Chapter 75

In the Tufu Inn of Dengzhou, Lu Chuanzong, disguised as a fur merchant, was intently studying a rough map on the table. Four others sat in the room: Zhang Dahui, Nie Hong, Zhou Shifa, and Wang Yong. Song Wenxian was not directly involved in this matter; after entering the city separately from them, they had not yet met. The direct commander of this operation was Lu Chuanzong.

Wang Yong was also an old sea bandit, clearly a fierce and ruthless man at a glance, but he was a familiar face, which made movement inconvenient. Lu Chuanzong had him mainly gather intelligence. Today was the group's second meeting.

"Han Bin lives on Gulou Street in the western city. He usually goes out in the afternoon, first heading to the Hongyun Gambling Den near Guanyin Hall to gamble. The time he leaves varies. Then he drinks and eats at the Huixiang Restaurant. At night, he sometimes goes home, sometimes spends the night at the Mianchun Brothel." Wang Yong pointed and explained on the part of the map showing western Dengzhou. This map was drawn by Song Wenxian on the road, marking several major landmarks.

A cold glint flickered in Lu Lvzi's eyes. Since following Chen Xin, he had been tempered many times and was completely different from the track-tower months ago. "Brother Wang, who else is in Han Bin's household?"

Wang Yong glanced at Lu Chuanzong and shook his head. "Brother Lu, it's best not to strike at his home. His house is very close to the Dengzhou Prefectural government office. There are many people there during the day, and at night constables and watchmen patrol. Besides, several of his fellow townsmen live in the same alley. Those men under Han Bin have all survived years of hacking and killing. If we face them directly, we may not come out ahead."

Nie Hong interjected coldly from the side, "Climb the wall at night and finish him with one slash."

Lu Chuanzong shook his head. "It snows sometimes these nights, which would leave footprints. If we alert his townsmen or the government office, it won't be easy to escape. Moreover, we're staying at an inn, making it inconvenient to go in and out at night."

Wang Yong, who had been to Japan with Chen Xin and rather admired him, asked Lu Chuanzong, "What did Lord Chen say?"

Lu Lvzi said expressionlessly, "Lord Chen only demands a single, certain strike, cleanly done. He told me to first ascertain Han Bin's movement patterns. When acting, break it into three phases — approach, assassination, and extraction — and plan in detail. After making the plan, rehearse it several times to refine it. How exactly to execute it, he left to my full discretion based on the situation."

Wang Yong let out an "Oh," somewhat surprised that Chen Xin would delegate so freely.

Zhang Dahui suddenly asked from the side, "Is the Mianchun Brothel a pleasure house?"

Wang Yong looked at the half-grown youth and said, "It's a pleasure house, considered one of the better ones in Dengzhou."

Zhang Dahui pondered for a moment, then said to Lu Lvzi, "Brother Lu, Han Bin's activity spots are only four: home, the gambling den, the restaurant, the brothel, plus the roads between these three places. Home is too close to the government office and his townsmen — can't pick that. The gambling den and restaurant he visits with his townsmen — best not to pick those. Time-wise, going in and out at night is inconvenient, so only daytime remains. Then what we can choose is the brothel and the road to and from the brothel."

Wang Yong was somewhat surprised by Zhang Dahui's clarity of thought. Zhou Shifa, originally something of a loafer, was very familiar with such dens of filth and now chimed in to show off: "Inside the brothel there are street fighters guarding the venue. If the job isn't done clean, it's easy to get tangled up with those people and hard to get away."

Wang Yong also agreed, "There are always three to five street fighters at the Mianchun Brothel every day."

Lu Lvzi, staring intently at the map, asked Wang Yong, "Then when does he usually come out of the Mianchun Brothel?"

Wang Yong said, "With the nighttime curfew, he usually stays overnight inside. The time he returns in the morning is very early."

Zhou Shifa interjected again, "There are few people in the early morning; it's easy for him to notice us."

Nie Hong said coldly, "What's there to fear if he notices? It's still just one slash to finish him."

Lu Lvzi glanced twice at Nie Hong, thinking that although this man was reckless, he had plenty of nerve. He turned back to Wang Yong and asked, "When he goes to the Mianchun Brothel, do his underlings follow?"

