The atmosphere in the air seemed to have solidified. The smoke from the incense burner continued to curl upwards, but the two people in the Hall of Loyalty had fallen silent. Qi Lingshan appeared incredibly relaxed, but in reality, his hands were slick with sweat. Thinking about it, this operation was still too risky.
Qiao Xianwen had his hand behind his waist. If Qi Lingshan made any further moves, he would demonstrate what quick-draw artistry was on the spot.
Qi Lingshan forced a relaxed smile and slowly sat down. As he sat, he said, "Don't worry, gang leader. I wasn't investigating matters related to you. I was investigating someone else. You can rest assured about that. You are the gang leader, after all. You should try to remain calm."
Qiao Xianwen said coldly, "I never expected to raise a viper in my bosom. You were the hook all along. I wondered why all the gangs in Yuzhou were arrested. It must have been your doing, right?"
Qiao Xianwen now blamed Qi Lingshan for the sudden troubles of the gangs in Yuzhou. The disappearance of so many gangs in Yuzhou all at once was truly bizarre. Now that he thought about it, it must have been the work of this traitor, Qi Lingshan.
Qi Lingshan leaned back on the sofa, picked up his tea, and took a sip. He said indifferently, "I couldn't have achieved this level alone. What happened in Yuzhou was done by others. I've been in Jiangyang the whole time, mainly investigating other cases."
"Hmph, now that you've admitted your identity, you're not leaving here. With just one command from me, you'll be utterly destroyed. Do you believe I'll throw you into the river right now?" Qiao Xianwen threatened immediately.
Qi Lingshan sneered, "Are you threatening me? Do you think that's useful? You might as well consider your own situation. Do you want to live? Do you want to get out of this unscathed?"
"Hmph, you'd be kind enough to let me go?" Qiao Xianwen questioned further. "I know your kind of hounds well enough. They all disregard the common folk for their own fame and fortune. If I let you go, it would only bring danger and trouble!"
Qi Lingshan smiled faintly and said to Qiao Xianwen, "Actually, as long as you're willing to surrender, the City Lord's Mansion won't treat you unfairly. You know very well that to have a bright future, you must join the City Lord's Mansion. You didn't have the opportunity before, but now the opportunity is right in front of you. Don't you want to live a dignified life in the future?"
Qiao Xianwen was somewhat moved by these words, but he still refused to believe Qi Lingshan. Black and white were inherently irreconcilable. If he easily believed Qi Lingshan's words, he would be too naive.
Qi Lingshan boldly said, "Haven't you figured it out yet? Will you truly live as a person after cleaning yourself up, or will you struggle at the bottom of society forever? The opportunity is in your hands. Think carefully, you haven't done too many heinous things, so there's no need to go down this path to the bitter end, is there?"
Qiao Xianwen took a deep breath, his eyes instantly turning cold. "Then what are your conditions?"
Pies don't fall from the sky, nor is there any free lunch. Qiao Xianwen didn't believe that good luck would favor him without reason, so Qi Lingshan must have some conditions for saying this, which was the so-called pledge of allegiance.
Generally speaking, one couldn't be casually accepted as a bandit. To join the mountain bandits, one first had to pay a pledge of allegiance, which was usually a head. Bringing back a head of a good person from the mountain would count as a pledge of allegiance.
In "Water Margin," Wang Lun asked Lin Chong to go down the mountain and kill a passerby, which was essentially the same principle. If one had no murder cases on their record, the bandit leader wouldn't agree.
Qi Lingshan smiled and said to Qiao Xianwen, "From now on, you need to show some sincerity. You know this very well. What I mean is, you must keep this information to yourself. The information about Yuzhou is very important. If you leak it, we won't be able to earn merit. And if you are needed in the future, you must not refuse. This can be considered abandoning the dark and turning to the light."
Qiao Xianwen slowly let go of the gun behind him. He began to ponder whether to believe Qi Lingshan's words. If he broke his promise and used him before disposing of him, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Qi Lingshan's palms were sweating. Exposing himself like this was too risky. He was still quite scared thinking about it. If Qiao Xianwen really killed him without hesitation and tied him up with stones before throwing him into the Yangtze River, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
However, it seemed that the risk was worth it. At least at this moment, Qiao Xianwen was tempted. He was now considering whether to agree to his conditions, which meant there was a great chance of persuading him, as long as he could provide sufficient evidence.
Qiao Xianwen finally made up his mind and looked at Qi Lingshan, asking, "Kid, how can I guarantee you won't betray me? If I don't leak this information, and you end up catching me casually, won't that be a huge loss? You need to leave some leverage too!"
Qi Lingshan shrugged and said, "What leverage do I have? I'm alone, with nothing from my past. You think highly of me. If I had leverage, I wouldn't be undercover, would I?"
Qiao Xianwen was clearly not easily fooled. He didn't reply, found paper and pen from the side, and threw them to Qi Lingshan, saying, "Write a statement saying you killed ten people here, slept with thirty women, and robbed over seventy old ladies. With your statement, if you go back on your word, I'll spread it. I won't benefit, and you won't have a bright future either."
Qi Lingshan gritted his teeth. He didn't expect the other party to have such a vicious method. He certainly hadn't done these things, but it didn't stop others from imagining them. As the saying goes, words can melt gold and break bones. If this were really spread, he wouldn't be able to get promoted.
However, in this situation, if he didn't write this statement, the transaction couldn't be completed.
So, Qi Lingshan gritted his teeth and wrote the statement on the paper, pressed his fingerprint, and signed his name.
