Chapter 87

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In the private room on the third floor of Taiping Tower, there was an opening window that allowed one to see the street by moving part of the wall. Zhang Jian sat in front of this window, sipping his wine while looking down at the street of Ganshan’s pleasure quarter, which was still brightly lit even in the middle of the night. He had already stayed in this Taiping Tower for four days, and this time was enough to make both the owner of Taiping Tower, Guan Shuchan, who had advised him to leave because of the danger, and Zhang Jian, who had said he should feel guilty, feel a bit embarrassed.

During these four days, no gangsters or warriors had attacked Taiping Tower. Even now, Taiping Tower was operating normally, with the lower floors bustling with guests, the sound of gold coins clinking, and the music of flutes and songs filling the air. The courtesans and musicians were captivating the guests, and the kitchen was continuously serving food and wine.

Occasionally, someone would ask where the warrior who had chased away the gangsters the previous day was. The story of Zhang Jian chasing away the gangsters had been slightly exaggerated, leading to a rumor that he was the new security warrior of this pleasure quarter. As a result, the courtesans all showed ambiguous attitudes, and Zhang Jian’s mystique grew day by day.

It seemed that the owner, Guan Shuchan, and the courtesans were trying to enhance his mystique to prevent gangsters from easily attacking. From Zhang Jian’s perspective, there was no need to go to such lengths, but he did not bother to stop them. He could guess that the situation of the organization was not normal, given that they had not all come rushing in from the beginning.

"Mad city’s underworld, the Wu Lin Alliance branch turning a blind eye, the Imperial Army showing no significant movement after the last crackdown... Yet, the underworld, which should be in chaos, is taking so long to deal with just one warrior who ignored them... What is the source of this city’s turmoil, and what are the Black Blood Sect’s intentions for not moving immediately?"

Zhang Jian, who had been looking out at the street, turned his head at the voice from the side. Guan Liang, who had been there, was looking at Zhang Jian with a serious expression, but when their eyes met, he grinned. Zhang Jian also smiled and asked, "Did your father tell you?"

"Yes. To be precise, I heard him muttering to himself. I don’t understand why he’s so worried. Don’t we just need to protect this pleasure quarter well?"

"Your father has his own thoughts."

Taiping Tower was a pleasure quarter established by Guan Shuchan, who had come from the Central Plains over a decade ago. Although he had not detailed the circumstances, it was clear from the past four days of observation that he was definitely a descendant of a noble family.

The reason he had told the gangsters that he could no longer pay protection money was that the current chaos in the underworld meant there were too many people to pay. So, he had either asked them to drive away the others or reduce the protection money, which led to the current turmoil.

"The good thing is that because those guys are staying put, others are also being cautious and not bothering us."

Taiping Tower paid membership fees to the pleasure quarter association, land use fees to the Wu Lin Alliance Ganshan branch, and was extorted by three organizations in the back alleys. After deducting the maintenance costs of the pleasure quarter, almost all the profits went to them.

After Zhang Jian chased away the gangsters, the Black Blood Sect, which was their organization, did not move, and the other two organizations also seemed to be observing the situation and did not come to collect protection money. The past four days had been quiet for the pleasure quarter, except for the guests.

Zhang Jian lifted the wine bottle to fill his empty glass and looked at Guan Liang. The boy was poking around the food on the table, occasionally picking up a piece to eat while spending time in the room.

On the surface, the reason the boy was in the room was that he was Zhang Jian’s errand boy, and he did indeed do well when asked to do various tasks. However, the real reason was that Guan Liang wanted to learn some martial arts from Zhang Jian, who had shown his skills.

Zhang Jian did not bother to drive the boy away or keep him at a distance. Honestly, spending four days in the room, sipping wine, was not a full day of drinking, and he couldn’t keep drinking all the time. In the end, Zhang Jian spent the past four days listening to stories from the people of Taiping Tower or joking around with Guan Liang.

