Chapter 89: Are You Willing to Settle for This?

89. Chapter 89: Are You Willing to Settle for This?

Chen Ergou let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling he had finally slipped past the immediate crisis. Who would care whether Chief Cheng lived or died, he thought. After congratulating himself for a moment, it suddenly hit him. Chen Ergou shuddered, his eyes widening as he stared at Zhao Jin before him, his face full of utter disbelief.

For one, he didn't believe the implication in Zhao Jin's words. For another, he found it inconceivable that someone Zhao Jin's age could actually pull off something like this.

"Brother Chen, don't overthink it. Just head back for now!" Zhao Jin said with a smile. Chen Ergou felt his knees go weak; he nearly dropped to the ground. He barely managed to hold himself up, stammered for a long moment, then clasped his fists and bowed deeply, his voice trembling: "Rest assured, Young Master Jin. This lowly one will go back first. If there's anything you need this lowly one to do, I would die ten thousand deaths without hesitation."

Zhao Jin ignored the babbling Chen Ergou and instead turned to Liu Yong beside him with a smile. "Xiaoyong, stay here for a few days. Don't go back with him just yet."

Liu Yong glanced at Chen Ergou, then at Zhao Jin, and then at his companions in the courtyard, each with their own expression. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Big Brother, I'll go back with Brother Chen. If I don't go back, Chief Cheng's side will definitely get suspicious."

Zhao Jin looked at Liu Yong, pulled him over, and hugged him fiercely. "Good brother," he said.

Everyone in the courtyard laughed, and even Chen Ergou forced out two dry chuckles. Liu Yong's face flushed red with emotion. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Zhao Jin whisper in his ear, "If things look bad, just run back. If it's safe, try to find out where Chief Cheng stays at night."

Liu Yong nodded, stepped back, clasped his fists, and said, "Big Brother, I'll head back then!"

After saying this, Liu Yong turned to Chen Ergou and said, "Brother Chen, let's go back."

When they came, Liu Yong was a tag-along. On the way back, the roles were reversed. Chen Ergou had no objection to this, as if he found it only natural.

The two walked out of the courtyard. As the gate closed, they could still hear Chen Ergou's dry laugh from outside: "Xiaoyong, your Second Brother has always treated you well, you have to remember that!"

"Second Brother, what are you saying? Of course I remember."

Hearing this exchange, the people in the courtyard couldn't help but smile. Once the footsteps of the two outside faded away, Wang Zhaojing's expression turned serious. He walked up to Zhao Jin and asked solemnly, "Brother Zhao, do you truly intend to go through with this?"

The group gathered around. Some understood Zhao Jin's earlier words and demeanor, while others had only a vague inkling.

Zhao Jin nodded. Wang Zhaojing was taken aback. He hesitated, then asked again, "Brother Zhao, with your skills, you are destined for great things, a boundless future. To engage in such lowly dealings, isn't that too self..."

He stopped there, but Zhao Jin smiled and finished the thought: "Is it self-degradation?"

Wang Zhaojing gave an awkward smile but did not deny it. Zhao Jin looked around and saw that most of his companions were rather bewildered, not understanding what was being discussed. He smiled and continued, "Just now, I suddenly thought of seizing Chief Cheng's assets and turning them into our own enterprise. Brother Wang says that doing such a thing is too degrading for me, tantamount to falling into depravity."

"Brother Zhao, I didn't mean..." Wang Zhaojing tried to explain, but Zhao Jin raised a hand with a smile to stop him and went on: "You probably all think the same. A thug boss, living off gambling money, bleeding whores dry, fencing stolen goods—a scumbag of the underworld. And I want to seize his business, take this dirty money. Wouldn't that make me a scumbag too?"

At this, everyone finally understood completely. Yet, aside from Dong Bingfeng, who seemed to agree with that sentiment, the rest were unimpressed.

