65. Grasping the Vital Spot

Wan Chonglin thought he had misheard. Shocked, he took half a step back and stared at Zhou Hongyi's face, while the latter glared at him and snapped, "What are you looking at? Look again and I'll dig your eyes out!"

Yet, having barked this fierce threat, Zhou Hongyi blinked at him behind the backs of the crowd.

Feeling somewhat skeptical, Wan Chonglin retreated a few paces, helped his head guard up, and asked in a low voice, "Dazhu, how are your injuries?"

The simple-minded young man, who had appeared to be in agonizing pain just moments before, now sucked in a breath of cold air at his boss's question and muttered, "Injuries... well, I'm not really hurt. It's just that someone struck my nerve center, and it keeps tingling in waves. It feels awful."

"Tingling..."

Wan Chonglin cast a meaningful glance at Zhou Hongyi, having already figured out what was going on. Surveying the gathering crowd of onlookers, he weighed the pros and cons before saying in a quiet voice, "This... sir, it was Wan who was blind and ignorant. Your chamber of commerce's sincerity has truly moved me, but the specific terms of our cooperation still require discussion. Rest assured, I shall personally visit your chamber of commerce this afternoon to negotiate the details with President Hasegawa."

Zhou Hongyi let out a cold snort. " Spineless wretch! Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Still, it is not too late for you to agree now. Men, wrap it up! Since Boss Wan has already agreed to cooperate with the Imperial Army, he is henceforth our friend. Boss Wan's safety shall be under the protection of the Imperial Army. Anyone who dares to harm him will have their entire family wiped out by me! Did you all hear that?"

Zhou Hongyi was afraid that this scene might be overheard by hidden, unknown patriotic figures or assassins who would then emerge to assassinate Boss Wan later, turning the whole affair into a farce. He had to make his stance public first to deter those people from making a move for the time being; afterward, he would secretly relocate Boss Wan's family to a safe place. Being an underground double agent behind enemy lines was truly a difficult job.

Having dealt with Boss Wan's situation, Zhou Hongyi led Chen Cong and the others swaggeringly through the streets until they arrived in front of the herbal medicine shop owned by Boss Wang.

Boss Wang not only purchased traditional Chinese medicinal herbs himself but also contracted several plots of land to cultivate them, running a very substantial business. In the eyes of the Japanese devils, these medicinal herbs constituted strategic resources, which was why they were pressing him to join their fold.

Boss Wang's original name was Wang Heng. In his forties, with a lean figure, prominent cheekbones, and simple attire, he possessed a remarkably spirited demeanor. Without being told, one would take him for nothing more than an old clerk in the pharmacy rather than its owner.

When Zhou Hongyi and his menacing entourage arrived at the traditional Chinese medicine shop, Boss Wang was standing at the entrance with his sleeves rolled up, entirely alone, looking every bit like a hero ready to face martyrdom.

"You've come after all, but my answer remains the same. The medicinal herbs of our Huaxia are sold only to the descendants of the Yan and Huang race, never to foreign barbarians like you! Please leave! Of course, if you insist on taking them by force, I cannot stop you. You will simply have to walk over the corpse of Wang Heng."

Zhou Hongyi narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself that he had run into a stubborn, hard-headed old-timer. Using brute force with this kind of person was hardly a solution; even if you beat him to death, he would only consider it a glorious martyrdom for his ideals and country, and he would never yield. Trying gentleness would be even less effective, especially since he needed to use this opportunity to polish his persona.

Zhou Hongyi needed to execute these three tasks swiftly and brilliantly today to deepen Hasegawa's reliance and trust in him. Without hesitation, he activated his [Insight Eye], thoroughly scanning the privacy of this Boss Wang.

"Well... Boss Wang, I know you're a tough nut to crack—immune to both soft and hard tactics—but today, no matter what, you must sign this contract for me. I happen to be someone who loves cracking hard nuts."

Boss Wang looked coldly at Zhou Hongyi and suddenly retorted, "You love cracking hard nuts? Then you admit you're a dog, because only dogs chew on bones."

Zhou Hongyi was momentarily taken aback. He hadn't expected this old fellow to seize a loophole in his words and score a verbal victory. Inside, he found it quite amusing, but on the surface, he instantly plastered an expression of rage and humiliation. This ability to maintain a stark contrast between his inner thoughts and outer performance had been mastered to perfection by him. Sometimes Zhou Hongyi even wondered if, had he not time-traveled, his acting skills alone would have been enough to win him a Best Actor award.

"Damn it, who are you calling a dog?"

Zhou Hongyi roared, swinging his arm to knock over the herbs drying on the hanging rack at the entrance of the pharmacy. Stepping closer, he stared fiercely into the other's eyes and grated through his teeth, "Boss Wang, I know you're a tough guy who isn't afraid of death. But just because you aren't afraid doesn't mean your family isn't; and just because your family isn't afraid doesn't mean your descendants won't be. I know you're a filial man, and as the saying goes, 'Of the three unfilial acts, having no descendants is the worst.' If you cut off the lineage of the Wang family and die to fulfill your own righteous reputation, how will you face your parents and ancestors down in the netherworld?!"

Wang Heng remained entirely unmoved. Tilting his chin up slightly, he said, "Kill me if you will, spare me the idle chatter. What does it matter if there are no descendants? I, Wang Heng, was destined in this lifetime not to carry on the Wang family lineage, having fathered five daughters without a single son. Even with your threats, you cannot manipulate me on this matter!"

Of course Zhou Hongyi knew that he had five daughters, but he also knew something else: just two years ago, this Boss Wang had a romantic fling with a singer and accidentally sowed a seed. That singer had proven remarkably capable, giving birth to a son for him.

Boss Wang had kept this matter quiet, secretly sending the mother and son out of Shanghai to Xiangjiang, where he purchased a house and a shop for them to escape the ravages of war. He had originally thought the matter foolproof and unknown to anyone, never imagining that a freak like Zhou Hongyi would strip away his very underwear.

"Boss Wang truly possesses an unyielding spine. True, you may not care about your five daughters, but don't assume the Imperial Army's Special Higher Police Corps is just for show. How is it that I heard you have a son who is two years old, living right in Xiangjiang, running a tea restaurant with his mother, employing two wet nurses and three waiters, and owning six residential properties in his name? If I recall correctly... his childhood name should be Hengsheng, shouldn't it?"

"What? You... you... how did you find out?"

Touched at his absolute soft spot, the boss instantly dropped his facade. He stared at Zhou Hongyi in utter horror, his lips trembling rapidly as he struggled to speak coherently. The unyielding backbone he had displayed just moments before vanished completely, leaving only raw terror in his eyes.

Of course, when Zhou Hongyi said these words, he kept his voice very low so that only the two of them could hear. In a way, this was his method of helping Boss Wang keep the secret.

"Rest assured, Boss Wang, right now only I and my men know about this; the *taijuns* do not yet know. However, if you refuse to sign this contract today and refuse to cooperate with my work, you will make things very difficult for me, causing me to lose face before the Imperial Army. Once I lose face, I will become unhappy, and when I am unhappy... I happen to enjoy finding a plump little boy to play hide-and-seek with. Once I catch him... hehehe... I have plenty of ways to punish him."

The moment Zhou Hongyi uttered these words, Boss Wang felt as though he had plunged into an icy cave in the dead of winter, every pore in his body freezing through. At that moment, he was like a snake whose vital spot had been pinched, unable to move an inch, with no other choice left to him but to comply.