Guan Liang, after eating the food and licking the seasoning off his fingers, said to Zhang Jian, "I don’t understand why the Wu Lin Alliance isn’t moving. This morning, a body was found in the back alley. Isn’t the Wu Lin Alliance supposed to prevent such deeds by the evil forces? If they keep slacking off, won’t the Wu Lin Alliance headquarters in Shenshanchuan send an inspector to root out the corrupt members?"

Zhang Jian did not explain the internal factions of the Wu Lin Alliance, which were formed due to the positions of various cities and other factors, or how a branch leader like the Ganshan branch could suppress an inspector sent to investigate corruption. He did not do so because it was not certain, and Guan Liang was not expecting any profound insights.

Instead, he said, "A guest has arrived. You should leave now."

"Huh? A guest? But there are plenty of guests downstairs..."

At that moment, the door slid open. Guan Liang, startled, turned to look at the door. Zhang Ayong was standing there. She bowed to Zhang Jian and said, "A guest from the Black Blood Sect has arrived. Only two of them. They are coming up now... Can I take Liang with me?"

Zhang Jian lifted his wine glass to his mouth and nodded. Zhang Ayong bowed again, entered the room, and grabbed Guan Liang.

"Wait, Aunt Zhang! I’ll stay in the corner and be good!"

"Liang! Don’t interfere with the warrior and come out quickly!"

Guan Liang, his ear grabbed, was dragged out. After the two left, the sound of someone walking down the third-floor corridor soon followed. They approached the open door without hesitation, stopped, and looked at Zhang Jian inside.

Zhang Jian also looked at them.

They were two men in their thirties, who looked like brothers, wearing black silk robes with wide sleeves and standing with their arms crossed, looking straight and tall. Their appearance and posture were in stark contrast to Zhang Jian, who was sitting with a wine glass in his hand.

The one on the right, with a goatee, spoke first.

"Are you the warrior who bullied our subordinates four days ago?"

"Bullied? Those guys, not me?"

When Zhang Jian countered, the smooth-faced man on the left replied, "Taiping Tower is clearly our Black Blood Sect’s business. If it operates on its own, it’s natural to maintain discipline. You’re an uninvited guest who suddenly interfered with our business."

At the word "uninvited guest," Zhang Jian shrugged and took a sip of wine. He then put down the empty glass and said, "I expected several gangsters, but only two."

"There’s no need for many to deal with a mediocre one."

After the smooth-faced man spoke, the one with the goatee continued, "So, how shall we handle this? Our boss decided not to take your life. We’ll just cut off one of your limbs. You can choose which one."

But Zhang Jian, unfazed by the menacing words, looked at them with a blank expression and stroked his chin. When the two men’s expressions stiffened, he spoke again.

"Judging by your solo operation, you must be the Black Blood Sect’s enforcers. Why did the sect’s enforcers come to deal with a wandering warrior? After four days, and without accurately assessing his strength. Do you lack the manpower?"

The two men glanced at each other at Zhang Jian’s words and relaxed their crossed arms, letting them hang naturally. Their wide sleeves hid their hands.

"You’re talking nonsense. It seems you don’t value your limbs."

"Or do you have some backing, which is why you’re acting so arrogantly?"

"I’m Zhang Jian. I have no backing. I’m alone."

The two men were momentarily speechless at Zhang Jian’s confidence. From the fact that the ones who had been beaten had not even seen his fists, it seemed he had some skills. However, it didn’t seem like he was hiding any significant force during the past four days.

"I’m Ziming."

"I’m Ziwen."

The goatee and the smooth-faced man introduced themselves and slowly entered the room. Zhang Jian, who had been leaning against the farthest pillar from the door, stood up leisurely.

Ziming, seeing this, said, "I don’t know where you came from, but interfering with the Black Blood Sect was a big mistake."

"We will soon dominate the underworld of Ganshan."

