From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 73 More Money Next Time

Xiong Kuo recognized the fan; it was embroidered with the Golden Snake Gang's logo.

The Golden Snake Gang is the biggest local tyrant in the southern part of the capital. On the surface, they run martial arts schools, but secretly they lend money at exorbitant interest rates, take a cut, and collect protection fees. It is said that the Second Prince is backing them.

"I won't do it."

Xiong Kuo said, "We are regular soldiers."

"A proper soldier? Haha, one of the Crown Prince's men in the Eastern Palace?" The young man closed his fan, his smile fading slightly. "My name is Jin Er, the second-in-command of the Golden Snake Gang. Go back and tell your master that the Eastern Palace has no right to interfere in the Southern City. If I see you again, don't blame us for being impolite."

After he finished speaking, he left with his men.

Iron Chain Liu was still squatting on the ground. Only after Jin Er had walked far away did he raise his head and lower his voice to say to Sun Dayong:

"Be careful, the Golden Serpent Gang is ruthless and merciless. Their leader, Golden Serpent Gentleman, is a third-grade Spirit Cultivator at the Enlightenment Realm, and he is invincible throughout the Southern City."

Sun Dayong put away the white waxwood stick and smiled dismissively: "So what if you're at the Insightful Realm? Our general has even captured a barbarian commander alive."

Iron Chain Liu didn't say anything more, he just shook his head.

That evening, upon returning to the East Palace, Xiong Kuo recounted the entire story of the carriage and horse shop to Lin Yan.

Lin Yan listened without saying anything; the Second Prince was behind the Golden Snake Gang.

The second prince, Li Zhengming, was the crown prince's half-brother, and the two had been fighting in the court for more than a decade.

The Crown Prince has spies in the northern border, and the Second Prince has a faction in the capital. Both of them have extended their reach into each other's sphere of influence.

Xiong Kuo and his group simply went to the south of the city to spar with some street fighters. They didn't do anything, but the Golden Snake Gang spotted them. One of their gangs came to provoke anyone associated with the Eastern Palace. It seems the conflict between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince is truly intense.

"Master Qi," Lin Yan said to Qi the bodyguard after thinking for a moment, "Since the Golden Snake Gang is so hostile to people related to the Eastern Palace, let's change our location and not go to the south of the city. Tomorrow, have Xiong Kuo call out a few martial arts practitioners from the carriage shop to spar. Try to stay as far away from the south of the city as possible. If the Golden Snake Gang continues to cause trouble, you take them away and don't let them suffer any losses or deaths."

Qi, the bodyguard, took a puff of his cigarette: "The Golden Snake Gang's leader, Golden Snake Gentleman, is a third-rank official. I'm not sure I can control him."

Qi the镖师 looked at him, then at Xiong Kuo and Sun Dayong, sighed and said, "Alright, considering you learned my double swords, you're practically my apprentice now, so I'll help you out."

……

After closing the door at night, he re-examined the knife skills he had learned from Master Qi and the free-fighting techniques he had heard from Iron Chain Liu.

Xiong Kuo's height and strength are suitable for frontal suppression, while Sun Dayong's archery and staff skills are suitable for long-range control and roaming.

However, the streets and alleys of the capital were narrow, which prevented Xiong Kuo from fully utilizing his powerful and unrestrained attacks. Sun Dayong could only fire a few arrows in the street fighting before he had to replace his sword.

It needs to be changed.

Lin Yan broke down the Swimming Step into three basic steps and taught them to Xiong Kuo.

Xiong Kuo's gait has always been straightforward; when he tries to change it, it's as awkward as an old ox trying to dance.

Despite his awkwardness, he practiced all night and finally managed to perform the simplest side slide step by dawn.

Lin Yan taught Sun Dayong a newly developed set of stick techniques.

The match with Iron Chain Liu inspired Lin Yan. Street fighters all use short weapons, such as chains, short knives, and iron rulers. When facing long sticks, the disadvantage is not the short weapons themselves, but the inability to get close or retreat.

Lin Yan instructed Sun Dayong to add a short spearhead to the tip of the stick, so that it could be used as both a stick and a spear.

This way, no matter how the other party changes, Sun Dayong will have a way to deal with it.

