Upon hearing this, Jiang He and the other two were all taken aback. If Liu Tiezhu was telling the truth, the matter of their ambush would soon be cleared up. Snapping back to reality, Jiang He quickly said, "Brother Liu, it seems we’ve misunderstood you." "We hope you can understand why we thought that way." Although Liu Tiezhu’s suspicion hadn’t been fully cleared, falling out with him now wouldn’t serve their interests. Besides, Ming Zhenglong had already caught someone; whether Liu Tiezhu was behind it would soon come to light. If Liu Tiezhu had sold them out, there would be plenty of chances for revenge later.
Understand? Understand my ass! Liu Tiezhu cursed inwardly, putting on a displeased expression. "Brother Jiang, I understand." "But I hope you’ll treat me like one of your own."
Hearing this, Jiang He and the others remained silent. After all, they had accused Liu Tiezhu without evidence, jumping to conclusions that he had betrayed them. It was indeed unfair of them, and Liu Tiezhu’s complaints were justified. "Brother Liu, we were wrong about this." "This misunderstanding happened because the timing was too coincidental." "Now that it’s cleared up, we’re still brothers," Jiang He said.
To be fair, Jiang He had a way with words. With just a few sentences, he not only explained their misunderstanding but also smoothed things over. Zhang Zhiliang chimed in, "Brother Jiang is right. In a situation like this, Brother Liu, you really can’t blame us." Liu Tiezhu played along, pretending to be naive. "Since the misunderstanding is resolved, we’re still brothers."
He didn’t take Jiang He and Zhang Zhiliang’s empty words to heart. What misunderstanding? What brothers? These superficial remarks were just a way to avoid a falling-out. He knew it, and Jiang He and the others knew it even better. Jiang He nodded. "Right, we’re still brothers." "So, I’ll have to trouble you with one more thing, Brother Liu." "Let me know as soon as you hear anything from Ming Zhenglong." Liu Tiezhu nodded. "No problem. I’ll head to the Ming residence now." "If there’s any news, I’ll have Lin Changxing report it."
Hearing this, Jiang He and the others didn’t delay him further, signaling for him to go quickly. Before he left, Jiang He hypocritically told Liu Tiezhu to be careful, to inform them of any developments, and that they’d help if needed.
After seeing Liu Tiezhu off, Jiang He and the others resumed their grim expressions. "Brother Jiang, can we trust what he said?" Liu Zhigao asked coldly. Jiang He replied, "Not entirely, but he probably wouldn’t dare pull any tricks." "Think about it—he’s the only one who knew our ambush point." "He’s not stupid enough to sell himself out."
In his analysis, even if Liu Tiezhu wasn’t genuinely cooperating with them, he wouldn’t betray them. Given the current situation, they were Liu Tiezhu’s best support. Betraying them would be indirectly betraying himself. Of course, this was just Jiang He’s wishful thinking; he had no idea Liu Tiezhu didn’t need any support at all. Zhang Zhiliang added, "I think Brother Jiang is right." "If he had sold us out, it would be too obvious." "Besides, his behavior just now didn’t seem like someone who betrayed us." "But we can’t let our guard down—he might be faking it." Jiang He continued, "Old Zhang, you’re right. We need to stay vigilant now." "Also, we need to re-screen the team members." "Now that the Ming family has stepped in, things are getting more complicated." "The more complicated it gets, the more careful we have to be."
While the three were pondering, Liu Tiezhu arrived at the Ming residence. In the side hall, Ming Zhenglong’s face was as dark as a stormy sky in June. "Liu Tiezhu, what’s going on? I sent someone to find you earlier—why weren’t you at the camp?" Ming Zhenglong’s tone was icy, showing his fury. The ambush site had been arranged after discussions with Liu Tiezhu, yet their men had been wiped out. He couldn’t help but suspect that Liu Tiezhu had set him up. So when Zhang Jingshun reported the news, he immediately sent for Liu Tiezhu. But the messenger told him Liu Tiezhu wasn’t at the camp. Hearing this only made him angrier, even leading him to think Liu Tiezhu had fled out of guilt. If Liu Tiezhu hadn’t come to report, he might have sent people to hunt him down.
Liu Tiezhu said calmly, "Third Master, I went to investigate the situation." He had to stay composed. Showing panic would make Ming Zhenglong suspect he had something to hide. Seeing Liu Tiezhu’s calm demeanor, Ming Zhenglong’s anger subsided by half. The calmer Liu Tiezhu appeared, the less likely he was involved. Ming Zhenglong lit a cigarette and handed one to Liu Tiezhu. After finishing a cigarette, he asked, "What did you investigate?" Liu Tiezhu replied, "About our men being ambushed." "And I’ve already gathered solid evidence."
Hearing this, Ming Zhenglong clenched his fists. "So you know who ambushed our men?" Liu Tiezhu nodded. "The ones who ambushed us were sent by your eldest brother." "And the one who provided the intel was one of Jiang He’s men."
Bang... Ming Zhenglong suddenly stood up, smashing the teacup on the table into pieces. "So Jiang He’s men were the bait?" Liu Tiezhu shook his head. "No, his men really were trying to get the supplies." "But Jiang He didn’t expect your eldest brother to play the game of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." "We were all fooled by your eldest brother."
Ming Zhenglong gritted his teeth. "Damn you, Ming Jiacheng, playing me like this, huh?" "Just wait—I’ll show you how I’ll destroy you." Liu Tiezhu warned, "Third Master, we can’t go to war with your eldest brother right now." Ming Zhenglong frowned. "Why not?" Liu Tiezhu said, "Think about it—if we go to war, won’t Jiang He and the others be the ones to benefit?" "Besides, Ming Tianfeng is watching from the sidelines." "Once we exhaust our resources fighting your eldest brother, Ming Tianfeng will definitely take advantage."
Hearing this, Ming Zhenglong was stunned. Liu Tiezhu’s analysis was spot on. If he went to war with Ming Jiacheng, the only ones to benefit would be Jiang He and Ming Tianfeng. Snapping back to reality, Ming Zhenglong asked, "Brother Tiezhu, what do you suggest we do?"
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu felt a surge of satisfaction. Ming Zhenglong asking for his opinion meant he was subconsciously starting to see him as one of his own. This was a perfect start. Once this subconscious trust deepened, Liu Tiezhu could gradually take the lead and steer Ming Zhenglong to act according to his plans.