Chapter 265: A Case in the City

As for Zhao Jin and his brothers killing a hundred men with such ferocity and fierceness, Xue Xiaozong didn't take it seriously at all. No matter how many men you could fight, if a large force rushed you all at once, death was certain. Besides, this time they had the strength of the Kong family cavalry. Cavalry against infantry would naturally be like snapping dry twigs. Zhao Jin and his gang of youths, none even twenty yet, had no path to survival.

Everything seemed a matter of course, but the outcome was utterly unexpected. Not only did Zhao Jin survive and win a great victory, he routed the forces of Cloud Mountain Monastery in a crushing defeat.

Xue Xiaozong had also received word of what followed. He knew that the elders of Zhao Jin's group had mobilized over four hundred riders to go to their rescue. That force alone made Xue Xiaozong draw a sharp breath. After the night battle at He Village, the strongest power on the Xuzhou ground was Zhao Jin. Cloud Mountain Monastery had been greatly weakened, and with such deep enmity between them, it was best not to linger. Leaving was the wisest course.

Thinking this far, Xue Xiaozong felt a little wronged. He felt he hadn't done anything wrong. His father, Xue Chongxun, was already old, always thinking about earning steady, safe income, never realizing that the world was growing more and more unsettled, with more famines every year. Having more silver on hand, more strength, was always a good thing. Originally, everyone thought Xuzhou was withering away, that to grow they'd have to go elsewhere. But then that Zhao Jin started a distillery. A business that raked in silver daily like that was something they had to fight for. And what's more, this distillery was tied to Cloud Mountain Monastery's sorghum — it was practically set up for the monastery...

As he was lost in thought, the door to the main hall was pushed open. A woman of outstanding beauty walked in, weeping, and immediately began, "Master, at the end of last year, didn't the old master send a box of gem-inlaid pure gold jewelry? I hid it away at the time, but now I can't find it anywhere. It's worth over a thousand taels of silver! Master, could it be that some black-hearted wretch stole it? We must investigate right now!"

Xue Xiaozong, the more he thought, the more alarmed and agitated he became, was startled awake by his wife. His whole body jolted. Hearing what it was about, he stood up and slapped her across the face, instantly stunning the weeping woman into silence.

"What time is it to be worrying about this?! Pack up the valuables that need packing, leave everything else behind. We're leaving the city this afternoon!" Xue Xiaozong roared in anger. He had made up his mind — leave early, the earlier the safer. Once out of Xuzhou, Zhao Jin wouldn't dare make any reckless moves.

"... Master, so many things haven't been packed into trunks yet. The silks and satins stored in the northern residence... and that silver-bodied, gold-plated Buddha our family venerates — we'd need to have a box made for it now..." The woman wept as she listed off the items. As the son of the Cloud Mountain Monastery abbot, the valuables and wealth around him were far too numerous.

Xue Xiaozong hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Leave it all! Just take the gold, the silver, and those certificates and notes from Yangzhou and Haizhou. We can't delay any longer. Move quickly!"

Hearing this, the woman stopped crying altogether, her face filled with shock. "Master, didn't you say we'd take a boat from Pizhou in three days? Why such a rush? Leaving all these things behind — that's over ten thousand..."

Xue Xiaozong felt unbearably irritated. Hearing his wife ramble on, he nearly raised his hand again. But just then, a clamor arose from outside, seemingly mixed with shouts and curses, which made both people in the room somewhat puzzled.

"All useless trash, the busier it gets, the more chaos they make!" Xue Xiaozong couldn't be bothered to waste words on his wife. He walked out, pushed open the door, and shouted toward the outside, "What's going on? Do your hides need loosening with family discipline?"

Xue Xiaozong's inner residence was a separate courtyard. Outside the main hall, the servants were all bustling about, packing. A few trusted household men stood watch at the sides. Hearing his angry shout, his personal attendant quickly acknowledged and hurried out at a brisk pace.

The man had just stepped out when the noise outside suddenly grew much louder, so loud it could be heard clearly even in the inner courtyard. "... You're clearly blocking others from passing, what right do you have to be so rough and loud..." "... What of Cloud Mountain Monastery? Can monks even meddle in affairs inside the city..." Besides this, there were also filthy curses and obscene shouts.

