Editor: Areth Kyntaul
The leader of them scanned me with his shifty eyes.
"I am the Chief of Outlaws Gang. Remember me."
He tried to meet my eyes with his shifty ones, but he couldn't because he was too short. He scoffed indifferently and then aggressively exclaimed, "Remember not to lie to me, or you'll be crawling from now on! Let's go!"
He drew his blade and turned his head to order the people next to him to head to the exit of the lane.
'At least forty of the people here were with his Outlaw Gang, or whatever they were called. If I include the others then there would be about two hundred people. Given that they're in such a hurry to find me, I presume they're out to hurt me.' I watched them noisily squeeze out of the lane.
The five elders in black robes hiding in the roof, however, didn't get discovered. It was clear that their martial prowess was staggeringly superior to these small-time gangsters. While it was true that they were a threat in terms of numbers, the fact is their combat skills were inferior.
I folded my arms as I waited for them to go far away and begin searching.
I then suddenly shouted, "Elders by the lane exit, be careful! They're trying to hurt you!"
"Elders… Eh?! Old man, what are you hiding here for?! You hid your head, but showed your tail! Get down here!"
At the end of the day, two hundred pairs of eyes looking at you is frightening. Those on the roof weren't discovered, but the three people at the corner of the wall did get discovered.
A black shadow suddenly landed on the ground, after a gust of wind akin to a tornado blew. He appeared very imposing. He looked to be the oldest among them.
It was Ancestral Master Xie. He had a long beard and eyebrows, while his cheeks were somewhat red.
"Sonuva (son of a)! I have been in the pugilistic world for decades, and nobody has ever had the audacity to shout at me. Who just swore at me?!"
One of the guys from the Outlaws Gang represented his Chief and bravely stepped up, "I did. Damn old fart, what do you think y-"
Before he could finish, a polite and not so old man, with the start of white hair, gave him the boot instantly kicking the thug right out. It was Master Xie. Of course, he'd defend his father if somebody cursed at him. Who else would've?
After seeing his subordinate get hit, the Chief of Outlaws Gang angrily charged over to snap at them, "How dare you get in my way, you old shit. How dare you hurt my Outlaws Gang's man? I'll chop you up!!" He slashed at the elder. Judging from the slash, I could discern that he had genuine martial arts skills.
But nonetheless, his skills weren't even worth the Vice-Chief of Dark Robe Sect sparing a look. Master Xie swung his arm in a circle, to disarm him, and then kicked him back.
Fortunately for him, the lane was narrow and there was a group of people behind him, so he crashed into the crowd.
Master Xie looked pleased with his attack. Just as he went to boast, for credit from his father, his father looked at him. He was so outraged, it was as if his beard could stand up.
"Embarrassing! Is that how our Xie Clan's skills are to be used? Always slacking on training. Hong'er is more diligent than you."
I, basically, understand how their father-son relationship works now… It's, fundamentally, the same as my Shifu and me. He has a complaint about everything that I do. I suddenly felt a little sympathy for Master Xie.
The matter wasn't over, though. The Chief of Outlaws Gang had gotten hit but wasn't badly injured, so he immediately jumped to his feet and called for a gang up.
Thereafter, the entire Outlaws Gang charged over as a group.
Ancestral Master Xie laughed, "Today, I shall show you what Xie Clan's martial arts are like!"
He raised his palms up and struck one thug with each hand, sending the thugs flying.
Master Xie seemed to be aware of what his father's temperament was like, so he didn't dare to help him. Instead, he just stood aside and watched his father bully the amateurs.
Ancestral Master Xie could, practically, take out a thousand soldiers with a single swipe! He knocked down five or six of them in a flash with a single swing of his arm, which was as tough as iron. He then used High Pat on Horse, before spinning around to unleash Golden Horse Hisses in the Wind! With that, he hit the Chief of another gang, making him cry and wail…
Ancestral Master Xie had no idea who was who. He was an important figure in the Seven Champion White Princes. He had never even heard of Outlaws Gang. Even if he did, he'd end up forgetting. It's just that there were two hundred of them, so he hit whoever he ran into.
Hence, the gangs that had initially not intended to fight with the five elders in black robes quickly joined the fray. However, they were all armed, so the old man was at some risk when they surrounded him.
Another one of the elders in black robes couldn't stand watching any longer, so he joined the battle, too.
The Chief of Outlaws Gang was one tough man. After having his teeth knocked out by being slapped three times, and with fingerprints still on his face, he spat out a mouthful of blood and then cussed in a loud voice.
His cussing fired up the men, "Motherfucker! Everyone, get them together! Beat the daylights out of these three geezers!!"
Bear in mind that somebody in the crowd had attacked, and in particular don't forget that the Outlaws Gang and other gangs had come together. They were getting beat up by three old men in this narrow lane, and the turn of events led to them building rapport and chemistry with each other in the spur of the moment.
Therefore, the two hundred plus men surrounded the three elders and attacked them. Blades flashed like snowfall. Voices of the crowd in the alley resounded throughout.
The scene of the fight was akin to watching a big pot of boiling porridge, where things were just flying around. You could say it was lively.
I watched the pot of porridge boiling from afar and couldn't help but sigh to myself.
'Lucky I didn't fight them… They're too violent. I just shouted once. They might not be good guys, but angering an entire gang in what, two sentences? Too hot headed. That's not to mention they're relatives of the royal family. Fighting them is a death wish!'
'I can't afford to fight them. I can't afford it. I'll pass. I'll pass.'
======================
"Report!"
A slave of Jin Wangsun's manor ran into the hall, as fast as an arrow. He got down on his knees and made a cupped-fist salute, "Reporting, Young Master. A fight has broken out in Bright Lane."
Jin Wangsun raised his eyebrow and stopped moving his brush.
"Be clearer."
"Erm… Well…"
Jin Wangsun was decently patient. He raised his head up to look at the drawing and in an intoxicated tone demanded, "Think about it first; then speak. Make sure it's complete."
"Understood." The slave hesitated for a while. He found it hard to put it into words. After deliberating it, he finally responded, "I, honestly, do not know what happened. Four, five old men suddenly sprang out from the corner of the lane and started fighting with the men we hired. Those old geezers are extremely skilled. They wounded the men with a single strike. As a result, our men got entangled with them and can't leave."
"Elders…"
In a muffled voice, Jin Wangsun asked, "Did they see Ming Feizhen? What's the situation?"
"Erm… They got into a very intense fight with our men. It looks as though they are backing him up."
"Liu Shan Men has fallen. The only remaining capable people there are Yan Shisan's subordinates. Among them would be those troublesome elders. Since they're helping Ming Feizhen, they're our enemy, not our friends."
Jin Wangsun then wore a cold smile, "Get more men. Increase the paycheck by five times! You six, personally, go. Make sure that punk can't oppose me. I don't want 'quite certain' and I don't want a sloppy job."
Jin Wangsun raised his large hand and drew an amazing horizontal line with his brush.
"I want 'absolutely certain' and I want you to make sure you dominate!!"
Glossary
*Sonuva = Son of a bitch. I tried to capture the dialect used.
**High Pat on Horse is the twelfth technique from Chen's Twenty-Four Taiji Fist.
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