Chapter 95. I Underestimated the Dumpling.

In a pavilion standing alone in a sparsely populated area, two people faced each other.

The man in black, sitting on the right, placed a gold ingot on the table and began to stack them one by one, forming a tower. After building a tower of ten gold ingots, the man in black said:

"This time, the Sword Society's leader was very angry."

The man with an ordinary appearance, facing him, replied:

"Let me hear it first."

"The name is Li Zaha. He is the leader of a place called Haomen. Have you heard of him?"

"Never heard of him."

"He apparently has a fixed residence. He has taken over the Black Cat Gang and settled there. I heard he has many subordinates. Do you know the Great Temple?"

"Yes, I do."

"He is said to have killed Li Zaha. Not only him, but also other people like He Xiaomeng and Shuxian. Anyway, the young man's skills are enough to kill the Great Temple, so keep that in mind."

"What should I bring back after killing him?"

"Bring back his head. Or, just confirming that he is dead would be fine."

The man in black looked at the man opposite him.

"Is Li Zaha on your list?"

"No."

"Then, do we have to send people to investigate his skills and do all the preliminary work, and pay for it?"

"All costs are included."

The man in black nodded and pointed to the ten gold ingots on the table.

"…How much more do you need?"

"Let's make it a hundred gold ingots."

"Isn't that too expensive? He's not even a well-known figure in the martial world."

"It's not expensive. If we fail, the hundred gold ingots will be returned to the Sword Society."

The man in black looked surprised.

"Returned?"

"Of course, since we failed. In return, you can hire us again. A more skilled assassin will be sent, considering the skills of the dead colleague. Whether you continue to hire us or someone else is up to you."

"What about the commission fee for the Qingfeng Bureau?"

"It will be doubled."

The man in black opened his mouth.

"Wow, that's too expensive. Two hundred gold ingots?"

"It's not expensive. If we fail again, the two hundred gold ingots will be returned to the Sword Society."

"Oh, I see. But with two hundred gold ingots, couldn't we kill even Sadaohang?"

"No. Sadaohang has many subordinates who guard him day and night. He is always on guard against assassins, so the cost is much higher. Naturally, he is now very cautious about the Sword Society's assassins."

The man in black nodded.

"Alright. Let's do it. A hundred gold ingots, Li Zaha."

"Advance payment."

The man in black snapped his fingers, and a subordinate waiting outside the pavilion brought a box and placed it on the table.

While the man from the assassin organization was checking the gold ingots in the box, the man in black said to his subordinate:

"Give me that portrait. Since we've prepared it, let's hand it over."

"Yes."

The man in black received the portrait and placed it on the table. It was a drawing that roughly depicted Li Zaha's appearance, attire, and aura.

The man in black pointed with his finger.

"This guy. He made our busy leader very angry. Doesn't he look rude just by looking at him?"

"I'll keep it in mind. Take the portrait."

"What kind of aura does this guy have?"

"I'll have to see him in person to know."

The man in black, holding the portrait, stared at it and then circled his finger near his temple.

"I can read faces. This guy is not in his right mind. The person who drew the portrait emphasized his eyes too much. This is the look of a madman, isn't it?"

"…We'll start the job and let you know the results."

The man in black nodded.

"Good luck. By the way, I was introduced to you by the head of our merchant guild, so I don't know much. The name of your assassin organization… I should know, right? I'm giving you so much money. I need to report to the leader. Is it a secret?"

"We are called Yiweidujiang."

"Yiweidujiang, a name with style for an assassin organization. I'll count on you. The atmosphere between Nantianlian and us has been very tense lately. In such times, having more money is really…"

While the man in black was talking, the man from Yiweidujiang stood up.

"Then, I'll be in touch."

The man gave a light bow and left the pavilion with the box containing the gold ingots.

The man in black muttered:

"Take care."

As the assassin walked away, the man in black looked at his subordinates and asked:

"How do you think? Do they seem capable?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"They won't do a good job if they don't want to return the money, right?"

"Ah, that's true."

The man in black smiled and nodded.

