Chapter 231: First Link

Chapter 231: First Link

Before long, Han Wubing, with bandages wrapped around his shoulder, walked in. He was not being restrained, and upon seeing the situation that was taking place, he looked utterly bewildered.

He did not look like someone who had been captured; rather, it seemed like he was recuperating inside. Furthermore, his injuries did not appear to be severe.

When he saw what was taking place at the door of the VIP room, Han Wubing exclaimed, “Big brother Sha Seven? Who’s this dark-faced man...”

Zhao Changhe’s jaw dropped.

Seventh Lord Sha, who was being held by the throat, began to laugh, and his subordinates immediately joined in.

With a stern expression, Zhao Changhe asked, “Are you alright?”

Han Wubing immediately recognized his voice and was extremely surprised. “Brother Zhao! It’s you! Uh, the thing is...”

Zhao Changhe said, “Did I misunderstand the situation? Did they actually take you in and even go on to provide you with good food and drink?”

Han Wubing said, “Well, yeah, they took me in.”

Zhao Changhe said, “But you were deceived.”

Han Wubing was stunned for a moment, and his eyes quickly looked at Seventh Lord Sha with suspicion.

It was evident that he trusted Zhao Changhe far more than Sha Seven.

Sha Seven just smiled and, seemingly unconcerned about his throat being squeezed or Zhao Changhe’s apparent intention to reveal something, simply showed a look of interest.

Zhao Changhe said, “For instance, when I arrived here, did they inform you that I was here?”

“No.”

“I knew they didn’t, otherwise, you would definitely have come looking for me.”

Han Wubing smiled.

The feeling of trust and understanding was truly wonderful.

Zhao Changhe continued, “The fact that they did not inform you indicated that their intention to provide you with shelter was not entirely benevolent. My judgment that you were captured doesn’t seem too far off.”

Han Wubing said, “You’re right. Being kept in the dark is no different from being captured.”

“...”

“Perhaps it’s because brother Han isn’t easy to mess with. Things could have gone awry if you used force, so why use force when you can just trick him into divulging the secrets? I can only see you using force if he kept his mouth shut and you lost your patience. But clearly, three days isn’t long enough for that... During this time, you discovered that I came to the city and you remembered that I was also one of the people who learned of the secrets of the ancient sword. You then passed on information to me, hoping to capture me as well.”

Sha Seven finally shook his head and said with a wry smile, “What the hell, this is really weird. In this matter, the Pinghu Association and the Xingyi Gang have been the loudest and everyone is looking at them. How were you, out of all people, able to figure out that Han Wubing’s whereabouts had nothing to do with them and that they were just diversions?”

“That’s because I have no interest whatsoever in their power struggles. From the beginning, my only goal has been to find my friend.”

There was a moment of silence in the air, and even the gang members holding their blades against Zhao Changhe seemed to waver.

After a moment of silence, Sha Seven slowly said, “What’s the point of all of you still holding your blades up? Put them down.”

Someone said, “But young master, he’s still holding you by the throat!”

“When you put your blades down, he’ll naturally let go of my throat. Since he came here looking for his friend and has seen that his friend is unharmed, why would he still want to kill me?”

The gang members looked at each other and they gradually put down their blades.

However, Zhao Changhe did not let go of Sha Seven’s throat. Instead, he tightened his grip and said, “You’re right, but now that you’ve said that, I don’t feel like letting you go. We can continue talking outside this room.”

Sha Seven’s face contorted in frustration: “You motherfucker...”

As Zhao Changhe stepped outside, he suddenly paused. “Seventh Lord Sha, did you have the place cleared out?”

“Of course!” Sha Seven replied irritably. “I’m being held by the throat. Of course we had to clear the place out to avoid anyone finding out. Otherwise, how am I supposed to continue staying in Sword Lake City in the future?!”

“So, you mean to say that there’s no one outside right now? Hmm...Zhao Changhe suddenly said, “Then, Seventh Lord Sha, how about we discuss cooperation?”

Sha Seven let out a choked sound of disbelief. “Hah! With things being as they are, how can you seriously even bring up cooperation?!”

Zhao Changhe said without a change in his expression, “Why not? Is there some irreconcilable enmity between us?”

Sha Seven said, “It doesn’t seem like there is. Why do you suddenly want to share the secrets of the ancient sword with me now?”

“I just wanted to ask you, do you want to dominate Sword Lake City? I believe that Ying Five wants you to stay in Sword Lake City for more than just the ancient sword, right?”

Sha Seven narrowed his eyes, taking a moment before responding, “Do you suddenly trust me enough to talk about cooperating on this matter?”

“As you said earlier, the conflict between those two factions and your business are two separate matters. Someone is colluding with the barbarians and spreading rumors about me, but regardless of which one it is, it’s certainly not you. So, after thinking it over, if I were to choose to cooperate with any force in Sword Lake City, I would actually choose you.”

Sha Seven sighed deeply. “From now on, if anyone dares to say that Zhao Changhe is a mere mountain bandit in front of me, I’m going to slap them so hard that even their mothers won’t recognize them!”