Chapter Seventy-Five: Hidden Loss

What logic! Luo Tong was thoroughly convinced.

He tossed ten coins onto the wooden counter and snorted, “Our young master has a kind heart—here’s ten coins as your reward!”

“Thank you, thank you…” The sword seller bowed repeatedly.

Li Zhi swung the bronze sword a few times. It felt just right in his hand! In the past, he’d wielded iron swords, which made his wrists ache unbearably—they simply weren’t suited for him. But this bronze sword was lighter, allowing him to use it with ease.

“General Cheng, do you know what name the First Emperor of Qin’s sword went by?”

“The Windlass Sword!”

“General Cheng, your knowledge is impressive—I admire you! From now on, I’ll call this sword the Windlass Sword, haha…” Li Zhi regarded the bronze sword as a treasure and carefully put it away.

“Hahaha…” Cheng Yaojin laughed so hard he nearly lost his breath. “Your Highness, how could you possibly call that worthless sword the Windlass?”

“What about it, why not? I’ll call it that if I please! Who knows, maybe the First Emperor himself once used it!” Li Zhi replied.

“Hahaha…”

Cheng Yaojin and Luo Tong both threw their heads back and roared with laughter. The Windlass Sword of the First Emperor had long since been lost to history—how could one come across it so easily? And left in the hands of some old swindler, selling it for fifty coins?

If the First Emperor knew, he’d probably be so enraged he’d rise from his grave!

“Beat him! Beat him…” Suddenly, chaos erupted ahead.

The crowd looked up!

They saw a gray-haired old man being chased by a group of burly men wielding sticks and clubs, swinging at him with every intent to strike. Several times, the blows barely missed his head.

“What’s going on?” Li Zhi ordered, “Luo Tong, go see what’s happening!”

“Alright!”

Luo Tong had always detested bullies. Even back in the streets of Chang’an, whenever he saw Changsun Chong smashing up shops, he would step in to stop it—knowing full well he’d be punished for interfering, but never hesitating.

No matter what wrong this old man might have committed, he didn’t deserve to be chased down and beaten by a dozen strong men.

Luo Tong rushed forward…

Cheng Yaojin remarked, “Brawls in the Eastern Market are nothing out of the ordinary. Even if Your Highness wanted to interfere, you couldn’t possibly manage them all. Why waste time on their affairs? Let’s just go.”

“That doesn’t sound like something you’d say!”

“As men of martial discipline, we should always stand up against injustice. How can we just stand by and watch an old man bullied, turning a blind eye?” Li Zhi shot him a look of disdain.

“Pfft!” Cheng Yaojin didn’t care.

Had it happened elsewhere, he might have stepped in. But here in the Eastern and Western Markets, he’d seen it all too often, and had long since grown weary of meddling.

Even the authorities ignored such things, and he had neither the time nor energy for it.

Bang! Bang!

Luo Tong dashed forward, kicking a couple of the thugs to the ground. “Enough! You scoundrels dare act out of line in front of me? Get lost!”

Caught off guard by the sudden kicks, the thugs were stunned.

What just happened? Who would dare attack them?

Li Zhi helped the old man to his feet and asked what had happened, but the old fellow seemed embarrassed and unwilling to speak plainly. Li Zhi didn’t press him, only instructing Luo Tong to teach the gang a lesson.

“You!”

“You dare hit us? Do you know who we are?” one of the men shouted angrily.

“Who?” Luo Tong retorted coldly.

“We’re under Master Qiu—one of the Five Tigers of the Eastern Market! You’ve made trouble for us, and you’ll never be able to walk these streets again! Brothers, let’s give him a beating!”

Thud, thud, thud…

Luo Tong was utterly fearless.

With a few punches and kicks, he taught them a harsh lesson.

“The Five Tigers of the Eastern Market? Bah! In front of me, they’re nothing! You lot, if you know what’s good for you, get out of my sight before I really lose my temper. Or else you won’t even be able to run when you want to!”

One after another, Luo Tong’s attacks ended in overwhelming victories.

The onlookers, emboldened by his success, started pointing and whispering at the thugs. Some even shouted, “Beat them! Beat them!”

Clearly, the townsfolk had suffered at their hands before.

“Hurry, let’s go…” The thugs scrambled to their feet and prepared to flee.

“Wait!” Li Zhi stepped in front of Luo Tong and said sternly, “I’ve changed my mind—they can’t be let off so easily! Let them take us to this Master Qiu!”

“Your Highness, is this really necessary?” Luo Tong had already taught the ruffians a lesson.

Whatever the reason for the altercation, it should have been settled now—they hadn’t killed the old man, after all.

Li Zhi, however, refused to let it go, seeming almost petty in his persistence.

“Didn’t you see how much the townsfolk hate these thugs? Since we’ve run into them, we should rid the people of this scourge! Anything less would be unworthy of who we are. General Cheng, wouldn’t you agree?” Li Zhi turned to Cheng Yaojin.

“Don’t ask me,” Cheng Yaojin replied, making his stance clear.

Such things happened far too often in the Eastern and Western Markets—there was no end to them. He’d rather spend his time drilling soldiers back at the barracks.

“Do as I say!”

“Yes, sir!”

Luo Tong sprang into action again.

He subdued everyone and, forcing the thugs to lead the way, headed for the Qiu Family Acrobatic Hall in the Eastern Market.

At this moment, in the middle of the Eastern Market, inside the Qiu Family Acrobatic Hall, Master Qiu, Qiu Taiming, sat in the main hall, sipping tea leisurely. Outside was a vast courtyard where many people were practicing acrobatics.

“Why aren’t those boys back yet?” he muttered. “They’ve been gone ages!”

He called over a subordinate. “Go see if they’ve caught that stubborn old man yet.”

“Yes, sir!”

The man hurried out of the hall.

Just as they were about to open the main gate, there was a loud crash. The doors were kicked open, and Li Zhi, Luo Tong, and Cheng Yaojin stood in the doorway, followed by the earlier group of thugs and the old gray-haired man.

Instantly, everyone in the courtyard stopped what they were doing and stared in shock.

“Who’s Master Qiu? No, who’s the old crook Qiu? Get out here now!” Li Zhi, though small in stature, shouted with the boldness of someone much older.

Because he was so short, no one inside took him seriously.

Instead, Luo Tong and Cheng Yaojin drew their attention.

Qiu Taiming slowly stepped out of the hall, barely restraining his anger as he demanded, “Who are you people? Why did you attack my men?”

“These brats deserved it. I was just doing you a favor by disciplining them!”

“Disciplining my men? Hmph… Do you know who I am?”

“You’re just another old reprobate—what, are you going to turn the world upside down?” Though Li Zhi’s body was small, his words were sharp and unyielding—he dominated the exchange at every turn.

Qiu Taiming’s patience snapped. “You little brat, you—!”

Smack! Smack!

Luo Tong darted forward with light-footed agility and slapped Qiu Taiming twice. “How dare you disrespect our young master—you deserve this!”

He used half his strength with those slaps, enough to break a wooden board, but Qiu Taiming’s face was only a little red—no handprints left.

“…Well, you’ve got a thick skin, old crook!” Luo Tong realized Qiu Taiming knew a bit of martial arts. Qiu had tried to block the blows, but Luo Tong was too fast for him and caught him off guard.