Zhang Heng didn't stay in place for long. He quickly continued to move forward as if he didn't notice the little tail behind him.
He walked slowly along the Tiber River, neither fast nor slow, completely blending in with the crowd around him. After that, he turned right into Perfume Street.
As the name suggested, this street was full of perfume shops.
The origin of perfume was earlier than most people thought. Ancient Egypt had begun to use perfume more than three thousand years ago. After that, perfume was also very popular in ancient Greece and Rome. For example, in the Victor Arena where Zhang Heng was, the advertisements painted on the walls clearly informed the audience that the lower stands would be sprayed with perfume. This was one of the ways the arena attracted spectators.
In addition, the ancient Romans also had many creative uses for perfume. For example, when building a house, some people would mix perfume into the mortar so that the sun would shine on it and emit a fragrance. Some people would also apply perfume to the slaves and horses so that they would feel refreshed wherever they went.
It was precisely because of the ancient Romans' passion for perfume that the business of the perfume shop had always been good.
There were many people on Perfume Street every day, so the people who were following Zhang Heng were also on guard, afraid that the target would slip away if they were not careful.
However, it turned out that they were overthinking things. Zhang Heng neither sped up nor did he try to hide. He remained in their line of sight until he passed through the perfume shop street and arrived at an apartment complex behind. It was much quieter there.
Zhang Heng walked into an alley with a drying pole, and brightly colored clothes were fluttering in the wind.
The group of people behind him looked at each other and felt that it was almost time to make a move. So they drew their weapons, most of which were daggers, and one of them was a short sword. A group of five, pushed aside the clothes hanging on their heads and rushed into the alley in front of them.
It had only been a few blinks of an eye since Zhang Heng walked in, but they had already lost sight of him.
What the hell?
The five of them rubbed their eyes, and a look of disbelief appeared on their faces.
They had been following Zhang Heng all the way, but when they were about to make a move, he disappeared. It was a little hard to accept.
Such a big living person actually disappeared into thin air. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it.
However, just as they were in a dilemma about how to answer to their employer, a voice came from above their heads.
"Are you looking for me?"
Zhang Heng loosened his grip on the wall, jumped down, and landed on the back of the last man. The latter was kicked away by Zhang Heng, and he bumped into his four companions.
Zhang Heng took the opportunity to pick up the dagger that the man dropped on the ground. After that, the four people in front of him turned around and helped their companion up.
The confrontation between the two sides did not last long. In the next moment, the five of them rushed over without saying a word.
So, Zhang Heng didn't waste any more time talking nonsense. He could already tell that these five people were gangsters on the street, and they had committed a lot of crimes. Only by beating them up could he pry open their mouths.
Fortunately, such a battle was not difficult for Zhang Heng.
There was a reason why he chose this place as the place to fight. In addition to the fact that this place was relatively remote, the other party could show their fangs. The width of this alley was very narrow, and it could only accommodate two people walking side by side. If they moved too much, they would affect each other.
Although there were five people on the opposite side, only two of them could face Zhang Heng at a time. And the two of them would fight with each other. When Zhang Heng stabbed them with his dagger, one of them tried to dodge to the right, while the other tried to dodge to the left. As a result, neither of them could avoid Zhang Heng's attack.
This group of people was a motley crew. They had no combat skills, and they only relied on their strength to fight. Even Varo, who had only gone through fifty days of training, could deal with two of them at once.
And it only took Zhang Heng less than three minutes to completely subdue this group of punks. The so-called subduing meant that when they were put on the ground again, no one dared to get up again.
After that, Zhang Heng squatted in front of one of the guys who looked like the leader, lifted the other party's face with his dagger, and asked, "Come on, tell me who sent you here?"
"I can't tell you. Otherwise, I won't be able to survive in Rome anymore." The young man gritted his teeth. He was quite stubborn, and judging by his appearance, he was probably only fifteen or sixteen years old.
"You should know that I won't be satisfied with this answer." Zhang Heng looked into the other party's eyes.
Although Zhang Heng's tone was very calm, the young gangster could not help but shudder. Before he could speak, his companion next to him wailed first, "Tell him. Tell him. We didn't take much money in total. We only got seven Denarius. We don't have to lose our lives for this money."
A look of hesitation appeared on the young gangster's face when he heard that.
"I think what your brother said makes sense. If I were you, I would accept his suggestion," Zhang Heng said. At the same time, he pressed the dagger in his hand down a little more.
"Hunapur, it was the people from the Hunapur Arena who found us. They paid us to keep an eye on you and make a move whenever you leave the arena. We didn't expect to encounter an opportunity on the first day," the young ruffian said in a low voice, his voice full of bitterness.
"They asked you to kill me?" Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.
"Not really. They just want you to be bedridden for two months."
"Heh."
Zhang Heng understood that this matter was most likely related to the gladiatorial performance in the Amphitheatrum Flavium more than a month later. Zhang Heng was no longer clueless about the gladiator school now. He knew that Hunahpu Arena was the fourth largest gladiator school in Rome, and it was a direct competitor to Mark Reuss's gladiator school. Over the years, there had been a lot of friction between the two.
However, Zhang Heng did not expect the other party to act so quickly. He had just become famous, and trouble was already looking for him. Logically speaking, it had only been a few hours since he won the twelve-gladiator battle. Even if Hunahpu Arena wanted to eliminate its competitors, it should have attacked Habitus first.
While thinking about this matter, Zhang Heng tapped the hilt of the dagger with his finger.
The five gangsters looked at Zhang Heng nervously. Everyone's face was full of anxiety, not knowing what fate awaited them.
After a while, Zhang Heng stretched out a hand. "Hand over the deposit you received."
The five gangsters did not make a move immediately. Obviously, they were reluctant to do so. They usually did not have a proper job, and of course, they did not have a source of income. It was not easy for them to make a fortune. Although it was not much, it was still a little painful to hand it over. And if they failed, they would have to think about how to explain it to their employer.
Seeing that the gangsters did not move, Zhang Heng said again, "I have always been a fair person. You can choose between being bedridden for two months or giving me the deposit."
Hearing this, the group of gangsters reluctantly took out the money. Zhang Heng counted the amount, but he did not put the money in his pocket. Instead, he said, "Very well, I have a business that can make money now. I don't know if you are interested."
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