Chapter 2430 — A Chance Encounter with Leader Bai

After all, they were the foremost family among the local powers, a notch above even the Hidden Han family in standing. If people had died and they simply turned a blind eye, showed no reaction at all, then the name of the Hidden Zhao family would likely no longer carry the same weight.

So, while Leader Zhu kept silent about Elder Pi and the others, he diverted the trouble onto the Gambler and his casino. Naturally, Elder Zhao could not swallow such an insult, and was already biding his time for a chance to make trouble for the Gambler.

Once the Gambler hung up, the cold sweat would not stop pouring from him. He wanted to find a way, and fast, to sell off the casino in his hands — only, the casino was an illegal business, and anyone without real nerve would not dare take it on.

Those who ran in the underworld were a countable few; each kept to his own line of business, and none of them crossed into another's territory. For anyone to suddenly fork over a huge sum to buy out the casino was really a bit unrealistic.

Though the casino's premises were rented, the gambling equipment inside was worth thirty or forty million, and with a steady stream of customers, even asking fifty million for it was not unreasonable — only, there were not many big brothers in the underworld who could produce fifty million.

Everyone had businesses in hand and a crew of brothers to feed; who could pull out that much cash?

The Gambler flipped back and forth through his phone book, his face clouded with worry...

After finishing his call with the Gambler, Wei Zhao mulled it over for a moment, then dialed Qiu Lingshan's cell phone again.

"Wei Zhao!" Qiu Lingshan was instantly delighted to see his call.

"Little silly girl, are you busy?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Not too bad. I just finished taking statements, and I'm looking into closing the case. In a bit I still have to go to the An family villa to verify some details with An Jianwen and An Mingyue..." At this, Qiu Lingshan looked rather helpless. She knew perfectly well that the mastermind behind this was ninety percent likely An Jianwen, and that the one who had stepped up to take the blame was merely a lackey. Yet there was nothing she could do — with insufficient evidence, she simply could not touch An Jianwen.

"Mm, that works out well," Wei Zhao said. "After you get to An Jianwen's place, drop him a few hints, beat around the bush a little."

"Hints? What hints?" Qiu Lingshan was puzzled; she had no idea what information Wei Zhao wanted leaked to An Jianwen. Besides, if Wei Zhao wanted to pass something along, couldn't he go find An Jianwen himself?

"Just tell him the Gambler is loaded — that they extorted twenty million from him to ransom his daughter back, and that a few days ago I squeezed another twenty million out of him. A casino really is a fine place to suck up money!" Wei Zhao said.

"The Gambler really runs a casino? Where is his place?" Qiu Lingshan asked instinctively. She had been keeping a bit of an eye on the Gambler for some time; rumor had it that he ran a casino, but she had never managed to pin down where his lair was. And with the kidnapping case the pressing matter at hand, the casino business had been set aside for the time being.

"Don't worry about that for now. Wait until An Jianwen buys the place and has had his fill of showing off — then bring your people and raid his casino. Another great merit for you," Wei Zhao said.

"Let An Jianwen buy the casino?" Qiu Lingshan was no fool; after a brief start she understood Wei Zhao's intent — to make An Jianwen think the casino was a money-maker, and then go to the Gambler to buy it out. Still, she had her doubts: "Would An Jianwen go buy a casino? And besides, would the Gambler sell?"

"He definitely will," Wei Zhao said with certainty. "And the Gambler is definitely eager to unload it."

Wei Zhao thought to himself: with An Jianwen's kidnapping racket no longer viable, he would naturally look for other ways to make money. Judging by what An Jianwen had done in the past, the man always played for huge returns on a pittance — or simply for businesses that cost him nothing at all.

The casino's profits were enormous. Slower than kidnapping and extortion, true, but it was a long-term livelihood; if An Jianwen bought the casino, the income would flow in endlessly. Especially with Qiu Lingshan being the one to tell him about it — that would plant a false impression in An Jianwen's mind: that the police did not care about this casino. After all, Qiu Lingshan had mentioned the casino and yet had not moved to raid it. How could he not read something into that?

That way, if An Jianwen bought the Gambler's casino, he would be jumping into a deep pit. First he would have to face the fury of the Hidden Zhao family; and even if he smoothed that over, Qiu Lingshan would then raid the casino — this time he would be cleaned out but good.

"All right. But isn't this a bit underhanded? You get him to buy the casino, then I raid it — won't he lose a fortune?" Qiu Lingshan felt Wei Zhao was setting a trap for the man.

"He's done so much evil, and you can't lay a finger on him. Don't you want to vent a little?" Wei Zhao countered.

"That's true enough." Qiu Lingshan nodded. "Then I'll hint at it obliquely when I see him."

"Heh, just play it by ear. If it really won't work, forget it." Wei Zhao did not want to put Qiu Lingshan in a difficult spot.

"That's no trouble. The Gambler is a victim too, so mentioning it does no harm," Qiu Lingshan said.

After hanging up, Wei Zhao smiled. Tripping up An Jianwen had been a spur-of-the-moment idea; he had found the fellow distasteful for a long time now, and naturally would not let things go too smoothly for him.

He cultivated on his bed for a while, and soon it was time for school to let out. Wei Zhao left the villa and drove to the school to pick up Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Han Xiaochao. When he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Leader Bai walking toward it, car keys in hand — it looked as though he was about to head out.

"Teacher Bai," Wei Zhao greeted him with a smile.

"Mm, Wei Zhao." Leader Bai broke into a smile the moment he saw him. Wei Zhao was a student he thought highly of; though the boy could not yet refine pills, Leader Bai had great hopes for him — after all, Wei Zhao had saved his life, and naturally he wished for him to learn more. "So? How is your control of the pill fire? Any progress?"

"I..." Wei Zhao gave a wry smile. He had not expected Leader Bai to care so much about him. Lately he had been busy with the Hidden Families Assembly and matters in the Wulonghaote Mountains; he had barely attended a few days of class — when would he have had time to study pill refining?

He had, however, worked out a joint pill-refining technique together with Han Jingyi — but the thing could not be referenced or replicated, and to speak of it would be rather shocking to the world. Wei Zhao could not very well tell Leader Bai the plain truth; after all, the two of them were not yet close enough to share everything.

Though Leader Bai had given him some notes and materials on a pill refiner's insights, all of it rested on the fact that Wei Zhao had once saved his life. Beyond teacher and student, the two were also savior and saved.

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