Chapter 174: Street Fighters

The peddler walked into the street with his head lowered, glancing around warily among the crowd, extremely cautious. The young street tough behind him followed in as well. Chen Xin noticed that the man who had been covering the street entrance earlier also stood up and quietly fell in behind the tough; he seemed to have spotted that tough.

Chen Xin remained seated without moving. When the peddler drew near, Chen Xin took advantage of the moment he looked the other way to steal a quick glance at his face. It indeed bore the features of someone from Fujian in this era; he could basically confirm he was one of Zheng Yiguan's men. After the peddler passed, Chen Xin waited until that street tough reached his side, then stood up and walked past him, saying in a low voice, "Someone's behind you. Stop following."

That street tough was an old hand in the jianghu. Out of the corner of his eye he saw it was Chen Xin, and without turning his head to ask questions, he walked on a short distance and entered a gambling den. The peddler ahead was walking slower and slower. Chen Xin guessed their hideout was nearby, so he stopped at a dried-goods stall to look at the wares.

The peddler turned left and entered an alley. Chen Xin knew there was still someone behind him, so he slowly picked through dried fruits. After a while, the peddler actually came back out of the alley and glanced in this direction. Chen Xin finished selecting his goods, had the dried-fruit seller weigh them, wrapped them in paper, and carried them in his hands as he walked, heading toward the peddler with a perfectly normal expression.

That peddler paid him no attention. Carrying his back-basket, he entered another small lane. He was using the most common counter-surveillance method: walking the same route twice, letting the cover man observe whether anyone was following, while he himself could also spot a tail when he turned back. He was especially cautious when finally entering his hideout.

Fortunately, they were not yet professional agents. Relying on some rudimentary espionage knowledge, Chen Xin finally confirmed where they were staying. He did not dare follow them into the alley. He looked left and right at the surrounding shops, memorized the conspicuous signs, then turned around and left.

。。。。。。。。。

Beside the Shengping Bridge market, inside a tea shop, it was packed with young men who looked like street fighters. All the other tea patrons were too frightened to come in.

"Brother Zuo, I found a few brothers from nearby and quietly asked around. The ninth door in, it was rented last month by a Fujian man. Usually there's no sign of activity. But a few days ago they bought a lot of rice at the grain shop, and these past few days they've been buying a lot of meat and vegetables too," a street tough said in a low voice.

The man sitting inside was precisely Zuo Changhao. Listening to the tough's report, his eyes flickered with deep hatred. That place was the assassins' safe house. One end of the alley opened onto Jiacheng Street, the other onto Cunyi Street. It was also not far from Zhongzheng Street, where Xu Xinsu's shop was located. The straight-line distance to Xu Xinsu's former residence was only a short hundred paces — no wonder that inside man had been able to deliver the news so quickly.

He gave a cold laugh. Turning his head, he looked at Chen Xin, who shared his table, and at another street-fighter boss. This man had a fiercely brutal face, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent just like Nie Hong's, but the clothes he wore were quite opulent. Zuo Changhao turned to him and said, "At most ten men left inside. The price is the usual rate."

The street-fighter boss nodded expressionlessly, calculated silently for a moment, and said, "No telling how many rooms are inside. I'll take fifteen men in. Your people have to follow us in."

The few of them quickly reached an agreement. The street-fighter boss waved his hand, and the dozen or so street fighters seated there filed out the door one after another. Two men lifted a sedan chair and followed at the very rear. When the chair was lifted, there was a clanking sound of metal from inside — it probably held their weapons.

Chen Xin was somewhat worried and asked Zuo Changhao, "Brother Zuo, can these street fighters handle those men? If not, let my men go in instead."

Zuo Changhao said to Chen Xin, "Brother Chen, you needn't worry on their account. These street fighters take money to do a job. They may not compare to your lordship's crack troops, but they are desperate men all the same. The best among them can even strike a man so that he dies only after a specified number of days, just as requested."

