Nine Lives of Unjust Suffering Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Zong-kong and Cheuk-hing Recommend Assassins; A Direct Assault and a Narrow Escape

When Lady Leang and her sons heard that Kwai-hing was at the door, they hesitated for a long time, paralyzed by indecision. Finally, Lady Leang spoke: “Let him in. I will ask him myself why he persists in this vendetta. He is my nephew; surely he won’t dare harm me. Daughters-in-law, hide in the back. Kei-fu, open the gates!”

Tin-loi and his brother didn’t dare argue. Moments later, Kei-fu came running back, screaming, “Mistress! Master! Disaster! The bandits are here!”

Kwai-hing followed close behind, laughing and sauntering into the hall. Behind him was a mob—Zong-kong, Mei-xian, and the Yue brothers were visible, but the rest were a blur of menacing faces.

As Kwai-hing entered the guest hall and saw Tin-loi, a flicker of conscience made his face flush red. He offered a clumsy, perfunctory greeting. Seeing Lady Leang seated in the center, he bowed slightly: “Happy New Year, Aunt.”

Lady Leang wasted no time. “Kwai-hing! Our families have always lived in peace. Why have you spent these last years making us your enemy? You must know—”

Before she could finish, Zong-kong let out a deafening roar. “Nephew! Why waste time talking to her? You’re forgetting our purpose! Come, I have things to say to you!”

Kwai-hing used the interruption as an excuse to slip away into the courtyard. Zong-kong strode forward, grabbed Lady Leang, and shouted, “You old hag! You’ve occupied that stone room and blocked your nephew’s path to fortune and fame!” He raised a fist the size of a bowl, ready to strike.

Tin-loi rushed forward to protect his mother. Lady Leang, overcome with rage and terror, began to shake uncontrollably. In the chaos, the mob of thugs swarmed the house, seizing every jade flowerpot and every piece of rosewood furniture, stripping the hall bare in minutes.

With a murderous glint in his eyes, Zong-kong watched his men disperse with the loot. He finally released Lady Leang, but then grabbed Tin-loi by the collar. “Cousin, why don’t you see me out?” Without waiting for an answer, he dragged Tin-loi toward the gates. Once outside, seeing his gang had vanished with the goods, Zong-kong shoved Tin-loi so hard the man nearly fell. “I’ll spare you for now!” Zong-kong sneered, then swaggered back to the Ling residence.

The Vow of Blood

Back at the Ling house, the thugs were busy arranging their stolen treasures. As they sat down to another round of drinking, Kwai-hing suddenly set down his cup and let out another deep sigh.

“Nephew!” Zong-kong asked. “You sighed for the jade flowerpots, and now we have them. What else could possibly be wrong?”

“Uncle, you don’t understand,” Kwai-hing replied, his voice dark. “I’ve lost two members of my family—my sister and my wife. Though they took their own lives, when I think deeply on it, it all stems from Leang Tin-loi. If not for him, I wouldn’t have fought with my sister, and she wouldn’t have hanged herself. If she hadn’t died, my wife wouldn’t have taken poison. Those two lives were stolen by Leang Tin-loi! I won’t be satisfied until I’ve killed those brothers as payment!”

Zong-kong didn’t hesitate. “Set your mind at ease, Nephew. I will take it upon myself to exact this revenge for you!”

The strategist, Au Cheuk-hing, leaned in. “And what ‘brilliant plan’ do you have, Cousin?”

Zong-kong replied, “Our Nephew has plenty of money, and the underworld has plenty of ‘heroes’ for hire!”

Zong-kong continued his boast: “I’ve heard it said in the old proverbs, ‘Beneath a heavy reward, there must be brave men.‘ We just need to find two such men, one for each brother, and they’ll be finished!”

Cheuk-hing lowered his head and said nothing. Kwai-hing asked, “Uncle, your plan is sound, but where can we find these ‘heroes’ of the underworld?”

