Chapter 312 All Right, I Will Do It
As a matter of fact, Lin Su did know the reason why Qin Sheng had cooked for her and watched her having dinner today.
Because it was unknown when they could meet each other after they said goodbye this time. She did not want to complain at all. All she could do was accompany Qin Sheng in experiencing the last peaceful moment. Instead of being a burden on him and making him feel anxious for her, she would help him exert his great efforts to face the difficulty this time. She believed that their story would not come to an end easily.
Lin Su still ate in a quite delicate manner. She chewed carefully and swallowed slowly in a charming way, making people feel that eating was a kind of performance art. She tried her best to enjoy every dish since this was the best dinner she had enjoyed so far. When Qin Sheng was not paying attention to her, she took advantage of the opportunity to wipe away her tears silently. She did not want to cry in front of Qin Sheng. If she did so, Qin Sheng would feel concerned and sorry for her.
However hungry they were, it was not possible for them to finish 10 dishes on their own. Qin Sheng only ate a bowl of rice. Previously, Lin Su had been capable of finishing half a bowl of rice. But she finished two bowls of rice in the end even though she was already full. She simply did not want to waste the fancy dinner that Qin Sheng had cooked specifically for her.
After Lin Su finished sipping the last mouthful of soup, she put down the bowl and said satisfactorily, “I am fully stuffed.”
Qin Sheng handed a tissue to Lin Su and chuckled as he said, “Go to watch a TV drama for a while. After I finish cleaning up the table, I will join you.”
Lin Su stood up in a hurry and said, “I will clean up the table since you have been occupied all afternoon.”
Qin Sheng teased her smilingly. “Be obedient. You need to rest yourself for a few days.”
Upon hearing what Qin Sheng had said, Lin Su felt shy instantly. Her face blushed. She covered her face and ran away…
In the evening, affected by the cold air from the north, the temperature on Mount Putuo plunged dramatically all of a sudden. In addition, the sea wind howled continuously. Third Master Wu, who had been living in the small yard on Mount Putuo, suffered from rheumatism again, which had tortured him for a long time. He dared not go outside at all. He had no choice but to turn up the heater. As people got old, they would fear the cold more.
It was quite cold in late autumn this year and the coldness had hit Mount Putuo much earlier than in previous years. Back when it was early winter in previous years, Third Master Wu had set out to Sanya to pass the winter or gone back to Hangzhou and stayed there till spring came. All in all, he definitely would not stay on Mount Putuo throughout the winter.
Luo Changgong just arrived at Mount Putuo after rushing all the way from Hangzhou. He was quite surprised that the Old Master had called him over all of a sudden. He had an odd feeling that the reason why the Old Master had called him over definitely was related to Qin Sheng. After all, the most interesting thing going on in Hangzhou in the past two days was that Qin Sheng had offended both the Qu Family and the Yan Family. Could it be that the Old Master planned to give Qin Sheng a hand and help him out? Well, it was not reasonable for the Old Master to do so. However, it would make sense if somebody had convinced him.
Since it was completely impossible for Master Liu and Cao Da to convince the Old Master, only the Xue Family could do that…
In the small yard of Mount Putuo, though there were only a few servants and bodyguards, all of them were Third Master Wu’s trusted subordinates, who had been by his side for many years, especially the one named Tiger Man, who followed Third Master Wu like a shadow and was claimed to be ranked among the top three positions. As for the other bodyguards, they had been hand-picked by Third Master Wu himself. The servants had been brought here from Hangzhou.
By the time Luo Changgong walked into the yard, a middle-aged man, who had been by Third Master Wu’s side for many years, had been waiting for him there. Luo Changgong walked over quickly and asked in a low voice, “Mr. Chu, why did the Third Master call me over here?”
The family name of the middle-aged man was Chu. His name was Sikong. He was addressed respectfully as Mr. Chu by all the people on Third Master Wu’s side, who turned out to be Third Master Wu’s favorite. Whoever dared to offend Mr. Chu would probably have no choice but to abdicate his position and give it to better ones. Mr. Chu’s words worked better than the Third Master’s words sometimes. Consequently, everybody was reverent and respectful to Mr. Chu.
