Chapter 91

Zhao Jin's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the street in front of the door, but he suddenly realized that someone was not far from him. He immediately tensed up and held the spear firmly.

"Brother, it's me," a person stood up from the corner not far away, and the voice belonged to Liu Yong.

Zhao Jin smiled and said in a low voice, "You came so early?"

As he asked this, Zhao Jin suddenly realized and said, "Did you sleep here just now?"

"I didn't dare to sleep, afraid of being late, and also afraid of not waking up, which would delay Brother's affairs," Liu Yong said in a low voice.

Because of the darkness, Zhao Jin couldn't see Liu Yong's expression. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, but he said in a low voice, "Xiao Yong, I will remember what you did."

He spoke solemnly and formally. Before Liu Yong could answer, they heard footsteps from the street corner. They could only vaguely see the outline, but the figure looked like Wang Zhaojing. At this time, no one else would be here, so the two of them hurriedly walked up.

"Brother Zhao?" The voice was very light, but it was clear in the quiet night. It was Wang Zhaojing.

Zhao Jin and the others quickly walked to the street corner and saw Wang Zhaojing wearing a dark tight-fitting short robe, holding a long sword in his hand.

The darkness made it hard to see expressions, and everyone deliberately kept their voices low. After a few simple words, Zhao Jin could still feel Wang Zhaojing's excitement.

"Has Chen Sheng not arrived yet?" Wang Zhaojing asked in a low voice.

"It's not easy to get up at dawn. Chen Sheng may not be on time. Let's wait for him a bit," Zhao Jin said.

Wang Zhaojing laughed and said, "I asked the night watchman to wake me up at the fourth watch. That's why I didn't miss it."

Zhao Jin was taken aback and asked, "Your family doesn't mind?"

"My father said I'm an adult and can make my own decisions. I now live in my own courtyard," Wang Zhaojing replied with a smile.

After a few simple words, everyone fell silent. None of them had ever been out at this time before, and they all felt very curious. The quiet, dark street was empty, and after their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they all looked around curiously.

Zhao Jin used to stay up late often, but in that era, the night was filled with various lights, making it very bright. Now, except for the light of the stars and the moon, there was no other source of light at night. Even the moonlight was not very bright this night, and the surroundings were pitch black. Even though their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, they could still only see vaguely at a distance.

After about half an hour, Chen Sheng still hadn't appeared. Zhao Jin thought for a moment and turned to ask, "Brother Wang, are you going with just the three of us?"

"Can we handle it with just the three of us? There are also three of them on the other side," Wang Zhaojing asked cautiously without refusing.

"Based on our martial skills, we definitely have the upper hand. Xiao Yong won't be at a disadvantage. Besides, our weapons are lethal tools for the battlefield. They have at most short knives and axes. Moreover, we are launching a surprise attack at night. Considering all these factors, we have an 80% chance of success!" Zhao Jin said.

Wang Zhaojing smiled and praised, "Brother Zhao, you are meticulous in your calculations, truly a general's style. Since we are already out, there's no reason to go back. I'm in!"

"Good..." Just as Zhao Jin was about to speak, he heard running footsteps from the other side of the street. Because of the running, the dogs on both sides barked loudly, and the quiet street immediately became noisy.

At this time, it could only be Chen Sheng. Zhao Jin smiled, and Wang Zhaojing said in a low voice, "Chen Sheng is here."

Liu Yong called out in a low voice, "Over here, over here."

The footsteps stopped, and then they came over. It was indeed Chen Sheng. Seeing Zhao Jin and the others, Chen Sheng sighed and said, "I slept too deeply. If it weren't for Erhong calling me, I would have been even later."

His voice started loud but quickly became low.

"Let's go. If we don't leave, all the dogs here will be barking," Zhao Jin said with a smile, and everyone quickened their pace.

Liu Yong led the way, but it was clear he wasn't familiar with the night path, stumbling along.

In the quiet night, the four of them walked down the street, often startling the dogs in the yards, which then caused all the dogs in the area to join in the commotion.

Besides the barking, there were other troubles. Although Xuzhou was dilapidated, there were still night watchmen and bell ringers patrolling, though they were not very diligent.