This made Xue Xiaozong even more agitated. He thought to himself, before Zhao Jin appeared, even ranked officials from the yamen would treat him with courtesy. Now, with Zhao Jin not even in Xuzhou city, he couldn't even maintain peace and quiet at his own doorstep. Before he could erupt, he suddenly heard several agonized screams. Xue Xiaozong froze, wanting to listen more carefully, but the clamor outside grew even louder, people practically shouting curses at the top of their lungs. The inner courtyard was also a chaotic din of things being packed up, making it impossible to hear anything clearly.

Was it an illusion? Xue Xiaozong shook his head. He'd ask his attendant clearly when the man returned. Just as he thought this, his attendant had already come back. Compared to when he left, the attendant's face was frighteningly pale. Xue Xiaozong immediately understood the reason. A man of short stature had slipped out from behind the attendant, and with him were five others.

All six were dressed in coarse cloth garments, looking like laborers hauling goods on the streets. Their heads and faces were covered, leaving only their eyes, noses, and mouths exposed. In their hands they held straight-bladed short swords, three feet long.

The moment these men appeared, the maids and servants in the courtyard instinctively were about to scream in terror. The short masked man placed his blade against the attendant's neck and slashed. Blood instantly gushed out wildly. The attendant's corpse was tossed to the ground like a tattered sack.

"All of you, shut your mouths and get on the ground, or you'll end up just like him!" the short man roared in a lowered voice.

With that living, breathing example right before their eyes, everyone in the courtyard felt as if they'd been seized by the throat. They immediately dared not make a sound. Even Xue Xiaozong, standing there, was frozen in terror. Cloud Mountain Monastery had grown powerful; Cloud Mountain Trading and Cloud Mountain Tower had grown powerful. Seizing property by trickery and force, murdering for wealth — they'd done plenty of such deeds. The monastery's big move against Zhao Jin this time had also been pushed forward by him behind the scenes. Xue Xiaozong had quite a few lives on his hands, but Xue Xiaozong himself had never seen blood. He had never witnessed a killing. Xue Xiaozong had always believed that those who work with their minds are superior, that these filthy matters should be left to underlings. There was no need for him to get involved.

So upon seeing a dead man, Xue Xiaozong was struck with unparalleled shock, his entire being frozen in place. The short man swept his gaze across the courtyard, his eyes finally settling on Xue Xiaozong standing in the doorway, and he rushed forward swiftly.

By now, anyone could see who the target of these masked men was. The maids in the courtyard were trembling with fear, lying on the ground, not daring to move. But two sturdier manservants, seeing that the masked man charging forward was short, couldn't help but entertain other thoughts. They quietly began crawling forward a few paces. The moment they moved, the other masked men watching the courtyard immediately acted. Two of them walked straight over, blades rose and fell — and with that, the entire courtyard became perfectly obedient.

The short man moved with agility. The courtyard was large, but the distance was only so far. In a few strides, he was already upon his target. Only then did Xue Xiaozong react. Instinctively, he tried to flee. Having lived a life of ease and comfort for so long, though he was the abbot's son, he had always thought of himself as a scion of a noble house, inevitably soft and unaccustomed to physical exertion. Turning in haste, he tripped over the threshold and tumbled straight into the room. He had just propped up his upper body when the short masked man was already upon him, kicking him square in the chest and knocking him down again.

"I am Cloud Mountain..." Xue Xiaozong got halfway through his words before the other's blade was pressed directly against his throat. Xue Xiaozong immediately dared not make another sound. Only a moment later did he tremble and try to speak again: "... however much money you want..."

The short man applied slight pressure with the short sword in his hand, and Xue Xiaozong stiffened again. The short man glanced at Xue Xiaozong's wife, who was already paralyzed with terror inside the room, then fixed his gaze on Xue Xiaozong and said, "This is retribution!"

Before the words had faded, the short sword in his hand suddenly drove forward with force, piercing into Xue Xiaozong's throat. A twist, a stir, and then he withdrew the blade. Xue Xiaozong's eyes bulged wide as he fell rigidly to the ground.

As he withdrew the blade, the short masked man had already dodged to the side. A little blood splattered onto him. The short masked man paid no attention to the woman inside, who had now collapsed in utter shock and breakdown. He simply left, blade in hand.

"No one is to raise their head, or we'll take your lives!" the masked men maintaining order shouted, brandishing their blades.

Had it been earlier, someone might have been bold, someone might have harbored hopes of luck, or been driven by pure curiosity. But the killing of those two men just now was lesson enough. No one dared raise their head. Even less did anyone see the masked men soften their footsteps and exit the courtyard. One's own life was what mattered most.

