Green Mountain
Chapter 399 - 320, I am 9, you are 1_2

Chapter 399: 320, I am 9, you are 1_2

Brother Pao calmly said, "Next."

Another ruffian charged out, Brother Pao repeated his old trick, reversed the dagger to slice, the attacker blinked, and his tendons were cut off again.

The ruffians were terrified, exchanged glances, and no one was willing to step forward.

The boast of taking three moves had already been spoken; the first three moves could only dodge, not attack, but Brother Pao didn’t even give them the chance to see the third move. If someone’s tendons were cut in the fighting profession, they’d be ruined afterward.

At this time, another ruffian raised two Mandarin Duck Sabers and came forward, cupping his hands, "Lanshou Sect, Liu Yu."

Brother Pao stepped forward with a move, but it was blocked by one of the Mandarin Duck Sabers. Just as he was about to change moves to slice Liu Yu’s tendons, Liu Yu’s other Mandarin Duck Saber suddenly sliced over.

Brother Pao swiftly dodged backward, barely avoiding the blade. If he hadn’t reacted faster than the others, this saber might have cut him open.

He glanced down at the clothes on his abdomen that had been sliced open, at the shallow bloodline beneath his clothing, then looked up again at Liu Yu, "Kid, it’s not over three moves yet."

Liu Yu remained silent.

Brother Pao suddenly laughed aloud, "That’s more like it, this is the Jianghu I know!"

With that, Brother Pao no longer held back, spun the dagger in hand, suddenly slicing towards Liu Yu’s abdomen. Liu Yu used one Mandarin Duck Saber to block, but the expected clash of metal didn’t sound; Brother Pao simply flipped his wrist, the dagger then slicing across Liu Yu’s neck, blood splattering on the green brick wall.

Liu Yu slowly knelt down before Brother Pao, "Impressive!"

Brother Pao wiped the blood off his face, "Ever since I came to your damned place, I’ve been living with my tail between my legs, running at the slightest hint of danger, afraid of provoking your demons, but I still managed to do so. This rotten world just won’t let good people live. Come on, as many as I can kill, I’ll kill, maybe after I’ll get to go home."

"Bring it on!"

One by one, the ruffians charged, Brother Pao killed his way forward step by step, until he turned back, exhausted, behind him lay more than twenty corpses.

The fighting profession of the Imperial Capital also tore off the mask, rushing forward at once.

Er Dao guarded behind Brother Pao, bearing several wounds, blood flowing from his clothes to his pants and dripping onto the ground.

Brother Pao sighed softly, "Er Dao, I apologize, we’ll be brothers in the next life."

Er Dao was not afraid, rather curious, "Next life, who’ll be the elder brother, who’ll be the younger?"

Brother Pao cursed jokingly, "You damn well have ambitions like that?"

He threw away the chipped dagger, picked up two axes from the ground, roaring out, "Kill!"

Yet at this moment, screams came from behind the ruffians, Brother Pao turned around sharply, seeing a man in gray cloth, face covered in gray cloth, holding an iron ruler, coming in from outside the alley.

This person was extremely strong, far beyond what these street ruffians could fend off, caught off guard, over twenty ruffians were beaten, turning the scene into chaos, opening up a breach.

Ferocious beyond measure.

A ruffian roared, "Get people, it’s an Executive Officer!"

"Quick, call the Hall Master!"

Amidst cries of killing, the masked man entered Li Shamao Alley, took a quick look at Brother Pao and Er Dao’s injuries, "Can you move?"

Brother Pao raised his eyebrows, "I can move."

The masked man turned and fought his way outward again, "Go!"

Brother Pao looked at the masked man’s back, feeling somewhat familiar, yet couldn’t recall where he’d seen him.

The masked man led Brother Pao and Er Dao out of Li Shamao Alley, darted into another alley, sprinting under rows of red lanterns, attracting guests on the second floors to open windows to see.

Heji’s ruffians, dressed in black short coats, surrounded from all directions, converging in the narrow alley like flowing water.

A ruffian charged at the masked man, iron ruler in hand, swung it down, but before it landed, the masked man rushed in, delivering a precise elbow strike that sent the opponent flying, knocking down three approaching ruffians!

