Chapter 141: Lay Leader Li Yang

141. Chapter 141: Lay Leader Li Yang

Seeing the sheer panic on Zhao San's face, Zhao Jin also sensed trouble. He jumped straight down from the wooden platform and strode quickly to meet him.

"Young master, bad news, bad news!" Before Zhao Jin could even ask, Zhao San was already babbling incoherently.

Zhao Jin placed both hands directly on Zhao San's shoulders, stared at him, and demanded, "What exactly happened?"

His hands gripped Zhao San's shoulders like iron pincers. The sharp pain sobered Zhao San up considerably, and he stammered, "Young master, our house is surrounded... surrounded by people..."

"What? Who? How many?" Zhao Jin was alarmed. He had offended plenty of people in Xuzhou City and naturally worried about enemies coming to his door. However, because Zhao Zhentang was a constable at the yamen and had a reputation in the city, nothing had ever happened. He never expected them to be suddenly surrounded.

"Everyone, form a column and run—follow me!" Zhao Jin had no time to spare. He turned and shouted the order.

The training over these days had made the household guards react quickly enough. The guards, gripping their long staves, simply aligned themselves and then followed Zhao Jin as they ran toward the north of the city.

Zhao Jin's companions did not hesitate in the slightest either. They grabbed their weapons and immediately followed. Chen Hong, who was inside the courtyard, also ran out after them. Seeing the main group already leaving, Chen Hong did not follow them but instead hurried back into the courtyard. A moment later, Wang Zhaojing strode out swiftly, a long sword in hand, cursed under his breath, and sprinted after them.

Over a hundred men advancing through the city at a run, and in neat formation at that—the momentum was stirring. Pedestrians hurriedly dodged out of the way, then stood on the roadside staring dumbfounded at this troop. Some bolder idlers even followed behind to see what was going on.

People discussed and inquired among themselves. Even those who didn't know soon learned that these were Zhao Jin's subordinates. Previously, Zhao Jin's ferocity and prowess had merely been idle gossip for the people of Xuzhou over tea and meals. Many treated it only as an amusing tale and didn't take it seriously. But seeing such a contingent today, everyone finally realized the extent of Zhao Jin's strength, and awe rose in their hearts.

Moving at a swift pace, it wasn't long before they reached the "commercial street" on the outskirts of his own home. Zhao Jin called the group to a halt, summoned Chen Sheng, and whispered a few words. The household guard contingent split in half, one part running toward the intersection on the other side. Zhao Jin led the remaining men toward the entrance they usually used.

Fifty men followed behind Zhao Jin, slowing their pace as they turned into the street in front of the Zhao residence. Everyone had already prepared themselves for a fight, but upon seeing the scene before the Zhao home, they were all somewhat stunned.

The front of the Zhao home was indeed surrounded. There were roughly a hundred people, enough to clog up this not-so-narrow street.

Among these people were men and women, young and old, with able-bodied young men in the minority. They all stood there quietly. A few people were talking in front of the main gate, their voices low.

The arrival of Zhao Jin and his men naturally could not be concealed. Those gathered in front of the gate all turned their heads to look, causing a stir.

"What's going on?" Zhao Jin frowned and looked at Zhao San beside him. Zhao San had run all the way with them and was still panting heavily.

At Zhao Jin's glare, Zhao San trembled all over, his face turning miserable. He bowed and quietly explained.

As it turned out, these people in front of the gate had not come to make trouble for the Zhao couple or Zhao Jin, but for Zhao San and his wife. They were followers of the Incense-Smelling Sect.

Zhao San and his wife had donated money and burned incense to join the sect, and had been accepted as followers. But just a few days later, they were discovered by their master's family and withdrew.

The couple had thought it was simple—they assumed that not going to burn incense meant they had quit. They never imagined that when they stopped going, the people from the Incense-Smelling Sect would come looking for them. For Zhao San and his wife, whether it was divine blessing or divine punishment, neither was worse than being driven out of the Zhao household. They resolutely refused to go back. After this back-and-forth, today the front of the Zhao home was surrounded by the Incense-Smelling Sect followers.

These followers did not cause a disturbance. They simply surrounded the place quietly, incessantly calling for Zhao San and his wife to come out, while some preached the sect's doctrine.

He Cuihua, being shrewish, sat in the courtyard holding a cleaver, declaring that whoever came in, she would hack. She then arranged for Zhao San to go to the yamen and call Zhao Zhentang back.

Zhao San climbed over the back courtyard wall. The yamen was actually closer from the north side of the city, but Zhao San was afraid of seeing officials and even more afraid to go to the yamen. In a flash of inspiration, he ran directly to Zhao Jin's goods yard instead.

The household guards led by Chen Sheng had already appeared at the other end of the street. The Incense-Smelling Sect followers surrounding the Zhao home were now effectively encircled.

Seeing the young men on both sides gripping long staves and eyeing them menacingly, these followers immediately began to panic, clustering inward toward the center.

Zhao Jin glared at Zhao San, then strode out from the ranks. He raised his arm and was just about to speak when the huddled followers parted from the middle, and a middle-aged man walked out.

This middle-aged man was tall and lean, with a long beard under his chin, possessing the air of an immortal sage. He sized up Zhao Jin, then spoke to Zhao San at Zhao Jin's side: "Zhao San, you and your wife have received the Buddha's grace and had your names recorded before the Buddha. You have been remembered in the Buddha's heart. By abandoning the path halfway like this, not only will you be unable to reach the Eternal Venerable Mother's True Void Homeland in the future, but after death, you may also be dragged to hell, thrown into a cauldron of oil, hung on a mountain of blades, and reborn as a beast of burden in your next life..."

