330: Chapter 330 The Master Who Seeks Refuge, Ma Donghe in Special Training

Jiangbei Second Detention Center.

The rusted iron-gray gates slowly opened inward with a harsh, creaking sound.

Soon, a young man carrying a snakeskin bag walked out.

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The sunlight was somewhat dazzling, and he instinctively narrowed his eyes.

"Xiao Sa, turn over a new leaf after you go out, and don't come back again."

The old prison guard at the door leaned against the wall, his words carrying the usual warning.

The young man grinned, revealing two rows of clean white teeth:

"Rest assured, Uncle, if I come back again, I'll be your grandson."

The old prison guard helplessly shook his head and waved his hand to chase him away:

"Get the hell out of here."

Xiao Sa didn't look back again, taking a deep breath of the outside air of freedom.

Even mixed with car exhaust, it smelled ten thousand times better than the musty stench inside.

Finally out.

These past three months were simply not a life for human beings.

To this day, he still felt both unlucky and fortunate.

The unlucky part was that he had just defected from the Red Tiger Gang and followed the new turf's Three Wolves Gang without making a name for himself yet, before the Gang was completely crushed by the Red Tiger Gang in a massive brawl, and then wiped out in one go by the police.

The fortunate part was that the police arrested far too many people; aside from a few key leaders, most of the low-level punks were only convicted of provoking trouble and intentional assault.

He was considered lucky, as he was only sentenced to three months of criminal detention.

Xiao Sa looked down at himself; a washed-out, cheap shirt hung loosely on his skeleton-thin body.

He raised his hand to touch his face, which still had a few unhealed bruises and swelling.

This appearance really bore not the slightest relation to the nickname "Brother Xiao Sa".

Xiao Sa habitually patted his pocket, but it was empty.

His eyes swept across the ground, quickly locking onto a cigarette butt that had been stamped out.

He then walked over quickly, picked it up nonchalantly, dusted off the ash, stopped a passerby, and shamelessly bummed a light with a grinning face.

"Thanks, buddy."

He clamped the cigarette butt in his mouth, took a fierce drag, and squinted as he blew out a smoke ring.

He managed to turn this pathetic action into a semblance of a big shot's swagger.

"Damn it, outside cigarettes still pack a real punch."

After smoking half a cigarette, realistic problems were laid out before him.

He patted his pocket again; let alone taking a taxi, he couldn't even scrape together a single yuan for the bus ride.

Xiao Sa curled his lip, having no choice but to resign himself to fate as he stretched out his legs and strolled toward the direction of his home in his memory.

The streets were bustling with traffic and a constant stream of people.

Walking with a slovenly swagger, his gaze frequently glanced at the various mouth-watering foods inside the roadside shop windows.

Having just walked past two streets, the relaxed and comfortable expression on his face gradually faded.

It seemed someone was following him.

Three people, neither far nor close, like three extremely patient stray dogs.

Xiao Sa felt somewhat nervous in his heart, but kept a straight face and continued walking forward.

Until he saw a bustling wholesale market ahead.

His eyes suddenly turned fierce as he bolted into a mad dash, plunging headfirst into the crowded throng of people like a slippery loach.

"Damn it, don't let him get away!"

An exasperated roar came from behind, and the few followers no longer disguised themselves, chasing straight after him.

For a moment, the market was thrown into complete chaos.

Relying on his agility, Xiao Sa occasionally ducked under vegetable stalls or leaped over stacked cargo boxes, drawing curses all around.

Seeing that he was about to be caught, he simply smashed the burdensome snakeskin bag luggage on his shoulder backward fiercely.

With a bang, the luggage smashed over an entire cart of apples, which rolled all over the ground, successfully obstructing the pursuers' pace.

Taking the opportunity, he turned into a narrow alley nearby.

Hearing the shouts and footsteps behind seem to fade away in another direction, a wave of joy rose in his heart.

Just as he wanted to stop and catch his breath, a dark figure lunged straight at him at the next corner.

Bang!

Xiao Sa only felt a heavy blow to his forehead, stars instantly bursting before his eyes, and a warm, damp sensation came from his temple.

He had unexpectedly been ambushed with a stick, falling straight to the ground.

Several figures quickly swarmed around him, exactly five of them in total, blocking off all exits of the alley.

Xiao Sa lay on the cold ground, enduring the intense pain as he raised his head to look at the scarred-faced man leading them.

"Xiao Sa, long time no see."

The scarred man looked down at him from above, his voice carrying a trace of cat-and-mouse banter.

Xiao Sa clutched his bleeding forehead, putting on a facade of composure:

"Big brothers, I don't know you guys, right? What is this about?"

"Don't know us?"

A tall, thin fellow stepped forward, planted his foot on the back of Xiao Sa's hand, ground down forcefully, and said viciously:

"When you betrayed the Red Tiger Gang and defected to the Three Wolves Gang and the Dongcheng Association back then, why didn't you say you didn't know us?"

Another person nearby also cursed:

"You bastard, you grew bear guts and leopard power, daring to bring people to smash your own boss's turf and getting so many brothers killed!"

Xiao Sa grimaced in pain, his heart sinking to the very bottom.

