Chapter Thirty-Three: Things Have Become Complicated

Tang Xin’s cold and detached expression was something that Tan Da couldn’t get used to. In all their time together, this was the first time their relationship had grown so tense. That night, Tang Xin didn’t return, which left Tan Da deeply worried.

He waited up late, hoping Tang Xin would come back, but aside from the occasional caw of a crow or the chirping of crickets outside the window, there was only silence. The abrupt change in Tang Xin’s demeanor had left him unsettled. What could have caused such a transformation? Was it that stone?

He recalled the stone he’d taken from Tang Xin the night before; it was still at his bedside. Turning over, he retrieved it, staring at its surface, unable to divine its secret. And what about that mysterious woman, Yue Yue, the mixed-blood woman? To drive a Mercedes in Guangzhou, to have bodyguards, and to spend eighty million without a blink on a single stone—her background was clearly anything but ordinary.

Why had she paid such a sum for this stone? What use did it serve her? Turning these questions over in his mind, Tan Da drifted into a troubled sleep.

As he recounted this, confusion written across his face, I patted his shoulder, assuring him not to worry so much. Tan Da looked up at me, his fear completely unmasked, and said hoarsely, “Teacher, that stone is cursed.”

Cursed? Coming from a psychology student, the word sounded almost ludicrous, but what he described next was truly unsettling.

The next morning, Tan Da awoke feeling utterly exhausted, his body aching as if he’d spent the night carrying a heavy load. As he got out of bed, his legs went numb below the knees, leaving him unable to stand and causing him to collapse to the floor. The fall brought to mind the image of Tang Xin standing on the balcony at midnight. Could it be that last night... The thought filled him with terror, and he fainted.

His roommates rushed him to the infirmary, where the doctor diagnosed him with severe calcium deficiency, which could lead to sudden fainting spells.

As he reached this point in his story, Tan Da gripped my hand tightly and pleaded, his voice raw, “It’s true, Teacher. That stone is truly cursed.”

“So where is the stone?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. If I could examine it, perhaps I might uncover what had happened to Tang Xin.

Tan Da had put it away in his suitcase as soon as he got home, not daring to touch it again.

I comforted him and told him to visit Gu Jing to check on Tang Xin, giving him Gu Jing’s address. Perhaps, being his advisor, he felt it was most appropriate to entrust the stone to me. When I mentioned my wish to study the stone, he agreed without hesitation, though he did pause before handing it over.

Understanding his misgivings, I nodded approvingly and laughed, “If I find Miss Yue Yue, I’ll return her property immediately.” Hearing this, Tan Da was reassured and promised to visit Tang Xin the next day.

I slipped the stone into my pocket and bade Tan Da farewell. He accompanied me downstairs, but upon seeing my car and bodyguard waiting outside, he tactfully turned back.

The car was still parked there, but Ma Junfeng, Wang Tingting, and the other three were absent. Gao Jian was the one waiting in the car.

Gao Jian greeted me with a nod and contacted the others. Within minutes, the group returned, their expressions telling me they’d come up empty-handed. I didn’t bother to ask further; with everything that had happened, it was already close to eleven.

I led them to the faculty lounge and invited them to sit. Now, all we could do was wait for midnight—twelve o’clock, the threshold between one day and the next. According to feng shui, this was the hour when yin energy was at its peak. In metaphysical philosophy, just as Western thought divides things into positive and negative, so too does the mystical tradition split them into yin and yang. Midnight is considered the boundary between these forces. Some foreign scientists have even formed organizations to study Chinese metaphysics, focusing on what might happen at these junctions, drawing connections to the ancient Chinese stories of zombies and the European legends of vampires.

What mysteries might occur at the intersection of one day’s end and the beginning of another? This was a subject worthy of research, though I myself had little interest in it. To my mind, this was simply the time when ghosts and demons were at their most active.

With a little over an hour to spare, I gathered everyone together, drew a rough map of the campus on the blackboard, and assigned the four bodyguards into pairs to search the eastern and southern sections, while Ma Junfeng took the north, and Wang Tingting and I took the west.

The four bodyguards were eager to comply but uncertain about their specific task. I nodded to Ma Junfeng for him to take over. He pulled four lotus-shaped bells from his pocket and handed them out.

