Chapter 397: with translation of chapter title

After the smoke cleared, a pungent black smoke rose in the hall. Except for Chen Mo, the remaining plainclothes policemen were all at the center of the grenade blast. When the bomb was just thrown in, they already had the intention to escape, but despite that, they were still blown to pieces by the grenade.

Arms flew sideways, blood spattered, the spacious hall was obviously turned into a blood-soaked battlefield.

"Team One provides cover, Team Two protects Brother Zheng and his sister-in-law, retreating into the underground passage. Once Brother Zheng has withdrawn, the brothers responsible for cover will quickly enter the passage and then close the stone door." Fan Wuchang, eyes red, helped Chen Zheng and Dong Yumin up from the debris, then shouted at everyone: "Quick, speed is essential."

I crawled out from under the table and closely followed Fan Wuchang with Pangzi and the others, heading for the underground passage. Fortunately, Pangzi and the others were standing relatively far from the grenade, and Pangzi grabbed Chen Mo and pulled him away. Aside from those few plainclothes officers, everyone suffered only minor injuries, just looking a bit disheveled.

Not long after, deafening gunfire came from behind, along with the muffled groans of several black-clad bodyguards who had been hit.

Not long afterward, a sunglasses-wearing bodyguard responsible for covering the front lobby stumbled over, and upon seeing Fan Wuchang, he immediately collapsed to the ground.

"The passage door is already shut, the Tiger Gang has already rushed in, Brother Chang… you hurry and take Brother Zheng away."

After struggling to say those words, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, let out a muffled groan, and collapsed to the ground. Fan Wuchang turned over his back and saw a large wound there, shockingly revealed to everyone.

That sunglasses-wearing bodyguard… had obviously been hit by a bullet. He was sustaining himself with sheer will, supporting his own body; the moment he finished his report, his wish fulfilled, he instantly lost the will that had been holding him up and completely departed from this world.

He was a loyal warrior; in the face of death, his thoughts were for the safety of Fan Wuchang and Chen Zheng, placing his own life aside.

Even the cold-hearted Fan Wuchang's eyes welled with tears as he embraced the sunglasses-wearing bodyguard's corpse, choking out: "Brother, rest in peace. I will look after your family; as long as Dong Ling and I, Fan Wuchang, are alive, they will never go hungry. Your parents are my parents, and your sisters… are my sisters."

Chen Zheng fell silent for a moment, then knelt down and knocked his head heavily several times before the sunglasses-wearing bodyguard.

I was closest to Chen Zheng, so I also heard his murmuring as he knelt: "Brother, in this life I, Chen Zheng, cannot share wealth and honor with you; in the next life, I will repay you as an ox or a horse."

At the same time, the gunfire ahead grew increasingly fierce; Chen Zheng showed no hesitation, pulling everyone into the underground passage to retreat.

"Ah Chang, why have the forces headed by the characters for Heaven, Earth, and Man not come to reinforce us after all this time?" While retreating, Chen Zheng asked Fan Wuchang with a solemn face.

Fan Wuchang's face flushed with anger as he snapped: "Brother Zheng, Old Ma of the Man faction suddenly betrayed us, attacking the Earth faction; they're now locked in battle, and the Heaven faction's people are being held up by the Tiger Gang, unable to come to our aid at all."

Heaven, Earth, and Man: three characters

"I understand… Wuchang, take Yumin and the brothers and go first; I'll hold the rear here."

The gunfire from behind grew increasingly fierce, and Chen Zheng had already snatched a gun from the hand of a black-clad bodyguard beside him,

"Brother Zheng, you absolutely cannot, if you die our Eastern Mausoleum will lose its backbone; afterwards who will lead the troops to avenge our fallen brothers… I will cover the rear, you take sister-in-law and go first." Fan Wuchang suddenly knelt down, his expression resolute.

The remaining few black-clad bodyguards also fell to their knees with a thump, their emotions impossible to suppress.

"Brother Zheng, it's too dangerous behind, you can't go."

"Brother Zheng, leave the rear route for the brothers to guard, you go first……"

"Brother Zheng, I have never regretted following you in my life; if it weren't for you, I would have died long ago. Since the day I followed you, I have sworn that even if I must give my life, I will not suffer the slightest harm."

Chen Zheng fell silent, then suddenly burst into loud laughter to the heavens, unable to stop.

I, Chen Zheng, was originally just an insignificant rascal; countless bloody struggles brought me to today, giving me a lover and brothers, but today I watch helplessly as my comrades die one by one for me, and I can do nothing.

Why…… what is this all about? I have tolerated time and again, only to receive their limitless challenges. Could…… that thing really be that important? For it, one could squander such precious lives.

The bittersweet laughter of Chen Zheng revealed a piece of information: the Fierce Tiger Gang's arrival today may not be solely to avenge the Northeastern Tiger; they have come en masse, mostly for that thing in Chen Zheng's hands.

As for what that thing is, I have no way of knowing, nor time to ponder, because soon we will again be in imminent danger.

Several booming thuds sounded—this was the noise of mortars; to chase down Chen Zheng, the Fierce Tiger Gang spared no expense in deploying heavy weapons.

The loud noise came from not far in the secret passage; it was the stone gate of the secret passage suffering under artillery bombardment.

"Go quickly…" Fan Wuchang fiercely shoved Chen Zheng and Dong Yumin, his eyes blood-red as he bellowed at us. He then led the group of bodyguard warriors, charging fearlessly in the opposite direction.

