I'll Kill One for You

The inside of the Gold and Silver Gambling House was even larger than it looked from outside, wreathed in smoke and boiling with voices.

Every gambling table was packed with people. Pai gow, dice, guessing games—every sort of wager was available.

Wild laughter from winners and curses from losers rose and fell one after another.

Chen Jing skirted past several pai gow tables and spotted Liu Yunfei at a dice table in the east at a glance.

This Third Senior Brother was seated at the banker's position, surrounded by a crowd, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a section of sturdy forearm.

He gripped a dice cup in his hand and urged them on with heroic gusto, "Bet big or small, hands off once you've placed your wager! Hurry, hurry, hurry, don't dawdle!"

Everyone placed their bets one after another.

Copper coins and bits of silver clattered onto the table.

Liu Yunfei snatched up the dice cup and flicked his wrist.

The dice crackled inside the cup. His movements were practiced, his dazzling sleight of hand drawing gasps of admiration from the gamblers.

All of a sudden, Liu Yunfei caught sight of Chen Jing behind the crowd.

His wrist trembled, and the rattling inside the dice cup came to an abrupt stop. Two dice fell out of the mouth of the cup with a patter.

They rolled across the table—an embarrassing ten.

Hisses rose from the crowd. "What's going on?" "Brother Liu, can you even do it?" "Your hands are shaking like that—didn't sleep well last night?"

Liu Yunfei gave a light cough, tossed the dice cup onto the table, and stood. "I'm done for today. Play by yourselves."

He squeezed out of the crowd, grabbed Chen Jing by the arm, and hurried outside, his steps so quick it was as if he were fleeing the scene of a crime.

Only after they were out the gambling house doors did Liu Yunfei let go. He turned around, a somewhat awkward smile hanging on his handsome face.

"Little Junior Brother, what a rare guest. What brings you here?"

Without waiting for Chen Jing to answer, he hurriedly explained, "My old man owns some shares in the gambling house. I'm just here to watch the place. Usually, I don't play myself."

"My hands were itching today, so I only touched it for a couple rounds."

"Well, you can understand that, right?"

After he finished, he guiltily glanced in the direction of the martial arts hall.

Although Cheng Lianshan had not explicitly forbidden his disciples from gambling, he was not in favor of it, all the same.

Liu Yunfei had often been called in by his master for a lecture because he spent all day mixing with the lowly crowds, being told to keep hold of his true heart.

He was afraid this Little Junior Brother of his would blunder off without knowing the weight of things and stab the matter all the way to Master; then he would inevitably have to suffer another thorough scolding.

Chen Jing smiled and said, "Third Senior Brother, what are you talking about? I didn't see anything."

Liu Yunfei froze for a moment, then burst into laughter and slapped Chen Jing on the back. "Good junior brother! Come, come, come!"

"There's a tea stall by the docks. I'll treat you to tea."

He draped an arm over Chen Jing's shoulders and walked a few steps, then suddenly thought of something and turned his head to ask, "Right, what did you come looking for me for?"

"Third Senior Brother, I've been in Green Mountain City for half a month now and want to find some work. Last time, you said you had mixed around enough among every walk of life in the city to be a familiar face, so I came specially to ask whether you have any connections at the slaughterhouse."

The first half sounded normal enough to Liu Yunfei, but the second half left him stunned again, and even his steps stopped.

"The slaughterhouse?"

He looked Chen Jing up and down, his expression strange.

Chen Jing patted the pig-slaughtering knife at the small of his back, his tone calm. "I used to be a pig butcher. I was thinking of returning to my old trade."

"Little Junior Brother, don't joke."

Liu Yunfei waved a hand. "You think I couldn't tell? Your blood and qi are flourishing, your steps steady. I'm afraid you've already cultivated Tiger Roar Force and stepped into Minor Accomplishment in blood and qi, haven't you?"

"With strength like that, going to some great household as the head guard, or serving as a resident protector for a merchant family in the south of the city—either would be more than enough."

"You've been in Green Mountain City for too short a time. Those trading firms and merchants still don't know Master took you as a disciple. If they knew, they would definitely scramble to invite you."

