Chapter 48 A Born Master of Rumors

This sudden proposal to become sworn brothers left both my senior brother and me completely dumbfounded. We never expected the middle-aged man to be so enthusiastically warm-hearted.

Seeing us hesitate, the middle-aged man said, "Better learn from the three sworn brothers in the Peach Garden than envy the incense burned at Wagang. The three of us brothers kowtowing and becoming sworn brothers today means that from this day forward, we may not have been born on the same year, month, and day, but we seek to die on the same year, month, and day. Since I am the oldest, I shall reluctantly be the eldest brother. You, Thousand-Hands brother, shall be the second brother, and you, little brother, shall be the third brother. Doesn't that sound impressive? In the future, working together with one heart as brothers, how could we ever worry about not making a fortune?"

I rubbed my nose and said, "Come, let me make some introductions. My name is Zhang Zhicheng, just call me Ah Cheng. This is my senior brother, Lin Chongdeng. Elder brother, what is your name?"

My intention was obvious. We had only known each other for an hour, and we didn't even know each other's names yet we were supposed to become sworn brothers? Taking an oath like that was simply too casual. Moreover, the two of us were senior and junior fellow apprentices, so adding a sworn brother on top of that felt inappropriate.

"Didn't I already tell you my name? My humble surname is Wang, given name He, from Hunan. What, do you two brothers look down on your older brother here?" Wang He said.

"Since my junior brother has chosen the path to become a legitimate practitioner of the Thousand Gates, it won't be too late for the brothers to kowtow and pledge loyalty before the portrait of Fuxi once the incense burner is filled with burning sticks of incense," my senior brother said, stepping in to smooth things over for me.

Wang He scratched his head and said, "Fair enough."

Then he looked at me and asked, "Wasn't it four sticks of incense in the burner? Where are the other two brothers?"

I ran off to fetch my cousin Chen Jianjun and Wang Chuwei. Wang He truly possessed the natural demeanor of a wealthy person; the moment the two of them laid eyes on him, they thought he was some tycoon I had brought in from afar. Wang He also carried himself with great panache and immediately insisted on treating us to drinks to discuss grand matters. With our team newly formed—Chen Jianjun and Wang Chuwei were familiar with each other, but the rest had barely met—I seized this opportunity to share a meal, and we immediately set off back to Old Hai's restaurant. At this hour, there weren't many customers at Old Hai's place, but we still requested a private dining room.

First came the introductions, followed by the exchange of toasts. After a few rounds of drinks, we all felt as though we had met too late. Wang He was extremely talkative and loved telling risque jokes, and a few jokes later, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

The only one not amused by Wang He was my senior brother, Lin Chongdeng. His extraordinary past experiences always left him looking burdened with worries. Just after Wang He finished a joke that brought tears of laughter to my cousin's eyes, my senior brother set down his wine glass and said, "Before everyone gets too drunk, Ah Cheng, outline your plan."

At his words, the others immediately quieted down and looked at me.

I smiled and said, "No need to be so formal. We must take the matter seriously, but we can discuss it lightly. Originally, our thinking was simple: if we could win Ah Wang's appreciation, we would work our lives out for him, and he would toss us a whole jujube as a reward. But since he looks down on us brothers, well, looking down on us is one thing, but to humiliate us on top of that—then we must let him witness our methods."

"Chuwei and my cousin will continue keeping a close eye on Ah Wang's two wives as planned. Brother Wang, as for you, we will set up a Jiang Taigong fishing trap for Ah Wang. From now on, you are no longer the manager of the Jiangnan Leather Factory—Ah Wang is a cautious person, and he can verify that with a single check. Instead, you are a businessman who has come to Jinju Village to invest and open a factory, and you have money to burn. Anything that can be solved with money is not a problem," I said.

"Which kind of businessmen are better received here? I notice there are quite a few Taiwanese and Hong Kong businessmen locally. Would it be better if I disguised myself as a businessman from Hong Kong?" Wang He asked.

"Can you speak their dialect?" I asked.

"No problem at all, the locals won't be able to tell the difference," Wang He said.

