Chapter 38

As various people greeted him with broad smiles, Zhao Zhentang responded one by one, but his attitude was clearly somewhat reserved.

Each person who greeted Zhao Zhentang would politely praise Zhao Jin, saying how adorable he was and how he would surely be very successful when he grew up. On the surface, Zhao Jin seemed normal, but inside, he was quite surprised. He was very familiar with everyone's attitude; it was the same as when they faced their superiors in the past.

His father was just a bailiff in the prefectural office, and also a hangman. How could he have such a grand and powerful presence? Zhao Jin scratched his head, thinking that he might have been wrong to view his father as a low-level police officer from a previous life.

They continued to greet people as they made their way to the southern part of the city. In Xuzhou, the north was wealthy while the south was poor. In this area, there were no neat houses to be seen, only dilapidation everywhere. If it weren't winter, the roads would be almost impassable, with frozen sewage everywhere. Even so, a foul smell permeated the air.

Seeing Zhao Jin frown in disgust, Zhao Zhentang couldn't help but laugh and said, "You've been kept at home all this time, knowing nothing and seeing nothing. You've been spoiled. You can't even handle this. This is nothing. When you go to the Xuzhou Guard, you'll find it even worse."

Could the Xuzhou Guard be even more dilapidated? Zhao Jin was curious. In this life, he hadn't been to many places, only staying in the area around his home.

Although this era's Xuzhou couldn't compare to the previous one, it still took them half an hour to walk from the northern gate to the southern part of the city, dealing with the greetings and pleasantries of so many people along the way. They finally arrived at the Black Tiger Temple.

The so-called Black Tiger Temple was a small courtyard with a small plaque hanging outside. It might have been grand in the past, but now the paint had peeled off, and the characters "Black Tiger Temple" looked particularly ugly. The walls had been soaked by water and collapsed several times, making them crooked and misshapen. The two doors had been replaced with a few boards nailed together, hanging on the door frame. A young man in a patched cotton coat stood in front of the temple.

Compared to the crowded and chaotic residential area, there was an open space in front of the Black Tiger Temple. A few listless vendors were standing by, completely ignoring the garbage and filth on the ground.

Both the young man and the vendors became visibly nervous when they saw a bailiff appear. Zhao Zhentang led Zhao Jin directly toward the courtyard.

"What does the bailiff want?" the young man asked, bowing and smiling as Zhao Zhentang approached.

This young man must be a lookout, Zhao Jin thought, wondering how his father would handle the situation.

Zhao Zhentang's face had lost its smile. He waved his hand and said, "Get lost. I'm looking for Fendan."

Without waiting for the young man's reaction, he kicked open the loosely closed wooden door and strode into the courtyard.

The young man was taken aback but didn't dare to speak, quickly following with a smile. Zhao Jin was puzzled, wondering why "Fendan" had appeared out of nowhere.

The smell in the courtyard was even worse, with stains from people relieving themselves in the corners. In one corner, there was a crudely carved Black Tiger statue, also in a state of disrepair. This temple was probably dedicated to the steed of Zhao Gong, the God of Wealth, which made sense.

The temple consisted of three brick rooms, which were also in a state of disrepair. However, it couldn't be underestimated. In the southern part of the city, the houses along the way were mostly made of mud and stone, not as good as this small temple.

The outside was dirty and messy, but inside, it was bustling. The temple door was covered with a thick cotton curtain, and the sound of people talking could be heard from inside.

"Quick, quick, place your bets! Don't regret it if you lose!"

"It's open, it's open!"

It turned out to be a gambling den. Zhao Zhentang led Zhao Jin, lifting the curtain with one hand.

As the curtain was lifted, a wave of hot air and a foul smell hit them. The stench of sweat and other indescribable odors filled the room, but no one inside seemed to care. They were gathered around two tables, enthusiastically gambling.

Zhao Zhentang frowned, scanning the room, and shouted, "Where's Fendan?"

