Chapter 4: The Code of Chivalry

  Although the Blue River Five Tigers had never been short of fighting and quarreling, this time's Qingyun Bridge fight was different. Not for anything else, but because something happened the day after the fight.

  "Hurry up, hurry up! Wake up!"

  Ma Yuxuan, who was sleeping soundly, was suddenly pushed and pulled out of his beautiful dream. Ma Yuxuan opened his sleepy eyes to see Zhang Junping and Chen Xiaodong standing beside the bed, looking at him anxiously.

  Ma Yuxuan immediately realized that something was amiss. Although he had known the Blue River Five Tigers for many years, due to his strict family upbringing, they had never entered his home unless it was an important matter. Now, they were barging into his bedroom, which had never happened before. Ma Yuxuan's sleepiness vanished instantly, and he asked, "Dog Brother, what's going on?"

  Zhang Junping's face was filled with worry and anxiety as he hastily said, "Jin Huai has been arrested! It's all because of what happened last night, the police took him away early this morning!"

  Ma Yu Xuan jumped up from bed, disbelieving: "What!"

  "What about Chaoliang? Was he also taken away by the police?"

  Zhang Junping shook his head and said: "Chaoliang escaped a disaster. He went out early in the morning to transport ore, and the police didn't find him."

  Ma Yuxuan let out a sigh of relief, this was also an unfortunate blessing in disguise. If Zhang Chaoliang had also been taken away, the difficulty of rescue would undoubtedly have increased exponentially.

  "What should we do now?" Chen Xiaodong asked, seeking advice. He knew that Ma Yuxuan was clever and calm, although young, but he handled things calmly and thoughtfully, unlike the impulsive Blue River Five Tigers, so whenever something big happened, they would always come to him for consultation.

  Ma Yu Xuan hesitated for a moment, his mind racing, then said briefly: "Let's go! Go find Tang Cai!"

  Zhang Junping and Chen Xiaodong followed closely behind, rushing out of the door.

  Tang is one of the few police officers in Lanhe Town, living in Tangwei Village, and is the captain of the Municipal Criminal Police Brigade. Like most Hong Kong movies, triads and police always have a complex relationship, sometimes as enemies, sometimes as friends, and Lanhe Town is no exception.

  As the captain of the police team, Tang Cai clearly knew that only by suppressing the arrogance of the triad would Blue River Town have a peaceful day; as a triad member, the Five Tigers of Blue River also clearly knew that in order to have someone to cover for them when things went wrong, finding a policeman to rely on was wise and necessary.

  So Lanhe Wuhu and Tang Caipeng had frequent interactions, which is why Ma Yuxuan thought of going to find Tang Caipeng first after the incident.

  The village of Tangwei is located upstream of the Blue River Town, and after passing a small hill, you will arrive. Tang Cai's home is at the entrance of the village, where he is currently on vacation, leisurely sitting in a small wooden shed by the pond, holding a fishing rod, watching with great interest as the fish play in the water. There are many fish in the pond, and within a few minutes, Tang Cai caught two red carp.

  "This is a tough situation, I'm afraid it's not going to be easy!" Tang said slowly and calmly, puffing on the cigarette handed to him by Chen Xiaodong, without raising his head, with a calm expression.

  Zhang Junping was very clear about Tang Cai's character, wanting him to be generous and release Zhang Jinhua, it wouldn't work without giving some money, so he spoke straightforwardly: "Cai Ge, just say it straight, how much money do you want?"

  Tang Cai's face suddenly changed, his eyes playful and teasing, as if mocking Zhang Junping for only knowing how to use money to get things done. With a hint of sarcasm in his tone, he said: "Stone Dog, you think I'm too corrupt. Let me tell you the truth, this matter can't be solved with just money. At least I'm powerless, if you want to save Zhang Jinhua, please find someone else who's more capable!"

  Zhang Junping didn't believe it, in his opinion, Tang Cai's pretentious attitude was just to raise the price, he said: "Cai Ge, don't play with me! Usually when we have trouble, don't we give money to show respect to Cai Ge and then you help us get out of it?"

  Chen Xiaodong also begged in a low voice: "Yes! Brother Cai, things are urgent, please help Brother Cai! Now Zhang Jinhua is still at the police station, everything can be handled easily. If it goes to court and he's sentenced to prison, it'll be too late!"

  Tang Cai still had that calm and composed demeanor, slowly saying: "Shi Gou, you also know how to speak normally. This time is different from the past, don't blame me for not helping you, if there's anyone to blame, it's you guys for provoking the wrong person!"

