Chapter 138: The Jianghu Death Warrant and the Assassination Dragon Foundation

Staring at her with six eyes fixed upon him, Long Bisheng pondered for a long time before finally saying, "I... still need to think about it."

Ning Xi nodded. "That is only to be expected; after all, making a choice like this is never easy... However, you must decide quickly. The Italian league is already past its halfway point, and for a player joining mid-season, the earlier you integrate with the team, the easier it will be to fit in."

Long Bisheng understood this logic all too well. Back when he was loaned to Qingdao Haifeng, even though the club urgently needed him and the head coach was very familiar with him, he still had to sit on the bench for two games before finally getting his chance to play, and it took several matches after that to truly develop an understanding with his teammates. If he chose to go to Napoli, all these advantages would completely vanish, and he would have to spend precious time adapting to an entirely different style of football. Naturally, the earlier he joined the squad, the better.

"Tomorrow, then... I'll think it over carefully tonight and give you my decision tomorrow," Long Bisheng said after a moment of reflection.

For a decision of this magnitude, one night was certainly a very short window of time! Yet, having this single night would at least allow Long Bisheng to weigh the pros and cons of the two transfer offers to a certain extent—which was still far better than making an impulsive decision on the spot.

That very evening, Ning Xi stayed at Long Bisheng's home. There were plenty of rooms in the house, and Yin Xiuping had already prepared a bed for her. The next morning, Long Bisheng looked exhausted with bloodshot eyes, clearly having barely slept through the night.

"I want to go play football in Italy." It was obvious that Long Bisheng had made up his mind. "For a Chinese player, opportunities to play in Europe do not come around often. Last time, due to various reasons, I missed out on that chance. This time, I don't want to lose it again. Even if there are temporary financial losses, it doesn't matter. My expenses aren't high, and neither are my mom and dad's. What I've earned over the past six months is enough to keep them living comfortably without any problems. I'm still young, and I want to go out and test myself. Even if I ultimately fail, I can always return to China, can't I?"

"It seems you've thought this through very clearly..." Ning Xi suddenly smiled. "I find myself admiring Coach Ding Yu more and more. Before I came to Xinjiang, he told me that you definitely wouldn't give up this opportunity... People coming out of his school have a supreme goal in football: apart from serving the national team and Yunjian Tianyu, it is to venture out and conquer Europe. However, since you've chosen this path, you must mentally prepare yourself to endure hardships."

"I've already considered everything," Long Bisheng nodded heavily.

Ning Xi smiled brightly. "Don't be afraid of difficulties... I will bear them right alongside you. Don't forget, I'm your agent!"

Since the player himself had agreed, the subsequent negotiations proceeded remarkably smoothly. Yunjian Tianyu raised no difficulties regarding the loan fee, settling for a modest 20,000 euros from the Italian side. The initial loan period would be one and a half years, after which Napoli would hold a priority purchase option.

Long Bisheng did not fuss too much over his personal terms either. An annual salary of 50,000 euros was considered nothing more than youth-team level wages in Italy. Following Aurelio De Laurentiis's takeover, Napoli no longer had financial troubles, and such a salary was merely a drop in the ocean for a professional club's budget.

Within just two days, Long Bisheng—who had flown directly with Ning Xi to Wuhan and then transferred by vehicle to Yunjian—swiftly finalized the verbal contract details with the Napoli representatives. All that remained was for Long Bisheng to travel to Italy and pass his medical examination for the contract to officially take effect.

With only a week left before New Year's Day, Napoli's wish was for Long Bisheng to travel to Italy as soon as possible to undergo his medical. He would then report to the team when they assembled on January 2nd. The first Serie C1 Group B league match after the New Year was scheduled for January 8th, and having those few days of joint training with the squad would be immensely beneficial for Long Bisheng to familiarize himself with his teammates.

Long Bisheng agreed to their request. The Yunjian Tianyu club would dispatch a staff member to accompany him to Italy, and of course, Ning Xi would go along as well. As Long Bisheng's official agent, her presence was required for him to sign his name on the contract.

The Yunjian Tianyu club had already booked his flight from Shanghai to Naples, and he would depart for Italy in a day's time.

He was finally going abroad. Boarding the coach bound for Shanghai, Long Bisheng turned his head for a final glance at Yunjian—the club that had nurtured him, yet for which he had never played a single official match. Would I ever have the chance to pull on the red and blue jersey of Yunjian Tianyu and run across the pitch at the Yunjian Fengyun Stadium again?

Before leaving Yunjian, the coaches who had guided him, such as Ding Yu and Xia Liquan, had offered him countless words of encouragement. Yet Long Bisheng felt that before leaving China, there was still one person he needed to greet.

While waiting for his flight in Shanghai, Long Bisheng dialed a phone number.

