Chapter 4: 004 — Murder and Plunder

Ma Wu, not understanding what he meant, answered honestly: "Master Hou lives on West Street by the dock."

Zhao Han pressed further: "Is that the old den of your Lotus Society?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "The Lotus Society's old den is on South Street, right under the city wall. When the big flood hit before, a stretch of the north wall collapsed, wrecked a lot of houses too. The Lotus Society brothers all live in those broken-down houses."

Zhao Han asked again: "How many people in Master Hou's household?"

Ma Wu said: "Just his own family."

Zhao Han said impatiently, "I'm asking you how many people are in Master Hou's household. How many men, how many women, how many old folks and children! Are there any household retainers or guards?"

"No guards, just an old woman who cooks," Ma Wu thought for a moment, counting on his fingers. "In the house there's Master Hou, his two women, and a few children. Three children? Or four? Could be five."

The situation was now clear enough; it seemed worth the risk.

"Get up. Take me there!" Zhao Han barked.

"Where to?" Ma Wu was a bit slow on the uptake.

Zhao Han said: "To Master Hou's house!"

Boom—!

The thunder grew louder, the lightning brighter, the rain heavier.

By the time they reached West Street, Zhao Han and his sister were both soaked through.

"This is the place." Ma Wu pointed at the courtyard gate.

Zhao Han ordered: "Take a clearer look!"

Ma Wu stared hard. He had night blindness — how could he possibly see clearly? He just fudged it: "I wouldn't mistake it with my eyes closed. Little ancestor, I've brought you to the place. Can you let me go now?"

Zhao Han tore off the man's sash, bound his hands and feet, then ripped a strip of cloth to gag his mouth and stuffed him under the gate's eaves. He said to his sister, "Wait till I come out. Don't wander off!"

Zhao Zhenfang nodded. "Second Brother, I understand."

The courtyard wall was not high, but slick with rain, and Zhao Han was still young and short. After failing several times, he finally gave up on climbing over.

He went back to examine the gate and found the gap between the doors was narrow. To push open the bar inside, he would need an extremely thin blade to slip through.

The situation was a bit embarrassing. Zhao Han had steeled himself to kill, yet he could not even get over someone else's courtyard wall.

Soaked through by the downpour, icy rain slapping his cheeks, Zhao Han's mind grew ever colder and calmer. He circled the base of the wall, carefully searching for a lower spot. After going back and forth more than ten times, he suddenly spotted a small hole not far from the threshold!

This thing was called a dog hole — cats and dogs could go in and out, but its real purpose was drainage.

Right now, the rainwater pooled in the courtyard was rushing out fast through the dog hole.

The opening was very narrow; an adult could not pass through, but a child could.

The dog hole was a vertical rectangle. Zhao Han tried it and found he could not get through lying flat on his belly. So he turned sideways and wriggled in — the height and width were just right.

The water gushing out of the dog hole made it hard for Zhao Han to open his eyes or breathe, and halfway through he nearly got stuck and could not move.

After much effort he squeezed through, his sleeves torn, both arms scraped raw with bloody streaks.

It was a small courtyard house, with only a main house (the north building) and east and west wing rooms; no reverse-facing house (south building) had been built.

In the yard stood a large tree and a stone water vat.

Zhao Han dashed to the eaves of the north house, poked through one lattice of the window paper, and crouched there, quietly waiting for lightning.

When lightning flashed again, Zhao Han used the faint light to barely make out the room's interior.

Inside were a table, chairs, and stools — clearly not a bedroom, but the central hall of an old-style dwelling. He immediately turned and headed for the adjacent room.

He poked through the window paper of the left-side room as well and pressed his ear to it. From inside came the faint sound of snoring.

A child's arm is small and just fits through the window lattice. Zhao Han soon felt the window bar inside. But being too short, he could only push upward with his fingertips. After a few shoves, the wooden bar dropped off.

Clatter!

The window bar hit the floor and rolled, making no small noise. Startled, Zhao Han immediately ducked down to hide.

