CHAPTER 417: 329、MAKE A NAME AND ESTABLISH A FORTUNE_2

Zhu Guan stroked his goatee: "Master Qian, does your Heji have the right to talk about Jianghu morality with me? Have you adhered to Jianghu morality all these years! Moreover, haven’t I arrived just in time?"

Qian Ping remained silent for a moment, ultimately prioritizing the bigger picture: "Now is not the time for this discussion, I ask Furui Xiang to take action immediately."

Zhu Guan looked at the ruffians on the ground and said gleefully, "This group of people is too fierce, why don’t you just concede the Eight Great Hutongs to them?"

Qian Ping frowned: "Li Shamao Alley and Hanjiatan Alley are yours, Furui Xiang."

Zhu Guan chuckled: "I have always been one who knows when to submit; when I cannot provoke Heji, I will not. Now I cannot provoke this group either, can’t we just avoid them? Master Qian, I call you Master Qian out of respect, because I know that you have been managing Heji’s affairs all these years, it’s not easy for you. Let’s speak plainly, we’re all prominent figures outside the city, but above us, there are still others. You and I are just ’shopkeepers’ who draw monthly salaries, why go courting death?"

Qian Ping remained silent.

Zhu Guan dusted off Qian Ping’s shoulder, continuing to laugh: "These years, my Furui Xiang has yielded to your Heji, neither competing nor contesting with you, and still living well. Business isn’t always that important; whether we have one more hutong or one less, would the money still end up in our pockets?"

Qian Ping angrily said: "The owner entrusted us with the business, how could we treat it lightly?"

Zhu Guan’s face darkened, poking Qian Ping’s chest with his finger: "Stop pretending to be righteous in front of me, what are you, Qian Ping? Just a homeless dog taken in by Wang Huan, a lackey under his seat. You speak of righteousness to them; do they speak of righteousness to you?"

Qian Ping brushed aside Zhu Guan’s hand: "Heji and Furui Xiang have already sworn a blood oath alliance, stop wasting words, if you do not act soon, even the Three Mountains Association will not accommodate you."

Zhu Guan sneered: "Rest assured, my Furui Xiang will help your Heji clean up the mess, but this time, my Furui Xiang wants more than two hutongs; I want four..."

Before he finished speaking, the red lanterns above the two suddenly caught fire, the flames burning slowly from the base, like a reverse incense stick.

On the red lanterns, golden talismans slowly appeared.

Not just this one, all the red lanterns hanging at the top of Li Shamao Alley were ablaze, producing thick smoke that gathered without dispersing in the night sky, forming the shape of the Eight Diagrams.

The next moment, the smoke descended, enveloping the entire alley.

Inside Li Shamao Alley, only the Yulin Army and Furui Xiang’s men remained, the ink-black smoke isolating Heji outside.

Zhu Guan was shocked, hurriedly waving his hand: "Quick, quick, quick, quickly withdraw from the alley!"

But when Furui Xiang’s ruffians charged into the thick smoke, they were pushed back by an invisible force. Even when five of them charged together, they were still bounced back.

"This is a Seeking Dao Realm talismanic array!" Zhu Guan angrily said: "Take down those red lanterns!"

The ruffians threw daggers at the red lanterns, but the daggers were also deflected when they hit the lanterns.

Zhu Guan looked at the masked assailants advancing towards them, then looked at Qian Ping, raging with anger: "Did you Heji set this up to trap me? Talk about Jianghu morality, it’s all just business to you..."

As he spoke, he noticed that Qian Ping was staring blankly at the red lanterns, as if lost in thought.

Zhu Guan laughed instead of being angry: "So you didn’t know either! Hahaha, it looks like in your Heji, your owner cares only about Furui Xiang’s territory, not your worthless life! Men, Heji has betrayed us; kill Qian Ping first!"

Furui Xiang’s ruffians exchanged glances, hesitating to advance.

Zhu Guan yelled: "What are you afraid of? Just a homeless dog!"

One ruffian cautiously rushed forward, seeing Qian Ping still looking up at the lanterns, stabbed a dagger into his abdomen, but Qian Ping just lowered his head to glance at him without even frowning.

Another ruffian rushed forward, stabbing a dagger into Qian Ping’s back.

Seeing that Qian Ping was not intending to retaliate, the third ruffian came forward and stabbed a dagger into Qian Ping’s right chest.

As the fourth ruffian was about to stab again, the doors of Yihong Courtyard beside the alley opened.