At this moment, Qiao Xianwen finally showed a smile, and his attitude became friendly again. "Since that's the case, we'll be colleagues from now on. When I join the City Lord's Mansion, I'll definitely get along well with you, brother. I won't leak the news about Yuzhou. If you need this old brother to do anything, I'll definitely get it done!"
The deal was struck, and Qi Lingshan breathed a sigh of relief. He then left the gang's location and headed to the City Lord's Mansion.
Qi Lingshan contacted Li Xiang and explained the situation, which stunned Li Xiang. He hadn't expected that the news of Chang Jianyi's arrival in Jiangyang had already been leaked. He thought his side's security was very good, but in just one afternoon, someone had gotten this news. How was that possible?
When Qi Lingshan explained the reason, Li Xiang was filled with regret. "Damn it, I thought this woman was all alone, but who knew she had a brother who was involved in gangs."
Li Xiang was terrified now. He thought the news was airtight, but it turned out to be leaked by someone close to him. If this was investigated, he couldn't escape responsibility. After thinking about it, he was completely stunned.
Qi Lingshan said, "Don't worry, I've successfully persuaded Qiao Xianwen. He will be our asset later. However, I'll need you to take me to see the person in charge. The subsequent plan needs instructions from above. I think to crack down on these gangs, we must be quick, otherwise, the secret will be out."
Li Xiang looked at Qi Lingshan in surprise. He hadn't expected Qi Lingshan to be so capable, to have persuaded a gang leader. This undercover work was done very well. Not only was he transmitting information externally, but he could also persuade someone at a critical moment, and he succeeded.
"Okay, I'll take you to see the Deputy City Lord right away." Li Xiang dared not delay. Since the news had been leaked, he could only try to salvage the situation. If the Deputy City Lord's secret operation was discovered and ultimately failed, it would be his problem, and he might be dealt with.
After much thought, Li Xiang personally took Qi Lingshan to the small building where Chang Jianyi was staying. He walked up to it and gently knocked on the door.
The guards were Chang Jianyi's two personal guards. Although they were both women, they had also used evolution potions and were third-tier evolved individuals. With them as bodyguards, no one could easily enter this small building.
"Who is it?" the guard asked coldly.
At this moment, the two guards had silently drawn their daggers. If there was danger outside the door, they would immediately unleash their killing intent.
Li Xiang quickly said, "It's me, Li Xiang. I have something important to report."
"Please leave. The Deputy City Lord and Miss Chu are already asleep. Report anything tomorrow," the guard coldly refused Li Xiang's report.
Li Xiang scratched his head, not knowing what to say. The Deputy City Lord was already asleep, and disturbing her now seemed too much. However, if such important matters were not reported to the Deputy City Lord, it would definitely cause trouble later.
Qi Lingshan's observation skills were sharp. He glanced at his watch. It was only 8:30 PM, which was not the usual bedtime for young people. He figured this was just an excuse from the guards. The most important thing now was to speak with the Deputy City Lord.
So, Qi Lingshan stepped forward and explained in a low voice, "Then please convey this: the plan has changed. We've alerted the enemy! If a decision isn't made quickly, the plan will fail."
Upon hearing this, the two guards hesitated. If it was truly important, wouldn't it delay the Deputy City Lord's important affairs?
So, one of the guards immediately went to find Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan. After explaining the situation, Chang Jianyi dared not delay and quickly had Li Xiang and Qi Lingshan invited in to inquire about the details.
When Chang Jianyi heard the whole story, she lightly shook her head and said to Li Xiang in a soft tone, "Your household management is not strict."
Li Xiang was extremely embarrassed and quickly assured her that he would not make similar mistakes in the future.
However, it was also a blessing in disguise. Chang Jianyi now had a plan. Since they couldn't alert the enemy, why not lure the snake out of its hole!
The so-called gangs were just local snakes. There's a saying that a strong dragon doesn't oppress a local snake. A strong dragon descends from the sky with supreme authority, but a local snake only needs to burrow into its hole to be safe.
Therefore, the best way to deal with a local snake was to lure it out of its hole. Coincidentally, Qi Lingshan had already persuaded a gang leader, so this opportunity had arrived.
Chang Jianyi said in a low voice, "Chaoyan, go contact the army near Jiangyang and dispatch a thousand soldiers. Keep them hidden and ready to seal the city gates at any time."
Chu Chaoyan quickly asked, "What do you want to do?"
Chang Jianyi smiled and said, "I plan to make a grand gesture. We'll send a batch of supplies from Jiangyang to Yuzhou, including food, guns, and even evolution potions! Spread the news as widely as possible. That way, anyone with ambition won't miss this opportunity."
"What if these people really just watch and miss this opportunity?" Chu Chaoyan continued to ask.
Chang Jianyi then looked at Qi Lingshan and said, "That depends on you. I don't care what method you use, but you must ensure that the gangs in Jiangyang take collective action. The day they gather is the day we make our move."
Qi Lingshan became excited. He knew his time as an undercover agent was finally over. Moreover, he had gained the Deputy City Lord's favor, and his future was boundless.
Chang Jianyi held up three fingers and said, "As long as you complete the mission and get the gangs in Jiangyang to gather together, I will reward you with three evolution potions after the task is done. You can use them yourself or give them to others."
Qi Lingshan couldn't help but swallow. Such conditions were truly tempting, and he was moved. Evolution potions were valuable items that ordinary people didn't even have the chance to glimpse. Yet, as long as he completed the mission, he could obtain three evolution potions. This was a great thing!
"Deputy City Lord, don't worry, I will definitely complete the mission!" Qi Lingshan immediately knelt on one knee, vowing to complete it.