bookpub Chapter 56 Eliminate the Weeds at the Root
Chapter 56 Eliminate the Weeds at the Root
Zuo Dongxi mentioned before that there hadn't been much going on in the gang lately, and he would drink and listen to music at Hongxiuzhao every night.
He's probably still over there at this hour.
Su Guang's residence is not far from here; we can just ask a waiter to deliver a message and he will come.
Chen Ye exited the alley, hid the knife, and walked along the dark alley towards the Red Sleeve Pavilion.
The madam of Hongxiuzhao recognized him. Seeing that he came alone late at night and smelled of blood, she wisely didn't ask any questions.
After Chen Ye explained his purpose, the madam instructed her servant to make tea and led him to a private room on the second floor.
It's the same place as last time.
Chen Ye sat in a chair, drinking tea and listening to the tune coming from outside the window. His right hand rested on the table, and his index finger tapped lightly in time with the music. He showed no trace of the murderous aura that came after killing someone.
Zuo Dongxi arrived the fastest.
He had clearly been dragged off the table by the waiter; his clothes were open and he still had a hint of alcohol on his face. But as soon as he entered and saw Chen Ye's expression, he sobered up considerably.
"What happened?"
Chen Ye took a letter from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Zuo Dongxi: "Take a look at this?"
Zuo Dongxi picked up the letter with a puzzled look, quickly unfolded it, glanced at it, and his expression changed drastically: "Who is it?"
"People from the Blue Wolf Gang."
The Blue Wolf Gang?
Zuo Dongxi knew about this gang.
This gang is based in the north of the city, unlike them; they are a bunch of unreasonable brutes.
Relying on their connections with government offices in the capital, they specialized in dirty work such as collecting taxes and extorting protection money.
"How did they know?"
A hint of panic appeared on Zuo Dongxi's face.
If the Cui family finds out about their affair, that's no small matter.
For aristocratic families, even a speck of dust falling on their heads is like a mountain.
When the time comes, you'll be in deep trouble.
Chen Ye calmly said, "Someone in the Green Wolf Gang has a relative from Wangjiachong. He accidentally let the news slip, and they got hold of it."
Zuo Dongxi said, "Then what should we do? How about the three of us leave the city first to lay low for a while, and then we'll think of something later?"
Chen Ye looked up at Zuo Dongxi and said, "No need. I've already killed those people."
Zuo Dongxi looked stunned and fell into a brief silence.
"I called you here mainly to ask you to help me collect a body."
Hearing this, Zuo Dongxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Are there many people?
"There were about seven or eight people in the alley near Zuifulou."
Zuo Dongxi nodded and said, "That's alright. The patrol caravans often carry goods in and out of the city, so we can still handle these corpses."
Su Guang arrived a little later.
When he entered, Zuo Dongxi had just finished discussing the details of collecting the body with Chen Ye.
Su Guang saw a letter on the table, said nothing, and simply sat down opposite Chen Ye and poured himself a cup of tea.
Chen Ye didn't beat around the bush and gave a general account of what happened that night.
Su Guang remained surprisingly calm. He looked at Chen Ye and asked, "Brother Chen, what do you want me to do?"
Chen Ye stated bluntly, "What we did to the Cui family is shady. Killing one is the same as killing ten. Rather than waiting for them to come looking for revenge tomorrow when they find out the person is missing, it's better to settle things tonight and avoid future trouble."
"I want to go to the Green Wolf Gang tonight and wipe them out completely!"
Su Guang had no objection and said, "Alright. I'll go home to get my knife later and go with you."
"Then that's settled." Chen Ye stood up and looked at Zuo Dongxi, saying, "Thank you for arranging for the brothers in the gang to help with the cleanup, Brother Zuo. Tomorrow, you guys will take over the Green Wolf Gang's territory and make it look like the two gangs have merged."
Zuo Dongxi remained silent for a few moments before saying, "...We'll follow Brother Chen's arrangement."
Chen Ye remembered something and said, "Also, remember to go to Wangjiachong tomorrow and deal with that gossipy guy. There's no room for error in this matter."
Zuo Dongxi said, "Don't worry. I will definitely help Brother Chen get this done."
Chen Ye glanced at Zuo Dongxi but didn't say anything.
After agreeing on a plan, the group went downstairs together.
Chen Ye and Su Guang went one way, while Zuo Dongxi went the other, and they split up to act separately.
Once outside the Red Sleeve Inn, Zuo Dongxi had regained the composure of a patrol caravan leader. He walked to the corner of the stairs and shouted downstairs, instructing the brothers who were still drinking to immediately go to the warehouse in the south of the city to fetch two carts and a few buckets of lime.
Soon, Zuo Dongxi led his men to the alley next to Zuifulou.
Five corpses lay across the alley, the night wind carrying the stench of blood towards the alley entrance.
He glanced at it, asked no further questions, and simply whispered, "Move the body onto the truck first, spread two more layers of lime, and wash away the bloodstains with salt water."
The men responded quickly and efficiently, clearly not doing this kind of work for the first time.
Zuo Dongxi circled around Zuifulou to make sure nothing was missed before calling his brothers to leave quietly.
