Chapter 64: Recruitment

  Honolulu, Hawaii

  In the southern part of the city, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean's Golden Coast, there is a vast private garden with a tall white marble gate pavilion that has a wooden plaque hanging horizontally on it, engraved with three large Chinese characters "Zhi Gong Tang".

  Deep in the lush garden, hundreds of tall sandalwood trees surround a small quadrangle courtyard, just like an ordinary residence in Beijing. The old blue-brick floor is neatly arranged with large and small stone locks, and several half-person-high open-mouthed large water tanks are filled with clear water.

  In addition, in the corner of the courtyard, there were dozens of plum blossom stakes over two meters high, tall and short, as well as a row of weapon racks, on which were inserted several white wax rods, flower guns, nails, hammers, and several large knives that resembled single-edged swords but were much thicker.

  On the veranda of the courtyard, three or four middle-aged people stood under a big tree with several young people, their hands clasped together, like old bears and plum trees standing still.

  In the middle hall opposite the gate, an old man of seventy or eighty years old with a clear and dignified face was also sitting. He wore loose cotton Chinese clothing, with his legs crossed on a small cushion, and behind him in the room hung a yellowed portrait, three pillars of incense wafting upwards, below which was placed a black shark skin scabbard containing a three-foot long knife.

  The sunlight at noon pours in. Shining on this old man, and the surrounding environment seems to blend perfectly together, the ancient courtyard, the aged old man, everything is filled with a sense of "serenity".

  But just then, the two large gates of the courtyard were pushed open with a creak, and the shrill sound instantly broke the tranquility of the small courtyard.

  A flustered middle-aged man hastily walked past the screen wall and came in.

  "Master, something's gone terribly wrong! Ah Niu has been beaten to death in a fight at home!!"

  The middle-aged man was extremely out of control, his footsteps stumbling, his face covered in sweat. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he let out a loud cry and fell to the ground in front of an old man who was sitting dazedly in the sunlight, as if asleep.

  "Whoosh!"

  The whole yard suddenly boiled over, and seven or eight people stood under the big tree, almost staring with wide eyes, rushing over.

  But the old man who had been sitting still, also shook his whole body at this time, suddenly opened a pair of old eyes, as if in a dark room, crackling with electricity.

  "What was that?" A loud rumble, as if several thunderbolts had exploded above their heads, shook the entire courtyard, causing echoes to reverberate, and dust to fall from the eaves of the houses.

  This emaciated old man with a completely white head and no flesh on his body had a loud voice that was as consistent as the sound of a large bell, and when he opened his eyes, a strong cold air spread out, making almost everyone feel the warmth of the sun at noon.

  His face twitched, his eyes gleamed with a cold light, staring fixedly at the middle-aged man in front of him who was exchanging tears, until after a long time, he finally took two loud breaths and stood up straight from the couch.

  Regardless of the gaze of all the people in the courtyard falling on himself, this old man suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed a big breath, as if he had an egg in his mouth, turning left and right nine times, making a gurgling sound, swallowing it into his abdomen. Suddenly, his belly rumbled, like a stone falling from a great height into a well.

  "Get up and tell me, how did Ah Niu die!"

  After a while, the panting gradually subsided, and the old man narrowed his eyes, asking in a calm and peaceful voice.

  "Hong Changqing from the headquarters just sent a message, only an hour ago, Ah Niu was challenging the head coach Wang Chan at Qingniao Gym in Ha City, and he was beaten to death by him." The middle-aged man knelt motionless on the ground.

  "How is that possible?" The old man suddenly hummed and gritted his teeth, saying: "Ah Niu was trained by me since he was a child, his kung fu is even better than mine when I was young. After so many years of fighting and killing in San Francisco, with all the experience he has gained, how could he be killed by someone else in an instant? Is that Wang Chan some kind of fist master or something?"

  "I just called Hong Changqing and reconfirmed it. It seems that the one named Wang Chan is about the same age as Ah Niu, with a strong foundation in martial arts, has already reached the peak of his skills, so Ah Niu's palm knife can't even move him." Oh, and Hong Changqing also sent me a video file

  A middle-aged man hastily pulled out a computer from his pocket, called someone to bring it over, plugged it in, opened a video file inside, and the screen displayed the live footage of Wang Chan and Tang Niu's duel not long ago.

