"In a couple of days. Once I pass the third stage assessment, we'll find a time then."
Liu Tiezhu made an excuse as he spoke to Guo Lin.
Since his older brother was in intelligence, he must have investigated him beforehand. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Guo Lin approach him so easily. Liu Tiezhu had to stay wary of someone like this. The offer to drink was just an excuse—there had to be a purpose behind getting close to him. Whether it was to befriend him or something else, he needed to be on guard.
"Alright, once we both pass the third stage, we'll set a time."
Guo Lin nodded, replied, and got up to leave. He knew Liu Tiezhu was making an excuse, but being smart, he chose not to dwell on the issue.
No sooner had Guo Lin left than Guo Qixing returned to the barracks. He didn't come over to Liu Tiezhu but instead gave him a look and walked back out. Liu Tiezhu understood he had something to say and followed him out.
A few minutes later, they reached a corner of the camp. Stopping, Guo Qixing got straight to the point: "Brother Tiezhu, Jiang Tianliang is probably going to go all out against you this time. My intelligence people just told me that Jiang Tianliang has pulled in a large group from somewhere and stationed them all in the civilian houses north of the city."
Liu Tiezhu's expression shifted. "How many?"
"I didn't get an exact count, but no fewer than fifty," Guo Qixing said. "I suspect they're targeting you, so I came to warn you."
Fifty people? Liu Tiezhu was stunned, then cursed, "Damn it, that son of a bitch won't stop until he's killed me."
If they were after him, stepping out of the camp would be truly dangerous. Fortunately, he had already set things in motion, and soon the Ming family would investigate Jiang Tianliang. As Liu Tiezhu pondered how to avoid these people, Guo Qixing spoke again.
"Brother Tiezhu, if you need help, just say the word. Taking care of fifty people is easy for my Guo family."
Liu Tiezhu looked up, turning his gaze to Guo Qixing. In that moment, he understood why Guo Qixing had shared this news. On the surface, it was a warning to be careful, but behind it, he was being pressured into a corner. If the Guo family helped him out of this mess, he'd owe them a huge debt. Then, when Guo Qixing asked him to join the Guo family, refusing would make him ungrateful and dishonorable. Sure enough, Guo Qixing was a cunning little fox. Young as he was, his schemes were no less sharp than those of the old foxes.
"There's no need to trouble you with this."
After analyzing the situation thoroughly, Liu Tiezhu refused decisively. Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Guo Qixing's face. According to his plan, facing such a crisis, Liu Tiezhu would definitely seek outside help. The only external force available to him was the Guo family. Besides, Guo Qixing hadn't even made any conditions, so Liu Tiezhu should have no reason to refuse. Yet the outcome was the opposite of what he'd expected. Not only did Liu Tiezhu refuse, but he did so outright.
"Could Liu Tiezhu have other backing?" Guo Qixing thought to himself, but kept his expression casual as he said, "Brother Tiezhu, with that many men from Jiang Tianliang, can you handle it alone?"
On the surface, this sounded like concern, but a closer look revealed it was another test. What did he mean by "alone"? If Liu Tiezhu really had support, he'd say he wasn't alone. If not, this matter would ultimately fall into the Guo family's hands.
"Brother Qixing, let's just wait and see for now. I think Jiang Tianliang moving that many people probably isn't aimed at me," Liu Tiezhu said with a vague laugh, sidestepping the topic.
Guo Qixing knew that pushing further might arouse Liu Tiezhu's suspicion. To break the awkward silence, he pulled out two cigarettes, lit one for himself, and handed the other to Liu Tiezhu. After finishing his cigarette, Guo Qixing calmed down a bit and changed the subject. "Did you hear about the battle for the Huaiyang copper mine a few days ago?"
Liu Tiezhu was taken aback, wondering why Guo Qixing had suddenly brought this up. He nodded after a moment. "I heard. Guo Lin just mentioned it to me."
"Brother Tiezhu, who do you think started it?" Guo Qixing asked.
"If I'm not mistaken, it was the Ming family. From what Guo Lin said, both sides took heavy losses, and in the end, the Ming family hauled away the copper. Later, they were ambushed, and the copper fell into the hands of some mysterious group."
As he finished, Liu Tiezhu fixed his gaze on Guo Qixing's face, watching for his reaction.
"Brother Tiezhu, that mysterious group was actually my Guo family. We had a big haul tonight—over a dozen carts of copper ore," Guo Qixing said.
This statement threw Liu Tiezhu off completely. He had thought Guo Qixing was fishing for valuable information from him. He never expected Guo Qixing to be so open, admitting it outright. Wasn't Guo Qixing afraid he'd leak this to the Ming family? But judging by Guo Qixing's confident expression, he didn't seem worried.
"Brother Tiezhu, to be honest, the copper mine incident was also orchestrated by my Guo family."
Before Liu Tiezhu could recover, Guo Qixing dropped another bombshell. Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu sucked in a cold breath. He had thought the Ming family were the masters of scheming, but it turned out the real mastermind was the Guo family hiding behind them. Since Guo Qixing admitted the Guo family was behind it, their informants must have infiltrated the Ming family's upper echelons—and at a high level of authority.
Liu Tiezhu took a deep breath. "Aren't you worried I'll tell the Ming family?"
Guo Qixing smiled. "Brother Tiezhu, I trust your character. Otherwise, why would I dare share something this big with you? The Guo family isn't weak—have you really considered joining us?"
Liu Tiezhu didn't buy Guo Qixing's nonsense. "Trust my character"? That line might fool an idiot, but if he believed it, he'd be a fool himself. Guo Qixing wasn't worried about him spilling the secret because he had absolute confidence in shutting it down. From what he'd just said, the Guo family's informant was a decision-maker in the Ming family. Someone like that could easily suppress a piece of news. Moreover, by telling him all this, Guo Qixing was also showing off their strength. In other words, he was telling Liu Tiezhu that the Guo family could even infiltrate the Ming family's top brass, hoping to ease his concerns about joining them.
Liu Tiezhu silently admired Guo Qixing's psychological tactics and meticulous planning. First, he warned him about Jiang Tianliang, then offered to help, and finally revealed the Guo family's true power. This chain of moves would overwhelm anyone else. But Liu Tiezhu wasn't ordinary. Understanding Guo Qixing's intent, he still put on a thoughtful expression. He wanted to cooperate with the Guo family, but Guo Qixing seemed intent on recruiting him. Besides, if he agreed too readily, he wouldn't earn Guo Qixing's respect. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't say yes now. Only by holding out could he maintain leverage for further negotiations with Guo Qixing.