Chapter 92

After shouting that the temple of the God of Wealth was on fire, it wasn't long before the courtyard became lively, with the sound of doors opening. A voice shouted, "Who's out there? What's going on?"

"It's me, Xiao Wei. Brother Sun Wu, the temple of the God of Wealth is on fire. Brother Liu asked me to come and call for the boss," Liu Yong said with quick wit, sounding quite convincing.

"What? On fire? Was it set by someone?" another voice said roughly.

"Shouting so loudly, go and wake up the boss quickly," the earlier Brother Sun Wu said in a low voice.

Footsteps echoed in the courtyard. Zhao Jin leveled his spear and pushed Liu Yong, who was shouting loudly, to the side.

Liu Yong continued to shout, even adding a sobbing tone, but he already had an axe in his hand. Wang Zhaojing and Chen Sheng also slowed their breathing and raised their weapons.

Through the door crack, they could faintly see the flicker of a lamp in the courtyard. The footsteps grew closer, and they could hear the impatient voice inside, "Stop howling. Who are you howling for in the middle of the night? Look at you, your voice is trembling with fear."

Zhao Jin took a deep breath and slowly got into position. Liu Yong lowered his voice but still called out earnestly, "Brothers, we were sleeping when we suddenly smelled smoke..."

The door bolt had already been pulled, and the door opened inward. A man with a rough voice said, "Did you kids start a fire, or..."

He stopped in surprise halfway through his sentence, realizing there was no one outside. In the darkness, a glint of cold light could be seen, and then it shot forward like a meteor.

With a "pu" sound, even in the darkness, Zhao Jin's spear accurately pierced the man's throat. The spear blade rested on his throat, and he couldn't shout or struggle. Zhao Jin quickly pulled back, and a thin line of blood spurted from the man's throat as he fell to the ground, twisting.

"Brother Wu, what's wrong!" someone in the courtyard shouted. Zhao Jin didn't stop, stepping over the threshold and swinging his arms. Without even looking at the target, he thrust his spear backward based on the sound!

The sound of the target was clear in the quiet, dark night. With one thrust, Zhao Jin knew he had hit. Immediately, a piercing scream was heard, and Zhao Jin pulled back his spear and turned around. The person opposite was holding his chest and abdomen, shouting and retreating.

No matter how fast he retreated, it couldn't match the speed of a frontal charge. In an instant, Zhao Jin had his spear ready and thrust again. The previous thrust had been off, but this time there was no avoiding it, and it hit the throat again.

The scream abruptly stopped. The man reached out to cover his throat, "hehe"ing as he fell to the ground.

Zhao Jin strode around the screen wall. The courtyard was small but tidy. After fighting in the dark, he now saw the light, but his eyes were not yet adjusted.

Cheng Tongtou, wearing a single robe and holding a lantern, was staring in shock at the scene ahead.

Zhao Jin narrowed his eyes, and Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing also came out from behind the screen wall, while Liu Yong, as instructed, guarded the door.

Seeing the tall figures with sharp weapons and their excellent skills, Cheng Tongtou's two subordinates were already lying on the ground after a single encounter.

"Sir... if it's about money, take all the gold and silver. If it's not enough, Cheng will take you back to get more," Cheng Tongtou, a seasoned figure, started to stutter but quickly regained his composure.

"If it's an old grudge, can you explain..." Before he could finish, Zhao Jin charged forward. The distance between the courtyard gate and the screen wall was not far, but from the screen wall to the house door was a bit longer, giving Cheng Tongtou time to react. He threw the lantern and dodged to the side, reaching for his boot.

Zhao Jin charged quickly, and the spear thrust required a forward momentum. This thrust missed, and as he stopped, he saw Cheng Tongtou already holding a short knife, charging fiercely.

The courtyard was narrow, and with a three-to-one situation, Cheng Tongtou knew he was doomed and decided to fight to the death. He was two steps away from Zhao Jin, and Wang Zhaojing and Chen Sheng couldn't catch up.