The people of the Red Tiger Gang had finally tracked him down...

The scarred man squatted down, patted his face, and sneered:

"Where is that expert you defected to? And what was that thing called, looking just like a bear? Why didn't he come to pick you up from prison?"

"You risked your life for them, and they threw you away like a dead dog. Tsk tsk, how unloyal."

"Expert? Bear?"

Xiao Sa's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained blank as he muttered:

"Big brothers, what are you talking about? I don't understand..."

He understood who these people were targeting, but he dared not say it, nor could he say it.

That kind of monster who could take down dozens of armed punks all by himself—he didn't even dare to think too much about him normally.

Furthermore, when he was in the detention center, he had once heard cellmates mention the mysterious expert who had suddenly emerged in the Three Wolves Gang.

It was said that the man was a retired king of assassins, who came out of retirement to avenge the dead Gang leader, returning to the Jianghu and slaughtering everywhere.

Single-handedly, he beat the entire Red Tiger Gang so hard they were begging for mercy, fleeing Jiangbei in panic and never daring to set foot on this turf again.

After learning that Xiao Sa was a member of the Three Wolves Gang, his cellmates all looked at him with new respect and successively asked him about news of that expert.

Because of this, his treatment inside had improved a lot, and the number of times he was bullied decreased significantly.

At that time, Xiao Sa even faintly felt a sense of pride and worship because of this.

After all, such a big figure actually had intersections with him.

Even if, within those intersections, he seemed to have played the role of a villain...

Thinking of the young Yingjun man who gently and considerately treated his leg injury.

Xiao Sa's heart grew warm, and he immediately clenched his teeth, putting on an attitude of stubborn denial.

Damn it, how could a heroic figure like that be betrayed by a despicable villain like me?!

"Fuck your mother, you still playing dumb? I'll let you play dumb!"

Seeing this, the tall and thin fellow delivered several more fierce kicks straight to his stomach.

Xiao Sa curled up into a ball in pain, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

Intense pain and fear surged like a tide, nearly crushing his willpower.

Just at the moment when his consciousness was about to blur, a strange feeling suddenly appeared.

As if a burst of spiritual energy was injected into his body, supporting him so that he didn't pass out as a result.

Amidst this extremely bizarre feeling, Xiao Sa felt as if he had gained another pair of eyes.

Observing everything in front of him with a calm and indifferent posture.

This feeling made his hair stand on end, yet inexplicably calmed him down a bit.

With a few forced questions yielding no results, an unlicenced white van drove into the mouth of the alley, honking its horn.

"A-Quan, stop talking nonsense with him, take him away quickly!"

The scarred man gave the order.

The tall and thin fellow and the other three quickly took action, stuffed a rag into Xiao Sa's mouth, tied up his hands and feet, and roughly shoved him into the car.

The car door slammed shut with a "bang", plunging the back compartment into pitch darkness.

Xiao Sa lay on the cold floor, struggling in terror, only to be met with several merciless punches and kicks.

A punk responsible for guarding him pulled out a sharp dagger from his pocket, waved it in front of his eyes, and grinned wickedly while making a throat-slitting gesture.

Xiao Sa stiffened all over in fright, quickly closing his eyes tight and not daring to move even a fraction of an inch.

Right at this moment, a man spoke to him:

"Open your eyes!"

Xiao Sa shuddered violently, initially thinking the punk beside him was giving an order, so he could only slowly open a slit of his eyes with fear.

However.

The watcher only lowered his head to toy with the dagger, glanced at him contemptuously upon seeing him behave, and made no extra indication.

As for the others, some were driving and some were chatting; absolutely no one paid any attention to him.

Xiao Sa looked around in shock and uncertainty.

Not knowing exactly who was talking to him.

After a few seconds, that voice sounded again, carrying an undeniable, commanding tone:

"Look at the buildings and street signs outside the car window, and try to remember the driving route."

The voice was calm and clear, sounding very unfamiliar, yet carrying an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

It seemed close at hand, ringing right in his ear.

No, it was more like it directly emerged in his mind.

"If you want to stay alive, do as I say."

The man's voice quickly added.

Xiao Sa completely confirmed it this time.

This voice was not an illusion; it truly existed only in his mind.

The instinct for survival overwhelmed all fear and doubt, and Xiao Sa hesitated no longer.

He quietly turned his head toward the car window, his eyes staring dead at the street scene flashing by outside, not even daring to blink.

The van that kidnapped him turned left and right through the city, not heading to the remote suburbs, but instead driving into the bustling downtown area.

Finally, it stopped beneath a towering and magnificent office building.

"It's inconvenient to take him up just like this; the boss will scold us if he sees."

The scarred man looked back at the tied-up Xiao Sa.

A subordinate immediately understood, pulled a black sack and a baseball bat from beneath the seat, and walked toward Xiao Sa with a grin.

"What are you guys going to do?!"

Xiao Sa tried to scream in terror, but his voice was blocked in his throat by the rag, and he could only emit muffled whimpers.

Responding to him was a muffled blow coming straight at him.

Bang!

His vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

...

Jiuchang Street, in the bedroom.

Fang Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, slowly opening his eyelids.

