Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 71: Chapter 69: Furious Dragon of Guandong, So What?

On the road at the southern entrance of Cao Ying Village, Cao Fang walked with his head down, leading four "brothers" toward his home.

"Brother Fang?" a young man called out, waving from a short distance away.

Cao Fang flinched. A sharp blade was pressed against his back... It was hidden in the man’s sleeve, completely invisible. An unknowing observer would have simply assumed the man behind him and Cao Fang were close friends.

"What’s up? Shu Yuan?"

"Nothing much. What are you up to?" the young man asked.

"Just had a few drinks, taking some friends back to my place to hang out." Cao Fang’s expression was stiff, his body tense.

"Oh, right on. Hello, everyone." The young man politely greeted Wan Ze and the other three, then smiled at Cao Fang. "Well, Brother Fang, I’ll let you get back to it. How about we grab a drink later when you’re free?"

"You buying?" Cao Fang replied automatically. The moment he said it, he regretted it.

"Sure, my treat," the young man said generously.

Cao Fang coughed dryly. Behind him, Zhai Jia smoothly interjected, "How about you invite us brothers to join you then?"

"That’d be great," the young man said with a smile.

Cao Fang, however, was covered in a cold sweat... ’Great, my ass! These motherfuckers are about to take your head, and don’t you dare say I didn’t warn you!’

And with that, they parted ways.

When they reached Cao Fang’s small courtyard, he was just about to open the gate when Zhai Jia suddenly grabbed him from behind.

Startled, he turned to look.

Zhai Jia grinned at him and mouthed two words: "No tricks."

Cao Fang nodded repeatedly.

Zhai Jia patted him lightly, then looked back at Wan Ze and whispered, "We’ll play it by ear once we’re inside... Leave the heavy hitter to Zhai Yu."

Zhai Yu’s face darkened.

But as Wan Ze and Lei Ming glanced his way, he put on a stern face and gave a slight, reserved nod.

"Mm, no problem."

Cao Fang kept his head bowed, endlessly chanting in his mind, ’I can’t hear anything, I can’t hear anything, I can’t hear anything...’

Then he heard Zhai Jia lean in and whisper in his ear, "Open the gate and go in... Act just like you normally would. You pull any shit, and I’ll fucking stab you to death."

Cao Fang nodded repeatedly, his trembling hands fumbling for his keys.

CLICK!

The key turned in the lock, and the iron gate swung open.

A breeze swept through the courtyard, rustling a few broken leaves. It was utterly silent, as if the place was deserted.

He looked back.

The four men were gone. He jumped, his eyes going wide.

’Did I just see ghosts in broad daylight?’

’Do none of them make a sound when they walk?’

He swallowed hard.

But he didn’t dare run.

He was sure that if he made a run for it, they would kill him instantly.

Cao Fang took a deep breath, walked in quickly, and called out tentatively, "Brother Long? It’s me!"

"Stay right there! Don’t move!" a harsh, raspy voice commanded from behind a door curtain five meters away.

Cao Fang flinched and quickly raised his hands. "It’s me! Little Fang."

"What were you dawdling at the gate for?" the man inside demanded.

"My keys, I was getting my keys... *hic*... I had a bit to drink and couldn’t find them. Thought I lost them..." Cao Fang stammered, so scared that a drunken hiccup escaped him.

The door curtain was pushed aside, and an ordinary-looking middle-aged man stepped out. He wasn’t tall, but he had narrow, triangular eyes and the face of a corpse.

Cao Fang subconsciously lowered his head and said meekly, "B-Brother Gan, where’s Brother Long...?"

"You went out drinking?" the middle-aged man frowned.

Cao Fang’s legs felt weak with fear. "Brother Gan, I swear I didn’t sell you out... I-I just got carried away and had a few extra drinks."

Brother Gan frowned, thinking Cao Fang was confessing without even being prompted.

But suddenly, a sneer echoed by his ear. Before he could get a clear look, a figure materialized in front of him with graceful ease. With an open palm and a light tap, the middle-aged man known as Brother Gan was sent flying backward like a human sandbag.

BOOM!

A huge crash resounded from inside the house.

Zhai Jia turned to Cao Fang and complained, "You make a lousy mole. He asks one question and you start spilling your guts? Are you fucking with me, kid?"

