Through the wards (5)

"How would I dare call myself the proprietor before you, Captain?"

Wei Liouzi gave a dry laugh. "Still, Junior Officer Zhao has a point. If that weren't the case, I'd surely have some private savings left to offer you... besides, if that weren't the case, how would I dare invite so many brothers to enjoy themselves at my establishment? I really have bought quite a few more girls lately, but I haven't beaten them into obedience yet."

Zhang Xing smiled again, then suddenly clasped his hands behind his back and sighed at length in the alley. "Here's the thing... old Wei."

"Yes." Wei Liouzi hastily lowered his head and leaned closer, knowing his place. "Your orders, Captain?"

"I'm a kindhearted man... I can't bear seeing people suffer. How about this? I'll accept this money personally, and you distribute it to the girls in your establishment for me. Have some decent clothes made for them, and add a little meat to their daily meals." Zhang Xing spoke sincerely. "We'll leave things at that today. What do you say?"

Wei Liouzi froze, seemingly not understanding.

The excited hangers-on around them were clearly rather bewildered too.

In the end, Junior Officer Zhao was the first to react, letting out a laugh on the spot. "What are you thinking, Brother Zhang? Aren't you just saving Wei Liouzi money? Give it back to him, and how could it possibly reach those girls? Even if your words oblige him to hand it out today, once he opens for business in a while, he'll probably squeeze ten times as much back out of them."

"That makes sense. I was being naive." Zhang Xing sighed softly.

Almost everyone hurried to laugh along.

Amid the laughter, Xiao Zhao was completely relieved, thinking today's business was settled for good. Wei Liouzi, relieved but sheepish, merely offered perfunctory promises to treat the girls better when he returned, while whistling over his shoulder for someone to take them back. The hangers-on were the most conflicted. They had initially been delighted at the prospect of more money and free visits to the girls, but then Commandant Zhang's remarks had seemed to mean there would be no money after all. After all that circling around, the money apparently remained, but Wei Liouzi was taking the girls back, making it awkward for them to demand free visits to his face. Once Commandant Zhang turned and left, Wei Liouzi would certainly refuse to honor the offer... at that thought, quite a few of the young idlers began to feel displeased.

They were displeased, and so was Zhang Xing!

Noticing Commandant Zhang's expression, the crowd's laughter gradually subsided. Zhang Xing waited until all the girls were far away before casting a sidelong glance at Wei Liouzi. "But what if I'm still displeased?"

Wei Liouzi's expression changed on the spot, but all he could do was look toward Junior Officer Zhao.

Junior Officer Zhao frowned slightly and started forward to persuade him, but Zhang Xing pushed him aside, then advanced with his hand on his saber and pressed Wei Liouzi:

"I asked you a question, Wei Liouzi... Captain Zhao just said that even if I did that, you could squeeze ten times as much back out of them. So you agreed with him?"

Seeing that things were going badly, Wei Liouzi hurriedly looked at Junior Officer Zhao. Zhao started to speak, then stopped, wanted to step forward, then hesitated, momentarily at a loss over how to handle this.

Zhang Xing had already grown impatient. "Wei Liouzi, put that way, aren't you saying my virtue is too meager and my authority too slight to keep you in line?"

"Nothing of the sort." Seeing that he could not count on Xiao Zhao, Wei Liouzi hastily cupped his hands. "I'll distribute the money right away. I absolutely won't squeeze them..."

"But now I don't believe you." Zhang Xing answered coldly. "What do we do about that?"

"Why must you do this, Captain? What good does it do you?" Driven into a corner, Wei Liouzi finally spread his hands in agitation. "Besides, I've already given in and obeyed you. If you keep pressing me, aren't you breaking the rules? And even if you really are kindhearted and have some justice on your side, Captain, this is how the world works. Big fish eat little fish, and little fish eat shrimp. We're all just muddling along, and none of us can look after that many people."

"Brother Zhang." Junior Officer Zhao finally stepped forward to persuade him as well. "He has a point. That's how the world is. You can't look after that many people. Just finish the task the company commander assigned us today..."

