Chapter 1: Gao Feng Catches a Thief

  This is the fifteenth year of Ren Di.

  August is the hottest time of the year, although there is a big river next to the city of Zhongjing. During the day, the heat is oppressive and it's hard to see people on the streets. It's only lively at night when honest people stay in their courtyards, idlers gather on the streets, and wealthy families go to wine houses and tea pavilions for entertainment, each having their own place to be.

  After dark, the city gate of Zhongjing was closed. At the entrance of Sweet Water Street in South City, there was a tea shed. It was also very lively at this time. The so-called tea shed was just a street-side house with a shed built against the wall of the courtyard. There were three wooden tables inside, serving some coarse tea, providing a place for travelers and neighbors to quench their thirst and chat.

  The business of this tea shed is not good either. In the middle of the capital, there are many rich people in the east city, many government offices in the west city, and many noble people in the north city. It's just that the south city is all ordinary families, busy with three meals a day during the day, who has the leisure to enjoy the cool evening after dinner? Rushing to sleep is the most important thing, and they still have to continue working hard tomorrow!

  Elsewhere, there were idle men making a scene. After a busy day, the men of Nancheng had all gone to bed early. Who would have the leisure and elegance to come out and have fun? Normally, this tea shed would also be closed at this hour, but today was different. The shed was lit up with torches, and outside, mugwort was being burned to repel mosquitoes. A dozen or so men were sitting around a table, engaged in lively conversation.

  These dozen or so men were clearly not ordinary people who toiled day in and day out, for they weren't as dark-skinned, and even the commoner's clothing they wore was much neater and newer. As for the waist knives placed on the table with a flourish and the black-lacquered clubs leaning against the wall, these revealed the identities of these men - they were undoubtedly constables from the Metropolitan Prefecture, for only they would use such large clubs.

  The couple who ran the tea shed had already sent up the teapot and cups, and were now hiding outside, waiting for the gentlemen inside to call them in to serve.

  "This black wolf is incredibly powerful, I've heard the literary officials in the mansion talk about it before. The black wolf was born to a wolf demon from the north and a barbarian woman, it's impervious to swords and guns, has infinite strength, and can shoot divine arrows with one hand. When it's forced into a corner, it reveals its true form - a ferocious wolf as big as a cow that can swallow everything in one bite. In Hebei Province's Zhuozhou Prefecture, it killed an entire family of 130 people, the government sent over a hundred soldiers to capture it and even invited three Taoist priests to perform rituals, but how did it end? The black wolf killed them all! Alas, who knows how many major crimes it has committed on its way to the capital..."

  A big Han man was speaking with great eloquence, and everyone was listening with rapt attention. When he finished, a thin man sitting opposite the big Han man smiled and said:

  "That black wolf, no matter how powerful it is, has come to the Central Capital and can't be blamed for that. It's still a demon after all, and besides, its tracks have already been discovered by our Liu Head. Can this black wolf defeat the great sword in our Liu Head's hands? If we're talking about being powerful, it's still our Liu Head!"

  As the conversation went on, all the men in the teahouse were flattering a stout man. The stout man had a thick beard and mustache, and looked quite majestic. When he heard everyone's flattery, he couldn't help but smile. Just as they were chatting, someone suddenly cursed angrily:

  "Liu had already inquired about the situation and understood it clearly, how could he still be wrong? That young master Gao insisted on going to see what kind of terrain, his fur was not even dry yet, what did he know?"

  Just then, Liu cleared his throat and said with a calm smile:

  "Gao team is both a superior and a relative of the Marquis of Fēng Tiān, we can't conspire against him behind his back!"

  The tea shed was quiet for a moment, but then someone suddenly shouted out, "We don't recognize any Gao Zheng from the Fēngtiān Hóu family, we only recognize Liu Tou!"

  Everyone was stunned, and they all followed suit. Liu Tou, who had been keeping a straight face, couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Everyone looked at him with even more flattering words, saying that Liu Tou was wise and brilliant. "The Hong family has nearly 2,000 mouths to feed in the capital, not counting those outside of the main household, without any official titles or nobility. There are at least 8,000 people like this in the capital, what is he worth?" "This team originally belonged to our Liu Tou, why did he come over and squeeze in?"

  In the capital of Dashan, there is a government office called Zhongjing Fu, which has a governor to manage politics. Under it, there are 1,500 police officers and constables responsible for catching thieves and maintaining law and order. Among them, every 20 police officers and constables have one team leader, who is appointed by the outer officials, and another person elected by the constables, called Tou Tou, as the deputy of the team leader. However, the team leader has a low status and cannot control the local snakeheads who are from the same place as the Tou Tou, and are being manipulated.

  Looking at the crowd in the tea shed, it seems that the fat big man who was called "Liu Tou" by everyone is probably the leader of this group. Although he expressed his attitude earlier, judging from his expression, he doesn't seem to mind when others belittle the high-ranking official's words. With a smile all over his face, what he says next becomes even more provocative.

  "A poor guy who hasn't even had a few decent meals, Liu gives him face and he's putting on airs."

  "It's just, it's just, when he came, that set of clothes had several patches on them, very shabby and poor. And yet, he still dared to hang a pendant, that broken thing, looking like a stone from his mother's place, saying something about being passed down from ancestors, pretending for whom?"

  "You don't know, that kid said it was left to him by his deceased father or passed down from some ancestor, and it can bring great luck. At the time, I almost spat out water. You're a relative of the Marquis of Fēngtiān, if you have such great luck, how could you end up in this state?"

  Just as they were getting excited, someone at the door coughed and spoke up in a slightly louder voice:

  "Kao Feng is coming!"

  The room suddenly fell silent, and soon a tall and sturdy young man with a square face walked into the teahouse. He looked to be under twenty years old, really very young. The clothes of the bailiffs were all brand new, but the clothes on Gao Feng's body had been washed white and had several patches.

  Gao Feng walked into the teahouse, and Liu Tou, who had been sitting, stood up to greet him with courtesy. However, the expressions on the faces of the others were one of disdain. Gao Feng paid no attention to this and spoke in a low voice:

  "Everyone, brothers, I just went to see that mansion..."

  He briefly described the layout of the mansion below, and then gestured as he spoke:

  "...That black wolf is highly skilled in martial arts, and we will be at a disadvantage if we fight one-on-one. If we all rush in together, that black wolf may still find an opening to counterattack. The best way is for us to charge in from all four sides simultaneously on the sound of a single command, catching him off guard and leaving him nowhere to escape. Does anyone have any other suggestions?"

  To be frank, Gao Feng's arrangement was not bad. From the entrance of the mansion to where they were now, it was clear who should avoid what obstacles and who should go first or last. However, when the catchers exchanged glances, there was a hint of ridicule and disdain in their eyes. They didn't respond immediately but instead looked at Liu Tou on the side. The attitude of his subordinates could be said to be extremely rude. Gao Feng's face remained expressionless, while Liu Tou hesitated for a moment before clapping his hands and saying:

  "Great team, this method is good, just do it like this!"

  －－－－－－

  New book uploaded, seeking collection, recommendation and clicks!