Chapter 95: Imposing Might (Second Update)

Chen Ergou and Zhao Jin walked into the yard one after the other, immediately drawing everyone's eyes. The moment Chen Ergou appeared, seven or eight young men rushed over to greet him, respectfully and politely calling him "Second Brother." The one in the lead, who looked a bit older, hurried a few steps closer, wanting to whisper something, but shut his mouth the moment he saw Liu Yong beside Chen Ergou and the group behind him.

"We're all brothers here. If you have something to say, say it."

"Second Brother, Brother Copperhead died last night at his mistress's place. Brother Sun the Fifth and Old Zhang are both dead. That mistress hid inside the house and came out fine. I heard they died horribly, their bodies hacked to pieces by axes." The man spoke very quietly, his face pale.

Chen Ergou's body trembled again, but he had been prepared and quickly steadied himself. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Are Whisker and Big-Head Huang here?"

"They're here, in the room inside Brother Copperhead's place. They've been talking for almost half a shichen."

Hearing this, Chen Ergou glanced back and saw Zhao Jin's group chatting and laughing easily. His mind settled considerably. He said in a deep voice, "I'm going in too."

The messenger froze, looking at Chen Ergou in disbelief. He glanced left and right, gritted his teeth, and said quietly, "Second Brother, if you really want to fight for this, we brothers will follow you and stake it all. But I'm willing to follow — those few behind you, I can't say the same for them!"

A smile appeared on Chen Ergou's face. He patted the man's shoulder and said, "Zhuzi, your brother will remember this favor. After today, the good days for us brothers might just arrive. Just wait and see!"

The man called "Zhuzi" stood stunned, watching his Second Brother Chen and those tall, sturdy yet youthful-faced men behind him walk together toward the inner courtyard.

The crowd in front of the Black Tiger Temple gate parted to either side, each face glaring unfriendly at Chen Ergou's group. Although Zhao Jin and his men carried standard-issue weapons, their faces looked young, with faint downy whiskers on their lips that made them seem even younger. The onlookers had been somewhat wary at first, but soon their expressions turned dismissive.

"Ergou, what time is this, and you're still leading a bunch of big kids around to play?"

"Don't say that. Ergou got where he is today by bullying children anyway."

Some jeered, others laughed viciously and nastily. Chen Ergou's face went pale and green by turns, deeply embarrassed. Most of the people gathered here didn't know Zhao Jin and his few companions at all, and hardly cared.

The few young men who had earlier called out "Second Brother," however, pushed through the crowd and followed behind Chen Ergou, glaring angrily at the people around them. But outnumbered and weak, they didn't dare start a shouting match.

"Brother Chen, you don't have many brothers at your side, but they're all very reliable!" Zhao Jin said with a laugh from behind.

Chen Ergou turned back with a smile. By now, much of the fear and agitation had faded from his face. With a touch of pride, Chen Ergou said, "After I learned that lesson, I've been very careful in how I deal with people and handle things. The men I pick are the kind who don't cause trouble, don't fear trouble, and can get things done. All good brothers."

Zhao Jin nodded and said with a smile, "I'm growing more and more convinced that you, Brother Chen, can manage this territory well."

They chatted and laughed as if no one else were there, and this attitude only made the surrounding crowd angrier. The mocking and jeering grew louder.

At first, these people thought Chen Ergou was just leading his half-grown boys into the crowd, but they never expected him to head straight for the inner courtyard. With that, the jeers from both sides turned into curses.

"Lord Whisker and Lord Huang are inside discussing important matters. What are you going in there for, Ergou?"

"Brother Copperhead is dead. Instead of keeping your own men in line, you bring a bunch of kids here to mess around. Have you got a hole in your head?"

Curses rang out, but Chen Ergou had grown calm by now. He turned back and said to Zhao Jin with a smile, "Just so Young Master Jin knows, this Whisker has a few three-inch-long black hairs on the left side of his face. He says they're lucky and never cuts them. He ran the gambling hall for Copperhead. And Big-Head Huang has a huge head and a dozen or so brawlers under him. He manages a few of the businesses outside the gambling hall."

"What do you do?" Zhao Jin asked curiously.

It was only about twenty-some steps to the courtyard gate, and nine fierce-looking men were already blocking the entrance. Chen Ergou felt a little afraid and slowed his pace, but seeing Zhao Jin chatting and laughing so easily bolstered his courage considerably.

"I just go around collecting ground rent. This place is dirt poor — there's not much money to collect." Chen Ergou stopped walking after saying this. Two more steps and he'd be at the courtyard gate.

Nine big men stood in front of the Black Tiger God of Wealth Temple gate, iron rulers and short blades in hand, glaring viciously at Zhao Jin and his companions.

"Chen Ergou, are you blind or just brain-damaged? Is what's going on inside something you can stick your nose into?" one of the big men said coldly.

Before anyone on this side could reply, another man cursed, "If you don't want to die, kneel at the gate and wait for the two lords inside to come out, then beg for forgiveness properly."

"Why can't we go in!" shouted Zhuzi, Chen Ergou's man.

At his shout, the big men at the gate all sneered. One even spat on the ground, pointed at Zhuzi, and said, "Because of your whore mother, that's why you can't go in!"