"The underlings are with him from the moment he goes out, all the way until they leave the Huixiang Restaurant. When he wins money, he brings these men with him to the Mianchun Brothel. When he doesn't win, he goes alone."…

"How many roads are there between this restaurant and the brothel? Which road is he accustomed to taking?"

Wang Yong thought back and said, "Three. But the final stretch all has to pass the intersection from the south gate of the academy to the Mianchun Brothel."

Lu Lvzi's finger moved, pointing at the map. "How many roads lead out of the city from the Mianchun Brothel?"

Wang Yong also stood up and pointed to the brothel's location on the map. "The Mianchun Brothel isn't far from the Upper Water Gate. You can leave the city through the Upper Water Gate. Or go west through the Ying'en Gate. Going north or east, you must first cross the stone bridge near the Drum Tower on West Street. To get from the western city to the East Gate or North Gate, you must cross this stone bridge."

"The water gate can also be used to leave the city?"

"Yes. Besides the water gate itself, the Upper Water Gate has two side gates that allow pedestrian passage."

The muscles on Lu Chuanzong's cheeks twitched a few times. "Then for now, let's tentatively set the strike for his route to the Mianchun Brothel. Once it's done, we immediately exit the city via the Upper Water Gate. Brother Wang, today you will take us to see the area around the Mianchun Brothel and the route to the Upper Water Gate. When we look, everyone must memorize the positions of the lanes and alleys. Walk every alley to confirm whether it's a dead end or not." He paused, then added, "Starting the day after tomorrow, we tail him. If an opportunity arises, we can also adapt on the fly."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

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Three days later, the crowd on Gulou Street northwest of the Drum Tower was dense. The Dengzhou Prefectural Magistrate's government office was nearby. With the Spring Festival approaching, the number of people coming into the city to buy New Year's goods was far greater than usual. The tea houses and food stalls along the street were doing brisk business. Zhang Dahui and Lu Lvzi, both wearing felt caps, sat at separate tables in a tea house, pretending to listen to storytelling while keeping the corners of their eyes fixed on an alley entrance across the way. Today was their second ambush attempt. Yesterday they had tailed him all afternoon, but in the end Han Bin did not go to the brothel and went straight home, his three underlings with him the whole time; they found no chance to strike.

Around the first ke of the Wei hour, four men emerged from the alley entrance. All four had fierce faces. The one in the lead was stocky and robust. Though his hair and beard were streaked with gray, his movements were fierce and vigorous, his gait steady. His whiskers and hair all bristled outward, making his head look a full size larger than other men's.

Zhang Dahui turned his head to look at Lu Lvzi. Lu Lvzi lightly pressed down the brim of his cap with his right hand. Zhang Dahui tossed down a copper coin, rose, and left, a basket still in his hand, posing as someone buying New Year's goods as he followed behind Han Bin.

After Zhang Dahui left, Lu Lvzi also paid and went out. He wore shabby clothes and also carried a basket, disguised as a seller of small sugar cakes. At the bottom of the basket lay a Japanese sword. When Nie Hong and the other man in the noodle shop across the way saw him, they followed out as well. Beneath their dark-colored straight robes, both Nie Hong and the other man wore close-fitting combat attire, short Japanese swords concealed in the wide sleeves of their straight robes. The three of them were the ones designated for the actual assassination. Divided into two groups, they trailed twenty paces behind Zhang Dahui. Wang Yong was another ten paces behind them, also wearing a felt cap and carrying a bamboo basket on his back, indistinguishable from any ordinary person coming into the city to buy New Year's goods.

Zhang Dahui followed a dozen or so paces behind Han Bin and his three men. Han Bin walked at the very front. The three underlings behind him laughed and joked, occasionally stopping at the shops and stalls along the street to browse the New Year's goods. Zhang Dahui had once tailed Yang Weiyuan in the capital. Chen Xin had taught him some techniques he had read about online. All along the way, he used the figures of passersby as cover, sometimes taking off his cap, sometimes putting it on, altering his distinguishing features. When Han Bin's group stopped, he also stopped and pretended to ask prices. If they lingered a bit long, he would even genuinely buy some New Year's goods. His basket already contained some glutinous rice candy, sugar cakes, New Year's cakes, and the like.

