Chapter 387: The Fengyang Side

387. Chapter 387: The Fengyang Side

"Truly tragic indeed, but let me put it another way. Those common folk are the very same refugees who fought and died storming the walls of Xuzhou without a care for life or death. They are the same kind of people. Do you think these Eighteen Stockades of Grass Den are protecting the land and keeping the people safe? Aren't they doing the exact same dirty work as the Grass Den bandits? Is there no blood on their hands?" Zhao Jin fired off several questions in quick succession, his tone somewhat agitated.

Wang Zhaojing was stunned for a moment, then slowly nodded. Zhao Jin also fell silent for a while before giving a bitter smile and mocking himself, "What they said earlier angered me. They actually harbored the intention of dragging us into this. Absurd!"

The three Qi brothers had spoken with deep sincerity, and what they described was largely true, yet they harbored the intention of binding the Zhao Character Battalion to their cause, which greatly irritated Zhao Jin.

"Big Brother, that group with the suspicious movements yesterday is now in the prefectural jail, guarded by our own men," Liu Yong interjected.

Zhao Jin did not answer that question, but instead changed the subject: "Has there been any unusual activity from the Incense-Smelling Sect inside or outside the city?"

"None. Not only has Zheng Quan sent no word, but our own eyes and ears haven't discovered anything either," Liu Yong replied immediately.

"Let's go, everyone. Let's go take a look together!" Zhao Jin stood up and said. With the wedding date approaching, everyone tactfully avoided mentioning the Incense-Smelling Sect. It wasn't that the sect's name was inauspicious, but rather that everyone knew the matter might make Zhao Jin think of Mu Shulan.

When they arrived at the jail, the head jailer came out to greet them, again spouting endless congratulations and auspicious words. The man had even been given a seat at yesterday's wedding banquet, which made him feel immensely honored, and he was naturally endlessly grateful to Zhao Jin.

Zhao Jin and his companions had been here more than once or twice, so everyone knew the procedure. The head jailer had long since cleared out a special area, leaving several cells empty outside the one holding the people captured yesterday. Aside from the household troops of the Zhao Character Battalion, no jailers were permitted to approach. As soon as Zhao Jin led his people in, the head jailer even took all the jailers and prison guards outside.

Before leaving, the head jailer said obsequiously to Zhao Jin, "Master Jin, the four female prisoners have been placed separately in the women's cells."

"Big Brother, everyone here has been searched. They only had short weapons—daggers, short knives, that sort of thing. Not much silver or coin on them. They don't look like people from the martial world or some religious sect; they seem more like they come from impoverished backgrounds. They won't say anything when questioned. From their accents, we know they're from the Fengyang Prefecture side," Liu Yong briefed as they walked.

"Same as the refugees?" Ji Xiang, who was following behind, suddenly spoke up. Everyone paused, then nodded in agreement—the resemblance was indeed striking.

Before long, they arrived at that cell block. A dozen or so people were clustered around one person, watching the outside with considerable vigilance. Apart from this wariness, every face bore an expression of utter despair and hopelessness.

"I am Zhao Jin. Who was looking for me?" Arriving before the cell door, Zhao Jin came straight to the point.

A dozen pairs of eyes inside the cell turned to look at him in unison. Someone couldn't help but murmur, "So young..."

Not to mention that Zhao Jin was not old to begin with, he had never skimped on food or comforts. Compared to those worn down by daily toil and premature aging, he naturally looked different. These factors combined made him appear genuinely young. Among the companions around him, only Liu Yong looked older than his actual age; the others were much the same.

Although their youth was surprising, the commanding presence of being surrounded by a crowd, and that air of composed calm, made it clear that this was indeed Zhao Jin himself.

After the people in the cell looked over, their gazes shifted in unison to the man at the center. Now those outside took notice as well. The man at the center was in his forties or fifties, while the others were all sturdy young men barely in their twenties.

In that moment of stunned silence, the middle-aged man scrambled to his feet, rushed forward a few steps, then directly dropped to his knees and kowtowed, urgently saying, "Master Jin, Master Jin, this humble one is Zhong Gonghui. I have an important matter to discuss with Master Jin."

"What matter? Speak!" Zhao Jin was crisp and direct.

That Zhong Gonghui, however, did not speak. He merely knocked his head on the ground a few more times before looking up and saying, "Please, Master Jin, choose a secluded place. What this humble one has to say, the fewer people who know, the better."

It was indeed strange and suspicious. Liu Yong looked toward Zhao Jin, and Zhao Jin nodded. Liu Yong immediately called out to the men behind him, "Bring them all out. Everyone brought out must be searched—strip-searched. For the women's cells, find some matrons to do the searching. After the search, send them to the nearby Zhang family residence."

Ji Xiang also turned swiftly and, before leaving, said, "Big Brother, I'll go mobilize the First Company to come over, in case there's any trickery."

The Zhang family residence was close to the main jail and had long since been purchased by the Cloud Mountain Firm. Liu Yong had taken it over and used it for a long time. Being near the jail, there were always people being brought in or taken out who needed to stop nearby for a moment.

"Young people really don't know how to rest. Just married, and already bustling about like this," a few bystander prison guards murmured amongst themselves.

"If he were truly a son of a great, established house, his family would rather let him indulge in debauchery than dare allow him to be this diligent. That's just inviting disaster!"

