Chapter 22: Battle of the Nine Dragons

Xiang Qian stood before the iron gate of the Xin Yi An Nine Dragons Branch, the ancient blade on his back gleaming coldly in the moonlight. He slowly raised his head; beneath his black hoodie, a pair of eyes glowed scarlet.

Two tattooed hooligans smoking at the entrance shouted impatiently upon seeing the newcomer: "Hey! No entry—"

A flash of blade light!

"Ah!!"

Amidst the scream, one hooligan clutched his spurting arm and dropped to his knees. The other, before he could react, had his jaw shattered by a strike from Xiang Qian's elbow, knocking him unconscious.

Xiang Qian stepped over them and kicked open the branch hall's main door.

Inside, smoke curled through the air where more than twenty hooligans were drinking and playing cards. Seeing the sudden intruder in black, everyone froze.

"Who the hell are you?" A bald burly man slammed the table and rose.

Xiang Qian slowly lifted his head, revealing his scarlet eyes: "A debt collector."

The next second, the long sword left its sheath!

"Squelch—"

Blood sprayed from the chest of the nearest hooligan, who fell with eyes wide open. The entire hall instantly erupted into chaos!

"Cut him down!"

Over a dozen hooligans grabbed cleavers and iron bars, swarming forward. Xiang Qian moved like a ghost; wherever the blade light passed, blood splattered!

"Ah! My hand!"

"Help! Help!"

Screams rose and fell in succession. When a hooligan attempted a sneak attack from behind, Xiang Qian, without turning his head, reversed his grip and pierced the man's shoulder with his blade!

In the second-floor office, Four-Eyes was counting money. Hearing the chaos below, he frowned and pushed open the window—

His pupils constricted sharply!

Downstairs was already a sea of blood. The figure in black stood with one foot on a junior member's back, slashing down the last standing enforcer.

"M-Monster..." Four-Eyes' legs went soft; trembling, he grabbed the phone: "Headquarters! Send people to the Nine Dragons Branch immediately! A madman has broken in!!"

"Bang!"

The office door was kicked flying. Four-Eyes fell backward onto the floor in terror, his gold-rimmed glasses askew.

Xiang Qian walked in, holding the dripping long sword, its tip scraping against the floor with a piercing sound.

"B-Brother..." Four-Eyes forced out a smile uglier than weeping, "Let's talk things over... How much money do you want? I-I'll give it all!"

Xiang Qian stepped on the hand reaching for a gun, grinding until bones cracked audibly.

"Ah!!" Four-Eyes screamed, "Spare me! Spare me!"

"Is Monkey your man?" A hoarse voice emerged from beneath the hood.

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

A flash of blade light!

"Ahhh!!" Four-Eyes watched his own hand tendons get severed, wailing and begging for mercy: "Grandpa! Ancestor! I was wrong! I'll give you whatever you want!"

Xiang Qian yanked him up by his collar: "Didn't you demand money from me and make me kneel? Didn't you mention Ah Min?"

Suddenly, dense footsteps and shouting erupted from downstairs:

"Damn it! Brothers, charge!"

"Kill that son of a bitch!"

Four-Eyes, seeing salvation, smeared snot and tears across his face: "People from Headquarters have arrived! Y-You can't escape now!"

His response was another flash of blade light—

"Pfft!"

Ankle tendons snapped! Four-Eyes collapsed like rotten mud, wailing on the ground.

Xiang Qian turned and walked toward the stairs, dragging the long sword behind him, sparks flying.

At the stairwell, more than thirty enforcers wielding cleavers swarmed upward!

The scarlet hue in Xiang Qian's eyes deepened as he charged straight into the crowd!

"Squelch!"

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 into the air!

A rain of blood filled the sky! Xiang Qian was like an Asura; every slash drew a chorus of screams. Severed fingers and broken limbs flew constantly, turning the entire stairwell into a slaughterhouse!

"Devil... He's a devil!!"

The remaining standing enforcers collapsed in panic, dropping their weapons and fleeing back.

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

Suddenly, a chilly voice came from above the stairs: "Impressive skills."

Xiang Qian looked up to see a middle-aged man in a black trench coat slowly stepping out, followed by more than a dozen armed underlings.

"Xin Yi An, Chen Lianshun," the man said coldly. "Little brother, you have guts."

Xiang Qian tightened his grip on the long sword, his fighting intent surging even stronger: "Come at me all together."

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

"Not interested."

"Then that's a pity." Chen Tianxiong sighed, suddenly drawing his gun!

"Bang!"

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

Xiang Qian flashed forward, his long sword aiming 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 instantly severed the wrists of three gunmen!

Chen Lianshun's face turned ashen; he retreated step by step, shouting, "Stop him! Stop him!"

Xiang Qian charged like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, splitting the last two bodyguards with a single slash and closing in directly on Chen Lianshun!

"Wait! We can talk—"

With one strike, he severed the tendons of his hands and feet; Chen Lianshun immediately fainted.

Xiang Qian flicked the blood from his blade and cast a cold gaze over the entire scene.

Every thug still alive dropped to their knees, trembling uncontrollably.

Xiang Qian walked out of the hall; in the morning light, his silhouette resembled an Asura returning from hell.

His phone vibrated; it was a message from Zhang Guorong:

'Everyone is safe. Where are you?'

He replied:

'Jiulongcheng Hall.'

Putting away his phone, he waited for the next batch to arrive.