At dawn the next day, with the mist still lingering, Chen Jianghe had already been standing in a horse stance in the courtyard for half an hour.
When sweat had soaked through his back, the courtyard gate creaked open. Su Derong strolled in, fanning himself.
"Third Senior Brother." Chen Jianghe slowly came out of his stance and cupped his hands in greeting.
Su Derong walked up, closed his fan, and tapped it lightly against his palm twice. "I've got news about those people you wanted to ask about."
Chen Jianghe's expression turned serious. "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother."
Su Derong glanced around and lowered his voice. "Li Gouzi took over Wang Biao's position. He's now in charge of collecting the 'water-lamp fees' from the three streets east of Loach Bay."
He paused, then continued, "But the Black Tiger Gang's been having a rough time lately. The Iron Hand Gang somehow managed to get in with the Inner City Zhang Family and got hold of a batch of fine iron weapons. In the past half month, they've already taken three dockside warehouses from the Black Tiger Gang. The two sides have been fighting openly and in secret, and more than twenty men on the ground have died. Now, all across the Outer City, people are saying the Black Tiger Gang won't last more than a few months."
Chen Jianghe's breath caught slightly.
When a tree fell, the monkeys scattered. In a gang war, the losing side's underlings would always grab one last haul before running. And someone like Li Gouzi, who had only just climbed the ladder and had no roots, would have to flee ahead of the others. If the Black Tiger Gang really fell, people like him would be the first to be settled with.
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Chen Jianghe said gravely.
Su Derong glanced at him and waved a hand. "What are you thanking me for? We're fellow disciples. I've passed the news along. I don't know Li Gouzi's exact whereabouts, though. He's only a low-ranking thug, after all. My friends wouldn't spend too much effort keeping tabs on him."
"But Jianghe, let me add one thing—"
Before he could finish, Chen Jianghe had already turned and hurried toward the side gate of the martial arts school.
"Hey? Wait—" Su Derong called after him.
Chen Jianghe didn't stop. He only raised a hand. "Senior Brother, something urgent came up. I'll thank you properly when I get back!"
By the time his voice faded, he had disappeared through the gate.
Su Derong stood where he was, his fan frozen in midair.
He narrowed his eyes, watching the direction Chen Jianghe had vanished, and shook his head. "That boy..."
Chen Jianghe hurried along. He had to get back to Loach Bay at once.
But going straight back wasn't safe enough. If Li Gouzi and the other two really had their minds set on it, they wouldn't leave empty-handed. And Chen Jianghe hadn't even mastered "changing strength" yet. Taking on three men at once wasn't realistic.
Chen Jianghe turned and slipped into a narrow alley. He crouched by the back wall of the martial arts school and fished a small cloth pouch from beneath a pile of bricks. Then he felt for the Butchery Blade at his lower back.
At last, he drew a deep breath and ran toward Loach Bay.
By the time the sun was sinking in the west, Chen Jianghe had reached the outskirts of Loach Bay.
The area was even more desolate than usual. Garbage heaps along the roadside gave off a rotten stench, and several beggars huddled in the corners.
Farther ahead lay an abandoned fishing-gear yard. Broken boat planks and rotten fishing nets were piled up like little hills, with several winding paths running between them.
It was a shortcut back to Loach Bay, though few people used it even in daylight.
Chen Jianghe had just turned into the yard when he stopped in his tracks.
A little over twenty paces ahead, three figures were swaying toward him from the opposite direction.
The man in front had a scar running across his face. It was Li Gouzi. Two lackeys followed behind him, all three carrying clubs and glancing around as they walked.
He couldn't fight them head-on.
Chen Jianghe instantly shifted sideways and slipped behind a half-collapsed earthen wall nearby. He held his breath and peered out through a crack.
"Brother Gou, are we still going to Loach Bay today? There's not much to squeeze out of that place," asked the thin, tall man on the left.
Li Gouzi spat. "Of course we are! A grasshopper's leg is still meat! The gang's in chaos these days. We need to save up some travel money before we run."
He hefted the bulging money pouch in his arms and grinned viciously. "Those poor fishermen still haven't paid up for this month. Anyone who doesn't pay today, we drag away! We'll take the women to pay off their debts and break the boys' legs before tossing them in the river!"
The short, fat man on the right chuckled in agreement. "Brother Gou sure knows how things work! In this world, only the ruthless survive!"
Just as he'd thought. Li Gouzi had already decided to grab the money and flee, and he had no scruples about how he went about it. If Chen Jianghe let him pass today, who knew how many households in Loach Bay would be torn apart? His mother, Lin, would never escape unscathed.
He couldn't wait any longer.
Chen Jianghe slowly drew in a breath, then let it out.
