At noon, the wind and rain were pattering along the riverbank.
Several empty boats were docked in the port. There were few people in the dock market, and from time to time, shouts could be heard from the brothels and taverns:
"Come and drink..."
"Big, big, big... Alas—"
...
Most of the buildings in the market were old, but next to the riverbank, there was a courtyard villa nestled against the mountains and by the water, hidden among the trees. From the dock, only the upturned eaves and green tiles could be seen.
The manor was called Qinglian Villa. It was a private residence of the powerful and wealthy in the capital city. They would only come to live here for a few days during the sweltering heat of summer. Usually, it was left to the "courtyard guards" to take care of it, and they also watched over the business at the dock by the way. The name of the "Qinglian Gang" came from this.
Although it was called the "Qinglian Gang," it had nothing to do with martial arts gangs in the martial arts world. The only person in it who could be considered a martial artist was the gang leader, Yang Guan. The others were all gathered ruffians and idlers, about a hundred people in total.
Yang Guan had learned martial arts in the Three Wonders Valley in Wuzhou since he was a child and had good skills. After taking root in the capital city, with his connections, he managed to deal with the local bullies at the dock in just a few months, monopolizing the Jiang'an Dock. Recently, he had even extended his reach into the capital city, trying to expand his business.
The families that could do business in the capital city mostly had powerful backers and were either rich or noble. The streets and alleys without background had already been occupied by local bullies.
Yang Guan had been looking for a suitable place for a long time and found that the area around Tianshui Bridge was very "clean"!
The few merchants headed by the Pei family had money but no one in their family held official positions, and there were no other local bullies competing for the territory nearby.
Such a big "fat sheep" was there, just like a territory given for free. Naturally, Yang Guan wouldn't be polite. He had been "communicating" with the merchants this month, trying to gain a firm foothold at Tianshui Bridge.
Yang Guan's ambitions were undoubtedly great, but the consequences were also immediate.
At noon, in Qinglian Villa, Yang Guan, dressed in the robe of a wealthy man, was talking eloquently in the living room:
"Miss Pei San of Tianshui Bridge really doesn't give me any face. I sent her an invitation twice, but she didn't show up. I just wanted to sit down and have a cup of tea and chat. It's not like I'm coveting her beauty..."
"Sigh, Miss Pei San has a tough temper and also has some connections with the government. The nearby merchants all follow her lead. It's a good thing that Master Yang wants to send some people to help drive away the troublemakers. But since the eldest lady of the Pei family doesn't agree, it's really hard for us merchants to make a decision... "
...
The several wealthy merchants were all rich businessmen near Tianshui Bridge. They didn't dare to offend a local bully like Yang Guan. They just euphemistically evaded and pushed the matter onto the absent Pei family. If even the Pei family couldn't resist, then they really had to pay this "hard-earned money."
Yang Guan didn't understand why the Pei family, with a woman in charge, had such a tough attitude. He was still thinking of using both kindness and power and asking the several merchants to pass on the message when suddenly a shout came from outside:
"Gang leader, gang leader..."
The wealthy men in the living room stopped talking and looked towards the door.
Yang Guan, dressed in the robe of a wealthy man, slapped the teacup on the table:
"I've told you many times, call me master."
The man with a knife who ran into the living room was out of breath:
"Master, there are guests. Escort Chen from Tianshui Bridge is driving the carriage, and he said it's the eldest young master of the Pei family..."
"Hmm?"
The several wealthy men were taken aback when they heard this.
Pei Luo, the eldest young master of the Pei family, was quite famous. Since he was the only descendant of the Pei family, the Pei family had indulged him since he was a child. He spent his days drinking and having fun and was considered a well-known prodigal son in the neighborhood.
Yang Guan had obviously also heard of the reputation of the eldest young master of the Pei family. His eyes showed surprise:
"Miss Pei San didn't come herself but sent such a good-for-nothing here. Is she trying to fob me off? Let them in."
The several wealthy men stood up accordingly:
"Then we'll take our leave first. Master Yang, you can have a good chat with Young Master Pei. Just send someone to inform us when it's done."
Yang Guan saw them off with tea and sat in the main hall waiting.
Tata ta—
Soon, the sound of dense footsteps came from the walkway outside the courtyard.
As the servant led the way with his hand raised, a young man in a black robe strode in. He was quite tall, with a cold expression and an imposing manner.
Escort Chen, who was somewhat famous in Tianshui Bridge, trotted forward to hold an umbrella, showing a rather obsequious attitude.
And there were also five escort guards following behind, with the old man at the head carrying a long knife with a black scabbard.
Yang Guan raised his eyebrows, feeling that the person who came was not a idle and good-for-nothing young master, and put down the teacup.
The several wealthy merchants who had just walked out of the door had heard about what happened at Zhenyuan Escort Agency yesterday. They guessed that this unfamiliar young master was the tough guy who came yesterday. So they stopped in their tracks and saluted with their fists clasped:
"Young master, you look unfamiliar. Are you the eldest young master of the Pei family?"
Ye Jingtang didn't respond. He strode up the steps, took the saber from Yang Chao's hand, and directly entered the gate.
Kata—
The gate was closed by Yang Chao, shutting out all the people who looked confused.
Chen Biao almost bumped his nose into the door. Just as he was about to ask the young master what he was doing, he heard:
Qianglang—
The sound of drawing a sword!
Inside the room, Yang Guan, who was sitting in the main seat, realized that something was wrong. He raised his hand and reached for the broad-back broadsword placed under the main hall.
At the same time, Ye Jingtang suddenly rushed forward. In mid-air, he unsheathed the long knife and with a powerful strike like splitting Mount Hua, he directly slashed towards the top of Yang Guan's head.