The room suddenly fell silent, and everyone's eyes turned to a large man standing between the two tables, his back to Zhao Zhentang and his son.

Seeing the man's appearance, Zhao Jin understood why he was called "Fendan." The large man was bald, but his head wasn't shiny like others; it was a dirty dark yellow. No wonder he had that nickname. Thinking about it, Fendan and Tongtou were indeed similar in color.

"Who the hell is calling me that? Do you want to die?" the large man shouted, turning around.

Zhao Jin took a step back. He noticed two young men in the room with suspicious expressions, clearly part of the large man's gang. With their numbers, they could easily overpower them.

The large man, called "Fendan," turned around. He was slightly shorter than Zhao Zhentang, with a big belly. He was wearing a Taoist robe, which was supposed to be decent clothing, but it was dirty and unkempt. His sleeves were rolled up, and the hem was tucked into his waist. His face was full of scars, and he looked fierce.

Zhao Jin became even more nervous, but Zhao Zhentang stood there unmoving, coldly saying, "What did you just say with that foul mouth of yours?"

As soon as he saw Zhao Zhentang, the large man's fierce expression turned into a fawning smile. He slapped his own face and bowed, saying, "It's Master Zhao! I have a foul mouth, I'll slap it, I'll slap it. Master Zhao, please don't be angry."

Zhao Jin's eyes widened, surprised by how afraid this man was of his father. No wonder the thugs called him "Tongtou," but in Zhao Zhentang's mouth, he became "Fendan."

Before he could continue, the large man said with a smile, "It's noisy and dirty here. Master Zhao, please come inside and sit down."

Zhao Zhentang snorted, as if the other's fawning was to be expected. He let the man lead the way into the inner room.

The inner room was separated from the three rooms of the temple. Inside was a kang (a heated brick bed), but it was messy and didn't smell much better than outside. There was also a scent of powder and a musky odor.

The large man cleared a spot on the kang and invited Zhao Zhentang to sit down. He then called for someone to bring tea and lowered the cotton curtain of the inner room. He took out a paper package from his chest and said with a smile, "Master Zhao, it's rare for you to come here. Thank you for your hard work."

Zhao Zhentang took the paper package, pinched it, and placed it beside him, saying casually, "I didn't come here for this. This is my son."

He pointed, and the large man immediately bowed to Zhao Jin, saying respectfully, "Young Master, you look very spirited."

"Your men gave my son trouble yesterday and said they would come to our house today. Today, I came to see the heroes under Fendan's command," Zhao Zhentang said with a half-smile.

Before he finished speaking, the large man's face turned pale, and his body started to tremble. He waved his hands and said, "Master Zhao, Master Zhao, how could this be? Even if I were insane, I wouldn't dare. I wouldn't dare, and my men wouldn't dare. Master..."

"Yesterday, there were five of them. The one in front had a triangular eye, and everyone calls him Brother Tiger," Zhao Jin said, knowing it was his turn to speak.

Hearing this, the large man was stunned. Zhao Zhentang, sitting on the kang, coldly laughed and said, "Not your men? Looks like I came to the wrong place. I'm sorry..."

Before he finished, the large man fell to his knees, his face contorted in distress, and said, "Really not my men. They are a few no-good people in this area. I've used them a few times, and they've been causing trouble outside. Master Zhao, I'll bring them here and make them explain."

"Go quickly. I still have to report to the office," Zhao Zhentang said.

The large man was overjoyed, hurriedly getting up and running out. Through the curtain, they could hear him shouting, "Go and bring Chen Erdou and the others here. Hurry up, or I'll use a knife!"

Zhao Jin watched in amazement. This "Fendan," who was a local thug and had a gambling den with many followers, was so afraid of his father. What was going on?

As he was thinking, Zhao Zhentang reached out and patted his head, teasingly saying, "You've really grown bolder. You're not afraid in such a situation."