Everyone was puzzled by the bells, unsure of their purpose. Ma Junfeng instructed them to search thoroughly in pairs, and if a bell began ringing loudly, they were to stay put and wait for the others.

Though Wang Tingting didn’t fully understand Ma Junfeng’s intentions, she seemed to guess at part of it. She was much more interested in the conversation I’d had with Tan Da in the dormitory. I recounted the events to them in full detail. Gao Jian seemed to want to excuse himself, but I insisted they all listen, which they appreciated.

I briefly summarized what Tan Da and Tang Xin had experienced; the others were both astonished and grateful. Gao Jian declared, “No matter how big the local gangs are in Guangzhou, none would dare openly hunt people down with guns in broad daylight. Anyone bold enough to do that isn’t from around here.” The others nodded in agreement.

After pondering for a moment, Gao Jian added, “After Brother Gang’s incident, Boss Qu sent many men to gather information. Some leads point to the Yamaguchi-gumi, and based on Tan Da’s account, one of the attackers spoke Japanese. Could it be the same group?”

I agreed, slapping my thigh in approval. “That’s possible. It must be the Yamaguchi-gumi. Xiao Gao, contact Boss Qu and have him keep tabs on their movements.” Gao Jian nodded and went outside to make the call.

Wang Tingting clamored to see the stone, and the others expressed interest as well. Truth be told, I was eager to examine it myself, so I didn’t object. I placed the stone on the table for everyone to look at.

Instead of joining them right away, I found a quiet corner and called Old Ren.

He answered in high spirits, laughing, “Changfeng, calling me so late—must be good news!”

“You’re that confident?” I teased, catching his mood.

He chuckled, clearly cheered by some progress after days of running in circles. Sensing his good mood wasn’t all due to my call, I pressed, “Officer Ren, you must have had a breakthrough. Care to share?”

Old Ren responded politely, then said, “One good news and one bad—which do you want first?”

Caught off guard, I naturally chose the good news. “Let’s hear the good news first.”

He replied, “The reason for the recent murders has been identified, and there’s a conclusion about the missing box.”

“That’s worth celebrating. What about the bad news?”

“The bad news is that the killer hasn’t been caught yet, and the case is tied to the Yamaguchi-gumi. I’ve heard that some of their top Southeast Asian members have arrived in Guangzhou, so things could get lively. Worst of all, Interpol has sent a top Dragon Fang operative to help with the case—enough to give you a headache.”

The mention of Dragon Fang made my head ache indeed. I had no desire to get tangled up with those people, but fate seemed to have other plans.

Sensing my silence, Old Ren tried to reassure me. “Don’t worry, he’s here to assist me. I’m still technically his superior.”

I suddenly remembered something. “What about Li Baoguo?”

“He’s gone back to Beijing,” Old Ren replied, puzzled by my question. He probed, “Why do you ask?”

I brushed it off, saying it was just a casual inquiry.

Old Ren burst out laughing, “You sly dog, trying that on me too. But honestly, I’m not used to being so exposed in front of someone. That kid—he actually managed to spot a birthmark on my first love’s chest. What a pervert.”

His words made me laugh out loud. “He probably knows exactly when and where you became a man, too.”

Old Ren joined in the laughter, then said, “Laugh while you can—you may not get many more chances in the future.”

“Oh, as long as I’m alive, there’s always time to laugh.”

“Alive… barely,” Old Ren suddenly changed his tone, grave and low. “Interpol just notified us that more than twenty of the Yamaguchi-gumi’s Southeast Asian lieutenants have arrived in Guangzhou. No one knows what they’re up to, but they’ve also made contact with some powerful figures in the Italian Mafia. Most alarming, members of Japan’s most secretive cult, the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect, have also arrived.”

I hadn’t expected things to be so serious. For so many powerful figures to gather in Guangzhou was almost unheard of. Only a few years ago, the Mafia and the Yamaguchi-gumi were bitter enemies; now they were working together. No wonder Old Ren said my days were numbered.

Still, their presence didn’t necessarily mean trouble for me. I laughed it off. “If they’re here to make mischief, that’s the police’s problem, not mine.”