A guest on the second floor shouted, "Bravo! Well done!"

Then, this guest even took out over ten Copper Coins from his sleeve and scattered them down!

The masked man took advantage of the chaotic scene, turned and darted into an actor’s house. As he entered, a gentleman with heavy makeup, dressed in green stage clothes, sat in a patron’s arms singing opera.

Seeing the masked man burst in, the gentleman immediately jumped up from the guest’s lap, "Ah ah! Who are you? Get out!"

But the masked man did not respond, passed through the hall, crashed through the back’s paper window and darted out, Brother Pao and Er Dao closely following.

Before the gentleman and the patron could react, several dozen ruffians from Heji with weapons passed through the hall, startling the gentleman into repeated screams.

The masked man sprinted, leading Brother Pao and Er Dao into a clean alley.

This alley was paved with green bricks, no more red lanterns, instead hung green lamps. The sides were no longer filled with the sounds of swallows and orioles, only the faint sound of string music drifting by.

He turned back, however, saw a middle-aged man standing in the alley blocking the ruffians, "Do not disturb the honored guests of Baishun Alley, let them go."

After speaking, the middle-aged man stood outside the alley, cupping his hands from afar to Brother Pao and his companions, "Brother Pao is a hero; today’s fate should not be cut short. But now that you’re leaving, don’t return, Mountain high, water long, Jianghu will go unseen!"

The middle-aged man then cupped his hands to the masked man, "Honorable hero, may I know your surname and name? Heji will surely repay you."

Brother Pao was about to respond, but the masked man pulled him, retreating step by step into Baishun Alley, "Quick, if they encircle the other end of Baishun Alley, we’ll truly be trapped."

Brother Pao turned and left, following the masked man, disappearing at the end of Baishun Alley.

The middle-aged man in a long robe stood outside the alley, clasped his hands behind his back, slowly speaking to the ruffian beside him, "Go find the Cao Guild, if anyone wants to secretly transport Brother Pao away, inform Heji; search all inns, theater groups, brothels, gambling houses, and Medical Halls, say that Heji will pay one hundred silver taels for his path. Brother Pao is a person of significance, if he gets back on his feet, Heji has no way to live."

...

...

The masked man led Brother Pao and Er Dao silently through the dark alleys, crossing Zhang Family Bridge, taking Chunshu Alley, and passing Guanyin Hall.

During this time, the masked man looked around, seemingly lost in the deep alleys of the Imperial Capital.

Brother Pao had some doubts, this person... doesn’t seem familiar with the Imperial Capital either? He asked aloud, "Hero, where are you taking us?"

The masked man replied, "The outer city is filled with spies from the fighting profession, it’s unsafe. We have to enter the inner city through Xuanwu Gate, they can’t get in."

Brother Pao paused, "Just now, Xuanwu Gate Street was only one alley away, now we’re going farther."

The masked man seemed somewhat embarrassed, turned and walked in another direction, "Sorry, it’s my first time in the outer city."

Brother Pao suddenly asked, "We haven’t asked for your background, why did you lend a hand?"

The masked man thought for a while, then replied, "Seeing injustice and helping with a drawn saber."

Brother Pao stopped, no longer following the masked man.

He cupped his hands in the narrow alley, "If you were merely passing by and took pity on us, we are greatly moved. But we can’t keep following you, those fighting profession guys, openly discuss Jianghu ethics, secretly conduct dirty business. We killed so many of them today, they won’t let it go, you haven’t exposed your roots, better get away quickly."

The masked man contemplated for a long time, then calmly said, "What if I can help you take back the business at Li Shamao Alley?"

Brother Pao squinted, "Benefactor, that’s a joke, the Imperial Capital’s fighting profession has thousands, just within the Eight Great Hutongs there are over three hundred people, even if you’re an Executive Officer, you can’t beat so many."

"Don’t worry about that, I have my own people," the masked man said nonchalantly, "I just ask you, if we take Li Shamao Alley, ninety for me, ten for you, is that okay?"

Brother Pao replied decisively, "Okay!"