Mr. Chu, who was dressed in a down jacket, smiled happily as he said, “Lao Luo, you will figure it out once you are inside. It is neither a good thing nor a bad one. Whether it is good or bad will depends on how you make the choice.”
Every circle had its own sects. It was also true with Third Master Wu’s circle. However, Mr. Chu was polite to everybody. Never would he take sides selectively. That was also the reason why Third Master Wu trusted him so much.
Upon hearing that Third Master Wu had called him over for neither a good thing nor a bad thing, Luo Changgong felt more puzzled. With mixed feelings in his heart, he followed Mr. Chu into Third Master Wu’s study room. At this time, Third Master Wu was reading a book related to those royal censors and imperial censors in the Ming dynasty.
After Luo Changgong entered the study, he said reverently and respectfully, “Third Master.”
Upon hearing the voice, Third Master Wu said directly without ever lifting up his head, “You are here. Come over and have a seat.”
Luo Changgong was not as sophisticated as some people. Sometimes when it came to dealing with issues, it was true that he would be impatient. It was especially true when it came to the current situation. Consequently, he spoke up directly and said, “Third Master, why did you ask me to come here?”
“Oh. Here is the thing. Someone intends to cooperate with us now. However, to get it done, we need to help them with one thing first. I would like to assign the task to you.” Third Master Wu knew Luo Changgong’s temperament quite well. Of course, he knew his trusted subordinates quite well since he had trained them step by step on his own.
Luo Changgong replied directly without any hesitation, “Third Master, feel free to assign whatever tasks. I will get them done according to your order.”
Then Third Master Wu put down the book, stood up slowly, and said, “I would like you to get one person killed.”
“Who is it?” Luo Changgong was somewhat stupefied for a few seconds. Speaking of the one whom the Third Master intended to kill, he was so unlucky. However, since he had not performed a killing for a long time and it was the Third Master who had ordered him to do so all of a sudden, he felt quite surprised.
Third Master Wu stared at Luo Changgong as he said, “Qin Sheng.”
Upon hearing Qin Sheng’s name, Luo Changgong was astounded instantly. It did not occur to him that the Third Master actually had intended to kill Qin Sheng. Why would the Third Master do that and what did he mean? He had expected that the Third Master had called him over because of something related to Qin Sheng and had guessed that the Third Master might help Qin Sheng out of the crisis this time. However, surprisingly, it was completely the other way around. He wondered why the Third Master wanted to kill Qin Sheng.
It turned out that the Third Master had called him over to order him to kill Qin Sheng. No wonder Mr. Chu had said it was neither a good thing nor a bad one. However, to Luo Changgong, it definitely was not good at all. Since Qin Sheng was on good terms with both Xue Qingyan and Master Liu, who was also pretty close to Yang Deng, if he really killed him and it was known to all in the future, there would be hell to pay. At that time, he would become a scapegoat.
At that time, his connection with Master Liu would definitely be broken. Xue Qingyan would inflict her anger on him. Yang Deng certainly would turn hostile to him. However, since it was an order from the Third Master, how could Luo Changgong say no? It was such a headache for him. Running his brain at a high speed, Luo Changgong was thinking about how could he turn the Third Master down.
Luo Changgong said politely, “Third Master, I don’t think it is suitable for me to do so. After all, I am familiar with him.” It was true that he knew Qin Sheng quite well. In addition, he did appreciate this young man very much. Regardless of the reasons why the Third Master had asked him to kill Qin Sheng, he felt reluctant to do so.
Third Master Wu sneered as he said, “You are the most suitable one because you know him so well.”
Luo Changgong continued acting dumb and said, “How about Yang Deng?’
Third Master Wu stared at Luo Changgong sullenly and said, “The way you see it, can he do it? If I ask him to do so, he will reveal it to Qin Sheng immediately. Nobody can perform this task except you. If any repercussions happen in the future, I will help you take care of them.”
Luo Changgong was still reluctant to do it. He continued, “Third Master, it is not that I am not willing to do it. You may not know that Qin Sheng’s gang is not ordinary at all. Let’s take Chang Baji for example, I can’t do anything about him.”
Third Master Wu had figured out the solution already. He glimpsed at Chu Sikong by his side and smiled gently as he said, “Chang Baji? No worries. You can leave him to Sikong. He will help you deal with him.”
