The Plough

The Bailemen was located in the only area in Shanghai that did not border the suburbs, known as the aristocratic district.

But even the aristocratic district was not entirely safe.

In this era, amidst chaos there was order, and amidst order there was chaos. People from all over the country gathered here, hoping to make a name for themselves, with storms brewing and heroes emerging. Underneath the turbulent waves, there was not peace and tranquility, but rather even more dangerous storms and tsunamis.

At this moment, Ling Shu followed behind Jiang He and hurriedly walked out of the Bailemen, looking up at the sky.

The wind was strong and still piercingly cold, but there was not a trace of moon or starlight to be seen, only dark clouds filling the sky.

Ling Shu remembered an old saying.

"When the moon is black, people are killed at night; when the wind is high, fires are set in the sky."

On a night like this, it was very suitable for something to happen. Jiang He's actions were a bit strange. He had come to the banquet with Lu Tongcang, but now he was walking alone, without waiting for the driver or getting into any car. He just wrapped his coat tightly around himself and turned left without looking back.

Ling Shu quickened his pace and followed the same left turn. He didn't want to reveal himself, so he peeked his head out from behind the wall.

Sure enough, not far away, Jiang He had stopped and suddenly turned around! 

Ling Shu quickly pulled his head back! 

That was close! 

He almost got caught.

After counting to three in his head, Ling Shu peeked his head out again, but Jiang He had already walked far away. 

His shadow was stretched long by the street lamp, giving off an eerie feeling in the dark. 

It was like an unknown monster lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce at any moment. 

Jiang He was the kind of person who lived on the edge, constantly licking the blade of danger. His vigilance was extraordinary, for if it wasn't, he would have been dead long ago. 

Therefore, the cardinal rule of tailing someone like him was to never get too close, especially at night when there were no pedestrians to provide cover. 

Even if your footsteps were as light as a feather, the silence of the night could betray you with echoes.

But you couldn't stay too far away either, or risk losing your target altogether. 

Jiang He was clearly not an ordinary night traveler. He had left the Bailemen for a specific purpose, or else he wouldn't have left so early in the evening. 

This made him even more alert, and tailing him became a delicate art. It was easy to tail an average person, but tailing a master without being detected was the true test of skill.

Ling Shu was quite satisfied with his own tailing skills. He and Jiang He maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far, always keeping each other in sight. 

But Ling Shu also noticed that the other party had been wandering in the alley, constantly turning corners, as if aimless, yet also seemed to want to shake off their pursuer.

He could be sure that Jiang He did not know of his existence.

So why was Jiang He doing this?

Bang!

A gunshot in the middle of the night seemed to answer Ling Shu's question.

The gunshot came from the front, and it was very likely where Jiang He was.

Ling Shu didn't have time for anything else and hurried towards the sound.

Then he saw Jiang He in a gunfight with four people who were trying to surround and kill him.

...

Jiang He crouched down, his back against the wall.

The stench of garbage wafted over, not much different from the environment where Jiang He grew up.

He closed his eyes and reached for his arm.

As expected, it was soaked in blood. The alley was cluttered with debris, providing enough cover for Jiang He to hide for a moment. However, it wouldn't last long. With the skills of those four men, even if he emptied the bullets in his magazine, he might not be able to take them all down.

But if he could fight for his life and find a way out, Jiang He was willing to give it a try. After all, he had experienced too many life-and-death moments and survived only by his abilities and luck.

He hoped that his luck tonight wouldn't be too bad. They had already left Zhabei, the aristocratic district, and the night patrol police were nowhere to be seen. The intense gunfire wouldn't attract any onlookers either. Nearby residents knew that curiosity at this time could only bring disaster upon themselves.

The footsteps grew closer and closer. As Jiang He concealed himself among the debris, the other side was also moving forward, taking advantage of the clutter. Jiang He perked up his ears and listened carefully, then suddenly popped up and fired two shots at the other side!

Bang! Bang!

One person on the other side was hit in the shoulder and fell to the ground.

Jiang He didn't hesitate and immediately retreated, but he was still a step too late.

The people lying in ambush behind him almost simultaneously opened fire!

Jiang He's muffled groans echoed clearly in the alley.

The assassins looked at each other and could hear the pain in his voice, unable to fake it.

Several people stood up from behind cover and slowly surrounded Jiang He.

Getting closer and closer.

From dozens of meters to just a few meters away.

Jiang He's heart was pounding as he slowly tightened his grip on the gun in his hand.

He only had one gun, if he had two, he could have caught them off guard and shot in both directions, giving himself a chance to survive.

But with only one gun, it meant he could only choose one direction to defend himself. 

His back was exposed, leaving him vulnerable to the enemy's attack.

His pocket watch was pressed tightly against his chest, the hands ticking away the seconds in silence.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

Jiang He was ready to unleash his full force, to fight with all his might and carve out a path of blood.

But in the final second--

Gunshots rang out once again!

Not from him, nor from the assassins closing in on him, but from even further away!

Jiang He's heart skipped a beat as he realized this was a golden opportunity.

Whether friend or foe, this was his only chance to escape with his life!

He leapt up and charged towards one of the enemies, firing two shots before quickly rolling behind a pile of garbage on the other side.

As expected, the enemy's attention was drawn away by the other gunshots. By the time they realized what had happened, one of them had already been shot in a vital spot. One person immediately lunged towards Jiang He!

Jiang He grabbed some garbage and threw it at him, but his body was heading in the opposite direction.

