Chapter 4

Among the gangsters of the Sashang faction, one of them, who had been looking back and forth between Jin Qingshi and Zhang Jian with a stupid expression, finally came to his senses and shouted, "Hit that bastard!"

If any of them had learned martial arts to a certain level, they wouldn't have blindly attacked like this. However, Jin Qingshi, the best among the gangsters, had already been knocked out, and the others had never practiced footwork to the point where they could read Zhang Jian's movements.

"Damn it! Die!"

The gangster closest to Zhang Jian swung his club. It was a straightforward attack, devoid of any subtlety, but it would have been enough to crack the skull of an ordinary civilian.

Zhang Jian took a step back with his right foot and slightly leaned his waist to the side, easily dodging the club. Then, he straightened his waist and struck the gangster's chin with his right fist. A cracking sound echoed, and the gangster stiffened before falling forward.

Before the gangster had even hit the ground, Zhang Jian stepped over him and kicked another gangster in the face with his right foot. At the same time, he used the recoil to deliver a roundhouse kick to another gangster's chest.

One of the gangsters, surprised by this movement, reflexively charged at Zhang Jian, raising his club high. Zhang Jian quickly turned his body and struck the gangster's exposed side with his left fist. With the gangster's breath cut off, Zhang Jian punched him in the face with his right fist and then took a large step to the right, raising his elbow.

The gangster's sternum was right at the tip of Zhang Jian's elbow. As the gangster vomited, Zhang Jian, who had already moved away, delivered a left roundhouse kick to another gangster's chin. The gangster's eyes went blank, and he fell forward.

Straightening his body, Zhang Jian walked towards the remaining two gangsters with ordinary steps. The two, seeing their fellow gangsters fall one by one, stood there with stupid expressions, mouths agape, staring at Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian stood diagonally in front of the two, confirmed their pitiful faces, and punched each of them in the chin. They both made a "kek" sound and fell.

In a very short time, Zhang Jian had knocked out nine gangsters, including Jin Qingshi. He dusted off his hands and looked around. Jin Yangshi was nowhere to be seen. He had quickly fled when he saw his brother fall. Zhang Jian smiled and turned to Yang Hong.

Yang Hong had a dazed look on his face, similar to the gangster who had just been punched in the chin.

"…Not a single scratch?"

"I didn't learn martial arts to lose to such gangsters."

Yang Hong looked down at the fallen Sashang faction members and rubbed his chin.

"Still, I didn't expect you to be this good…"

"If I had practiced my martial arts to half the level of a gangster, I wouldn't have been beaten by your gang."

Zhang Jian avoided the fallen gangsters, returned to his seat, picked up the sword he had left by the table, and put it on his waist. He then picked up his conical hat.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you, but let's not see each other again, fraudster."

Yang Hong, who had been lost in thought, shrank back and smiled weakly at Zhang Jian's words.

"Hey, Brother Zhang! How can we part like this? That's a bit cold, isn't it? Let's have a drink instead."

"What the hell, what are you so attached to? Do you want to be cheated out of more money?"

Yang Hong waved his hands.

"No, no, not that. Are you really leaving?"

Zhang Jian nodded towards the window. The innkeeper and customers who had fled earlier were peeking at them with disbelieving eyes. Yang Hong confirmed their faces.

"…Ah, right. It's clear we can't drink in this inn anymore."

Hearing Yang Hong's mutter, Zhang Jian smiled lightly and left the inn. Yang Hong, who had been looking out the window, quickly followed him.

"Hey, Brother Zhang! Don't go alone. There are still more Sashang faction members. Among them is the leader of the Sashang faction, who was above Jin Qingshi! Besides, why else would someone who is half a level below Jin Qingshi be the leader? It's because he has connections with the Wulin Alliance branch here…"

Yang Hong's words made Zhang Jian stop. Yang Hong almost bumped into his back and quickly stopped.

"What? Why did you stop?"

Zhang Jian didn't answer. So, Yang Hong had to peek over his shoulder to see what was happening outside the inn. There, a sturdy middle-aged man on horseback was looking down at them, surrounded by five warriors with drawn swords. Yang Hong quietly stepped back into the inn.

The middle-aged man on the horse was stroking his thick mustache and looking at Zhang Jian with interest. Next to him was Jin Yangshi, who was looking at Zhang Jian with a worried expression.

The middle-aged man said, "You don't seem very surprised. Do you know who I am?"

Zhang Jian, with his arms crossed, nodded towards the man's chest.

"You must be the branch chief of the Wulin Alliance."

The middle-aged man's shirt had a small hexagonal metal badge, the symbol of the Wulin Alliance branch chief. The man chuckled and continued.

"Yes, I am the branch chief of the Wulin Alliance in this town. And I've received a report that you assaulted the townspeople."

"It's not just an assault! My brother is in a critical condition! He lost his teeth and can't eat properly now!"

Jin Yangshi shouted. The branch chief looked at Zhang Jian again, as if to confirm if it was true.

Zhang Jian, still with his arms crossed, said bluntly, "It was self-defense."

"Self-defense?"

At the branch chief's question, Zhang Jian shrugged.

"Then what else would it be? It was nine against one, and eight of them had clubs."

"But you're the only one who came out of the inn."

"They were all idiots."

The branch chief smiled contentedly and asked again.

"Did anyone die?"

Zhang Jian slowly shook his head without a word. The branch chief smiled even wider and nodded. Jin Yangshi, seeing this, frowned and shouted.