Upon hearing what the Third Master had said, Luo Changgong knew that the Third Master was determined to kill Qin Sheng. Since Mr. Chu would launch the attack, Qin Sheng certainly would die this time. However, why did the Third Master want to kill him? What was the reason? Could it be that the Qu Family and the Yan Family had turned to the Third Master and convinced him with some benefits? If so, what kind of benefits would that be? It was well-known that the Third Master had not been interested in these worldly affairs in the past years.
Luo Changgong let out a sigh as he said, “With Mr. Chu’s help, it certainly would be effective and efficient. However, Third Master, I want to know the reason why you intend to kill Qin Sheng? As a young person, Qin Sheng is very amazing. Moreover, the connections behind him are not ordinary at all. The way I see it, it is not necessary for us to get involved in this trouble.”
Third Master Wu said slowly, “Without definite benefits, I certainly would not consent to do it. Moreover, the young man gave a piece of stunning calligraphy and another painting to me as gifts at my birthday party. However, he certainly will die now. Even if we do not strike out, he won’t pull through the difficulty this time. Both the Qu Family and the Yan Family issued a kill order.” Though he felt somewhat sorry for Qin Sheng, there were simply too many young people with potential in this world. It did not change anything at all even if one or two of those young people died.
Luo Changgong still felt confused and asked, “Third Master, even so, how is it related to us?”
Third Master Wu gave out the final explanation and said, “At first, of course, it was not related to us. However, the Yan Family turned to me yesterday, saying that they would like to cooperate with us in a profound and comprehensive manner. It would be a win-win if they could expand their business and amplify their influence in Zhejiang Province and we could enter the Shanghai market. It is such a great deal. Qin Sheng is just an incidental. He is not that important.”
Upon hearing that they could enter the Shanghai market, Luo Changgong finally understood why the Third Master had consented to kill Qin Sheng. The Third Master had been trying to pry into the Shanghai market many times for many years. However, he had been suppressed by the group of local scoundrels in Shanghai every time. In the end, his attempts had failed and all had been in vain. Currently, they did not have any influence in Shanghai at all except that they had some businesses running there. However, the Yan Family was different. If they could cooperate with the Yan Family, they certainly would become a new force in Shanghai.
Luo Changgong let out a sigh. Obviously, nobody could convince the Third Master now since the Yan Family had promised him with benefits, which was much more important than Qin Sheng. Qin Sheng was just a victim of this game.
Third Master Wu continued and said, “The reason why I asked you to kill Qin Sheng is that you are familiar with him and it would be the most convenient for you to do so. Of course, at that time, you will take care of some parts of the businesses in Shanghai. You deserve this reward. I hope that you won’t disappoint me.” Since he was quite old, even if he could enter the Shanghai market successfully, he would not show up in person when it came to getting things done. Instead, he would assign the tasks to the underlings in his charge. After all, no matter who he had asked to complete the tasks, the results would be the same. Since Luo Changgong had given something out, of course, he should be somewhat rewarded. Otherwise, he would not make up his mind to do it. The Third Master Wu knew his psychology quite well. Consequently, he had asked Luo Changgong to come to Mount Putuo.
As expected, though Luo Changgong had been quite hesitant, after he heard Third Master Wu’s promise, acuity flashed through his eyes obviously in an instant. Though he was not the most powerful one in this circle currently, he might become so after he entered the Shanghai market. What Third Master Wu had offered was an opportunity for him.
As a result, Luo Changgong said without hesitation, “All right. Third Master, I will do it. When should I get started?”
Third Master Wu replied quite satisfactorily, “The three families will unite together and launch an attack in the next a few days. You can discuss the solutions with the Qu Family and the Yan Family.” After that, he waved his hands, indicating that they should leave now.
All he needed to do was be in charge of the strategic direction. As for other things, of course, he did not need to worry about them. However, Third Master Wu definitely did not ever think about the possibility that the choice he had made today, which seemed to be a good one, would produce trouble for him in the future…
Would Luo Changgong really go to kill Luo Qin Sheng? What would Yang Deng do if he knew the ins and outs? Everything was still unknown.