Chapter 149: Young Master Zhao

The fat, burly man pulled a two-foot dagger from inside his clothes, tossed it straight onto the ground, and said in a muffled voice, "Everyone, put your weapons on the ground."

The men around him were obedient enough, all taking out their weapons and dropping them. The fat, burly man cupped his fists and made a deep bow, lowering his head as he said, "Master Jin, Old You concedes. How you wish to deal with me, please give your orders, Master Jin."

"From now on, twenty percent of this shop's income comes to me. Lead your men outside the general store and bow to me in salute. Tell me who set the fire last night." Zhao Jin laid out his three demands without any preamble.

Since the fat, burly man called himself Old You, he was none other than You Zhenrong. He raised his head to look at Zhao Jin, nodded heavily, and said, "Master Jin is righteous. Tomorrow I will have the monthly payment delivered to Master Jin. Please go ahead first, Master Jin. Old You will lead the brothers in saluting you right now."

Zhao Jin glanced at him, then led his men out of the shop. Outside, many of the household guards had bleeding heads, and the rest were covered in dust and grime, yet every one of them stood there with chests puffed out and heads held high, automatically lining up in orderly ranks.

Butcher Li and Chen Ergou's ruffians, who had fled and then returned to beat off You Zhenrong's men, now dared not flaunt their strength. They merely watched Zhao Jin's household guards from a distance with awe and fear. Butcher Li and Chen Ergou had already stepped forward, incessantly peering into the shop.

A suppressed buzzing sound filled the surroundings—the idle onlookers murmuring in low voices. The gang brawl had been full of twists and turns, leaving them utterly dazzled. Many who had only heard of Zhao Jin by reputation had now witnessed real combat with their own eyes and understood why he was different. Gazing at Zhao Jin's household guards standing solemnly in the open, they dared not even laugh or talk loudly, only speaking in hushed tones.

Just then, they saw Zhao Jin walk out of that shop, followed by You Zhenrong leading a group of men, heads lowered, also walking out. The murmuring grew slightly louder. Everyone who mixed in this area knew the name You Zhenrong, knew this man was a figure from outside the city, a local strongman with connections to the salt route.

The idlers exchanged accounts of his background. Butcher Li was fine, but Chen Ergou instinctively took a step back. He had never before had the standing to face You Zhenrong directly and always felt intimidated.

Then they saw You Zhenrong suddenly bend at the waist and salute, bowing deeply with the utmost humility. The whole group behind him, from the men guarding him to the shop manager Zi Honglei, all uniformly bowed in salute. The entire scene instantly fell silent. Men of the jianghu cared deeply about face; lowering one's head in public was a tremendous matter. For You Zhenrong to show Zhao Jin this attitude, it seemed he had thoroughly conceded.

After bowing, You Zhenrong stepped forward two paces and said, "Master Jin, yesterday the minor Chuan-tou Li Yang approached the various Chuan-tou in the city, saying that Maitreya's followers had been lying low for too long. If they used your Zhao family to make an example, their prestige would surely soar. Once everyone saw the Zhao family's example, no one would dare disrespect the sect members again."

Zhao Jin gave a cold laugh. As expected. This Smelling Incense Sect no longer wanted to follow the low-key path of Mr. Mu; they wanted to make a grand, flagrant show of force. They had simply picked the wrong man.

You Zhenrong was standing close to Zhao Jin, his voice kept low, and with his body bowed and head lowered, others would only think he was reporting something.

"I didn't give them any men. I told them they'd lost their minds, going after an official officer. But two minor Chuan-tou in the city were very tempted and gave him manpower." You Zhenrong spoke in great detail. After finishing, he shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "Looking at it now, it seems they really have lost their minds."

"Give me those two names," Zhao Jin said coldly. You Zhenrong hesitated briefly, then whispered two names.

The moment he heard the names, Zhao Jin smiled. Both of those men had already been captured and were currently tossed onto the cart. You Zhenrong did not understand why Zhao Jin was smiling. He hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help asking, "Master Jin, do you not suspect that Old You was behind this?"

"Before the fight, you couldn't clear yourself of suspicion. Once the fight started, watching your style and conduct, I knew you wouldn't do something so petty. If you had done it, whether I lived or died would be uncertain, but my house would have been burned to the ground," Zhao Jin said.

You Zhenrong raised his head slightly and clapped his hands together, his tone growing somewhat fervent. "Master Jin speaks true. These Chuan-tou in the city have endured hardship for too long. When Mu Huizhu was here before, he was always restraining and suppressing us. Not only did we not extort money, but the incense offerings donated by wealthy sect members were also used to aid the poor. Now that he's gone, everyone is impatient, thinking day and night about making examples and collecting money..."

"Who is the current Huizhu?" Zhao Jin asked. You Zhenrong shook his head.

After shaking his head, seeing Zhao Jin's expression darken, You Zhenrong hurriedly explained, "I truly do not know. The new Huizhu is said to have already arrived, but no one has seen him in person. This Huizhu only sends his envoys to deliver messages and orders. It's said that even during the incense-burning ceremonies, he covers his face."

At this point, You Zhenrong gave two dry laughs and said, "Old You here joined the sect just for convenience. My line of work deals too much with the men on the river, and every boat on the river is full of believers... As for the incense-burning and all that, I generally don't go..."

