Once the plan was laid, all that remained was to await the east wind.
In the days that followed, Qing Chen quietly waited for the right moment to act.
Then, one evening thirteen days later, he found a cross marked in charcoal on the blue bricks of his backyard.
Running his fingertips over the mark, Qing Chen could feel where the lame boy had deliberately pressed harder. He knew the opportunity had come.
This was their agreed signal, meaning that the Twin Eagles Association's defenses were very weak tonight.
An incense stick's time later.
Qing Chen had changed into night clothes, and his saber was tightly wrapped in black cloth.
He carried his saber into the darkness, with Qing Jie close behind. Ford City's blue stone paving made faint sounds beneath their feet.
"Brother, are we really going to do this?"
The hand Qing Jie clenched around his iron rod was slick with cold sweat, and his voice trembled a little.
The sharp barbs embedded in the iron rod gleamed coldly, seemingly still bearing traces of moisture.
Qing Chen suddenly turned, his gaze chilling. "If we don't act, something will happen to Second Mother sooner or later. Do you want to see her humiliated?"
At these words, Qing Jie shuddered, hot blood surging straight to his head. His earlier hesitation vanished like smoke and clouds.
The two wound their way through the twisting streets and alleys until, at last, a secluded courtyard appeared before them.
Weeds grew thick all around, with few households nearby.
This was the Twin Eagles Association's headquarters.
"Second Brother, this is it. The Twin Eagles Association's lair."
Qing Jie gripped his iron rod tightly and gave a firm nod.
Qing Chen hid in the shadows of the alley.
He already knew the Twin Eagles Association's affairs inside out and knew that a thug always stood guard outside the courtyard every night.
For the Twin Eagles Association, tonight was a so-called day of great celebration.
Golden-Eyed Eagle had led his men in colluding with a clan faction in the city that harbored sinister designs, ruthlessly striking at a household that had lost its male members.
Not only had they divided up its substantial property, but they had also abducted an exceptionally beautiful woman, devouring the heirless household whole.
At this moment, the uproar inside the courtyard shook the heavens.
The hall was brightly lit, as though it were daytime.
Everyone sat gathered together, passing cups and trading toasts.
The second leader, Iron-Winged Hawk, held a bowl of wine, his face flushed red, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Boss, we've struck it rich this time!
"This little wench has such soft, tender skin. She's much fresher than those women we snatched last time. It's just that her ass isn't big enough!"
Golden-Eyed Eagle threw back his head and roared with laughter, one large hand roughly kneading the waist of the woman beside him, drawing whimpers from her.
With his other hand, he lifted his wine cup and drained it in one gulp, then said smugly, "This little wench, heh heh. Once I'm done playing with her, you can have your turns. When we're tired of her, we'll sell her to a brothel and make another sum!"
"Brilliant, boss!"
"Boss, I want to go second!"
The filth filling the hall mingled with the woman's sobs and drifted faintly into the ears of the two outside the wall.
Qing Chen did not have to wait long. Soon, a lame boy carrying a jar of wine approached the sentry outside the courtyard gate, nodding and bowing.
The sentry was seething because he had received no share of the serving girls, wine, or meat, and had nowhere to vent his anger.
Seeing the boy bringing wine, he suspected nothing. He simply snatched the wine vessel and tipped his head back to drink deeply.
After several great mouthfuls of strong wine, the sentry felt not only its burning bite but also a growing fogginess in his head, his eyes becoming unfocused.
He merely thought the wine was potent. His body began to sway, and the iron rod in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.
"Fuck, they won't give me money, and they won't even let me eat meat. Those sons of bitches..."
Within moments, after muttering a few complaints, the sentry slumped limply toward the ground.
The instant he fell, a dark figure darted out from behind him!
In the blink of an eye, Qing Chen was behind the sentry, his left hand clamped firmly over the man's mouth and nose while his right pulled the black cloth tight around his neck.
Unable to breathe, the sentry abruptly snapped awake, but no words came out when he tried to speak. His legs kicked violently, making dull thudding sounds, and soon he fell silent as he suffocated.
To be safe, Qing Chen broke his neck with a knife-hand strike. Only then did he lean closer and sniff the wine jar. The smell of wine was indeed strong.
It was also mixed with a knockout drug, the very drug he had personally given the lame boy.
Qing Chen took a deep breath, propped the corpse against the wall, and placed the wine jar beside it, making it look as though the sentry was drunk.
Then he moved in a flash and hid with Qing Jie by the steps.
Quietly waiting for the lame boy's next signal.
Waves of noise came from beyond the wall: men's raucous laughter, the clatter of tables and chairs, and a woman's agonized screams.
Qing Chen's expression was cold and stern, with neither joy nor sorrow in his heart.
As long as I take down the Twin Eagles Association, I'll have territory to establish myself.
With territory, I'll have money. Then I can improve my fighting strength, and I'll have cannon fodder too.
Some people will die, but that's nothing.
Just a few deaths, and they'll be those hooligans and thugs anyway. It shouldn't cause any major problems.
As Qing Chen thought this, there was little disturbance in his heart.
He even thought of Young Master Zhao from the city lord's residence. Young Master Zhao had once told him to invoke his name if anything came up.
But Qing Chen knew the fellow had probably only said it in passing and might not even remember him anymore.
Still, in this chaotic world.
If I raise Young Master Zhao's banner, who would dare go to Young Master Zhao to argue things out when trouble arises?
After all, Ford City was one of the Jing Kingdom's nine great cities, and the city lord's residence was undoubtedly the greatest power in Ford City.
Ford City's territory extended roughly two hundred li around it, with a thriving population of about six hundred thousand.
Among the Jing Kingdom's nine great cities, it stood firmly in the middle ranks, and the city lord's residence maintained a standing garrison of nearly five thousand.
From the original owner's memories, Qing Chen knew that this land now held seven small kingdoms like the Jing Kingdom, each waging war against the others.
After the [Great Qin Dynasty] crumbled a hundred years ago, this land had fallen into endless warfare.
Back then, the [Ancestral Emperor of Qin] had died, and the new ruler who ascended the throne could not hold the realm in awe, issuing government decrees in disorder.
The situation, already like oil boiling over a raging fire, had erupted outright.
And so the dynasty crumbled in an instant, with the great cities ruling themselves and slaughtering one another.
It had taken more than a hundred years for the present state of affairs to emerge: frequent wars, rampant banditry, and people unable to scrape out a living.