“What’s the lead?” Tang Hao asked.
His expression turned grim. If Taoist Master Chang Qing was in Westridge, did that mean that the lead had brought him there?
Did that mean that Wang Changsheng was in or near Westridge too?
Neither possibility was good news.
Taoist Master Chang Qing propped himself up and leaned against the headboard. “I’ve heard from Senior Brother Xuan Ling that, after the battle in South Beach, the Wang villain was nowhere to be found. He guessed that the villain must have hidden himself and was recuperating somewhere.
“That made the search a lot more difficult, which is why I’m also called in to help.
“I thought that I’d give it a shot. If I could find him, then I would have contributed to a good cause, and maybe I might be once again recognized as a Mao Mountain disciple.
“I didn’t find anything for the next month and a half. I was already planning to give up but I once found a lead by coincidence.”
Taoist Master Chang Qing grinned smugly as he said that.
He continued talking. “A few days ago, I was in another district. I read in the local papers that there was a call for blood donations because the blood banks there were running low on reserves.
“I didn’t care about it too much, but I checked for more information out of sheer curiosity and found out that about half a month ago, there was another blood shortage in the local blood banks. That made me suspicious.
“The official explanation was that there was an increasing demand for blood in hospitals. However, I went to the hospitals to check and found that it was not true.
“If there isn’t a natural explanation for the phenomenon, then it must be something supernatural. That was when I realized that something was amiss!
“However, I didn’t think at that time that the incident would be related to the Wang villain. It was a blood-related incident after all, and it most likely had something to do with vampires.
“It was not the first time that vampires went after blood banks. I staked out at the blood bank for a few days and found out that the Wang descendants were behind it.
“They’ve planted an insider in each of the blood banks and used them to steal blood.
“After investigating it further, I’ve also found that not only Province Z, but also several surrounding provinces have the same thing going on. However, they were smart enough to space out the locations of blood banks from which they stole the blood.”
Tang Hao’s brows were locked tight when he heard that.
‘If the Wang family descendants are behind the blood shortage, then Wang Changsheng must be not far away. However, why does the Wang villain want blood?
‘Right, the Wang villain practices heretical sorcery. Blood is nourishing. Even though donated blood isn’t as nourishing as fresh monster blood, the quantity would make up for quality.
‘That old villain is quite smart. He knows that Mao Mountain is keeping a close eye on him, and that’s why he’s keeping a low profile. He’s not going after rare monsters but instead blood of mundane humans.
“Is there the same problem with the blood bank in Westridge too?” Tang Hao asked seriously.
Taoist Master Chang Qing nodded, after which his expression turned indignant.
“The manager of the Westridge Blood Bank is a total bastard. He looks like a fat pig and he has a bad temper. Half of my injuries are caused by him alone.
“His surname is Hu, and… what was his name again? Right, it’s Hu Dahai! Every one of those bastard hooligans calls him Brother Dahai!”
Tang Hao nearly did a spit take when he heard the name.
‘Hu Dahai? Why is it him again?’ Tang Hao was speechless.
‘Why doesn’t he ever learn? The first time, he brought trouble to Yan’er and her family. The second time, he brought bulldozers to Tang Village. This third time, he became a lackey of the Wang family descendants.’
“Why, do you know that guy?” Taoist Master Chang Qing was surprised.
“He and I go a long way back. He was arrested and locked up a while ago, but I didn’t expect that he would be back to his old self after he’s released,” Tang Hao explained.
“Oh? He’s been arrested before? No wonder!” Taoist Master Chang Qing said.
He gritted his teeth and said indignantly. “That damn fatty, if not that I had to hide my identity, I would’ve bashed his head in.”
Tang Hao smiled. “Yes, that damn fatty is very arrogant and despicable. How about we go there and teach him a lesson now?”
The Taoist master was shocked. “Well… Look at my current state. I won’t be able to go. Furthermore, if we look for him now, won’t that alert the old villain and his minions?”
“No worries! He knows who I am, and he has a grudge with me. If we can encounter at least one Wang family descendant too, that would be better. We can capture them, ask them where the old villain is, and wipe out their base of operations.”
The Taoist master was shocked when Tang Hao told him the plan.
‘That plan is a little too… straightforward!’
He laughed drily.
Taoist Master Chang Qing had a weak cultivation base and therefore could only sneak around. Meanwhile, Tang Hao had a strong cultivation base which he heard was on par with his First Senior Brother. Catching several Wang family descendants would be like child’s play.
He shook his head and lamented his fate.
Tang Hao retrieved some medicinal herbs and concocted a potion for the Taoist master so that he may recover faster.
The Taoist master was almost nursed back to his normal health about half an hour later. Tang Hao gave a call to Captain Gao and told him that he should consider the case settled, then brought the Taoist master out of the hospital.
In the manager’s office of Westridge Blood Bank.
Hu Dahai leaned back in the genuine leather chair. His legs were placed on the table.
After the stint in jail, he was slightly thinner. His hair was combed back neatly and shined with oil. He wore a white doctor’s coat and black-rimmed spectacles, which made him look rather pretentious.
The rings on his ten fingers were gone, though he held a cigar between the fingers of his right hand.
He took a long drag, narrowed his eyes in pleasure, and nearly moaned out of loud. He gently exhaled and filled the room with white smoke.
Amid the swirling smoke, he saw paradise!
There was a bottle of fine liquor on the table and fat stacks of cash in the safe. Not far away, there were two pretty ladies in nurse uniforms polishing the chairs. Their butts wriggled as they worked.
‘Oh my! I can’t hold it back anymore!
‘If this isn’t paradise, what is?’
He dragged his cigar another time and felt that his body was floating.
‘This is true happiness!’
Recalling his past, and comparing that to his current state made him count his lucky stars and almost cry tears of joy.
Two times he had all his riches taken away from him, but he had weathered through those tough times. Every time, he felt that he was a better person. He thought that he was as resilient as a cockroach, and he was beginning to be impressed by himself.
He thought that the gods must be helping him. He did not have a penny to his name when he was first released from jail, but someone found him and gave him a second chance at life.
That person in a suit whose face was as cold as ice gave him everything, and in return, all he had to do was steal some blood. That was too easy.
Furthermore, that person knew some supernatural tricks, which made Hu Dahai fear him even more.
He was even thinking of asking the strange person to help him take revenge on Tang Hao in the future.
Hu Dahai had never hated someone so much in his life before. That filthy kid was the bane of him.
He was reduced to nothing twice, and it was all because of that filthy kid.
He had dreamed of killing that kid many times!
His face grimaced with hatred when the kid’s face appeared in his mind. It took him a while before he calmed his emotions again.
“I should think positively at this time! Why am I thinking of the kid?” He mumbled and sucked viciously on the cigar.
Then, he took the glass of liquor on his table and drained it.
He spoke to the two women while wearing a perverted smile on his face, “Come to me, my pretties.”
The two nurses walked over while wiggling their butts and leaned on each side of him.
He kissed their faces while his hands went to work. He was so happy that he almost lost his mind.
‘This is heaven!’ He thought as he narrowed his eyes.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. A few grunts could be heard, then the door was kicked open with a bang.