Chapter 62 : Chapter 62
Chapter 62. Jian Hanfeng
Changning Street.
Quan Xiong, Chen Qimei, and the other two Third Meridian martial artists they had invited to help were seated together, drinking and discussing the matter at hand.
The only difference this time was that there was also a lean young man beside them, dressed in black-and-red brocade, with three horizontal stripes embroidered on his shoulders.
He had a hooked nose, sharp brows, and an air of proud, cutting confidence about him.
“We truly have to thank Young Master Jian for coming to lend us a hand this time.” Quan Xiong raised his wine cup with a smile, clinked it against his, and drained it in one gulp.
“You are too polite. I had only just come out of seclusion when I heard the news. I simply wanted to see what sort of caliber this batch of geniuses from Shangyang Residence really has.”
Jian Hanfeng smiled faintly and merely took a shallow sip from his cup.
“Among the younger generation of our Bai Family, Brother Jian’s talent is already among the best. On top of that, he has trained diligently without pause and has long been known as a martial fanatic. With him helping us this time, nothing can possibly go wrong!”
Chen Qimei also raised his cup with a smile, signaling for everyone to drink together.
“With a lineup like ours, using it against a single Third Meridian martial artist is rather excessive. Leave Xu Yuan to me when the time comes. You can deal with the others,” Jian Hanfeng said as he set down his cup, his face brimming with confidence.
He had broken through to the Third Meridian long ago. His qi and blood had been tempered to an extremely solid degree, and he also possessed abundant combat experience. Dealing with a martial artist of the same realm who had only recently broken through would be no challenge at all.
“About that...” Quan Xiong hesitated and looked toward Chen Qimei.
Chen Qimei, however, was all smiles and agreed at once. “No problem. We will make sure Brother Jian gets a satisfying fight!”
“We will just support from the side. With such a grand setup, Xu Yuan ought to die a worthy death.”
The other two Third Meridian martial artists nodded as well, harboring no doubts.
Since they all worked for the Bai Family, they naturally knew Jian Hanfeng’s reputation.
Back when he had advanced from the Second Meridian to the Third Meridian, it had taken him less than three months.
After that, he had gone to train on the front lines and defeated one seasoned martial artist after another in the same realm. Because of that, he had earned the Street Guard’s favor. He was a true prodigy.
Compared with someone like Xu Yuan, who spent all day tucked away in a greenhouse, the gap between them was like that between a firefly and the bright moon.
Besides, even if something unexpected did happen, the three of them would still be watching carefully from the side. So long as Xu Yuan showed his face, he would be as good as dead.
Seeing this, Quan Xiong finally relaxed and nodded. “With arrangements like these, even if Xu Yuan grew wings, he still would not escape.”
“Of course. And you were worried earlier that he might have broken through to the Fourth Meridian. How could that possibly happen? The kid only broke through to the Second Meridian in February. How long has it been since then? Tell me, am I wrong?” Chen Qimei said, pointing at him as he shook his head and laughed.
“Haha!” The others, as though they had just heard an absurd joke, could not help laughing as well.
Less than two months, and he could go from the Second Meridian to the Third Meridian? What kind of talent would that take?
If that were true, it would make it seem as though all their years had been lived in vain.
Jian Hanfeng also shook his head, inwardly mocking Chen Qimei for the sort of friends he kept around, people who spoke without using their brains.
With everyone laughing at him, Quan Xiong looked somewhat embarrassed. He quickly changed the subject. “Tonight’s operation will not leak out, will it?”
“Do not worry. This is exactly how we handled the ambush on Changshun Street before, so of course we are on guard against that. The whole base is being watched by both hidden and visible sentries. Not even a fly could get out!”
“Good. Then once we finish eating, it should be just about time.” At the thought that this nagging worry of his would finally be settled, Quan Xiong felt light all over.
“Hmph! That brat toyed with me the last few times. I am going to make him pay for it!”
“Tonight we will remove this hidden danger for Brother Quan.”