Whether what Wang He said was true or not, his pronunciation and intonation were virtually indistinguishable from a local's. The others gave him a thumbs-up one by one, and Wang He proudly declared, "I'm not boasting, but if I have any special skill, it's my absolute lack of any barrier in language talent. Just give me a month or so with any local dialect, and I guarantee I can speak it more authentically than the locals. Oh, and just speaking Southern Minnan dialect isn't authentic enough; you'd better assign me a secretary. The kind with a huge chest and a perky backside. Since I'm a nouveau riche, treating money like dirt while being accompanied by a beauty is the only way to show I'm truly wealthy."

Wang He's suggestion was by no means bad; this fellow could practically be considered a natural-born confidence trickster.

The problem, however, was that my budget at the moment was truly limited. I had already promised basic salaries to my cousin and Wang Chuwei, and Brother Wang would require preliminary investment capital as well. Yet my pockets held a grand total of four thousand yuan—where on earth was I supposed to find an actress with a huge chest and a perky backside?

Sensing my predicament, Wang He patted his chest and said, "Don't you worry about that, I'll handle it myself. Several of my disciples are also making a living nearby; they've got the figures and the acting skills. They could easily get into the Beijing Film Academy, so leave it to me. I just want to know how you plan to fish? How big a fish are we catching, and how do we ensure the fish will take the bait?"

"Ah Wang runs a gambling den. He is not short of people willing to risk their lives for him, but he will definitely fancy a boss who is rolling in money and fond of gambling. Moreover, I have a hunch that among the waitstaff on the first and second floors of Ah Wang's restaurant, there are definitely people acting as scouts keeping watch. You go there for a few meals first, acting like money is no object to attract their attention. When necessary, I can even ask Uncle Yong to come out and back your play. In short, let him know you have immense financial backing, and then when you take phone calls, hint in a very obscure way that you enjoy gambling. If there are indeed scouts from Ah Wang's restaurant watching the first and second floors, they will surely approach you proactively. That way, the third floor, which the rest of us cannot enter, will be somewhere he personally invites you to step into. Once you get inside the gambling den, my senior brother will know how to handle the rest. This is what we call the Jiang Taigong fishing trap," I said.

"I know. With my brother's aura, who wouldn't think I'm a billionaire? Actually, this is the exact same trick I use when performing on the street. What's the principle called again? The high-end hunter often disguises himself as the prey," Wang He said.

No one who travels the rivers and lakes as a swindler lacks intelligence; those whose minds aren't sharp cannot survive this lifestyle. I could tell the moment I laid eyes on Wang He that he was the candidate I needed. Seeing things proceeding so smoothly, I pulled the two thousand yuan from my pocket, handed it over, and said, "You'll need funds for meals and putting on a wealthy facade in the early stages. I'm a bit strapped for cash, so take this for now, and I'll figure something out in a few days."

Wang He tossed the money right back at me and said, "What kind of man do you take your older brother for? We are of the Thousand Gates, not the Thieves' Gate; we don't engage in capital-less muggings. I'm older than all of you, so as the eldest brother, I must act like the eldest brother. Money—as long as I want it, I can have plenty."

After some more back-and-forth where Wang He even threatened to flip out if I forced the money on him again, I stopped putting on a brave front because my entire net worth was only around four thousand yuan.

After finishing the explanation of the plan, I stole a glance at my senior brother.

My senior brother had his eyes closed.

It seemed as though he was resting with his eyes shut.

I handed two hundred yuan to my cousin Chen Jianjun and said, "Cousin, take Chuwei and Brother Wang out for a stroll. Those female disciples Brother Wang mentioned are all beauties, so you should go get acquainted."

The three of them knew I needed to speak privately with my senior brother, so without dragging their feet, they walked right out.

After they left, I poured a glass of wine for my senior brother.

In this plan of mine, no matter how seasoned or successful Wang He's performance was, if we wanted to push things further, we had to rely on my senior brother's gambling techniques.

I had complete faith in my senior brother's skills, even though I had never laid eyes on any other professional gambler.

But would my senior brother actually make a move?

Coercing someone who had washed their hands of the underworld to re-enter the arena was hardly what I wished for.