Chapter 35: Injured While Protecting Ah Gui
"Tiezi," Fang Che lowered his voice, trying not to let his throat tremble, "it seems we have no choice but to drink this tea."
Cheng Tieniu gripped the shovel tightly, veins bulging on his arm: "Che, I'll clear a path, you run to the main street! Find Boss Li!"
"And you?"
"I can handle it!"
Fang Che felt a lump in his throat.
That idiot!
Mad Dog Qiang didn't give them time, waving his hand and saying, "Go! Just leave them breathing!"
A dozen or so thugs roared and pounced!
Cheng Tieniu roared and swept his shovel across the ground, knocking down two people, but he was immediately surrounded by more people.
The steel pipe hit him on the back with a dull thud.
Fang Che swung the sack wildly, shouting in Northeastern dialect, "Bullying the weak with numbers! Have you no shame! Let's fight one-on-one!"
Nobody paid him any attention. Two henchmen grabbed his arms and easily subdued him.
"Che!" Cheng Tieniu's eyes turned red, and he tried to rush over, but was held back tightly.
Mad Dog Qiang strode over, grabbed Fang Che's chin, and forced him to look up.
"Tsk, what a pity that your face is all slashed." He pulled out his switchblade and pressed the blade against his cheek.
Fang Che's hair stood on end, his mind racing: Brother Li, help! Where's Ah Gui?! I haven't even had my pork stew with vermicelli yet! I can't be disfigured!
The blade is about to unleash its power—
"Bang!"
The henchman who grabbed his left arm fell to the ground, blood seeping from the back of his head.
The dark figure vaulted over the low wall, landed silently, and kicked another henchman away!
Ghost!
He was wearing a black vest, his arm muscles were bulging, and the scars on his face were taut.
He was carrying a piece of rusty water pipe, his eyes cold.
"Brother Gui!" Fang Che was both surprised and delighted.
Ah Gui ignored him, swung the water pipe at one of the men to knock him away, and yelled at Cheng Tieniu, "Take him away!"
Cheng Tieniu swung his shovel violently, smashed open a gap, grabbed Fang Che, and ran!
"Stop him!" Mad Dog roared violently.
The henchman lunged at Ah Gui.
Ah Gui swung the water pipe, targeting joints, and knocked down two more people.
But he was overwhelmed and quickly surrounded, with steel pipes and machetes attacking from all sides.
"Brother Gui!" Fang Che turned around and saw that A Gui had been hit on the back and staggered. His heart clenched.
"Go!" Ah Gui roared without turning his head.
Fang Che gritted his teeth and followed Cheng Tieniu towards the alley entrance.
One of the pursuers was knocked down by a shovel, and the other had a sack placed over his head.
The two broke through the encirclement and ran desperately toward the main street.
The sounds of fighting behind them continued.
Fang Che's old ankle injury flared up, and every step he took was excruciatingly painful.
But he dared not stop.
After running for several dozen meters, he suddenly stopped.
"Che? What's wrong?" Cheng Tieniu asked anxiously.
Fang Che, panting, turned to look at the warehouse.
The sounds of fighting subsided, but continued.
“No…” His lips trembled. “Tiezi, we can’t just leave like this.”
"Going back is suicide!"
"We have to go back, even if it means dying!" Fang Che's eyes reddened. "Brother Gui got into this mess because of us! I have no reason to abandon my brother!"
Cheng Tieniu nodded emphatically: "Okay! Let's go for it!"
What can we use to piece it together?
Fang Che glanced around and noticed two cleavers leaning against the door of a backyard. They were rusty but heavy and sturdy.
He rushed over and grabbed the two swords, which were so heavy that he almost dropped them.
Cheng Tieniu picked up a thick wooden stick.
"Go!" Fang Che gripped the hilt of his knife, turned around, and rushed back.
When the two rushed back to the open space, Ah Gui was already kneeling on the ground, bleeding from his left arm, and the water pipe was broken.
Seven or eight people had fallen around them, but Mad Dog Qiang and five or six henchmen were still closing in.
"Ah Gui, is it worth it for a pretty boy?" Mad Dog spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
Ah Gui didn't answer, he just stared at him intently.
The mad dog forcefully raised its knife, ready to strike—
"stop!!!"
Loud shouts and explosions.
Everyone turned around and saw Fang Che rushing back with two large swords in his hands, followed closely by Cheng Tieniu.