Fortunately, it was very quiet at night, and Zhao Jin and the others were careful enough. They tried to avoid the main roads and would hide in corners when they heard any noise. On this night path, Zhao Jin found that they were not the only ones acting secretly. They encountered others twice on the small roads.

But these passersby ran away hastily before Zhao Jin and the others could hide. Liu Yong, who was familiar with such activities, explained in a low voice, "They are thieves who sneak into houses at night. They are very cautious."

The four of them were very careful on the way and arrived at their destination smoothly. After all, there was no one on the streets at this time of night.

Entering the southern part of the city, they didn't even hear any barking. The journey was quiet, and to lighten the mood, Zhao Jin asked with a smile, "Why are there no dogs barking here?"

"These are all poor people's homes. There's nothing for thieves to steal. Besides, if they had a dog, they would have already slaughtered it for a feast. Who would keep it?" Liu Yong said with a smile, and everyone laughed softly. Eating dog meat was a tradition in Xuzhou, and everyone knew this.

After turning two streets, Liu Yong stopped and said in a low voice, "The third door on the opposite side is Cheng Tongtou's lover's home."

"Is there a dog in the yard?" Zhao Jin asked in a low voice. Liu Yong was taken aback and said in a low voice, "I don't know. I've never been to this yard before."

Before anyone else could speak, Zhao Jin smiled and said, "If there's a dog, we'll kill it. It's a small matter."

Everyone looked at their weapons and nodded.

Cheng Tongtou's lover was a young widow. She usually lived alone. Even with Cheng Tongtou's protection, her life wasn't much better. Compared to the other houses on the street, her yard wall was more intact, but it was only a little over a person's height. The gate was complete and had no holes, but that was all.

"There's no dog. If there were, it would have barked already," Liu Yong said in a low voice. Zhao Jin nodded and said in a low voice, "With Cheng Tongtou's protection, no thief would dare to come here."

At the door, the four of them were a bit breathless. Zhao Jin spoke first, "Everyone, cover your faces."

Everyone took out the black cloth they had prepared and covered their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed. After everything was done, Chen Sheng looked at the not-so-high wall and said in a low voice, "The wall isn't high. Should we climb over?"

Zhao Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Going in will definitely cause a commotion. If we alarm the people inside and they become alert, it will be dangerous in the dark."

After saying this, Zhao Jin turned to Liu Yong and said, "Pretend to be one of Cheng Tongtou's subordinates, about your age. Knock on the door and shout that the Caishen Temple is on fire, and ask Brother Tongtou to come and check it out."

Liu Yong nodded, and Zhao Jin continued, "The Caishen Temple is Cheng Tongtou's base. If anything happens, he will definitely go to check. Whoever opens the door, kill them without mercy!"

The words "kill them without mercy" made the other three shudder involuntarily. Zhao Jin took a deep breath and said, "Xiao Yong, knock on the door and shout. After you finish, step back, and I'll take the lead!"

Even in the darkness, Wang Zhaojing and Chen Sheng looked at Zhao Jin when they heard his plan.

Zhao Jin signaled to Liu Yong, who walked up and pinched his nose, knocking loudly on the door. The "bang, bang, bang" sound was quite loud in the quiet night.

"Shout, 'Brother Tongtou, it's bad!'" Zhao Jin reminded in a low voice, and Liu Yong immediately followed.

Pinching his nose and shouting, Liu Yong deliberately changed his voice, making it high and shrill. Even if it was a familiar person, they wouldn't recognize his voice.

The loud knocking and shouting startled the whole street. There was some movement in the yards, but no one came out to see what was happening. Hearing "Brother Tongtou," no one wanted to get involved in this trouble.

Hearing the commotion around them, everyone was a bit nervous, but they calmed down when they saw Zhao Jin's composure.

There was movement in the yard behind the door. After Liu Yong shouted "it's bad" a few times, he shouted in a high-pitched voice, "Brother, the Caishen Temple is on fire!"

He shouted this twice, and the street became quiet again. The Caishen Temple was Cheng Tongtou's territory, and it was his own business. It was better not to meddle.