Chapter 89

Chen Ergou heaved a huge sigh of relief, feeling that he had finally escaped the current predicament. He thought to himself that no one would care whether Cheng Tongtou lived or died. After a moment of relief, he suddenly came to his senses. His body trembled, and he stared wide-eyed at Zhao Jin, his face full of disbelief.

First, he didn't believe the meaning behind Zhao Jin's words, and second, he found it incredible that someone of Zhao Jin's age could really accomplish such a feat.

"Brother Ergou, don't overthink it, go back first!" Zhao Jin said with a smile. Chen Ergou felt his knees go weak, almost kneeling down. He managed to hold himself up, stammering for a long time before bowing deeply and saying, "Young Master Jin, rest assured, I'll go back first. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it without hesitation."

Zhao Jin ignored the incoherent Chen Ergou and turned to Liu Yong, smiling as he said, "Xiaoyong, stay here for a few days, don't go back yet."

Liu Yong looked at Chen Ergou, then at Zhao Jin, and finally at the various expressions of his companions in the courtyard. He bit his lip and said, "Brother, I'll go back with Brother Ergou. If I don't go back, Cheng Tongtou will definitely become suspicious."

Zhao Jin glanced at Liu Yong, pulled him over, and hugged him tightly, saying, "Good brother."

Everyone in the courtyard laughed, even Chen Ergou managed a dry laugh. Liu Yong's face turned red with excitement. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Zhao Jin whisper in his ear, "If anything seems off, run back. If everything is fine, find out where Cheng Tongtou stays at night."

Liu Yong nodded, took a step back, and bowed, saying, "Brother, I'll go back first!"

After saying this, Liu Yong turned to Chen Ergou and said, "Brother Ergou, let's go back."

When they came, Liu Yong was a follower, but now the roles were reversed. Chen Ergou had no objections, as if it was only natural.

The two walked out of the courtyard, and as the gate closed, they could still hear Chen Ergou dryly laughing and saying, "Xiaoyong, Brother Ergou has always been good to you, remember that!"

"Brother Ergou, of course I remember," Liu Yong replied.

Hearing this exchange, everyone in the courtyard couldn't help but smile. When the footsteps of the two men faded away, Wang Zhaojing's expression turned serious. He walked up to Zhao Jin and asked solemnly, "Brother Zhao, do you really intend to do this?"

Everyone gathered around. Some understood Zhao Jin's words and actions, while others had a vague idea.

Zhao Jin nodded, and Wang Zhaojing was taken aback. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Brother Zhao, with your skills, you have a bright future ahead. Is it really worth it to do such despicable deeds?"

Wang Zhaojing's words trailed off, but Zhao Jin smiled and continued, "Is it a descent into depravity?"

Wang Zhaojing laughed awkwardly but didn't deny it. Zhao Jin looked around and saw that most of his companions were confused, not understanding what he meant. He smiled and continued, "Just now, I suddenly thought of taking over Cheng Tongtou's business and making it our own. Brother Wang thinks that doing such a thing is a disgrace and a descent into depravity."

"Brother Zhao, I didn't mean to..." Wang Zhaojing tried to explain, but Zhao Jin smiled and waved him off, continuing, "I bet you all think the same. A ruffian leader, making money from gambling and prostitution, a scoundrel in the underworld. I'm actually going to take over his business and make that dirty money my own. Am I not also becoming a scoundrel?"

When Zhao Jin said this, everyone finally understood. However, apart from Dong Bingfeng, who seemed to agree, the others were unconvinced.

Chen Sheng took a few steps back and sat on a stone lock, saying calmly, "My father and your father also take this money. We rely on this for our daily expenses. Were we ever clean?"

Zhao Jin laughed out loud. After the laughter subsided, he didn't respond but asked, "Zhaojing, you're already a scholar. In the future, you'll take the imperial exams, become a juren, then a jinshi, and eventually an official. Isn't that the path you'll follow in life?"

Wang Zhaojing, though unsure why Zhao Jin was asking this, nodded. The life of a scholar was set, and there was no other path.

"Sheng, you'll take over your father's position and continue as a constable. In the future, you'll try to become the chief constable, right?"

This was already arranged by the Chen family, and Chen Sheng nodded.

"Bingfeng, you'll inherit the position of a thousand-household and manage the family business, becoming a landlord, right?"

Dong Bingfeng also nodded. He was a hereditary thousand-household, and his father had already built a substantial family business, which he would naturally manage.

"Shitou and Daxiang, you two will inherit your family's shops and stalls, right?"

This was also a given, and Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang nodded. Everyone was becoming increasingly puzzled, wondering why Zhao Jin was asking these questions with obvious answers.

"Dalei, you'll do business in the future, right?"

Sun Dalei nodded blankly. As the eldest son, the wealth and business his parents had built would naturally be his, with no objections.

After asking everyone, Mu Shulan lifted the curtain and peeked out, seeing that Zhao Jin had no intention of asking her. She stuck out her tongue playfully and retreated back into the house.

"Are you content? Are you content with this life?" Zhao Jin asked.

The courtyard was quiet. Everyone was looking at Zhao Jin, listening intently. Zhao Jin took a few steps and said in a serious tone, "We brothers practice and compete in martial arts every day. At first, it was for fun and to show off, but after five years, don't we want to do something together?"

Everyone looked at each other, seeing unease on each other's faces. Zhao Jin raised his voice, "We've been practicing diligently for five years. We are far stronger than our peers. We are united, and we have reached this point. Are we content to follow the same old path?"

Wang Zhaojing's expression grew even more serious, Chen Sheng's brows furrowed tighter, Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang's breathing became heavier, Dong Bingfeng fell into deep thought, and Sun Dalei scratched his head, wanting to speak but not opening his mouth.

"That day, the eight of us stormed the Nine-Tailed Lady Temple. Despite our panic, we still easily killed those six monks. If we had been calm and composed, we would have won easily. We now have this power and can do greater things. Are we content to follow the boring old path?"

Zhao Jin's tone became increasingly passionate, and the others' expressions became more excited. Even Sun Dalei stopped scratching his head and listened intently. Only Wang Zhaojing remained calm, asking thoughtfully, "Brother Zhao is a man of great deeds, I've always believed that. But what does doing great deeds have to do with taking over Cheng Tongtou's business?"

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. To do great things, we need money and people. The money we have now is given by our elders and families, and the people are just us few. What can we do with this? Cheng Tongtou has both. We chose him because we have connections there. Xiaoyong and Chen Ergou can provide us with information. Moreover, when Xiaolan was kidnapped last time, we were like headless flies until we got information from Chen Ergou. If we can control the various elements under Cheng Tongtou, our information will become more reliable," Zhao Jin explained confidently.

"But all these things belong to that Tongtou. Will he willingly give them to us?" Dong Bingfeng asked doubtfully.

Zhao Jin smiled and said, "Kill him, and it's ours!"