Sa—
A flash of knife light appeared in the living room.
Yang Guan had good martial arts skills. In the blink of an eye, he had raised the broadsword in front of him. But the difference in their explosive power was too great. Just as he raised his hand, he was hit by a heavy knife strike. The back of the knife hit his chest, directly crushing the grand master's chair he was sitting on.
Hua la—
"You—"
Yang Guan fell to the ground and wanted to angrily rebuke, but he found that the young man who had suddenly come to the door was clearly here to kill. In the blink of an eye, he struck another knife, stabbing towards his heart.
Yang Guan was terrified. The martial arts he had learned since childhood were brought to the extreme at this moment. He猛地 stamped his feet on the ground, forcibly pulling himself away from the blade. At the same time, he raised his knife to fight back.
Dang—
The blades collided again.
When Yang Guan slashed out with his knife, he didn't hurt his opponent at all. Instead, he was pushed back by the opponent's great strength. The lacquered wooden main hall that his back was against was immediately smashed, and he was thrown out of the back door of the hall.
"Cough—"
Yang Guan fell into the rain in the rear courtyard and let out a muffled cough. Before he could even look ahead, he rolled to the side with all his might.
And as he expected, the next moment, a knife slashed at the place where he had landed, sinking more than three-fen into the stone.
"You scoundrel..."
Yang Guan got up, rolling and crawling. His face was furious. He held the knife and wanted to speak, but he saw the expressionless young man pull out the long knife and walk towards him again, unhurriedly. He even twisted his neck. There was no fierceness or hatred in his eyes, only a calmness that seemed accustomed to such things.
Yang Guan was terrified. He didn't see anything else, but he could tell that this young man had definitely killed someone before.
He held the knife with both hands and let out a fierce shout. It seemed that he wanted to charge forward, but his feet moved towards the back of the house. After taking a few steps back, he ran towards the backyard with the knife in hand and shouted at the same time:
"Come on, are you all dead..."
Dang—
As soon as the words were out, a biting cold wind came from behind.
Yang Guan's martial arts skills were really good. He swung his knife backhand and accurately blocked the slashing blade. But his body couldn't withstand the great force and was directly knocked forward and fell to the ground. The knife in his hand was also shaken loose.
Ding guang—
Yang Guan didn't have time to care about the broadsword. He got up and wanted to run towards the back room, but this time he had no chance. Just as he got up, his back of the head felt heavy and was directly stepped on by a boot, pressing his face against the wet bluestone floor tiles. A cold light fell in front of his eyes.
Cha—
"Young hero, wait! Spare my life, spare my life..."
A heart-rending cry came from the elegant courtyard in the pattering rain.
Ye Jingtang stood still in the rain, stepping on Yang Guan's left cheek. The blade of the knife was inserted in front of his eyes. Looking down at him, he finally showed some expression at this moment:
"You sent an invitation to the Pei family and asked them to come and talk? What are you talking about? Speak."
Yang Guan's face was distorted, but there was no trace of anger. He just stared fixedly at the knife in front of him:
"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I was blinded by greed and didn't know that you, young hero, are also from the Pei family. This is the capital city. It's not easy to explain if there's a human life. Young hero, don't be impulsive..."
"I heard that you're the disciple of the 'Three Wonders Immortal Old Man'. Your martial arts skills don't seem to be like it."
?
Yang Guan didn't expect that this young man knew who his master was. But now he didn't dare to act arrogantly and quickly explained:
"I'm just a nominal disciple. My family has some connections with my master. I went to learn martial arts from him for a few years but didn't get the true teachings. I've made you laugh, hero..."
"For the sake of your master's reputation, I'll spare your life."
"Thank you, young hero, for your great kindness... Ah—"
Before Yang Guan could finish his words, he let out a scream.
I saw the blade being pulled out and then falling again, directly stabbing into his right arm and nailing it to the bluestone.
Yang Guan's face was directly distorted. He looked at Ye Jingtang with a terrified expression and couldn't say a word.
"This knife strike is to make sure you know that I'm not afraid to take action. I may not be able to kill your master, but it's really not difficult for me to kill you. Farewell."
Cha—
Ye Jingtang pulled out his saber, wiped the bloody blade on Yang Guan's clothes, sheathed the knife, and turned to walk towards the living room.
Yang Guan gritted his teeth, covered his bleeding right arm, and got up. He didn't dare to cry out in pain and watched Ye Jingtang leave.
Zhi ya—
The door of the living room opened.
In the courtyard outside, dozens of ruffians holding iron weapons had already gathered. Yang Chao, Chen Biao, and other escort guards held their knives and stood guard at the door, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
And the several wealthy merchants with surprised and alarmed expressions stood at the courtyard gate.
Ye Jingtang closed the door, threw the knife to Yang Chao, and took the umbrella and held it above his head:
"It's done. Let's go."
"So quick..."
Chen Biao mumbled in a low voice, but he didn't ask how it was done. After all, the noises and miserable howls inside the house were heard by everyone outside. Even a fool could figure out how the matter was settled.
The group of thugs in the courtyard didn't dare to stop them when they saw that the "gang leader" didn't even show up. They all made way in the rain.
The several wealthy merchants didn't know if this young man of the Pei family had directly killed Yang Guan or not, so they didn't dare to talk to him either.
Shasha sha...
In the large manor, there was complete silence. Only a black umbrella slowly drifted out of the alley between the white walls and green tiles.
It wasn't until the carriage left outside the gate that sounds reappeared in the courtyard:
"Gang leader? Are you okay, gang leader? This audacious ruffian actually dared to... Go and report to the authorities..."
"Get lost! A bunch of useless people... And still want to report to the authorities..."
...