Then he came around the wall, head lowered, pretending to be in a hurry as he walked straight toward Li Gouzi and the other two.
"Well, look who it is!" Li Gouzi's eyes lit up, and he grinned. "What a coincidence!"
The two lackeys immediately spread out, blocking the way on either side.
Chen Jianghe hurried up to them, bowing and smiling ingratiatingly. "Master Gou! What a coincidence. I was just looking for you!"
"Looking for me?" Li Gouzi raised an eyebrow, his hand settling on the short blade at his waist.
Chen Jianghe hurriedly fumbled inside his robe. "Right, Master Gou, that debt due at the end of the month—I've scraped together money from here and there these past few days and finally got enough! I was just looking for you. I didn't expect to run into you here."
"Oh?" Li Gouzi raised an eyebrow, suspicion flashing in his eyes. "You've got enough? How much?"
"Principal and interest, every last coin!" Chen Jianghe replied.
A flash of delight crossed Li Gouzi's eyes. He straightened up. "Hand it over."
But Chen Jianghe didn't take out the money. Instead, he leaned half a step closer and lowered his voice. "Master Gou, this money... could I give it to you personally? My mother said we owed you for being so generous last time. We shouldn't forget your kindness."
Then Chen Jianghe paused, his face earnest. "We'll be counting on you to look after us from now on, too. The world's in chaos, and my mother and I are all alone. Without someone to rely on, we can't feel safe. Now that you've risen in the ranks, if you'd protect us, we'd be willing to pay a little more 'tribute' each month."
Li Gouzi was delighted. He burst out laughing. "You know how to play the game, kid! Fine! From now on, your family's under Brother Gou's protection! I'll keep you and your mother safe!"
"Thank you, Master Gou! Thank you, Master Gou!" Chen Jianghe bowed repeatedly, reaching into his robe. "I'll hand over this month's payment along with what I owed from last time."
The two lackeys grinned and crowded closer.
One teased, "Brother Gou, this kid knows what's good for him!"
The other said, "You bet! If he'd been this sensible from the start, Brother Biao wouldn't have—"
He was cut off by a glare from Li Gouzi.
Chen Jianghe fumbled inside his robe, his movements a little clumsy.
He kept smiling as his eyes swept over where the three men stood—Li Gouzi in front, the lackey on the left a little closer, and the one on the right a little farther off, head bowed as he brushed mud from his trouser leg.
Now!
Chen Jianghe suddenly pulled out his right hand and flung a small packet of raw lime wrapped in coarse cloth straight at the faces of all three men!
"What is that—ah!!" The lime powder hit Li Gouzi in the face. He screamed, clapped his hands over his eyes, and staggered backward.
"My eyes! My eyes!!!" Li Gouzi squealed like a slaughtered pig, curled up on the ground, and rolled around wildly.
Chen Jianghe dodged the man lunging at him. His right hand had already drawn the Butchery Blade from his lower back. The blade flashed—
The edge sliced across the man's neck. Blood gushed like a spring. The man made a couple of gurgling sounds in his throat, then fell face-first to the ground.
The other lackey turned and ran in terror. Chen Jianghe caught up in a few quick strides, hooked his left hand into the back of the man's collar, and drove the knife point into his back with his right.
The blade sank half a foot in. The lackey went rigid, then collapsed limply.
In just three or four breaths, both men were dead.
Li Gouzi rolled in the mud, screaming in agony, his eyes swollen and raw. Hearing that something was wrong, he forced himself through the pain and groped his way upright.
Chen Jianghe walked over and crouched in front of him.
Li Gouzi roared hoarsely, "Chen Jianghe?! I'm with the Black Tiger Gang! If you touch me, my brothers will kill your whole family!!"
Chen Jianghe raised the knife and pressed its tip to Li Gouzi's chest.
Li Gouzi's whole body stiffened. His voice trembled. "Master Chen... spare me, Master Chen! You can have all the money! I've got silver on me! Let me go, and I swear I won't tell anyone..."
Chen Jianghe applied a little pressure.
The knife tip pierced the skin and slowly sank in.
Li Gouzi convulsed violently. A wheezing sound leaked from his throat, and his struggles gradually weakened.
Chen Jianghe quickly searched him. Three money pouches—there were ten taels in all. It seemed Li Gouzi had raked in plenty lately! That silver would be just enough to buy medicinal supplements.
Then, with the Butchery Blade, he made several more cuts around the wounds on the necks and chests of Li Gouzi and the other two.
The cuts varied in depth and direction, creating the illusion that they'd been hacked to death in a wild melee. Then he shoved Li Gouzi's short blade back into his hand and arranged the body to look as if he'd died after a struggle.
When everything was taken care of, he immediately turned and hurried toward Loach Bay.