Chapter 96: Official Backing (Third Update)

96. Chapter 96: Official Backing (Third Update)

Chen Ergou hurriedly smiled apologetically and stepped forward to explain, "This Butcher Li is a slaughterhouse owner who lives by the north gate. He keeps seven or eight butcher lads under him, and when fights break out, they all draw blades and go at it. He handles the extortion rackets, unlicensed brothels, and that sort of thing over there. This Yan Blackface is a big household from Willow Lane. All the beggars and vagrants in the city have to pay him money. I hear that when it comes to salt distribution in the south of the city, he's the biggest one."

Zhao Jin nodded. He truly wouldn't have known these things if Chen Ergou hadn't told him. He couldn't help but ask further, "How do Yan Blackface and Butcher Li compare to Bronze Head? And what other figures of the underworld are there in our Xuzhou city?"

"Butcher Li and Bronze Head are about the same. Yan Blackface is bigger than them. These three are the most famous in the south of Xuzhou city. As for the east and west of the city..." The more Chen Ergou spoke, the more nervous he felt. Zhao Jin and the others were completely at ease, but he found himself unable to continue. In fact, the argument inside the small house was still going on, and no one had noticed the situation outside at all.

Seeing Chen Ergou's nervousness, Zhao Jin smiled and said, "You can tell me the rest after we're done."

With that, he took a few steps forward. Zhao Jin extended his long spear and lifted the door curtain. The moment the curtain was raised, the argument inside the house stopped immediately. Two middle-aged men turned their heads in shock to look out.

Tuft was a fat man, and that tuft of black hair was extremely conspicuous. Big Head Huang was very burly, with an exceptionally prominent forehead, and his whole appearance was quite fierce.

The first person they saw was Chen Ergou. Big Head Huang frowned and said, "What the hell are you doing here? Get the hell out!"

Chen Ergou instinctively shrank back, but was blocked by Zhao Jin. While holding the door curtain open with one hand, Zhao Jin smiled and said to Chen Sheng, "Dasheng, I still don't quite believe in your blade technique. Can you split that table in two?"

Zhao Jin was referring to the wooden table between Big Head Huang and Tuft. A smile also appeared on Chen Sheng's face as he nodded and said, "I can!"

This time, Chen Sheng did not charge. He simply strode toward the small house. His steps and movements carried a certain rhythm. His arm swung as he drew his blade from its sheath, tossed the scabbard aside, and gripped the blade with both hands. After entering the small house, he raised the long blade and brought it slashing straight down.

Tuft and Big Head Huang watched Chen Sheng stride over, neither of them reacting in time. Only when they saw him draw the blade from its sheath did they scramble in panic to dodge to either side, watching as his hand rose and the blade fell, cleaving the thick wooden square tabletop in two with a single cut.

"How was that?" After the slash, Chen Sheng ignored the two men beside him and turned back with a smile to ask.

Zhao Jin walked into the room holding his long spear, nodded, and said, "Your strength and technique are combining better and better. Splitting this table isn't hard, but what's rare is doing it as cleanly and decisively as you did."

Tuft and Big Head Huang, cowering off to the sides, instinctively looked at the table. Although it wasn't made of any fine material, it was still a plank two fingers thick, and it had been split so cleanly. If that blow had landed on a person, even bone probably wouldn't have stopped it.

Two half-grown kids had just barged in and were chatting and laughing as if nothing were wrong. Outside the house were Chen Ergou and a few others. There were clearly quite a few men guarding the outside of the God of Wealth Temple courtyard, yet these half-grown kids and Chen Ergou had swaggered right in. The situation was bizarre, but Tuft and Big Head Huang simply didn't dare to act out.

With a "Riiip," the door curtain was sliced straight open. The weather hadn't warmed up yet, and a thick cotton-padded curtain hung over the door frame. Even a blade might not have cut through such a thick cotton curtain cleanly, yet now it had been severed in two with a single stroke.

Wang Zhaojing flicked his sword in a flourish and strode in gracefully, smiling as he said, "Brother Zhao, I've also been tempering my sword skills for many years. I could give it a try as well."

"Exactly. One smash from my axe would be even more impressive," Sun Dalei said, seizing the moment to show off.

Zhao Jin smiled but didn't respond. Wang Zhaojing's sword skill was indeed good, but his ability to do what he just did had a lot to do with the sharpness of the sword. It displayed ample finesse and killing intent, but it lacked a bit in intimidation. As for Sun Dalei's double-bladed axe smashing down, it would probably send wood chips flying everywhere. There was no need for casualties.

The room wasn't large. After Wang Zhaojing entered, it already felt somewhat crowded. He swept his gaze around with a smile, turned back to let Chen Ergou enter, then turned and walked out.

Zhao Jin turned his head and asked, "Brother Chen, with Bronze Head dead, are these two the ones whose words carry the most weight?"

Chen Ergou glanced at Tuft and Big Head Huang, then quickly nodded and said, "Each of them manages a separate operation. Under Big Brother Bronze Head, it's just them."

Zhao Jin nodded, turned around, and said with a smile, "You two, from now on, you'll be under Brother Chen's management. How about that?"

Chen Sheng's long blade was still unsheathed, and he was eyeing the two men covetously. Tuft and Big Head Huang were characters who had made their way on the streets, after all. They had calmed down considerably by now and remained silent with cold expressions.