……

Early on the third day, something happened in the southern part of the capital.

Xiong Kuo and Zhang Dabiao were drinking tea at a teahouse, waiting for Sun Dayong to go to the carriage shop to invite two martial arts masters to come out for a sparring match. Sun Dayong did arrive, but he was followed by more than twenty members of the Golden Snake Gang. Sun Dayong was taken hostage by them, and the twenty-odd people blocked the five narrow alleys from the front and back, trapping Xiong Kuo and Zhang Dabiao inside the teahouse.

The leader, Jin Ershou, pointed a folding fan at Xiong Kuo and said, "Kid, I told you not to show your face in Nancheng again, but you still came to cause trouble. You have to give me an explanation today."

With so many people blocking the alley entrance in a menacing manner, the surrounding tea drinkers scattered in a commotion.

Xiong Kuo slammed his thick-backed sword on the ground and stood up: "What do you mean, 'explain'? Can't you even open your dog eyes and see where you are? Is this still South City? Besides, we just went to invite a few martial arts masters to spar, we're not even on your South City territory, what's the meaning of you blocking our door?"

Jin Er closed his fan and said, "Then, according to you, we'll invite you to have a friendly spar today."

With that, he waved his hand, and more than twenty people poured in from the narrow alleyway, brandishing knives, chains, and iron rulers.

Xiong Kuo used the sidestep technique taught by Lin Yan to slide to the side, narrowly dodging a short knife that was slashing past his head. He then kicked the man to the ground, while Zhang Dabiao raised his short spear and retreated to the pillar in front of the teahouse.

The Golden Snake Gang members surged forward wave after wave. Xiong Kuo knocked down two people in succession, but the alley was too narrow and Xiong Kuo was too tall to move freely. He was hit hard on the leg by an iron ruler and knelt down on one knee.

Just then, several muffled thuds came from the alley entrance. Qi the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) had arrived, standing at the alley entrance with a pipe in his mouth, throwing two unconscious Golden Snake Gang thugs to the ground in his left and right hands.

Upon hearing this, Jin Er turned his head, his expression changing slightly: "Old Chief Escort Qi, your Zhenyuan Escort Agency and our Golden Snake Gang have always kept to ourselves. You'd better not interfere in this matter today..."

"I was asked to do this, and this is my old man's private matter."

Qi, the bodyguard, tapped his pipe and then spoke:

"Besides, this is already outside the territory of Nancheng. How can you say we're causing trouble on your turf? Xiong Dage learned a few moves from my apprentice, so he's practically my grand-apprentice. If you hit him, you're slapping me in the face. Jin Lao Er, do you want to hit me too?"

Jin Er's face turned pale and then red, and he gripped the folding fan so tightly in his hand that it made a cracking sound.

After a few moments of stalemate, he snorted, tucked his fan into his waistband, and said, "Since Old Chief Escort Qi has intervened, we'll let it go for now. Let's go!"

Several men pushed Sun Dayong back, dragged away several unconscious thugs, and dispersed even faster than they had arrived.

Xiong Kuo stood up from the ground, blood flowing from the iron ruler wound on his leg.

Qi, the bodyguard, stepped forward and examined the wound: "It's just a flesh wound, nothing serious. Go back and tell Lin Yan that I've repaid my debt to him. Next time something like this happens, you'll have to pay extra."

Xiong Kuo grinned: "Add."

Back at the East Palace, Lin Yan summoned Xiong Kuo, Sun Dayong, and Sun Dayong to the training ground that very night, and trained them one by one on what he had figured out over the past few days, letting them practice as much as they could.

After a few days, Xiong Kuo mastered the new footwork, and Sun Dayong had also gotten the hang of the new moves.

Jin Er, having been humiliated at the teahouse, went directly to the Second Prince's residence to complain.

The next morning, the second prince impeached the crown prince in court, saying that he had allowed private soldiers to disrupt the security of the capital.

The Crown Prince immediately retorted in court, saying that the Second Prince's faction had attacked first. They had only gone to invite the martial artists to spar, but the Crown Prince had taken the initiative to pick on them. The Crown Prince was merely acting in self-defense.

With both sides sticking to their own version of events, the emperor grew impatient and dismissed the court.