Chen Xin was a little surprised. He had heard before that the Jiangxi Five-Hundred-Cash gang had this kind of skill; it seemed it wasn't all bluster. Since he could pay to have the job done, he didn't insist on sending his own men in. These personal guards were accustomed to the battlefield; they might not necessarily excel at this kind of street combat, and getting them killed or wounded here wasn't worth it.

He supported Zuo Changhao, and the group of them followed out the door. Zuo Changhao got into a sedan chair, carried by two guards, and headed toward Jiacheng Street. When they reached that alley, the street fighters went ahead first and blocked the alley entrance.

How could Chen Xin pass up this chance for real combat experience? He followed them in with his personal guards. The alley was quiet, carrying wafts of lunchtime cooking smells. The street fighters stood on either side of the courtyard gate, all holding swords or blades. The one at the very front, the most muscular of them, carried a large iron hammer.

The street-fighter boss said to his men in a low voice, "They have bows and crossbows. Be quick about it. There's the smell of food inside — they might be eating right now, a perfect time to strike. Once inside, follow my orders."

They did not know the layout inside, nor had that street tough managed to find out clearly. But judging by its size, it was a single-courtyard residence. The number and distribution of people inside were also unknown — many uncertainties. Chen Xin did not intend to go in and take the risk himself. He quietly instructed Pu Zhuang, "You follow behind them. Move fast, don't give them time to use their bows and crossbows. Try to take them alive."

Pu Zhuang nodded, quietly drew his Qi-family saber, and led several personal guards to the gate. The street-fighter boss glanced at both sides and raised his hand high. Watching their stance, Chen Xin thought they really did look like men accustomed to raiding homes and robbing houses.

After a brief silence, the street-fighter boss swept his hand down. The big man at the front swung the great hammer and smashed it against the main gate. The door bar snapped with a crack, a cloud of dust billowed up from the two door leaves, and a swarm of street fighters poured in from both sides. Right after, Pu Zhuang also led his men charging in.

Immediately, shouts in a Fujian accent rang out from inside, which then turned into screams of agony. The street-fighter boss's barked orders also sounded, along with the noise of doors, windows, and bowls being smashed. Chen Xin listened carefully. The street-fighter boss's voice was extremely cool-headed; it seemed there was no major problem. Zuo Changhao came and stood beside Chen Xin, a cold sneer on his face.

Two neighboring households heard the commotion and came out to see what was happening, but as soon as they stepped out, several idlers drove them back inside. After a while, the sounds inside subsided. Chen Xin drew his blade and walked into the courtyard. In the center of the yard lay two corpses face-down. On the table in the middle, some bowls and chopsticks still sat, with leftover food inside them. Under the covered corridor, several street fighters were covered in blood, groaning there.

Zuo Changhao stepped forward, grabbed the hair of one man on the ground, and pulled his head up to look at his face. Just then, from inside the east wing-room, Pu Zhuang shouted, "We've caught one alive over here!"

The group immediately walked into the east wing-room. They saw the simple-minded monk pressing a man firmly down onto the bed. Zuo Changhao went over, tilted his head for a look, and burst into loud laughter. "I wondered who it was. So it's you, Zheng Zhixiong, who was wounded and collapsed on the boat deck that night."

The man shut his eyes. Zuo Changhao's gloating was written all over his face. "And you thought you could assassinate Lord Xu? You know full well what fate awaits you now. Two of your Eighteen Zhi have already died at our hands. With you added, that makes three. Next time, should Zheng Zhilong come himself? If you're going to change your names, pick something that sounds better — Tai Sui or Tu Di would be better than this baffling Eighteen Zhi of yours. That Zheng Yiguan is nothing but a male pet; what good name could he possibly come up with? Besides, he's far too selfish. His own blood brothers are Hu, Bao, Biao — tigers, leopards, and warriors — but when it comes to you, you're a Xiong, a bear. Have you ever even seen a bear, damn you? It's not as ugly as you are."