The Zhang family residence had separate rooms, but everyone had already been subjected to a full-body search before leaving the jail, then bound tightly and delivered over. In truth, considering the men Zhao Jin currently had at hand, even just their few brothers could easily handle these people. Yet this group's movements were indeed strange and suspicious, resembling the methods of a religious sect. When dealing with such strangeness, no amount of caution was too much.

Zhao Jin and his group were in a room by themselves. Even You Zhenrong had hurried over. He was not only a man of the martial world but also a Herald of the Incense-Smelling Sect, and understood these rules and customs thoroughly.

"Master Jin, these two make their living at the inns outside the city. Their eyes are razor-sharp. Let them come in and take a look as well." You Zhenrong had even brought two men with him, handling the matter with considerable thoroughness.

"Master, that Zhong Gonghui wants to bring those four women in with him," a household trooper came to report. This was growing increasingly bizarre.

Zhao Jin exchanged glances with his companions, and only then, with some puzzlement, nodded his assent. Chen Sheng placed his long saber beside his chair, and Wang Zhaojing also laid his sword across his knees. You Zhenrong and the two middle-aged ruffians stood respectfully behind Zhao Jin. The two ruffians looked as if their faces were glowing; the honor was beyond words—to be standing behind Master Jin himself.

"Big Brother, before entering, this Zhong Gonghui even asked for water and wiped the faces of those four girls," Liu Yong said as he came in, his expression equally strange and puzzled.

At a word of summons, Zhong Gonghui led the four girls inside. As soon as they entered the room, nothing else mattered—everyone's eyes involuntarily lingered on those four girls for a moment.

They were all young men, and naturally enjoyed looking at beautiful girls. When seen in the jail, the four girls with Zhong Gonghui had been covered in dust and grime. Now, washed clean, though they wore no makeup, they were a sight for sore eyes.

If a beauty capable of toppling cities and kingdoms were a perfect ten, then the girls before them were at least a seven or an eight. Fair and clean, delicate and timid, they didn't even dare lift their heads, which only made one want to steal a few more glances.

Zhao Jin swept his gaze over them. Beautiful, they certainly were, but the matter was growing ever more peculiar. He turned his head to look at the two ruffians beside him and asked, "What do you see?"

The two had been staring with lecherous eyes, utterly captivated. Hearing Zhao Jin's question, they both jolted as if shocked and hurriedly looked over with serious intent.

"... Hardship must have only come recently. They've done work before, but the kind where the family had fields, tenant farmers, and large livestock..."

"... They might even have studied... possibly a Xiucai..."

"... Haven't had a full meal in about a year... These girls also come from good families..."

At this point, the two ruffians exchanged glances and said with some hesitation, "... These women seem more like they were specially raised, though they've also endured hardship..."

"... Like those 'slender horses'..."

"Don't talk nonsense in front of Master Jin!" You Zhenrong barked a reprimand.

The two middle-aged ruffians, who had been getting carried away, ducked their heads. Only when they saw Zhao Jin's expression remained normal did they dare continue. They made their living off the inns, and Xuzhou was a place connected in all directions, with countless traveling merchants and passersby. They had to know in their bones who could be targeted and who could not be touched. Otherwise, ending up dead without a burial site would be the least of their worries. Over time, they had naturally honed a pair of venomously sharp eyes.

"This man... has likely seen blood," one said hesitantly. The other leaned forward slightly. Zhao Jin waved his hand, signaling they needn't be too restrained. The two men walked quickly over, this time only staring intently at Zhong Gonghui. Zhong Gonghui and the four girls beside him all dared not raise their heads.

After observing for another moment, the two ruffians turned around and said with great solemnity, "Master Jin, this man has seen blood. He has killed."

Zhao Jin nodded. Someone brought out two small ingots of silver and gave them over. The ruffians left with profuse thanks. You Zhenrong said a word of farewell and also followed them out. They had gleaned some information from their experience, but once this information reached Zhao Jin's ears, he could analyze much more from it.

This Zhong Gonghui was likely from a well-to-do family in the Fengyang Prefecture area, possibly even of the gentry class. But some event had ruined his family, and he had been through much, including some bloody skirmishes and gang fights. There were still refugees in the Fengyang Prefecture area, and this man was very likely a headman or leader among them. Yet for such a figure to come looking for him was indeed strange. Refugees coming to Xuzhou had been slaughtered by him until the corpses piled like mountains and the blood flowed like rivers. The refugees from the Fengyang side hadn't come here, but in Pi Prefecture, the local strongmen of Huai'an Prefecture and Vice General Zhou had killed quite a few. No matter how you looked at it, he shouldn't have come.

Despite his thoughts, Zhao Jin asked with an indifferent expression, "What have you come to me for?"

Zhong Gonghui raised his head. Having kept it lowered for so long, he was already a bit dizzy. He looked at the people seated in the room. If these were indeed Zhao Jin and his brothers, then compared to the great deeds they had accomplished, their ages were truly far too young.

However, upon seeing each person's bearing and expression, Zhong Gonghui felt there could be no mistake. That dense, murderous aura and overwhelming authority were not something just anyone could possess.

Zhong Gonghui knocked his head heavily on the ground and said with the utmost earnestness, "Master Jin, please save the people of Fengyang!"

The four girls beside him also kowtowed to the floor and said in unison, "We beg Master Jin to save the people of Fengyang!"