"I... I’m not..." Cao Fang stammered. He still hadn’t processed what had just happened, and his legs felt like they were about to give out.

BANG!

Just then, a gunshot rang out from inside the house.

But Zhai Jia had bizarrely vanished from his spot.

When he reappeared, he was still looking at Cao Fang. He clicked his tongue. "They’re shooting, and you don’t even know to duck? You getting addicted to this performance or something?"

But Cao Fang couldn’t answer him. A bullet had just blown the top of his skull clean off. He couldn’t be more dead.

"Fuck! We’ve got a tough one!" a furious roar echoed from inside the house.

Zhai Jia stood his ground, a grin still plastered on his face. "You fellas from Guandong probably don’t know the rules here in the Holy City... Mighty dragons crossing the river, sure, that happens. But you’re supposed to announce your intentions first. You didn’t even say hello, just sent a cement mixer to try and kill my junior brother’s entire family. Do you really fucking think the Dragon Eagle is a bunch of pushovers?!"

"So you’re the motherfucker from Dragon Eagle?" a grief-stricken, indignant voice yelled from inside.

It was immediately followed by a muffled thud.

A tall, bald man was kicked out of the room, landing headfirst right at Zhai Jia’s feet. Zhai Jia stomped on his face, leaned down, and said, "That’s right. Dragon Eagle. Get a good look?"

"You motherfucker!"

The bald man roared, struggling to get up.

Without a glance, his face expressionless, Zhai Jia lifted his foot and brought it down hard once more.

CRUNCH!

The sound was like a watermelon bursting.

Zhai Jia walked past the headless corpse without a backward glance, pushed aside the curtain, and stepped inside.

Three people were standing in the room: Zhai Yu, Wan Ze, and a tall man with a full beard.

"Wait, where’s Lei Ming?"

"In the basement, looking for Miss Ling," Zhai Yu said.

Hearing this, Zhai Jia nodded.

He glanced at Wan Ze, then at the bearded man, and raised an eyebrow. "So he’s Wang Long? The leader of this little field trip?"

Wan Ze nodded.

The bearded man narrowed his eyes. He had obviously heard the conversation between Zhai Jia and his subordinate. "That’s right, I’m Wang Long!" he said coldly. "Looks like I’ve fallen into your hands today. Kill me or torture me, do whatever you want!"

"Still got some backbone, huh?" Zhai Jia moved forward, ready to take care of him.

But Wan Ze stopped him. "Senior Brother, he’s mine."

’Every wrong has a source, and every debt has a debtor!’

Zhai Jia paused, then nodded and stepped back.

Wan Ze looked at Wang Long, his gaze calm. "Are you here for the Rain Bell?"

The bearded man frowned at him, then spoke slowly, his tone dripping with arrogance. He sneered, "Wan Ze. I know you. I was the one who found where your family lives... Your Dragon Eagle has my woman. I was planning to kill you to send them a warning, but I guess you got lucky, kid."

He raised his chin, glancing at Zhai Yu and Zhai Jia before snorting coldly. "The Dragon Eagle is impressive, sure. But there are always heavens beyond the heavens, and people stronger than you. My big brother is on the verge of becoming a Grandmaster! I suggest you release me and Huo Wen. Otherwise, when my brother finishes his training and leads his men here from Guandong, not even the Dragon Eagle will get away in one piece!"

"Unscathed my ass! You son of a bitch, still running your mouth!" Zhai Jia’s explosive temper flared. But just as the words left his lips, a figure had already shot past him.

It was Wan Ze!

He had no intention of asking any more questions.

It was pointless.

The man before him had to die!

If he didn’t, the rage in Wan Ze’s heart would never be quenched!

Wang Long sneered. He had never taken Wan Ze seriously. ’What can a snot-nosed brat like him possibly amount to?’ he thought. ’He’s just coasting on his Dragon Eagle connections.’

The ones he truly regarded as major threats were Zhai Yu and Zhai Jia. A move from either of them would be more than he could handle.

But he never expected it. Wan Ze’s charging body seemed to flash forward, and by the time he appeared in front of Wang Long, his fist was descending like a thunderclap.

’Can’t block it!’

’There’s no time to block!’

Wang Long’s mind reeled in shock!

’Fuck! I got too goddamn cocky!’