A man rushed ghost-like to Qian Ping’s front to block him, he clutched the ruffian’s wrist, looked up at Zhu Guan, "According to Jianghu rules, three stabs settle the debt, this person is under Qigong’s protection, does anyone have objections?"

Zhu Guan looked at the wounds on Qian Ping, who was already beyond saving.

He sneered and said: "Of course, we have to give Qigong’s face, whoever wants this dead man can take him."

The man took out an elixir from his pocket and handed it to Qian Ping’s mouth, but Qian Ping, face ashen, smiled and said, "No need, a waste."

Zhu Guan squinted: "This is an elixir from the Dao Court, are you giving it to him for his wounds?"

The man ignored Zhu Guan, only looking at Qian Ping and said coldly, "Swallow it, the future is long! You have already paid your life debt to Wang Huan, now this life is yours!"

Qian Ping closed his eyes silently: "Brother Ji, this Jianghu is meaningless, let me go."

The man named Ji angrily said: "Qigong is old and wishes to retire, the burden of the Three Mountains Association still relies on you to carry! So many disabled veterans still need someone to look after!"

Qian Ping opened his eyes, hesitating and asking: "Why me?"

The man named Ji stuffed the elixir into Qian Ping’s mouth: "Ask Qigong yourself when you are alive!"

Qian Ping swallowed the elixir. The man draped one of Qian Ping’s arms over his shoulder, supporting him back into Yihong Courtyard: "Don’t remove the daggers for now, this elixir can only keep you hanging; whether you survive still depends on your luck!"

Zhu Guan scoffed behind them: "The Three Mountains Association has truly fallen, taking in all kinds of stray dogs."

The man from the Three Mountains Association paused, turned around, and looked at Zhu Guan: "We live on perseverance, what do you live on? This talismanic array won’t dissipate any time soon, you’d better take care."

Zhu Guan was stunned, turning around to see a bristling formation of spears and shields bearing down on them.

He hurriedly waved his hand and said: "I have no grievance or enmity with you heroes, we Furui Xiang are not involved in Heji’s matters! Wait, Chongnan Fang can also be yours... adding Chongbei Fang as well!"

The Yulin Army quickly shattered Furui Xiang’s ruffians, and Zhu Guan’s screams were swallowed up in the melee.

...

...

The smoke lasted for an hour.

Wang Huan, who had been hiding for a long time, now dragged his fat body, standing with a smile outside the smoke, waiting for the black smoke to dissipate.

He hooked his thumbs on his belt, his eyes nearly squinting with delight: "Tomorrow, all the hall heads prepare to take over Furui Xiang’s territories in Chongnan Fang and Chongbei Fang, and also take over Panjia Garden, from now on, Ghost Market’s business will be decided by us, Heji!"

Wang Huan walked to the edge of the smoke, peering into the thick smoke to see what was inside. He saw that the smoke was pitch-black with countless black hands reaching out, struggling as if to break free from the smoke.

A hand nearly grabbed Wang Huan’s face, scaring him back a step.

A ruffian whispered: "Dragon Head, where did this Executive Officer come from? Isn’t our Inner Eight Halls’ court official trained in Xingyi Boxing?"

Wang Huan glanced at him: "This is a Grand Official sent by the owner, don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask."

The ruffian hesitated: "Master Qian is still inside, he..."

Wang Huan reassured: "Master Qian is under divine protection, he will be fine."

As his words fell, the black smoke gradually dissipated, Wang Huan happily looked inside, but then his expression changed, retreating a small step.

In the deep Li Shamao Alley, the red lanterns had burned completely.

The long alley was filled with groaning ruffians writhing on the ground, like purgatory on earth, while Zhu Guan leaned against the blue-brick wall, life or death unknown.

Not far from Wang Huan, the Yulin Army members had loose hair, and sweat had soaked through their clothes.

They were panting, some were re-tying the gray cloths hiding their faces, others were pulling hairpins from their heads to redo their hair.

Seeing the smoke clear, Qi Zhenzhuo spat onto his hand, gripping the spear leaning against his shoulder; Zhou Chong re-hoisted his long shield, casually tapping it with his broadsword; Duobao, who had been resting leaning on an Iron Wolf Brush against the wall, cursed and stood up straight.

Originally with Chen Wenren, Lin Yanchu, Li Guang, and other poor family’s sons, followed behind Li Xuan.

Chen Ji tightened the cloth over his face, flicked his long spear into his hand with his toe.

He stood at the forefront of the team, without looking back, asked: "Is there anyone fearful?"

Li Xuan calmly replied behind him: "No."

Chen Ji raised his long spear and pointed it at Wang Huan: "To arms, victory!"

"Kill!"