Blind Jack said, “I don’t have that kind of ability, but Logan Reed does. He can read Manchu, and also the seal script on the stamp, and he even recognized Grace Young from the photograph.”

Logan Reed’s head buzzed—what a pig of a teammate, spilling everything without reservation. At this point, he had nothing left to say and could only wait quietly for Simon Moore’s reaction.

Grace Young’s clear eyes fixed coldly on Logan Reed. “You’ve seen me before?”

Logan Reed shook his head.

Blind Jack said, “Lately, your photo has been on the front page of almost every major newspaper in Huangpu. It’s hard not to recognize you!”

Grace Young said, “You know the owner is connected to me, and you know Third Master is my godfather, yet you still dared to do this. You really are bold!”

Logan Reed understood her intent—she was adding insult to injury, deliberately provoking Simon Moore’s anger. He smiled slightly and said, “If we truly meant Miss Ye any harm, we wouldn’t have stepped in to help at the Blue Mill tonight.”

A subtle, inscrutable smile appeared at the corner of Grace Young’s lips. “Didn’t you just insist it wasn’t you who drew the knife?”

Logan Reed said, “Sometimes, when you do a good deed, you don’t necessarily need to leave your name.”

Grace Young’s brows arched sharply. “A good deed? You ruined my dress! Compensate me!”

Blind Jack’s mouth fell open. He couldn’t understand how the focus had suddenly shifted to the two of them. Simon Moore’s expression was also rather odd—how had a serious interrogation suddenly turned into a farce of Grace Young demanding a dress from Logan Reed?

Logan Reed laughed and said, “Since we were in the wrong, we’ll take responsibility…”

“Can you afford that responsibility?”

“Miss Ye, name your price!”

Grace Young said, “One hundred thousand silver dollars!”

Blind Jack was so shocked by the amount that his jaw nearly hit the floor. A single qipao, and she was asking for a hundred thousand silver dollars? This girl was a bandit! A daylight robber!

But Grace Young wasn’t finished: “One hundred thousand silver dollars, delivered to my house within three days. From now on, if you’re even a minute late, I’ll toss you both into the Huangpu River to feed the fish!” Her expression was cold, leaving no room for negotiation.

Blind Jack shouted, “A hundred thousand silver dollars? Even robbing a bank wouldn’t be enough…” Before he could finish, Simon Moore raised his tobacco pipe and knocked him on the head, making Blind Jack yelp in pain and swallow the rest of his words.

Simon Moore said, “What Qinghong says is what I say!”—final word.

But Logan Reed just chuckled. He stood up and raised the spiral tower-shaped pendant in his hand. “You two came here so late at night, you must have put a lot of thought into this. As for the hundred thousand silver dollars, even if you gave us three years, let alone three days, I doubt we could scrape it together.”

Simon Moore snorted coldly. “Then you’ll just have to die!”

Blind Jack shouted, “Logan Reed, let’s fight! If we die, we’ll take one with us…” Simon Moore raised his hand and slapped him again, making Blind Jack see stars and sending blood spurting from his nose. This old man really didn’t hold back.

Logan Reed said, “We’re just two small fry in the concession. If Third Master really wants us dead, we can’t resist. But our lives aren’t worth a hundred thousand silver dollars. I, Logan Reed, have always been straightforward. Let’s not beat around the bush—what do you want us to do? Just say it!” He had already guessed that Simon Moore and Grace Young had another agenda.

Simon Moore burst out laughing. “You’re the sharp one! As it happens, there’s a little matter I’d like your help with. If you get it done, we’ll call this whole thing off.”

Logan Reed thought to himself, there’s no way Simon Moore’s request is a small matter. But the situation was against him, and for now, the only option was to agree. Once Simon Moore let his guard down, they could escape Huangpu and get out of his reach. With this in mind, he nodded and said, “As long as Mr. Moore isn’t asking us to kill anyone, we can talk.”

Simon Moore smiled. “Good steel should be used on the blade’s edge. It would be a waste to use someone like you for killing. Besides, I have plenty of better candidates for that!”

Logan Reed couldn’t help but think of William Clark. Was that cold-blooded, deadly marksman one of Simon Moore’s men? He calmly said, “Please, Third Master, tell us.”

Simon Moore said, “The details—Qinghong will tell you.” He walked over to Logan Reed, sizing up the young man before him, and said meaningfully, “Young man, you’d better not think about brushing me off. Aren’t those children at Gospel Primary School still starving? I’ll help you do your good deed, but if you misunderstand my meaning, that good deed might just turn into a funeral!”

Chapter 0009: Crossing to the Northeast (Part 1)

Logan Reed was shaken to his core. Simon Moore was indeed cunning and experienced—he had found out so much about him, and was even using the lives of the children at Gospel Primary School as leverage. Truly despicable. But if not for this, how else could he be forced to comply? The higher the stakes, the greater the danger. Dealing with this infamous underworld figure was like walking on thin ice, every step fraught with peril.

Simon Moore walked toward the main door, pausing as he reached it, as if remembering something. “Oh, right, Little Billy, I’ll have someone bring your grandmother over and take good care of her. You don’t need to worry.”