Chapter 62

That year, Mushulan stayed at the Zhao family for a few months. After her father, Mr. Mu, returned, his demeanor was almost that of a great man. Previously, the young girl's relatives in Xuzhou only knew of her father, but after that, many uncles and aunts came over.

Zhao Jin and Mushulan could be considered childhood sweethearts in a sense. They were so familiar with each other that Zhao Jin continued practicing martial arts on his own, while the young girl sat beside him talking.

"What's so scary about arguing?" Zhao Jin asked casually.

"Those uncles are like madmen, acting crazy all the time, and sometimes they look like monsters," the young girl exaggeratedly described.

Zhao Jin couldn't help but laugh, thinking that Mushulan was, after all, just a twelve-year-old girl.

Only hard practice could distract him from his thoughts. Zhao Jin practiced with extra focus in the afternoon because he always ended up drenched in sweat. He kept a few sets of clothes for changing here. After changing, he took Mushulan home. From the look of it, the young girl wasn't planning to hide for a while but for a few days.

Mushulan had already gotten used to eating and staying at the Zhao family, and Zhao Jin found it normal. They returned home as usual, but when they went out, both of them couldn't help but think of how Zhao Zhen used to see them off. The atmosphere was a bit somber for a moment.

The two walked one after the other, passing through a street lined with closed shops. It was still desolate, but from a distance, they could see a group of about ten people standing in front of a shop.

Zhao Jin remembered that shop; it was the one where he saw a monk use a civilian woman as collateral. The second year after that incident, the shopkeeper fled with his family one night. It was said that Yunshan Temple sent people to chase them, but it was unknown if they caught up.

In front of the shop, a group of about ten people surrounded one person. It was still bright, and Zhao Jin could see clearly that the central figure was the monk Runan.

Compared to a few years ago, Runan had become much more prosperous. His monk's robe was made of finely embroidered blue silk, a style that even many of the gentry in the city couldn't match.

The group of people surrounding the monk included both monks and laypeople, all with flattering smiles, clearly trying to curry favor with Runan.

Xuzhou City wasn't very large, but this was the second time Zhao Jin had seen Runan. It was obvious that the monk was no longer the same as before.

"Master, your insight is profound. This shop can be simply renovated to serve as a warehouse, truly turning waste into treasure, turning stones into gold!" one person said.

"Many shops on this street are abandoned. They can be acquired without much cost. When they are connected, it will be a vast area. Master's plan is truly brilliant!" another added.

"The Plum Blossom Pavilion has already prepared a banquet for tonight. Although Xuzhou City is in decline, even merchants from Hai Prefecture and Yang Prefecture find it satisfactory. Master must grace us with your presence!" another person said.

A group of people flattered him, and Zhao Jin, leading Mushulan, was about to pass by. He thought they could just stay close to the roadside, but unexpectedly, they startled the horses of these people, and one horse neighed.

Originally, Zhao Jin and Mushulan were walking quietly, and the people who were fully focused on flattering didn't notice them. But the street was desolate, and the horse's neighing caught their attention. They turned around and saw Zhao Jin and Mushulan.

When strangers meet, a glance is enough. The group turned their heads, but unexpectedly, Runan didn't turn back. His eyes were shining, and everyone followed his gaze, which was fixed on the young couple, more specifically, on the young girl.

Indeed, she was a beauty, or rather, a beauty in the making, though she looked young, only about eleven or twelve years old.

Mushulan felt their gazes and nervously took a few steps forward, using Zhao Jin's body as a shield.

Zhao Jin frowned and looked back. In broad daylight, these people wouldn't dare do anything. Moreover, from their attire and demeanor, it was clear that Zhao Jin and Mushulan were from good families with backgrounds. Such people wouldn't be trifled with.

However, one of the group thought he had found a way and whispered to someone nearby, "Quickly go to the Plum Blossom Pavilion and arrange for some younger girls to serve."

They soon turned into a nearby alley. Mushulan was very unhappy and frowned, saying, "Disgusting." Both of them subconsciously quickened their steps.

"My father said that the people from Yunshan Temple are not to be trifled with," the young girl said as they walked.

