Free Web NovelChapter 196: Chapter 173: The Gang Leader Emerges from Seclusion, Palms of Cast Iron
The man shook his head. "No, I’m just not hungry."
"Please, Your Grace, have a few more bites. It is so hot, and you are of noble birth. If anything were to happen to you, we servants could not bear the consequences!"
The man smiled. "Don’t worry. I survived the sky prison, so why would I be bothered by a little summer heat?"
At these words, the old eunuch lowered his head and said nothing, but it was clear he was deeply moved.
"Alright, I’m already quite content just to have escaped the capital. Besides, we’ll be at Huangpu Guard soon. Once we’re there, I might just have a chance to turn things around."
"Master, the heavens watch over the fortunate. You will surely eliminate the treacherous villains and return to the imperial court!" the old eunuch said with conviction.
The man chuckled. "Return to the imperial court... that’s not my goal!"
As he spoke the last words, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
......
「Huangpu Guard.」
This was a courtyard that was almost completely desolate. Weeds grew wild beneath the eaves of the corridors, and only a few narrow paths were barely passable.
SLAP!
A drunken man slapped his thigh, killing a mosquito the size of a wine cup. Blood splattered all over his hand.
"Damn it, how can you bite through clothes this thick?"
Muttering to himself, the man raised his wine jug and took a few big gulps, then picked up a food box and headed toward the back courtyard.
’I really don’t know how much longer these godforsaken days will last. But it’s not all bad. After all, a big restaurant delivers food every day, and I can sneak a few drinks.’
The man muttered to himself as he walked through weeds that were half a man’s height, arriving before the gate of a small courtyard.
The steps before the small courtyard’s gate were cracked and crumbling from the rain, a clear sign that almost no one ever came here.
The man placed the food box into a small opening in the main gate and knocked a few times.
"Gang Leader!"
The sound echoed in the courtyard, but there was no reply.
The man sighed. He was already used to this, so he turned to leave. freёwebnoѵel.com
But just then, a strange noise suddenly came from the small courtyard behind him.
The drunkard immediately turned around, but seeing nothing, he couldn’t help but scratch his head.
’Damn it, must be those stray cats again.’
Just as he thought this and was about to walk away, another strange noise sounded.
It was dusk, and in this long-abandoned courtyard, the sudden strange sounds were truly unnerving.
The man’s scalp prickled, and he sobered up in an instant.
"Who’s there? Who’s playing ghost and trying to scare your grandpa?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the courtyard gate collapsed with a crash. From the billowing dust, a disheveled old man with a scruffy beard and matted hair emerged.
The drunkard froze on the spot, staring blankly.
At the same time, the old man stood on the steps, his gaze sweeping over the weed-choked courtyard. His brow furrowed, and he raised a hand to point at the drunkard.
"What happened here? Where have all my gang members gone?"
The man finally snapped out of it. He dropped to his knees with a THUD and burst into loud, emotional sobs.
"Gang Leader, you’re finally out of seclusion! If you hadn’t come out soon, I would’ve left too, and there would’ve been no one left to even bring you food!"
The old man’s expression grew cold. "What exactly happened? Explain it in detail!"
A short while later, after listening to the man’s fragmented account, the Beheading Gang’s Leader, Tie Wuchang, was overcome with fury. He slammed his palm into a nearby stone pillar, shattering it, and then snarled with hatred.
"Where is that bastard Wu Liangchen now?"
That’s right. He was none other than the long-vanished, almost-forgotten Gang Leader of the Beheading Gang, Tie Wuchang.
But the Beheading Gang today was a shadow of its former self, its members scattered to the winds. If Tie Wuchang hadn’t left a sum of money at a large restaurant and arranged for one person to deliver food daily, even this drunkard would have likely left.
But Tie Wuchang, who had been in seclusion for so long just to break through the final barrier and achieve the rank of Grandmaster, was completely unaware of these events in the outside world.
At this moment, the man said, "Gang Leader, that Wu Liangchen usually lives in Flower Square, but I’ve heard that kid isn’t in Huangpu Guard right now."
"I don’t care about that! We’re going to Flower Square first. I need to kill a few people to blow off some steam!"
With that, Tie Wuchang strode off.
But the man didn’t dare to follow, and Tie Wuchang couldn’t help but glance back at him.
"Why aren’t you coming?"
Although he couldn’t even remember the man’s name, he was the only one left in the gang. With no one else to command, Tie Wuchang had no choice but to pay him some mind.
The man flinched, then said cautiously, "Gang Leader, this Wu Liangchen is frighteningly strong. And nobody dares to mess with Flower Square. You’ve just come out of seclusion. Why not rest and recover for a few days before you go?"
Tie Wuchang laughed in fury. "What? Has that Wu Liangchen scared you witless? Let me tell you, although I, your Gang Leader, failed to break through, I am at least invincible among those in the same realm! That Wu Liangchen is, at best, a Third Realm Martial Artist. I could crush him with one hand!"
When he mentioned his failure to break through, Tie Wuchang’s expression turned a little glum.
After all, he had spent so much time, even letting the great enterprise he had built be weathered away by wind and rain, only to fail at taking that final step. One could only imagine Tie Wuchang’s mood.
But he also knew his chance was gone.
A few days ago, in a last-ditch effort to breach the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pass, his Qi and Blood had surged backward, nearly damaging his fundamental essence.
This had completely extinguished any thought of breaking through. After stabilizing the backward-flowing Qi and Blood, he had resolutely chosen to come out of seclusion.
Even so, his years of seclusion had not been entirely without reward.
At the very least, Tie Wuchang had polished his current strength to its absolute peak, which was why he was confident enough to call himself invincible within his realm.
And hearing Tie Wuchang say this, Cao Liu’s alarm turned to joy.
"Gang Leader, then you should change your clothes and wash up first. After that, I’ll lead you there."
The Tie Wuchang of this moment was indeed a sorry sight—tattered clothes, scruffy beard, just like a beggar.
However, after bathing, shaving, and changing into a new set of clothes, this Tie Wuchang was a completely different man.
His face was lion-like, his presence majestic. His pair of large hands, which looked as if they were cast from iron, were especially impressive.
This was the telltale sign of someone who had practiced the Iron Sand Palm to an extremely high level.
That’s right. Tie Wuchang’s foundational Martial Arts was precisely the Iron Sand Palm, one of the crudest and most widespread techniques in the martial world.
Yet, relying on this unremarkable palm technique, he had managed to reach the Minor Fourth Realm through his Cultivation and was only one step away from becoming a Grandmaster—a truly miraculous feat.
And Cao Liu, who had just nearly pawned his own house to buy the clothes, was now growing even more excited.
He could almost see the glorious vision of Tie Wuchang slaughtering everyone in his path, taking over Flower Square, and then himself becoming the master of Flower Square, with a beautiful woman on each arm, living a life of debauchery.
"Let’s go," Tie Wuchang said in a nonchalant tone, his hands clasped behind his back, affecting the air of a lofty expert.
"Right away, Gang Leader! This way, please!"
