Green Mountain
Chapter 404 - 322. Come as you want, leave as you wish_3

Chapter 404: 322. Come as you want, leave as you wish_3

"Alright, please wait patiently!"

After giving these instructions, Master Qian slowly retreated, allowing the masked group to push further into the alley.

Just as the Yulin Army charged past the gates of the Yihong Courtyard, the small door there swung open, and the ruffians used tables and chairs as shields, bracing themselves to crash into the side of the Mandarin Duck Formation.

In the narrow terrain, this Mandarin Duck Formation was stretched into a long line, with the side being its weakest point, leaving little time for counteraction.

The spearmen and trident-wielding screening hands on the side attempted to block the ruffians, but too many ruffians surged forward, and the Yulin Army, having only trained for a day, was not adept at formation changes. In no time, the ruffians truly broke in, turning the situation from a one-sided assault into a melee.

From the rear, Li Xuan looked at Chen Ji: "Should we intervene to rescue them?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "They are executive officers, they’re not going to die. Encountering setbacks and changes isn’t a bad thing right now; it’s better to learn a lesson now than to lose a life on the battlefield. What we’re facing now is merely street fighters. If we were to face the elite of the Jing Dynasty, they’d have more methods to dismantle the formations."

Li Xuan turned back to look at the path they came from. Dozens of ruffians were already lying on the ground unable to get up, while the Yulin Army hadn’t suffered a single casualty yet, showing the sharpness of the formation for the first time.

In the hands of the Yulin Army, the Mandarin Duck Formation was like a sword that had been gathering dust for years; each training session was like wiping away its rust and dust.

Qi’s Army relied on this offensive and defensive formation, killing three hundred Japanese pirates at the cost of only three of their own, creating a legendary casualty ratio in the late Ming period.

Nine battles, nine victories, slaying five thousand five hundred enemies.

At that moment, another shout of battle came from behind the Yulin Army, as ruffians led fifty people to charge in, intending to surround the Yulin Army.

Chen Ji said to Li Xuan, "Retreat! I’ll open the way, you cover the rear."

He turned toward the oncoming ruffians, while Li Xuan rushed into the Mandarin Duck Formation to set things right, clearing the ruffians out of the formation one by one as it changed direction with Chen Ji to charge back to their starting point.

It was at that moment when the shields turned that Master Qian suddenly grabbed an axe from beside him and threw it, "You think you can just leave without consequence? Do you think this is a place you can come and go as you like?"

However, as the axe flew, Li Xuan leaped into the air, kicking the axe handle with his foot, causing it to hum and fly back even faster than it came.

Master Qian tilted his head, the axe whizzing past him and embedding itself in the chest of a ruffian behind him.

Master Qian was shocked, abruptly turning his head.

A master!

The ruffian beside him anxiously said: "Master Qian, they’re about to escape!"

But Master Qian hesitated to chase without thinking.

In the alley, Chen Ji paved the way at the front, Li Xuan blocked the path behind. In just thirty minutes, the Yulin Army had stormed out through the same route they came from, heading straight into the night of East City.

After making sure his colleagues had all run far, Li Xuan only then began to retreat while fighting his way out of the alley.

Master Qian looked at the devastated alley, full of ruffians groaning on the ground, momentarily unable to believe that the opponents had escaped unscathed.

Coming and going at will.

With a cold voice, Master Qian ordered: "Chase! I don’t believe they can all vanish without a trace!"

The ruffians chased for several miles, through alley after alley, but besides finding a few discarded bamboo sticks, the masked individuals seemed to have vanished into thin air.

During the search, a carriage drove down Zhengyang Gate Street. Upon encountering the ruffians, the coachman cursed: "Whoever dares to block my carriage, don’t you know the rules? Get out of the way!"

The ruffians glanced at the carved patterns on the carriage.

Peacock, third-rank official!

They quickly stepped aside respectfully: "We didn’t mean to obstruct your carriage, sir, please forgive us."

The coachman, still grumbling, flicked his whip, guiding the carriage past the ruffians: "Next time, I’ll have you all arrested and sent to the authorities!"

As the carriage disappeared into the night, the ruffians cautiously breathed a sigh of relief before continuing their search for the masked men’s trail.

Inside the receding carriage, someone complained in a low voice: "Zhou Chong, your timing with the shield was too slow, an axe nearly hit me just now!"

"Don’t blame me, you hesitated every time with the thrusting spear, making me want to curse! And you, Duobao, you hit my face several times with the bamboo, can you be more careful?"

"Bullshit, you bumped into my bamboo, I’ve saved you multiple times!"

Six carriages split up, each carrying a load of grievances and complaints, disappearing into the inner city through Chongwen Gate, Zhengyang Gate, and Xuanwu Gate.