Chapter 583: The Six-Ear Den

"... The Cloud Mountain Cart Company people went to Jiangwei Martial Hall again. This time, Jiangwei Martial Hall didn't dare be negligent and obediently paid the silver for hiring the cart. The Cloud Mountain cart driver delivered it to the street entrance..."

"... They say that for last night's dead, the funeral arrangements also demanded Cloud Mountain Cart Company handle the transport, and the cart fee was quadrupled..."

The reports kept coming back, further confirming Dou Tianfeng's judgment — last night's incident was definitely done by the Xuzhou men from Cloud Mountain Cart Company. If the cart driver came calling today and still wasn't paid, who knew what brutal measures awaited.

"... Pass the word down: when that cart driver comes again, give him double — no, triple — the cart fee, and make sure to treat him with the utmost courtesy!" Dou Tianfeng hurriedly gave the order.

Jiangwei Martial Hall had beaten them and thrown them out, but this Six-Ear Den had a very good attitude from the start and paid the cart fee on the spot. No wonder Dou Tianfeng had managed to rise to such a position — he'd done plenty of smiling to your face while stabbing you in the back.

The Six-Ear Den was like any other gambling den — as long as there were enough gamblers, it never closed, doing business day and night. It was just after the new year, and those who hadn't cleared out their stolen goods before the year's end, along with those jianghu heroes who simply wanted to squander money in the dazzling world of Qingjiangpu, were all gambling in high spirits.

Right next to the Six-Ear Den was an inn, which kept prostitutes and could arrange fine banquets. Moreover, it had close ties with the authorities, so even jianghu outlaws with wanted posters out didn't need to worry about being arrested. Thus, everyone came here to play without worry and with great pleasure.

Several big spenders had gambled all night, yet their spirits were excellent. After breakfast, they gathered together again. Staying cooped up in their own lairs too long was truly stifling; having rarely gotten out, they were determined to enjoy themselves thoroughly.

"Is Dou Tianfeng here?" someone suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs. The voice sounded very young.

Don't be fooled by the shouting and hollering at the gambling tables, the coarse-voiced laughter and curses — that was called liveliness. But as soon as there was a disturbance outside, it felt like their enjoyment had been interrupted. On top of that, with the nonstop day-and-night gambling, everyone's mind was somewhat dazed. One stockade master's face darkened.

"What business do you have with our den master?" A den attendant went up to greet them, his tone somewhat brusque.

Dou Tianfeng was considered a figure of some standing locally; one ought to at least add a title of respect when addressing him. Yet this person had bluntly called him by name, and what's more, the voice was young — this was outright disrespectful.

Then came a muffled thud from outside. A pained cry and a startled shout rang out at the same time, followed by that voice saying impatiently: "Your lord is looking for Dou Tianfeng. What's a piece of trash like you stumbling out here for? Dou Tianfeng! Get out here!"

With all this ruckus, even the croupier handling the dice cup was distracted. This only made the jianghu guests feel their fun had been spoiled. That frowning stockade master slammed the table and roared toward the outside: "Who's out there wailing like a mourner? Do you know what crime it is to disturb your grandpas?"

They were somewhat restrained in Qingjiangpu, but they weren't afraid to kick up a fuss either. Once things got out of hand, even if people got killed, they could just dust themselves off and leave, never coming back to this place again. Which government runner could catch them? And this time, they were standing up for Dou Tianfeng — that well-connected Dou fellow would surely have to help cover for them.

As soon as the roar ended, it went quiet outside. Then the door to this side-room private chamber was kicked open with a single blow. So someone really dared to come courting death. The jianghu guests frowned, but they remained seated out of pride — they still had guards and personal attendants in the room; there was no need to act themselves.

The moment the door was kicked open, the two men sitting by the door immediately stood up and bellowed angrily: "You dare come here and run wild? Get the hell..."

The second half of the sentence was kicked right back down his throat. His entire body was sent flying backward by the kick, and as he hit the ground, a mouthful of blood sprayed out.

To strike so viciously — they truly had no idea what death was. None of the big spenders moved. Their bodyguards and escorts all drew their weapons and stood. After all, long weapons were inconvenient inside a gambling den; they carried short blades, short axes, iron rulers, and the like.

These jianghu outlaws were long accustomed to lawlessness. Seeing one of their own take a hit, they didn't care about restraint in the busy city. The nearest one lunged with his short knife, going straight for a vital spot.

The leader of the one who had stabbed sat by the gambling table and frowned, thinking that if someone actually got killed, it would be troublesome. They'd probably have to change lodgings, and might even have to leave Qingjiangpu. They'd only been enjoying themselves a few days — it really wouldn't sit well.

A flash of the blade, a miserable scream. The arm holding the short knife was severed outright, blood spraying. On the other side, a guard's body crumpled softly to the ground — he'd been struck in the forehead by a staff and knocked unconscious instantly.

The fight had barely started, and already two of their own were crippled. The others instinctively stepped back. The big spenders at the gambling table could no longer maintain their composure and all rose to their feet.

Only two people had entered. Two big men, armed with a goose-quill saber and a short staff, coldly swept their gaze across everyone in the room. Under the scrutiny of these two big men in coarse homespun short robes, every person felt a chill run through their entire body. Anyone who had seen real action could tell — these two were ruthless killers who didn't blink at taking a life, the kind who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"... Li He... Lord Li..." someone suddenly called out in a trembling voice. The gamblers in the room had finally adjusted to the light after the door opened and recognized the person who had entered.