"Branch Chief! Why aren't you arresting him? My brother is down! My nose is broken too!"

The branch chief slowly hardened his expression and looked at Jin Yangshi. Jin Yangshi, whose face had turned red, was confused by the look, but then he seemed to realize something and his face turned pale.

The branch chief said to him, "Nine Sashang faction members, including Jin Qingshi, are down. Why should I continue to tolerate you? Among you, only Jin Qingshi and the leader have any martial arts skills. And even among them, I can handle one of them alone. The rest are just gangsters, and my subordinates can handle them."

"Th, that… If my brother wakes up, he won't… stay quiet…"

"He'll only see the bars of a prison cell when he wakes up."

The branch chief nodded to the warriors with drawn swords. One of them sheathed his sword, took out a rope from his waist, and started tying up Jin Yangshi. He was led away, unable to speak properly.

The branch chief, still on his horse, moved closer to Zhang Jian and said, "Now, move aside. We need to arrest the gangsters who were causing trouble in the town."

Zhang Jian, who had been observing the situation, obediently followed his instructions. He walked out of the inn and towards the post where his horse was tied. The branch chief watched as Zhang Jian untied his horse.

"Are you planning to leave immediately?"

Zhang Jian didn't turn back or answer. The branch chief nodded to himself.

"You made a good decision. Even if it was self-defense, it would be troublesome for you to stay here. The townspeople would be uneasy."

While he was speaking, the warriors who had entered the inn were dragging the unconscious gangsters out and lining them up on the road. The branch chief confirmed Jin Qingshi, whose face was a mess, and asked Zhang Jian again.

"Where did you learn your martial arts? Jin Qingshi isn't a master, but he's quite experienced in fighting."

Zhang Jian, still not answering, mounted his horse. He pulled the reins of his neighing horse and finally looked at the branch chief. Then, without a word, he put on his conical hat and turned his horse in the opposite direction from when he entered the town.

"…You're a quiet one."

The branch chief's expression hardened after Zhang Jian turned away. He wanted to use his position as the branch chief to intimidate him, but he was also wary of the possibility that Zhang Jian might be a master who didn't fear the Wulin Alliance. In the end, he couldn't stop Zhang Jian from leaving. He spat on the ground and watched Zhang Jian's back with a displeased look.

At that moment, Yang Hong burst out of the inn and shouted, "Brother Zhang! Come with me, Brother Zhang! Don't leave me here alone!"

He shouted recklessly, then flinched at the frowns of the other Wulin Alliance warriors and the branch chief. He quickly mounted his horse and started following Zhang Jian. He caught up to Zhang Jian and glanced back.

"Damn… A branch chief of the Wulin Alliance shouldn't be such an opportunist…"

Zhang Jian didn't say anything.

As the two crossed the main road of the small frontier town, the townspeople watched them from their homes, windows, and doorways with wary eyes. Yang Hong, looking at them with a bitter expression, said, "Well, even though Brother Zhang solved the town's problem, everyone is looking at us like this."

He turned to Zhang Jian and asked, "Brother Zhang, do you know why that branch chief is like that?"

"Why else? He's part of the Wulin Alliance, so he's supposed to catch criminals."

"If he was so good at his job, would there be so much gossip about him in the town? Look, Brother Zhang. I heard a rumor that a Wulin Alliance patrol is currently in this area. I think the branch chief heard the rumor and, feeling uneasy, saw this as a good opportunity when Brother Zhang appeared."

Zhang Jian, still not answering, let his body sway with the horse's movements. Yang Hong continued to chatter as they left the town.

"Since he covered up his own faults, shouldn't he give us something in return? A few coins, or at least provide us with food and lodging. It's not right to chase us away like this. Anyway, I've never met a decent branch chief of the Wulin Alliance. They're all lacking in some way, or as opportunistic as that guy. If someone was capable, they wouldn't join the Wulin Alliance. So, Brother Zhang, out of the blue, would you like to work with me on something…"

Yang Hong's words stopped. Zhang Jian, who had been a little ahead, had stopped. Yang Hong, coming to his senses, looked around and saw that they were now at a fork in the road, heading east out of the town. One path led north, the other continued east. A small wooden signpost was set up between the two paths.

"…Why did you stop?"

Zhang Jian looked at Yang Hong.

"Where are you going?"

"Um, I don't know. Where are you going, Brother Zhang?"

Zhang Jian smiled.

"I don't work with cheats."

"…I said I wouldn't. Really. And what do you think I would ask you to do?"

Zhang Jian, shaking his head slightly, turned his horse towards the eastern path.

"Let's not see each other again, fraudster. If you follow me, I'll break your legs. You know what to do."

Then, he rode off. Yang Hong, unable to respond to the threatening words, could only gape at Zhang Jian's back and the horse's rump. After a while, when Zhang Jian was far enough away, he sighed deeply.

"…He's really expensive. What's his background? He's not from this area. I need to investigate."

Yang Hong, stroking his chin, turned his horse north and sighed again.

"Damn it. The sun is setting, and I'm being chased out of the town. Damn."

He paused his horse and looked back at Zhang Jian, who was riding away into the darkening east. The sky was turning dark blue, but Zhang Jian and his horse seemed fearless as they galloped into the darkness.

Feeling a strange sensation, Yang Hong eventually set his course north and left. The dust kicked up by his horse's hooves followed him.