Chapter 131: A Small Display of Skill

At this point, Wang Zhaojing was also smiling. Everyone had already prepared their weapons and followed Zhao Jin out the door.

Watching the whole group leave fully armed, the people who had come to sign up were all whispering among themselves, guessing where Zhao Jin and the others were headed.

As Zhao Jin and his group approached Butcher Li, Butcher Li and his men all changed color. Zhao Jin and his companions were tall and sturdy, and Chen Sheng and Sun Dalei were especially massive, their sheer size exerting immense pressure.

Moreover, they had shed no small amount of blood these past days, and a chilling, murderous aura naturally emanated from their every move. Paired with the fine weapons in their hands, they carried an intimidating presence.

"Master Jin is... is truly awe-inspiring!" Butcher Li wanted to offer a flattering remark, but the moment he opened his mouth, he couldn't even speak smoothly.

"Exactly which ones refuse to submit?" Zhao Jin asked in a deep voice.

When answering the question, Butcher Li couldn't help but bow as he explained, already lowering his posture considerably.

Under Cheng Tongtou were underlings like Big-Head Huang and Tuft of Hair, and under Yan Heilian were the so-called Four Guardian Kings, each managing their own turf.

One of the Guardian Kings was the Beggar Chief, the one who controlled the beggars within the city. This man had been the quickest to switch sides and had already thrown in his lot with Butcher Li. The other three managed the protection rackets, loan sharking, gambling dens, and unlicensed brothels, as well as several businesses inside and outside the city. With plenty of money and rich profits, back when Yan Heilian was around, they had looked down even on Cheng Tongtou and Butcher Li.

Now that Butcher Li said he wanted to take all of this over, they were naturally unwilling. According to the one who had defected, these three had been gathering together daily and had already lured back many of Yan Heilian's former underlings, preparing to set up their own faction.

Butcher Li wanted to settle this with a bloody gang fight, but he lacked the manpower and wasn't confident of winning, which was why he had gone to ask Zhao Jin to step in.

Zhao Jin listened very carefully. He also knew that Butcher Li had his own calculations and that his words might not all be true. However, Zhao Jin himself needed just such an opportunity to establish his authority and thoroughly subdue all the factions in the southern part of the city.

The goods yard was actually right at the border between the south and west parts of the city. They hadn't walked far before reaching Black Tiger Temple. News traveled fast on the streets, and Chen Ergou was already waiting at the door, leading over twenty men. The moment he saw Zhao Jin approaching, he hurried forward, bowing deeply with a grand salute, and said, "Master Jin, this humble one has brought his men to cheer you on!"

Zhao Jin nodded and said, "You are thoughtful."

His tone was flat, but Chen Ergou took it as a matter of course. He quickly said, "I don't deserve such praise," before rising and leading his men to follow behind Zhao Jin.

Seeing such a respectful attitude from Chen Ergou, Butcher Li slowed his pace, letting himself fall a little behind Zhao Jin, not daring to walk shoulder to shoulder.

After walking another stretch, Butcher Li's own men also arrived, a full forty-some people. They had been making a noisy racket, but seeing their boss walking carefully and respectfully behind Zhao Jin, they unconsciously lowered their voices and fell in even further behind.

Led by Butcher Li, the imposing procession arrived at their destination — the Gathering of Righteousness and Fortune Den.

Compared to the gambling den converted from the dilapidated Black Tiger God of Wealth Temple, this Gathering of Righteousness and Fortune Den was far more impressive. It looked to be a two-courtyard residence, with grey bricks and black tiles, very neat and orderly. In front of the gate was a large open space and a row of hitching posts. Such a building seemed very out of place in the rundown southern part of the city. Judging by the setup at the gate, it was likely that people from outside the southern part of the city also came here to gamble.

Normally, this place would be very lively, but today it was eerily quiet. In front of the gate, over sixty men were gathered, all holding wooden clubs, knives, and axes, arrayed in strict readiness.

Seeing Zhao Jin and his group appear, the men in the open space of the Gathering of Righteousness and Fortune Den began cursing loudly. The people behind Zhao Jin stirred restlessly, but Zhao Jin walked forward with such composure that they were suppressed and dared not open their mouths.

When Zhao Jin drew close, he could clearly see those gangsters who were cursing. What surprised Zhao Jin a little was that among these thugs and ruffians, there were actually some he recognized. He quickly recalled where he had seen them. The day he killed those dozen or so desperate bladesmen and charged out of the street, many of the people he saw then overlapped with those in front of him now.

They were all Yan Heilian's underlings, which was no surprise.

The thugs who were cursing loudly gradually fell silent. Zhao Jin merely had an impression of them, but they remembered Zhao Jin very clearly.

That day, they had been sent to Big-Head Huang's side to disperse the men Chen Ergou had gathered and prevent too many idle bystanders from coming over. Those sent had also seen those dozen or so desperate bladesmen. Seeing the heavy glaives in their hands and their utterly vicious appearances, they all knew these were not men to be trifled with, knew they were formidable fighters hired by the higher-ups.

But what they hadn't expected was that those dozen or so formidable fighters were slaughtered to the last man, slaughtered clean by these very young men before them. Everyone still remembered the image of Zhao Jin charging out drenched in blood. Everyone also remembered the look in Zhao Jin's eyes as he glanced over — a look that seemed ready to slaughter every single one of them.