"Mad Dog Qiang! Come at me!" Fang Che gasped for breath, leaning on his knife, his face flushed red.
Ah Gui was stunned.
Mad Dog Qiang was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Back to die? And with two broken knives?"
"Enough with the nonsense!" Fang Che gritted his teeth. "Tiezi! Protect Brother Gui!"
He didn't know how to use a knife at all; he just swung it around randomly.
The cleaver was heavy and intimidating to swing, forcing the two henchmen to take a few steps back.
Cheng Tieniu shielded A Gui and brandished his wooden stick.
"Chop him up!" Mad Dog roared furiously.
The chaos reignites.
Fang Che closed his eyes and slashed wildly, taking several blows to his back and arms.
In the chaos, a henchman circled around and slashed at Ah Gui's vest with a knife!
"Brother Gui, watch out!" Fang Che rushed over without thinking.
The blade cuts into the flesh.
Fang Che's body stiffened.
I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder, and blood gushed out.
The bone-cutting knife clattered to the ground.
"Che!!!" Cheng Tieniu roared.
Ah Gui's pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the back of the figure blocking his way, at the crimson stain, his mind going blank.
This kid... took a knife for him?
Mad Dog was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "You hit it! Keep going—"
Before the words were even finished!
"squeak--!!!"
The screeching sound of brakes echoed at the alley entrance.
A black sedan rushed in, and before it had even come to a complete stop, the door was already open.
Li Hanzhou took a step forward.
His face was gloomy, and his phoenix eyes were filled with suppressed ferocity.
Without even looking at the situation on the field, he charged straight at Mad Dog Qiang!
"Li...Li Hanzhou?!" Mad Dog was terrified and raised his knife to block.
Li Hanzhou dodged the blade and punched him in the face!
"Crack!"
The sound of the nasal bone breaking was clearly audible.
Mad Dog Qiang screamed and fell to the ground.
Li Hanzhou stepped on his wrist, which was holding the knife, and crushed it with force!
"ah--!!!"
The cracking sound of bones breaking and screams of agony mingled together.
The other henchmen were terrified when they saw Li Hanzhou arrive in person, and they dropped their weapons and tried to run away.
But then several more members of the Heyitang gang rushed in from the alleyway and surrounded them.
Li Hanzhou ignored Mad Dog Qiang and turned to walk to Fang Che's side.
The boy was pale and only managed to stay upright by leaning on Cheng Tieniu. Blood was flowing continuously from his left shoulder, staining half of his upper body red.
His eyes were somewhat unfocused, and he murmured, "...It hurts...Brother Li...I haven't eaten the pork stew with vermicelli yet..."
Li Hanzhou's heart tightened.
He took off his coat, tore off the lining fabric, and pressed it hard against Fang Che's wound.
“Ache,” his voice was low and steady, “look at me.”
Fang Che strained to focus his gaze, meeting Li Hanzhou's eyes. Those eyes were no longer cold, but held something deep and turbulent.
“It’s alright,” Li Hanzhou said, his grip steady and firm. “I’ll take you back.”
He picked Fang Che up horizontally.
“Brother Li…Brother Gui…” Fang Che weakly pointed to A Gui, who was still kneeling on the ground.
Ah Gui's arm injury was not minor, but it was much lighter than Fang Che's knife wound.
He struggled to stand up.
Li Hanzhou glanced at him and said to the underlings who caught up, "Help Ah Gui into the car. Everyone else, clean up."
His gaze finally fell on the mad dog Qiang, who was lying on the ground howling in pain.
"Leave him alive, take him back with you."
"Yes, Brother Li!"
The black sedan sped away.
In the back seat of the carriage, Li Hanzhou held Fang Che and pressed his wound with a handkerchief.
The blood was still seeping, and the boy's body temperature was dropping.
"Drive faster!" Li Hanzhou shouted at the driver.
In the passenger seat, Ah Gui clutched his injured left arm and looked through the rearview mirror at Fang Che, who was unconscious in Li Hanzhou's arms, and at Li Hanzhou's tense jawline and anxious eyes.
He looked down at the blood splattered on his clothes, blood that belonged to Fang Che.
That splash of red was blinding.
That pretty boy... really ran away.
Then I came back.
Holding two ridiculous knives, he used his frail body to shield himself.
Ah Gui closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing.
What kept replaying in his mind was Fang Che's figure rushing over when the blade fell, and the look he gave him before he fell to the ground... No complaints, no regrets, and even a little foolishness.
