Chapter 14: Fire Element Disorderly Robbery (3)

  The Zhang Siye family's large mansion is one of the top two or three in Fengtian City, with an eight-in-eight-out courtyard, high walls and a wide garrison, dozens of rooms inside, supporting old and young, housekeepers and gardeners, with nearly 200 mouths to feed. It is said that Zhang Siye has a life-and-death friendship with the Northeast warlord Zhang Zuolin, and since the Zhang family never seems to lack money, the security measures in this mansion are absolutely not comparable to those of ordinary wealthy families. The house guards patrolling inside the courtyard are all armed and highly skilled. As for what business Zhang Siye is engaged in and how he has such prestige, few people can say clearly.

  Hei Sanbian and his gang had robbed eight houses in Fengtian City, but they never dared to enter Zhang Siye's house. It wasn't because Hei Sanbian and Zhang Siye were friends, but rather because of an unspoken rule among the thieves in Fengtian City: "Rather steal from the governor's mansion than touch Zhang Siye's door." This was due to four rumors circulating about Zhang Siye's household. The first rumor claimed that Zhang Siye kept a large dog in his backyard that fed on human flesh, and this dog could climb trees and crawl through holes with incredible speed. The second rumor stated that Zhang Siye's backyard was used to store treasures for the warlord Zhang Zuolin, filled with traps and poisonous gas, making it deadly to take a wrong step. The third rumor said that Zhang Siye's household was protected by an evil spirit, which would send a group of "hook soldiers" from heaven to capture anyone who stole valuable items from his house, dragging them away with large hooks until they disappeared without a trace. The fourth and most sinister rumor claimed that Zhang Siye had a soul-snatching mirror in his house, which would descend upon anyone who harbored malicious intentions towards him or touched his doors and windows. If someone looked into the mirror, they would die within days from intestinal rupture.

  These rumors have been passed down for so long that people gradually stopped questioning their authenticity, and it's not necessary to provoke the mysterious Zhang Siye just to get by, or else one might even risk losing their life! So all these years, no one has been able to accurately describe what's really going on in the backyard of Zhang Siye's house.

  Huoxiao Ye was well aware of these rumors, which is why he dared to sneak into Zhang Siye's house. Firstly, he had a big temper and didn't believe in evil spirits; secondly, he had boasted to Lang Debao, Lao Guanqiang, and the others that he would do it; thirdly, Huoxiao Ye had entered the middle courtyard of Zhang Siye's house, not the backyard - even if he had been allowed into the backyard, Huoxiao Ye still wouldn't have dared; fourthly, Huoxiao Ye was convinced that all he was going to steal were some snacks, and in the "Ronghang" household, stealing food didn't count as theft, or at least wasn't considered a wicked intention.

  Just two days after Huo Xiao was left behind by Hei San Wei...

  At midnight, two black cars sped down the main street of Fengtian City. Behind each car were four horses and three men, all dressed in black, whipping the horses to make them gallop wildly as they closely followed the cars in front.

  It's strange, with this kind of attitude, even if the Northeast Army didn't stop them, how could the Japanese dare to intercept and inspect? In a big city like Shenyang, they ran wildly along the streets, yet there was not a single person on the entire street, letting them run amok!

  After these people passed by, the soldiers patrolling the city emerged from the street corners and alleys, and with a whoosh, they sealed off the road as usual and continued their patrol.

  The two carriages, four horses, galloped all the way to Zhang Siye's gate before coming to a sudden stop. The black-clad horsemen didn't wait for the horses to steady themselves before flipping down from their backs, their movements extremely agile. The black-clad men wore ordinary martial attire, but around their waists were tied red sashes with a bright red plaque hanging from them.

  Three men in black rushed to the front of a car, which had just come to a stop. One of them stepped forward and opened the door, and a person wearing a dark gray robe emerged from the car and nodded at everyone.

  The man in the dark gray long gown, over thirty years old, with a square face, a flat head, and a stubble beard, high cheekbones, looked very lean. He, like these black-clad men, had a red belt around his waist, with a red card hanging from it, clearly the leader of these black-clad men.

  Five or six people emerged from the two cars, one of whom was clearly a Japanese military officer, wearing a khaki-colored military coat with a sword at his side. He was in his 40s and had a stern expression on his face. Next to him stood another man, dressed in a well-pressed Western-style overcoat, also in his 40s or 50s, wearing glasses and a fedora hat, carrying a small leather suitcase. As soon as they got out of the car, they walked a few steps forward, and the Japanese officer exchanged a couple of sentences with the man dressed like a scholar in hushed tones, showing mutual respect, clearly not in a superior-subordinate relationship.

