Daomu Biji: The Southern Archives

Is she the mysterious Miss Dong? Well, she doesn’t look that special. Zhang Haiyan thought to himself as he looked at the crowd. Several of the killers he had identified in the third-class cabin were in the ballroom pretending to be waiters and musicians.

If he had shown up with his real face, he probably would’ve been targeted by now. He remained silent as he watched Miss Dong come downstairs and nod to the people below.

The gunmen had all come to the railing on the second floor. He could see that the hands in their pockets were all pointing downstairs. These people must have been the best marksmen. This Miss Dong really took her own safety seriously.

When Zhang Haiyan looked up, the gunmen greeted him since they all knew him. He responded back out of politeness.

“Miss Dong is the shipowner’s daughter and she just so happened to be on the ship this time. The Dong family is the wealthiest family in Xiamen. They have good relationships with various leaders. Both the Revolutionary Army (1) and the rulers from the Qing Dynasty would also give them face,” someone said.

Zhang Haiyan’s dance partner was a little jealous. “See? She’s not ugly. She’s a good-looking girl. All you men have the same expressions on your faces when looking at her.”

Zhang Haiyan politely let go of her hands. “I‘m just stunned by Miss Dong’s entourage. I’m sorry if I upset you. I apologize, but I have to serve my teacher now.”

“Steven, where have you been these past few days?” Warner called out to him after following Miss Dong down.

Zhang Haiyan cleared his throat and walked up to him. “Teacher, my throat hasn’t been feeling well recently.”

“It’s not like you’re dancing with your throat,” Warner said. “Come sit with me. Let’s eat quickly and then we can come back down to have some fun with the ladies.”

Zhang Haiyan nodded. This was a banquet and a ball, after all. The two politely greeted everyone on the first floor before going back to the second floor.

Zhang Haiyan looked at the second floor and saw that the gunmen hadn’t relaxed at all. Both the first floor and the stairs were within the range of their firepower, so Zhang Haiyan had no choice but to follow Warner obediently and go to one of the booths on the second floor.

The door of the booth wasn’t closed, and it was easy to see some exquisite appetizers inside. Miss Dong and Warner sat down, and then the three of them decided what drinks they should order.

“I heard that there’s a special wine for the ball,” Warner said. “Give us a glass of it.”

When Zhang Haiyan looked around and didn’t see any attendants, he knew that Warner was talking to him.

He cursed secretly in his heart and stood up. It turned out that he was sitting with them so that he could act as their waiter. He approached the wine cabinet in the booth and saw that a bottle of wine had already been opened. There was also a box next to it. Zhang Haiyan was a little puzzled and glanced back at Warner, who winked.

Zhang Haiyan took the box and wine to the table.

“Miss Dong, what do you think about the matter I mentioned last time?” Warner asked as put his napkin in his lap.

“I already told you. The deal we made when we got on the ship is the final version. I can’t satisfy any of your extra requests.” Miss Dong lit a cigarette and looked at Steven a bit contemptuously.

Zhang Haiyan was still looking at the two gunmen outside the open door. He could just knock Warner down and abduct Miss Dong, but he knew those skilled marksmen could still hit him directly even if he kept Miss Dong close.

He really didn’t want to kill Miss Dong. He just hoped that she could help him fight against the killers.

He had to find a way to close the door.

“It’s not an extra request. It’s an additional transaction.” Warner opened the box, revealing a piece of jade inside. “I know that money is of no use to your family. This is a piece of jade found in Central Asia. The Arabs imported it from Myanmar through China at the time. I know that your family has been collecting this kind of stuff. Your father will definitely like it. This kind of stone is the most difficult one to come by. I hope this can make you rethink our terms.”

As Zhang Haiyan listened to his words, he couldn’t help thinking that foreigners were really straightforward. The dishes hadn’t even been served yet and he had already cut to the chase.

Miss Dong looked at Warner. “It is indeed very expensive. But using this in exchange for the smuggling channel is basically making our family exchange a stone for people’s lives. I think it may be difficult for my father to agree. Plus, I haven’t arrived in Xiamen yet. Our first deal hasn’t even been completed yet. Why so anxious?”

“When you arrive in Xiamen, I’m afraid that one stone won’t be enough,” Warner said. “What I want you to do is accept this stone now and send a telegram to your father. Open the smuggling channel for us before we arrive in Xiamen. Once you’ve arrived, the channel can be closed again. I only need this short amount of time.”

Miss Dong laughed. “This feels like you’re using me to threaten my father.”