  In the Qīng Niǎo's combat classroom, each site is equipped with high-definition cameras around it, shooting from different angles at the same time to record the content of the on-site teaching, editing into video materials for future teaching reference. This video was taken directly from Qīng Niǎo's monitoring center, so the picture is very clear, except for no sound, it looks like watching a high-definition TV movie.

  Wang Chan killed Tang Niu, and it's only been a little over an hour, but the new information has already spread across the ocean. With Lin Yuanshan and Hong Changqing's power, it would be easy to get these videos from within Qingniao.

  The screen is obviously edited by a master, with only the complete fighting process, from start to finish in less than three minutes. The last scene is Tang Niu being pinched to death by Wang Chan's pipa bone, and then his elbow was smashed into his throat lockbone, and he fell straight to the ground.

  Even without a single sound on site, the process of the showdown was very complete, and everyone could see Wang Chan's ferocity and determination in the picture.

  The old man finished watching the entire video. His eyes seemed a bit dull, and he looked at his beloved grandson being beaten to death in front of him. Even though this old man had dominated the world for a lifetime, seen countless gatherings and separations, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken. For a moment, he only felt suffocated in his chest. The anger that was suppressed by his thick inner breath finally couldn't be tolerated anymore. With a loud "wow", a mouthful of blood arrows sprayed directly onto the computer screen in front of him.

  The whole person suddenly slumped down and remained silent for a long time.

  "Do you also want this thing?" At the same time, Wang Chan sat in Leiting's living room, one hand brought out from his chest that piece of emerald-like "Tianmo Stone", and the smile on his face looked a bit strange no matter how you looked at it.

  This stone is of no use to him, yet so many people come to covet this small piece of rock. First, there was that arrogant and deceitful Zhang Daoming who died at the hands of others, now battered like a beehive; next, it was Zhang Daocheng who died for its sake; and now, in front of us, is Lei Ting.

  I really don't know what these people are thinking. Even if this heavenly stone is the one that Wang Chongyang obtained from Lü Dongbin and Han Zhongli in the Eight Immortals' cave on Mount Tianyi, and it contains a huge secret, there are seven pieces of this stone in total, scattered who-knows-where, not necessarily just within the country. Trying to find them all again is like looking for a needle in the ocean.

  Let's not mention whether they can be found intact or not. Even if one day all seven Tian Gang stones are found, it may not necessarily be a good thing. With limited life time, searching for these things is simply not worth it in Wang Chan's opinion.

  What's more, this stone has been in Wang Chongyang's hands for who knows how long. According to historical records, he didn't become an immortal or a god, but instead died of old age in a foreign land! Even if it were found again, what would be the point?

  "Right, I want this thing from you." Seeing Wang Zhenliang take out the Tian Gang stone that he had been carrying with him, the three people in the room all took a deep breath. Lei Feng nodded vigorously at Wang Zhen: "This thing is very important to us, and it's the only reason I found you this time. So I hope you can hand it over to us. Of course, we won't take your things for nothing and let you suffer a loss. As long as you agree, we'll help you cover up what happened earlier and get rid of the charge of murder."

  "Is that all your conditions?" A faint cold smile spread across Xiao Wang Chan's face.

  These people may practice boxing and martial arts, but they are not true warriors. They wear a cloak of authority and speak in vague terms, making them unreliable at first listen. "Do they think I don't know the purpose of this Tian Gang stone? Using my killing of Tang Niu to pressure me? How ridiculous!"

  "Of course, it's not just this one condition!" Seeing the expression on Wang Chan's face, Lei Feng was also taken aback. Although he looked tall and sturdy, his mind was not rough or simple-minded. As the next generation of the Lei family who would take over the helm, his insight was naturally extraordinary. Upon hearing Wang Chan's words, he immediately knew that things were not as simple as he had imagined when he arrived. He lightly tapped his finger on the tea table in front of him.

