Chapter 88

Zaun endured the pain in his shoulder and thigh, and with great effort, he opened his mouth.

"…What… are you curious about?"

Zhang Jian stared at his distorted face for a moment, took another sip from the wine bottle, and then asked.

"Your organization is called the Black Blood Sect?"

"…Yes."

"Then start from there. Who’s the boss, what’s the size, how’s the current conflict with other sects, and so on."

Zaun met Zhang Jian’s gaze with eyes full of many thoughts, then turned his head to glance at his still dazed brother. After a deep sigh, he spoke again.

"…If I answer well, do you believe you will let my brother and me live?"

Zhang Jian nodded as if to say, "Just try talking." Zaun sighed again and continued.

"Our boss of the Black Blood Sect is… Jiang Payang. He’s a native of this Gan Mountain. He’s a seasoned figure in the back alleys of Gan Mountain City… It was he who saw the current situation in Gan Mountain as an opportunity and expanded our Black Blood Sect’s business from the back alleys to the brothel district…"

Zaun touched the embedded hook and flinched from the pain, momentarily stiffening.

"…Yes, that situation is always the problem… You asked about the size of our Black Blood Sect? How can a back-alley gang have a precise size? We just call in known thugs to do the job and that’s our organization. But if we have to estimate, it’s probably over fifty. And all of them are currently holed up at our base, unable to go anywhere."

"Why?"

"…Do you really know nothing?"

Zhang Jian slowly shook his head in response to the question. Zaun swallowed and continued.

"Because of the war with other organizations. The back alleys of Gan Mountain are currently in a battle among three major gangs and a few smaller ones, all vying to be the dominant force in this land. Our Black Blood Sect is one of those major gangs, but the situation has been bad for a few days, so we’ve minimized our external operations. Coming to Taiping Tower to collect money was one of those minimal movements… We need money to eat, after all…"

"Is the situation of your organization bad?"

"…Because of the Huilong Sect."

When Zaun answered, Zhang Jian chuckled.

"Would I understand if you say that? Who are the Huilong Sect?"

"…They are the latest to join the Gan Mountain underworld war, and they are the most vicious and insane. Even back-alley gangs have their limits and principles. Once those are crossed, they become nothing more than a group of murderers… And the Huilong Sect are exactly those murderers."

Zhang Jian put down the bottle and crossed his arms. A suddenly appearing group of murderers crossing all lines. It seemed he might catch the shadow of the Demon Palace faster than expected.

"Are they part of the three major gangs?"

"No. They didn’t have the numbers to join the war. When they first appeared in the back alleys, there were only three or four of them. But those few were quite skilled and had vicious methods, quickly devouring smaller gangs and growing in size… At this rate, the entire underworld of Gan Mountain will fall into their hands."

Zhang Jian, who had been crossing his arms, tilted his head at Zaun’s words.

"A group of murderers taking over the city’s underworld. Why isn’t the Martial Arts Alliance taking action?"

"…The Martial Arts Alliance, yes, the Martial Arts Alliance. They are the biggest problem."

"Why?"

Zaun’s face grew increasingly pale as he laughed.

"The reason the back alleys of Gan Mountain have become chaotic is because of the Martial Arts Alliance, specifically the Yellow Army. A few months ago, it was revealed that the head of the Shanghang Association, Sun Guang, had learned demonic arts and was supporting demons. He was exterminated by the Yellow Army. As a result, the Shanghang Association of Gan Mountain was completely destroyed. At the same time, all sorts of riffraff rushed in to pick up the pieces of the shattered interests…"

As he spoke, Zaun grimaced. The pain from the embedded hook was becoming harder to bear. Zhang Jian, watching him, suddenly did something. He patted the back of the man he had been leaning against and walked up to him. Without a word, he pulled out the embedded hook from the man looking up at him.

"Aah!"

As the blade was pulled out, blood spurted from the wound, but Zhang Jian’s hand moved like lightning, pressing deeply around the wound. The bleeding stopped, and Zaun, who had screamed in fiery pain, could not hide his surprise.

"…I know that martial arts experts of the Martial Arts Alliance can do similar things… Could you be an inspector of the Alliance?"

"Just continue the story."

