Knife splashing

Chapter 78 Washing hands in a golden basin
"It's not that easy to retire!"

Inside the teahouse, an old man in a sheepskin coat took a few puffs from his pipe, shaking his head as he exhaled smoke, and said, "The term 'washing hands with a golden basin' originally referred to the ceremony that boatmen who delivered grain to the Han Dynasty's Chang'an Palace would hold after landing at the Weihe River ferry, to represent that they had finished their work for the government."

"The golden basin is not made of real gold, but a copper basin. Later, it spread to all walks of life and everyone learned this rule."

The person who was speaking was Old Donkey Head, a rickshaw driver all his life. He had traveled a lot and seen a lot. Now that he was old, he often hung out in the teahouses in Xianyang.

There was already a circle of idle people around, many of whom knew nothing about the rules of the underworld. Seeing this, they laughed and said, "Old donkey head, you have retired from the underworld for many years, right?"

"Ah~"

The old donkey waved his hands quickly, "I am just too old to work. I still have to teach the kids every day, but I am not retiring. Only when I completely quit this business can I be called retiring."

"Retiring from the business world is simple. It means announcing publicly that you will no longer do this job. Usually, you will invite your peers to watch the ceremony. Your peers will naturally be happy to have one less competitor, and may even give you a small gift to express their congratulations."

"Those who are qualified to retire are all local industry leaders. We are not cowards, so isn't it a joke to do this?"

"Hahaha, that's true."

The onlookers burst into laughter.

One of the young masters was a little curious, "Retiring from the underworld is probably another matter, right?"

"That's natural."

The old donkey sighed, "Where there are people, there is the martial arts world, and where there is the martial arts world, there are grievances. If you were a bandit, killing countless people, how could you just erase those causes and effects?"

"Even if the victim agrees, the government won't agree!"

"The same is true for those who run martial arts schools. You can retire, but some accounts must be settled. As long as someone denies it, it doesn't count."

"Why don't you recognize it?"

"In the underworld, if you can't get your way with words, just use your fists. In short, all grudges must be settled. Only then can you retire from the underworld."

"After this, if someone seeks revenge again, it will be against the rules. But if you participate in the affairs of the martial arts world, you will also break your oath."

People around him suddenly realized.

"I see!"

"No wonder there's such a commotion."

"Zhou Houzi wants to retire, but I'm afraid it won't be possible."

"Why can't he get through? Is there anyone who can beat him?"

"Wouldn't they ask for help?"

Everyone was talking about it, but the young man shook his head and said, "This rule is ridiculous. If there is a grudge, then take revenge. Can an oath stop it?"

The old donkey took a few puffs of his cigarette and said meaningfully, "There must be a reason why the rules of the underworld can be passed down."

"It's easy for a person to grow old. There will be times when he or she can no longer bear it..."

…………

"The Zhou family has no choice but to retreat."

In Zhang's martial arts hall, after the disciple served tea and left, Master Zhang smiled and whispered, "Unlucky, even if Zhou Houzi has three heads and six arms, he can only blame himself for his bad luck."

Li Yan took a sip of tea and asked, "Are there any results in Chang'an?"

The incident happened suddenly, and it could only be that there was a problem at the root.

"Yes."

Zhang Shitong smiled and said, "Master Li is very lucky. It seems that the Li family's fleet has made great contributions. The emperor has personally issued an order to promote him. He may even be able to enter the court in the future."

"Lord Lu Kanglu, the Left Councillor, has completely lost hope, and he had resorted to trickery before. In order to protect himself, he had no choice but to resign and return home."

"This man, despite all his plans, is ultimately no match for fate!"

Li Yan had no interest in these officials' petty intrigues and said in a deep voice, "Zhou Pan wants to retire from politics. What is your attitude?"

Zhang Shitong shook his head and said, "Lord Li also suffered a lot of losses before, but in order to show his magnanimity, he did not pursue the matter. He even reported to the court and asked for a memorial archway for Lord Lu's family. Naturally, we can't go too far here."

"The Cao Gang and the Taihang Carriage and Horse Trade are all about profit. As long as the Zhou family honestly withdraws from Xianyang and lets them take over some of the territory, they will not say a word..."

"The seniors in the martial arts circle are mainly worried that the Zhou family will be bullied after gaining power. Now that the clouds have cleared, they are too lazy to cause grudges..."

"Only Senior Luo Shihai insisted that the Zhou family hand over the murderer."

Li Yan glanced at him and asked, "Where is your Zhang family?"

Zhang Shitong chuckled and said, "My father has been nominated as the next president of Xianyang Divine Fist Association. How can I add insult to injury? I will forgive him when I can."

"Tsk, tsk."