The masked men exited the inner courtyard. Outside, there were also over a dozen masked men, all bearing blades and axes. The Xue family servants in the outer residence were also all lying on the ground, not daring to raise their heads. Several had already become corpses, their blood staining the earth around their bodies a purplish black.

The back gate of the Xue residence was half-open. The carters and grooms outside were already gone. From one end of the street facing the back gate came the sounds of a brawl. In front of the Xue residence's back gate, two large carts were parked, stopped crookedly, perfectly boxing in the back gate. Men who seemed to be carters were shouting curses at the top of their lungs outside the carts. No one knew what goods were loaded on the carts, piled high and covered with tarpaulins. The masked men lifted the tarpaulins and slipped inside.

Only then did the shouting and cursing cease. The carts turned around in the not-very-wide street and left the area. The brawl at the other end of the street also stopped. The gang of thugs who had been fighting scattered. The carters and porters, bruised and battered, came back cursing, feeling utterly baffled — what rotten luck.

The several carts turned out from the street and headed toward the south of the city. It was perfectly normal for carts coming in from outside to get lost within Xuzhou city. The carts stopped in the south of the city for less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, pulling over to the roadside, coincidentally blocking the entrance of a residence. The carter went to a sesame cake stall and bought a few cakes.

The carts then followed the road out of the city. Withering as Xuzhou city was, there were still plenty of ox and horse carts going in and out every day. No one would notice anything special. A little over two hours after the carts left the city, Liu Yong walked out from the residence where the carts had briefly stopped in the south of the city.

Anyone who had passed by this courtyard earlier had seen a plume of smoke rise from within, its smell extremely acrid. No one knew what was being burned inside — it seemed to be something like cloth.

Liu Yong stepped out and looked left and right. A few children ran past, laughing merrily. Several old men leaned against the foot of a wall, basking in the sun. No one was paying much attention. He turned his head and waved a hand. A man carrying a large basket on his back walked out. Liu Yong nodded and said, "Take these to the Shi family blacksmith shop. Tell them these few blades aren't good to use, have them melted down and reforged. I'll go over tonight to take a look."

The man nodded and carried the large bamboo basket out of the street. Behind him, several more people reached the doorway but did not exit the courtyard. Liu Yong glanced back and said with a smile, "You've all worked hard today. Go to Qi Family Village and find Qi Erkui. Tell him I sent you. Stay there for a month. I'll cover all expenses when the time comes."

The several men quickly bowed in acknowledgment. One of them even said with a cheeky grin, "How could we let Yong-ye spend more? We underlings have already taken quite a bit."

Liu Yong's expression darkened. He said sternly, "You've followed me for a while now. Don't you know to speak less? Get out of the city quickly. Don't worry about your families — I'll look after them for you."

In truth, Liu Yong was younger than the several men inside the gate, but the moment he flared up, those men immediately fell silent, as silent as cicadas in winter. As for the meaning behind the words "look after your families," everyone could hear it clearly.

These men also left the courtyard in batches, and not all heading in the same direction. Once everyone in the courtyard had left, Liu Yong himself strolled leisurely off in one direction. As he walked out of this alley, a shifty-looking thug fell in behind him.

"You go to Qi Family Village and stay there. See whether all these men have gone there, and whether they're staying put, content." Liu Yong finished speaking as if to himself and strode forward. The thug also turned and left in another direction.

After walking some distance, Liu Yong finally looked back and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Killing didn't frighten him, but keeping it secret and preventing leaks was very difficult. He could only use as much mutual surveillance and coercion as possible to ensure it. As he walked, Liu Yong thought to himself, guessing that his big brother would definitely find all these measures of his long-winded.

Liu Yong walked while looking back, moving very cautiously the whole way. He had originally intended to return to the distillery, but he deliberately took a long detour past the Department Magistrate's yamen. Not far after leaving the yamen's vicinity, he casually called over a loiterer from the street and asked, seemingly offhand, "Why is the yamen so quiet today?"

The idlers in Xuzhou city might not recognize anyone else, but they couldn't possibly not recognize Liu Yong. Back when the so-called "Eight Lesser Heroes" hadn't yet made such a big name, everyone had seen them in person. Once their fame grew, the others rarely appeared in public, but Liu Yong moved among the marketplaces and streets. The idlers and men of the jianghu all knew his face.