"... It's that god of death..."

"... This one is Zhao Jin..."

Hushed murmurs drifted over, and the crowd grew even quieter. No one continued to curse loudly.

Zhao Jin silently swept his gaze across them. Everyone his eyes fell upon cowered and lowered their heads, some even instinctively stepping back a few paces.

Butcher Li and Chen Ergou, standing behind him, couldn't help but exchange a glance. They both saw the shock in each other's eyes. This young master was so terrifying that merely standing there had already cowed the dozens of men on the opposite side.

"Those who don't want to die, scram now!" Zhao Jin barked coldly.

Perhaps because the atmosphere just now had been too oppressive, when he spoke, many on the opposite side shuddered. Immediately, the crowd stirred restlessly. Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Zhao Jin gave a cold laugh. He truly had no interest in such rabble. Receiving no answer to his question, he simply gripped his spear with both hands and took a step forward.

The moment he took that step, someone let out a cry of "Oh, mama!" and ran outside without a care for anything else. We came here to fight, not to throw our lives away! With someone taking the lead, the others followed suit. Wooden clubs, knives, and axes were dropped all over the ground as they scattered in every direction.

Amidst the chaos, behind Zhao Jin was an eerie silence. The men brought by Butcher Li and Chen Ergou were completely silent, not even daring to breathe loudly. How awe-inspiring and formidable this young master was, they had never witnessed with their own eyes, only heard through rumors.

That a fifteen-year-old youth could be so unbelievably capable — in their hearts, they had more or less harbored some disbelief. But seeing such authority with their own eyes today, they had no choice but to believe. Looking at Zhao Jin's back, they all felt he was incomparably towering.

In the blink of an eye, the men in front of the gate had all fled clean away, leaving only eight people standing at the main entrance. Their expressions were panicked, tinged with disbelief. Who could have imagined that a single sentence could scare away dozens of men!

Among these eight, three were wearing robes of fine silk, likely those so-called "Three Guardian Kings." One of them was a fat man, while the other two were fierce, villainous-looking brutes.

"Yan Heilian's properties are to be managed by Li Apu. This is my arrangement. Do you have anything to say?" Zhao Jin asked coldly.

One of the brutes, seeing that Zhao Jin had already left the crowd and was standing alone and exposed, immediately had a thought.

The brute used his hand to push aside the companions blocking his way, then suddenly accelerated and charged forward, his blade already raised. Less than ten paces of distance — if he could just grab Zhao Jin or wound him, the situation could be turned around.

The people behind Zhao Jin were all startled, but it was already too late to rush forward and help.

A cold laugh. A raised hand. A straight thrust. "Squelch!" The spear tip pierced through the brute's shoulder, stopping this would-be ambusher in his tracks. The blade in his hand could no longer be held and clattered to the ground.

Zhao Jin twisted the spear with both hands. The brute let out a heart-rending, lung-splitting howl of agony. Zhao Jin directly pulled the spear out, then swung and swept it, the spear shaft heavily striking the brute on the forehead and knocking him flat to the ground.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Zhao Jin took a step forward, staring at the men at the gate as he asked.

Footsteps sounded from behind. Chen Sheng had already drawn his blade and stepped forward, and the other companions also took out their weapons and followed.

Looking at the spear tip still dripping blood, looking at the gleaming long blades, and then looking at their companion who had already fainted on the ground, the faces of those remaining at the gate gradually turned pale.

"S-spare... spare our lives!" The fat man directly dropped to his knees. The remaining few, their faces ashen, also threw down their weapons and knelt.

In a gang fight in the underworld, who could have expected a god of death to arrive?

"Tie all these men up and send them to the yamen. Just say they attacked an official officer," Zhao Jin said.

Everyone in the scene was stunned again, never having expected such a development. Zhao Jin took out the wooden tablet that proved his identity, impatiently turned around and held it up for a moment, then urged, "Did you not hear me clearly?"

Only then did everyone react, rushing forward to bind the men in a flurry of hands and feet. The looks they directed at Zhao Jin held a few more degrees of awe. Being such a formidable fighter was already admirable enough, but to beat someone and then be able to throw them into the yamen for punishment — that was even more terrifying.

Zhao Jin couldn't even be bothered to enter the gate. He turned and left with his companions. Passing by Butcher Li, he said, "Keep the accounts clear. I only want what was agreed upon. If you try any tricks, then don't take a single coin."

If these words had been spoken before, Butcher Li would only have thought Zhao Jin was bluffing. But having witnessed the scene just now, how could he dare harbor even half a thought of cutting corners? He bent deeply at the waist, his head nearly touching the ground, and agreed profusely.

The thugs following Chen Ergou and Butcher Li automatically parted to open a path. As Zhao Jin walked past them, they all bowed and lowered their heads, doing their utmost to express their deference.

Once Zhao Jin had left this street, the thugs all grew excited.

"With such an awe-inspiring figure backing us, our good days are ahead!"

"Let's see if those guys outside the city still dare act so arrogantly with us."

Butcher Li wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his face full of bitter smiles as he heard this. He knew that from today onward, the brothers under him would all know that Zhao Jin was the real big brother, and the weight of his own words would be much diminished. Thinking of this, Butcher Li slapped his own forehead hard — he'd been letting his mind wander and had forgotten to see this lord out. He could only hope the young master wouldn't think he'd been slighted.