Extra 4...

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When Changshan arrived at the cockfighting pit outside the east gate, the three groups and five factions were already there. Everyone had obviously been caught off guard since they suddenly had to move to this place. There were a lot of small, open-air stalls near the cockfighting pit, and the group of people wearing furs and yellow silk crowded around the stalls’ four-square tables. When they looked at the spicy tofu and other dishes in front of them, they didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. But they were a coarse group, so they weren’t very particular. They took out the wine they had brought and started drinking.

The three gangs and five factions all had their own thugs. The three gangs were loan sharks to gamblers, while the five factions engaged in prostitution and piracy. There were many gangs bigger than Huang Kui, but the situation right now was unstable. A lot of businesses relied on the waterways, and Huang Kui had suddenly taken a big seat. The relationship between all the gangs was very tenuous.

Seeing that Changshan had finally arrived, several of the leaders stood up, but Changshan immediately urged them to sit down. “No, no, sorry, sorry. There was an emergency, so we had to relocate.”

Everyone waved their hands as if to say it was no big deal. Changshan looked at the circle of people and saw that they were all waiting with their buddies. He laughed when he realized he was the only one who had come alone. “Let’s talk while we eat. We’ll let the brothers find another place to eat, too.” He started fiddling with his shoes, which meant they had to have a detailed discussion and wouldn’t be moving around for the time being.

When the others saw this, they immediately took their seats. These nine people used to throw their weight around but were now crowded into such a place. The seating was cramped and they all looked ridiculous. Changshan was the only one who looked comfortable as he took his chopsticks and started eating. There was a brothel owner among the three gangs and five faction members, who had a bluish-black bruise on her face. It was still very eye-catching despite her attempts to cover it up with makeup. Changshan smiled, “Madam, what happened to you?”

“What happened to me?” The madam looked up at Changshan and said, “That hitmen’s leader from your group slept with one of my girls and broke her legs. Her brother came to seek revenge, and ended up hitting me in the face with a stick.”

“If he dared to hit you, then I bet you skinned him alive.” Changshan thought it was so funny that he burst out laughing.

“Bah, we also have to be reasonable when doing this shady business. Aren’t prostitutes humans, too? An able-bodied person was beaten just like that. We’re different from you Huang Kui guys, who don’t talk about morality or justice.”

The others laughed with Changshan, which caused him to laugh even more. “That’s not what I meant. The leader is the leader and I’m me. We each mind our own business. I can’t interfere with the brothels, so you’ll have to ask my boss to handle it.”

The madam stopped talking. After drinking a few mouthfuls of wine, Changshan discovered that the others were looking at him without moving their chopsticks. “Don’t be like this, everyone.” He said. “I’m also in a difficult position. These days, the pirates have been scattered by the army and profits are down. There are thirty-four more people in Hubei this month alone. Huang Kui is in charge, so they’re all at ease. If no one took care of them, then they’d still be scattered and end up causing trouble when the time comes. We all have to take care of this river, or we won’t be able to make a living in this business.”

“Oh, cut the crap. We all know that you want more money for the no-contribution flag.” A big white fat man spoke up from the side. It was clear to see that he was really uncomfortable sitting there. “We can add more money if we’re able to. If we aren’t, we’ll just stop using the waterway.”

“I haven’t said anything yet, and you’re already putting words in my mouth?” Changshan suddenly became a little impatient.

The madam stared at the white fat man. “Can you fucking talk less? You sell opium to Yunnan, and I sell girls. Fuck, if you don’t go south, are you telling me to sell to the northern nomadic people?”

Changshan glanced at the madam: “Hey, that reminds me. What happened to the person my brother asked you to prepare?”

The madam was embarrassed for a moment, and then answered with, “Advisor, none of the girls you’ve previously asked for have come back yet. No one’s seen them, so how could I find a girl for you?”

Changshan looked at his wine coldly, “You can say this to my boss, but I dare not say it for you.”

The madam’s face immediately turned pale, and Changshan looked at the others. “That’s just how my boss is. You can either send them, or we’ll go to someone else. Do you want to wait for him to come and ask for someone himself? I really can’t handle this matter.”

Everyone’s expressions looked bad, and they all glanced at the madam. She took a deep breath and gave the man behind her a look. The man dragged a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl out from the back room. She was wrapped almost from head to toe, with only her face exposed.