Zheng Zhixiong finally couldn't take it anymore. He struggled a few times, but the simple-minded monk was simply too strong; the hands gripping him barely budged. He could only open his eyes and roar curses: "Zuo Changhao, you son of a bitch! Xu Xinsu, you heaven-cursed fiend! Our brothers were out front fighting Li Kuiqi, and you stabbed us in the back, colluding with the red-haired devils, killing so many of our brothers! The one time we finally win, that dog-fucking Xu Xinsu gets a promotion instead! I came to kill you people, you..."

Zuo Changhao punched Zheng Zhixiong square in the nose. Blood immediately streamed from Zheng Zhixiong's nose, and tears followed. He coughed several times, unable to speak for a moment. Zuo Changhao sneered, "Colluding with the red-haired devils? We all know about Zheng Zhilong's dealings with the Dutch. Anyone who sails the seas has ties to the red-haired devils. What's really worth talking about is Yiguan and Yan Siqi — that cut-sleeve friendship of theirs, heh heh."

It took Zheng Zhixiong a good while to catch his breath. In a muffled, nasal voice, he said, "Bull... bullshit from your mother... Agh!"

Zuo Changhao bent his little finger back and asked coldly, "Are there any more of your people in Nanjing?"

"I'm not telling you."

With a soft "crack," Zheng Zhixiong's little finger was snapped clean off by Zuo Changhao, who then squeezed hard on the break. Zheng Zhixiong's whole body trembled; veins bulged on his face and neck. A gurgling sound came from his throat. He tried to lift his head a little, but Pu Zhuang still held him pinned down firmly, unable to move an inch.

Zheng Zhixiong shuddered for a long while, and finally let out a long, "Wah," of breath. His face was now streaked with snot. Unable to speak, he actually looked at Zuo Changhao and gave a "heh heh" laugh.

Zuo Changhao snapped two more of his fingers in succession. Zheng Zhixiong nearly passed out from the pain, but he still stubbornly refused to open his mouth. Zuo Changhao was also running out of patience. He sneered, "If you want a quick death, speak up sooner. I respect you as a tough man, so I won't torture you."

"Pah!"

Chen Xin felt some admiration for this man in his heart. He was putting on a full display of heroic martyrdom. If it were Chen Xin, he probably would have talked long ago. Chen Xin bent down closer and said in front of Zheng Zhixiong's face, "Brother Zheng is truly a hero. I admire that. However, I am somewhat pressed for time at the moment, and what I dislike most are heroes. If Brother Zheng still won't talk, then this hero act will have to end."

Zheng Zhixiong stared at this stranger and said through gritted teeth, "Who are you? What do you intend to do? I insist on being this hero."

"That is not up to Brother Zheng. If you still won't talk, I plan to cut off that thing between your legs. I wonder, without that thing, whether Brother Zheng can still be considered a hero."

Zheng Zhixiong's eyes went wide and he roared curses: "Fuck your mother, you..."

Zuo Changhao waved a hand. "Take off his pants."

Two street fighters came up and tore Zheng Zhixiong's pants to shreds in a few yanks. Zheng Zhixiong cursed furiously, almost on the verge of tears.

Chen Xin smiled faintly. "I wonder if Brother Zheng has thought it through. Without that thing, when you go to be reincarnated, I'm afraid you'll have to come back as a woman."

Zuo Changhao said, "Brother Chen, you are mistaken. Since Brother Zheng doesn't want it quick, I've changed my plan. I'll pull some strings with connections in the imperial city and have him castrated, then sent into the Forbidden City to be a little eunuch."

Chen Xin hurriedly said to Zheng Zhixiong, "Brother Zheng, why haven't you thanked Brother Zuo yet? In twenty years, perhaps Eunuch Zheng will be a figure like Wei Zhongxian. When that time comes, you must make Zheng Zhilong yield his name to you."

With the two of them playing off each other, Zheng Zhixiong finally couldn't hold out. He roared, "Your mothers! I'll tell you. When I'm done talking, find someone quick and give me a clean death."