“You can’t find them in a day,” Zong-kong replied. “We must keep it in mind and keep our eyes open. When we meet them, we invite them in, but we don’t tell them the plan immediately. We must slowly win their hearts with favors; then the matter will be settled.” Kwai-hing nodded in agreement.

The Four Outlaws: Cheuk-hing’s Recommendation

A few days later, Au Cheuk-hing arrived with a stranger. “Nephew, you said you wanted to befriend the world’s heroes. I’ve brought Brother Hung to meet you.”

The man addressed them: “My surname is Hung. I have no given name, but I am the seventh in my family, so people call me Hung Ah-tsat (Hung the Seventh).” Kwai-hing immediately ordered wine to be served. Hung Ah-tsat began discussing the secrets of the blade and the staff, leaving Kwai-hing dancing with delight.

“That isn’t even his true specialty,” Cheuk-hing added. “He excels at scaling walls and leaping across rooftops. In the dead of night, taking a man’s head is as easy for him as reaching into a bag for a coin.”

Hung Ah-tsat demurred modestly. “I am nothing! My friend Lee Ah-tim truly has the courage of ten thousand men. If the Master values talent, I shall bring him to meet you soon.”

The next day, Hung Ah-tsat returned with Lee Ah-tim and two others: Kam Ah-ding and Yau Ah-mei. All four were agile, muscular, and had ferocious expressions. During the feast, Hung Ah-tsat requested opium; Kwai-hing bought an ounce for him, which Hung smoked entirely before departing.

The Two Assassins: Zong-kong’s Secret Weapon

Later, Zong-kong arrived and asked about the newcomers. Kwai-hing explained they were Cheuk-hing’s men and intended for the “task” (the murder of the Leang brothers).

Zong-kong scoffed. “These are new acquaintances; you cannot entrust them with such a weight! I have two confidants I’ve known for years. I tracked them down in Chen Village and brought them back—that’s why I’ve been gone for days. One is named Kan Dong and the other Yip Shing. They are underworld legends who can kill without blinking an eye. They are at my house now; if you wish to see them, I will bring them.”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Kwai-hing asked. “The more men we have to discuss the plan, the better.”

“Nephew! You are clever in all things, but muddled in this!” Zong-kong hissed. “This is a secret of the highest order. It should only be known to one or two. If too many know, and word leaks out, the matter is ruined!”

Kwai-hing realized his error. “In that case, go and fetch your two men. I will entrust the task to them.”

“And the four Cheuk-hing brought?” Zong-kong asked.

“Do not worry, Uncle,” Kwai-hing replied. “I won’t let them know the secret. I will keep them around for another purpose.”

Zong-kong soon returned with Kan Dong and Yip Shing. Kwai-hing, delighted by their fierce appearance, welcomed them. Zong-kong got straight to the point: “My Nephew has an unquenchable grudge against the Leang brothers. I want to trouble you two to finish them off. There will be a massive reward.”

Kwai-hing chimed in: “If you have the courage to do this—whether by beating or stabbing—I will pay five hundred taels of silver for one brother, and one thousand taels for both. If it leads to a lawsuit, I will take the responsibility. I guarantee you will be safe!”

Zong-kong added greedily, “Don’t worry about the officials; my Nephew has his ways. If you don’t seize this chance to make a fortune, you’ll regret it!”

Kan Dong replied, “Since the Master commands us, we shall exert our strength.”

Kwai-hing immediately produced fifty taels of silver as “tea money” (a down payment), promising the rest upon completion. The two men took the silver and left with Zong-kong. However, as soon as they reached Zong-kong’s house, the “uncle” revealed his own greed. He demanded a 20% kickback (huíyòng) for the introduction. Having no choice, the two assassins handed ten taels back to Zong-kong, leaving them with only twenty taels each.