The person inside did not wake, only turned over in bed.

Zhao Han carefully opened the window casement, climbed through into the room, and crept on tiptoe to the bedside.

There was only one man in the bed, the long beard under his chin faintly visible.

Zhao Han sensed something was off, because from what Ma Wu had told him, "Master Hou" had a wife and a concubine — by all reason, he should not be sleeping alone.

He pressed the spearpoint against the man's throat and clamped a hand over his mouth and nose.

Soon, the man could not breathe and snapped awake with a start. He thrashed instinctively in panic, but the spearpoint dug painfully into his neck. Terrified, he dared not move again, afraid his throat would be pierced.

"No shouting. If you'll behave, thump the bed twice with your foot," Zhao Han said in a low voice.

Thump! Thump!

The man hastily lifted his foot and struck the bed surface with his heel.

Zhao Han slowly released his hand and asked, "What is your name? How old are you?"

Able to speak now, the man did not answer the question but pleaded in panic: "Spare me, brave hero, spare me!"

Zhao Han pressed the spearpoint down harder and asked again: "What is your name? How old are you?"

This time the man finally behaved and answered: "My name is Zhang Chuncai. I am fifty-one this year."

As expected, he had found the wrong person!

Zhao Han casually made up a name: "Where is Li Jianguo's house?"

"What Li Jianguo?" Zhang Chuncai said, confused. "I don't know him. There's no one called Li Jianguo around here."

A smile finally appeared on Zhao Han's face. "Good, you didn't just point somewhere at random to send me off. Where does Master Hou live?"

"Master Marquis?" Zhang Chuncai suddenly caught on and said quickly, "The brave hero is looking for the beggar chief Deng Gui? He doesn't live here. You have to go two doors further east."

Afraid of getting it wrong again, Zhao Han asked: "How do you recognize Deng Gui's courtyard wall?"

Zhang Chuncai thought hard and said: "His door knocker base is a lion. Mine is a bat."

"What is a door knocker base?" Zhao Han asked a rather naive question.

Zhang Chuncai was taken aback. "The door knocker base is the thing you hang the door ring on."

Zhao Han asked again, "Anything else?"

Zhang Chuncai thought hard once more and said, "My family's dog hole is square; his family's dog hole is round."

Zhao Han pressed on, "What about the clothes you changed out of?"

Zhang Chuncai said, "Beside the bed."

Zhao Han felt his way to a pile of clothes. He first used the trouser cord to bind the man's hands behind his back, then randomly stuffed a wad of rags into his mouth.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

Zhang Chuncai struggled with all his might, but the thing gagging his mouth was his own foot-binding cloth.

Zhao Han did not leave immediately. He stayed in the room, rummaging through chests and cabinets, and before long found a weapon — a pair of scissors!

He returned to the bedside, cut Zhang Chuncai's clothes into many long, thin strips of cloth, and twisted those strips into several cloth ropes. He tied the cloth ropes onto the bamboo spear, then fastened the scissors at his waist and swaggered out the door.

Ma Wu was tied up under the eaves of the gate, making noises from time to time, hoping Zhao Zhenfang would untie him.

The little girl paid him no heed, only huddled under the eaves, half her body battered by wind and rain.

"Creak!"

The courtyard gate suddenly swung open. Zhao Zhenfang cried out in delighted surprise, "Second Brother!"

"Don't speak, don't run around. Wait for me to come back," Zhao Han instructed.

"Mm." Zhao Zhenfang nodded obediently.

Zhao Han walked over to Ma Wu, kicked him without the slightest warning, then pulled out the gag and asked, "The dog hole at the marquis's house — is it square or round?"

Ma Wu said dazedly, "Round… round, I think?"

Zhao Han pressed the scissors against the man's throat. "I'll ask once more. Square or round!"

Ma Wu said, his voice tinged with tears, "I… I can't remember clearly."

"Is this really the marquis's house?" Zhao Han asked again.

