Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 929: Chapter 173: Schemes

“Soaring Dragon Vein?” Song Tianyou felt surprised.

He knew where Mr. Blind learned from and had some knowledge about the Clothed Daoist, so he deeply believed in feng shui metaphysics.

Ordinary fortune tellers might just follow the books or understand only superficially, sometimes effective, sometimes not. However, Mr. Blind is a truly capable and extraordinary person.

The design of the village was laid out by Mr. Blind, and there is a natural maze outside. Outsiders would merely get lost upon entering, which has been verified many times.

The dragon is the totem of that country. Naming a ley line after the dragon signifies its preciousness.

At this moment, Mr. Blind nodded and calmly said, “A ley line is actually the trend of mountains and rivers, and mountains have nine postures: Returning Dragon, Ocean Dragon, Descending Dragon, Living Dragon, Flying Dragon, Lying Dragon, Hidden Dragon, Soaring Dragon, and Leading Dragons. Among these nine postures, the outstanding one accumulates blessings, favored by the heavens, and gathers the fate of the Divine Land. It has been passed down since ancient times that whoever obtains a ley line finds their fortune, because of the blessings and fate it represents.”

“Then may I ask, sir, about finding the ley line…” Song Tianyou hesitated.

Mr. Blind confidently said, “Please rest assured, Old Master Song, if I can find the Soaring Dragon Vein, and if Young Master Qiu is nearby, it will only benefit the Song Family without any harm. If Old Master Song does not believe, I can swear an oath here.”

“Absolutely not.” Song Tianyou hurriedly said, “Sir, you have shown great kindness to me and the Song Family. How dare I not believe your words? Well, if you still need my assistance now, feel free to ask… As for Luo Qiu, I’ll figure something out. After all, you reminded me that it can only be according to his wish, and we can’t force anything.”

“That would be best.” Mr. Blind nodded.

…

In the car, Old Master Song and Mr. Blind were discussing something, while inside a similarly bulletproof luxury car behind them, Song Ying and Song Haoran were also conversing.

“A hairy wild man?” Song Haoran was quite interested—he had always been fascinated by the supernatural and had experiences unknown to others.

Only he knew how much truth and fiction were mixed in his often-told adventure stories.

“It’s true! Uncle, don’t you dare not believe! I even fought with that wild man, almost got killed by a blow!” Song Ying now had lingering fear.

“Really?” Song Haoran glanced at Luo Qiu.

Luo Qiu simply said, “I only saw a huge shadow, somewhat resembling a bear, but I don’t know if it’s the so-called wild man, as the fog was too thick at the time, and I couldn’t see clearly.”

“Are you doubting me?” Song Ying shouted angrily.

Luo Qiu smiled and said, “If it really is a hairy wild man, that’s the best, because such things certainly pique curiosity.”

“You’ll drive someone crazy sooner or later…” Song Ying sighed and turned to look at the passing scenery outside the car window, sulking.

Unexpectedly, Song Haoran suddenly remarked, “Speaking of which, it was Little Luo Qiu who saved our Song Ying…”

He carelessly cleared his throat, then earnestly declared, “Luo Qiu, the kindness of saving a life is hard to repay. I’m her uncle, after all. As they say, parents’ orders, matchmaker’s words. You saved Song Ying’s life; she can only offer herself to you. This girl, take her as yours. I entrust her to you.”

Luo Qiu smiled calmly, gently shook his head, and Song Haoran knew this would be the answer, so he casually shrugged, “Oh, what a pity. I know Song Ying lacks femininity, but are you really not interested?”

Luo Qiu continued to smile calmly and shook his head again.

Finally, Miss Song, the Eldest Daughter, couldn’t take it anymore and directly roared angrily, “Song Haoran!! Go to hell!!! I don’t want an uncle like you!!”

Song Ying then violently kicked over, causing Song Haoran to cry out in chaos, with a frown, “Girl, it’s obvious that our Luo Qiu likes the lady-like type. You really have no chance!”

“I’m not finished with you!”

Inside the luxury car, Miss Sun of the Song family spared no mercy in teaching her charming elder brother a lesson, while Young Master Sun of the Song family was excitedly the only bystander.

The driver… The driver was sweating profusely, hearing and seeing nothing.

…

Bai Shuitang was diligently signing some documents, looking in good spirits.

However, his good mood vanished instantly in the next ten seconds—because a message arrived on his phone.

—Song Ying has been found, she’s fine.

Bai Shuitang glanced at the message, and his expression sank, but he continued signing the documents at hand.

But after finishing one, Bai Shuitang suddenly set the pen down and unexpectedly swept the documents and items off the desk!

They also swept away a cup.

The sound of the shattered cup quickly reached the secretary outside the office, who hurriedly walked in, “President, what happened?”

Bai Shuitang slightly raised his head, his face grim and eyes sharp, frightening the secretary and causing her to subconsciously step back.