Zhang Dahui had already walked this road three times. He knew that not far ahead was Guanyin Hall, and the Hongyun Gambling Den was right there. His task was to follow them into the gambling den, observe Han Bin's winning and losing, and not let Han Bin slip out of surveillance.

As they approached Guanyin Hall, Zhang Dahui noticed that the three men behind Han Bin had stopped laughing and joking and were turning around repeatedly to observe behind and to the sides. Zhang Dahui suddenly felt something was wrong. He looked back behind him. Lu Chuanzong and his two companions were twenty paces away, using the flow of people on the street as cover; they should not have been exposed. Why was Han Bin's group acting completely differently from before? …

Just then they reached Guanyin Hall, but Han Bin did not go to the Hongyun Gambling Den across the way. He stopped and looked back several more times. Seeing him stop, Zhang Dahui slipped behind a carrying-pole vendor ahead. When he peeked out again, Han Bin had already taken two men inside, leaving one underling at the doorway. He had not gone to the Hongyun Gambling Den after all.

Zhang Dahui turned and signaled Lu Chuanzong with his eyes, then went to a nearby incense and candle stall, pretending to be a worshipper buying incense. Han Bin's underlings were all men from the Fujian junk and knew Lu Chuanzong. Lu Chuanzong pulled his cap brim low and came beside Zhang Dahui, picking through paper money and incense candles. Without turning his face, Zhang Dahui simply said in a low voice, "He went into Guanyin Hall. Don't know if he's burning incense. There's still an underling at the main gate. Han Bin should come out through the main gate."

"You go in and tail Han Bin. See what he's doing. We'll stay outside and tail his underling."

"Alright."

Zhang Dahui agreed, paid for the incense and candles, and carrying his basket, blended in among the worshippers entering Guanyin Hall. He was completely natural as he passed by Han Bin's underling. Having begged for years and followed Chen Xin in many swindles and scams, he had developed a decent mental fortitude. Sure enough, Han Bin's underling was entirely oblivious.

After entering Guanyin Hall, he first took a brief look around the courtyard. The courtyard was very spacious, with many worshippers burning paper money, incense, and candles, filling the air with smoke and fire. On the left side, there was even a stage with an opera performance underway. People were everywhere. Fortunately, Han Bin's grizzled hair was very distinctive, and Zhang Dahui spotted the target a moment later. He steadied himself slightly and headed that way.

Outside the main gate, Lu Chuanzong watched Zhang Dahui go in, then moved to a crowded area to covertly observe that underling. Wang Yong came up at this moment and said, "The situation's off. Han Bin never enters temples. Could it be he knows someone is after him?"

Lu Chuanzong remained impassive. "This matter cannot possibly be known to anyone. When the lord arranged this, only I knew who Han Bin was. The other three only learned the name after arriving in Dengzhou."

Wang Yong said, somewhat irritated, "This Han Bin is damned strange."

"Brother Wang, no need to be anxious. Maybe he really did go to pay respects to Guanyin."

"He's a ruthless killer, and with that look of his, even if he went, Guanyin wouldn't want to see him."

Lu Lvzi observed the underling from the corner of his eye while laughing, "That's true. Not just Guanyin — I get annoyed just looking at him too."

About a ke after the two separated, Lu Chuanzong saw Han Bin's grizzled head emerge again. When they came out this time, they no longer looked around nervously and entered the Hongyun Gambling Den across the way with relaxed expressions. Lu Chuanzong shot a look at Zhou Shifa, and Zhou Shifa immediately followed them in.

Zhang Dahui came out a moment later as well. Seeing that Han Bin and the others were gone, he then came over to Lu Chuanzong's side.

Lu Chuanzong asked, "What was he doing inside?"

Zhang Dahui said, "Han Bin was talking to someone under the opera stage. Two underlings blocked the outside. I pretended to squeeze in to watch the opera and passed by him, but I only caught a few scattered words."

"What was said?"

"That person mentioned 'Vanguard Commander,' and also 'Little Shopkeeper.'"

Lu Chuanzong and Nie Hong said in unison, low-voiced, "The Wenxiang Sect!"