Free Web NovelChapter 151: Chapter 150: The Jockey Club, Luo Chengying
Once Fu Juemin was dressed, Big Cat produced a silver comb and a Target Mirror he had prepared earlier and handed them over.
"Who got him out?"
Fu Juemin took the comb and, looking in the mirror, casually smoothed his disheveled bangs as he asked the question.
’His hair has gotten a little long. He should find some time to get it cut.’
"Zhao Jigang paid a hefty sum to find a Peaceful Gentleman in the Wei Concession. The latter passed on a word at an ambassador’s banquet, and they finally relented."
"Oh?"
Fu Juemin’s brow twitched, betraying a hint of surprise.
’He had thought Luo Chengying was the one who pulled the strings. He never expected the Zhao Family to have spent their own money to find connections.’
"It seems this Zhao Tianpeng really isn’t highly regarded by the Luos..."
Fu Juemin shook his head with a sigh and added, "What about the docks and the Escort Agency? Is there any opposition within the Qinglian Gang?"
Big Cat replied calmly, "There are certainly voices of dissent.
But the Zhao Family controls dozens of Martial Arts Halls and Escort Agencies, and with them, most of the surrounding gambling dens, opium dens, brothels, and transportation businesses... Now is the perfect opportunity to snatch them back, so many in the gang are happy to see it happen..."
"Then keep them suppressed."
Fu Juemin tossed the comb back to Big Cat, his tone growing distant. "The Shenghai Martial Arts Association is convening soon. Zhao Jigang shouldn’t have time to bother with these things. Have someone watch Zhao Tianpeng and see what he does next..."
Big Cat nodded. Fu Juemin then asked, "Have you found any leads on those two I asked you to look for?"
"After the two of them left the Anshun Inn in Zhabei, no one has seen them in the area. It’ll take some more effort..."
The people Fu Juemin had Big Cat find were, of course, the two women he had run into by chance in Zhabei. ’He had a gut feeling they might be connected to Li Mingyi’s only daughter, the one Aunt Ding had mentioned. But he wouldn’t know for sure until he could verify it.’
Just as he was thinking, Big Cat spoke again. "There’s one more thing... The Fu Family sent word. They’re asking the Young Master to return for a visit when he’s free."
Fu Juemin’s expression faltered for a moment, but then he nodded.
"Understood."
.......
Zhao Tianpeng stepped out of the rickshaw, tossed a few silver coins to the puller, and tugged the brim of his hat low as he hurried across the clamorous street.
Beneath a massive archway, the roar of the crowd was deafening. A newsboy’s shrill cries seemed to form an invisible barrier, dividing the space within and without the gate into two different worlds.
"Extra! Extra! Favorite ’Neptune’ suffers consecutive upsets! Odds on number three, ’Black Whirlwind,’ are soaring!"
"Read the expert predictions! The *Famous City Evening News* lists the five hottest colts for today’s races!"
The whole of Shenghai was cold enough to freeze over, yet here at the entrance to the racecourse, steam rose from the surging, bustling crowd. Amongst the throng, there were even people wearing summer undershirts.
Just a few days ago, the major Concession Patrol Offices had been conducting mass arrests of the Revolutionary Faction, plunging the city into a state of panic and leaving the streets deserted. Now, it seemed all the old liveliness had returned.
Zhao Tianpeng impatiently shoved his way through the sea of bobbing heads. He flashed a card at a guard in a scarlet uniform beneath the archway. The guard quickly sized him up, then stepped aside to clear a small path.
Following a familiar, designated passageway, Zhao Tianpeng entered the racecourse. As he crossed the main hall, jockeys and racehorses were filing onto the track below, and massive waves of heat and noise washed over him from the stands.
With each horse that entered the track, a sound like rolling thunder rumbled through the stands, making the ground and walls vibrate.
Laborers, gamblers, Smokers, prostitutes, students, bank clerks, Westerners... here you could find people from every walk of life in Shenghai. The air was thick with the smell of cigars, sweat, and cheap hair oil.
Zhao Tianpeng himself had once been one of the countless devout "worshippers" at this great carnival, but right now, his mind was elsewhere.
An attendant led him through an arcade at the base of the main grandstand. The corridor was lined with closed, tan oak doors, their plaques engraved with the names of major trading firms and clubs. Through the occasional slightly ajar door, he could hear the distinct clinking of ice in glasses and the sound of a piano.