  While others were all in plain clothes, they also looked like very unusual people, only everyone was serious.

  They all got off the bus, and from Zhang Siye's courtyard, seven or eight sturdy men and a thin old man in his sixties also rushed out, making a please gesture to welcome them.

  This group of people didn't mince words either, they didn't say a word and quickly walked towards the door.

  The withered old man led them into the yard and waved his hand. The gate closed immediately.

  The thin old man glanced at the crowd, his eyes falling on the Japanese and other casually dressed people, looking quite disdainful. But when he saw the gray-robed man, he suddenly noticed the red card on the man's waist, and instantly showed a respectful expression! Without knowing who the thin old man was talking to, he slightly bowed and said: "Master Zhang is waiting for you all inside! Please follow me!" He then hurriedly led the way.

  Everyone nodded slightly and followed the thin old man forward, passing through the front yard and several open houses, until they all arrived at Zhang Siye's central hall. This central hall was a three-story high building located in a courtyard, with an ancient charm and exquisite workmanship. A large golden plaque hung above the door, inscribed with three crimson characters: Zhen Bao Tang.

  The Japanese soldier saw the sign and turned to talk to the scholar-dressed man for a couple of sentences, seemingly asking what was written on it. The scholar seemed to be a Chinese expert and explained a few sentences, and the Japanese soldier nodded repeatedly.

  A thin old man led the crowd, crossed a stone bridge, walked to the door, stood at the side of the door and asked them to enter.

  The thin old man's eyes were fixed on the four people wearing red belts walking at the end, and the square-faced man leading them gave a slight smile to the thin old man, ignoring him and taking his men into the house. The thin old man looked at the backs of these black-clad men and hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  Everyone walked into the hall and immediately heard a loud, hearty laugh coming from upstairs. Someone shouted: "Sorry for not welcoming you earlier! Please take a seat! Mr. Zhou, serve tea!"

  This man is Zhang Siye, a somewhat famous and mysterious figure within the city of Fengtian. He appears to be a robust man in his forties with neatly combed hair, although he doesn't look particularly impressive, every word and action exudes an air of authority. The Mr. Zhou that Zhang Siye called out is the thin old man who welcomed them.

  Mr. Zhang Si walked down the stairs, cupped his fists in a salute to everyone and said: "I am Zhang Si, the master of this Treasure Town Mansion!" A middle-aged man dressed in casual clothes came up, saluted with a fist, and said: "Master Zhang Si, sorry to disturb you!"

  "Zheng Deputy Officer, let's dispense with formalities! Quickly, everyone take a seat!"

  Mr. Zhou has already invited the maid over, set up the table and chairs, and served tea and snacks.

  Vice Zheng pointed to the Japanese officer and introduced: "This is Lieutenant General Yoda Kojima of the Japanese Kwantung Army!" Lieutenant General Yoda stood up, slightly bowed, and said in awkward Chinese: "Master Zhang, I've long admired your great name. It's an honor to meet you!" Master Zhang smiled and said: "Please sit down! Please sit down!"

  "Mr. Zheng introduced the Japanese scholar again: 'This is Professor Ning Shen Yu'er from the University of Tokyo! He is a Chinese history advisor to the Emperor of Japan!' Professor Ning bowed slightly and said in fluent Mandarin, 'Master Zhang, please take care of me. It's my good fortune to be able to come to your home!'"

  "Come, come!" said Zhang Siye with a smile.

  Vice Zheng introduced them one by one, all of whom were important figures in Zhang Zuolin's Northeast Army. Zhang Siye met with each of them. When Vice Zheng walked up to the group of men in gray robes, he seemed a bit hesitant and said: "These few are General Zhang's important guests, who have come to help take care of the treasure. They are called...called..."

  The man in grey stood up and smiled, "Oh, Zhang Siye, my surname is Yan, just call me Yan Jingtian. The few behind me are my younger brothers, no need to introduce them one by one."

  "Ah! Brother Yan! What a pleasure to meet you!" Zhang Siye said with a smile, clasping his fists together in greeting. On the surface, he was all smiles and courtesy, but inside, he felt a sense of puzzlement. If this Yan Jingtian was an important guest of Zhang Zuolin's, then why did he seem completely unfamiliar to him? In the northeastern Jianghu, who was this person with the surname Yan that could get Zhang Zuolin to bring them to his own home? As he thought about this, Zhang Siye's gaze involuntarily shifted towards Mr. Zhou, who was standing not far away. He saw that Mr. Zhou's eyes were sharp and piercing, staring straight at him, and quickly made a lifting motion with his hand.