Because there were still two people behind him.

Several gunshots rang out in succession, and Jiang He was hit in the waist and ribs by another bullet. But at the same time, he had already rushed to the front of the other person, shot and took down both of them, then without looking back, ran out of the alley!

There were still people chasing after him.

Their mission was definitely to leave no survivors. They had been paid to take his life, so naturally they would have to bring back his body. They couldn't just let Jiang He go so easily.

He could only keep running forward, stumbling and staggering, turning at every road and avoiding people.

He couldn't tell if the lights were getting darker or if his vision was getting blurry. The gunshot wound in his waist and ribs was causing intense pain, his nerves were jumping and his muscles were twitching, making it even more unbearable than the injury to his arm. Jiang He took a deep breath, but felt like he was inhaling his own blood, the smell of iron and sweetness clogging his throat.

The noise behind him grew closer.

The enemy was still biting onto him tightly, but Jiang He finally darted into a corner, leaning against the wall, gasping heavily. His arm was slightly bent, fingers gripping the trigger, ready to fire the last bullet at the closest enemy.

Even in death, he wanted to take someone down with him.

They're here!

Every nerve in his body screamed danger, and Jiang He suddenly burst out, pulling the trigger at the same time!

Bang!

He missed.

He missed?!

Before Jiang He could even react, his wrist was twisted and he let go of the gun, which fell to the ground. The enemy didn't immediately shoot him, but instead pulled him back and pressed him against the wall.

"Shh!" The other person covered Jiang He's mouth and gestured for him to be quiet, then pulled him into a nearby alleyway.

After pushing open a dilapidated door, the two of them quickly entered and the door was shut once again.

Jiang He could hear the sounds outside growing fainter and couldn't help but struggle, pushing the other person away.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am your savior, Mr. Jiang. Shouldn't you show a little more gratitude to your savior?" The other person's voice was low, but his tone was not serious.

The light from afar was very dim, and Jiang He could only vaguely make out the contours of the other person's face.

He must be a very handsome man.

Handsome men were not uncommon, but very handsome men were much rarer.

Combined with his attire...

Jiang He suddenly remembered.

"Ling Shu?"

"You know me?" Ling Shu was a bit surprised. 

"When you were dancing with Miss Zhen, I was nearby," Jiang He said. "I noticed you were observing me as soon as you arrived at the Bailemen, and now you're even following me. Why?"

Ling Shu replied, "If I hadn't been observing you, how would I have known you were leaving early? And if I hadn't followed you, how could I have missed the opportunity to get close to you and save your life? Your focus should be on that, shouldn't it?"

Jiang He pursed his lips, as if suppressing pain, and repeated his question. "We had no prior connection, why?"

"Because of He You'an's case," Ling Shu answered.

Jiang He furrowed his brow, his scrutinizing gaze as sharp as ever despite his injury. It was like he was trying to see right through Ling Shu, as if he were a piece of wood being carved with a knife and axe.

"I don't know He You'an," Jiang He said.

"Then why did you meet with her driver, Chen Wendong?" 

As soon as Ling Shu raised his question, Jiang He's eyes were filled with killing intent. But Ling Shu was not afraid at all, standing his ground as the two silently clashed in the darkness. 

It wasn't until a disturbance outside broke the silence. The assassins must have been unable to catch their target and returned. 

They were now kicking the door, and the already fragile latch was quickly breaking apart. Ling Shu didn't have time to continue questioning and pulled Jiang He inside to hide. 

This was an abandoned residential building that had been empty since the previous owner moved out, and the smell of dust could be smelled everywhere. 

Ling Shu had stumbled upon it by chance while passing by. 

But Jiang He held his hand, not letting him go any further, and instead pointed to the wall in another direction, indicating that he should climb out from there. Ling Shu glanced at his wound. 

"Can you do it?"

"Let's go!" Jiang He was a man of few words, tough on others and even tougher on himself. 

He immediately stepped forward and climbed the wall.

Ling Shu had been shot before and knew how painful it was. He immediately gave Jiang He a thumbs up from behind.

What a man!

The two of them crossed the low wall, with Ling Shu holding onto Jiang He as they ran.

Ling Shu didn't want to bring Jiang He to his own home or his in-laws' home, so he could only follow Jiang He's instructions and take a winding path into the concession.

"That red western-style building ahead, the key is in my pocket, you take it."

Jiang He's breathing became more and more rapid, but his voice became lower and lower. If it weren't for Ling Shu supporting his weight, he probably would have collapsed on the ground by now.

Ling Shu reached into his jacket pocket and fumbled around for a moment, and sure enough, he found a key. 

"You've been shot, you should go to the hospital first, right? Hey, hey, don't pass out on me, I still need to ask you about He You'an!"

Before Ling Shu could finish his sentence, the other person's shoulders slumped and he fainted.

Ling Shu: ...

With pursuers on their tail and a burden to carry, the best solution was to just toss the person aside and not care about them.

Ling Shu grimaced, realizing he had just created a huge problem for himself.

If Yue Dingtang returned from Nanjing and found out that he had teamed up with Lu Tongcang's underling to escape in the middle of the night, who knows what expression he would make.

Author's note: 

Old Yue should be back from his business trip in the next chapter, and he will discover that Ling Shu has caused another big incident. 

Yue Dingtang: Why can't you just be a helper and stay out of trouble every day?

Ling Shu: How else would the story develop?

Yue Dingtang: ...That's a good point. I have nothing to say.