Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 541 - 37 Zhen Lian’s Thoughts
Liang Hui’s vision was engulfed in scarlet, his eardrums throbbing, and in his daze, he thought he saw a white ape with fierce eyes coldly staring at him from the chair.
The moment their eyes met, it was as if a red-hot iron rod had burst a taut balloon, and Liang Hui’s head thundered with a loud explosion. He grunted, feeling his back and arms uncontrollably swelling.
Liang Hui’s face, arms, and thighs started to sprout pale blue scales, and his well-tailored Western suit soon burst at the seams. Under the candlelight, the shadow on the floor stretched out exceedingly tall...
It was some time before Liang Hui came to his senses.
He lay in bed with a warm towel on his forehead. Surprisingly, the woman sitting beside the bed taking care of him was none other than Zhen Lian.
Liang Hui sat up, peeled off the damp towel half-stuck to his head, and asked in a deep voice, "Where is His Majesty?"
"Mr. Cha has already left. He said you’ve already gotten what you deserve."
Zhen Lian smiled gently.
Liang Hui threw off the covers and got out of bed. Shuffling in his shoes, he walked to the window and took a deep breath in the moonlight. Then he turned leisurely, "Do you have anything to say to me, Fairy Maiden Zhen?"
"He’s about to leave this city."
Upon hearing this, Liang Hui couldn’t help but be moved, "Who? His Majesty? Why?!"
No sooner had he spoken than he realized his own lapse. He immediately moderated his intense tone, waiting for Zhen Lian to continue.
"Why so nervous?" Zhen Lian narrowed her eyes, "Do you care about a living Emperor in blue, or a devil who can offer you endless wealth and life?"
Before she could finish, Liang Hui’s face suddenly loomed before her, startling Zhen Lian into hastily retreating to a corner.
"Mind your words, Fairy Maiden..."
Liang Hui’s eyelids drooped as he slowly withdrew his face and threw the towel in his hand into the copper basin on the table.
But Zhen Lian was not one to back down easily. Instead, she intensified her tone, drawing on inner resolve, "Give it a rest, Liang. I know him better than you. He doesn’t care about your loyalty! To him, you and I mean nothing at all! You’d be better off currying favor with Mr. Cha; he’s far easier to deceive than our Emperor in blue!"
Liang Hui stared at Zhen Lian for a long time before snorting coldly, "The Fairy Maiden is drunk. I will pretend I did not hear what you just said. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving."
After saying this, Liang Hui was about to leave. Just as he reached the door, Zhen Lian finally called out to him, "Are you just going to leave like this?"
Liang Hui did not turn around, "Is there something else, Fairy Maiden?"
Zhen Lian, moving stealthily like a cat, approached Liang Hui and whispered, "The indifferent devil is about to leave, but the name of the Emperor in blue won’t vanish."
She shook a glass vial in front of Liang Hui. "With these drugs, guess how long it would take for me to expand the Red Lantern Association?"
"..."
Liang Hui’s eyes followed the vial in Zhen Lian’s hand. He slowly turned around, his tone somewhat softened, "What are you trying to say to me?"
"We had some misunderstandings in the past. But there are no misunderstandings that can’t be resolved," she held his gaze.
Zhen Lian stared at Liang Hui, "The Red Lantern Association and Hesheng could have a long-term collaboration."
"Assuming that I share the power of the lineage with you," Liang Hui finished her sentence.
The Odonk Family could share the power of their bloodline with outsiders, but the descendants of those outsiders would only be ordinary people, incapable of inheriting this power indefinitely like the Odonk.
Zhen Lian shrugged her shoulders, indicating that he had guessed correctly.
"Alright, but you have to share half the medicine with me,"
Liang Hui remained unruffled.
"Quit playing dumb with me, old man," Zhen Lian sneered relentlessly: "Pinkerton Detective Agency’s men are conducting a cross-state investigation on you right now. You’re desperately throwing money around trying to whitewash your reputation, but because of the new legislation, it’s practically useless. If Pinkerton’s detectives find evidence of your crimes, you’ll likely spend the rest of your life behind bars. Or what, you plan to use the bloodline power you’ve just acquired to desperately fight the city’s Steam Guard to the death?"
Pinkerton Detective Agency was the earliest detective company in the world, very active during the Civil War period, collecting military intelligence on the Southern secessionist forces for the country. After the war, it transformed into a vanguard against crime in the West, and it could be said that it is now in the most prosperous era since its establishment, with over five thousand detectives trained in steam-powered individual combat, making it the world’s most powerful private law enforcement agency.
Upon hearing this, Liang Hui contemplated for a long while before saying: "I’ve always thought women could never amount to anything, I was wrong. You are a formidable woman, Zhen Lian."
"Thank you."
"I agree to share with you the power of the bloodline," promised Liang Hui: "But first, you have to prove to me that you have the strength to use these medicines to settle Pinkerton’s pursuit of me."
"It’s a pursuit of us," said Zhen Lian, correcting him with a faint smile.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, "Right, I heard that you’re organizing a large-scale strike targeting the factories in San Francisco?"
"That was the plan. I need to establish a foothold. The new law doesn’t leave me any way out. I have to come up with something, but if His Majesty is to leave us then..."
Liang Hui bowed his head, silent.
"You should do that. His Majesty would support you,"
Zhen Lian urged him: "You should also encourage the people of Chinatown to purchase weapons for self-defense; carve monuments for the victims of violence and hold grand memorial ceremonies to unite the Chinese merchants and laborers of this city; win over the more moderate whites, hire lawyers to sue the police department for their inaction and seek compensation from the criminals. Hold large-scale strikes and speeches to pressure City Hall; demand equal pay for Chinese workers. Maybe even voting rights."
Liang Hui furrowed his brows and asked: "What makes you think His Majesty would support me? Based on his appearance?"
"Mr. Cha and our Majesty have a very close relationship. I can’t be sure about what His Majesty likes and dislikes, but Mr. Cha, he’s a very straightforward person..."
A pause, then Zhen Lian continued: "Like how you foot the bill for lawsuits for your fellow townsmen, provide them with relief and funeral expenses, and offer hefty rewards for the capture of the killers of Chinese people. I’ve heard Mr. Cha praise you for not being all bad, as you’ve done a few good deeds for the Chinese People,"
Liang Hui was nonchalant: "Most of the workers who died had paid their respects at Hesheng’s door, giving relief to orphans and widows is only right."
"However you put it. The important thing is, if Mr. Cha thinks that way about you, then His Majesty won’t dislike you. You should put some effort into it."
After hearing this, Liang Hui weighed up his options for a long time before finally nodding in agreement.
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"Is that it?"
In the twilight, Cha Xiaodao and Li Yan walked side by side beside the railroad tracks.
"Almost done, but not quite," Li Yan took off his bowler hat to fan himself.
"I always feel that you are cold to Zhen Lian and Liang Hui, why is that?"
asked Cha Xiaodao.
"Because this isn’t a problem that can be solved by a bit of passion or romance. People driven solely by profit are simple yet complex. I despise being used by others and hate to be despised by everyone. I can’t solve the problems of Zhen Lian and Liang Hui and have no interest in doing so. Didn’t we agree to get some satisfaction out of this? I’m just betting on that satisfaction."
"Betting with whom?"
Li Yan tossed his hat up high.
"Chang Yu."
