Chapter 101: There Is a Circle in the Capital City

Lin Jian sat at a street-side food stall, smoking a cigarette while waiting for his skewers. At the same time, he was waiting for a phone call.

The other party would definitely call back.

Sure enough, about five minutes later, the same number called again.

Lin Jian silently answered and held the phone to his ear, in no rush to speak.

The caller, having more or less figured out his temper, hurriedly said, "A few days ago, someone called the Second Master of Beijing to buy the lives of you and a woman. It just so happened that Young Master Chu, Gao Dakuan, Yanzi, and Heizi from the organization were right here in Jiangnan, so they took the job.

"However, there is now definitive information showing that all four are dead.

"Although this matter hasn’t spread to the public, everyone in our circle already knows about it.

"And I happen to be a member of that circle.

"But I don’t have any conflict of interest with you, nor am I the one who took the hit on you. I merely want Young Master Chu’s ’personal belongings.’ You were the last person Young Master Chu and Gao Dakuan saw, so the items must be with you!

"If you give me what was on Young Master Chu, I can provide you with some information you might want to know—like who will be sent to kill you next, and so on. I can give you all of that!"

"What exactly are you talking about?" Lin Jian suddenly remembered the rouge box on the coffee table.

PHEW. The caller exhaled heavily. Obviously, Lin Jian’s response dissatisfied him, as he didn’t believe Lin Jian was truly clueless.

Thus, he patiently replied, "Young Master Chu carried a certain kind of medicine. It’s not something just anyone can take; it can be fatal. So, give me the medicine, and I can provide you with some useful intel!

"Wait for my call!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jian abruptly hung up the phone. He pulled out a hundred-yuan bill and slapped it on the table. "I’ll be back later. Keep my skewers warm for me when they’re done."

With that, he sprinted back to his car, quickly started the engine, and drove off.

Last night, when he and Ye Ziqiu were cleaning the house, Ye Ziqiu had found a rouge box on the coffee table. Inside that box were over a dozen mushy black pills.

At the time, he had casually tossed it into a garbage bag. During the move earlier today, that garbage bag was still around because it didn’t contain food waste, just random clutter. Therefore, that bag of trash hadn’t actually been thrown out yet.

This meant the rouge box and the medicine were still there!

Half an hour later.

He retrieved the exquisite rouge box from the garbage bag next to the villa’s coffee table.

The rouge box wasn’t large—about half the size of a palm—and was decorated with numerous plum blossom patterns. After gently opening the lid, fourteen black pills, slightly larger than soybeans, appeared before his eyes!

Lin Jian took a sniff. The pills smelled of traditional Chinese herbs, with a faint hint of fishiness.

He didn’t dare test them recklessly; who knew if the medicine was poisonous? He hurriedly secured the lid and left the villa.

By the time he drove back to Wudaokou, it was almost midnight.

He didn’t return to the food stall. Taking advantage of the fact that there were still very few people at the Ghost Market, he returned the call!

"Hello? Did you find it?" The other party was clearly very anxious about this medicine.

Lin Jian thought for a moment. "Can you tell me what kind of medicine this is?"

"You don’t need to ask what it is. You only need to know that this medicine is completely useless to you. Give it to me, and I’ll tell you some secrets!" The caller began to negotiate.

Lin Jian smiled. "Let me correct you. You tell me some secrets, and *then* I give you the medicine!"

The caller froze for a moment. "Isn’t that the same thing?"

"The sequence is different. You have to tell me the secrets first, and only then will I give you the medicine."

"Alright, what do you want to know then?" the caller asked with a chuckle.

"Where do Young Master Chu and the rest of you come from? What kind of organization is it?"

"What kind of organization do you think it is?" the other party retorted.

Lin Jian sneered. "If this is how we’re going to talk, then there’s no need to continue."

"Alright, don’t hang up." The caller took a deep breath. "There’s no harm in telling you. We aren’t really an organization; we can only be considered a circle!

"And within this circle, there are many big shots. I know of several who possess immense power and influence.

"The Second Master mentioned earlier is also one of the big shots in this circle. He has a group of people under him. Some are desperadoes, some are prominent figures in certain fields, but most of them are Internal Martial Artists.

"These people work exclusively for the Second Master. When he takes on a hit from the outside, he dispatches them to complete the tasks."

"What about you? What role do you play in this circle?" Lin Jian suddenly interrupted.

"Me?" The caller thought for a moment. "I’m also in the circle. I know them all, but I don’t work under the Second Master."

"What is the Second Master’s last name, and where does he live?"

COUGH COUGH COUGH! Hearing Lin Jian ask this, the caller was clearly choking on his own saliva.

"I advise you not to find out who he is or ask where he lives. Someone like the Second Master is completely out of your league.

"I already told you, this isn’t an organization, just a circle. The Second Master is merely one of its big shots. There are others with immense power and influence—you should really comprehend what ’immense power’ means.

"So, if you want to look for trouble with the Second Master, like an ant trying to shake a tree, then you really must be tired of living."

"Then you should just let me go and die quickly. It’s not like we’re friends, right? Why do you care if I live or die? Therefore, I need to know who the Second Master is and where he is!"

"You make a fair point. You’ve got some guts, kid!" At this point, the caller suddenly lowered his voice. "The Second Master of Beijing is surnamed Jin. I don’t know his exact name, but everyone in the Capital City’s underworld knows him, and he is a big shot in the Beijing Circle!

"You know about the Beijing Circle, right? It’s a group of people from the Capital City who band together for mutual support. This circle spans across business, finance, film and television, and many other fields, and the people inside all hold significant status. If you want to find the Second Master, you’ll know just by asking around when the time comes.

"However, I highly advise against going, because... Hehehe!"

"Alright, I’m fairly satisfied with your answers. I’ll give you half of that dead man’s pills first—which is three. Call me outside my company tomorrow!"

"Hey, wait—"

Before the caller could finish, Lin Jian hung up the phone.

He had never promised to give all the pills to this guy. Besides, the caller had beaten around the bush on just one question and ultimately hadn’t even revealed the Second Master’s full name or exact address. So, he would give him three pills and slowly dig out the rest of the information later.

However, the other party did not call back again!

Lin Jian sat in his car and thought for a long time. If he wanted to solve this problem once and for all, he would have to head north to the Capital City and have a chat with the Second Master.

But clearly, the Second Master was not just a big shot and a prominent figure; it was highly likely he was also a martial arts expert. Therefore, heading north to the Capital City would be akin to walking straight into the dragon’s pool and the tiger’s den—it would be extremely dangerous!

A moment later, Lin Jian made a decision: Before the second Dao Fruit fell, he would endure it!