A crack appeared in the solid barrier of contempt deep within my heart.
---
Portland Street, the headquarters of Wo Yee Tong.
Uncle Chen has prepared the medicines and equipment.
Fang Che was placed on the bed in the inner room.
The wound was deep, but fortunately it didn't hit any vital organs.
Chen Boqing performed the wound, sutures, and bandages with swift and efficient movements.
Throughout the entire process, Li Hanzhou stood by the bedside without saying a word, his aura frighteningly low.
Ah Gui's arm injury had been treated, and he stood outside the door without going in.
Xi Rong's eyes were red from crying, and Cheng Tie Niu pulled her aside to comfort her.
After treating the wound, Uncle Chen wiped his sweat: "His life is saved, but he lost a lot of blood and needs to recover. This child is weak and his injuries are quite severe."
Li Hanzhou hummed in agreement, his gaze falling on Fang Che's pale face.
The anesthesia hadn't worn off, and the boy was still unconscious, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Uncle Chen, use the best medicine."
"rest assured."
Uncle Chen left and closed the door behind him.
Only Li Hanzhou and the unconscious Fang Che remained in the room.
Li Hanzhou sat down by the bed, reached out and lightly touched Fang Che's uninjured right cheek with his fingertips; the touch was icy cold.
Almost there.
If he had arrived a moment later...
A strange sense of lingering fear crept up my spine.
He was used to being in control of everything, but Fang Che was like a shooting star that didn't follow its trajectory, crashing into his world, disrupting his plans, and stirring his emotions.
And now, this meteor almost shattered itself in order to protect the person who was in it.
Is it worth it?
He didn't know.
All he knew was that the moment he saw Fang Che bleeding and falling, his killing intent was stronger than ever before.
Footsteps sounded outside the door and stopped at the entrance.
Li Hanzhou got up and walked out of the room.
Ah Gui stood in the dimly lit corridor, head down.
“Brother Li.” His voice was hoarse.
Li Hanzhou looked at him.
“I…” Ah Gui’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “I couldn’t protect him.”
“Mad Dog Qiang came prepared,” Li Hanzhou said calmly. “It’s not entirely your fault.”
“But he…” Ah Gui looked up, “He came back. And for me…”
“I know,” Li Hanzhou interrupted him. “That’s why he’s the brother I, Li Hanzhou, have recognized.”
Ah Gui was startled.
brother.
Li Hanzhou never used this word lightly.
“A-Gui,” Li Hanzhou looked at him, “you are the person I trust most. What do you think of what happened today?”
Ah Gui remained silent for a long time.
“I was wrong,” he said in a hoarse voice. “Fang Che… he’s brave and loyal. He’s not a pretty boy, he’s a real man.”
As soon as I said those words, the crack in my heart widened dramatically.
Those pent-up contempt and prejudices collapsed like a sandcastle.
A flicker of emotion crossed Li Hanzhou's eyes.
"Behind Mad Dog Qiang, there's more than just Jiang Tianqi." He changed the subject, "Ma Wang handed over the knife."
Ah Gui's eyes flashed sharply: "Horse King?! He dares!"
“What wouldn’t he dare to do?” Li Hanzhou sneered. “The longer he’s been a mole, the bolder he becomes. Perfect, let’s settle both the old and new scores together.”
He glanced at the tightly closed door.
“When he wakes up, you come and tell him that his ‘Chefeng Express’ will be paid for by the branch to provide a few legitimate tricycles.”
Ah Gui was taken aback, then understood and nodded emphatically: "Yes!"
Li Hanzhou turned around and looked out the window at the night.
Fang Che's blow was not in vain.
Mad Dog Qiang will pay the price.
King Ma will pay the price.
Jiang Tianqi... will also have to pay the price.
He will protect this piece of Northeast wood that bled for him and for Ah Gui.
In his way.
---
The night grew deeper.
Temple Street, second floor of "Xinglong Hotel".
Lu Che stood by the window, looking at the flashing police lights and ambulance lights in the direction of Portland Street in the distance, his brows furrowed.
He had just received news that a brawl had broken out at the end of Portland Street, resulting in multiple injuries, one of which was serious. Rumors suggested that the Wo Yee Tong and Tung Sing Society were involved.
Who was injured?
He recalled the direction Fang Che and Cheng Tieniu had left in that afternoon on their tricycle... it was at the end of the street.
Could it be that carefree boy from Northeast China?
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