In this critical moment, Zhao Jin remained incredibly calm. He couldn't change his stance or thrust again, so he twisted his body and swung his arms, the iron tip of the spear's end striking Cheng Tongtou's abdomen with great force. The impact was intense, and the sensitive area made Cheng Tongtou stop in his tracks, bending over instinctively.

The bending and straightening took only a moment. Chen Sheng slid forward from the side, his long knife piercing into Cheng Tongtou's rib, sinking in a foot, and then twisting his hands.

This twist shattered Cheng Tongtou's internal organs, and he didn't even have time to shout, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Zhao Jin lifted the spear and struck Cheng Tongtou's throat with the iron tip, and Cheng Tongtou couldn't even shout. Chen Sheng pulled out his knife, and Cheng Tongtou fell over.

The lantern was almost completely burned out. Cheng Tongtou reached out, trying to grab something. Zhao Jin bent down, pulled off the black cloth from his face, and then put it back on.

Cheng Tongtou, with his throat shattered, recognized Zhao Jin, his face showing immense pain and shock. This expression froze on his face as he stopped breathing.

The lantern went out, and the entire courtyard fell silent. The street was also eerily quiet. Many people had been awakened, and they could clearly hear the fighting and screams in the courtyard, but no one dared to make a sound, fearing they would be involved. Everyone assumed it was a vendetta or an internal conflict, and they didn't want to get involved.

A short cry came from inside the house but was quickly suppressed. It sounded like a woman's voice. Zhao Jin thought for a moment. At the angle he had bent over, no one could have seen his face. He then said in a rough voice, "Don't come out, don't make a sound, and you'll be fine. Otherwise, I'll wipe out your entire family!"

After saying this, there was no sound from inside the house. Zhao Jin gestured to the two men behind him and said in a low voice, "Call Xiao Yong in."

Wang Zhaojing immediately went out to call for help. Liu Yong came in, and Wang Zhaojing stayed outside. Zhao Jin whispered in Liu Yong's ear, "Use your axe to chop up the wounds of these dead men, chop deep!"

Liu Yong was initially stunned but then nodded, taking the axe to the three bodies and swinging it down. Chen Sheng was puzzled but didn't say anything.

The first person had a wound only in the throat. One chop severed half of his neck. The second person also had his neck chopped. Liu Yong was about to chop Cheng Tongtou when Zhao Jin pointed to the wound on his chest and abdomen, indicating he had missed, and told him to continue. Cheng Tongtou, with many injuries, had half of his body chopped up.

After coming out, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Just as they were about to speak, Zhao Jin stopped them with a gesture and said in a low voice, "Let's go."

The four people instinctively let Zhao Jin go first, but he didn't move. They were puzzled until Zhao Jin urged them in a low voice, "You go first, I'll be last!"

Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing glanced at Zhao Jin and then quickly moved forward. Liu Yong bowed and then followed.

The four people silently left the way they came, initially walking fast, but they couldn't help but speed up, eventually breaking into a run.

They ran faster and faster, as if something was chasing them. Though their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, they still stumbled several times along the way. It wasn't until they heard the distant sound of a night watchman that Zhao Jin signaled for them to stop and hide.

After this pause, everyone's mood calmed down a bit. They caught their breath and continued forward, but their legs felt heavy, and their bodies ached. The adrenaline from the night raid and the charge to kill the enemy had worn off, and they were now feeling the aftereffects.

Looking at the outline of the bell tower in the distance, they knew they had left the southern part of the city and were entering the northern part, where the roads were much better.

"...We'll have to clean and sharpen our knives again..." Chen Sheng muttered at the front of the group. He had just killed someone, but his voice was calm. Indeed, everything is hardest at the beginning, and he had already adapted.

After a few steps, Chen Sheng turned his head and said with a smile, "Zhao Jin, I remember you are older than me. They all call you Brother Zhao or Big Brother Zhao. It's impolite for me to call you by your name all the time."

"Keep your voice down, don't alert anyone!" Zhao Jin said in a low voice.

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