Chapter 22: Battle Against the Nine Dragons

Xiang Qian stood before the iron gate of the Nine Dragons Hall of Xinyi'an, the ancient blade on his back gleaming with cold light under the moonlight. He slowly raised his head, and beneath the black hoodie, a pair of eyes glowed scarlet.

Two tattooed thugs were smoking at the entrance; seeing the newcomer, they impatiently shouted, "Hey! No one is allowed here—"

A flash of blade light!

"Ah!!"

Amidst the scream, one thug fell to his knees, clutching his spurting, bleeding arm. The other, not yet having reacted, had his jaw shattered by a single elbow strike from Xiang Qian and collapsed unconscious.

Xiang Qian stepped over them and kicked the hall's main door open with one foot.

Inside the hall, smoke swirled; more than twenty thugs were playing cards and drinking. Seeing the black-clad intruder burst in, everyone froze.

"Who the hell are you?" a bald, burly man slammed the table and stood up.

Xiang Qian slowly raised his head, revealing his scarlet eyes: "Here to collect a debt."

The next second, the long blade was drawn!

"Pfft—"

The nearest thug's chest erupted with blood, his eyes bulging as he fell. The entire hall instantly exploded into chaos!

"Kill him!"

More than a dozen thugs grabbed cleavers and iron bars and surged forward. Xiang Qian's form was like a phantom; where the blade light passed, blood sprayed!

"Ah! My hand!"

"Help! Help me!"

Screams rose and fell. A thug attacked from behind; Xiang Qian, without turning his head, thrust the blade backward, piercing the thug's shoulder!

On the second-floor office, Siyan was counting money. Hearing the commotion downstairs, he frowned and pushed open the window—

His pupils suddenly contracted!

Downstairs was already a sea of blood. That black-clad man was stepping on a subordinate's back, cleaving down the last standing enforcer.

"M-m-monster..." Siyan's legs went weak; trembling, he grabbed the phone: "Main Hall! Send people to the Nine Dragons Hall immediately! A madman has broken in!!"

"Bang!"

The office door was kicked flying. Siyan, terrified, fell to the ground, his gold-rimmed glasses askew.

Xiang Qian walked in, holding the blood-dripping long blade; the blade tip scraped a harsh sound against the floor.

"B-brother..." Siyan forced out a smile uglier than crying, "Let's talk this over... How much money do you want? I-I'll give it all!"

Xiang Qian stepped on the hand Siyan was trying to use to reach for a gun, grinding the bones until they cracked.

"Ah!!" Siyan screamed, "Spare me! Spare me!"

"Is Monkey one of yours?" a hoarse voice emerged from beneath the hood.

Siyan nodded frantically: "Yes, yes! Did that bastard offend you? I'll chop him up right now and feed him to the dogs!"

A flash of blade light!

"Aaaah!!" Siyan watched his tendons severed, crying and wailing for mercy: "Grandpa! Ancestor! I was wrong! I'll give you whatever you want!"

Xiang Qian grabbed his collar: "Didn't you ask me for money, tell me to kneel, say 'No, not Ah Min'?"

Suddenly, dense footsteps and curses came from downstairs:

"Damn it! Brothers, charge!"

"Kill that son of a bitch!"

Siyan, seeing his saviors, had snot and tears smeared all over his face: "The Main Hall people are here! Y-you can't escape!"

His response was another flash of blade light—

"Pfft!"

His Achilles tendons snapped! Siyan collapsed like rotten mud, wailing on the ground.

Xiang Qian turned and walked toward the stairs, the long blade dragging on the ground, sending sparks flying.

At the stairwell entrance, more than thirty enforcers wielding cleavers surged forward!

Xiang Qian's eyes grew even redder with blood as he charged straight into the crowd!

"Pfft!"

The first enforcer was pierced through the abdomen!

"Crack!"

The second enforcer's cleaver was split in two, taking half an arm with it as it flew up!

Blood rain filled the sky! Xiang Qian was like an Asura; every strike brought forth a wave of screams. Severed fingers and mangled limbs constantly flew and fell; the entire stairwell had become a slaughterhouse!

"Demon... He's a demon!!"

The enforcers still standing broke down, dropping their blades and running back.

Xiang Qian panted heavily, his face splattered with fresh blood. He flicked the blood droplets off the blade and was about to pursue—

Suddenly, a cold, sinister voice came from above the stairs: "Impressive skill."

Xiang Qian looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a black trench coat slowly stepping out of a car, followed by more than a dozen armed thugs.

"Xinyi'an, Chen Lianshun," the man said coldly, "Little brother, you have guts."

Xiang Qian gripped the long blade tightly, his fighting spirit burning even brighter: "Come on together then."

Chen Lianshun smiled instead: "No rush. I see you are talented; why not join me?"

"Not interested."

"Then it's a pity." Chen Tianxiong sighed, then suddenly drew his gun!

"Bang!"

The bullet grazed Xiang Qian's cheek, leaving a trail of blood.

Xiang Qian's form flashed; the long blade went straight for Chen Tianxiong's throat!

"Protect Big Brother!"

Gunfire erupted! Xiang Qian darted through the hail of bullets, his blade flashing like lightning as he severed the wrists of three gunmen in an instant!

Chen Lianshun's face turned ashen; he stumbled backward repeatedly: "Stop him! Stop him!"

Xiang Qian descended like a ferocious tiger, slicing through the last two bodyguards with one stroke, closing in on Chen Lianshun!

"Wait! We can talk—"

One slash severed his hand and foot tendons; Chen Lianshun collapsed instantly.

Xiang Qian flicked the blood from his blade and scanned the scene with icy eyes.

All surviving thugs knelt down, trembling.

Xiang Qian stepped out of the hall, his silhouette in the morning light like a demon returned from hell.

His phone vibrated—it was Zhang Guorong's message:

【Everyone is safe. Where are you?】

He replied:

【Jiulong Hall.】

He put away his phone and waited for the next batch to arrive.