Green Mountain
Chapter 403 - 322. Come as you like, go as you please_2

Chapter 403: 322. Come as you like, go as you please_2

Master Qian slowly stood up and smoothed the creases on his robe: "Where did you find him?"

The ruffian replied, "In Li Shamao Alley."

Master Qian’s hand on the robe suddenly stopped: "He dares to come back?"

"Yes, he said he would come and establish dominance again today!"

Master Qian lifted the hem of his robe and turned to leave: "Quite a character, probably realized he can’t escape, wants to die standing."

Master Qian walked in front, and the ruffians converged behind him from one alley to another. A patron looked down from the second floor and saw a dense crowd of ruffians flowing under the red lanterns.

Upon arriving at Li Shamao Alley, Brother Pao and Er Dao stood alone at the entrance; the alley was already packed with ruffians. On the small buildings on both sides of the alley, patrons and women couldn’t bother with business, and they all pushed open the small windows to look out.

Seeing Master Qian coming over, the ruffians quickly made a path for him.

Master Qian approached and sized up Brother Pao, squinting: "Still want to establish dominance?"

Brother Pao laughed heartily: "Since I’ve come to this prosperous Imperial Capital and seen great sights, there’s no reason to leave in disgrace. I must establish this dominance."

Master Qian seemed to sigh: "Brother Pao, born at the wrong time, had you come to the Imperial Capital earlier, you might have been a notable character in the stories of bards, and your name should have been among the fighting profession of the Imperial Capital. If that were the case, I might be working under you now."

Brother Pao smiled: "It’s not too late for Master Qian to seek alliance with me now. If you do, you’d be the first to offer your allegiance."

Master Qian seemed to hear a joke: "If you can truly establish dominance under the foot of this Imperial City, why not work for you with the Xingyi Sect? But it’s too early to say these things now; survive first."

Brother Pao took off the black short coat he was wearing and casually threw it at his feet.

He took a deep breath: "Come on, life and death are destined, wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven!"

Master Qian said calmly: "Go."

The ruffians wielding iron rulers and axes charged out from Master Qian’s side, surging toward Brother Pao. In the narrow alley, patrons upstairs watched as the ruffians passed through rows of red lanterns, getting closer to Brother Pao.

A woman whispered from behind a window gap: "It’s such a pity to die like this."

The next moment, a group of grey-clad masked men suddenly rushed in from outside the alley, passed by Brother Pao, and collided head-on with the charging ruffians.

At the first clash, patrons upstairs almost thought some army had invaded; the formation was tight, their movements unified. Strangely, these masked men held their long spears backward, using only the wooden handles to jab people.

Forming a line.

Qi Zhenzhuo held the long spear at the front line, Zhou Chong and Zhou Li guarded the sides with shields, Duobao and Li Cen wielded bamboo poles, while four spearmen and two Yulin Army with tridents served as screening hands, protecting the flanks and crossbowmen at the rear.

There were twelve of them in total.

The twelve-man Mandarin Duck Formation charged forward in the dimly lit alley, with the extremely long bamboo poles reaching their targets before the men did. The dense branches and spikes made it difficult for the ruffians on the opposite side to dodge.

A ruffian had just raised his axe when the bamboo pole stabbed at him, the branches whipping his face so he couldn’t keep his eyes open. He gritted his teeth and charged blindly, but the branches lifted his axe handle high so he couldn’t strike down.

Qi Zhenzhuo hesitated momentarily, raising the bamboo-wielding foot in frustration, and lowered his voice angrily: "What are you standing there for, what did the instructor teach you? If you can’t do it, switch and wield the bamboo pole!"

"Oh, oh," Qi Zhenzhuo hurriedly leaned forward, fiercely jabbing the ruffian in the chest with the spear’s butt, instantly breaking two ribs, leaving the ruffian breathless and crying out in pain as he fell to the ground.

Another ruffian charged forward, unbelieving, only to be taken down again by the Yulin Army, just as easily. This single move left the ruffians at a loss.

In merely an instant, the ruffians were pushed back constantly, their momentum fiercely aggressive.

Master Qian squinted his eyes from the back of the crowd; when had the city’s fighting profession ever faced such tightly coordinated troops? This was no longer the city; it was clearly an army!

But how could there be an army in the city’s alleys?

He murmured to himself: "Three Mountains Association?"

At this moment, the soldiers of the Yulin Army charged silently forward on their own. The last confrontation with the Jing Dynasty Heavenly Strategy Army had been so frustrating. Those Heavenly Strategy Army veterans, each one was incredibly tough, every move was filled with psychological tactics. Even as Executive Officers, they were overwhelmed by the Heavenly Strategy Army.

And now, returning to the Imperial Capital after battling the Heavenly Strategy Army, the Yulin Army felt an unexpected ease.

Qi Zhenzhuo muttered quietly: "It doesn’t seem so hard after all."

In the charge, when the ruffians saw they couldn’t get near the battle formation, they hurled flying axes from a distance. But as soon as the axes were thrown, Zhou Chong and Zhou Li, holding long shields, stood in front of the formation like a closed door.

Clang, clang, clang, the flying axes embedded in the shields but couldn’t penetrate. In this narrow alley, the Mandarin Duck Formation was like a porcupine covered in spines, tough-skinned and recklessly charging, stabbing at anyone they encountered.

In the short span of thirty minutes, hundreds of ruffians were incredibly pushed back half the alley by the Mandarin Duck Formation, leaving the ground full of wailing...Heji hadn’t suffered such a huge loss in over a decade!

A ruffian beside Master Qian urgently said: "Master Qian, you need to act; it’s not going to work if you don’t."

Master Qian silently observed the Mandarin Duck Formation, and after a long time, he suddenly spoke: "You take fifty men and flank them from behind, so they can’t attend to both ends. They don’t seem that coordinated."

He pointed to another person: "Gousheng, you lead another fifty men to ambush in the brothel, wait until they pass by the door and then crash out with tables and chairs, you must cut them into three sections from the middle! Remember, if you succeed, you’ll be rewarded with fifty taels of silver, and I’ll cover the medical expenses!"