"They'll do well. Or, they might deliberately fail to get double the money."

"It costs more to train an assassin than that."

The man in black joined his subordinates and said:

"That's true. Let's go. Li Zaha is as good as dead, so don't worry about it."

"Yes."

* * *

Two days later, a man pulling a cart passed by the Black Cat Gang's entrance. The next morning, a young man selling rice cakes passed by. In the afternoon, a porter looked around as if searching for a place and then disappeared.

It rained at night.

The next day, after the rain cleared, a man in ordinary clothes looked at the open gate of the Black Cat Gang and then walked past. The sounds of training and shouting mixed together, and passersby often looked at the Black Cat Gang as they walked by.

In the evening, the gate of the Black Cat Gang was closed.

On the fourth day, in the afternoon.

The assassin from Yiweidujiang, who had been observing from a room in a building some distance away, put down the dried meat he was eating and watched the gate.

"…"

A man presumed to be Li Zaha, the leader of Haomen, was stretching in front of the gate. Someone poked their head out of the gate and asked:

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk."

"Shall I go with you?"

"No, I don't want to."

The assassin, listening to the conversation, noted Li Zaha's characteristics in a small notebook:

- Good at refusing.

- Sword at the waist.

- Young.

- Looks sleep-deprived.

- Bloodshot eyes.

- Handsome.

- Expected to have a bad temper.

After confirming the direction Li Zaha went, the assassin put the notebook on the table, left the room, and went down the stairs.

A short while later, the assassin, walking slowly in the direction Li Zaha had gone, waved away the thin smoke from a dumpling shop as he passed through the market.

At this moment…

Li Zaha, suddenly appearing in front of him with a large dumpling in his mouth, but the assassin calmly continued walking.

A voice came from behind:

"Wow, wow, it's so delicious."

The young owner of the dumpling shop, who had come out, asked:

"Leader, do you want more to go?"

Li Zaha, swallowing the dumpling, replied in a casual tone:

"Why? I'm eating it alone."

"Oh, I see."

The assassin, keeping his eyes on the road, heard Li Zaha's absurd humming from behind:

"I eat alone, I eat dumplings alone, I sing alone."

"Take care."

"Okay."

The assassin passed by several taverns, teahouses, and restaurants and entered a relatively quiet inn, sitting at an outdoor seat.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind:

'…Is he crazy?'

A waiter approached and asked:

"What would you like?"

The assassin replied immediately:

"Do you have dried meat?"

"Yes."

"Any white wine?"

"We have Doujiang and Wuling wine."

"Give me Wuling wine."

"Please wait a moment."

In the past, assassins would wait in latrines, dig holes, and hide, but the assassins of Yiweidujiang are not like that.

The most important thing is to blend into daily life naturally.

They eat, drink, visit brothels, and loosely monitor their target, then attempt the assassination at the most appropriate moment.

The waiter, bringing the dried meat and Wuling wine, asked the man passing by:

"Leader, where are you going?"

"For a walk."

"A walk?"

"Inspection, investigation, wandering, patrolling, reconnaissance, sightseeing, exploration."

"Wow, you do so many things at once. You're truly the leader."

"That's me."

The assassin, recognizing the voice as Li Zaha's, did not look at him.

"…"

The waiter bothered Li Zaha.

"Leader, aren't you drinking lately? Have a glass of Doujiang."

"I've quit drinking."

"Don't lie."

The assassin, surprised by the waiter's tone, looked at him for a moment.

'Is he crazy?'

While pouring a glass of Wuling wine, the assassin heard the conversation between Li Zaha and the waiter:

"Hey, a few days ago, I had a big drinking session with my subordinates, and I almost died."

"Why?"

"Everyone was so drunk that they fell, passed out, and vomited."

"Even you, Leader?"

"Except me. I stood guard all night."

"Wow, can the principles of the martial world be so low? The leader standing guard, is that even possible?"

"That's what I'm saying."

"By the way, I heard you declared war? I read the notice. In such a serious situation, why are you talking about drinking?"

"That's why I don't drink."

