Jiang Cheng understood instantly.
This guy wanted him to take over the Snake Woman in person...
Zhou Guanshan spoke, "You don't trust me..."
Kun Tui continued, "Brother Zhou, it's not that I don't trust you. Who on the border would dare not give you face? But this matter is too big. You said it yourself—this is the person the Jiang Family is looking for... Even if I, Kun Tui, haven't seen much of the world, I've still heard of the name Old Master Jiang..."
His voice suddenly grew tense. "Brother Zhou, do you know how I spent the entire night last night? With that woman in my hands, I didn't even dare to sleep. I was afraid she'd run, afraid she'd die, and even more afraid... that someone would find out she was with me."
Zhou Guanshan spoke, "Besides her accomplices, who else is going to fight you for her? What are you afraid of?"
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds.
"Brother Zhou, let me tell you the truth." Kun Tui's voice dropped, as if he were afraid of being overheard. "Someone's asking about her—not my people, but outsiders. I don't know who they are, but anyone who can track someone down in Northern Myanmar isn't to be trifled with. That's why she was nearly snatched away when she was being moved... This woman seems to have a secret."
He took a deep breath. "So I want to see Young Master Jiang. Once I hand her over to him in person and kowtow, this matter will be over. Once she's in the hands of the Jiang Family, it becomes the Jiang Family's business. Then, even if the sky falls, the Jiang Family will be the ones holding it up; it'll have nothing to do with me."
Zhou Guanshan was silent for a long time.
Then he suddenly chuckled. It wasn't a laugh of joy, but the kind of laugh a man who had spent decades on the border and seen it all would give after hearing a joke.
"Even you, Kun Tui, have moments of fear?"
Kun Tui gave a bitter laugh on the other end. "Brother Zhou, I'm telling you this from the bottom of my heart... I'm not trying to act big or negotiate with Young Master Jiang. I just... want to kowtow to him in person to make sure this is settled for good. If anything happens in the future, at least the Jiang Family will know that I, Kun Tui, handled the matter honestly and didn't play any tricks."
Although Kun Tui's attitude was extremely humble, Zhou Guanshan's voice still turned several degrees colder.
"You want Young Master Jiang to go there personally? Kun Tui, do you know what you're saying?"
"I know!" Kun Tui's voice suddenly rose, filled with a near-supplicating urgency. "Brother Zhou, I know my request is excessive. Who is Young Master Jiang, and what am I? But I really have no other choice! If I lose her again, will I even keep my head? Think about it for me!"
His voice dropped again, carrying a sense of exhaustion. "Brother Zhou, I'm in my fifties. I've spent my whole life in Northern Myanmar, saved up a bit of wealth, and raised a few children. I don't want to lose my life over this. I just want to hand the person over to Young Master Jiang in person, watch him take her away, and then come back and go about my business."
"Could you talk to Young Master Jiang? Please, I'm begging you."
Zhou Guanshan was silent for a long time.
The bougainvillea in the courtyard swayed in the wind, its petals falling onto his shoulder before sliding off.
"Fine," he finally spoke. "I'll ask for you. But let me tell you, whether Young Master Jiang comes or not isn't for me to decide."
"Yes, yes, yes. Brother Zhou, as long as you ask for me." Kun Tui's voice carried a sense of relief. "Tell Young Master Jiang that I'm not trying to negotiate. I just... I just want to settle this properly. He can decide the location and the time. Wherever he says, whenever he says. I'll be waiting on my knees."
Zhou Guanshan was silent for two seconds. "Wait for my word."
"Alright, Brother Zhou. I'll wait for you."
Zhou Guanshan hung up the phone and looked at Jiang Cheng, saying respectfully, "Young Master Jiang, did you hear all that?"
"Young Master Jiang, could it be a trap?" Wang Sheng couldn't help but ask from the side.
Jiang Cheng picked up his teacup, looked at Zhou Guanshan, and nodded. "What do you think?"
Zhou Guanshan shook his head. "Logically, he wouldn't dare, because his two wives and children are all in Ruili. Kun Tui has been around for over twenty years, and the only reason he's survived this long is because of the word 'fear.' He knows exactly who to fear, who not to fear, and to what extent. However, accidents happen. Regarding your safety, I think it's better to be cautious."
Jiang Cheng didn't answer. He took another sip of tea, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop at a very slow pace.
Just then, the hand holding the teacup suddenly froze.
Danger Perception—triggered.
It wasn't a vague sense of unease; it was a vision that sliced into his mind like a blade.
Deep in the dense forest, a clearing.
Several cars were parked there, their headlights on, illuminating the shape of the falling rain. The air smelled of rain-soaked earth mixed with diesel smoke.
Kun Tui stood in the middle, with several people behind him holding a woman.
The woman's head was bowed, her hair covering her face, and she was wrapped in a filthy coat.
Opposite them, another group emerged from the forest. There were seven or eight of them in camouflage, rifles slung across their chests, their pace casual but orderly, as if they were following a certain rhythm.
The leader had a shaved head and a ring of unintelligible runes tattooed around his neck. He said something with a smile, and Kun Tui's expression changed.
Then, a gunshot rang out.
It wasn't Kun Tui who fired; it was the other side.
The muffled thuds of a silencer—thwip, thwip—and the men beside Kun Tui collapsed as if their bones had been removed.
A blood flower bloomed on Kun Tui's own shoulder. He let out a muffled groan and ducked behind a car, clutching his shoulder.
The bald man didn't look at him, heading straight for the woman.
The Snake Woman looked up amidst the chaos.
Jiang Cheng "saw" her face for the first time. She was very thin, with prominent cheekbones and cracked lips, but her eyes were bright—so bright they didn't look like the eyes of someone being held captive.
She looked at the bald man, neither dodging nor showing fear.
The bald man grabbed her by the hair and dragged her away.
She didn't scream; she only stumbled a few steps before being shoved into a car.
The vision flashed...
Kun Tui lay beside the car.
There was a hole in his chest, and blood had soaked a large patch of his camouflage uniform. His eyes were still open, staring at the leaves above. His mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to say something, but blood welled up from his throat, and he couldn't make a sound.
His finger scratched the ground as if he wanted to write something, and then he stopped moving.
The teacup in Jiang Cheng's hand wobbled slightly, and a few drops of tea splashed out, landing on the table.