chsdbacks Chapter 169 Tianjin All-in-One Service
Chapter 169 Tianjin All-in-One Service
In Beichen District, Tianjin, in an old industrial area.
The North China branch of Nadutong is hidden here.
Although it's called a branch, it's more like a large express delivery transfer center. It covers dozens of acres and is surrounded by high walls with barbed wire. The main gate is an electric retractable gate, and next to it is a guardhouse where two old men in security guard uniforms are sitting, eating sunflower seeds and reading newspapers.
The yard was filled with vans bearing the "NaDuTong" logo, row upon row, densely packed, like soldiers in formation. Workers in blue overalls pushed flatbed carts, running back and forth, busy loading and unloading goods. Shouts, engine noise, the crackling of walkie-talkies, the dull thuds of goods hitting the ground... all sorts of sounds mingled together, bustling like a vegetable market.
Nie Lingfeng pulled Chen Duo along, familiar with the way, and walked around the freight yard into an inconspicuous three-story building at the back.
The building was old; several pieces of plaster had peeled off the walls, revealing the red bricks underneath. The stairs were made of cement with iron handrails, painted green and now in a terrible state. The stairwell was cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends—cardboard boxes, waste paper, empty bottles, broken chairs—making it difficult to walk without having to squeeze through.
But Nie Lingfeng knew this was just a facade. This building was actually the core of the North China branch.
As soon as I reached the third floor, I heard Xu Si's signature loud voice—
"Zhang Chulan! You fucking stole my treasured instant noodles again!"
The sound was extremely penetrating, causing the debris in the stairwell to tremble slightly.
"That's imported! I queued for three days to get it! Give it back to me!"
"Fourth Brother, it's just a bowl of instant noodles, is it really that big of a deal?" Zhang Chulan's muffled voice came through, clearly with something still stuffed in his mouth. "I'll buy you a whole case later, okay?"
"Compensate? What are you going to use to compensate? Your entire salary for this month has been deducted!"
"Then I'll use next month's salary to pay for it..."
"Get out of here! Your entire salary for next month is gone too! The money you owe the company is enough to buy a car!"
"Then...then I'll use next year's salary to pay for it?"
"Next year's cut-offs are all gone too!"
"The year after next?"
"roll!"
Hearing the familiar noise, Nie Lingfeng couldn't help but laugh.
He pushed open the door to the lounge.
The room wasn't big, only about twenty square meters, but it was quite tidy. A row of sofas lined the wall, and the coffee table was piled high with various snacks—potato chips, biscuits, spicy strips, and sunflower seeds. Opposite was the television, which was on, showing "Animal World," with Zhao Zhongxiang's signature voice providing a heartfelt narration.
"...Spring has arrived, all things are reviving, and it's mating season for the animals. The male lions are engaged in fierce battles for mating rights..."
Xu Si was grabbing Zhang Chulan by the collar, spitting all over his face. He was wearing a floral shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing two strong arms with several scars on them.
Zhang Chulan wasn't struggling as he was being held, but instead focused on shoveling the last mouthful of noodles from his instant noodle bowl into his mouth. He was wearing a wrinkled hoodie, his hair was messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well for several days.
Feng Baobao sat on the sofa next to her, holding a bag of potato chips and crunching away happily. She was wearing an old-fashioned military overcoat, her hair was loose, and she was watching the TV screen with great interest.
Xu San sat behind his desk, wearing glasses and looking at documents. He was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, his hair neatly combed, making him stand out from his surroundings. He seemed oblivious to the noise around him, only occasionally turning a page of the document, but his lips were visibly twitching.
"Wow, it's quite lively here."
Nie Lingfeng spoke with a smile, his voice not loud, but the room instantly fell silent.
Xu Si released Zhang Chulan, who quickly swallowed the last bite of noodles, almost choking. Xu San looked up and took off his glasses. Feng Baobao... was still eating potato chips, but her eyes shifted from the TV to the doorway.
"Little Wind?!"