He paused, then pointed toward the docks.

"Don't look at Xiao Liu helping me at the docks and think that's all there is to it. That was only because I begged him to come. If he casually found work outside, he could earn ten taels of salary a month, even higher than the constables in the yamen."

Chen Jing came to a sudden understanding.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author. Maybe the title was just changed!

It seemed he had still underestimated the weight carried by an inner-yard disciple of Lianshan Martial Arts Hall.

In this world, the status of a martial hall's personal disciple, the name of a blood-and-qi martial master, was itself a golden signboard.

But what he wanted was not only silver. He also wanted to train his blade.

If the Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique was to increase in proficiency, relying only on empty practice was too slow, and killing people could not happen every day either. The most efficient method was still slaughtering pigs.

"Third Senior Brother, to be honest with you."

Chen Jing grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"I like slaughtering pigs."

Liu Yunfei's words came to an abrupt halt. His mouth hung half-open as he looked at Chen Jing, as if he wanted to say something but did not know what to say.

He had heard of countless hobbies in his life.

But this was the first time he had ever met someone who liked slaughtering pigs.

He gave an awkward laugh.

"Little Junior Brother, that hobby of yours is... rather special. Fine, since you've made up your mind, I'll personally go with you."

Green Mountain City's slaughterhouse was near the south city gate, on Livestock Lane by the Golden Water River.

They had not even entered the lane yet.

A thick reek of rank blood rushed into their faces, mingled with the stench of livestock dung and gore, making their brows knit from the fumes.

No one lived in the entire lane.

The whole area had been marked off as slaughterhouse grounds.

Pigpens, cattle stalls, and killing yards lined the river. From far away came the squeals of pigs and the rough, booming shouts of the butchers.

According to Liu Yunfei, over a hundred meat pigs were slaughtered here every day, supplying all of Green Mountain City's demand for pork.

Liu Yunfei was clearly not here for the first time. Familiar with the way, he passed through several rows of pigpens and went straight into the yard.

The slaughtering grounds were a scene of bustling labor.

Several bare-chested butchers were working around the chopping blocks, pig's blood rushing along the grooves in the ground and splashing into wooden buckets.

A middle-aged steward in a short gray cloth jacket was standing in the yard counting pigs. When he saw Liu Yunfei walk in, he hurriedly came forward to greet him.

"Well, if it isn't Brother Liu?"

"You're not busy at the docks? What wind blew you here today?"

This steward's surname was Qian. He was in his forties, with a sparse tuft of goatee on his chin, and was the headman of the slaughterhouse.

Liu Yunfei grinned.

"Old Qian, this is my family's Little Junior Brother. He used to slaughter pigs too, and he wants to come here to find some work."

"Are you still short of pig butchers here?"

Hearing this, Qian Zheng leaned forward a little and glanced at Chen Jing.

He saw that the youth had a tall, broad figure and an imposing bearing. The black martial outfit he wore was made of fine material. No matter how one looked at him, he did not seem like someone who did rough labor.

Qian Zheng smiled apologetically.

"Brother Liu, if you say he's your Little Junior Brother, I have nothing to say about that."

"But you're telling me this gentleman wants to come here and slaughter pigs? Aren't you making fun of me? That outfit of his could fetch several taels of silver at a pawnshop. Why would he come here just to get covered in pig's blood?"

Chen Jing cupped his fists and gave a salute, then said, "Steward Qian, I truly used to be a pig butcher."

"Look, I even brought my Butcher Knife."

He reached to pat the back of his waist, revealing that black, heavy hilt.

Qian Zheng was still doubtful, sizing Chen Jing up and down.

"You really know how to slaughter pigs?"

"Words are empty. Why don't I slaughter one for you?"

Qian Zheng was straightforward enough. He turned his head and shouted into the yard, "Old Zhou, bring over a pig!"

A burly butcher answered, then drove a hundred-odd-jin spotted pig out from the pigpen beside them.

Its four hooves were bound tight with hemp rope, and it was lifted onto the chopping block.