……
Su Guang lived in a narrow alley in the west of the city. The house was left by his father in his early years and looked a bit dilapidated.
The two walked to the door, and Su Guang went straight in to get a knife and a crossbow, while Chen Ye leaned against the door frame and did not follow.
Soon, a rummaging sound came from inside the house.
A moment later, Su Guang came out, carrying a long knife wrapped in old cloth and a crossbow wrapped in cloth.
The crossbow belonged to Chen Ye, who used a method to smuggle it into the capital, where it was kept in Su Guang's home.
Just as Su Guang was about to leave, a light suddenly came on in one of the rooms.
An old woman's voice came from inside the house: "Has Guang'er returned?"
Upon hearing the voice, Su Guang quickly turned back: "Mother, it's me."
"It's so late, are you going on night duty again?"
Su Guang said respectfully, "Young Master Feng has something to tell me, so I have to go over there."
"Oh, then you should go." The old woman rambled on, "After your father died, my mother and I received a lot of help from the Third Young Master. You should work hard in the manor and remember to repay Young Master Feng's kindness."
"My son understands."
There was a moment of silence in the room, then the old woman's voice came again, nagging: "Also, remember to drink water, remember to eat on time, don't ruin your health. In your spare time... you should also practice martial arts."
"Yes."
The room was quiet for a moment, then a faint sigh was heard, and the lights went out again.
Once he was sure the old woman was really asleep, Su Guang quietly left the room.
Seeing Chen Ye looking at him, he didn't try to hide anything, but wrapped the cloth tighter around himself and said in a low voice, "My mother is in poor health and needs to rest. Let's go."
The two walked silently through the dark alley.
As I passed some houses, I occasionally saw shadowy figures moving in front of the dark windows.
But no one spoke.
When they arrived at the Green Wolf Gang's stronghold, it was almost curfew time.
Chen Ye waved his hand.
Su Guang then climbed over the wall, took up a high position, took out his bow and crossbow, and carefully placed the arrows, sealing off all escape routes for the people inside.
Once Su Guang was in position, Chen Ye drew his knife from his waist and kicked open the wooden door without hesitation.
There was a loud bang.
The door slammed heavily against the wall.
Chen Ye rushed straight into the house.
Seven or eight members of the Green Wolf Gang were playing cards around the table when they heard the noise and looked up in surprise. The noisy chatter stopped abruptly.
The burly man closest to the door was the first to react, and roared angrily, "Who the hell are you...?"
A cold light flashed towards us.
The burly man didn't even have time to scream before his head was severed by a single blow.
Blood splattered on the face of the person next to him. The person wiped his face, looked down at the blood in his palm, then looked up at Chen Ye, who was still clutching the cards in his hand, and suddenly lost his focus.
"Quick, the nemesis is here!" Finally, someone woke up, pulled out a knife hidden under the table, and pounced on Chen Ye.
Chen Ye dodged the slash by sidestepping, then stabbed the opponent in the ribs with his backhand, twisted the blade, and kicked the man away.
The oil lamp on the table was knocked over, and the flame went out abruptly.
The room was pitch black.
All that could be heard were the muffled thuds of blades piercing flesh and the screams of agony rising and falling.
"Ignite it! Ignite it now!"
"Where is he?!"
"Let me out!"
The sounds came out one after another, and then disappeared one after another.
Some people tried to rush to the window in the chaos, hoping to escape by climbing out.
He had barely poked half his body out when a crossbow bolt struck him squarely in the back of the neck from the darkness.
The man then lay on the windowsill and remained motionless.
"There's an ambush! There are archers!" someone finally shouted in terror.
The Green Wolf Gang members inside the house were immediately thrown into even greater chaos.
Chen Ye possessed keen senses and fought against multiple opponents in the darkness without being at a disadvantage.
The members of the Green Wolf Gang were trapped inside the house, and gradually, the screams became less and less frequent.
Chen Ye struck repeatedly with his sword, killing them all.
At this moment, a gang member who was hiding in a corner and was not quite dead suddenly jumped out of the darkness, holding a short knife in his hand, and stabbed Chen Ye in the back.
puff!
Su Guang, who had already climbed into the house, saw this scene and finished him off with an arrow.
The room fell into complete silence.
Chen Ye found the oil lamp and lit it again.
The faint firelight illuminated the corpses lying scattered on the ground.
Chen Ye wiped the blood-dripping knife clean on the hem of the corpse's clothes and sheathed it.
The blade struck the scabbard with a crisp, clear sound, which was particularly distinct in the deathly silent room.
His gaze swept across the battlefield, confirming that there were no survivors.
Su Guang put away his bow and crossbow and stood silently beside Chen Ye: "It's all taken care of."
Those with real skill in the Green Wolf Gang had basically all died by his blade; the rest were just small fry, which the two of them dealt with effortlessly.
Starting tomorrow, the Green Wolf Gang of Beijing will cease to exist, and its territory will be occupied by the Patrol Horse Gang.
Unbeknownst to him, Zuo Dongxi unexpectedly acquired a small piece of land.
Chen Ye instructed, "Quickly search the place, then leave."
"it is good."