Ma Wu was terrified out of his wits and spoke the truth. "I don't know. I've got night blindness; I can't see clearly at night."

"Useless thing!"

Zhao Han cursed under his breath, gagged him again, and continued searching the neighboring dwellings.

Following Zhang Chuncai's description, Zhao Han soon spotted the target. The door knocker base was a lion, and the dog hole was round.

But this dog hole was too small; Zhao Han could not crawl through it. He had to go back for his sister and have Zhao Zhenfang crawl through the dog hole in the rain, then unbolt the door for him from inside.

Both siblings were now inside the courtyard. Zhao Han simply led his little sister to the portico to shelter from the rain.

They reached the main house. Using the same trick as before, Zhao Han reached his hand through the window lattice, but this time he had prepared a cloth rope noose in advance. He used the noose to secure the window bolt, preventing it from falling to the ground when dislodged, and silently climbed through the window into the main bedroom.

Three people lay sleeping on the bed — one large, two small.

In summer they used no blankets. By the faint light, it was clear at a glance: a woman and two children.

Zhao Han pressed the scissors against the woman's throat, covered her mouth and nose, and woke her, saying, "If you dare cry out, I'll kill your son!"

The woman was so shocked she lost her voice, trembling uncontrollably.

Zhao Han released one hand and barked in a low voice, "Where is Deng Gui? Speak!"

The woman quavered, "In-in-in… in the east wing."

Zhao Han said, "I only want money, not lives. Roll over obediently and let me tie your hands behind you!"

The woman dared not resist. She rolled over and lay on her stomach, placing her hands behind her lower back.

The cloth rope Zhao Han had prepared came in handy. He bound the woman's hands and feet, then gagged her mouth tightly.

He quickly made his way outside the east wing room and stealthily climbed through its window.

Sure enough, two people lay on the bed — a man and a woman. The man was undoubtedly the marquis, Deng Gui.

The two seemed to have just finished a "fierce bout." Both were now sleeping stark naked. Deng Gui lay sprawled on his back, snoring like thunder.

Zhao Han stood before the bed. He hesitated only a few seconds, then stabbed down with the scissors.

To achieve great things, one cannot hesitate; otherwise, one will surely suffer for it. Zhao Han did not have the capital to trade blows with his opponent, nor any chance of winning a direct confrontation. He had to strike first and settle the matter in one move!

The scissors pierced his throat. Deng Gui was jolted awake by the sharp pain and instinctively clutched at his neck.

He tried to scream, but blood surged into his throat, turning it into a series of coughs instead. The wretch seized Zhao Han's wrist, straining with all his might to push the scissors upward, while his feet kicked wildly against the bed in a plea for help.

The woman beside him was his concubine. Still half-asleep, she mumbled, "Dear, stop it. Haven't you had enough yet?"

"N… *cough cough cough*…"

Only a single syllable escaped Deng Gui's mouth before it dissolved into coughing again. As he coughed and coughed, a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out.

As for his neck, the blood gushing forth had already flowed down and dyed a large patch of the summer sleeping mat red.

At last, Deng Gui's struggles grew weaker and weaker. His arms dropped, and his whole body convulsed.

This great villain, who had entrenched himself in the Tianjin dock district, specializing in organized begging, moonlighting in theft, and occasionally trafficking children, thus died a death of utter confusion, not even understanding who had killed him.

Perhaps the commotion was too great; the concubine beside him finally awoke.

She sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes, and said through a yawn, "What's that smell? So fishy."

Startled, Zhao Han hurriedly leaped onto the head of the bed, covered her mouth from behind, pressed the scissors in a reverse grip against her throat, and said in a strained voice, "Don't you dare scream!"

The concubine was now fully awake. She nodded in terror. "Mmph! Mmph!"

Zhao Han slowly released his hand.

"Ahh!"

The moment he let go, the concubine screamed. Zhao Han hastily covered her mouth again and, in the same motion, stabbed down with the scissors.

