The air in the alley grew tense, and Shen Jingmo held his breath, not daring to make a single move.
The man pinning him down was clearly taller—his warm breath hit his forehead with each exhale. His muscles were very tight, so he must be very strong and young.
Shen Jingmo’s mind was still spinning in confusion when something hard pressed against his waist.
It was a gun.
The man said, “Don’t move or make a sound, or you’ll be riddled with bullets.” His voice was energetic yet slightly deep, hinting at a volatile and unpredictable nature.
Shen Jingmo didn’t dare to move.
Hearing this, he was a little excited because this man was not here to catch him. He would rather meet a vicious criminal than be caught again.
But the man had a gun—he was clearly no good. Now the question was, how could he possibly escape?
Because he is blind, his hearing is much better, and he can hear some small footsteps outside the alley.
The man threatened him again: “Go out and see how many people in black are outside the alley. Count them quietly. Don’t try anything clever—my aim is dead-on within a hundred steps.”
Shen Jingmo nodded subconsciously, then shook his head immediately.
The man then noticed that Shen Jingmo was wearing sunglasses and holding a cane in one hand, which was different from ordinary people.
“You… can’t see?” He pulled off Shen Jingmo’s sunglasses a little roughly. Shen Jingmo frowned in pain, but before he could recover, his chin was clamped by someone.
If he could see clearly, he’d realize the man’s face was barely two inches from his own.
The man must have seen his dull eyes. His eyes were unnaturally still, which was not something he could easily fake.
He didn’t understand why the man stared at something for so long—something that could’ve been confirmed with just a quick glance.
“Your face…” The man was about to say something when he felt a pain in his hand. It turned out that Shen Jingmo had bitten him hard.
The man instinctively let go from the pain. Shen Jingmo, flustered, shoved him away, and the bamboo stick in his hand dropped to the ground with a sharp, crisp sound.
Someone immediately ran over from outside the alley: “Who’s there?”
Shen Jingmo only caught a single threatening word: “Watch your mouth.” Then came a rustling sound, and before he could make sense of it, he was already on the ground.
He tried to feel for his bamboo stick and sunglasses.
A few people walked into the alley with heavy footsteps and stopped for a while, as if they were checking something.
It seems that the man has hidden himself.
He finally found his things and heard those people gossiping: “It’s just a blind man who fell. Let’s go.”
Another person said, “We finally cornered that living devil. If we can’t catch him, we will be killed when we return!”
So someone asked him, “Hey, blind man, did you see anyone just now?”
Shen Jingmo shivered and thought to himself. This alley was often used by vendors to store their goods, cluttered with miscellaneous items all year round. The man couldn’t have gotten far in just a few seconds—he had to still be somewhere in the alley.
He felt that although this man didn’t look like a good person, but the people chasing him didn’t sound good either.
At the very least, he had spent a few days at Jinyan Tang and had interacted with Duan Yelin’s men. Soldiers didn’t act this way. Since they clearly weren’t soldiers, it meant these people were arresting someone for personal reasons.
Or, neither side is a good character?
At that moment, Shen Jingmo had no idea where the gun was aimed at him, so he knew he had to be cautious with every word and movement.
In fact, there is another point. When the man pushed him up the wall, he put one hand on the back of his head to prevent him from hitting the bricks. Only then did he reach for the gun. Shen Jingmo always felt that people who could do this subconsciously must not be bad by nature.
So he said, “I… I’m blind. How can I see people? But just now when I was coming over the bridge over there, someone bumped into me and went to the other side of the river… I wonder if he is the person you guys are looking for?”
He pointed to a faraway place.
The people were silent for a moment, then said, “Then go ahead.”
Shen Jingmo stood up with a cane and groped his way out in a hurry. But after taking just two steps, he tripped over something and fell badly.
“Ah!”
Those people laughed loudly: “So he really is blind, hahahahahahahahahahahahaha…”
It seemed that they tripped him on purpose to test him. Shen Jingmo didn’t dare to say anything. He stood up and walked away despite the pain.
Those people quickly ran in the direction Shen Jingmo had said before, “Alright, hurry up, chase!”
Shen Jingmo went to Jici Courtyard as soon as he got out of trouble. He didn’t know whether the man could escape or not.
The director of Jici Courtyard was not here today, so Shen Jingmo not only came here in vain but also had a thrilling experience.
When he returned to Jinyan Tang, Chan Yi rushed over at the door: “Aiya, Mr. Shen is finally back! You made me so anxious! I thought I had lost you!”
Shen Jingmo apologized: “I’m sorry, Chan Yi, I just went out for a walk.”
“Then you must tell me next time! You… ahya, why is your leg bleeding?” Chan Yi screamed.
After hearing her yell, Shen Jingmo finally realized that the numbness and pain he had been feeling since falling in the alley were getting worse the farther he walked. It turned out that his skin had been torn and was bleeding.
Soon, he was pushed inside by Chan Yi to be bandaged.
In the alley, the man hiding behind the sundries took out a small firework tube from his arms and released it into the sky after hearing the silence around him.
The fireworks had a strange shape, and the sound was like an eagle’s cry.
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, several people dressed in black rushed in from all directions, quickly gathering around the man and bowing.
A well-dressed man at the head said, “Ghost Master, you must’ve been shocked!”
The man called Ghost Master asked, “What happened?”
“The brothers have gathered overnight and are now in Hezhou City. As soon as you give the order, we can start encircling and suppressing those traitors right away!”
“Then what are you waiting for?” The man’s eyes showed murderous intent, and even the tattoo on the corner of his eye was a bit fierce. “Remember, don’t leave any of them alive.”
“Yes!”
This guy called Ghost Master is Xiao Yan, the leader of the Yan Gang, who is very influential in Shanghai.
The Yan Gang’s predecessor was the Qing Gang. Although the Qing Gang appeared to be a criminal organization, it actually controlled most of the water transport in Shanghai, along with other special items like guns and ammunition. Members of the Qing Gang were spread across the country, and even the warlords had to be cautious around them.
Therefore, there is a saying in Shanghai, ‘Bow your head and bend your back to serve the rich and powerful, and the rich and powerful bend their backs to serve the Qing Gang.’
But a few years ago, a young man appeared, started out as a thug, fought and worked hard, and finally rose to the top in one fell swoop, replacing the original master. This incident caused a big stir, and in the end the man even changed his name.
This young man is only twenty-two years old this year.
Everyone says his name is well-chosen, just like him—the living King of Hell, even ghosts fear him. Therefore, on the streets, regardless of age or seniority, everyone respectfully calls him “Ghost Master,” and there is no one who dares to defy him.