Then Bai Shuitang’s expression suddenly turned gentle, and he smiled, “Nothing happened, just accidentally knocked over the cup. Can you tidy up for me? I need to go to the restroom.”

“O-okay, President.” The secretary nodded.

Bai Shuitang stood up, adjusted his suit, and calmly walked out of the office.

After leaving, Bai Shuitang didn’t actually go to the restroom but headed up the stairs to the top of the Zhonghua Street Chamber of Commerce building.

This is the tallest building in Zhonghua Street, offering a bird’s eye view of the entire street. Bai Shuitang sat down next to the water tower, lit a cigarette, and then picked up the phone to call Bazel.

He said, “Bazel, that guy must have deceived you… Song Ying isn’t dead; she’s returned safely.”

After a moment of silence, a low voice came from Bazel on the other end, “The Song family has tough lives! What do you intend to do?”

Bai Shuitang frowned and said, “Originally, when the news of Song Ying’s death spread, I planned to cause volatility in the Song Dynasty. If their stocks fell, with your and my funds, there’d be a chance to buy up massively… But now it seems impossible, Song family’s stocks have unexpectedly soared recently for some reason, and their assets have increased overnight!”

Bazel said coldly, “So I’ve already told you, there’s no need for so many sinister plots. Just eliminate all Song Family members, and according to the laws of this nation, the inheritance belongs solely to you.”

Bai Shuitang narrowed his eyes, “Do you think Song Tianyou is so easy to approach? How strict is the security at Han Residence? Besides, Song Tianyou never allows outsiders near him… He’s surrounded by formidable protection. Bazel, you’ve tried to assassinate him many times over the years, but have you succeeded?”

“Hmph.” Only a cold snort came from the other end, “If assassination fails, we can attack openly. He’s no longer in the ‘Iris’ village; I don’t believe we can’t blow him up with just the defense of a mansion!”

“Don’t act recklessly!” Bai Shuitang said seriously, “We’ve prepared so much, we shouldn’t rush at this last step… Wait a few days. I’ve received internal news that the Song family plans to return to Hua Country in a few days.”

“Bai Shuitang, you’re a cowardly snake coiled in a cave; since you don’t dare, I see no point in continuing our cooperation.”

Beep—!

The phone call ended.

Bai Shuitang silently crushed the cigarette in his hand, sneered, “Bazel, if you seek death, don’t blame me…”

Bai Shuitang tidied his clothes, took a deep breath, and then dialed another phone, “Prepare the car, I’m heading to Han Residence.”

…

…

Song Haoran was answering a call from the village, while Song Ying stood nervously by his side. As soon as Song Haoran hung up the call, Song Ying hurriedly asked, “How is it? Is there any news?”

Song Haoran furrowed his brows tightly, remaining silent with an unexpectedly serious expression, then placed his hands on Song Ying’s shoulders, “Can you prepare yourself mentally first?”

“How…” Song Ying’s face turned pale, her hand clenching tightly at her collar suddenly loosened, “No way… Absolutely not! You… speak!”

Song Haoran took a deep breath and said, “Gan Hong… her surgery was very successful~ if she rests and recovers peacefully for a period of time, there should be no major problems.”

Song Haoran’s expression changed instantly, grinning at the niece who was not much younger than him—next second, his foot met with unbearable pain of his life.

“You scared me to death!” Song Ying suddenly began to cry, her hands wiping her eyes continuously, “You scared me to death, uncle, you scared me to death! You scared me to death…”

Song Haoran smiled slightly at this moment, placing his hand on Song Ying’s head, suddenly saying softly, “Haven’t seen you cry in a long time.”

Song Ying glanced at Song Haoran and turned to leave.

Lluvia happened to come in at this moment, only to see Song Ying leaving angrily, and then walked towards Song Haoran, “Strategist. What’s up with Miss Ying?”

Song Haoran touched his chin, saying, “The delayed rebellious phase has arrived, starting to like contradicting with the elders, oh dear, being an uncle is quite challenging.”

Despite this, Song Haoran’s face still carries an indelible doting affection.

Although Song Ying is Song Haoran’s niece, the two are not far apart in age, everyone in Han Residence knows Song Haoran treats Song Ying more like a brother to a sister.

“By the way, speaking of which, Lluvia, can you help me a little?” Song Haoran suddenly said, then placed his hand on Lluvia’s shoulder, his hand gradually moving towards Lluvia’s chest.

Lluvia instantly grabbed Song Haoran’s hand, twisting it slightly, she said calmly, “Strategist, isn’t your hand reaching too low?”

“Give me a break?” Song Haoran apologized and pleaded.

Lluvia sighed and finally released Song Haoran’s arm. At this moment, Lluvia frowned and said, “Regarding those who initially attacked Miss Ying found on-site, some things have been extracted from their mouths.”

Those people were captured after being chased by the guards following Song Ying. Most of them were downed by Gan Hong’s bullets, while some were knocked out by Song Ying driving.