The Realization of the “Pawn”

Once they were safely outside the village, Yip Shing pulled Kan Dong aside. “You were the one who agreed to this; I didn’t open my mouth. I’ve been thinking—a life for a life is the law. I won’t do this. He says he’ll protect us if the law comes, but what if he just pretends he doesn’t know us? What then?”

Kan Dong laughed. “You’re a fool! We take his silver, kill the men, and flee. If we get caught, we simply name him as the mastermind. Let’s see how he likes that!”

“You’re the fool!” Yip Shing countered. “By then, he’ll spend ten or twenty thousand taels at the Yamen to wash himself clean. These ‘dog-officials’ are desperate to close murder cases. If a killer escapes, they’ll grab any innocent person and beat them until they confess just to finish their paperwork. Imagine what they’ll do when they have the real killers in custody!”

Kan Dong went quiet. “So even if he tries to help, it’s useless?”

“Exactly,” said Yip Shing. “But we have this silver in our hands now. Why return it? Let’s go to the Fan-Tan gambling dens in the provincial capital. If we win big, we just disappear.”

From Killers to Contraband Traders

The two men headed to the city. Over the next few days, luck was on their side. Their forty taels of “blood money” turned into over a hundred taels each.

“Now that we have capital,” Yip Shing suggested, “I’ve heard that smuggling private salt (fàn sīyán) brings incredible profits. Why don’t we do that?”

“Salt is too heavy and bulky,” Kan Dong argued. “Smuggling opium is better. We can go to Lin Da-yau at the ‘Gathering of Immortals’ (Ju-xian Guan)—he’s the head of the local opium trade. We buy the raw clay and sell it in the villages. It’s much lighter to carry.”

“Then let’s start!” Yip Shing agreed.

“Wait,” said Kan Dong. “Our capital is still a bit low. Let’s place a few more bets tomorrow. Once we each have two hundred taels, we’ll start our new life as smugglers.”

By the second day, the two men (Kan Dong and Yip Shing) went their separate ways to gamble. But from that day forward, their luck turned sour. Within three days, they had lost every cent—both their original capital and their winnings. In their desperate heat to win it back, they even stripped the clothes off their backs to place bets, leaving them as nothing more than two “bare-stripped rascals.”

Meanwhile, back in the village, Ling Kwai-hing waited until his eyes were nearly worn out with watching, yet there was not a single word of news.

Translator’s Note:

Psychological Displacement: Kwai-hing’s logic is a classic example of “projection.” He blames Tin-loi for the deaths of his wife and sister because he cannot face his own guilt in driving them to suicide. This makes him far more dangerous, as he now believes he is the “victim” seeking justice.

“Heroes” for Hire: In the late 1720s, South China was home to many displaced soldiers, bandits, and martial arts experts who operated as mercenaries. Zong-kong’s plan to bring in outside assassins moves the conflict from a local feud to a deadly criminal conspiracy.

The Stolen Jade: The theft of the jade flowerpots and rosewood furniture wasn’t just about greed; it was a symbolic “strip-mining” of the Leang family’s honor and history.

The Naming Convention: Notice the names—Hung Ah-tsat, Lee Ah-tim, Kan Dong. The use of “Ah” (阿) followed by a simple name or number was typical for the lower classes and the criminal underworld in Guangdong. These are not scholars or gentlemen; they are professional “muscle.”

Scaling Walls (飛簷走壁 – Fēiyán Zǒubì): This refers to a specific set of martial arts skills (often called Lightness Skills or Qinggong) used by burglars and assassins to enter homes undetected.

Fan-Tan (番攤): A popular gambling game in Guangdong where a pile of small objects (beads or coins) is divided by four until one, two, three, or four remain. It was the “stock market” of the criminal underworld.

Private Salt vs. Opium Smuggling: * Salt: The Qing government had a strict monopoly on salt. Smuggling “private salt” was a major crime but very profitable.

• Opium: At this time (early 18th century), opium was increasingly smuggled into China. Because it was high-value and low-weight, it was the “perfect” contraband for two men trying to avoid a murder charge.