Chapter 45 In a moment of stunned silence, two daggers...
While he was momentarily stunned, two daggers rushed toward the bearded man with incredible speed.
A man with a thick beard is clearly a seasoned veteran of the underworld. Though his character is despicable, he does possess some genuine skills.
After spotting the object out of the corner of his eye, he reacted quickly, twisting the direction of the short knife in his hand and blocking it in an instant. The blades clashed together with a crisp clang, and the knife was cut off less than an inch from the bearded man's eyes.
Before he could even catch his breath, a sharp pain shot through his lower body. Looking down, he saw another dagger, which he had overlooked, already firmly embedded in that embarrassing spot.
"Ouch!" He gasped in pain, his whole body breaking out in a cold sweat. Since the dagger had not yet been pulled out, he dared not move his wound and could only stand still.
The sudden turn of events threw the other six into a panic. Just a moment ago everything was fine, and they were preparing to act arrogantly, but in the blink of an eye, the situation had completely reversed.
Seeing the spot where their boss was bleeding profusely, the henchmen all tensed up, looking at each other with panic in their eyes.
He An: "You arrived just in time. If you had been a second later, we would have been hacked to death."
When Xie Pei arrived, He An's heart sank back down, but his calves were still trembling. Heaven knows how devastated he felt when facing seven gleaming short swords. If Xie Pei hadn't come soon, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Thankfully, at least he no longer has to fight alone against seven opponents.
If Zhu Mingyue knew what he was thinking, she would be furious. What did he mean by fighting alone against seven opponents? Wasn't he human? His fighting skills were also very high!
Xie Pei exuded a fierce aura as he stepped across the threshold and walked towards the crowd, his eyes sweeping over everyone present except Zhu Mingyue with icy gazes.
Xie Pei asked in a deep voice, "Are you alright?"
Zhu Mingyue subconsciously shook her head: "You've come at the perfect time; the fight hasn't started yet."
The bearded man, who had traveled all over the country for many years, found it hard to believe that he was being double-oppressed by a blond kid, both physically and mentally. A single glance from the kid made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
The physical pain quickly brought him back to his senses from the intense oppression, and shame and resentment filled his mind.
The bearded man commanded, "Brothers, what are you waiting for? Charge!" He was unable to move, but his six brothers were no pushovers either; each of them had blood on their hands. He had only been careless and fallen into this kid's trap. He didn't believe that six men couldn't defeat three opponents.
Hearing their leader speak, the six men seemed to have found their backbone, barely managing to steady themselves. They brandished their short knives, the sharp blades reflecting a blinding light in the sunlight.
Realizing that Xie Pei's abilities were not to be underestimated, two of them split up and went towards He An and Zhu Mingyue respectively, while the remaining four charged straight at Xie Pei.
The two daggers Xie Pei was carrying had already flown out the moment the door was kicked open; one bounced to the ground, while the other was still stuck in the bearded man's body.
Zhu Mingyue placed the pot on the table, bent down to barely dodge the attack, and watched as the blade came after her again. She then crawled under the table using both hands and feet.
The other party relentlessly pursued him, but fortunately, his shop had many tables and benches that were still messy and hadn't been tidied up yet. He used these tables and benches as cover and crawled forward on the ground like a dog.
Xie Pei's dagger was inches away from him. Zhu Mingyue rolled to the side to avoid the other party's pursuit again, and grabbed the leftover dumpling soup bowl from the table and threw it at the man's face.
The other party was clearly a skilled martial artist; he smashed the bowl with a single palm strike.
Zhu Mingyue's breath hitched. After realizing what was happening, he continued throwing soup bowls. Since there were plenty of soup bowls on the table, he moved towards the dagger while simultaneously launching soup bowls.
Although the other person was able to precisely smash the bowl, they couldn't control the spilled soup, and inevitably ended up with soup and dumpling wrappers all over their face.
If it were just these things, it wouldn't be a problem. However, some customers like spicy food, so Zhu Mingyue will provide unlimited amounts of her homemade chili oil for free.
Chili oil mixed in soup may not be noticeable at first glance, but it's a different story when it gets in your eyes.
The man chased for a few steps before stopping and rubbing his eyes with the corner of his clothes. In those few seconds, Zhu Mingyue quickly grabbed the dagger, staggered a few steps around the man, and shouted to Xie Pei, "Xie Pei, catch!"
Xie Pei delivered a precise side kick to the opponent's abdomen. He was a ruthless fighter with many moves, and although he was unarmed, every move was deadly. The four men could not easily get close to him, but they managed to trap them in the middle and prevent them from breaking through.
Although Xie Pei was still entangled with these people, his gaze remained fixed on the person who was struggling to crawl like a dog. Seeing that he had actually obtained a dagger through childish tricks of smashing and tearing things up, he was about to throw it to him, so he quickly caught it.
With a powerful weapon in hand, Xie Pei's moves became even more ruthless. He began to take the initiative and, in the blink of an eye, the tip of his blade pierced his opponent's chest.
"Watch out behind you!" Zhu Mingyue, relying on her light and agile movements, nimbly dodged another attack. Looking up, she inadvertently saw the bearded man who had slowly moved behind Xie Pei at some point, gritting his teeth and looking hateful as he raised a short knife and threw it at Xie Pei's back.