After ringing twice, the call connected. The person on the other end remained silent. After a brief hesitation, Long Bisheng said, "Coach, I'm going to Naples."

A moment later, Cai Sheng's exhausted voice came through the receiver. "I've already heard about this... Congratulations. To be able to go play in Europe before turning seventeen is a rare achievement indeed."

"I'm sorry, Coach," Long Bisheng murmured softly. He knew how desperately Cai Sheng had wanted him to join Qingdao Haifeng, and his rejection was a massive blow to Cai Sheng and the club, who had harbored grand ambitions of making a big splash in the new season.

"It doesn't matter. I used to be a player myself; I know what going to Europe means to a footballer," Cai Sheng chuckled. He admitted he had been a bit angry at first—after all, ever since the season ended, he had been building his tactical schemes entirely around Long Bisheng while considering what kind of complementary players to sign. Without Long Bisheng, all his preparatory work would go down the drain.

Yet later on, he came to terms with it. After all, Long Bisheng wasn't going to Naples for a lucrative paycheck—Cai Sheng knew what an annual salary of 50,000 euros in Europe signified; it was a definitive financial sacrifice. Furthermore, as he had just noted, he was a former player himself and understood that venturing to Europe, especially at such a tender age, opened up an entirely new and different world for an athlete.

Besides, 2006 had not even arrived yet; he still had a month or two to rethink his tactics and recruitments. The setback was real, but not unbearable—people always had to look forward. Since Long Bisheng could no longer come, he would simply have to find other solutions. After all, a football club could never rely solely on a single player.

The primary reason for his equanimity, however, was that Ding Yu had made a promise on behalf of the Yunjian Tianyu club to recommend several outstanding young players to join Qingdao Haifeng as a form of compensation.

"Alright, stop all this nonsense. Your coach here doesn't have the time to shoot the breeze with you... Once you get to Italy, play well, put on a stellar performance, and show those Europeans that the towering center-forward is far from obsolete! Look at some of those so-called target men in Europe right now—take Zlatan Ibrahimović, towering like that yet his heading is mediocre, always trying to pull off flashy tricks with his feet. And that Adriano too; a target man who doesn't guard the penalty area and wait for balls, always obsessed with long-distance solo runs. Then there's that Crouch fellow—tall as a tree yet falls over at the slightest bump, what kind of center-forward is that! Only Toni and Koller are somewhat decent, at least they haven't lost the traditions of our position... You must win some respect back for our breed of center-forwards!"

Listening to Cai Sheng's impassioned critique of modern European center-forwards and their "all show and no substance," Long Bisheng almost burst out laughing. Perhaps in Cai Sheng's eyes, strikers like Ibrahimović, Adriano, and Crouch were utterly neglecting their proper duties—Ibrahimović stood one meter ninety-two tall yet possessed finer technique than most players standing one meter seventy-two, while Adriano and Crouch certainly didn't rely solely on headers to make their mark. This seemed to be a growing trend in modern football: the living space for a center-forward who possessed only height and no footwork was shrinking by the day.

"Oh, and one more thing, kid—watch your back if you ever visit Qingdao again. Li Erlong has already issued a martial arts arrest warrant for you, vowing to beat you up every single time he lays eyes on you in Qingdao. Xie Hui even established a 'Stab-the-Dragon Foundation'—full name being the 'Assassinate Long Bisheng Foundation in tribute to Teacher Zhang Guozhang and Grandmaster Lan Xiaolong'—and has already raised a massive fortune of two hundred yuan and ten cents to hire an assassin to take you out!" Cai Sheng said with a beaming smile.

Long Bisheng broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, hurriedly begging for mercy over the phone and pleading with Cai Sheng to put in a good word so those two Qingdao overlords would spare his little life.

After hanging up the phone, Long Bisheng's mood lifted considerably.

"Who were you on the phone with?" Ning Xi, who had been lingering off to the side with a slightly displeased expression ever since he started the call, walked over and asked, "All smiles and looking so happy?"

"Ah, just settling a piece of unfinished business," Long Bisheng replied with a grin.

"Don't act like some grumpy old man..." Ning Xi scoffed. "Settled a piece of unfinished business, my foot... What kind of business? Did you just break up with some passionate female fan?"

Long Bisheng's face instantly flushed crimson. "Of course not! With my looks, who would ever fancy me?"

"Let's go, the plane takes off in twenty minutes! Missing our flight would be a terrible waste of money!" Ning Xi grabbed Long Bisheng's hand and pulled him forward, a radiant smile blooming across her face.

"Huh? Why are you suddenly in such a good mood? You seemed a bit glum just a moment ago."

"None of your business!"

"Wow, you're so fierce..."

*(Author's Note: Well, my monthly votes have exceeded fifty, so I'm releasing three chapters today. Lao Guo always keeps his word and never fires blank shells. To be continued...)*