The summer rain pattered down. Carriages occasionally sped past, splashing water in all directions. Pedestrians hurried along the road. Looking from afar, there were a few oil lamps set up in the shop at the intersection. Although the light was not very bright, due to the effort that had been put into it, it gave off a warm atmosphere in the dark rainy day. One could not help but want to go in and take a seat.
The curtain of rain was like a curtain that separated the world. A man and a woman were talking in the shop. The man was followed by a follower. Their conversation was muffled by the rain and could not be heard. At some point, the elegant woman could be seen shaking her head and bowing apologetically. The conversation did not end because of this, but it was bound to end. After a long time, they finished talking. The young man in a dark green robe politely nodded his head and said goodbye to the woman. He held up his umbrella and walked into the rain with the follower with the knife scar on his face.
He did not look back until the light of the shop disappeared from his field of vision. The rain crashed all around them. After turning the corner, he said, "To Hai Qing Square."
The heavy rain in the evening showed no signs of stopping. Hai Qing Square was not far from here. In the early years, there used to be a dock nearby. Merchant ships anchored there and goods came and went. Later, a new dock was built, but this place was gradually abandoned. Today, the square was dirty and messy, with crooks mixed in with the honest. It was the most complicated area in Jiangning. Every day or two, there would be a fight and a slash. Most families would warn their children not to go near this place.
Although it was messy, the square was still quite lively. All kinds of low-level peddlers, vagabonds, poor and penniless scholars, prostitutes and gang members would choose this place as a place to live. When Gu Yanzhen and Old Six arrived, the streets in the square had already turned into puddles due to the low-lying terrain. The various shops and taverns on both sides were brightly lit. They walked for a while and came to the largest restaurant. They put away their umbrellas and walked in.
Under the light of the oil lamps and torches, all kinds of people gathered in the lobby of the hotel. There were Jianghu people who looked sinister, with weapons in their hands, talking loudly as they ate and drank. People dressed like hoodlums were beaming with their companions at the side. Occasionally, they would tease the women who walked past them who were looking for a sugar daddy. Abject scholars were eating with their heads down. Some people looked flustered, looking around vigilantly and nervously while eating. Some people vomited when they were drunk, and children were playing inside.
With Gu Yanzhen's demeanor and temperament, he was clearly out of place in the restaurant. He attracted the attention of some people as he entered. However, Old Six's gloomy gaze and the knife scar on his face dispelled the interest of these people. A fat sheep that was alone was easy to slaughter. With such a person following them, it most likely meant that the other party had something to rely on. They walked to a table in the side of the restaurant and spent some silver to get the poor scholar to leave. Then, they asked the waiter to clean up and bring new food and wine.
In the noisy environment, they were still waiting quietly. After the food and wine were served, Gu Yanzhen said, "Sixth Uncle, take a seat. It should still be a while …" That Sixth Uncle sat down but did not start eating. After a while, Gu Yanzhen said, "Sixth Uncle, do you have something to say?"
"I just feel that Young Master is about to take office. I'm afraid that some small matters will cause more problems."
"Last time, you supported me."
"Because last time was a big matter related to Young Master's future …"
"To me, Gu Yanzhen, it is actually a small matter." Gu Yanzhen smiled and looked at Old Six. "The only difference is whether we do it or not. What happened last time wasn't that big of a deal, but it was just an obstacle removed. What happened today isn't small either. I came back to Jiangning mostly for this matter. Even if it's not perfect, there must be a result."
He paused. "Sixth Brother, how many of my good friends do you think have come to Hai Qing Lane?"
"… I'm afraid not many."