It was all absurd nonsense, yet when spoken by this man, it sounded vivid and convincing. After just a few sentences, a look of fear had already appeared on Zhao San's face.

Zhao Jin cut off his speech without the slightest courtesy and asked coldly, "Who are you? Why are you spouting nonsense to my family?"

The middle-aged man frowned and said with considerable displeasure, "This is an internal matter of our sect, unrelated to outsiders. Seeing that you are young, I advise you not to meddle in things beyond your measure, or else..."

The shaft of the spear in Zhao Jin's hand suddenly flipped upward and lashed heavily between the middle-aged man's legs. The man, who had been speaking so eloquently, suddenly opened his mouth wide but couldn't even cry out. His whole body hunched and curled up. Zhao Jin followed up with a fierce punch to the man's jaw, knocking him flat on the ground, then raised a leg and kicked him, sending him rolling back into the crowd.

"Causing trouble at my doorstep and still prattling on like this—beat them away!" Zhao Jin shouted loudly.

The household guards let out a battle cry and charged forward, raising their wooden staves. They trained day in and day out with hardly any chance to leave the goods yard and had long been bursting with pent-up energy. Having such an opportunity to vent, they naturally wouldn't let it pass.

That group of followers was mostly the old, weak, sick, and disabled. They had not the slightest ability to resist. Upon first contact, they were directly knocked down, crying out in pain continuously.

Wang Zhaojing, who had followed along, quickly came over and said, "Brother Zhao, tell the guards to hold back. If someone is beaten to death, it will be troublesome."

Zhao Jin nodded with a grim face and shouted again, "Those who kneel won't be hit! Those who lie down won't be hit!"

The street had already descended into chaos. How could these followers—men and women, young and old—withstand such an assault? The few able-bodied young men did have the will to resist, but that suited Zhao Jin's household guards perfectly. Staves and clubs concentrated on them, beating them straight to the ground.

The entire area was filled with wails and cries of pain, but almost no followers remained standing. They were either kneeling or lying down. The household guards from both ends of the street had now converged.

A scene like this wasn't worth Zhao Jin personally getting involved. He walked over to the middle-aged man with the sage-like air. The man had only just now caught his breath and was turning his head to look at the utterly chaotic scene, his eyes seeming about to spew fire. As Zhao Jin approached, he turned back to look at Zhao Jin, his face full of venomous resentment.

Zhao Jin flipped his long spear and suddenly stabbed downward!

Watching the coldly gleaming spear tip plunge down, the venomous resentment on the middle-aged man's face instantly turned to terror. He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.

The spear tip stabbed into the ground beside the man's neck, sinking three inches into the earth. All color drained from the middle-aged man's face, and his whole body trembled.

"What is your name?" Zhao Jin asked.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and spoke: "Li Yang..."

"Are you the head of the Incense-Smelling Sect in Xuzhou?"

"... How would I have such good fortune..."

After asking these two questions, Zhao Jin pulled out the long spear and pressed its tip against Li Yang's Adam's apple. He said coldly, "Then pass a message to your leader. Is he blind? Daring to come and make trouble for my Zhao family. Next time something like this happens, it won't just be a beating."

Zhao Jin's words were icy cold. The middle-aged man's body shuddered, and his Adam's apple was nicked by the spear tip. He immediately froze. The venomous look resurfaced on his face as he stared at Zhao Jin and said, "Young Master Zhao, our great sect has millions of faithful and the protection of gods and Buddhas. Such irreverence as yours—beware of inviting great calamity!"

"Don't you know the relationship between Mu Wusheng and the Zhao family? And you still have the nerve to say such things!" Zhao Jin laughed as he flipped the long spear back around. The iron cap on the butt of the spear smashed heavily into Li Yang's lower abdomen, making the man curl up entirely.

Mu Wusheng was Mu Shulan's father. He should have been the previous head of the Incense-Smelling Sect in Xuzhou. Bringing up this name was enough to intimidate these lawless Incense-Smelling Sect followers.

This was also why Zhao Jin had held back all along. After all, there was the relationship with the Mu family, and also the favor from before when Mu Shulan's second uncle had helped intimidate the people from Cloud Mountain Temple. He did not want to burn all bridges.

Hearing the name "Mu Wusheng," the expression of the man on the ground shifted. Finally, he said coldly, "A heretic who has already received divine punishment—our sect has no such person."

Zhao Jin was taken aback. He suddenly noticed that this Li Yang had a local Xuzhou accent. He recalled what his father Zhao Zhentang had said: the Mu family should have returned to Shandong, and the Xuzhou Incense-Smelling Sect followers had a new leader. From what this Li Yang implied, this new leader likely had a poor relationship with the Mu family.

At this thought, Zhao Jin's expression turned completely cold. He raised his foot and stepped on Li Yang's chest, pressing down slowly until Li Yang's breath stopped and his face turned purple. Only then did he lift his foot.

Having narrowly escaped death, Li Yang gasped for air. Zhao Jin said coldly, "This time I don't want to kill anyone. Next time you fail to watch your step, it won't be this easy. Get lost!"

In broad daylight, they had arrived with such a grand show of force, yet the other side hadn't done anything too outrageous. On his side, let alone killing, even seriously injuring someone would cause trouble. Zhao Jin had thought this through very clearly.

The middle-aged man, Li Yang, covered in dust, scrambled to his feet in a sorry state. He shot Zhao Jin a furtive glare, then lowered his head and ran swiftly away. Once he left, the other followers dared not linger either. Supporting each other, they also departed from the area.