Warner shook his head. “It’s business, Miss Dong, just business. The ship is yours, but I’m the one with the most firepower on it. Moreover, you’re the one who allowed us to get on the ship. Everything happens for a reason. Why don’t you think about what’s scaring you enough to get you to ask me for protection?”

Miss Dong seemed to be touched by Warner’s words. She thought for a while and then said, “Mr. Warner, you’ve said that the people on your team are the kind of devils who kill without batting an eye. Is that right?”

Warner nodded. “Yes. Those who listen to my orders are devils who kill without batting an eye. Am I right, Steven?”

Zhang Haiyan nodded.

Zhang Haiyan poured wine for the two of them and also poured a little for himself. He secretly leaned towards the door, preparing to close it.

Warner looked at Miss Dong, “You’ve been stalling for a long time. You have to give me the answer today. Otherwise, we may all be frightened today.”

Miss Dong laughed. “Oh, you’ll definitely be frightened.” She then turned to Zhang Haiyan—who had managed to close the door halfway—and said to him in Chinese, “Mr. Fake Face, even if you close the door, what you want to do won’t succeed.”

Zhang Haiyan was stunned, but he didn’t stop trying to close the door. Warner didn’t have time to react before Miss Dong suddenly put one hand on the table, jumped up, and kicked the box on the table. The box went flying through the crack in the door and over the railing, dropping to the first floor below. As a result, Zhang Haiyan didn’t get to close the door.

Zhang Haiyan didn’t expect Miss Dong to be this fierce. He had just turned around when he saw that Miss Dong was about to drop kick him. He opened the door wide and did a backflip.

Miss Dong wasn’t any slower than him and followed him out. The gunmen still hadn’t figured out what was going on before Miss Dong was already in front of Zhang Haiyan.

Zhang Haiyan thought to himself, she’s very ruthless. How is she the shipowner’s daughter? She might as well be my daughter. He immediately said in Chinese, “I’m here to discuss business. I’m the one who passed you the notes.”

Miss Dong didn’t care at all and just moved to poke his eyes out. Zhang Haiyan turned over and jumped down from the second floor. But before he had even landed, Miss Dong had almost jumped down right next to him.

You’re definitely not a rich second generation, Zhang Haiyan said in his heart. Is it popular among shipowners to send their daughters to Shaolin Temple (2)?

As Zhang Haiyan rolled on the floor, the dance floor below descended into chaos. Zhang Haiyan had a chance to look up and saw the chandelier above his head. He dodged as Miss Dong moved to poke his eyes out again. This time, she came very close. He managed to lift his head and shoot a blade at the ceiling, directly cutting the chandelier’s wire.

The chandelier didn’t fall, but sparks flew everywhere and the lights went out in an instant. The dance floor immediately became dark and everyone fled.

Zhang Haiyan went to a corner, immediately took his coat off, tore his mask off, and threw it to the middle of the dance floor.

At almost the exact same time, the artificial lights on the dance floor came on. They were very bright and everyone seemed to come to their senses.

Zhang Haiyan saw that Miss Dong had stopped giving chase. She walked up to where the mask was, picked it up, and then stuffed it into her skirt. She then lifted the box that had the jade in it.

Warner ran downstairs and looked at Miss Dong. “What happened to Steven? Where’s my jade?”

“Steven stole your jade.”

“What’s the matter with Steven? He was just like a monkey,” The gunmen asked from the back.

Warner grabbed the skin mask and threw it to the gunmen behind him. “Miss Dong, I’ve lost something on your ship. You need to take responsibility.”

Miss Dong lit another cigarette. “That doesn’t sound right. Didn’t your subordinate steal your thing?"

Warner became angry and drew his pistol, aiming it directly at Miss Dong. “Did you fucking set up a trap? That wasn’t Steven. If Steven can run after jumping down like that, I’ll lick your feet.”

Miss Dong watched him coldly and then took a single step forward. The pistol in Warner’s hand suddenly disappeared. He was stunned, but Miss Dong had already put the pistol back in his holster.

“Since his purpose is the jade and we’re on a ship, the jade will still be here before we dock. What are you worried about?” Miss Dong continued, “Start the investigation now, and inform everyone of the news. All passengers have to stay in their rooms and wait for Mr. Warner’s inspection.”

Zhang Haiyan was in the corner, looking at Miss Dong and wondering what the woman was going to do.

****

TN Notes:

(1) The National Revolutionary Army was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in the Republic of China. Wiki link here

(2) Shaolin Kung Fu is one of the oldest, largest, and most famous styles of kung fu. It originated and was developed in the Shaolin temple in China. Wiki link here