  Zhang Junping was taken aback and said: "Did I offend the wrong person? Cai Ge, who exactly is that kid, is his dad Li Gang?"

  Tang Cai thought this joke was not funny at all, shrugged and said: "You guessed half of it right. But his dad's name is not Li Gang, he himself is called Li Gang, his dad's name is Li Ba, who is the Minister of Propaganda Department of the Municipal Party Committee, now in great power, even the mayor has to give him face. You say you guys offended such a person, isn't that like digging your own grave?"

  Three people were shocked and weak, never expecting that the Audi man was actually Li Bao's son. Li Bao's name is very loud, with rumors circulating that he has a strong background in the province and is the most likely candidate to become the next municipal party secretary. Now that Zhang Jinhua has beaten his son, with Li Bao's cunning and ruthlessness, he will certainly take revenge on a large scale. It seems that this time Zhang Jinhua is doomed.

  Zhang Junping's heart sank, knowing he had provoked the wrong person. Now his only hope was to pin all his hopes on Tang Cai, and he begged repeatedly: "Cai Ge, please help us no matter what! Jin Huacan can't go in, if he goes in, it'll be at least three to five years before he comes out, you also know how ruthless Li Ba is!"

  Tang Cai deliberately showed a difficult expression, sighed and said: "Stone Dog, it's not that I don't want to help, but I really can't! Li Ba is what kind of person? I'm just a small squadron leader, how dare I provoke this great Buddha?"

  Zhang Junping was both helpless and anxious, so he kept saying nice things, almost to the point of kneeling down to polish Tang Cai's shoes, but Tang Cai remained unmoved, with a completely unyielding expression.

  "Brother Cai, how much money will it take to settle this?" Ma Yuxuan suddenly asked after a long silence.

  Tang Cai was taken aback for a moment, and only then did he notice Ma Yu Xuan's presence. Although he found the visit of this genius from Hongxing Village somewhat unexpected, he maintained his official tone and said, "As I've already said, it's not about the money."

  Ma Yu Xuan pretended not to hear, repeating word for word: "Cai Ge, how much money can settle this?"

  Tang Cai's mind stirred slightly, and he raised his head to meet Ma Yu Xuan's profound eyes. He was a man of great cunning, always careful with his words, but somehow, in front of this so-called genius youth, he felt like he was being seen through. The polite phrases that had been on the tip of his tongue couldn't be spoken, and for a moment, his face showed some hesitation.

  Ma Yu Xuan coldly looked at the squadron leader who held the power of life and death over most of the young people in Blue River Town, with a mix of disdain and contempt in his heart. As clever as he was, he saw through Tang Cai's pretentious attitude, exaggerating the price, if Tang Cai really had no other choice, he would have sent everyone away long ago, so why would he go to great lengths to make threatening remarks?

  As expected, after Tang Cai's showy display, he felt the timing was ripe and relaxed his tone, clearing his throat to say: "Ah, since it's not about money, why make things difficult for me? Ah, fine. Considering your deep brotherly bond, I'll reluctantly give it a try. If there's 10,000 yuan involved, maybe there's still room for maneuver."

  Zhang Junping and Chen Xiaodong looked at each other, both seeing the indignation in each other's hearts. Ten thousand yuan was not a small amount of money in N City, a poor and backward place like this. Tang Cai was really opening his mouth wide, but there was nothing they could do about it. With a headache, he said: "Ten thousand yuan, where are we going to get that much..."

  Ma Yuxuan waved his hand, interrupting the two of them, and stared at Tang Cai, saying: "One hundred thousand yuan is it? Alright, no problem! However, I want to hear a promise from your own mouth, do you really have the ability to save Zhang Jinhua?"

  Tang Cai patted his chest, full of confidence, and said: "Don't worry, I'll take your money and help you get rid of your troubles. Since I dared to boast about this matter, I will definitely help you handle it properly."

  Chen Xiaodong couldn't believe it and felt that this person had changed too quickly. He asked in doubt, "Didn't you just say you didn't dare to provoke Li Bao?"