Zaun swallowed. His expression seemed to suggest that he had guessed Zhang Jian’s identity. Of course, Zhang Jian, regardless of that, flicked his fingers in front of the man’s eyes, urging him to regain his composure and continue the story.

"…After dealing with Sun Guang and the demons, the Yellow Army withdrew from Gan Mountain. It’s said there was a problem in Xianshanchuan, but I don’t know the details. Anyway, after that, it was the Martial Arts Alliance’s turn to quell the chaos. If they had acted then, the influence of the Martial Arts Alliance would have completely dominated this city. But they didn’t. I don’t know why. There are rumors of conflicts with the main branch or that the branch leader lost his mind, but no one knows the real reason why the Martial Arts Alliance didn’t act."

Zaun was hesitant to speak clearly about the Martial Arts Alliance. It seemed he had started to think that Zhang Jian was from the Martial Arts Alliance.

"Anyway, for whatever reason, the Martial Arts Alliance didn’t act, so what should we do now? It’s natural to increase our numbers and expand our business to seize control of this city."

"Even if they don’t act now, the branch of the Martial Arts Alliance will still be there. If they act later, won’t all the business be ruined?"

"Think about it differently. If we can unify the underworld of Gan Mountain before the Martial Arts Alliance acts again, and concentrate all that power, then we won’t be in a position to be exterminated by the Martial Arts Alliance. Instead, we might have a position to negotiate. Perhaps we could even be the first gang to join the Martial Arts Alliance."

It was a far-fetched idea. No matter how large the Martial Arts Alliance, they would eventually crush the gangs of Gan Mountain. A few small gangs might be tolerated, but a large gang of hundreds would never be allowed to exist.

However, Zhang Jian didn’t bother to point that out. He wanted to hear this man’s information, not change his mind.

"Right, the branch of the Martial Arts Alliance is silent for unknown reasons, the Yellow Army has been out of Gan Mountain for a while, and the underworld organizations that were fighting fiercely until recently are now dominated by the Huilong Sect, who cross all lines. So, instead of increasing the troops, you and your brother came to deal with me quickly and secretly. Is that right?"

Zaun nodded dumbly at Zhang Jian’s concise summary.

"…Yes. That’s… all of it."

"It’s not all. Where is the base of the Huilong Sect?"

"The base of the Huilong Sect?"

Zaun’s expression remained blank.

"…I don’t know that either?"

"Why don’t you know? You just said they are the most dangerous."

Sweat trickled down his blank face.

"…Because their leaders move very secretly. If we could find their base, the other underworld organizations would have joined forces to attack them first. They grew too quickly. No matter how many people we sent, they only ended up as corpses and couldn’t find the base of the Huilong Sect. Why would we be besieged in one place?"

Zhang Jian’s expression stiffened slightly.

"Really don’t know?"

Seeing the change in his expression, sweat started to trickle down Zaun’s face. He moved his lips, hesitated, and then, seeing Zhang Jian’s expression fading, said urgently.

"Maybe the boss knows! At least he might have some clues!"

"Is that so? Then I need to see your boss."

"Y-Yes?"

Zhang Jian, who had been squatting in front of Zaun, stood up and approached Ziming, who was still dazed, and kicked his side. Ziming, perhaps due to the pain, groaned and came to his senses.

"What… is this…?"

"Explain. I’m going to carry you to your boss."

Zhang Jian said this to Ziming, who was staring at him blankly, and walked towards the open window. As he walked, he searched his pocket and skillfully rolled a cigarette. He then lit it with his index finger, puffed out smoke, and looked out at the street. There was a damp smell in the air, and it seemed it would rain soon.

* * *

When Zhang Jian, wearing a conical hat and carrying a sword, led the Zha brothers of the Black Blood Sect down to the first floor, the brothel suddenly became quiet. Ziming, carrying his brother on his back, quickly bowed to hide his face, but the drunkards who had already recognized him started to murmur.

"Those two… aren’t they the Twin Blood Claws of the Black Blood Sect?"

"Seems they got beaten up."

"Looks like it. The way they walk isn’t even like a tiger, more like a dog."

"Hmm. Right. We should call them the Twin Claws now."

