Chapter 192: The Eve

Hao Yuan settled down in Hangzhou. He abandoned his missionary identity and had no contact with the church in Hangzhou. The bishop of Macau had boasted to him about their “close cooperation” with the “Australians.” He knew very well that the church in Hangzhou was no longer a force he could rely on.

He lived in Hangzhou as an ordinary person. He did not lack money, but he was content with the simplest life. He watched the arrival of the Australians with a cold eye, while secretly carrying on his work of spreading the seeds of fire.

The work was not going well. Hao Yuan soon realized what his master meant by “boundless darkness.” It was not just the world that was dark, but the hearts of men. To illuminate the human heart was more difficult than burning down the entire world with fire.

After several months of tireless effort, Hao Yuan finally discovered the place called Nanxiawa. He quietly settled there and began to build his own organization.

In Nanxiawa, Hao Yuan quickly became the leader of a “vibrant civil society organization.” This organization was not very famous in Hangzhou, but it was known for its daring. Compared to the “fighting societies” that often just put on a show of ferocity for appearances, the “Nanxiawa” group was known for its ruthless and fearless fighting style. The city’s riffraff all feared them to some extent.

Fortunately, the brothers of Nanxiawa had no intention of making a name for themselves by fighting for territory and a living in Hangzhou. All they wanted was to protect themselves from being bullied.

Hao Yuan had his own basic force and a bit of a reputation. However, his reputation was not great; he was not ranked among the city’s riffraff, just “not to be trifled with.” He waited patiently, paying close attention to Zhao Yigong’s every move in Hangzhou, waiting for him to slip up.

He got in touch with Master Shi through Cao Guangjiu. As a “worn-out boot,” Cao Guangjiu had countless connections with these semi-criminal, semi-legitimate “vibrant civil society organizations.” Entrusted by Master Shi, Cao Guangjiu was scouring Hangzhou for riffraff to give Master Zhao a hard time. However, most of the riffraff were heroes at bullying the good and followed the principle of not fighting against power. When they heard they were to deal with Master Zhao, they all feigned headaches and fevers.

Although this Master Zhao was an outsider from Guangdong and had not been particularly conspicuous before, he had recently connected with several prominent gentry families in Jiangnan. It was said that he even had a close relationship with Grand Secretary Xu’s family.

When gods fight, the people suffer. When Master Shi’s master and Master Zhao fought, no matter how fierce the fight, once it was over, the masters would turn their backs and disavow everything, and the ones who would suffer would be the various demons and monsters who had done the work. So, although the various heroes coveted the terms offered by Cao Guangjiu, very few dared to reach out.

Since the major forces wouldn’t step up, the smaller ones naturally caught Cao Guangjiu’s eye. He had heard that the Nanxiawa group was “daring and murderous,” very fierce. Although they were not numerous, they were very effective in combat. So, he brought Hao Yuan into the fold.

How could Hao Yuan pass up such an opportunity? He went with the flow and joined Master Shi’s conspiracy.

Hao Yuan was not particularly concerned about who Master Shi’s master was. He had heard from his own master that the most dangerous enemy was the “Australians,” and he had to seize every possible opportunity to strike at them.

However, he was not prepared to follow their every step. He knew very well that Master Shi’s master wanted to deal with Zhao Yigong mainly for reasons of interest—to drive him away. But his own conflict with Zhao Yigong was not about interests; it was a life-and-death struggle.

He decided to take this opportunity to strike a heavy blow against the Australians.

On the night of the fourteenth of the seventh month, he gathered his men.

There were twelve men, plus Jia Le. These were the core members he had gradually developed in Nanxiawa. Like Jia Le, he had taught them some “truths,” but he had not yet formally taken any of them as a disciple.

He still needed to further observe which of these thirteen people could become his disciple.

On a large table, a simple floor plan of the Wanbi Bookstore had been drawn with charcoal. It was drawn based on Xihua’s description. Although the scale was not very accurate, the overall structure was complete.

“Listen up. Tomorrow, Cao Guangjiu’s gang will attack the Phoenix Villa. Our men have to show up too.” He called out names. “Li Da, Li Er, you two brothers will take the brothers from Nanxiawa tomorrow to follow the wind and make an appearance. You don’t have to fight to the death. Just get in and show Cao Guangjiu and the others that we’re there!”

“Understood!”

“If they rob, you rob too. If they set fires, you set fires too. Whatever they do, you do it with them. Don’t take the lead yourself. You must bring everyone back safely!”

“We understand, Hao Da.” Li Da and Li Er had great faith in Hao Yuan and nodded in agreement.

“Dong San, Chen Si, you two will lead men to charge in through the front gate of the Wanbi Bookstore tomorrow, occupy the front hall. After the brothers behind you get in, you will guard it until everyone retreats!”