"They are all pedantic scholars. It is laughable. They only think that writing a few poems is incomparably elegant. They play with a few women on the boat and boast about national affairs. They think that they can make the sea peaceful. They are all blind by a leaf and cannot see Mount Tai. Three years ago, when I went to Tokyo, I encountered bandits on the road. Just a moment ago, they were talking about saving the world and saving the people, but then they panicked endlessly. Only a few of them were able to maintain their calm in front of the bandits. When the bandits chopped them down, they cried loudly and knelt down to beg for mercy. "
He raised a hand to the level of his eyes. "These pure scholars only think that the truth of the world is here." He then pressed down on the table. "They don't know that the so-called truth is here. In comparison, those people mocked the other party at the top of the Pavilion of Literature and Ink and thought that they gained a great advantage. What is the point? A few days ago, when he found out that the other party was a son-in-law, Shen Zishan thought that exposing the other party would give him a great advantage. What is the point? Just like this year when I was farming, I didn't get a single grain of harvest. When I saw that someone else also got into an accident and didn't get a single grain of harvest, I was happy. This matter … what is the point? Am I not going to starve? "
"Since I was young, I have always been sure of what I want and what I don't care about. As long as I want to do something, I will do it regardless of the cost. Even if it is not perfect, I will not let it go. If it is eighty percent, then it is eighty percent. If it is seventy percent, then it is seventy percent. If I become an official in the future, I will do the same for the common people. If it is not perfect, then should I not do it? "
He knocked on the table. "Nowadays, the world's situation is chaotic and complicated. The foundation of the Wu dynasty is like an egg in danger. What use is there for scholars to talk about peaceful principles? For example, the storytellers on the streets of Tokyo talk about how someone humiliated Liao's domineering envoy. The listeners clicked their tongues in delight, but if they really met Liao people, didn't they still take a detour? Isn't our dynasty being humiliated by the Liao people? When we do things, we should face our hearts and know what we want … "
"In fact, I am still young, and my cultivation is not enough. This time, I came back with too many thoughts and desires. I knew early on that people are heartless, but I didn't expect that Yunzhu would also be so vulgar. She disappointed me. If I had a few more years, I wouldn't have been taken advantage of by such emotions. But if I were to directly let go and leave this time, when I think about it in the future, it will certainly become an obstacle in my heart, preventing my thoughts from being clear. " He closed his eyes slightly. In his mind, the dumbfounded and dumbfounded feeling after being slapped on the street that day, as well as the mockery in the hearts of many bystanders, flashed.
"One bowed down for a bucket of rice and married into a merchant's family. Instead, he wrote two poems and thought that he had become a famous scholar in the world. He probably thought that he was especially unique and different from others. "One did some small business and thought that he was so noble and unsullied, forgetting his previous identity. They are all ordinary people like ants. Sixth Uncle, in today's world, how is this a big deal? It's just a small matter, and I can do it casually. In the future, I will go to Leping, and then to the Northern Lands. This matter … is nothing. "
After saying this, he looked out of the shop. Two figures were already coming over in the rain …
*****
Hai Qing Lane, Guest Restaurant.
It was noisy, and in the dim yellow light, Old Sixth stood up from his seat and stood beside Gu Yanzhen. Gu Yanzhen's eyes also wavered slightly, and then he recovered his indifference and calmness. On the other side of the door, two figures draped in straw raincoats came in. They looked around, and some people's eyes met the two, and their voices became a little quieter. Those who had been hanging around here for a long time generally knew these two. When the waiter went up to greet them, he was two heads shorter than the leader, and he looked like a child.
Both of them were tall and sturdy, and they didn't wear the short combat attire of warriors. They looked like fishermen. But the leader was more than two meters tall, and his body was well-proportioned and strong, and his eyes were slightly calm. The other person looked fierce and fierce. He was slightly shorter than the leader, but he looked like an iron tower. His skin was dark, and his eyes were slightly smaller, and they were full of hostility. This kind of person was probably the kind of person that people in the jianghu would be the least willing to provoke. Even Old Sixth, who followed Gu Yanzhen, seemed weak compared to them.
Looking around the restaurant, the leader pushed aside the waiter and walked towards Gu Yanzhen and Old Sixth. Bystanders basically didn't look at them, and only a few warriors who seemed to be outsiders were talking loudly at the entrance of the restaurant. At this moment, they turned their heads to look at the two people, and the iron tower-like man stopped and glared at them. These jianghu warriors didn't show any weakness either. The two sides looked at each other for a moment, but in the end, these jianghu people looked away.
Iron Tower followed the people in front of him, and then seemed to have discovered something in the restaurant. He reached out and touched the man who was a head taller than him, pointed to the side, and said a few words. The man nodded, and Iron Tower walked in that direction. The man, on the other hand, walked towards Gu Yanzhen, and with a heroic smile, he patted Gu Yanzhen's shoulder.
"Young master Gu, it's been a long time."
His voice was steady, but not loud, so the people around him couldn't hear him. Gu Yanzhen's body swayed from the pat, but he gritted his teeth and calmly said, "I have something for you to do."
"What is it this time?"
"It's about the same as last time."
"There's an assassin, and the situation has been tense for the past few days."
"It will be removed tomorrow."
"Haha, that's why I said you're a young master …"
The man sat there, and Gu Yanzhen looked completely disproportionate to his size. At this moment, he smiled and looked around. Gu Yanzhen was also looking in that direction, and saw that at the side of the restaurant, a man pushed aside a stool and ran. Iron Tower took a few steps, picked up a stool, and knocked the man to the ground.
"Running?" The second blow landed, and the stool was already broken. "Old Huang! It's not good to owe money and not pay it back! "
"Excuse me. My brother will stop writing." The burly man picked up his glass and took a sip.
"When did you brothers become loan sharks?"
"Is this something you should be asking?" Gu Yanzhen originally asked with a smile, but when the man looked at him, he instantly felt embarrassed. The man patted his shoulder again. "Young master, you have to know your place. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask … I don't have much money, and I don't give loans. But since he doesn't intend to pay me back, he shouldn't have borrowed from me."