Even Mr. Mu knew that Yunshan Temple was not to be provoked. Over the years, Zhao Jin had also learned about Yunshan Temple, knowing that it was a major power in Xuzhou City, owning three thousand hectares of land. Initially, Zhao Jin thought a hectare was only fifteen acres, but it turned out that in the Ming system, one hectare was one hundred acres, totaling thirty thousand acres!

With the land, there were naturally people. According to everyone, Yunshan Temple could mobilize five hundred monk soldiers at any time. If the people from the various branch temples and estates were included, there were at least three thousand able-bodied men.

In terms of revenue, the Xuzhou government might not collect as much in land taxes as Yunshan Temple. The number of bailiffs and constables in the Xuzhou Prefecture was also less than the number of people in Yunshan Temple. In terms of strength, Yunshan Temple naturally dominated.

Moreover, according to everyone, there wasn't much good land in Xuzhou, and Yunshan Temple relied not only on its tens of thousands of acres of land and thousands of people but also on other sources of income. With money, people, and close ties with many officials, its power was astonishing.

He Cuifang had also been exhausted these days, but fortunately, there were servants at home to help, so she didn't have to do everything herself. Seeing Zhao Jin and Mushulan come over, she smiled and called them over to chat. The young girl was not shy and smiled, saying she would stay overnight. He Cuifang gently scolded Zhao Jin, "You didn't even come home to report after watching the execution, making me worry for a long time. I had to send someone to check before I could relax."

The incident a few years ago when Zhao Jin fainted had left a deep impression on He Cuifua. She had been anxious all day after Zhao Jin left.

Now that the family had servants and more rooms in the house, it was easy to arrange a room for the young girl. It was quickly prepared, and the young girl felt very comfortable. However, Zhao Jin keenly sensed that the relationship between his mother and Mushulan was not as close as before.

When Zhao Zhen returned for dinner, he didn't say much to Zhao Jin but patted his shoulder, which immediately lifted Zhao Jin's spirits. He knew his father wasn't good at praising people, and this pat on the shoulder was already a form of commendation, indicating that he was satisfied with Zhao Jin's performance at the execution.

When they sat down to eat, Zhao Zhen took out a silver ingot from his pocket and handed it to He Cuifua. Despite the distance, Zhao Jin's parents still treated Mushulan like family and didn't hide anything from her. Zhao Zhen often gave the silver he received from executions to He Cuifua, and Mushulan had seen this many times.

This time, He Cuifua was surprised and said in disbelief, "This is almost twenty taels, so much?"

Even Zhao Jin was surprised. When Zhao Zhen went on an execution, besides the small amount of money from the government, the aggrieved party and the relatives of the criminal would also give money, but it was usually no more than three taels. That was because of deep grievances, and the aggrieved party would pay extra to have the executioner cut more times. Zhao Zhen had cut eleven times, and the criminal's screams could be heard from several streets away.

But today, Zhao Zhen had executed the criminal with one swift cut and still earned so much. The criminal must have had no relatives.

"Isn't more better? Quickly put it away," Zhao Zhen said impatiently, then added, puzzled, "I'm confused. The person who gave me the silver said that when the executioner shouted, I should cut off the head. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? I really don't understand."

Thinking of the calm, cold eyes of the criminal before his death, Zhao Jin's heart raced. Although he wasn't afraid, he couldn't help but think about it, and he was likely to have nightmares tonight.

The cold in Xuzhou in February was extreme. Early morning jogging felt like there was no hint of spring, but Zhao Jin had already gotten used to it. He now got up very early because the distance he ran was getting longer. Zhao Jin could already feel the benefits of long-distance running, with his body becoming more coordinated and his movements more stable.

Because of his second uncle's funeral, Zhao Jin hadn't jogged for over ten days. After just one lap, he felt something was off. He got up early, and there was almost no one around. When he ran the fifth lap, the servants of the wealthy families nearby were just coming out to clean.

But this morning, he saw two people as soon as he came out. They were in their twenties, wrapped in thick cotton clothes, but still looked cold, with haggard faces and bloodshot eyes. They hurried away after seeing Zhao Jin come out.