Watching the car gradually pull away, Hei Xiazi let out a helpless sigh and said, "It's hard to make a living these days. Nobody has any sympathy for a blind man."
"Hmph, I don't know if Xie Yuchen has any sympathy for you, but I'm sure A-Ning doesn't. If you don't chase after them now, they'll be long gone," 003 said, watching the departing vehicle.
"That's where you don't understand. I already had people block the road ahead. They won't escape my grasp." At this moment, Hei Xiazi looked very much like a villain.
Catching up to the luxury car, Hei Xiazi tapped on the window and said ingratiatingly, "Care for a chat?"
"No." Since the item was in his hands, Xie Yuchen naturally didn't need to entertain Hei Xiazi.
"Really not?" Hei Xiazi pointed at the people behind him with a playful tone.
"Let's chat." Xie Yuchen wasn't afraid of these few people, but with Xiuxiu here, he had to plan more carefully. Besides, he figured Hei Xiazi wouldn't dare pull anything on him.
"See, isn't this better, Master Hua? Please don't blame me, Master Hua—I'm just a guy taking money to do a job." Hei Xiazi wasn't foolish enough to offend a major client for the sake of a single employer; that simply wasn't profitable.
"Oh? Then tell me, who hired you?" Knowing the status of the Southern Blind and Northern Mute in the underworld, Xie Yuchen knew anyone who could hire them couldn't be ordinary.
"Master Hua, we have to protect our employers' privacy." Instead of answering Xie Yuchen's question, Hei Xiazi held out one hand and rubbed his fingers together.
"200." Xie Yuchen naturally understood the subtext.
"300."
"150." Xie Yuchen didn't strictly need to know the answer right away; once they reached the destination, whatever he wanted to know would naturally come to light. Right now, he was just testing how much Hei Xiazi actually knew.
"Hey, fine, fine. 200, not a penny less. What do you want to know, Master Hua? I, your blind man, will tell you everything I know." It wasn't easy for him to earn a bit of money.
"Who hired you, and where are you heading this time?"
"A-Ning, an underling of Caturra. We're heading to Tamutuo this time." This time, Hei Xiazi didn't deceive Xie Yuchen; he answered whatever was asked.
"Tamutuo? What kind of place is that?" Xie Yuchen asked, somewhat puzzled. He had seen the name mentioned in the Lu Huang Cloth as well.
"It's a place everyone yearns for, yet fears." Hei Xiazi's voice was flat, like a pool of icy spring water that sent chills down one's spine.
"If it's so terrifying, why are you going?" Xie Yuchen raised an eyebrow, believing only half of what Hei Xiazi had just said.
"Ha, Master Hua, I'm just taking people's money to help avert disasters. Otherwise, who would want to come to a barren wasteland like this?"
The disgust in Hei Xiazi's tone was entirely genuine. The place was remote and bizarre—and with Wu Xie here, it was even more bizarre. If Wu Sansheng hadn't paid so damn much... sigh.
Huo Xiuxiu remained silent throughout, quietly listening to the two of them probing one another.
Finally arriving at the destination, Hei Xiazi ushered the two into an empty tent, had meals brought in, and sent someone to summon A-Ning.
"Come, Master Hua, try the food here. Although it can't compare to the capital, it's quite precious in this desolate desert." Hei Xiazi picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of vegetable into Xie Yuchen's bowl, and said.
Xie Yuchen frowned; he was a germaphobe. "No need. Eat it yourself."
Hei Xiazi didn't mind. He knew a thing or two about the Household Head Xie's habits; doing that just now was merely to exact a bit of petty revenge.
Wu Xie was wandering around the camp when he heard that Hei Xiazi had returned and brought two people with him. He immediately turned around to check it out.
"Blind man, blind man, I heard you brought two people back?" Wu Xie yanked aside the tent flap, saw the people inside, and gave an awkward smile.
"Ah, Wu Xie, let me introduce you. This is the Household Head Xie of the Xie Family, and this is the Little Third Master of the Wu Family. Hey, aren't you all from the Nine Gates..." Hei Xiazi suddenly realized that these figures all belonged to the third generation of the Nine Gates.
"What are you doing here?" Xie Yuchen stood up and asked in surprise.
"Do we know each other?" Hearing this, Wu Xie paused, looking at the unfamiliar man in front of him and asking.
"I'm Xiaohua. We used to play together when we were kids." Toward his childhood friend, Xie Yuchen remained quite indulgent.
"You're Xiaohua? Wasn't Xiaohua a girl? Did you get a sex change?" Wu Xie scratched his head and said.
"Pfft, hahaha." The wine Hei Xiazi had just swallowed came spilling right out; he was utterly defeated by Wu Xie's train of thought.
Xie Yuchen had black lines across his forehead. True to form, his childhood friend remained just as Tianzhen and Wu Xie. "Back then, I just had a rather delicate appearance when I was young."
"Oh, oh, I see. Then you must be Xiuxiu, right?" Wu Xie smiled awkwardly. To think he even boasted about marrying Xiaohua when they were kids—looking back now, it was a total slap in the face.
"Yes, it's me, Brother Wu Xie," Xiuxiu said with a sweet smile.
"Why are you here?" Xie Yuchen knew Wu Xie wouldn't come to a place like this for no reason.
"Oh, someone mailed me a cassette tape. I took the tape apart and followed the clues inside all the way here."
Realizing that the person before him was his childhood friend, Wu Xie held nothing back and spilled everything he knew.
"A cassette tape?" Xie Yuchen and Xiuxiu exchanged glances, each understanding the other's thought.
"Yeah, it wasn't just sent to me; it was sent to A-Ning as well," Wu Xie nodded and said.
"I want to see A-Ning. Please lead the way." Just as Xie Yuchen finished speaking, a clear, ringing female voice sounded from outside.
"No need, I'm already here." A-Ning walked in, looked at the group, and said.
"I know you're all people from the Nine Gates, and I can allow you to join. But I have one condition: you must follow my lead. Besides, I won't pay for your expenses."
"So you're actually taking money?" Xie Yuchen raised an eyebrow at Wu Xie.
"How could I? Xiaohua, I'm basically paying out of my own pocket just to tag along." Wu Xie wore a wry smile. After buying his gear, he couldn't even afford Wang Meng's salary anymore.
"I'll reimburse you later then." Xie Yuchen wasn't short on cash and said it very generously.
"Then thanks, Xiaohua!" Wu Xie beamed instantly. As expected, Xiaohua was still as loaded as ever.
"Master Hua, look at the blind man here—absolute top quality at a bargain price." Hei Xiazi refused to admit he was jealous of Wu Xie.
"Didn't you already get paid?" Xie Yuchen rolled his eyes at Hei Xiazi and snapped.
"I'm strong and sturdy, I can work two jobs!" Disregarding A-Ning's presence, Hei Xiazi hurriedly expressed his determination.
"Hei Xiazi," A-Ning growled through gritted teeth.
"Boss A-Ning, you folks never specified that one couldn't work two jobs," Hei Xiazi said with an innocent look.
"Hmph." A-Ning simply decided out of sight was out of mind, flicked her sleeve, and walked away.
"What do you think, Master Hua?" Seeing A-Ning leave, Hei Xiazi turned back to ask.
"Isn't the card with you? Just swipe it yourself." Xie Yuchen didn't care about a little money; using it to buy some peace and quiet was a great deal.
"Master Hua is truly magnanimous." The width of the grin splitting Hei Xiazi's face made it obvious to anyone that he was over the moon.