Xu Si's eyes lit up, and he strode over, grabbing Nie Lingfeng in a tight hug. He held him so tightly that his arms felt like iron hoops, making Nie Lingfeng's ribs ache.
"You little rascal! Where have you been? You've been missing for three months! You don't answer the phone or reply to messages. I thought you'd been kidnapped by some mountain demoness and made her her husband!"
He patted Nie Lingfeng's back forcefully, each pat harder than the last, making a "thump thump thump" sound, like he was beating a drum.
"Cough cough... Fourth Brother, be gentle, be gentle..." Nie Lingfeng coughed repeatedly as he was patted, his face turning red. "My ribs are going to break..."
"Huh? Oh, sorry, I got too excited." Xu Si let go of his hand, then looked him up and down a few more times. "Wow, you've changed a lot in three months. That aura, that gaze... Did you go into seclusion?"
"Yeah, I stayed in Tianshan for three months." Nie Lingfeng rubbed his back, which was sore from being patted. "Fourth Brother, you've gotten stronger again."
"That's right, I train every day!" Xu Si showed off his biceps.
"Brother Feng!"
Zhang Chulan also came over, put the instant noodle bowl on the coffee table, and looked Nie Lingfeng up and down. His eyes were bright, filled with curiosity and excitement.
"Wow, it's really different now. This aura, this gaze... how to describe it? It's like... like a master who has cultivated in the deep mountains, someone you just want to worship."
He paused, then added, "But the clothes you're wearing, are they new? They look quite expensive."
Nie Lingfeng laughed: "Just a regular down jacket."
"Ordinary? This brand is anything but ordinary." Zhang Chulan pointed to the logo on the clothes. "This is an international brand; one piece is worth a month's salary for me."
"Alright, alright, stop joking around." Xu Si gave him a shove. "Let them in, don't block the doorway."
Everyone entered the house. Nie Lingfeng pulled Chen Duo aside and said to everyone, "Let me formally introduce Chen Duo to you all. You've all met her before."
Chen Duo, holding a panda plush toy, nodded to everyone and said softly, "Hello."
Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing something.
"Miss Chen Duo, we meet again." Xu San stood up, adjusted his glasses, and smiled gently. His smile was sincere and made people feel comfortable. "Sit down, don't stand. Xiao Si, go pour some tea. Chu Lan, clean up the trash."
"Why me again?" Zhang Chulan grumbled, but still obediently went to tidy up the instant noodle bowls and snack bags on the coffee table.
"Because you're the most free." Xu Si rolled his eyes at him and went to the water dispenser in the corner to pour tea.
Feng Baobao continued eating potato chips and watching TV. On TV, Zhao Zhongxiang was still narrating: "...the roar of the lion echoed across the grassland, declaring that its territory was inviolable..."
Soon, the tea was ready. Xu Si brought over a tray with several steaming disposable paper cups on it. He distributed the tea to everyone, then plopped down on the sofa.
Everyone gathered around the coffee table and began to chat.
Nie Lingfeng briefly recounted his experiences over the past three months—of course, omitting core secrets such as "Wind God Movement" and "Demon Heart Crossing to Perfection," only saying that he was "in seclusion to stabilize his cultivation and regulate Chen Duo's body."
"The scenery in Tianshan must be beautiful, right?" Xu Si took a sip of tea, smacked his lips, and looked longingly at the place. "I heard it's especially beautiful in the summer, with wildflowers everywhere and fresh air. And there's Tianchi Lake, the water is as blue as a jewel. Can you take me there sometime?"
"The scenery is nice, but it's cold," Nie Lingfeng laughed. "Fourth Brother, with your physique, I'm afraid you can't handle it. It's below minus thirty degrees Celsius; you'd probably freeze into an icicle if you went there."
"Tch, you underestimate me." Xu Si retorted, "I used to live in Northeast China. It was over twenty degrees below zero, and I still worked shirtless."