Seeing his smug look, Sharifei got angry and couldn't help but sneered, "You guys are naturally generous because you got the benefits. When the Zhou family ruined other people's families, you never thought of forgiving them when you could."

"What about those victims? No one came to cause trouble?"

Zhang Shitong was not angry. He was silent for a while, then shook his head and said, "You are also a man of the world, how could you say such a thing?"

"Zhou Pan has retired from the underworld. What he needs to keep stable are only the major forces in Xianyang. If those victims come to him, he can just take action to settle their grudges. What is there to be afraid of?"

"In this world, only the one with the biggest fists has the right to speak..."

Sharifei was choked, muttered a few curses, and said no more.

Li Yan said calmly, "Since you have already made a decision, why did you ask me to come?" Zhang Shitong said, "Didn't you cripple Zhou Bai? Even his father Zhou Peide has been imprisoned. My father wanted to take this opportunity to talk it out so as to avoid trouble in the future."

"My father wants you to join the Divine Fist Club. After a few years of training, you can open a martial arts school or an escort agency to earn a fortune for the Li family. This will also be considered as fulfilling the friendship of the older generation."

Li Yan was a little surprised when he heard this, but after a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Zhang, but I'm afraid I can't obey your order."

Zhang Shitong was stunned. "Why?"

Li Yan drank a sip of tea and said calmly:

"My fists aren't big, but I'm also one of the victims!"

…………

On the sixth day of September, it is a good time to meet and make an alliance, but not to hold a burial.

"Hurry up, hang up the lanterns!"

"Why hasn't the fish been delivered yet?"

"The captain said that the Wei River has been acting strange these past two days, with very few fish. They went to other rivers to fish, and they are sure to catch some."

"Remember to take a look, don't let them fool you with dead fish."

"Where is Uncle Wang Yao?"

"They said the clinic was too crowded and they couldn't leave."

"Bullshit, don't you even consider what day it is? He is clearly..."

"Oh, never mind, just tell the master."

Outside the Zhou family martial arts school, the disciples were busy.

Everyone knows what day it is today.

Everyone was busying about, but there was a hint of confusion in their eyes.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, and the same is true for the Zhou family.

These days, almost half of the martial arts school disciples have said goodbye and left. Although the remaining ones are loyal, they can't help feeling anxious and don't know what to do in the future.

I still remember the last time the Zhou family was so lively was during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Eight Vajras gathered together, and all the martial arts schools and escort agencies in the city, and even officials in the government office, came to send gifts.

At that time, the opera troupe was invited from Chang'an.

The moon is shining brightly, the house is full of guests and the atmosphere is joyful.

Who could have thought that in such a short time, it would become like this.

Among the Eight Vajras, Zheng Xianhuai and his entire family were killed, Zhou Peide was imprisoned and scheduled to be executed in the autumn, Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei escaped, and it was said that they had colluded with the evil spirit and were already dead, and all their properties were confiscated.

Wang Yao from the clinic and Liu Jincheng from the escort agency both said they were busy and couldn't come. It was obvious that they wanted to distance themselves from Zhou Pan. After all, they still had to stay in Xianyang City in the future.

Today, only two of the Eight Vajras were present, and both were members of the Zhou family.

The building collapsed so fast that they couldn't react.

Many people have already made up their minds that after Zhou Pan retires, he will most likely take his family away from Xianyang City and return to his hometown to settle down.

These people used to rely on the power of the Zhou family to act tyrannically and offend many people. It seems that after today, they can no longer stay in Xianyang City.

Outside the Zhou family’s door, many idle people gathered to watch the fun.

They pointed and talked, their faces full of gloating.

When the disciples of the martial arts school saw this, they were all annoyed.

With the power of the Zhou family, these people didn't even dare to get close to them in the past, but now they dare to act like such a monstrous person.

However, no one came forward to argue.

After today, once the Zhou family falls, they will become rootless duckweed. After conflicts with others, no one will stand up for them.

It is better to have less things to do than more.

Soon, the auspicious moment arrived, firecrackers rang out, and the guests arrived as scheduled.

A disciple was singing loudly at the door:

"Master Liu of Qingquan Martial Arts School has arrived!"

"Here comes Chief Li from Changsheng Escort Agency!"

"The Qin leader of Taixing has arrived!"

"Leader Han of the Cao Gang has arrived!"

"Master Zhang from Zhang's Martial Arts School has arrived!"

"The head of the police station has arrived!"

It’s not surprising that people were watching the fun at the door.

Zhou Pan retired from business, and all the visitors were famous figures on the Xianyang Road.

Of course, if the relationship is not deep and there is no grudge between them, people will still give a small gift for the sake of face. This is called "presenting a present even if the guest is not present".

What they want to see is whether anyone is causing trouble today!
(End of this chapter)