Fifth Master's Might, a Gift of New Year's Goods

"Done."

Abacus Song answered without a moment's hesitation.

He straightened up and walked out of the courtyard at No. 28 Tanlong Alley.

Soon, his low voice could be heard giving orders at the mouth of the alley.

Before long, a group of Dragon King Society members hurried over.

Every one of them sucked in a cold breath at the carnage in the courtyard.

When they saw Hall Master Lin Zhihe, his hands ruined and his face pale as gold paper, and the South City boss lying dead with a gaping hole in his chest and his eyes still open, terror, horror, and disbelief filled their hearts.

Then their gazes swept over the young man standing on the steps, drenched in blood yet perfectly composed, and Abacus Song standing meekly beside him. Their fear reached its peak.

They looked at the wreckage in the courtyard, at the boss whose chest Qin Geng had shattered with one punch, then at Lin Zhihe, reduced to a cripple. These Dragon King Society members, who usually threw their weight around, scarcely dared to breathe.

Ruthless!

Too ruthless!

They looked at Qin Geng with awe.

"What are you all standing around for? Didn't you hear Fifth Master?"

Abacus Song's low bark broke the silence.

"Yes, Fifth Master. Please wait a moment."

The men jolted into action. Not daring to stare any longer, they set to work with practiced speed.

Under Abacus Song's direction, they carried away the dead and helped the wounded out.

Some heaved up the South City boss's corpse, while others carefully supported Lin Zhihe and the men whose hands had been broken.

The rest fetched buckets and brooms, washing the blood from the ground again and again with snow water. They cleared away every scrap of flesh and bone as well.

They were remarkably skilled at this kind of work.

For a time, the only sounds in the courtyard were running water, sweeping, and the wounded men's stifled groans.

Qin Geng stood quietly on the steps and watched with cold eyes.

Soon the courtyard was spotless. Every trace of blood had been washed from the ground, and even the heavy reek of blood in the air had faded somewhat.

Everyone retreated behind Abacus Song. Together, they faced Qin Geng from across the courtyard.

"Fifth Master, what do you think... Is this satisfactory?"

Abacus Song rubbed his hands together.

"It'll do."

Qin Geng nodded.

Just then, a clamor of footsteps and shouted orders came from the mouth of the alley.

"Make way! Tianjin Police Bureau business!"

Before the shout had died away, a squad of policemen in black uniforms and peaked caps burst in.

They were the Tianjin Police Bureau's "Black Dogs."

They ate the foreigners' food and drew Great Xin's wages.

On ordinary days, they squeezed money out of both accuser and accused. They did everything except their actual jobs.

In Tianjin, everyone cursed them, but no one dared provoke them.

Their leader was a fat man dressed in black, with a gun at his waist and a black rubber truncheon in his hand. The moment he came through the gate, he noticed the marks concealed beneath the snow. His nose twitched; he had clearly caught the scent of blood.

"Well, if it isn't Master Song!"

The fat man's eyes lit up when he saw Abacus Song, but he quickly put on a stern face. "Someone reported gunfire here. Said there'd been a death, too?"

At the sight of the Black Dogs, Qin Geng raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze on Abacus Song.

"Probably that harlot's doing."

Abacus Song muttered a curse.

Madam Cui was a fool. Reporting this now would drag him into it too, wouldn't it?

But Abacus Song reacted quickly. He plastered on a smile and hurried forward.

"Well, Captain Zhao! What wind blew you here?"

Abacus Song slipped a few silver dollars from his sleeve and pressed them into the captain's hand without drawing notice. He lowered his voice.

"What death? New Year's almost here, so the brothers were sparring and set off a couple strings of firecrackers. That was firecrackers you heard, not gunshots."

"We were slaughtering a pig earlier. Got pig's blood all over the ground, and we're cleaning it up now."

"As for the woman who reported it, the firecrackers scared her into talking nonsense."