The big men at the gate and the crowd of onlookers all burst into raucous laughter. Zhuzi's face instantly flushed crimson. He was about to charge forward when Sun Dalei grabbed him and held him back.

In both size and strength, Sun Dalei far surpassed this man. Seeing someone step in to hold him back, the men at the courtyard gate grew even more convinced that Chen Ergou and his group were cowards. Someone laughed and mocked, "Look at you gutless lot! Scram back home and stop making a fool of yourselves here."

After having Sun Dalei hold the man back, Zhao Jin smiled and said to Chen Sheng beside him, "Dasheng, that man blocking the center of the gate — can you cut off his topknot without cutting his scalp?"

"I can!" Chen Sheng nodded with a grin. Before his words faded, he took a step forward, his long blade left its sheath, and a flash of cold light gleamed!

By the time Chen Sheng sheathed his blade, the laughter in the yard had not yet died down — then it stopped abruptly. Because everyone saw that the man blocking the center of the gate now had a small bald patch on his head, the rest of his hair falling loose around it. How could that slash be so precise?

That man only felt a chill on top of his head. He reached up to touch it and let out a terrified shriek. The man beside him immediately raised his arm, but halfway through the motion, Zhao Jin's long spear had already thrust out — not at the man's body, but between his legs.

What was this? The man froze. Before he could react, Zhao Jin pressed down with both arms and then heaved upward. The long spear slammed heavily into his vital spot between the legs. A scream squeezed out from the man's throat. He dropped his weapon, clutched his groin, and curled up like a shrimp.

From the other side came a cry of pain. A big man was clutching his wrist, his weapon already on the ground, blood seeping from where he held it. Wang Zhaojing, with effortless grace, drew his sword and slid it back into its scabbard.

"All of you, get lost. Next time, I'll take your lives!" Zhao Jin said coldly.

The entire yard fell silent. No one had imagined these half-grown boys could be so formidable. The big men at the courtyard gate looked at each other. One man, short blade in hand, charged forward — they weren't willing to be bullied by a bunch of kids.

A large, heavyset figure had already blocked his path — it was Sun Dalei. Without a care, Sun Dalei swung his double-bladed axe and smashed it down. The charging man had no choice but to block; otherwise, his head would likely have been smashed to pieces.

But Sun Dalei's strength was not something he could match, especially with Sun Dalei wielding a heavy axe. And what no one present expected was that Sun Dalei's speed was not slow either.

"Crack!" The charging man's short blade fell to the ground, his arm bent at a grotesque angle. He immediately howled in agony. Sun Dalei showed no mercy, kicking the man away and cursing, "Ungrateful wretch."

Sun Dalei knew his companions thought of him as timid and afraid of trouble, so he was seizing the chance to prove himself. That man had just become the unlucky target. He had still been kind-hearted enough to strike with the flat of the axe; if he had cleaved straight down, half the man's body would have been cut off.

No more words were needed. The men at the courtyard gate scattered completely clean. The surrounding crowd, aside from a few hushed murmurs, no longer dared to make a sound. They could only watch helplessly as Chen Ergou and his party walked inside.

There were two men at the door of the God of Wealth Temple as well, but they had already seen the fight at the courtyard gate. They just stood there dumbstruck, with no thought whatsoever of blocking the way.

"Zhuzi, take the brothers and stay in the courtyard. Young Master Jin and I will go in." Chen Ergou had grown calm by now. He gave Zhuzi an order, then stepped forward, lifted the door curtain, bent at the waist, and said, "Young Master Jin, please!"

Zhao Jin did not stand on ceremony. He strode in, then turned back and said with a smile, "Brother Chen is going to be in charge in the future, so come in second!"

These words were actually meant for Chen Sheng, Wang Zhaojing, and the others. A minor boss like Chen Ergou was far beneath them in status — even compared to Dong Bingfeng or Sun Dalei. That was why Zhao Jin had to say this separately.

Zhao Jin had only been inside this God of Wealth Temple once before. He only remembered it as a noisy, crowded, foul and smoky place. Coming this time, he found it had apparently been renovated. The space was more open, and the gambling tables had increased to five. The main hall and a side room must have been knocked through. Business seemed to be doing well.

Last time he came, Cheng Tongtou had stayed in that little side room. That little room was still there. The gambling hall was completely empty; the only sound was arguing coming from that small room.

"... Whisker, stop slinging mud here! You've been secretly colluding with Butcher Li and his crew for ages — what grounds do you have to say I did it..."

"Bullshit! You've been itching to get your hands on the salt trade for ages, you little punk. Didn't you just swear brotherhood with Black-Face Yan a few days ago?"

The two men were cursing filthily, deep in their quarrel. No one cared about Cheng Tongtou's funeral affairs, and no one heard the people who had come in from outside. These two were hashing things out and laying cards on the table, neither trusting the other, so only the two of them were allowed inside. The guards and lookouts outside had been so cowed by the imposing might of Zhao Jin's squad that they hadn't even dared raise an alarm.

Zhao Jin looked at Chen Ergou and said with a smile, "Cheng Tongtou really did a lousy job. Every one of his top men had divided loyalties, and he still had the nerve to collude with Cloud Mountain Temple and make trouble for us. His brain really was broken."