Chapter 90: Return to the Capital of Magic

In the darkness, Li Wensheng moved like a ghost along the narrow path between the houses, swiftly putting distance between himself and the Chao Tian Gate wharf.

Just now, when the young woman had felled the small-in-time thug with a vicious kick and drawn everyone’s attention, he had immediately slipped toward the gap between two warehouses.

He knew he had escaped not because he was quick, but because the man at the head of the Military Statistics personnel had deliberately let him go.

That man recognized him. As he approached, a flash of shock had crossed his face.

And Li Wensheng knew that man too, very well indeed. He was none other than the Gun Maniac.

In the blink of an eye, after running several streets, Li Wensheng finally slowed.

"Damn it, my lousy luck is at it again. I picked any old wharf, and I still run into this kind of mess."

Back at the little inn, Li Wensheng muttered to himself and went to bed.

Early the next morning, he checked out, ate breakfast at a roadside stall, and then set off on foot for Fuling.

Last night, the Gun Maniac had suddenly appeared at Chao Tian Gate Wharf to pursue a Japanese spy. Aside from the Gun Maniac and his people, no one had been inspecting the wharf.

That meant the mountain city’s exits were not under strict scrutiny. He could leave by land if he wanted to, though it would be a bit more arduous than taking a boat.

Two days later, Li Wensheng arrived in Fuling, then boarded a boat heading south.

Along the way, the river bent left and wound upward. A month later, he reached the French Concession in the metropolis.

"I’m back again."

Looking out over the maze of streets and lanes in the French Concession, Li Wensheng could not help sighing inwardly.

He found an inn, washed off the dust of travel, and removed the makeup from his face. By six in the evening, when the French Concession was alive with color and revelry, Li Wensheng stepped out with a suitcase in hand and headed for Yuqing Road.

Upon reaching Baxi Lane on Yuqing Road, he went straight to the very end.

At the innermost end stood a building whose outer courtyard wall was Chinese in style, though the layout of the house itself was that of a Western apartment block.

The gate to the courtyard was open. Once inside, Li Wensheng headed straight for the third floor.

He knocked on the first door to the right of the staircase.

"Who is it?"

"Ma Laosan, open up."

Footsteps sounded inside, then with a creak the door opened.

Ma Laosan was in his thirties and had a remarkably ordinary face; he was so unremarkable that he would vanish into any crowd.

Seeing Li Wensheng, Ma Laosan was quite surprised. "Captain Li, weren’t you transferred away? Why are you back?"

"Here on business. Let’s talk inside."

Ma Laosan’s room was a mess. Dirty clothes were strewn all over the sofa, and the coffee table was covered with trash.

He grabbed the clothes from the sofa in one heap and tossed them onto a small side table, then swept all the rubbish on the coffee table onto the floor.

"Captain Li, forgive the sight of this. It’s a disgracefully untidy place."

Li Wensheng smiled. "Ma Laosan, you ought to find a woman and settle down."

"In times like these, no one knows whether they’ll see tomorrow’s sun. Settling down would only harm someone else."

Li Wensheng did not pursue the subject. He set the suitcase on the table.

"Help me move this. This time, you only get one percent."

Ma Laosan’s face fell. "Captain Li, didn’t we always split it five percent before? Why cut the price all of a sudden?"

"What’s in here is different from before. Take a look and you’ll understand."

Seeing that Li Wensheng seemed certain Ma Laosan would agree, Ma Laosan grew curious and stepped forward to open the case.

The instant the lid opened, Ma Laosan’s eyes lit up. He took out a box of foreign medicine and sniffed it greedily, murmuring, "That’s the smell of dollars."

"One percent. If you won’t do it, I’ll find someone else."

Ma Laosan hurriedly said, "All right, of course it’s fine. Captain Li, if you’d said it was foreign medicine earlier, I’d have agreed to one percent in a heartbeat."

"Same rules as always. I only want dollars. Three days from now, at seven in the evening, pay up at the Shining Joy Dance Hall." Li Wensheng rose to his feet.

"No problem, Captain Li. Three days from now, see you at the Shining Joy Dance Hall."

"Ma Laosan, this shipment is worth a great deal, but compared with your life, you know what to choose."

Li Wensheng lightly patted Ma Laosan on the shoulder, the gesture carrying its threat.

"Captain Li, we’ve cooperated so many times I can’t even count them. Why are you still doing this?" Ma Laosan said helplessly.

Back when they were in the metropolis, every time Li Wensheng had Ma Laosan move goods, he would always throw in a threat.

Li Wensheng smiled, then his expression changed abruptly. Cold-faced, he said, "I know exactly what sort of person you are.

I’m handing a case of foreign medicine to a money-crazed man like you. Tell me, shouldn’t I be worried?"

"Captain Li, I may love money, but I never take money I shouldn’t. If I did, I’d have died long ago.

If I didn’t know what money could be taken and what money couldn’t, you wouldn’t come to me to move goods, would you?" Ma Laosan said with a laugh.

Li Wensheng gave a slight nod and walked toward the door. "See you in three days."

After leaving Baxi Lane, Li Wensheng did not return to the inn. Instead, he headed for Jinqiao Lane on Yuqing Road.

Jinqiao Lane had a splendid name, but the houses inside were all old buildings.

Reaching the middle of the lane, Li Wensheng knocked on the door on the left.

Soon, the door opened.

"Brother Li, you’re back." The bald young man in his twenties looked overjoyed.

"Yes, I’m back. Come on, let’s talk inside."

"Brother Li, have you eaten? I happen to be cooking. Have a bite with me."

The man stepped aside to invite Li Wensheng in as he spoke.

"No need. I can’t stay here too long."

After the man closed the door, Li Wensheng took a one-dollar bill from his pocket.

"Help me find a house. It has to be on Xiangshan Road."

"Brother Li, I’ll take care of the house, but I can’t take your money.

Without your care, I’d have died several times over already. Helping you is only right and proper. How could I possibly take your money?"

"Care is care, business is business. I’ve told you that many times."

Seeing the man still hesitate, Li Wensheng said sternly, "Take it. Don’t make me tell you the same thing every time I give you money."

The man hurriedly accepted the dollar.

"Brother Li, what are your requirements for the house?"

"It can be a Western-style house or a Chinese-style one. Rent or purchase, either is fine.

Money is no issue, but it must be a detached house, facing the street, with convenient transport."

"Brother Li, that’s easy. It’ll be sorted by tomorrow. After it’s done, where should I find you?"

"No need to find me. I’ll come find you at nine tomorrow morning."

With that, Li Wensheng turned and left.

After leaving Jinqiao Lane, he ate dinner at a restaurant by the road, then strolled about the streets for a while before returning to the inn.

Early the next morning, Li Wensheng went to the International Settlement to familiarize himself with the roads.

Although the multinational International Settlement still existed in name, in reality, after the island nation occupied the metropolis, it had already divided the settlement into two parts.

The eastern and northern districts of the International Settlement, north of the Suzhou River, were under the island nation’s control. Only the central and western districts remained in the hands of Britain, America, and the other powers.

Before he went to the island nation, the metropolis had only recently emerged from war. At that time, the enemy checked everything tightly, so Li Wensheng had not gone wandering around the International Settlement.

After the island nation occupied the eastern and northern districts of the International Settlement, he knew nothing at all about where the garrison headquarters was, where the newly established consulate general in the metropolis was, or where the checkpoints were most numerous. For the sake of future operations, he needed to come and learn the lay of the land.