Captain Zhao weighed the silver dollars in his hand, and his face broke into a broad grin.

This was Dragon King Society business. What did a few deaths matter?

As long as the money was right, even the death of an entire household would be an "accident."

"Oh—so you were slaughtering a pig."

Captain Zhao took the hint, pocketed the coins, and waved a hand. "Fine. If it was a misunderstanding, we'll leave it at that. But Master Song, it's nearly New Year's. Keep the noise down. Don't disturb the neighbors."

"Of course, of course. Sorry to bring you brothers out here for nothing. I'll treat you all to tea another day."

"Sure, sure."

Captain Zhao and his Black Dogs left as quickly as they had come.

From start to finish, pocketing the silver dollars was the only thing they did.

In times like these, black and white had no fixed meaning.

Once the Black Dogs were gone, only Qin Geng and Abacus Song's men remained in the courtyard.

"Well, Fifth Master, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way?"

"New Year's almost here. I'll come by another day with some fine New Year's goods for the old gentleman, and bring some to your shack too."

Abacus Song asked cautiously.

He did not want to stay there a moment longer.

The young man standing on the steps weighed on him like a mountain.

After all, Qin Geng was a martial artist. Killing him would take only one blow.

As for the New Year's goods, he could spend money to ward off disaster.

"Go."

Qin Geng waved a hand.

"Right you are. Get some rest, Fifth Master."

Abacus Song cupped his hands, then led his men away with their tails between their legs.

Only when the courtyard had fallen completely quiet, with nothing left but the rustle of falling snow, did Qin Geng let out a long breath. He turned, pushed open the door, and went inside.

A faint medicinal smell hung in the room.

Master Zhu Xin was propped against the head of the heated brick bed, watching him with worry. When Qin Geng came in, he asked weakly, "Xiao Wu, is it... all settled?"

"Mm. It's settled."

Qin Geng answered and sat down beside the bed.

Master Zhu Xin's eyes fell on his bloodstained hands, filling with guilt and heartache.

"Ah... It's all this wretched old man's fault. I've made you take on such terrible trouble for my sake. It isn't worth it. It truly isn't..."

The old man's voice choked as he spoke.

"It's all right, Master Xin."

Qin Geng smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "That was hardly any trouble. Don't worry. The Dragon King Society won't dare come looking for a fight."

In Tianjin, the rules of survival were brutally simple.

You had to be ruthless.

The more ruthless you were, the less anyone dared bully you.

If he had held back today, if he had not crippled Lin Zhihe or killed the boss who dared fire a gun at him on the spot, the trouble afterward would have been endless.

Because that would have shown fear.

To an organization like the Dragon King Society, which ate people without spitting out their bones, showing fear meant weakness, and weakness meant you could be pushed around.

Then wave after wave of revenge would inevitably follow.

But things were different now.

He had crippled a Dragon King Society hall master and killed the newly appointed boss. He had been ruthless and left no room for compromise.

It was as good as announcing to everyone: I, Qin Geng, have nothing to lose. I have the skills to back it up, and I won't spare anyone for the sake of appearances.

What kind of man was Abacus Song?

In Tianjin, anyone who earned a nickname had real ability and standing. Such nicknames were never given without reason.

Abacus Song was certainly a man who thought through every detail and calculated every move.

He knew better than anyone how foolish it was to make a mortal enemy of a Bright Force martial artist with no ties to hold him back.

Assassination?

If the first attempt failed, a Bright Force martial artist could vanish among Tianjin's tangled mix of people from every walk of life. You would never sleep soundly again for the rest of your days.

No one would know which corner he might emerge from to take your life.

That was a price the calculating Abacus Song could never afford.

So Qin Geng was certain the Dragon King Society would not come looking for trouble again.

Instead, they would find a few people to take the blame, lest rumors reach Qin Geng and displease him.

They might even have to send him some "New Year's goods" as a gesture of goodwill.