Free Web NovelChapter 311: Chapter 311: The Secret of the Hetian Association
"I... I’m not lying," Xiang said stubbornly.
Su Qing sneered, her grip tightening. The pain made Xiang grimace. "Ma’am, easy, easy! Ow, ow, ow..."
Su Qing said coldly, "I can tell if you’re lying with a single glance. I suggest you tell me the truth."
Hearing Su Qing’s words, a cold sweat broke out on Xiang’s forehead. He said hurriedly, "Ma’am, I really can’t say. If I tell you and word gets out, my life is over. I can’t afford to cross that person."
"If you don’t talk, I guarantee your life will be over right now." Su Qing snorted. "You choose."
’I want to cry!’ Xiang thought.
’Think my ass! Any idiot would know which to choose.’ He felt that if this demoness in front of him got truly angry, she really might kill him.
Xiang was extremely attached to his life, so he quickly said, "Ma’am, if I tell you, can you keep it a secret? Don’t let anyone know it was me who told you, okay?"
"I can keep my mouth shut, but plenty of people saw me come looking for you today," Su Qing said. "If you want to be safe, you should leave Xiangcheng as soon as I go, or find a place to hide. Come back out after this whole thing is over."
"Ah." Xiang thought for a moment. It seemed like that was his only option. If he didn’t tell the truth today, this demoness wouldn’t let him go. ’Forget it, forget it. I should just run for it after she leaves. Better than that guy finding out and coming after me.’ As for Su Qing’s suggestion about coming back when things were over, Xiang didn’t dare to even consider it. That person had connections in both legitimate and illegitimate circles, plus so many men under him. He was deeply rooted in Xiangcheng and couldn’t be easily shaken. He gritted his teeth. "Fine, I’ll talk."
"Who is it?" Su Qing asked.
"It’s Brother Song, the third-in-command of the Hetian Association," Xiang said quickly. "From what I’ve heard, he’s the one behind it. He’s the one calling the shots on the business and the experiments."
"The third-in-command of the Hetian Association?" Su Qing said. "I’ve heard that the people in the Hetian Association are no good. They’ll do anything for money and have no bottom line, is that right?"
"Yes, yes, that’s exactly right," Xiang nodded eagerly.
"In that case, this business is a huge money-maker. Whoever controls it has a real cash cow. Why wouldn’t the leader of the Hetian Association keep it for himself instead of handing it over to the third-in-command? He’s certainly generous." Su Qing was a little confused. ’From the sound of it, the third-in-command holds the real power over this business?’
"Heh heh, on the surface, of course the leader calls the shots." Xiang looked a little smug. He had always been cunning, and no one was better at digging up information. He was a real know-it-all and was quite proud of his intel-gathering abilities. "Speaking of which, this is one of the Hetian Association’s secrets. Very few people know this, but the leader of the Hetian Association is actually just an embroidered pillow—all show and no substance. He’s just a public-facing target, a shield for Brother Song. In reality, he has no power at all. Don’t be fooled by him swaggering around like he’s the king of the world. Behind the scenes, he does whatever Brother Song says. To put it bluntly, he’s Brother Song’s puppet."
Su Qing couldn’t help but frown. "Then what about the Hetian Association’s second-in-command? Doesn’t he have a problem with this?"
"The second-in-command has been gone for a long time. Brother Song said he respected him, so the position of second-in-command in the Hetian Association has always been left vacant. He never took the spot himself," Xiang explained. "So, on the surface, Brother Song doesn’t have any real power in the Hetian Association. He just looks like he’s coasting along. But in reality... heh heh..."
Su Qing nodded. ’This Brother Song character is good at hiding himself. He gets the real power without becoming the main target, and he even has someone to take the fall for him. As for the leader, I wonder what kind of dirt Brother Song has on him to make him so obedient.’
"Where is the Hetian Association located?" Su Qing asked.
"M-Ma’am, you’re really going to go?" Xiang’s eyes went wide when he heard her question. "Ma’am, let me tell you, the Hetian Association is not a place you can just waltz into. It’s nothing like this little hovel of mine. There’s a reason it’s mentioned in the same breath as Yishan Hall and the Jiu Ying Gang as one of Xiangcheng’s three major gangs. It’s crawling with enforcers, and they have plenty of guns. I heard they even have snipers hidden all over the place. You really can’t go! If you go, you’ll be shot full of holes... Ow, ow, ow..."
Xiang’s words earned him a cold snort from Su Qing as she applied a little more pressure.
"Ma’am, I was wrong, I was wrong! Go easy!" The corners of Xiang’s eyes turned red from the pain. He did his best to hold it in. ’Real men shed blood, not tears. I can’t cry, especially not in front of a woman. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to show my face in public again.’
"Just answer what I ask you," Su Qing said.
"Ow, okay, okay, okay." Xiang nodded quickly. ’Fine. If the demoness wants to go, let her go. It’s not like I can stop her anyway. The second she leaves, I’m outta here. To hell with everyone else.’
Right away, Xiang told Su Qing the exact location of the Hetian Association. To show his sincerity, he also told her every last detail he knew about them. He didn’t know if any of it would be helpful to Su Qing, but his main goal was to be completely transparent.
Su Qing could naturally tell that Xiang wasn’t lying, so she let him go. She casually tossed him a small porcelain vial. Inside was a medicinal powder she had mixed together for treating bruises and injuries, infused with some of the green mist. It was safe to say it was more effective than any other trauma medication on the market today.
In addition, Su Qing gave Xiang three thousand yuan.
"This is some medicinal powder for bruises and injuries. And this money is your payment," Su Qing told Xiang.
Xiang’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He was just a low-level grunt. By collecting some protection money and selling a bit of information, he was lucky to make one or two thousand yuan a month. But he was in the game, so getting hurt was a common occurrence. He could tough out the minor injuries, but if it was serious, he had to see a doctor. On top of that, he was terrible at saving money, so he was constantly short on cash. If a friend of his hadn’t let him live in this house for free, he’d probably be sleeping on the streets.
After the beating he took from the demoness today, he originally thought he was going to suffer a huge loss. He never expected her to be so generous, not only giving him three thousand yuan but also medicinal powder for his injuries. ’Wow, this is good stuff! Medicine is expensive, you know.’
Instantly, Xiang’s face blossomed into a wide grin. "Thank you, ma’am! Thank you, ma’am!"
Su Qing said flatly, "Alright, hurry up and find a place to hide for a while. Come back after the heat dies down."
"Yes, yes, I’ll listen to you, ma’am," Xiang nodded quickly.
Su Qing paid Xiang no more mind. After leaving the "pigeon coop" building, she found a noodle shop, planning to get something to eat before heading to the Hetian Association later to check out the situation.