“Understood.”

“Mao Wu, He Liu, you will lead men to control both ends of the street of the Wanbi Villa, preventing miscellaneous people from coming over. If yamen runners or horse patrols charge in, drive them away directly. Your task is the most important. You must hold on until three fire signals are sent up into the sky before retreating.”

“Don’t worry. Even if we die on this road, we won’t let the yamen runners get through,” Mao Wu stood up and said firmly.

“I’m counting on you. But you must also be clever in your work. Use your brain more,” Hao Yuan smiled. “Don’t always think about dying.”

“Yes, I understand. I will remember what you said.”

“Zhang Qi, Liu Ba…”

Hao Yuan assigned tasks one by one: who would enter from the front gate, who would guard the back gate, who would be responsible for transport and support, who would be responsible for setting fires, where to gather and hide, where to temporarily store the stolen money and archives… everything was arranged. Not only was the plan detailed, but there were also several backup plans to deal with unexpected situations.

“Tomorrow is our first operation. We are not selling our lives for the gentry masters; we are doing it for ourselves,” Hao Yuan said. “I’ll say it again: no matter what happens, people are the most important. If you encounter any crisis, save yourselves first!”

After the assignments were given, the people who attended the meeting dispersed. Hao Yuan instructed Jia Le to pack up the important documents and items and move them immediately.

“What about Xihua?”

“She’s too big a target. The men under Zhao Yigong are probably frantically searching for her right now. Moving her will only expose her to danger. Leaving her here is safer,” Hao Yuan said.

“So you’re going to abandon her?!” Jia Le’s face stiffened. She had spent a considerable amount of time with Xihua and had grown fond of this outwardly cold but inwardly emotional older sister. The thought of her abandoning everything to escape here, only to be abandoned by Uncle Hao, was too pitiful. Her mother had said that a man’s words to a woman could not be trusted.

Hao Yuan smiled. “How could I? How could I be so heartless to such a good girl as Xihua? Don’t worry, this place is hidden and has protection. She is very safe here. For her to act with us now would be dangerous for everyone. After this is over, I will naturally come to get her.”

“You can’t lie to me…”

“Has your Uncle Hao ever lied to you?”

“Then I want to stay here too.” Jia Le was still worried. “You wouldn’t be so cruel as to abandon me too, would you?”

“Alright.” Time was short. Hao Yuan was anxious to get to the next location to coordinate the entire operation and couldn’t be bothered with these childish thoughts. Besides, this place had not been exposed, and it was safe for both Jia Le and Xihua to stay here, so he agreed.

“You can stay here, but don’t wander around. Stay in the house as much as possible. Don’t even go into the courtyard much. The same goes for Xihua.”

Hao Yuan knew that among the escorts and thieves, there were some highly skilled individuals who could come and go as they pleased. He couldn’t guarantee that Zhao Yigong didn’t have such people under him.

“I know that. I’ll stay with her, and she’ll be at ease. Otherwise, if she wakes up surrounded by strangers, what would you think if you were her?”

Hao Yuan left in a hurry. Since Jia Le was staying, she was now the leader here. She immediately instructed the guards to lock all the unused rooms and extinguish all unnecessary lights.

“Except for the guards at the front and back gates and those responsible for external communication, who will stay in the front and back gatehouses, everyone else will return to the main courtyard,” Jia Le ordered. “Move my luggage to the east wing where Miss Xihua is staying. We will live there from now on. The rest of you will stay in the main courtyard to guard.”

This residence had enough food and firewood, as well as a well. They could live for a month without ever leaving. Hao Yuan’s final order to Jia Le was simple: stay here quietly, do not meet or contact anyone, until he sent someone with a token to find them.

The next morning, Jia Le came to see Xihua for breakfast. When she mentioned that Hao Yuan had already left, she noticed a hint of unease in the other’s eyes.

“Don’t worry, Sister Xihua. Uncle Hao thinks very highly of you,” Jia Le comforted her. “See, he even left me here to serve you.”

“Don’t make fun of me.” Xihua was troubled. The sense of relief from escaping the villa yesterday was gone, replaced by a growing remorse for betraying Zhao Yigong’s great kindness.

Mixed with this remorse was an anxiety about the future.

At the Phoenix Villa, although she had never thought carefully about her future, she at least knew that her life would pass peacefully day after day. Although it was dull, it was also very comfortable. Now, suddenly jumping out of this unchanging box, she felt at a loss.

She was a woman, after all, not as free as a man to go out and make a career for herself. So what would her future be?

Hao Yuan had said he wanted her to stay by his side. But what would her status be?

Last night, she had been tormented by these worries and barely slept a wink. Whenever she closed her eyes, the faces of Zhao Yigong and Hao Yuan would appear.