Xie Pei turned and dodged, the blade grazing his cheek before he caught it firmly in his hand.
Not only did the bearded man fail to achieve his intended purpose, but he also gave Xie Peiping an extra weapon, which Xie then used on his brothers, hacking them to pieces and terrifying them.
He An was in trouble. When he heard Zhu Mingyue shout "Watch out behind you!", he subconsciously looked behind him. In the time it took for the person who had been evenly matched with him to take advantage of the situation and kick him in the groin.
He An was in so much pain he wanted to clutch his groin. He realized he had been deluding himself. Zhu Mingyue's reminder wasn't about him at all; there was no one else behind him.
In retaliation, he slashed the porcelain shard at the other man's groin, shouting, "What did I ever do to you? If you want revenge for your boss, go ahead and kick him in the groin!"
Xie Pei was fighting four opponents at once, no, it was two at once now. Two of them were already on the ground, and he was now completely at ease. After he finished shouting, he even glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally.
He An was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He really was just saying it casually. Was the groin of a big shot something that just anyone could kick?
Zhu Mingyue was clever. Seeing that the four people were about to fall one after another, and that she was no match for the person chasing her, she ran towards Xie Pei with tears streaming down her face.
He apologized as he ran, saying, "I'm sorry, Xie Pei. Whether I hit one or two people, it's still the same. I might as well settle this one too."
Xie Pei didn't say anything, but pulled him behind him and swung his knife so fast that only afterimages remained, making Zhu Mingyue, who was watching from a short distance, envious.
The last man was slashed in both legs and fell to the ground with a thud. Zhu Mingyue finally turned her gaze to the other side of the battlefield.
He An and the man fought fiercely, their weapons falling several meters away, and they rolled around on the ground in a tangled mess.
Zhu Mingyue wanted to help but couldn't find the right approach, so she turned her attention to Xie Pei again.
Xie Pei threw his short knife, accurately slashing the man's side. He An seized the opportunity and twisted the man's waist hard. The screams were like those of a pig being slaughtered, echoing throughout the shop.
Thus, the last of the bearded henchmen died.
Although Zhu Mingyue couldn't fully empathize, she was still shocked by this despicable tactic.
Is this still the same He An who was diligent and conscientious in his work, law-abiding, and shy in private?
It wasn't until He An got up from the ground, clutching his groin and walking awkwardly, that it dawned on me that he hadn't gone astray, but rather that the honest man had been pushed to the limit and was now using the same method to retaliate.
Zhu Mingyue suppressed the urge to smile and asked with concern, "Are you alright there?"
When asked about this, He An, a fifteen-year-old boy, was stunned for a moment, then blushed bright red. However, he still told the truth, "I don't know either." He was still in pain from the kick, and it was inconvenient for him to verify it while he was out. He was feeling uneasy.
Hearing this, Zhu Mingyue stopped smiling and said seriously, "Is he really going to die? Go to the bank and get two taels of silver to take him to a nearby clinic. If there's really a problem, don't worry about the money; you can get him treated without worry." This kid is still a minor, and he got injured because he helped him fight. That's his fault, and even if he has to empty his pockets, he has to take responsibility for He An.
He An didn't think so. He knew Zhu Mingyue meant well, but a child his age was already sensible and had his own self-respect. Hearing the word "can't" was like having his sore spot hit. His face turned red, and he was about to defend his self-respect with a stern voice: "Who said I can't? You're the one who can't. I saw you fight clearly. You ran away like a puppy. You don't know how to fight at all; you can only hide." He pointed a finger at Xie Pei, "And he can't either. He can't even beat me in a fight. He, he, he, they're all no good. He..." He pointed at Xie Pei, met his cold eyes, his lips twitched, and he decisively admitted defeat, "He's very good."
Zhu Mingyue: "..." A rooster disguised as a human! A rooster disguised as a human! You brat, you're playing favorites, aren't you! He admitted that his fighting skills were indeed relatively weak and had a lot of room for improvement, but he couldn't deny that he was very good at dodging! In his opinion, being good at running away was also a skill, so why was it worthless in He An's mouth?
Zhu Mingyue was still angry, but considering that the other party might have a problem with a certain special part of his body, she decided not to argue with him.
The bearded man and his brother were tied up with hemp rope by Xie Pei, and the shop door was already closed.
Zhu Mingyue walked up to the group and began interrogating them: "Tell me, who sent you?"
The bearded man gritted his teeth, staring intently at Xie Pei without saying a word. His eyes resembled those of a ravenous wolf. Zhu Mingyue had no doubt that if given a chance to escape, the man would not hesitate to rush at Xie Pei and tear him to pieces.
The bearded man remained silent, and his underlings dared not utter a word, tacitly keeping their lips tightly pressed together.
He was afraid of the hungry wolf, but he wasn't afraid of the injured and restrained one. He slapped the bearded man across the face, his palm aching from the force. He shook his hand and continued to threaten, "Speak quickly, or I'll kill you all."
He An was speechless. It would be better to let Xie Pei say those harsh words. Even if it was just Xie Pei, it would still be more intimidating than if the shopkeeper said them.
The bearded man suddenly laughed, tilting his head back and laughing wildly. He opened his mouth in a provocative manner: "Your palms are so soft! They're making my heart itch. Why don't you slap me a couple more times and make me feel good before I consider whether to talk or not?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