Old Ren snorted, “Is that so? You’ve got a friend named Qu Weiye, a man of considerable influence. Our sources say the Yamaguchi-gumi have two missions in Guangzhou: one is to hunt down a man named Li Feng, who seems close to Qu Weiye. The other mission is still unclear—I just hope it isn’t something truly catastrophic. And don’t forget, you’re carrying Interpol credentials now. Even if this isn’t your business, you’ll be dragged in to sort out their plans.”

Even if Old Ren hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t let these people run amok in Guangzhou. With both Tang Xin and Gangzi caught up in trouble, and with someone so ruthless laying curses, it was my duty to intervene. Thinking of my master, my thoughts drifted back to my childhood in the Potala Palace, filling me with longing.

But what kind of man was Li Feng, to warrant this level of pursuit by the Yamaguchi-gumi?

Old Ren shared a brief account of Li Feng’s background.

Li Feng was the CEO of Shanghai Xinhua Tianzheng Securities, worth over one hundred billion. Even Li Ka-shing’s assets couldn’t compare. Yet he kept a low profile, having only risen to prominence in recent years.

Interpol’s records showed Li Feng to be an extraordinary figure, not only a brilliant market operator but also a shrewd businessman. In addition to a two-billion-dollar copper mining group, he was the largest shareholder in the globally renowned Langley Technologies in the US.

Old Ren described Li Feng as legendary—a man who managed to acquire 51% of Langley’s shares without spending a dime, beating combined Japanese and American conglomerates. The Inukai family in Japan lost over ten billion dollars as a result. (For more, see Old Ren’s “Financial Empire.”)

The Inukai and Morita families were major backers of Japan’s right-wing factions and notorious for their connection to the Yamaguchi-gumi. On top of that, Inukai’s eldest son had been thoroughly humiliated by Li Feng. No wonder the Yamaguchi-gumi was after him.

Interpol’s records were detailed enough to predict Li Feng’s purpose in Guangzhou. Old Ren admired him greatly and said he’d help him leave Guangzhou safely if possible.

Li Feng had come to Guangzhou after crushing the Japanese and American conglomerates on Wall Street, planning to travel to Hong Kong and then Japan, where he intended to topple the Japanese stock market in revenge.

Though the authorities admired Li Feng’s actions, international pressure prevented them from openly supporting him. Since the financial crisis in Hong Kong, Japanese right-wingers had tried to destabilize China’s economy, but Li Feng, using his expertise, had led investors and domestic financial institutions to deliver a stunning counterattack against the Morita group. This victory, however, had earned him the enmity of China’s largest conglomerate, Tonghai.

So Li Feng was even more formidable than I’d realized. While not overly nationalistic, I had heard of the Morita group’s recent attempts to disrupt the Chinese stock market. Now, knowing that Li Feng was heading to Japan to return the favor, how could I not be pleased? I would help in any way I could.

I had never harbored particular animosity toward the Japanese; after all, history was history, and I had not lived through the Nanjing Massacre. But two years ago, an incident in Beijing had changed my perspective: a group of Japanese ghosts, under a colonel’s command, had refused to reincarnate and were wreaking havoc, gathering vengeful spirits for an uprising. Afterward, Japanese ambitions over the Diaoyu Islands and the East China Sea’s oil resources pushed me into the anti-Japanese camp.

Li Feng certainly deserved protection from the authorities, yet Old Ren said the government preferred to watch and wait. If that was the case, Li Feng must have some major conflicts with certain people in China—perhaps with Tonghai.

With the facts in mind, I made my decision. I told Old Ren about our situation and asked him, through Interpol, to track the Yamaguchi-gumi’s whereabouts and to identify key individuals and addresses. I also asked him to look into Miss Yue Yue’s identity. Her sudden appearance and disappearance were too mysterious; whether she was in the hands of the Yamaguchi-gumi or elsewhere, only by waking Tang Xin might we find clues.

We couldn’t afford to be passive. Old Ren agreed to call me with any updates, then hung up.

With such formidable adversaries moving in, we had to prepare our defenses. Gangzi and Li Feng were now with Gu Jing; I needed to alert Qu Weiye and Gu Jing to be on guard.

The call took half an hour. When I returned to the lounge, the others were still discussing the stone. I glanced around—everyone was animated, except Ma Junfeng, whose face had turned pale. Catching my eye, he signaled that he had discovered something.

Wang Tingting, too, was visibly excited, suggesting she had noticed something as well.