“Exactly. We did not take the money for nothing. Brother Quan, just watch.”
“Then I shall wait for your good news.” Quan Xiong stood with a smile, filled everyone’s bowls with strong liquor, and raised his own to clink against theirs with a crisp ring.
...
That night, the moonlight was cold and dim, half-obscured by dark clouds.
On the empty street, the night wind howled past, whipping up sand and leaves and giving the night the ominous feel of an ambush waiting to happen.
Xu Yuan’s squad stood ready and prepared to go relieve Zhou Yu’s squad on patrol.
Suddenly, Li Shun’s nose twitched, and he asked in puzzlement, “Who is carrying a scented sachet? The smell is really strong.”
The others also looked over curiously.
“It is me.” Hu Quanshui smiled awkwardly. “I was worried something might happen, so I went to a master in the front alley and got a protective talisman.”
Hearing that, Li Shun turned away in annoyance and sneered inwardly, ‘At your age, and the moment trouble comes you lose your nerve. And you still believe in this sort of nonsense?’
“All right, let’s go.”
Xu Yuan glanced at the sachet on Hu Quanshui’s body, said nothing more, and led the group out.
At that moment, each member of the squad was in a different mood.
Liu Yu and Qi Li were both extremely tense. Even if a single leaf fell, they would jerk their heads over to look at it.
That was hardly strange. Nighttime was when the enemy most often launched ambushes, so every patrol left them wound tight.
Li Shun, too, remained inwardly alert, vaguely feeling that something was going to happen tonight.
By contrast, although Hu Quanshui looked wary on the surface, he was actually quite relaxed, idly playing with the sachet in his hand.
Alongside his caution, Xu Yuan also felt a trace of anticipation. ‘Hopefully a few big fish show up this time. As long as none of them are Fourth Meridian.’
When a squad earned battle merits, only seventy percent belonged to the squad itself. Of the remaining thirty percent, the squad captain took thirty percent, while the other seventy percent had to be handed over to the street’s public account.
The Street Guard then took another thirty percent from that, and what remained became public funds.
No wonder being a Street Guard was such a comfortable post. All he had to do was sit at headquarters and wait for the squads under him to earn battle merits, then take his cut afterward.
Exactly how much he could rake in depended entirely on his own appetite. Of course, if he got too greedy, someone would report him.
‘After tonight, I probably will not be able to hide my realm any longer. When that happens, I can start thinking about what sort of duties to arrange for myself next.’
Xu Yuan felt little panic. He merely weighed the matter in silence.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
In a certain alley, Chen Qimei and the others were hiding in the shadows, lying in wait and watching for their prey to arrive.
Suddenly, Jian Hanfeng opened his eyes and said in a low voice, “They are here.”
The moment he spoke, a set of measured footsteps sounded from ahead.
Everyone’s spirits lifted. One after another, they loosened their limbs, their qi and blood circulating through their bodies as they prepared to strike.
“Are we sure it is him?” Quan Xiong asked Zhang Ergou.
“Let me take another look. The build seems about right...” Zhang Ergou, who was somewhat night-blind, narrowed his eyes and peered ahead.
“There is no need to look. This person is not Xu Yuan.” Chen Qimei shook his head and explained, “We planted an insider in their squad. If Xu Yuan himself were coming, there would be a signal. Let us wait a little longer.”
“Wait for what? This man is wearing a blue robe and is not very old. Killing him would still help the Bai Family eliminate a future threat!” A sharp gleam flashed through Jian Hanfeng’s eyes, and he suddenly charged forward, leaving only one sentence behind him. “Cover me!”
“What do we do?” The other two Third Meridian martial artists looked toward Chen Qimei, waiting for his decision.
“That brat...”
Chen Qimei frowned, deeply displeased with Jian Hanfeng’s unauthorized move. But after thinking it over, he decided that even with Xu Yuan included, the other side had at most two Third Meridian martial artists. The advantage was theirs.
“Stop standing around. Follow him!”