I returned to A Gui’s house, where Wang Meng was soaking wet and wringing out water from his clothes. I took off my clothes as well, no longer holding back. I went into A Gui’s room, took out his liquor, and drank a few sips to dry off. Then I started to ponder what to do next.

To be honest, I never anticipated this situation at all; it was completely unexpected. It reminded me of a concept my mentor once told me about, called “removing preconceived notions.” This is a logistics concept that has since been applied in many industries, stating that every aspect must be reconsidered from scratch without any assumptions. In logistics, many factors are taken into account, including weather, religion, customs, and strike cycles. Every detail must be thoroughly considered at any port to ensure smooth operations.

I had preconceived notions about the weather here and didn’t realize how terrifying the rainy season in Guangxi could be, which is why I failed to consider this factor.

Now, the situation had become very tricky. From what I heard, it was completely unpredictable when the rain would stop, and even if it did, the mountains would still be very dangerous for a long time. The earliest we could enter the mountains would be a week, and it could take over a month at most. I couldn’t count on divine intervention, so going into the mountains now seemed to be the right choice.

However, if I went to seek help from Old Man Pan Ma now, I really wouldn’t have much confidence. I had previously told him that I wouldn’t come to him again, and now seeking his help would contradict the powerful impression I had given him before. If he found out, it would blow my cover. If he didn’t beat me up, I’d be lucky, let alone expect him to help me.

As I thought about it, I told myself not to back down. Since seeking Pan Ma was the only option, I had to bite the bullet. I needed a very clever way to entice him.

Pan Ma was a crafty old fox, possessing a unique wisdom typical of his generation. Figuring out how to draw him into my scheme was indeed a troublesome matter.

After thinking it over, I couldn’t come up with a good plan. This situation was really difficult; my sudden appearance asking him to take me into the mountains had no persuasive power. If I didn’t even have the ability to enter the mountains, I wouldn’t have any leverage to threaten him.

First of all, I could be clear that my attitude couldn’t be one of pleading; I had to be threatening or coercive. I would rather let him think I was a powerful, unscrupulous person who would do anything to achieve my goals than let him see me as a mere façade.

Secondly, I needed to shift the focus. No matter what reason I used to get him to take me into the mountains, it was still about entering the mountains. If I approached him with this reason, it would indicate that I lacked the ability to enter the mountains. A powerful villain might lack the ability elsewhere, but not in entering the mountains. I had to conceal my true intentions and make him think that I needed him for something else, with entering the mountains being just a necessary task within that context.

What would I force him to do? Save A Gui and Yun Cai?

That was impossible; it was too kind-hearted. Since I was a ruthless and unscrupulous person, such a quality of kindness couldn’t be part of me. Moreover, Pan Ma had a natural cunning about him. If I showed any kindness, he would immediately overpower me and threaten me in return. I couldn’t show any weaknesses of humanity.

What did he say about going over there to identify something in person? It seems a bit far-fetched and lacks the persuasive power to ensure he will definitely go. Moreover, I wouldn’t know how to pretend in this situation. Even if he agrees, seeing me travel alone with him would inevitably raise his suspicions. He would certainly think I’m increasingly useless in his eyes, and if any danger arises, I would have to rely on him to save me. Over time, I would definitely lose control of the situation.

Thinking about it made my head spin. I felt this matter was different from small talk; small talk is like a business negotiation where you just need to get through the conversation. After that, I still have to travel with him, pretending all the way under such harsh conditions is too difficult.

I rubbed my temples, trying to clear my mind. Damn it, let’s change the approach. If pretending doesn’t work, can I be a bit more ruthless?

Kidnapping? My mind jolted: knock him out and put him in a donkey cart? But then I immediately thought of the skills of Pan Ma and looked at Wang Meng and myself, and I quickly gave up. Damn, kidnapping might get me killed on the spot.

If kidnapping won’t work, then let’s go straight for the big money. I’ll be ruthless and take out two or three hundred thousand to smash him with cash.

Thinking about how hard Pan Ma’s family has it, combined with his son’s attitude, I suddenly had a script in my mind. I would say I need that kind of iron block, and I need it in the next few days. I’d ask how much one piece costs and tell Pan Ma that for each piece he retrieves, I’d give him ten thousand. This way, they might go into the mountains for the money.

Finding this plan somewhat feasible, I began to dig through my belongings. Two or three hundred thousand isn’t a huge amount, but I certainly can’t carry that much on me. I sorted through my cash and miscellaneous items and counted: only forty thousand. There’s more in my bank account, but I’d need to go to town to withdraw it. Estimating, I felt it might be enough. Just as I was about to have Wang Meng set off, a thought suddenly flashed in my mind.

Wait, this isn’t a foolproof plan. Although I estimated that Pan Ma would likely agree, it’s not a hundred percent certain. What if he refuses? If he refuses, I won’t have a second chance. My grandfather once told me that while you can fail at something, you must not fail when there’s no second chance.

“A method can have less than a fifty percent success rate, or even only a ten percent success rate, but you must leave room for maneuver. This way, you actually have countless opportunities for a hundred percent success later.”

I felt defeated again, scratching my head as I looked at my credit cards, thinking, damn, this is really tough. My grandfather only said to leave room for maneuver, and I want to leave some, but how?

I felt a bit anxious, stood up, and thought about rushing out into the heavy rain to shake off all those useless thoughts. So, I gathered my cards and tidied up my belongings. Suddenly, I felt something in my hand: it was the iron block I had found under the bed of the oil bottle.

Originally, the fat guy wanted me to take it back to the city and store it somewhere, but I had forgotten. I picked up the iron block, unwrapped the newspaper around it, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, recalling another thing my grandfather said: “When competing with others, directly attack their weaknesses.”

When it comes to outsmarting others, directly target their most vulnerable points. What is Pan Ma’s weakest point? I thought again and looked at the iron block in my hand, and a foolproof strategy formed in my mind.

Upon a careful inspection, I found it to be seamless. I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine; these thoughts of mine filled me with a sense of fear. I had never been so scheming and calculating towards others before. After going through these experiences, I realized I had changed—I was now able to consider such deep conspiracies with a sense of calmness and ease. But when I thought about the situation of the fat guy and the silent oil bottle, I couldn’t afford to think too much.

Without further ado, I immediately began to prepare. I had Wang Meng find me an incense burner filled with hot coals, then I wrapped the iron block and the incense burner together to heat them up. Pan Ma had mentioned that this iron block would emit a smell, but over time, the odor would become fainter. I knew it must be something inside that was evaporating, and according to general principles, heating it would intensify this faint evaporation.

As expected, slowly, the iron block began to emit a strange odor that grew more and more intense. It was the first time I had smelled this scent; it was indeed very odd and hard to describe—if I had to characterize it, I would say it had a chemical smell mixed with the odor of heated metal. If Pan Ma were to smell this, he would definitely be unable to identify what it was.

I loosely wrapped the items in a towel and placed them in my backpack. Then, I practiced a mysterious and enigmatic expression in front of the mirror before grabbing an umbrella and heading towards Pan Ma’s house.

When Pan Ma saw me, his expression was hard to describe; it was a mix of surprise, fear, and perhaps disgust. But once I entered the room, sat down, and the strange smell emanating from me began to fill the space, all that was left on his face was terror. Then, he immediately broke down.

I sat down calmly, looking at the trembling Pan Ma, and my first words were, “They’ve come back. I’m here to get you.”