Chapter Seventy-Two: The Black Market

Seeing the red bills, Mouse was overjoyed and quickly tucked them into his chest, afraid that Xiao Ye might change his mind.
"Young Master Xiao, you're as generous as ever. Rest assured, I'll handle this for you perfectly!"
Mouse slapped his chest, full of confidence.
"Enough with the empty words. I'm in a hurry about this matter, so get on with it!"
Xiao Ye's voice was emotionless as he addressed Mouse.
"Don't worry, Young Master Xiao. We're not the kind to take the money and run. Give me two days and I'll have it all investigated for you."
Mouse stepped back, patting his chest in assurance.
But Xiao Ye had no intention of letting him leave so easily.
"Hold on, I have one more question. Do you know the chairman of the Jianghai Business Alliance?"
Mouse nodded noticeably, and Xiao Ye continued.
"Do me a favor—find out his whereabouts for me as well."
But Mouse seemed suddenly fearful, taking an instinctive step back, his expression changing.
"Young Master Xiao, I'm afraid I can't help with that, but if you want any information, you can try your luck at the nightclub we just came from. I've got people there."
With those words, Mouse turned and left immediately.
Seeing this, Xiao Ye had no choice but to trust Mouse for now; there was no other way.
The nightclub was a chaotic mix of all kinds of people, nothing unusual for that place. It was already past ten in the evening, just when nightlife was beginning.
Pulsating music filled the dance floor as young men and women released their hormones, the air thick and oppressive. Xiao Ye forced himself to search for Mouse's contact.
Soon, he spotted a woman leaning against the wall, holding a bottle of liquor and shaking it.
A bright rose tattoo adorned her upper arm—she must be the one he was looking for.
"Hello, someone sent me to find you. They said you have what I need."
With the noise overwhelming, Xiao Ye had to shout.
The woman glanced at him, took a sip, and gestured for him to follow, leading him to the nightclub's back door.
"Rose, right? Mouse said he'd introduce me," Xiao Ye said.
Without looking up, the woman took out a pack of cigarettes from her bag and lit one slowly.
"You've got some guts, mentioning Mouse here. He just stole a watch from this place, worth tens of thousands."
Hearing this, Xiao Ye cursed internally; Mouse had nearly gotten him into trouble.
"So, what do you want to know?" the woman asked without wasting words.

"Where is Jiang Zhongtao now?"
"Ah, that." Rose cleared her throat and continued, "The commotion from that incident was so great, no one dares mention his name anymore, afraid of inviting disaster. You're not telling me you were involved, are you?"
She squinted sharply, clearly clever—something Xiao Ye hadn't expected.
He smiled faintly, but his expression remained unchanged as he pressed on.
Where exactly is he?
He repeated the question, watching the woman.
An instant tension hung in the air between them, a silent confrontation, but ultimately the woman yielded.
"I'll investigate this for you. Come back in three days."
"Thank you, Mouse will pay your fee."
Xiao Ye nodded and thanked Rose, preparing to leave when she called out to him.
"I don't know what your connection to the Xiao family is, but let me warn you—there are depths here you can't fathom. Alone, you'll never control it. Don't end up losing your life."
Xiao Ye nodded in silence and left the alley.
After the experiences of his previous life, Xiao Ye's temperament was already far from ordinary. He wasn't angry; instead of impulsiveness, he now relied on careful calculation.
"It seems the interest collected last time was far too little."
Xiao Ye kept strategizing in his mind how to bring down the Jianghai Business Alliance, and in his distraction, he accidentally bumped into someone nearby.
"Hey, are you blind?"
A young man, arm around his girlfriend, reeking of alcohol, shouted at him, with two or three others backing him up.
"Sorry," Xiao Ye apologized, about to leave.
"Sorry doesn't cut it. Looks like I'll have to teach you some manners on behalf of your parents!"
Letting go of his girlfriend, the young man threw a punch, but Xiao Ye dodged easily.
He didn't want to waste time on such matters, so he raised his leg and kicked—the young man flew back, landing on the ground in shock.
His girlfriend screamed, and the others quickly surrounded Xiao Ye.
Among them was a burly man who, upon seeing Xiao Ye, was startled.
"You—how is it you?"
It was Liu Hao, the man Xiao Ye had beaten up before.
With nothing better to do that night, some of his underlings had suggested a drink at the nightclub. They were just about to leave when they ran into Xiao Ye at the door.
The young man who had started trouble was one of Liu Hao's underlings as well, confident in his fighting skills, but ended up biting off more than he could chew.

A hint of confusion flickered in Xiao Ye's eyes; he'd long forgotten about his previous encounter with Liu Hao.
"Sorry, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
"Damn it," Liu Hao snapped, blocking Xiao Ye. "You think you can just leave after hitting someone?"
His expression darkened; ever since their last encounter, he'd been haunted by it.
Seeing Xiao Ye again, he was determined to settle both old and new scores.
As Liu Hao spoke, Xiao Ye began to recall.
"So it was you. Didn't get enough last time?"
Xiao Ye's gaze grew sharp as he spoke coldly to Liu Hao.
"Cut the act, you're alone here!"
Liu Hao reached to grab Xiao Ye's shoulder, but Xiao Ye shrugged him off.
"You refused the easy way, now you'll get the hard one. I could've ignored you, but seeing you again—you can't blame me for being harsh!"
Liu Hao shouted, and his underlings rushed at Xiao Ye.
But before they could lay a hand on him, Xiao Ye sprang into action.
Almost simultaneously, Xiao Ye's fist smashed into one man's face.
The man's sunglasses flew off, leaving a bloody streak across his cheek.
He spun in midair and crashed to the ground.
Sang Yue, shocked, was pinned down by Xiao Ye onto the sofa behind.
Before the other two men could react, Xiao Ye dispatched them with equal force.
Liu Hao was terrified, but he was on his own turf and had no choice but to grit his teeth and join the fray.
He swung his fist, rushing at Xiao Ye.
But just then, Xiao Ye flipped backward, his body tracing an arc through the air and landing steadily.
"Naive."
With a cold remark, Xiao Ye lifted his leg and kicked Liu Hao hard in the lower back.