"Then I'll just look after what's in front of me." Zhang Xing suddenly turned to face him, his voice cold.

Xiao Zhao was momentarily puzzled, but the next instant gave him a terrible fright.

As soon as Zhang Xing spoke, he secretly circulated Ice True Qi into his arm. Then, turning back with a flash of the hand resting on his saber, he struck as swiftly as lightning and severed one of Wei Liouzi's still-outstretched hands.

The blade flashed so quickly that, apart from Junior Officer Zhao, who saw everything and immediately understood what had happened as blood splashed across half his face, everyone else—including Wei Liouzi himself—froze for a moment before erupting.

Wei Liouzi rolled on the ground, howling, while an uproar burst from the people around him. It took a long time for them to quiet down under the saber-wielding captain's gaze.

"Bring a basin of water!"

The man on the ground was still howling, but Zhang Xing paid him no attention, merely holding his saber as he gave the order.

Sharing money during the day had counted as favor; drawing his saber just now had counted as authority. The dumbstruck hangers-on dared not delay, and before long, people brought over seven or eight wooden basins full of water.

"Hold him down. Put his severed wrist in there," Zhang Xing ordered again.

The hangers-on hurried to obey, but someone apparently misunderstood and went to pick up the severed hand. Zhang Xing walked over and kicked it into the filthy gutter beside them.

Then the captain bent down before the still-howling proprietor of the illicit brothel. Holding his saber in one hand, he disregarded the filth and touched the basin full of bloody water with the other. The next instant, visibly cold vapor rose from the basin, and the water's temperature plunged, with faint traces of ice even appearing on its surface.

Wei Liouzi's howling gradually stopped as well.

"Wei Liouzi." Only then did Zhang Xing straighten up again and speak from above him, no longer discussing kindness or the ways of the world. "As I said before, you dared admit to my face that you would pocket money I wanted to bestow as a reward, then squeeze ten times as much back out of them. Clearly, my favor and authority were insufficient... favor is something I can't afford much of for the moment, so I could only borrow Feng Zongqi's orders and the court's laws to take it upon myself to chop off one of your hands and add a little authority... we were ordered to crack down on unlawful activity. You opened a brothel without the court's permission and even intended to resist. Now that you've lost a hand, you clearly brought it upon yourself."

"You're right, Captain." Although the pain in his wrist had eased considerably, Wei Liouzi, held down by the hangers-on, was still sweating all over from the pain, his teeth chattering. The lump on his face was scarlet and quivering incessantly. Still, this fellow did make his living on the streets, after all, and actually managed to grit his teeth and submit. "I was blind not to recognize a real tiger like you, Captain. How could I not have brought it upon myself? I, Wei Liouzi, accept the loss of this hand today!"

"Good, then."

Zhang Xing nodded repeatedly and even chuckled. "Remember this: if I die and disappear, whether you get to repay this tenfold will be up to your luck. But as long as I remain in the Eastern Capital, if you dare defy my authority and I hear about it, next time I'll slice off your other hand... I'd like to see whether, once you've been reduced to a human stump, you'll fare any better on these streets than the women in your establishment."

Although the surrounding alley was packed with people, it was almost silent enough to hear a crow or sparrow. Wei Liouzi merely gritted his teeth and knocked his head against the ground, which was covered in water and blood.

Only after he had kowtowed several times did Zhang Xing wave a hand, telling the few thugs accompanying Wei Liouzi to take him back. Naturally, he also tapped the copper coins with his saber tip, then pointed toward the moving figures in the distance behind them, reminding these men to take the money back for the girls.

After Wei Liouzi left, the surroundings remained quiet.

After a long while, Junior Officer Zhao finally swallowed his displeasure and stepped forward to complain. "Why make extra trouble, Brother Zhang?"

"Are you teaching me how to do my job, Brother Xiao Zhao?"

Zhang Xing looked back coldly, sparing him no dignity. "If it weren't for your selfish interests, why would I have taken this job... others can complain about losing a few coins, but what have you got to complain about?"