  "I met your friend Zhou Lin at an elder's house before I left Beijing, and had a conversation with him once. I know he is innocent. If you are willing, I can help you resolve this trouble thoroughly. To be honest, don't think that Lin Yuanshan has the power to control everything locally, but in fact, his dealings with Hongxiu Lin have been monitored by us for a long time! It's just that due to some other reasons, it's not the right time to take action against him yet. I will protect you and Zhou Lin, and he won't dare to make another move!"

  "Have you seen Zhou Lin?" Wang Chan furrowed his brow, looking puzzled for a moment. "So you all already know about Zhou Lin's situation? Did he tell you that this thing is with me?"

  Wang Chan's voice suddenly turned cold, if it was really Zhou Lin who told Lei Feng that the Tian Gua stone was in his hands, then everything he had done before would be in vain.

  Wang Chan didn't have many friends, Zhou Lin was barely half of one, and their relationship wasn't bad either, otherwise he wouldn't have come down the mountain to Ha city, but precisely because of this, being betrayed by someone felt even more hateful.

  "It wasn't him!" At this time, Zhang Xiuer timely picked up the conversation and smiled at Wang Chan: "Do you still remember that last time you and Lei Xing went to Hongxiulin, and had a conflict with Lin Yuanshan's two subordinates? I saw the stone pendant on your neck, so you don't have to suspect that it was your friend who betrayed you to us!"

  Wang Chan stared at Zhang Xiuer for a while. His gaze was sharp, and he saw that her eyes were still very clear, and she didn't avoid his gaze either. He nodded slightly: "Your conditions are not bad, I admit that I'm already a bit moved, but what makes you think I'll trust you just because we've met once? You're just talking empty words. If you have sincerity, then handle everything first, and come find me again later. At that time, this thing will definitely be handed over to you."

  "Don't you believe me?" Thunderous anger flashed across his face, and with a sudden slap on the solid wood tea table in front of him, the forceful wind whistled, and with a loud crash, it shattered into powder. "I am the director of the Special Operations Division of the National Security Bureau. You are the first person to dare question my credibility face-to-face. Wang Chan, don't think that just because you have some relationship with my younger brother and sister, I won't dare arrest you. Just based on what happened at Jinhai Building a few days ago, I can take you down directly. Do you believe it or not?"

  His body hair stood on end, and in the second that Lei Feng's palm slapped the tea table, Wang Chan stretched out his hand and gently picked up his teacup, slowly taking a sip. In his heart, he let out a cold laugh: "As expected, you can't bear it, showing off your authority in front of me, putting on airs. This Lei Feng is indeed good at playing psychological warfare, knowing how to play mind games with me. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been scared stiff by now, obediently catering to his every whim. But unfortunately, I, Wang Chan, am not that kind of person. Who dares to bully me?!"

  Wang Chan's face remained expressionless, not saying a word, his eyes narrowed even further, and in the pupils that couldn't be seen, a thread of needle-like cold light began to flash wildly.

  "Lei's face was unpredictable, suddenly standing up and laughing loudly: "Good, good, good!" He pointed at Wang Yan and called out three times, "You really have a kind! Earlier, I didn't see your fight with Tang Niu, but just by looking at the scene, I can imagine how intense it was! I won't bully you, using my power to oppress you. You and I will have a match, if you win, I'll do as you say. If you lose, you'll obediently hand over the thing to me and serve under me for three years."

  But Lei Feng had long since stored in his heart the idea of recruiting Wang Chan, and only now did he speak it out loud.

  "A fight, I can do! However, being your subordinate, I have no interest! I'm not willing to waste my limited time on other things. Your boxing skills are good, but you've already been blinded by worldly desires. In the future, wanting to make progress will be even more difficult!"

  "It's pointless to talk too much, true gold will be revealed in the hands of a skilled craftsman!"

  With a loud roar, his fists clenched tightly, and the muscles all over his body bulged violently. The six or seven buttons on his upper body suddenly popped open one after another, and his shirt was torn to shreds, flying everywhere. His belt was also unstable, but it worked somehow!!! Here's the first chapter of today! There's still one more chapter this afternoon!!!