This was Zhao Han's first premeditated murder, and his nerves were stretched to the breaking point. He had not originally intended to kill this concubine, but provoked by her scream, he killed her too in his panic!

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Zhao Han knelt between the two corpses, panting like a bellows. He was utterly exhausted by now.

Moreover, he felt somewhat dazed, as if his act of killing had been a sleepwalking dream — as if some ghostly impulse had driven him to commit such a violent and brutal deed.

"Hah..."

Zhao Han exhaled a breath of turbid air and forced himself to calm down.

It's not my fault.

Right, it's not my fault!

This man wanted to seize me and my sister, break our legs, and turn us into begging tools. I just struck first. And this man was steeped in evil — killing him was ridding the people of a scourge. I'm not wrong; I've done a good deed!

Wiping the fresh blood from his hands, Zhao Han returned to the main bedroom, yanked the rag from the woman's mouth, and demanded, "Where is Deng Gui's money?"

The woman said in terror, "I don't know."

Zhao Han pressed viciously, "If you don't talk, I'll kill your son!"

The woman hurriedly said, "There's a brick in the corner by the bed. The money's hidden inside."

Zhao Han felt along the corner and found a loose blue brick. He pried it out with the scissors — sure enough, there was a money pouch inside.

"This little?" Zhao Han questioned.

The pouch held only some loose bits of silver, at most ten taels in total.

The woman hastily explained, "It really is only this much. Everyone above and below has to be greased. The officials, the clerks, and those army officers — which one doesn't need feeding? The Marquis worked the docks for a living. Of the silver he brought in each month, fifty percent went as tribute to the guard station and the grain-transport troops, another thirty percent was split among the clerks and officials, and only twenty percent was his own. We have five children, four of them in school. The tuition and the costs of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones all take money."

Zhao Han didn't believe her. "Twenty percent still isn't a small sum, is it?"

The woman said, "The Marquis wanted to secure an official post. Just a few days ago, he sent off several hundred taels — said it could get him a government position at the docks. The money in the house really is all that's left. There are still some copper coins under my pillow."

"Damn it!"

Zhao Han not only took the silver but also grabbed several sets of children's clothing, even snatching the two pairs of children's shoes by the bed.

"What's this?" Zhao Han felt a knife-axe-shaped object on the table.

The woman answered, "A fire striker."

Zhao Han stuffed the fire striker into his clothes as well and gagged the woman again.

Searching and rummaging once more, he found the woman's dressing table and took all her jewelry. On his way out, he also felt a comb and a fine-toothed comb. Remembering his little sister's tangled, messy hair, he took both combs with him.

The rain was still pouring. Zhao Han led his sister out and found Ma Wu not far away next door. He untied Ma Wu's ropes and said, "Go on your own. The Marquis is dead — I killed him. You led the way. I'm the principal; you're the accessory. You understand what that means?"

Ma Wu turned pale with shock and quickly answered, "I don't know a thing."

"Smart." Zhao Han said approvingly.

Ma Wu, freed, immediately fled in panic.

Zhao Han, holding his sister's hand, ran all the way through the rain toward the city wall. He didn't dare stay in the dock district, because Deng Gui had people above him providing cover.

As for taking over the beggar gangs — forget it. Above, you had to grease officials, clerks, and army officers; below, you had to fight other beggars for territory. If Zhao Han were an adult, maybe he could pull it off, but right now he was just a ten-year-old child.

The northern wall of Tianjin had collapsed for several dozen zhang and had gone unrepaired for twenty years.

The brother and sister waded through mud and water, climbed in through the breach in the wall, and slipped silently into the city of Tianjin.

(Author's note: Many thanks to Ziyi Zi for the alliance-leader reward, and also thanks to Yan Han Wuxin, Jiaojiao Mingyue Ji'an Feiyang, Longxiang Shengteng, Qunying Hui Haolaiwu, and many, many other readers for their reward support. After the new book goes on sale, one alliance leader will mean two extra chapters. I'm saving them up for now — can't update too fast before it goes on sale.)

(End of chapter)