The Ambush

These past few days, though the dog monsters under Chu Qiguang still roamed the streets, they now drifted toward Hao Yongnian and the other servants of the Hao household with purpose. They passed taverns, teahouses, and shops, listening to the Hao servants' chatter. They crouched outside courtesan houses and brothels, listening to the talk of Hao Yongnian's guards and errand boys. Even if it was only gossip gathered on the street, it had taught Chu Qiguang a great deal about Hao Yongnian. Now, outside Sixi Hall, Chu Qiguang gazed toward the main gate while turning over in his mind what he had learned these past days. Hao Yongnian, twenty-six this year. Cruel and vicious by nature, impulsive and reckless—the little tyrant Qingyang County was famous for. He was greedy for women and a constant visitor to brothels and courtesan houses, and his favorite pastime was taking the virginity of newly arrived girls, claiming it drove off bad luck. Wherever he went he was accompanied by six or seven thugs, all slave-born retainers the Hao family had raised since childhood, with the strength of the first or second stage of martial arts... Just a standard spoiled rich brat. Anyone could tell he was a complete lecher. A pity all I have right now are dog monsters. All they can do is pick up gossip on the streets. If I had cat monsters too, to climb over walls, I'd be able to gather far more information. Chu Qiguang scanned the rows of sedan chairs waiting at the gate and picked out Hao Yongnian's. Hao Yongnian's personal attendant was sitting beside it. By court regulation, only juren were permitted a two-bearer sedan chair, and only those holding official rank a four-bearer one; for someone with no official post like Hao Yongnian to ride in one was an overstepping of rank. But the court's situation was not what it had once been, and Hao Yongnian's family background alone was enough to let him walk sideways through Qingyang County. Naturally, no one dared make an issue of his sedan chair. Seeing the attendant rise and go into a small side alley to relieve himself, Chu Qiguang followed at once. After a glance back to confirm no one was following, he walked straight up to the attendant and pressed five taels of silver into his hand. ... A short while later, Chu Qiguang came out from behind the alley. Qiao Zhi, who had been keeping watch, asked curiously, "What did you say to that servant?" "I gave him five taels of silver," Chu Qiguang said mildly. "Then I told him I'd gone to special trouble to find a twelve-year-old virgin, with bright eyes and pearly white teeth, a true beauty, and that I had her installed on Zaoyuan Street." "I said I wanted to make amends to Hao Yongnian, but I was afraid that if he knew it was me he wouldn't accept it, so I wanted to present the girl first." "If he can bring Hao Yongnian to Zaoyuan Street tomorrow, I'll give him another five taels afterward." Qiao Zhi said, pained, "There go another ten taels down the drain. That servant probably doesn't earn ten taels in a year. I bet three would have been enough to get him to do it." "Those ten taels are well spent." Chu Qiguang knew that a personal attendant like this in this world could count as a trusted confidant—some even had physical relations with their masters—and had a great deal of say in front of him. "Hao Yongnian already had a weakness for women, and lately he's been wanting to find a virgin to deflower." "That servant wants my ten taels and wants to please his master. Hearing what I said, he'll push the recommendation with all his might. There's a seventy or eighty percent chance Hao Yongnian goes—if not tonight, then tomorrow night." "As for the ten taels—I've only paid out five so far..." Chu Qiguang smiled. "As long as I get those five taels back from him, I won't be out a single coin." ... The next evening, Lao Tu and Xiao Tu crouched at the mouth of Zaoyuan Street, as though waiting for something. Xiao Tu yawned. "Why isn't he here yet?" he said, bored out of his mind. Lao Tu stared wide-eyed at their surroundings and said seriously, "Look sharp. We're standing guard. This is a task Godfather assigned—nothing can go wrong." Xiao Tu curled his lip. "Why do we have to stand guard while that brat Da Tou gets to stay with Godfather? I want Godfather to pet me too." As he spoke, the two dog monsters spotted Hao Yongnian's sedan chair being carried in. They had shadowed that chair several times over the past few days, and recognized it at once. Lao Tu jolted. "I'll keep watch here—run and report to Godfather." ... Outside a courtyard on Zaoyuan Street, Chu Qiguang hid in the shadows across the way, one hand stroking Qiao Zhi, the other stroking Da Tou. "He's still inside?" Chu Qiguang asked. Da Tou the Shar-Pei nodded, ingratiatingly rubbing his head against Chu Qiguang's palm. Tongue lolling, he said, "Don't worry, Godfather. I've had the brothers watching the whole time. Apart from one trip out three days ago, he hasn't come out once." Seeing him play the loyal lapdog so thoroughly, Chu Qiguang nodded and went on stroking his head. "Da Tou, I put you in charge of the dog monsters because you're obedient. Keep serving me well and I won't treat you badly." Da Tou wagged his tail and licked ingratiatingly at Chu Qiguang's palm. The courtyard before them was where the dog monsters had found Lin Nan hiding. The dog monsters' sense of smell was extraordinary; following the scent from the bun shop, they had tracked him here, and after that they had taken turns watching the place on Chu Qiguang's orders. Now, as he gazed at the little courtyard where Lin Nan was hiding, a vicious light flickered in Chu Qiguang's eyes from time to time, as though his illness were showing signs of flaring up again. He asked Qiao Zhi, "A fourth-realm martial artist can still be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, can't he?" "You've asked that several times," Qiao Zhi said. "I'll say it again: anyone who hasn't entered the Dao through the Twenty-Five Orthodox Arts is still a mortal. Even a fifth realm, on a battlefield, can cut down at most about a hundred men before he has to run. As for a fourth realm—a dozen or so second-stage experts with proper preparation still have a chance of surrounding and killing him." "Otherwise, why would this Lin Nan need to hide?" Qiao Zhi added, "But on the other hand, in a straight fight, without schemes or tricks..." Here he deliberately glanced at Chu Qiguang. Chu Qiguang looked innocent. "What are you looking at me for?" "In any case, in a straight one-on-one, an inch of superior skill is an immeasurable gap. A third stage can never beat a fourth realm, and a second stage can never beat a third. There's no such thing as the weak overcoming the strong." "Unless it's schemes, sneak attacks with hidden weapons, or many against one..." Chu Qiguang nodded. He waited a while longer, and then Xiao Tu came racing over and whispered, "Godfather, the sedan chair is coming!" "Good." Chu Qiguang's eyes lit up, and he looked at Qiao Zhi. "Master Qiao, the rest is up to you." Qiao Zhi stood up, stretched, and darted toward the courtyard where Lin Nan was hiding. Chu Qiguang smiled faintly, then looked behind him. Chen Gang stood there with his head lowered. Chu Qiguang walked over, patted his shoulder, and said, "Now do as I taught you." "Yes, Brother Dog," Chen Gang said, hastily nodding with respect. Tonight, watching Chu Qiguang command the dog monsters of the city and hearing each of them call him Godfather, Chen Gang felt that the Chu Qiguang before him grew ever more mysterious and unfathomable. Chen Gang thought to himself, "This fellow must be an old monster of many years, wrapped in Ergou's skin. Who knows what he's really after."