  Tang Caibao said with a smile, "I don't dare to provoke Li Ba, but that doesn't mean others won't dare to. Although Li Ba is lawless and domineering, he still hasn't reached the point where he can cover the sky with one hand. If he wants Zhang Jinhua to be sentenced to prison, he still needs to go through the court. Conveniently, the president of the court, Nie Qiusheng, is my high school classmate. As long as he shows mercy and withdraws the criminal lawsuit, replacing it with some kind of civil dispute or administrative detention for 15 days, things will be much easier to handle. As for whether Zhang Jinhua will be detained or not, isn't that still up to me? When the time comes, Zhang Jinhua can enter through the front door and exit from the back door. Don't you know how far he'll have to walk?"

  All three of them thought this move was indeed brilliant. As long as the person is released, things will be much simpler. In N City, there is a convention that whenever a triad member commits a crime, no matter how serious it is, such as murder or arson, as long as they flee to the Pearl River Delta to avoid trouble and return after three to five years, the case will basically be closed. Not to mention Zhang Jinhua was only involved in a ordinary fight.

  Ma Yuxuan let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but ask, "Cai Ge, I'm really curious, why did Nie Qiusheng dare to provoke Li Bao? Isn't he afraid that Li Bao will retaliate against him?"

  Tang Cai used his hat to fan the wind, and chuckled: "As the saying goes, don't be afraid of officials, just be afraid of being controlled. Nie Qiusheng is about to be transferred to the provincial city, at that time even if Li Ba became the number one person in N City, he wouldn't be able to do anything to Nie Qiusheng. Do you think Nie Qiusheng would be afraid of his revenge?"

  Ma Yuxuan suddenly enlightened and said: "So it was!"

  Tang Cai put away his fishing rod, hinting to the three men that it was getting late. He said, "Don't worry about official matters! To avoid a long and sleepless night, this matter must be settled quickly. If it's delayed, I won't guarantee that what I said earlier will still count!"

  Ma Yuxuan was shocked by what he heard and quickly said: "Okay! We'll go take care of it now! Let's go, Xiaodong, I'll drive to the Industrial and Commercial Bank!"

  Chen Xiaodong nodded and exchanged a meeting point with Tang Cai, then pulled Ma Yuxuan out of the pond and drifted away swiftly.

  Arriving at the Industrial and Commercial Bank, Chen Xiaodong watched as Ma Yuxuan inserted his card to withdraw money. Only then did he realize that Ma Yuxuan had actually overdrawn his university tuition fees to rescue Zhang Jinhua. His heart was filled with both emotion and sadness. He felt moved because Ma Yuxuan was a man of honor, but also saddened because this sum of money should have been contributed by the Blue River Five Tigers, unfortunately, everyone's pockets were empty.

  The money was quickly taken out, and Tang Cai also kept his promise. Although he was greedy for wealth, he still adhered to the principle of taking money and doing things. After a round of running around and arranging, about three hours later, Zhang Jinhua came out of the gate of the Public Security Bureau.

  He had been suffocating in the police station for a long time, and Zhang Jinhua was holding back his anger. After coming out, he burst into a rage and said furiously: "Damn it, dare to report me? I think that Audi man doesn't want to live! Come on, Xiaodong, let's go chop him up!"

  Chen Xiaodong coldly looked at the reckless Zhang Jinhua, completely unaware of how formidable an opponent he had provoked, and said with displeasure: "Alright, alright, old cousin, you've just managed to get out, don't stir up more trouble! If you go after that Audi guy again, I won't guarantee you'll be able to get out unscathed!"

  Zhang Jinhua was furious and said: "What's wrong? Am I still afraid of that Audi man?"

  Chen Xiaodong pulled him onto the car and said in a bad tone, "You're not afraid, I'm afraid, okay? His father is Li Ba, the Minister of Propaganda, I don't want to die without even knowing how!"

  Zhang Jinhua was taken aback and said: "Is that kid's father Li Ba?"

  Chen Xiaodong stepped on the accelerator and sped away, saying: "What do you think? If Xuanxuan hadn't spent 10,000 yuan in tuition fees to bail you out through Tang Cai, do you think you could still swagger around talking about going to kill people?"

  "This wolf! How dare you extort me!" Zhang Jinhua cursed viciously, and then couldn't help but worry, saying, "Xuanxuan, you've taken out all your tuition to save me, what will you do? There are only three days left before school starts!"

  Ma Yuxuan knew that there were only three days left before school started, and it was impossible to raise 10,000 yuan in such a short time. It was like a fool's dream, but he didn't regret it. He didn't think much about it either, just calmly said: "It's okay! Let's think of another way!"

  He gazed at the ever-changing scenery behind him, feeling the gentle breeze blowing towards him, and thought to himself that this must be the legendary camaraderie of the rivers and lakes.