The attendant stopped before a carpeted spiral staircase, leaving Zhao Tianpeng to ascend alone.
The clamor and stench of the lower level faded with each step. By the time Zhao Tianpeng reached the second floor, only silence remained, and the air smelled of expensive perfume, real leather, and the faint aroma of whiskey.
Crystal wall sconces cast a warm glow from above. Zhao Tianpeng stopped in front of a pair of large mahogany doors.
He reached for the exquisitely carved brass handle, his lips pressed into a thin line. A look of shame and inner conflict flickered across his face.
After a moment’s hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth and shoved the doors open.
BANG—
The moment he stepped inside, a heavy, sickening thud assaulted his ears.
A figure flew past his eyes and landed with a heavy thud at his feet.
Zhao Tianpeng’s pupils contracted. He looked down and saw a tall Westerner at his feet.
He was dressed as a jockey, but his features were unrecognizable. His entire face was a bloody pulp, as if it had been viciously beaten over and over with a hard object.
Blood soaked the front of his clothes and bled into the expensive Persian rug beneath him. He lay stiffly on the floor, only his limbs still twitching faintly.
"...How much did the International Trading Company pay you? Enough to throw a race right under my, Luo Chengying’s, nose? You were riding my ’Neptune’—the best horse in all of Shenghai—and you still managed to lose two in a row?"
A cold voice rang out from ahead. Zhao Tianpeng looked up, and a figure came into view.
It was a tall, powerfully built young man.
He had a buzz cut, sharp eagle-like eyes, and a gold earring in his left ear. He wore only a simple white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, and exuded an air of absolute, arrogant disdain.
The young man was methodically wiping his hands with a white towel. At his feet lay a golden golf club, spattered with fragments of blood and flesh.
Upon seeing Zhao Tianpeng, the young man started, but then a wide, delighted grin spread across his handsome face.
"Celestial Peng?!"
The young man strode forward, laughing heartily. "You’ve come at the perfect time! Yuebai and I were just talking about you..."
"Young Master Luo."
Zhao Tianpeng removed his hat and forced a smile, greeting the young man with a cupped-fist salute before his gaze shifted to the other side of the private box.
A handsome, refined man in a moon-white suit was seated on the sofa over there.
"Qingyuan, you’re here too."
The handsome man simply raised his glass to Zhao Tianpeng with a smile, saying nothing.
Luo Chengying slung a familiar arm around Zhao Tianpeng’s shoulder. "Come on, let’s get a drink in you first. A little something to calm your nerves and welcome you back."
As he spoke, his expression suddenly turned cold. He glanced at the unconscious jockey on the floor and snapped at the attendants waiting in the corner, his face a mask of disgust. "Get this cleaned up, now! This foreign devil’s blood... it’s staining my carpet!"
The attendants scrambled to obey, quickly setting to work.
The young man led Zhao Tianpeng to a nearby sofa. This was the most exclusive VIP box in the entire racecourse, with the best view.
Two more steps would bring one to a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that offered a panoramic view of the racetrack below while completely shutting out the cacophony from outside.
Zhao Tianpeng sat stiffly on the sofa. Luo Chengying grinned, picked up a bottle of whiskey from the table, and poured him a glass.
"Thank you, Young Master Luo."
Zhao Tianpeng took the glass with both hands, thanking him again.
"It hasn’t been that long, has it? Are you already acting like a stranger with your brothers?"
Luo Chengying patted Zhao Tianpeng’s shoulder and sighed. "Still, I know this whole business was my fault.
That bastard Fu Lingjun... who knows how he got in with the daughter of the Ronnia ambassador.
My father wouldn’t intervene, so with only my own reputation to go on, this was the best I could do, even with all my effort.
I’m sorry it took until today to get you out. You’ve suffered, Celestial Peng..."
"How could I possibly blame you, Young Master Luo..."
Hearing the name "Fu Lingjun," Zhao Tianpeng’s eyes instantly turned bloodshot as he recalled everything he had endured over the past month in the Concession Patrol Office.
He downed the whiskey in a single gulp and ground out through clenched teeth, "If there’s anyone to blame, it’s that bastard... Fu... Ling... jun!"
A glint appeared in Luo Chengying’s eyes. He exchanged an imperceptible glance with the handsome man in the moon-white suit, then lowered his voice. "So, what are you going to do now? This grudge... are you going to swallow it, or are you going to spit it back out?"
.....