"Yes or no? I'll ask you two to give an answer," Zhao Jin urged. Big Head Huang glared at Zhao Jin, then turned his head to Chen Ergou and said through gritted teeth, "Ergou, you bastard, colluding with outsid—"

Halfway through his words, the long spear in Zhao Jin's hand shot out like a venomous snake striking, directly piercing through Big Head Huang's calf before being yanked back. Zhao Jin's expression turned icy as he continued, "Refusing a face-saving offer. Yes or no? I'm waiting for your answer!"

Big Head Huang hadn't reacted at all. Only when the long spear was withdrawn did he let out a shrill, miserable scream, squatting down to clutch his leg. Tuft beside him shuddered in fright, his hand instinctively reaching into his shirt. Just as he was about to move, the tip of Chen Sheng's blade was already pressed before his eyes, and he immediately froze.

A hole had been punched through his calf, and the blood wouldn't stop flowing. Big Head Huang kept screaming shrilly in pain, but his hands hurriedly tore the hem of his upper garment and directly bound the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Stop yelling. Those useless men of yours outside don't scare us brothers," Zhao Jin said, probing his long spear forward, which made the two men shrink back again in fright.

Big Head Huang's miserable scream was indeed meant to call people in, but he hadn't expected Zhao Jin not to care at all. Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Big Head Huang stopped his shouting and said through gritted teeth, "Since this lord here wants Ergou to take charge, I, Big Head Huang, have nothing to say against it."

Zhao Jin nodded and looked over at Tuft beside him. Chen Sheng's blade was practically already resting on his neck. Tuft also forced a dry laugh and said, "Same here. Let Ergou take charge."

"Since that's the case, the form of address needs to change from now on. Call him Second Master Chen directly," Zhao Jin added.

The two men being coerced both nodded with dark expressions, thinking to themselves that they'd get past this immediate crisis first; nothing was certain afterward.

Zhao Jin swept his gaze over them, and a smile reappeared on his face. He spoke, "You two go outside and tell all the various groups out there who's in charge here from now on."

These half-grown kids really weren't easy to fool. Tuft and Big Head Huang exchanged a glance and could only nod in silence.

From the moment they entered until now, Chen Ergou hadn't had much chance to speak. He was, in fact, completely dumbstruck, watching Zhao Jin do all the talking.

He wasn't the only one dumbstruck. Even Wang Zhaojing outside the house was quite surprised. He lowered his voice and said to his companion beside him, "Brother Zhao's manner really has a hint of the outlaw about it. You'd never guess it normally!"

As they spoke, Tuft and the limping Big Head Huang walked out. Zhao Jin and the others followed behind, calling out, "Everyone, escort these two to the courtyard gate and tell the people over there who's really in charge from now on!"

Everyone immediately understood. They surrounded Tuft and Big Head Huang and pushed the door open together to walk out.

Big Head Huang's miserable scream earlier had alerted people after all. His subordinates outside the courtyard wanted to rush in, but Chen Ergou's subordinates inside the courtyard blocked them and wouldn't let them through. The two sides were in a standoff, a clash about to erupt at any moment.

Just as they were about to start fighting, everyone came out. When the people outside the courtyard saw their leaders were still alive, they lost the will to fight. These underworld figures, these thugs and riffraff, were fine for brawling and scrapping, but few were willing to throw their lives away. And what Zhao Jin and his eight companions had just demonstrated was precisely the skill of killing.

Although everyone could see the fresh wound on Big Head Huang's calf seeping blood, and could see that both leaders' expressions were terrible, no one made a move. In their hearts, they even felt a sense of relief, thinking that since no one was dead, there was no need for them to really fight to the death.

They walked out of the courtyard, clearing a large open space in front of the gate. Zhao Jin swept his gaze around, then turned back to Tuft and Big Head Huang and said, "You two, tell everyone here. From now on, Brother Chen is in charge of everything."

Zhao Jin's expression was calm, but the two men he was facing looked like fire was about to shoot from their eyes. Their expressions were twisted, and they didn't want to speak at all. Chen Sheng, beside them, gave a cold snort and drew his already-sheathed blade halfway out again.

This sound immediately deflated Tuft and Big Head Huang. Thinking back to that wooden table cleaved in two with a single stroke, neither had the courage to stubbornly resist any longer. The two looked at each other, both on the verge of giving in.

Just at that moment, an impatient shout came from outside: "What are so many people gathered here for? All of you, get the hell out of the way!"

The words were extremely rude, but these ruffians parted to open a path. Three men wearing square caps and blue robes strode in. These three men weren't particularly brawny. Two held iron rulers, and one had chains hanging from his waist. They were actually dressed as yamen runners.

"Master Qian, Master Zhang, Master Liu, you three have finally come!" Tuft, who had been utterly dejected, was instantly overjoyed and shouted out.

Zhao Jin frowned. Tuft continued to shout, "Three masters, these brats who came out of nowhere have come here causing chaos, saying they want some kid with no seniority to run things. When I argued that it wasn't according to the rules, they even attacked and wounded people. You three masters must see justice done for me!"

Before he even finished, the blue-robed man with the chains immediately changed color and roared angrily, "With Bronze Head dead, according to the rules, you're the one to take charge! Who else dares to meddle? Looking to die?"

"Tuft, you bastard! So you had this prepared, getting the constables to help!" These words didn't come from Zhao Jin's side, but rather from Big Head Huang, who was cursing furiously.

Tuft took two steps forward, his expression already extremely smug. He smiled and said, "Big Head Huang, you'd better be sensible, or once you're inside the big jail, you'll wish you were dead."

Having said that, Tuft pointed at Zhao Jin and the others and shouted, "Three masters, these kids are carrying lethal weapons. They're very likely connected to Big Brother Bronze Head's death. A thorough investigation is needed!"