"If you intend to remain in Xuzhou in the future, do not lie to me. Today, I believe you!" Zhao Jin nodded, and with that, he turned and left.

You Zhenrong had not expected Zhao Jin to leave so decisively. He stood there stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but shiver.

Zhao Jin turned and walked before his household guards. Seeing him appear, the guards all straightened their chests. The sudden solemnity in that instant silenced the entire area around Jinbao General Store.

"You all performed very poorly today. If you had maintained the order of your formation, if you had charged forward with resolve, no one here could have stopped you!" Zhao Jin said loudly.

Everyone had expected Zhao Jin to praise them, but instead, he criticized them. Yet hearing his words, the guards' faces showed no disappointment or dejection. Instead, they stood even straighter, for having experienced the battle just now, they had truly felt the value of their daily training. As long as they held firm and did not waver, they would be invincible in battle!

"This afternoon is rest. Those with injuries, tend to them. Tonight: white-flour flatbread, cabbage and rib stew, eat as much as you want," Zhao Jin added.

Smiles immediately broke out on the guards' faces. The earlier part was criticism; the latter was a reward. Everyone felt acknowledged.

Zhao Jin turned, nodded to You Zhenrong, and called his guards to return with him. They came as they said, left as they said, leaving behind a scene of utter chaos. Many of You Zhenrong's injured men were there crying out in pain, but no one dared voice any objection to Zhao Jin and his men.

The clerks of Jinbao General Store came out to tend to the wounded. You Zhenrong and a few companions stood before the shop door, staring blankly. Even wounded, even covered head to toe in dust, Zhao Jin's household guards still held a neat formation, exuding a chilling, severe aura.

"For such a figure to have emerged within the city..." someone murmured.

At that moment, an old maidservant led out You Zhenrong's son. The little boy was chubby and looked very much like You Zhenrong. He was crying as he walked, saying, "I want to help my dad."

His appearance made everyone laugh, and the atmosphere relaxed considerably. You Zhenrong bent down and pinched his son's cheek, the boy now smiling through his tears, and teased, "At least I haven't raised you for nothing. You really do have filial piety."

After playing with him for a moment, You Zhenrong seemed to remember something. He straightened up and gazed at the retreating formation of Zhao Jin's men, a thoughtful look on his face.

Zhao Jin led his household guards at the front. Chen Ergou and Butcher Li led the ruffians and thugs behind. In the middle was the cart carrying the captives, upon which seven bruised and battered figures were tied.

When they left the southern part of the city, Zhao Jin told Chen Ergou and Butcher Li to go back. The two men dared not be negligent, but instead brought out all the silver and money they had looted during the smashing and ransacking, asking Zhao Jin to distribute it.

The southern part of the city was poor. These men were already considered to have some wealth, yet the total amount found was less than four hundred taels, and that was only because two loan sharks happened to have silver stored away. Zhao Jin glanced at it, directly set aside half, and said, "For those who came today: the injured, treat your wounds; the uninjured, this is your reward."

Then he set aside another quarter and said, "This is hardship pay for you two."

Having witnessed Zhao Jin's fearsome prowess along the way, Butcher Li and Chen Ergou no longer had the nerve to ask for money. They hastily declined, protesting they dared not accept. Zhao Jin put it very simply: "I never shortchange those who work for me. Exchange the rest into new coins for me and deliver it to the trading company tonight."

The two men hurriedly agreed, bowing deeply at the waist. The ruffians and thugs following them all did the same. As if by unspoken agreement, everyone remained bent over for a long time, only daring to raise their heads after Zhao Jin had gone far. Thinking back on the morning's awe-inspiring rampage through the south of the city, every heart trembled with fear.

The troop led by Zhao Jin split up once more on the road. Zhao Jin told Shi Manqiang and Sun Dalei to take the household guards back to rest. He kept Lu Da and nine other men to escort the cart to the yamen.

News traveled fast within the city, let alone a major event like Zhao Jin sweeping through the south. Even the story of how Zhao Jin led his men to crush You Zhenrong's gang had already spread by now.

Upon arriving at the Department Magistrate's yamen, all sorts of people from the official circles came over to greet him warmly: the clerks and scribes of the Six Offices, the constables and runners, the unofficial aides and attendants. All smiled and exchanged pleasantries. Their attitude toward Zhao Jin was no longer that of an elder to a junior, but rather one of equals, tinged with a hint of ingratiation. As for those junior runners without formal rank, they had already begun directly calling him "Brother Jin" or "Young Master Zhao."

Here, Zhao Jin knew his limits very well. He merely smiled and was courteous, without the slightest hint of arrogance. When someone asked about the men on the cart, he answered very directly, "These are suspects captured in the south of the city this morning, connected to the arson at my home."

Everyone in the yamen already knew about this case. Regardless of their true thoughts, at this moment they all had to put on a show of righteous indignation. However, it was only at this point that many remembered Zhao Jin's own status as an unofficial runner.

When the prisoners were being sent into the jail, Zhao Zhentang came over with his men. Zhao Jin leaned in close and whispered the two names, then instructed, "Father, these two are connected to the arson case. You can put in some extra effort. Make sure they confess."

Zhao Zhentang nodded with a grim face. Zhao Jin then whispered another instruction: "In the confession, only mention the arson. Do not bring up anything about the Smelling Incense Sect."