice, always dealing with genuine goods at fair prices and in full. Mitsui was clearly a legitimate trading company; why would they engage in such shady dealings?

He gestured with his chin towards Xiao Jie, indicating that he should continue.

"We've been putting too much pressure on the Japanese spies lately, and they've disappeared for quite some time. Now that they've resurfaced, they'll be extra careful—nine times out of ten they'll use seemingly legitimate business associations, foreign firms, or even teahouses and restaurants as cover to hide information and pass on instructions, making it impossible for us to investigate them."

"In other words, Mitsui is just a transit point. With this 'white skin' covering it up, you can't even touch the people above, let alone catch them."

Xiao Jie speaks at a steady pace and with clear logic.

"So... what do we do now?"

Wu Xiaogou's brows furrowed into a tight knot, and his voice became strained.

He couldn't just barge into the open chamber of commerce, he couldn't just detain people, and the connection was broken in mid-air; he was so anxious that his fingertips were trembling.

"Have you lost your mind? Since you've decided it's a 'pigeon cop station,' why don't you investigate immediately—how many new employees does it have? Which outsider keeps sneaking in every few days? How many shops, buildings, and warehouses does it have in Beijing? Keep a close eye on everyone coming and going, stake out, follow, and investigate secretly—take turns! No matter how cunning the fox is, it will eventually show its tail!"

Li Wenguo glared at him mercilessly.

Wu Xiaogou is ruthless in his punches and kicks and has a lot of guts, but when it comes to quick thinking, he is no match for Xiao Jie.

"Yes! If we follow Master Li's method, we might even uncover a whole nest of rats!"

Xiao Jie's eyes lit up, his tone full of conviction—he had already planned this out, just waiting for Li Wenguo to point it out.

Li Wenguo glanced at him sideways and laughed, scolding, "Hey, you're quick-witted. If you were in the Lixing Society, you would have been promoted to team leader long ago! You've wasted several years of your life!"

"Hehe, if it weren't for Master Li's favor, I wouldn't even have gotten my hands on the door!"

Xiao Jie scratched the back of his head, grinned, and looked incredibly goofy.

"Stop with the nonsense! Get to the tailing operation right now, catch the mastermind, and bring him back to me, skinned alive or pulled out of his body!"

Li Wenguo waved his hand decisively.

With a direction and a goal set, Wu Xiaogou and Xiao Jie felt a sense of relief and their steps became lighter.

They were right—the Special Higher Police were currently stepping on the assets owned by Mitsui & Co.

"Damn it, Mitsui... just you wait! Next time Kyodo places another order, I'll swallow the whole thing, order and all, and see if that hurts!"

Li Wenguo gritted his teeth and thought to himself. If Kotaro Sakae dared to place another order, he would dare to intercept it and deliberately rip out the other party's most vulnerable point.

Who knew that this pent-up anger would find its opportunity in just two days.

……

Sure enough, Kotaro Sakao stepped into the foreign firm's doorstep again.

Although Mitsui Miri suspected that Li Wenguo had leaked the information, Juewei was different—he was a "respectable person" with a business name on his head. No one could find fault with what he bought, what he shipped, or how he paid in cash, so naturally she didn't tell him.

This time, the order was so thick it weighed down my hand, totaling two million dollars.

Half of it consisted of engines, auto parts, and scrap steel, which were shipped directly to Northeast China, beyond Li Wenguo's reach.

The other half was transported to Beijing, with foreign cigarettes making up the majority, amounting to 800,000 silver dollars. The name "black gold" was indeed well-deserved.

In addition, there were weapons, ammunition, and radios, most likely for keeping Japanese spies alive; plus some Western medicine, canned goods, and plastic film—Li Wenguo had already decided to take all of these.

……

The two Japanese spies who were keeping watch were also captured by Wu Xiaogou, Xiao Jie, and Yu Tou. They were interrogated overnight, and not a single hard bone was left in their bodies.

Unfortunately, the two Japanese spies were as tough as nails. They endured until the third day, their jaws clenched so tightly they didn't utter a single word. They even managed to spit a mouthful of phlegm at Wu Xiaogou, Xiao Jie, and Yu Tou's faces before finally succumbing to the pain and dying.

"Master Li, these two are both from the military, their wills are harder than stone, and their endurance is far beyond that of ordinary people. Trying to get them to talk is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

Wu Xiaogou spread his hands, his face full of anxiety.

"Damn! These Japanese devils are such bastards. Just whipping them to death would be too easy for them."

Li Wenguo frowned as well—Lixingshe only had a few sets of torture instruments at the moment, and the electric torture was still in the trial stage. They dared not use it on people easily, otherwise nine out of ten would burst on the spot.

People are dead, that's all. Anyway, all they know is the location of the transit station. No matter how deep the intelligence is, they probably won't be able to squeeze much out of it.

On his way home that day, Ding Xiaoqi suddenly spoke up: "Master Li, do you remember Old Pan we met at the dockside restaurant?"

How could Li Wenguo forget? That place was ostensibly a restaurant, but in reality, it was a communication and liaison point for the local Communist Party; he had long remembered it.

"What's up? Did he need to talk to you?"

"He said the restaurant owner—the head chef—had been arrested, and asked me to inquire if I could find out where he was being held and if there was any way to help."

That's right.