At this moment, Old Six lightly tapped Gu Yanzhen's shoulder. Gu Yanzhen looked to the side of the restaurant, and there were two bailiffs passing by, and they also noticed the chaos in the restaurant.
"I'll go upstairs." As he said this, he waited for the man to nod, then went to the stairs with Old Six. When they reached the top of the stairs, they stopped and looked back.
The sound of kicking and cursing in the restaurant did not stop, and the person who was beaten kept begging for mercy and wanted to escape. This kind of thing was common in Hai Qing Fang. The two bailiffs watched for a while at the door, and probably didn't want to interfere, but when they saw that the person who was beaten was vomiting blood all over the floor, the leading bailiff went over and said, "Stop! Yang Heng, do you want to beat someone to death? "
The two bailiffs were a head shorter than Tie Ta. Maybe together, they could beat him, but after all, they were suppressed, so they had to give him some face. The person who was beaten to death on the ground ran behind the bailiffs and vomited blood, "Second Master Yang, Second Master, I will definitely pay you back, I will definitely pay you back. I have joined the Iron River Gang, and my Hall Master is Master Tan. For his sake, give me two days, I will definitely pay you back …"
"Master Tan? Although we don't belong to any gang, even your gang leader has to give us face when he sees us. Is it enough for you to use his name? "
As he said this, he grabbed a stool and smashed it again. Then he wanted to chase and beat him again, but the slightly younger bailiff suddenly stepped forward to stop him and pulled out the podao in his hand, "You stop!" Halfway through drawing the knife, a senior bailiff held it down. The towering brawny man called Yang Heng also stopped when he saw his actions. "Squad Leader Zheng, your subordinate must be a new recruit, right?"
The slightly older bailiff looked at him and said, "If you keep hitting him, he will die!"
"Hmph." It didn't matter if he injured or disabled someone, but if he died, he wouldn't be able to explain it to anyone. Yang Heng snorted and then raised his hand, "Okay, I, Yang Heng, am a law-abiding person. Today, I will give face to you, Leader Zheng. Even if he owes me money, I won't pursue it anymore. But from now on, you have to keep a good eye on your new little brother. If he randomly pulls out his podao … what if he scares people to death!? "
He stretched out his finger and silently pointed at the young bailiff's forehead. The seriously injured person behind him only said, "I will definitely pay you back, I will pay you back …" Yang Heng squatted down and looked at him, "You don't need to pay me back, just treat it as your medical fee! Just remember that there are two kinds of people in this world. One is a hoodlum, and the other is a fugitive. You are a gangster, if you want to dirty money, you should dirty the money of those who are also gangsters like you. You shouldn't dirty my brother's money! "
After saying this, he turned around and walked in the direction of the big man.
The young bailiff's face was already red. Then, he was dragged out by the older bailiff. Under the curtain of rain, he only turned around and left after a few steps. "Leader, who are those people?"
The leader's face darkened. "Yang Yi and Yang Heng. Don't provoke them for no reason!"
"How can we let them be so arrogant?"
"Those two … are true desperados …" The leader took a deep breath and said, "But they usually don't cause any big trouble and have some sense of propriety. The gangs around Hai Qing Fang don't dare to provoke them. Years ago, Yang Yi killed his way into the Iron Sand Gang alone and dragged a hall master's intestines along the streets three times. He was drenched in blood and is truly a ruthless person …"
"… They have a murder case?"
"Everyone knows that they definitely have a murder case, but it's a fight between gangs and it's hard to investigate. As for the rest, there's no evidence. They won't learn from others and this time, the gambling addict deserves to die. Back then, he gambled and lost his daughter. This time, he borrowed money from them and deserved it. Years ago, when Monitor Lei was still around, he wanted to punish them. He arrested Yang Yi and let Yang Heng escape. Yang Yi languished in prison and refused to admit to his crimes. Yang Heng even said that if anything happened to his brother, he would kill Monitor Lei's family. In the end … he was released. However, they knew their place and sent gifts to Monitor Lei's house to thank him. Since then, no one has been willing to provoke them … "
The young bailiff was surprised when the older bailiff finished. The older one shook his head and said, "In any case, if you really want to do it, kill them in one go. If you don't get the chance, try not to interfere. Otherwise, there will be endless trouble in the future. These two brothers have a sense of propriety in many matters. They are truly ruthless people. There are many gangsters in Hai Qing Fang … Just take care of them and don't cause too much trouble. That's all … "
Lightning streaked across the sky as the two bailiffs walked forward. They were left in the restaurant behind them. The Yang brothers walked up to the second floor and discussed a deal with Gu Yanzhen in a private room.
The ancient city of Jiangning was covered in rain …
*****
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