"That was back then," Xu San casually interjected. "Now you're complaining about needing to wear long johns when it's minus five degrees Celsius."
"Third brother, you're sabotaging me!"
Everyone laughed.
After laughing, Nie Lingfeng asked, "Fourth Brother, how have you been these past three months? Nothing major has happened at the company, has it?"
Xu Si leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and his expression became more serious.
"No major incidents, but minor ones keep popping up. The remnants of the Wang family are still causing trouble. You dealt with Wang Kui from Changbai Mountain, but there are others. Some have gone into hiding, some have joined other forces, and some... are making small moves in the shadows."
He paused, then frowned.
"Other powerful families are also eager to make their move. The territory, businesses, and connections left behind by the Wang family are a huge piece of meat, and everyone wants a bite. The Lü family, the Lu family, the Na Ruhu family, and several smaller powerful families are all secretly vying for power. On our company's side, Chairman Zhao is under a lot of pressure. Those old guys on the board of directors are arguing every day. This one says to handle it this way, that one says to handle it that way, and they're arguing endlessly. It's very annoying."
Nie Lingfeng nodded. He had anticipated all of this. The Wang family had been deeply rooted in the world of supernatural beings for decades, and their downfall would inevitably create a power vacuum that would attract covetous eyes from all sides.
"By the way," Xu Si suddenly lowered his voice and leaned closer, "how's your 'Dawn' project going?"
Nie Lingfeng's eyes flickered slightly. Xu Si knew about "Dawn"? Did Chairman Zhao tell him?
"Not bad, I handled a few tasks," he said vaguely, without going into details.
Xu Si seemed to understand his concerns and didn't press further, simply nodding: "Alright, you decide for yourself. If you need any help, just let me know. Although I'm not as skilled as you, I can still run errands and do odd jobs."
"Thank you, Fourth Brother."
Nie Lingfeng turned to Zhang Chulan: "Chulan, how was your trip to the Tang Sect? Did you gain anything?"
Mentioning the Tang Sect, Zhang Chulan's smile faded slightly. He remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes becoming complex.
"The Tang Clan..." he sighed, "It's a long story."
He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and began to tell his story.
When we arrived at the Tang Clan, they were holding an ancestral worship ceremony.
Zhang Chulan's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
"This is not an ordinary ancestral worship ceremony, but a memorial to the Tang Clan martyrs who died on the battlefield against the Japanese seventy years ago."
"The Tang Clan... also resisted the Japanese?" Nie Lingfeng was somewhat surprised.
In his mind, the Tang Clan was a traditional, closed, and even somewhat insidious assassin sect. They were skilled in using poison and assassination, acted mysteriously, and did not participate in worldly affairs. It was hard to imagine that they would actively participate in a national war, especially a large-scale, frontal war like the War of Resistance against Japan.
"It's not just about resisting the Japanese." Zhang Chulan smiled bitterly, a smile tinged with respect and regret. "The Tang Clan suffered heavy casualties in the war. Almost all of its most elite 'inner sect' disciples were wiped out. The 'outer sect' was also severely weakened. The Tang Clan today is less than 30% of its peak strength."
He paused, his gaze becoming distant, as if he were recalling something.
"Grandpa Tang Miaoxing took us to the 'Hall of Martyrs' on the back mountain."
"That ancestral hall isn't big, just one room, but inside... there are more than three hundred memorial tablets."
"More than three hundred." He repeated, "They were all Tang Clan disciples who died in the War of Resistance. The youngest was only fifteen years old. The oldest was just over thirty. There were men and women, some with surnames and given names, and some... without names, only marked 'Nameless Member of the Tang Clan'."
"The Tang Clan is skilled in poisons and assassinations. On the front lines, they are not actually at an advantage. Unlike soldiers, they cannot charge in formation or hold their ground. They can only wear night clothes, carry poisoned hidden weapons, infiltrate behind enemy lines, assassinate Japanese officers, sabotage logistics, and transmit intelligence... They die silently, and their bodies are rarely found intact."