The dockside restaurant was raided by a Japanese spy who had infiltrated the local party and then passed the information on to another Japanese spy who had also infiltrated the party.

In fact, there was no solid evidence of the mole; it was purely a suspicion based on a whim. But for the Lixingshe Society, this slightest hint was enough to trigger an action.

Adding obstacles to one side relieves pressure on the other; the two sides are mortal enemies, and whoever makes more contributions will control the weapons, ammunition, intelligence networks, and the right to coordinate with other agencies, as well as a lot of funding.

If one side gains the upper hand, the other side will have to be hesitant and timid in their dealings.

This is precisely the kind of thing the Special Higher Police (THP) excels at: using others to do their dirty work.

Ding Xiaoqi brought this up because of what happened at the dock restaurant last time—Li Wenguo had clearly helped the local party, which is why Lao Pan placed his trust in him.

"What's the chef's name?"

"Master Li, Fan Dexing, is from Guangdong Province and has been living in the capital for more than ten years."

"Let's ask Hammer and the others."

Hammer and the other two were placed in a group by Li Wenguo—a group with high barriers to entry and no connections, so they could only rely on Niu Dali to make connections through his people. Each person cost a thousand silver dollars, a tenfold increase.

It took Niu Dali a long time of haggling to finally bring the price down.

Having been stabbed once before, Li Wenguo is no longer a fool this time.

"Alright, Mr. Li."

After dropping Li Wenguo off at home, Ding Xiaoqi turned around and headed straight for Hammer.

Unexpectedly, Fan Dexing was actually caught and is currently being held in custody. He will be tortured first thing tomorrow morning.

Interrogations have always been simple and brutal: if you can't take it, beat you until you confess; if you resist, beat you until you faint, then pour ice water on you to wake you up, and beat you again—they won't stop until they dig up your ancestors for eight generations.

"Damn, can we get the person out?"

He knew that if there was any possibility, Master Li would definitely be willing to lend a hand.

Hammer was a tall, muscular man with arms thicker than an average person's legs and bulging, bulging muscles. His nickname "Hammer" was well-deserved.

Previously, they had been specifically monitoring the Li family's courtyard and had hardly ever shown their faces. Since unfamiliar faces are easier to manage, they were transferred here as lookouts. The other two are the same.

"It's uncertain. Unless he can truly withstand five rounds of torture and prove he's just an ordinary cook—but..."

"But what?" Ding Xiaoqi pressed for an answer.

"Five days is the rule, but most people can't even make it to three. Their skin is torn and bleeding profusely. By the fourth day, they're basically on their last breath."

"Then... put him in jail?"

Ding Xiaoqi flicked his finger and made a throat-cutting gesture.

"Yes. Either give him a silencing drug to make him have a high fever, convulse, and lose consciousness; or apply some ointment to the tip of the whip to make the wound fester and burn, and he'll faint from the fever within a day."

"Okay, wait for my message."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ding Xiaoqi turned into a crooked and dilapidated alley by the dock and found Lao Pan.

"Brother Qi, did you find out? Who has him?"

Old Pan still had that slick look, only now his eyes were crinkled with ingratiating wrinkles as he casually handed over a cup of hot tea.

"Old Pan, we've got it all figured out—the person is indeed in our hands, and the trial will begin first thing tomorrow morning."

"By the way, the key to judicial proceedings can be summed up in one word: crackdown."

"We'll whip you with salt water until you're dizzy, then splash you with cold water to wake you up, and then whip you again—we won't stop until we've revealed where your parents kowtowed and where your uncle sold his pickled vegetables."

Ding Xiaoqi not only spoke, but also added slowly, her tone as familiar as if she were talking about the weather.

The oily sheen on Lao Pan's face vanished in an instant, his lips stiffened, and his brows furrowed into a knot.

He ripped off the soft cloth hat covering his head, his gaze fixed intently on the table, unmoving.

Seeing that he was frowning and deep in thought, Ding Xiaoqi did not disturb him. Instead, she picked up the rough porcelain bowl and slowly sipped her tea.

The tea was slightly bitter at first sip, with a faint aftertaste of sweetness—but ever since I got used to the top-quality Yunwu tea from Li Wenguo, my tongue couldn't help but wrinkle when I tasted this coarsely brewed, astringent tea.

He tilted his head back and gulped it down, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the last drop. After all, he had crawled out of the mud himself; how could he dare to be picky?

"Brother Qi, Fan Dexing has been running a restaurant at the docks for at least ten years; and I've known him for over a decade. Didn't you eat at his stall a few times before? He's an honest and kind man, he wouldn't even step on an ant, so how did he end up being detained like this? Please think of a way to make an exception and let him out!"

Old Pan forced a fawning smile, his back slightly hunched forward, looking like a skinny dog ​​waiting for handouts.

"No one can interfere in this territory—release him? Forget about it." Ding Xiaoqi's voice wasn't loud, but it was as cold as iron. "However... if you're worried he can't withstand torture, I can save you some trouble and make his departure easier."

This was already an exceptional compliment. If Li Wenguo hadn't given him a private hint, he wouldn't have bothered to even lift an eyelid.

The smile on Lao Pan's face froze instantly, and all the color drained away.

Kill Lao Fan?

No way! Trading a comrade's life for your own safety?

As long as Lao Fan hasn't betrayed us, he's still a member of the organization—not saving him would be dereliction of duty; killing him would be destroying our own integrity!