Upon hearing this, Song Haoran suddenly became expressionless, saying indifferently, “Tell me.”

“This group of people were only hired to abduct Miss Ying. Someone paid them to teach Miss Ying a lesson… it should be true. So the one who carried out the assassination this time is likely someone else.” Lluvia quickly said, “Because we found a man’s corpse on the nearby highway, it seems to have been hit by a heavy vehicle and then thrown off the mountain… Near his corpse, a handgun was also found, though the bullets had all been fired. Later, I verified the man’s identity; he’s a sniper.”

Song Haoran pondered, “Do you suspect this sniper is the cause of the sports car explosion?”

“It should be him.” Lluvia nodded, “But strangely, our investigation at the site where he was hit found he seemed to have rolled downhill from a nearby watchtower, because he was wrapped in a lot of vines at the time… these are the photos from the scene.”

Lluvia quickly showed Song Haoran a set of photos.

“Why does he look so terrified before his death?” Song Haoran frowned at one of the photos.

Lluvia said, “Before he slipped, he should have encountered someone. We discovered a luggage bag in the watchtower containing several tools. Additionally, it’s quite odd that on the table in the watchtower, a row of fired shells was laid out for some unknown reason… perhaps they serve a particular purpose, possibly as some kind of code.”

“So, the clues ended with this sniper?”

Lluvia helplessly nodded, “Even though we found his phone and the numbers he dialed, when we called back, it was already a disconnected number, so there’s no way to trace it.”

Song Haoran repeatedly examined the set of photos until a servant walked in from outside the room, “Young Master, Old Master asks you to come over as he has some matters to discuss with you.”

…

…

When Song Haoran arrived at Song Tianyou’s reception room, he found a familiar face there—Bai Shuitang, the president of Zhonghua Street Chamber of Commerce.

Being the brother of Song Haoran’s brother-in-law, Bai Shuitang maintained a close in-law relationship with the Song Family.

Due to Song Haoran’s brother-in-law’s death, the Song Family had been looking after Bai Shuitang considerably. Bai Shuitang ordinarily interacts with the Song Family, often visiting during holidays and ceremonies.

Now, however, Song Ying has the most contact with Bai Shuitang since she took over the business of the Song Dynasty.

“Young Master!” When Song Haoran entered, Bai Shuitang promptly stood up.

Song Haoran casually waved his hand, “Sit down, we’re not outsiders, no need for formalities… what’s the matter, old man?”

Song Tianyou’s face was somber, “Shuitang brought some news, which I suspect is related to Little Ying’s attack.”

Bai Shuitang became visibly disturbed, jumping to his feet and knocking over the water cup before him in his agitation, “What? Little Ying was attacked? When did this happen? How is she now?!”

Seeing Bai Shuitang’s nervous agitation, Song Tianyou waved his hand, “She’s fine, just somewhat frightened.”

“How could this happen… could it really be those people seeking revenge?” Bai Shuitang seated himself reluctantly, his brow furrowed deeply.

Song Haoran asked, “Those people?”

Finally nodding, Bai Shuitang said, “It’s why I urgently came looking for Old Master… It turns out recently, a few strangers arrived at Zhonghua Street. After investigating, it turns out these individuals are descendants of that small nation’s royal family from the past. They’ve been hidden in Zhonghua Street for some time now, living secluded, seemingly plotting something.”

“Bazel…” Song Haoran’s gaze narrowed, “This guy has attempted over ten assassination attempts and still doesn’t feel content.”

“I fear these people might pose danger to Old Master, so I rushed over as soon as I received the news! Unexpected… Unexpectedly, Little Ying has already been attacked!” Bai Shuitang clenched his fists tightly and declared, “Old Master! My brother died because of this group of people years ago. Now that they’re daring to come, I, Bai Shuitang, will definitely not let them off!!”

“Calm down first.” Song Tianyou waved his hand, “I will handle this matter. The news you brought tonight is very useful, and helped me a lot.”

Bai Shuitang shook his head, “I can’t forget the grievance from years ago… My brother’s untimely death was caused by this group of bastards! Hence, in any way I can help, I, Bai Shuitang, will certainly not refuse!”

“Much appreciated.” Song Tianyou smiled, “Alright, it’s late, don’t go back tonight; I’ve had a guest room prepared for you, so you can rest.”

Bai Shuitang nodded and refrained from staying, instead exchanging a few words with Song Haoran before leaving the room.

After Bai Shuitang left, Song Tianyou slowly asked, “Haoran, what do you think?”

Song Haoran considered for a moment, “Shuitang’s timing was quite coincidental.”

Song Tianyou nodded, “Indeed, very coincidental. But Shuitang is shrewd; if he had any involvement in this matter, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to show up at such a time… I’m unclear on his intentions.”

“Let’s put aside Shuitang’s issues for now.” Song Haoran suddenly said, “If it truly is Bazel, then this time I want to take action personally…”

His eyes flashed with icy intent.

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PS: (2/3)