Li He, whose name had been called, raised an eyebrow and turned to look — only to find it was an old acquaintance.

On the books, what the Great Ming's soldiers and officers could officially get was just rations and pay. The commanding general would skim off that to support his household troops and personal guards. Even the main-force battalions of the second tier got nothing but thin gruel. Arrogant soldiers and fierce officers were naturally unwilling to endure such poverty. Having them pose as bandits to plunder merchant towns and cities would invite encirclement and suppression by the various armies, so of course they wouldn't do that. But setting up checkpoints on the salt roads and collecting money from the outlaw strongholds everywhere — that they did without the slightest hesitation.

Back in the day, Li He's battalion had been the biggest bandit gang in the region. Crooks preying on crooks, thieves robbing thieves — that described their lot. And they were utterly ruthless; the slightest disobedience meant immediate slaughter and bloodshed. The outlaws and mounted brigands all paid their tribute in terror.

Then last year, word was that Li He's battalion had come down with a severe plague and been transferred to some remote place. Battalion Commander Li He had also vanished without a trace. Of course, those on the outlaw circuit with better information knew he'd been taken out while doing some private job. For these jianghu outlaws, where Li He went didn't matter — what mattered was that this King of Hell was gone, and everyone's days were easier.

Who could have imagined seeing Li He in a Qingjiangpu gambling den? Though the Li He before them looked somewhat more down-and-out than before, the viciousness between his brows seemed even heavier, even more bloodthirsty and savage.

What kind of person could command a figure like this? He should have just minded his own business and gambled his money in peace — why wade into such murky waters? Having called out that name, and now with Li He's gaze fixed on him, this gambler gave himself a hard slap across the face, dropped cleanly to his knees, and said: "Lord Li, this lowly one has eyes but failed to see. I didn't know you were here. You, venerable sir, won't hold a grudge against a petty man — please, just let this lowly one go!"

"So you do remember me!" Li He chuckled coldly but didn't say more. He simply raised his voice and asked: "Who was it just now doing all that shouting?"

The kneeling big spender didn't hesitate for a moment. He pointed directly at the man who had slammed the table and roared. Li He gave a cold laugh and walked over, saying: "Lord Jin is here on business, and someone still has no eyes. Those eyes are better off gone."

There were over a dozen people in the room, and not a single one dared move. Everyone had seen the dozen-plus big men standing outside the door, wearing sabers and carrying bows, all exuding murderous intent. They could see even more clearly that these men didn't care about killing. Only two had entered the room, yet those two had cowed everyone — no one dared stir.

"Lord Li, spare my life! This lowly one truly had no eyes." The stockade master had also dropped to his knees. He had heard of Li He's reputation, and as for the "Lord Jin" Li He spoke of, he had heard even more rumors. He knew what this god of slaughter had done in Yangzhou Prefecture and Huai'an Prefecture. To think he had offended such a fiend.

After all, jianghu heroes were only heroes in the jianghu. Face mattered, but at times like this, life mattered most. The stockade master slammed his head against the floor a dozen times in rapid succession, his forehead already bruised and bleeding, his mouth repeating only that he deserved to die.

To humble himself to such an extent, and since these people were unrelated to the matter, Li He didn't actually draw blood. He just kicked the man over and said: "Lord Jin has come to Qingjiangpu. Have some eyes from now on."

With that, Li He turned and left the room. The trembling croupier went over and shut the door. But who among them still had the heart to keep gambling? The jianghu heroes active around Huai'an and Yangzhou Prefectures mostly knew about the bloody massacre of the Feng family in Yangzhou. They had some idea of the ins and outs, and from that, they also knew something about Zhao Jin and the Zhao Character Battalion. Their horizons were actually far broader than those Qingjiangpu frogs at the bottom of a well. As for Battalion Commander Li He, his fearsome name was even more renowned among them. The thought that Li He was actually serving under Lord Jin confirmed certain past suspicions. Mulling it over carefully sent chills through their entire bodies.

"From now on, this Qingjiangpu belongs to that Zhao Jin..."

"Not just Qingjiangpu. Now that he's reached here, following the river downstream — isn't that right at Yangzhou Prefecture?"

They discussed in hushed tones for a while, all feeling as if they'd narrowly escaped death. Not daring to gamble anymore, they tended to the wounded, accepted their bad luck, and hurried back to their lodgings to pack up and leave.

In the main hall of the gambling den, the gamblers were all watching the excitement from a distance. Several of the guards and croupiers had already been beaten to the ground, and the others dared not step forward. Word had long since been sent to the back. Usually, Dou Tianfeng wouldn't be up at this hour, but he hadn't slept a wink all night and happened to hear this.

The moment he heard that someone had come to run wild and cause trouble, Dou Tianfeng flew into a rage, thinking: Do they really think our Qingjiangpu has no one left? Any random person comes to stir things up? But when names like "Lord Jin" were reported to him, Dou Tianfeng froze entirely. Never mind his face turning deathly pale and his body trembling — all he could think was: Could it be that last night's affair has been exposed, and they've come straight to wipe out my entire household?

Yet with matters having reached this point, he had no choice but to go out. Last night's incident at Jiangwei Martial Hall had already proven the Zhao Character Battalion's methods. Dou Tianfeng could think of no way to fight or flee. He could only grit his teeth and face them. Given the way these Xuzhou men operated, in broad daylight and in a busy area, it seemed unlikely they would slaughter everyone in blood. If they were going to do that, it would only be at night...

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