In the southern city alley, those children and old folks naturally didn't recognize any "Eight Lesser Heroes." But once he stepped onto the busier streets, people who took the initiative to step aside to the roadside, or came up politely to greet him — there were simply too many.

The idler, being questioned by Liu Yong, felt immensely honored. His face was wreathed in smiles as he said humbly, "Yong-ye, when has that official yamen ever not been quiet..."

Halfway through his words, the idler realized something was off and quickly corrected himself, "How could it not be quiet? Just now, a large batch of constables headed toward the north of the city. Quite a few of the yamen runners idling around town were also mustered. I heard a big case happened in the east of the city. This lowly one was greedy for the warmth and quiet here, so I didn't follow to watch!"

"A big case?" Liu Yong said, almost involuntarily.

The idler thought Liu Yong was surprised and couldn't help rambling on, "You wouldn't know, sir, but the moment Jin-ye left the city, the Xuzhou ground became unsettled. Our place here needs that godlike figure, Jin-ye, to keep it suppressed. Otherwise, trouble always breaks out."

Liu Yong fished a silver bean from his bosom and tossed it over. The idler immediately caught it, beaming with delight, and said repeatedly, "Thank you for your generosity, Yong-ye! Thank you for your generosity, Yong-ye!"

From the moment he opened his mouth until now, the idler had never dared to raise his head, so he also didn't see that Liu Yong's face showed no great shock. Liu Yong strode on. Ahead, a few beggars were begging listlessly. Liu Yong casually pulled out a small string of copper coins and tossed it down, prompting the beggars to kowtow repeatedly.

Among Zhao Jin's companions, ever since Liu Yong had been put in charge of dealing with the city's various elements of society, he always carried quite a bit of loose money on him. Inside his bosom were several pouches — small strings of copper coins, silver beans, and one containing gold ingots. Though none were large sums, altogether they weighed several jin. Earlier, when they went to the Xue residence to do the job, all these things had been stored at the residence in the south of the city.

At this moment, the rear residence of the Xue family at Cloud Mountain Trading was surrounded by a large number of constables and yamen runners. The managers and clerks from Cloud Mountain Trading in the front, and the family members and servants of the Xue household in the back, were being led out one by one.

"Everyone knows who this residence is connected to, and who the dead man is. Do your work with some discretion. Keep your hands clean. If anything goes wrong, I won't be protecting any of you." Chen Wu, the Chief Constable of Xuzhou, stood outside shouting loudly. The constables and runners going in and out answered in a ragged chorus.

Standing together with Chen Wu was Zhao Zhentang. Although there was no explicit statement, everyone in the yamen, from top to bottom, placed Zhao Zhentang on equal footing with Chen Wu.

After shouting his orders, Chen Wu lowered his voice and said with a sneer to Zhao Zhentang beside him, "It's a good thing the news of Cloud Mountain Monastery's monk soldiers' crushing defeat hasn't spread yet. If they knew, they'd be even less able to control their hands. Who knows how much more of the valuables in this residence would vanish into thin air."

When constables handled cases, helping themselves to things along the way was standard practice. It was only out of awe for Cloud Mountain Monastery that they showed some restraint.

Zhao Zhentang also said with a smile, "The garrison troops have already sealed their camp. They're still processing the heads, and they want to make this an ironclad case, so they also dare not let the news leak out."

At this, Zhao Zhentang laughed and cursed, then added, "Word is there was still news coming into town before dark. That brat has no sense of being a son — tells his old man nothing, yet he's the one giving orders now."

"Don't you go grumbling about that in front of me. Your family's got it easy with just one. My second boy won't listen to a word I say anymore — spends all day with his abacus, keeping the books." The two had somehow drifted into family talk.

While they idled here, over on the other side a few were taking things seriously. Every time someone was led out from the courtyard, they would ask, "Did you get a look at the killer's face?"

Zhao Zhentang and Chen Wu stood not far from those doing the questioning. With every question asked, the two of them would instinctively glance over.

Most of the people brought out from the Xue household shook their heads, answering only, "This lowly one was forced to the ground and didn't dare raise his head — how could I have seen anything?"

A few others answered dumbly, "This lowly one stole a few peeks, but the bandits all had their faces covered. How could I make out what they looked like?"

Once everyone had been through and all gave the same account, Zhao Zhentang and Chen Wu exchanged a look and nodded to each other. Just then, another constable came over and said, "Big brothers, Xue Xiaozong's wife is over there doing nothing but crying, saying she'd pay any amount if the case could be solved."