“The Southwest… that’s the Western Shu area, and the surname Tang…” Qi Ran’s expression suddenly turned odd, as if a thought had struck her. “That combination does sound familiar from some martial arts stories.”
“You mean the Western Shu Tang Family Fortress from the Martial Arts Compendium? The one that uses poison, hidden weapons, and mechanical traps?” Jiang Zhique quickly grasped her meaning and nodded. “The prototype for that fortress was the fictional Southwest Tang Sister-in-law from the 15th year of the Republic, a master of the Five Poisons Divine Sand Hand. And her prototype was the third Family Head of the Southwest Tang Family, Tang Bihua. In a sense, they are indeed connected.”
“So that’s how it is.” Qi Ran nodded, realizing the world she lived in wasn’t a horror novel, but a martial arts novel. The Southwest Tang Family, which she had previously imagined as a distinguished aristocratic house from a Republic-era drama, instantly morphed into something out of a wild, lawless inn.
Jiang Zhique didn’t notice Qi Ran’s internal monologue and continued after a brief pause. “But Senior Tang Bihua wasn’t a poison user… that’s actually a rather unfortunate misunderstanding. Back when Mr. Hong was gathering material for his book, he traveled everywhere. A woman with a grudge against Tang Bihua sent him a letter telling a story about a ‘Tang Sister-in-law’. She described the woman as having a squat, frog-like build and hands covered in thick calluses from training the Five Poisons Divine Sand Hand. Mr. Hong wasn’t one of us Insiders, so he actually wrote that story into his book. But fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly.”
“How was it cleared up?” Qi Ran asked curiously.
“Someone from the Tang Family went to Northern China,” Jiang Zhique said, her expression turning slightly awkward. “They invited that old gentleman to visit them. His book was already published by then, so he had no choice but to work through the night to release a new, revised edition, editing out the parts about the Western Shu Tang Sister-in-law.”
Qi Ran nodded, thinking to herself: So, it’s not a martial arts novel either. It’s a gangster story.
Bringing someone from Northern China to the Southwest? There were already railways back then, but a slow train would have taken over thirty hours. She could perfectly imagine the old man, trembling with fear, enduring that grueling journey. Upon arrival, he’d be whisked away in a private car, and during that overnight revision, a Tang family member was probably standing behind him, holding a gun to his head. A new image of the Tang family formed in her mind — this time, they were warlords wearing black eye-patches.
“The recognized major regions are Northern China, Northeast China, East China, Zhongnan, the Southwest, and the Northwest. We’ve covered the Southwest — it’s dominated by the Tang Family. The Northwest belongs to the Chen and Li Families, who are inseparable, practically to the point of sharing a single family tree. East China is prosperous; the Zhou, Wu, and Zhu families are the three most prominent names. As for Northern China… that area is complicated. It used to be entirely dominated by the Tao Family. After they fell, the region descended into chaos. No one can say for sure which family has the most authority there now.”
“Hearing that, it sounds like the Tao Family had a glorious past,” Qi Ran said, her mind flashing to Tao Xiao’s surname. She paused before asking, “So, why did they fall?”
“Because they backed the wrong side and did the wrong things. That’s all,” Jiang Zhique shook her head. “Do you think people like us are just really good at hiding? No. We exist because we are allowed to exist. As long as we follow the rules, as long as the Circle governs itself and maintains the current stability, our existence is tacitly permitted. But the Tao Family broke the rules. No matter how powerful they were at their peak, their annihilation was only a matter of time. No one would help them, no one dared to. It’s a matter of the bottom line.”
“Follow the rules?” Qi Ran echoed.
Jiang Zhique heard the confusion in her voice and nodded. “For someone like Li Siwen, even if he killed you, it would still be considered following the rules, because your father is one of us. Mutual slaughter among our kind isn’t a crime. It’s a form of sanctioned attrition — as long as ordinary people don’t see it. Do you know why Bai Youcheng from the Bai Family, an Insider who built his fortune on matters of the Circle, set a family rule forbidding his three children from walking his path? It’s simple: he knows the Circle’s true face. It’s filthy, bloated, rotten, and hideous. The true old monsters are like a pack of ghouls. Ghosts have more life in them than those creatures.”
“The most important thing… have you ever gotten a tattoo?”
Qi Ran shook her head, not understanding the question’s relevance.
Jiang Zhique extended her hand. On her pale wrist, two snakes were intertwined in a biting frenzy. Qi Ran froze. In her memory, the two snakes hadn’t looked like this before. They were moving.
Lowering her eyes, Jiang Zhique spoke softly.
“This Circle… it’s just like tattoos. Many young people enter the Inner Circle because they find its secrets mysterious and unique. At that restless age, everyone wants to be different, to leave a mark that sets them apart from ordinary people. But after they actually get the tattoo, they discover a clear chasm has opened between them and normal life. The boring, mundane daily routine they once took for granted becomes a luxury they’ll yearn for for the rest of their lives. Even if they regret it, they can’t leave. Even if they find the resolve to get the tattoo removed — never mind the pain — their skin will never return to its original state. Scars will remain. And those friends… or enemies… they made in the tattoo circle won’t easily forget them. This Circle is like a man-eating monster. A young person enters, and they vanish completely, like an ice cube melting into warm water.”
Her expression was placid, as if she were merely describing a reasonable, natural phenomenon.
By the time she finished, they had arrived at the supermarket outside the construction site. Jiang Zhique didn’t follow her in. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and stood under a tree by the street, gesturing for Qi Ran to go in alone. Knowing she just wanted a smoke, Qi Ran said nothing and walked into the supermarket. It wasn’t large, the living necessities stacked tightly together in a comprehensive but cramped selection. Perhaps because of the nearby construction site, the prices were very low. She casually grabbed a fitted sheet and pillowcase set, a toothbrush, and a bottle of mineral water.
After picking up everything she needed, she headed to the checkout counter. A middle-aged woman sat there, cracking sunflower seeds and watching a TV drama while a small fan whirred away. After Qi Ran placed her items down, the woman gave them a cursory glance. “Twenty-one.”
Qi Ran paid with her phone and walked out. As soon as she exited the supermarket, she froze. Jiang Zhique was gone. Beneath the tree where she’d been standing, only a single, still-burning slim menthol cigarette remained, along with a small patch of dark red on the ground.
Jiang Zhique had been attacked. Her assailant had been fast, so fast she hadn’t even had time to stub out her cigarette. Had the attacker not yet left?
She looked up and across the street. A tall, thin man in a long trench coat stood in the shade of the trees, watching her from a distance. Beside his hand was a suitcase on wheels, slightly swaying.
Almost by instinct, she raised her hands, signaling she wouldn’t resist.
It wasn’t her first kidnapping, after all. She was long past the point of caring. Smashing a pot just because it’s cracked, she thought. She just cursed Li Siwen inwardly. The name of ‘Wen Hongyuan Construction Engineering Technology Consulting Co., Ltd.’ didn’t seem to carry the deterrence he’d claimed. Someone was brazenly kidnapping people on his turf in broad daylight. This “Tang Monk Meat” had been deceived. She’d thought Sun Wukong was offering his services, but it turned out it was just some minor demon from the foot of the mountain.
The man beckoned, seemingly suggesting she cross the street to him on her own.
