Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

Upon hearing this, Old Sun let out a strange sound, kicked his legs, and fainted.

The sharp-tongued shop assistant who had secretly alerted them shrank back under the counter, clutching his head and trembling uncontrollably, "It's not my fault, it's not my fault..."

The yin energy emanating from the paper figure caused the temperature inside the room to drop sharply.

But fine beads of sweat appeared on Scarface's forehead.

But he was a man of experience, and he knew that the person he was dealing with today was not the kind of person he could brush off with words.

This person hadn't shown any anger since entering the room, and his face was almost expressionless. But the more like this he was, the harder it was to resolve the situation peacefully.

The silence lasted for seven or eight breaths.

Sensing the growing impatience and killing intent emanating from Chen Mo, Scarface had no choice but to take a deep breath, straighten his back, and say, "Five thousand silver dollars, our Canal Gang will cover it."

"But I have a condition." He stared at Chen Mo with a serious expression. "This money isn't to pay for Old Sun's debts. It's to buy your word: you can't hold us responsible for the debt on that house."

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled. "You're a member of the Canal Gang, and Old Sun is also under their protection. What's the difference between you and Old Sun paying for it?"

"There's a difference," Scarface said in a deep voice. "When he pays, it's as an apology; when we pay, it's to settle the score."

He emphasized the words "account settled" very much.

"I've been to that house before. The thing inside is extremely evil; it even killed three of my brothers. Later, we found a master, but he could only seal the well."

"Old Sun approached us, saying he could sell that house. The gang leader agreed to hand it over to Old Sun, and the gang would take a cut."

Chen Mo didn't reply, but just looked at him quietly.

"So we really don't know who Lao Sun will give the house to."

After Scarface finished explaining, he turned around and instructed one of his men behind him, "Da Bing, you and Liu Zi go to the dock and find the accountant, Mr. Liu. Tell him I said to bring over five thousand silver notes. Hurry up."

"Yes, Scarface."

The man named Da Bing glanced cautiously at Chen Mo, then hurriedly walked outside with another person.

The paper figure blocking the doorway moved aside, startling the two of them. As they passed by, they tried to turn sideways, as if they had encountered a raging flood or a ferocious beast.

The footsteps quickly disappeared at the other end of the alley.

Chen Mo walked to the table, lifted the lid of the teacup, glanced at the whitish tea leaves inside, and then put it down.

"That well, which master did you hire?"

Scarface recalled, "They came from Jiangdong, a lay family from Longhu Mountain. They didn't set up an altar, but just placed three talismans on the edge of the well, saying they could suppress it for three years. This year is the third year."

"Just three years?" Chen Mo muttered those two words to himself, without any emotion.

"Yes, the gang mentioned it once in early spring, saying that we should ask that person to come again, but Lao Sun said it was fine, the buyer is a merchant from out of town, and once the contract is signed, it's none of our business."

He didn't continue.

"How did you fold those three brothers?" Chen Mo suddenly asked.

"I don't know why, he just vanished into thin air." Scarface shuddered, a lingering fear creeping onto his face as he recalled the incident. "It was daytime then. We sent one person down, but he disappeared as soon as he reached the bottom of the well, and the rope binding him was inexplicably untied."

"I was afraid something might have happened to him down there, so I called two more brothers down. But the situation was the same as the first one; when they pulled him up, all that was left was the rope."

"Is that so?" Chen Mo frowned, just about to say something, when suddenly a series of footsteps sounded outside.

The footsteps were heavy, unlike the hurried footsteps of the previous two thugs; instead, they were steady.

As soon as the person entered, the sharp-tongued shop assistant under the counter completely collapsed, not daring to even tremble.

Scarface stiffened, then turned around, stood to the side with his hands at his sides, and uttered two words: "Hall Master".

The man who came in was a man in his fifties. He was not tall, but he was as sturdy as an anvil.

He was dressed in a gray silk short jacket, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing two arms with prominent veins.

His face wasn't fierce; in fact, it was quite amiable. The only thing that stood out was his eyes. When he looked at someone, they wouldn't blink; they would stare intently.

He entered the room without looking at Chen Mo or the unconscious Old Sun. He simply glanced around the room and his gaze lingered on the paper figures.

Then he nodded.

"No wonder Scarface couldn't even speak properly when he sent someone to collect the money." He spoke, his voice not harsh, but rather somewhat hoarse and calm, "I thought they had run into a robber."

As he spoke, he turned to Chen Mo and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Liu Qi, a member of the shipping gang."

Chen Mo didn't return the greeting, but only glanced at him. If he were to make a move later, this person would be the first one he killed.

Uncle Liu wasn't annoyed. He put his hand down and dragged a long bench over to sit down.

The stool leg creaked as it scraped against the floor. After settling in, he slowly spoke, "I've heard about the house."

"That bastard Sun was blinded by money and offended our distinguished guest."

As he spoke, he glanced at the unconscious Old Sun on the ground, as if looking at a broken object, "Whether he should be beaten or killed is a matter for our distinguished guest, and the Canal Gang will not interfere."

"But the gang is unaware of this; this point needs to be clarified."

Master Liu took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and pushed them onto the table.

"Five thousand is compensation for the bad luck that house brought you. We'll pay it, we accept the loss."

Then he took out three more silver notes and slammed them directly onto the table.

"Add another three thousand, making it eight thousand, as a token of our appreciation to calm our honored guest's nerves."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Chen Mo looked down at the pile of silver notes on the table, then at Master Liu, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Eight thousand silver dollars." He cupped his hands in greeting, his tone much more relaxed. "Master Liu, what a generous offer."

"It's not a sleight of hand, it's a lesson learned." Old Master Liu put his hand down and slowly rolled up his sleeves. "The canal gang makes a living on the docks by following the rules. This time, the gang was careless in choosing its personnel, which caused Old Sun to almost offend a distinguished guest."

"What needs to be compensated will be compensated, what needs to be severed will be severed. From now on, distinguished guests will take the main road, and the canal gang will cross the narrow bridge. We will be even."

After he finished speaking, he stood up without waiting for Chen Mo's response.

"The silver notes are all here. If you don't accept them, it means you're still angry. If you do accept them, I, Liu Qi, will host a banquet at the dock tonight, with a few of the gang leaders in attendance, to apologize to you in person."

He said those words and turned to leave.

"Master Liu," Chen Mo suddenly spoke.

Liu Qiye stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around.

Chen Mo put the silver notes into his purse.

"There's no need for a banquet; the accounts with the canal gang have already been settled."

Liu Qiye's shoulders relaxed for a moment.

"But Lao Sun," Chen Mo's voice came from behind, "I didn't take his money."

Liu Qiye didn't reply, but stepped out the door.

A wind had picked up outside sometime earlier, causing the paper figures at the alley entrance to rustle their clothes.

He walked past the paper figure with steady steps, never glancing in that direction.

Inside the room, Scarface let out a long breath; the sweat on his back had already cooled down.

He stole a glance at Chen Mo.

The man was bending down, picking out the tea leaves from the teacup one by one and placing them in a row on the table.