Preparations

Sand Lake County Town was fairly large, named after Sand Lake a few hundred meters outside the walls.

A small river about three zhang wide flowed past Sand Lake County Town, its surface shimmering with ripples. Willows planted along its banks trailed green silk ribbons, and a few ancient-era fishing enthusiasts were angling by the water.

Fishermen poled their boats on the river.

At the town gate, people came and went in a lively bustle.

Lu Chen's predecessor had been here several times, so he was reasonably familiar with the place.

He went straight to a teahouse near the Green Bamboo Gang's headquarters, ordered the cheapest tea, and sat down to listen to the other patrons chat.

He was gathering information.

The biggest news of the past few days was the gruesome deaths of Lu San and his fellow ruffians.

Lu San had fallen into a cesspit and died.

Lu Si had died of poisoning, vomiting and suffering from diarrhea.

Teng Jun and Luo Yong had been forced to drink liquid manure to make them vomit, but they had died anyway.

People in Shahu County hadn't seen deaths like those in over a decade.

Lu Chen also managed to pick up some useful information.

"Lu San, Lu Si, and the others all worked under Cheng Datou, a minor leader in the Green Bamboo Gang. Cheng Datou works under Wang Bao, a hall master of the Green Bamboo Gang, and Wang Bao is the younger brother of Wang Hu, the gang leader."

That made them subordinates within the inner circle.

He even heard the tea drinkers mention Cheng Datou's favorite brothel and where he lived.

These were things everyone in the county knew.

As for whether Cheng Datou had three burrows like a crafty rabbit and kept other hidden residences, there was no telling.

Lu Chen asked the tea server what Cheng Datou looked like, explaining that he hadn't been here long and was afraid he might offend the man without realizing it.

The server said, "Cheng Datou wasn't originally called Datou. That nickname came from his big head. His other main features are that he's good with a large saber, has two thick arms, a round face, and a full beard. He looks very imposing. Even someone who's never seen him before can recognize him at a glance."

Lu Chen was slightly startled.

Good with a large saber and thick arms?

Could he be an expert?

He decided to make some more preparations.

Leaving the money on the table, Lu Chen headed straight to a smithy. He bought a dagger for 200 copper coins and an ordinary Yanling Saber for one tael of silver, then placed an order for some iron pellets, ten throwing knives, and a long spear. After paying a deposit, he went elsewhere to buy some lime and rope.

He also wanted to buy a fishing net, but he didn't know how to use one, so he thought better of it.

My Fate Value is down to just 98 points now. It takes 50 to upgrade a skill from lesser mastery to greater mastery. The next level will probably take three digits.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen bought some plain steamed buns and searched the town for beggars.

He wanted to see if he could get some Fate Value from them.

Before long, he saw a filthy beggar sitting on the ground with a broken bowl in front of him, feebly begging passersby for alms. No one paid him any attention.

Lu Chen walked straight over, squatted in front of the beggar without minding the dirt, and offered him the buns. "Here, have something to eat."

The beggar froze. After a moment's hesitation, he hurriedly snatched the buns and wolfed them down, thanking Lu Chen as he ate, his voice tinged with tears. "Thank you, thank you. May you make a fortune, young master."

Lu Chen found it a little strange.

This beggar wasn't quite like the ones he'd seen before.

Those beggars had been smooth as could be at singing begging songs and the like, with one patter after another.

"Don't thank me. Just keep living."

He stood up and sighed, remembering how, back on Earth, he had once been tricked out of money by an elderly couple who claimed they had no fare to get home.

He had actually known they were swindlers, and a passerby had even stopped him and urged him not to give them any money.

But he had been too naive and too softhearted to bear seeing something like that, so he had given them 20 anyway.

Now all he could say was that he had been both stupid and kind.

When the beggar saw Lu Chen sigh, he brushed the hair out of his eyes and looked at Lu Chen's face. Then he lowered his head, fell silent for a moment, and continued devouring the buns, though his eyes had reddened a little.

After leaving the beggar, Lu Chen suddenly realized that he was on the very street where he had heard Cheng Datou lived.

What a coincidence?

He immediately went to scout the place.

As soon as he reached an alley, Lu Chen heard a notification.

[Through the host's actions, Zhao Mancang's fate has changed.]

[Fate Value gained: 10]

Oh, that really worked?

Lu Chen was astonished.

He had bought just a few buns and gotten 10 Fate Value in return. What a bargain!

If he had money in the future and distributed grain throughout the town, wouldn't he make a killing even if each person only gave him one Fate Value?

Putting aside his fantasies, Lu Chen considered how to use his 108 Fate Value.

He didn't know how strong Cheng Datou was, but he had seen quite a few people walking openly through the streets with weapons, and no one found it strange.

This was probably a world that prized martial strength.

He had made a point of listening at a storytelling venue and heard quite a few myths, but they obviously weren't of much use as a reference.

To be safe, he thought an ambush was still the best approach.

He couldn't meet Cheng Datou head-on.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Chen decided to put points into Throwing, upgrading it from lesser mastery to greater mastery, then put points into Robust Strength to upgrade it to greater mastery as well, spending 100 points in total.

He chose not to improve Chopping or Nimble Footwork because he still had no idea how good Cheng Datou's Swordsmanship was, and he didn't want to get caught in close combat with him.

The best outcome would be to kill him outright from a distance.

With that in mind, he decisively allocated his points.

Throwing: greater mastery (1%)

Fate Value -47.

Robust Strength: greater mastery (1%)

Fate Value -49.

He had 12 Fate Value left, so he put them into Thrusting.

Thrusting: lesser mastery (1%).

Fate Value remaining: 3.

Lu Chen felt the warmth flowing through his body and glanced at the sky.

The sun was nearly down.

He followed the alley and found Cheng Datou's house without trouble.

There was actually someone inside.

His heart stirred slightly, but he continued down the alley without showing it, catching a glimpse of the person out of the corner of his eye.

A round face, a full beard, and a head that really was quite large.

It was probably Cheng Datou.

He was eating and drinking with a middle-aged woman, and they fed each other a bite from time to time.

Lu Chen didn't look closely at the woman, but she had one very obvious feature.

She had a mole on her chin much like Huang Chao's.

Could they be relatives?

Lu Chen quickly left the alley.

He turned a corner and approached the back of the house from the other side. Finding no back door, he returned to the front and found a concealed spot to lie low.

From there, he could see Cheng Datou's house, but Cheng Datou couldn't see him.

The sky darkened.

Lu Chen took out a steamed bun and began to munch on it.

A light came on in Cheng Datou's room, and figures moved about inside.

Lu Chen was patient.

He was waiting.

Time passed slowly.

The once-bustling county town gradually grew quiet.

Late that night, Lu Chen had already changed hiding places several times to avoid being spotted.

All was silent.

The light in Cheng Datou's house had been out for a long time, and the middle-aged woman had also left quite a while ago.

Lu Chen reckoned it was about two or three in the morning.

At this hour, people slept most soundly and were least alert.

It was time to make his move.