"Ah… Have a good walk, Leader."

"Thanks."

"Report if you see anything strange."

"If I do one thing, can I join the Black Cat Gang?"

"Go to hell."

"Okay."

After a moment of silence, the assassin, who had taken a sip of Wuling wine, finally turned his head to look at Li Zaha's back. The waiter, approaching with a strange look, asked the assassin:

"Leader, have you met him before?"

"Ah, is he the leader of the Black Cat Gang? I heard he wears a mask."

"That's the previous leader. He's dead."

"I see."

The assassin told the waiter:

"Don't stare at him, go do your work."

"Yes. Ah, sir, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"If the Sword Society and Nantianlian fight, who do you think will win? I've heard a lot lately. I'm really curious."

"What do people say?"

"They say the forces are similar, but the Sword Society, with more money, has an advantage in a long-term war. Some say that Nantianlian's leader, Sadaohang, is the strongest, so Nantianlian will win."

The waiter naturally pulled out a chair and sat opposite the assassin.

The assassin smiled wryly.

"Everyone is very interested in other people's fights."

"Isn't it a common topic when drinking? Give me a glass, too."

"Hmm."

The assassin, unable to refuse the waiter's well-timed request, poured a glass of Wuling wine. The waiter, holding the glass with both hands, bowed slightly.

"Thank you."

"What do you think? Who do you think will win?"

"Wait a moment. Let me drink this first."

The waiter drank the Wuling wine and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"First… the Sword Society, whether they win or lose, is doomed."

"Why?"

"Didn't the rumor spread that the leader, who just passed by, won't let the Sword Society off?"

"So why?"

"The Sword Society is worse. They hire assassins with their money. They're scumbags."

"…"

"They also carry out assassinations everywhere. On the other hand, Nantianlian's leader, Sadaohang, seems to maintain the old martial world's atmosphere, engaging in one-on-one duels. So, our leader is determined to completely destroy the Sword Society first. Did you know? All the black path figures who held positions here were killed by our leader. Have you heard of it?"

"I don't know much."

"Hey, do I have to tell you this again? It's a long story."

"Still, the Black Cat Gang is a small gang. The Sword Society is a coalition of many black path forces. I doubt they can match each other."

"Ah, is the Sword Society that big? I don't know."

The assassin, about to reply, suddenly closed his mouth and looked ahead. Li Zaha, who said he was going for a walk, was returning with his hands behind his back. The waiter, following the assassin's gaze, turned his head and said:

"Leader, is your walk already over?"

"Hey."

"Yes."

"Give me some Doujiang. The dumpling got stuck in my throat. I underestimated the dumpling. You shouldn't underestimate the dumpling."

"Understood."

While the waiter went inside, the assassin had no choice but to stare blankly at Li Zaha.

While pondering how to handle this situation, the waiter came out with Doujiang at an incredible speed.

"Leader, do you want to drink here? Ah, you were talking about the Sword Society and Nantianlian with this gentleman. Would you like to join us?"

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. It's good to know each other."

The waiter, without permission, placed the Doujiang on the assassin's table and said:

"Come on, sit down. Is it okay with you, sir?"

The assassin sighed slightly without a word. Then, Li Zaha's voice was heard:

"Zhang San."

It seems to be the waiter's name.

"Yes."

"Go inside."

"Huh? Ah, I understand."

The waiter, confirming Li Zaha's expression, hesitated and then went inside the inn.

The assassin, who had been looking at the table, slightly raised his gaze, and Li Zaha sat opposite him.

"…"

The assassin, after some thought, said something appropriate:

"Let's sit together. I heard you are the leader of the Black Cat Gang from the waiter."

The assassin, seeing Li Zaha smile slightly, said:

"Why… are you smiling like that?"

"Where are you from?"

"Ah, I'm from Shiqing, and I came to meet someone I know…"

"No, no, no."

"…"

"Who sent you? You didn't understand what I meant."

The assassin, with his mouth closed, looked at Li Zaha. The target, drinking Doujiang alone, pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and placed it on the table.