The rebuke struck Xiao Zhao squarely. He wanted to lose his temper, but Zhang Xing had hit his weak spot. Moreover, the other man held a sharp blade that was still dripping blood, and had just demonstrated Ice True Qi that, while not particularly rare, was more than enough to overpower him. He dared not say more, and could only shake his head, swallow his frustration, and cup his hands:

"I spoke out of turn. Then you can decide everything, Brother Zhang... I only hope you won't forget that we still have work tomorrow and the day after!"

With that, he actually snatched back his empty scabbard and left with his head lowered.

Once he had gone, the hangers-on saw that there was neither money nor amusement to be had, and most began wavering, ready to disperse. Yet Commandant Zhang had not put away his saber, and not one of them dared leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Xing looked around and instead broke into a broad grin, frightening the hangers-on half to death. "Brothers, have I gotten in the way of your making money and enjoying yourselves?"

"Nothing of the sort!"

"You've already shared money with us twice. That was all your kindness, Commandant Zhang. How could we resent this little matter?"

"Wei Liouzi failed to recognize your authority, Captain. Losing that hand was his just deserts!"

"You enforce the law as firmly as a mountain, Captain. You have the bearing of Lord White Emperor..."

"That's enough. I chopped up one thug, and now I'm Lord White Emperor?" Amused, Zhang Xing waved a hand, and the people around him really did fall silent. "I'm not an idiot... besides, we're brothers. Would I really let you lose out... I remember passing a pottery yard just now?"

"Yes..."

"It was fairly large?"

"Yes..."

"It's still early. If we treat them to meat this afternoon, would they let us use the place for the afternoon?"

"They certainly would!"

"There are only eighty or a hundred of us, plus twenty or thirty people at the pottery yard. We'll buy live pigs and slaughter them ourselves, eat all the meat we like, and have a bowl of cloudy wine each... I wonder if this money will be enough?" As he spoke, Zhang Xing took out the share of the day's proceeds he had received.

Everyone around him swallowed in unison, but for a moment no one spoke.

"What, it isn't enough? Is pork that expensive lately? Or is it the wine?" Zhang Xing looked momentarily puzzled.

"It's enough, far more than enough!" Several of those closest hastily bowed and saluted. "It was only thanks to you that we got any money, Captain. By rights, we ought to pool our money to treat you. How could we dare let you treat us?"

"So it's enough?" Zhang Xing laughed heartily. Had he not still been holding a bloodstained saber, it would have been almost impossible to imagine that he was the same man who had just chopped someone's hand off.

"Absolutely enough!"

"With this money, we could eat the way you described for seven or eight days and still have some left!"

"Forget seven or eight days! This is all the money I have, and I'm only treating everyone to three days of wine and meat!" As he spoke, Zhang Xing slapped all the money in his hand into the hands of a seasoned hanger-on beside him without even looking. Several pieces of silver fell straight through onto the ground, startling the nearby hangers-on into carefully picking them up. "Today we're in Xiūyè Ward, tomorrow in Xiuwen Ward, and the day after in Jingshan Ward! Three feasts of wine and meat, and I'll eat with you all! I guarantee no one will embezzle anything! If there really is money to spare, bring your wives and children. Slaughter enough pigs, buy enough white-flour flatbreads, and get better wine... as long as you want to eat, how could there ever be enough?"

At this, everyone's doubts vanished. They cheered and crowded around the captain as they turned out of the alley, heading straight for the pottery yard.

Only long after the cheers had faded into the distance and the distant squeals of pigs being slaughtered had begun did a thug from the illicit brothel cautiously edge up to the bloodstained mouth of the alley, fish the severed hand, which had already begun to smell, out of the filthy gutter, and flee back as though flying.

PS: Thanks to our new alliance leaders mousex, Lord of All the Brothels, and One and Only Love b. These are this book's 31st, 32nd, and 33rd alliance leaders... thank you all. I'm endlessly grateful.

Of course, thanks as well to 196, Liuli Qin, and Uncle Ze for visiting... unfortunately, even coming in person to demand updates cannot change the fact that this book has run out of stockpiled chapters, and starting with tomorrow morning's chapter, I'll have to write them as I go. Thanks for reading Exorcising the Dragon: Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi by Water-Fearing Grenade.