Ziwen, who had been speaking, stopped. As he stopped, Ziming also stopped and glared at Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian stood with his back to the open window, and the two men stopped in a triangular formation with Zhang Jian at the apex. Their weapons, hidden by their wide sleeves, were revealed. They were peculiar weapons known as tiger claws, with several blades protruding from the back of the hand like claws. Each man had one on each hand, and the four steel claws glinted menacingly at Zhang Jian.

While Zhang Jian was looking at their revealed weapons, Ziming and Ziwen exchanged glances. Zhang Jian had no visible weapon. His sword, which seemed to belong to him, was leaning against the window a few steps away. In the martial world, where a single move could decide the outcome, that distance was impossible to cover.

Thinking they had an opportunity, the two men subtly bent their knees and lowered their stances. However, Zhang Jian remained standing naturally, showing no signs of preparing to defend.

The cold night air, along with the songs and shouts of drunkards on the street, flowed into the room. Moreover, the sounds of gold coins clinking, flutes playing, and courtesans singing and playing continued to come from the lower floors, indicating that the two men had not caused any trouble when they entered.

There were only three lit lamps near Zhang Jian, making the room quite dark. The three men, standing in the dim shadows, and their shadows created a strange atmosphere.

Ziwen, glancing at Ziming and Zhang Jian, soon sent a signal to his brother and kicked off the floor. The blades, half-hidden by the sleeves, flashed in the dim room as they moved toward Zhang Jian.

At the same moment, Zhang Jian also moved.

Zhang Jian’s foot kicked the wine glass on the side of the table. The glass flew toward Ziwen as if someone had thrown it with full force. Startled, he stopped and had to cross his arms to block the flying glass.

The sound of the steel tiger claw and the ceramic glass colliding echoed. Ziwen, involuntarily gritting his teeth, was pushed back slightly. His arms felt as if they had been hit by a hammer, causing a tingling pain.

But that was not all. Ziming, who had received the signal, had already approached Zhang Jian and thrust his tiger claws.

Zhang Jian, who had kicked the glass to block Ziwen, extended his hands to meet Ziming’s approaching tiger claws.

Ziming, thinking about tearing his hands apart rather than considering why he was extending them, thrust his tiger claws deeper. Zhang Jian’s hands seemed to be about to be sliced by the sharp blades.

At that moment, his hands made a strange movement. Zhang Jian’s hands, moving slowly yet quickly toward the tiger claws, made a circular motion that Ziming could not understand, avoiding the blades and grabbing his wrists.

In the next instant, Zhang Jian’s hands pulled back, and Ziming’s tiger claws were also pulled away. At the same time, Zhang Jian kicked Ziming’s stomach.

Ziming, who had lost his weapon and been kicked in the stomach in a single move, let out a groan and rolled to a corner of the room.

"Brother!"

Ziwen, who had been blocking the glass, was startled and tried to move, but Zhang Jian threw one of the tiger claws he had taken. The blade flew straight to Ziwen’s shoulder and embedded itself. He gritted his teeth in pain.

"Ah!"

But when the second tiger claw flew and pierced his left thigh, he could not hold back a scream of agony. He naturally fell to one knee.

Feeling the pain in his right shoulder and left thigh, Ziwen looked up at Zhang Jian. Realizing that he was not just a wandering warrior but a master of unimaginable skill, his face turned pale. A wandering master who did not reveal his affiliation was likely a hidden member of the Imperial Army or a warrior from an ancient noble family.

He hoped it wasn’t the case and hesitantly asked, "Who are you? Are you a master hired by another force to undermine our power?"

Zhang Jian, who had easily defeated the two, walked back to the table, picked up a wine bottle, took a swig, and leaned against the railing by the window, saying, "That force. Tell me everything you know about the underworld forces causing chaos in the back alleys of Ganshan."

Ziwen, seeing Zhang Jian’s calm eyes after just defeating two high-level warriors from Ganshan’s back alleys without any excitement, felt that he had definitely made a grave mistake. His pale face turned even darker with pain and anxiety.