A fierce glint flashed through his profound gaze, and he muttered softly to himself:

"Brother Xiao Sa..."

That's right, the person who had established a spiritual connection with him just now via Mind Resonance.

Was precisely that punk he had encountered at Wen Xin's doorstep back then.

Fang Cheng remembered very clearly that this fellow named Xiao Sa had harassed Wen Xin's mother along with several other punks, and was beaten up and chased away by him.

Not long after, they met again at Sang Biao's turf, where he received another beating and had his bones fractured by him.

At that time, Fang Cheng had Ma Donghe pick two survivors to take away and lock them up in a secret base.

The original intention was to keep them as a backup plan. In case the Red Tiger Gang took revenge, these two would act as guides to figure out the enemy's details and wipe out their lair.

It was also from Xiao Sa's mouth that Fang Cheng asked for Sang Biao's address, and later successfully assassinated him, framing the Three Wolves Gang.

Thus, he initially established a deterrent image of a "mysterious expert".

Recalling a bit, Fang Cheng thought for a moment, picked up his phone, and dialed Ma Donghe's number.

The phone rang a few times and was quickly answered.

From the other end came Ma Donghe's voice, mixed with pleasant surprise and complaint:

"Hello? A-Cheng?"

"Holy crap, you brat finally remembered me! I thought you had forgotten about this brother of mine!"

Fang Cheng smiled, the fierce glint in his eyes immediately receding:

"How could that be? Hearing how full of Qi your voice is, it seems the special training this past month has had quite good results."

"Don't bring it up!"

Hearing this, Ma Donghe poured out a flood of grievances:

"We just finished a round of five-kilometer weighted cross-country running. Every day I'm as tired as a dead dog; this life is even more bitter than being in jail!"

"Right, how are things on your side? Do you have confidence in the postgraduate entrance exam re-test?"

"Pretty good, not much of a problem."

The two chatted casually for a few sentences.

Fang Cheng stopped beating around the bush and then asked:

"Donghe, do you still remember those two people I asked you to take away back at Sang Biao's turf?"

Hearing this, Ma Donghe on the other end immediately became vigilant.

"I remember, what's wrong?"

"Could it be those two pups—oh wait, is that son of a bitch Xiao Sa rebelling again?"

"Damn it, if I'd known earlier, I should have slaughtered him and fed him to the dogs!"

Before Fang Cheng could say anything more, he started cursing and swearing first.

Fang Cheng was left speechless for a moment, then followed his tone and said:

"Didn't I tell you to handle the loose ends depending on the situation?"

"I did handle it."

Ma Donghe's tone was somewhat sheepish:

"Didn't you say keeping them was useful, both to extract information and to act as tainted witnesses?"

"At that time, everyone outside was spreading that a mysterious expert had appeared in the Three Wolves Gang. I thought about using the recording of their confession as leverage, making them bow to me as their boss, and then introducing them to defect to the Three Wolves Gang."

"That way, wouldn't it confirm that we were instigated by the Three Wolves Gang, and muddy the waters even more? Besides, as traitors, they certainly wouldn't dare to actively publicize this matter."

After hearing this, Fang Cheng couldn't help pinching his glabella.

His original intention was just for Ma Donghe to assess the situation and choose to silence them when they were no longer needed.

He had thought that Ma Donghe, who had mixed in the underworld, was ruthless and would definitely understand.

He didn't expect this brat to be clever by half and pull off such a stunt.

"A-Cheng, rest assured!"

Ma Donghe seemed to sense the meaning behind Fang Cheng's silence, and quickly said:

"I know where that brat Xiao Sa lives. Even if his mouth isn't tight, at most he can only describe what you look like."

"By then, the people of the Red Tiger Gang will definitely come after me first; it has nothing to do with you."

Fang Cheng replied faintly:

"You're overthinking it. I just happened to run into him on the road earlier and asked casually."

Hearing this, Ma Donghe finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his tone also softened:

"A-Cheng, actually this fellow—I've observed him, his nature isn't too bad. His family conditions aren't good, he has a blind old mother, dropped out of school since he was young, and could only come out to make a living..."

Fang Cheng had no interest in listening to these.

Forget it. Judging from the result, Ma Donghe's move wasn't entirely wrong; at least he used his brain a little.

He then asked again:

"You only mentioned Xiao Sa just now; what about the other person?"

"Dead."

Ma Donghe paused slightly and explained:

"Three months ago, during that brawl between the Red Tiger Gang and the Three Wolves Gang, the other person's leg injury hadn't fully healed, and he was hacked to death on the spot by the Red Tiger Gang's people."

"Xiao Sa was considered lucky; amidst the chaos, he was arrested by the police who rushed over, went inside to eat prison food for a few months as a way to nurse his injuries, and calculating the time, he should be out by now..."

After the two chatted for a bit longer.

Fang Cheng hung up the phone, his gaze flickering as he fell into deep thought.

The kidnapping incident Xiao Sa encountered this time.

Was it the Red Tiger Gang still refusing to give up on investigating the powder factory?

Or was it the Noah Organization shifting its suspected target back onto him?

Or perhaps, prying eyes from another faction?