The little girl was very beautiful. Her skin was white and youthful, but her eyes were a little yellow, indicating that she had been raised in a poor family.

“Mr. Advisor, in our line of work, we sell our bodies, not our lives. This girl hasn’t been touched by anyone. I personally picked her out. Take her back and keep her, but gives us some accommodation. Let me meet the girls from the previous batches so that I can have an explanation for their families.”

Changshan looked at the little girl, who bowed her head and dared no look at him. He walked over silently, grabbed her chin, squeezed her mouth open, and looked at her teeth.

They were all neat and white, which made Changshan smile. “Madam, where did you find her?”

“Huaiyang.” The madam didn’t want to look at him.

Changshan narrowed his eyes and felt the girl’s body. As the little girl started trembling, the blue veins on Changshan’s neck bulged. Without warning, he grabbed the little girl’s chin from behind and suddenly gave it a fierce twist, breaking her neck on the spot.

Before the madam could react, the little girl fell to the ground. The madam screamed, “A Luo!” and then rushed to pick the little girl up, who was foaming at the mouth and twitching.

The madam looked at Changshan with red-rimmed eyes, and all the guys around her rushed over. Changshan pointed at the madam and shouted, “You better think it over!”

The madam was trembling all over and bit her lip until it bled. Changshan said coldly, “I’m trying to save you, Madam. Calm down and think about what you just did. We have to let everyone know what the consequences are.”

The people at the other tables didn’t dare speak. Changshan lowered his hand, and his eyes became wet. “Do you think Boss wouldn’t know about this? If you give me this girl and I accept it, all three of our heads will be hanging from Baiping Building’s roof the very next day. Is she pitiful? Of course she is! As to who to blame? Blame yourself! What the fuck do you think Huang Kui is?!!”

No one made a sound as Changshan pointed in the direction of the Yangtze River, “When we first set off from Dongting Lake to Hankou, there were 243 people in Huang Kui. Only eleven people remained after your Hankou water locusts were done with them. When my boss looked at the piles of heads and asked me why, I couldn’t answer.” Tears came pouring from Changshan’s eyes. “My boss held his daughter’s head and looked out at the river for seven days and seven nights. We were just trying to make a living.” Changshan looked at the table full of people and continued, “My boss said later that if he wanted you Hankou people to join him in the future, he’d have to kill as many women as he wanted. Do I dare to lie to him about this? Tell me, do I dare deceive him?”

“Even if he wants revenge, he can go find the water locusts that killed your people. This girl wasn’t even thirteen.” The madam cried out.

“Everyone’s come to the table, yet you think you’re pitiful? Or she’s pitiful? Bullshit!” Changshan said coldly. He swiped all the dishes on the table to the ground, took out a pile of no-contribution flags from his pocket, and threw them down on the table. “I’ll give you another chance. If you don’t want to give my boss the women he wants, you’ll have to do something else fun. A beggar has offended Huang Kui and is headed for Baiping Building right now. If you catch him before he gets to the building and bring his head here, I’ll forget this whole matter and let you continue carrying the no-contribution flag. If you can’t do it, you’d better stay off the Yangtze River.”

The madam stared at Changshan, who looked around at everyone else, “Everyone, let the game begin. Be sure not to spoil the fun.”

***

Chen Pi walked along the embankment, feeling more and more sleepy as the sun beat down on him. The thousand coins in his pocket were surprisingly heavy, but he was still depressed. He had killed thirteen people, so he was three hundred coins short, but forget it. He had it all figured out now.

Chen Pi suddenly felt tired as he passed an embankment. His new clothes were a little too warm, so he sat down, leaned against a tree, and started to nap.

The guys who were still following him from a distance also stopped and looked at each other. It wasn’t long after he fell asleep that Chen Pi suddenly woke with a start.

He had dreamed of Qinhuai Murderer, and that all his copper coins were lost in one fell swoop.

The unease in his heart had him sweating profusely, and he stomped his feet a few times.

He looked at the thousand coins and suddenly stood up with a dark look on his face. He walked to the cockfighting pit and forgot all about Baiping Building.

<Extra 4.20> <Table of Contents><Extra 4.22>

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