The drunkards, well into their cups, spoke freely. Ziming, walking at the front, heard the voices and tried to look around to find the speakers, but Zhang Jian raised his hand in front of his face to block his view.

"Go."

Ziming, unable to say anything, bowed his head and trudged towards the door of Taiping Tower. The drunkards, seeing this, laughed and started to mock them even louder. But when Zhang Jian stopped and slowly looked around the brothel, they all fell silent. The eyes under the conical hat had that kind of power.

As Zhang Jian was about to leave the quiet brothel, he saw someone standing by the door. It was Guan Liang.

The boy sent the Zha brothers ahead and then said to Zhang Jian.

"…Where are you going?"

"Just going out for a bit. Take good care of my luggage and give a carrot to Zaozao."

Zhang Jian said this and flicked a coin to Guan Liang. The boy, still holding the coin, looked a bit worried but nodded when he saw Zhang Jian’s faint smile. Zhang Jian also nodded lightly to Zhang Aying, who was standing next to him, and then left the brothel.

The damp smell of rain he had sensed before was not a delusion; raindrops were already falling.

Ziming, carrying his brother on his back, faced the rain with a grim expression. His brother was seriously injured, and he had to escort a dangerous person to the organization, and now it was raining. It was a situation he had not anticipated at all before entering Taiping Tower. His face was naturally distorted.

He saw Zhang Jian, who had followed him out, and bowed his head deeply, then started walking. The rain quickly intensified, and Ziming’s head and the brother on his back were soon soaked.

At that moment, the brother on his back whispered very softly in Ziming’s ear.

"Seems this guy is a martial arts expert from the main branch of the Martial Arts Alliance. He might be here to raid the Gan Mountain branch. Let’s just do as he says for now."

Ziming did not respond or even nod. His brother’s whisper could be drowned out by the rain, but he could not do the same.

Of course, Zhang Jian, who was following a step behind, heard everything, including the rain, and just chuckled. If they wanted to mistake him for a martial arts expert, he could let them. At least they wouldn’t do anything foolish out of fear of his identity.

After a while, as raindrops fell on Zhang Jian’s conical hat, the three moved through the streets, passing by people running for shelter and those with umbrellas, and arrived at the inn district.

The Zha brothers, walking at the front, soon turned into a dark and narrow alley where rainwater was pooling. After a while, Ziming stopped in front of the back door of an inn and knocked.

"It’s me! Open the door!"

It was a simple and straightforward call, without any secret signals. Soon, a small window at the top of the door opened, and a pair of eyes looked out. The eyes, seeing the soaked Ziming and his brother, blinked in surprise and then noticed Zhang Jian standing under the conical hat behind them.

"…What’s going on? Are you okay?"

"Just open the door and tell the boss we’re here!"

The eyes behind the door blinked at the call and then closed the window with a thud. After some noise, the door was opened.

"What’s this? Just come in and tell the boss yourselves."

"…You idiot…"

Ziming’s intention was to warn the boss, Jiang Payang, to be prepared for an unfamiliar guest, but the foolish subordinate just opened the door with a blank face. Ziming had no choice but to carry his brother inside. Zhang Jian followed with a stern expression.

After the short corridor from the back door, a typical inn with a central courtyard and multiple floors was revealed. Many tables, a staircase leading to the second and third floors, and raindrops falling from the open sky.

What made this inn different from others was that the people sitting inside were not ordinary guests but members of the Black Blood Sect, and all the windows were closed and boarded up, making the entire place dim.

"Boss! We’re here!"

At Ziming’s call, the gang members, who were scattered around, slowly stood up. Among them was a large man with a bare upper body, covered in elaborate tattoos, who turned to look at Ziming and then stiffened.

Ziming looked like a drenched rat, and his brother, Zayun, was in bad shape. And there was a tall swordsman in a conical hat standing behind them, which was enough to make anyone stiffen.

"Hey! That, that guy!"

At that moment, a thug with a bandaged hand pointed at Zhang Jian and trembled. He, along with two other thugs with bandaged jaws, were shaking. Jiang Payang, the large man with tattoos, understood who the man in the conical hat was.

He said with a stern face.

"Ziming, Zayun. What’s this? Are you betraying us?"

"It’s not that, boss. There was