Chen Sheng stepped back two paces and sat directly on a stone lock. He said coolly, "My father and your father also take this silver. Our food, drink, and expenses all depend on it. Were we ever clean before?"

Zhao Jin burst out laughing. When the laughter subsided, he did not respond to that point but instead asked, "Zhaojing, you're already a Xiucai. In the future, you'll take the provincial exams, then the metropolitan exams, and become an official. That's probably the path your life will take, right?"

Though Wang Zhaojing did not know why Zhao Jin was asking this, he nodded. That was the life course of a scholarly seed; there was no other path under heaven.

"Dasheng, you'll take over your father's position in the future, continue being a constable and runner, and later see if you can become the Chief Constable. Right?"

This was also something the Chen family had long arranged, and Chen Sheng had mentioned it to everyone before. He nodded.

"Bingfeng, you'll inherit the position of Thousand-Household Commander, then manage the family estate and become a landlord. Right?"

Dong Bingfeng also nodded. He was a hereditary Thousand-Household Commander; the title was passed down through the generations. Moreover, his father had already built up a considerable family fortune, which naturally needed to be managed.

"Shitou and Daxiang, you two will both inherit your families' shops and stalls. Right?"

This was also a matter of course. Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang nodded. Everyone was growing more and more puzzled, wondering why Zhao Jin was asking these questions with such obvious answers.

"Dalei, you're going to go into business in the future. Right?"

Sun Dalei nodded blankly. As the eldest son, the wealth and enterprise his parents had built would naturally all be his. There was no dispute about that.

He asked every single person. Inside the house, Mu Shulan lifted the curtain and poked her head out to look. Finding that Zhao Jin had no intention of asking her, she stuck out her tongue playfully, smiled, and then ducked back inside.

"Are you willing to settle for this? Are you willing to settle for a lifetime of just this?" Zhao Jin asked.

The courtyard was silent. Everyone was watching Zhao Jin, everyone was listening intently. Zhao Jin took a couple of steps and continued in a deep voice, "We brothers train and spar every day. It started for fun and competition, to prove who was stronger. But after five years of this, don't we want to do something together?"

Everyone exchanged glances, seeing unease on each other's faces. Zhao Jin raised his voice a little: "We've trained diligently every day for five years. We are far stronger than our peers. We are united as one. Having reached this point, are we still willing to walk that unchanging, set path?"

Wang Zhaojing's expression grew increasingly solemn. Chen Sheng's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang's breathing became heavier. Dong Bingfeng sank into deep thought. Sun Dalei scratched his head, wanting to speak but not opening his mouth.

"That day, the eight of us stormed the Nine-Tailed Fox Shrine. We were so flustered and panicked, yet we still easily killed those six monks. If we had been calm and composed, it would have been a simple, flawless victory. We already possess this kind of strength. We are already capable of doing greater things. Are we truly willing to walk that dull, old road?"

Zhao Jin's tone grew more and more impassioned. The others' expressions all became stirred up. Even Sun Dalei stopped scratching his head and listened with rapt attention. Only Wang Zhaojing remained calm, asking thoughtfully, "Brother Zhao is a man destined for great things; I have always believed that. But what does doing great things have to do with seizing Chief Cheng's assets?"

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. To accomplish anything, you need silver and you need people. Right now, our money comes from our elders and families, and our people are just the few of us. What can we do with that? Chief Cheng has those things. The reason I chose him is also because we have acquaintances on his side. Xiaoyong and Chen Ergou can both pass us information. And there's another point: when Xiaolan was kidnapped last time, we were like headless flies. We only got a lead after asking Chen Ergou's side. If we can get the motley crew under Chief Cheng into our hands, our information network will become effective too." Zhao Jin spoke with fervor and assurance.

"But all those things are that Chief What's-His-Name's family property. Will he be willing to hand them over to us?" Dong Bingfeng asked, puzzled.

Zhao Jin grinned, and explained, "Then we kill him."