Watching Fan Wuchang's receding back, Chen Zheng's tiger eyes brimmed with tears as he supported Dong Yumin and hurriedly fled the secret passage.

"Go…" a hoarse voice came from Chen Zheng's mouth; we closely followed his steps, swiftly escaping this fiery battlefield.

At this moment, my mood and that of Pangzi Yuan Qiu are not good; we feel very heavy.

Although our time with Fan Wuchang was brief, it gave us a deep affection. Moreover, he once saved us… publicly and privately, Fan Wuchang, aside from affection, also owes us a debt we have yet to repay.

Beside me, Pangzi fell silent for a moment, then lowered his voice and said to me, "Hai Sheng, you follow Brother Zheng first…… I'll go help Brother Chang."

"Given how dire the situation is, going back might not be of any help," I shook my head and replied in a low voice.

"But you forgot, I know spells; maybe I could be of use."

I shook my head again: "Precisely because we know spells, we must stay here. Tonight's attackers include not only mercenaries and ruffians, but also sorcerers who control paper‑man troops. You haven't noticed? Everything Fan Wuchang has done is to protect Brother Zheng; as long as we stay close to him and guard him well, we fulfill Brother Chang's wish."

Pangzi fell silent for a moment, then sighed: "Alright, we'll follow."

As time dragged on, the gunfire behind grew fainter. This indicated the battle was nearing its end, yet our mood did not relax; instead it grew heavier. Judging by the current situation on all fronts, our chance of victory is extremely slim, while the likelihood of Fan Wuchang losing his life is very high.

"We've arrived…… past this stone gate, you'll be safe." Half an hour later, Chen Zheng pointed to the stone gate not far ahead and said to us.

Beside the stone gate is a small mechanism; as long as we turn it, we can escape from the secret room. However, from the meaning of Chen Zheng's words, it seems he does not intend to leave with us.

"And what about you, Brother Zheng, after we leave?" After a moment of silence, I asked.

Chen Zheng turned his head, glanced at the pitifully delicate Dong Yumin beside him; Dong Yumin suddenly gave a light smile, seeming to understand her husband's meaning.

Just then, something unexpected happened. Chen Zheng's right hand formed a knife‑hand and, at great speed, struck Dong Yumin's neck.

In an instant, Dong Yumin fainted; before losing consciousness, her gaze at Chen Zheng still held astonishment.

Everyone was wondering why Chen Zheng had knocked Dong Yumin unconscious, when he, with a desolate expression, shook his head: "Take Yumin away first, look after her…… I must go back."

Going back…… it wasn't just me who was surprised; everyone was puzzled, having struggled out with great effort, why would we go back?

"Yes……" Chen Zheng spoke with a resonant, forceful voice: "I want to go back to fight alongside my brothers; even if I die in battle, I will accompany them to the Yellow Springs. Because I am afraid……"

Chen Zheng's expression suddenly became extremely desolate, his voice hoarse: "I fear that in the underworld, my brothers will be bullied by other factions."

Chen Zheng's words left everyone feeling sorrowful; without hesitation, I, Pangzi, and Yuan Qiu all spoke at the same time.

"You go first, I will accompany Brother Zheng together."

As soon as the words left our mouths, we realized we had become so in sync; when the three of us men looked at each other, we simultaneously exchanged smiles, vaguely understanding each other's decisions.

To our surprise, not only were we three men ready to stay, but the three women also unanimously refused to leave.

Chen Mo shrugged indifferently: "I am a police officer; from the day I joined the force I have always been ready to sacrifice my life."

Yao Yirong's reply left us speechless: "Such a perilous matter, and you actually plan to leave me behind? How dare you."

Silijing then smiled brightly: "You all are staying; I couldn't very well be the sole deserter."

At this moment we finally discovered a truly vexing problem: having reached the exit, nobody wanted to leave. In that case… why did we bother escaping? We might as well fight to the death right inside.

Quiet and solemn…… an extraordinarily quiet and solemn thread wove above the secret passage; besides that, my expression also gained another layer of helpless laughter.

The silent Chen Zheng suddenly glanced at us, smiling: "Being able to meet you, I, Chen Zheng, am truly happy, really happy." He paused, then shook his head, let out a sorrowful sigh, and said to us: "But this is an affair of our Dongling; it has nothing to do with you, and you need not lose your lives over it."

He gazed at Dong Yumin in his arms with an expression full of affection: "If you are willing, just take good care of Yumin for me; I have owed her too much in this life, she has shared hardships with me for many years, yet I have never given her even half a day of comfort."

Having said that, he took out a small knife as if performing a magic trick, and immediately prepared to slash his own wrist.

"No…" I grabbed his wrist in one motion, and happened to catch the twin knot.

Although I didn't know why Chen Zheng wanted to cut his wrist, I vaguely guessed it had to do with prolonging life. He intended to transfer his vital energy to Dong Yumin, then fight to the death with a resolve to die.

Chen Zheng's expression changed, and he prepared to push me away.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded from within the secret passage.

Everyone's faces tightened; Pangzi coiled his body, assuming a fighting stance, while Yuan Qiu casually picked up a large stone and guarded the entrance at the corner.

At that moment, Chen Zheng frowned as if confirming something; then his face lit up and he said, "It's A Chang, A Chang has returned."

Everyone turned their heads in astonishment, and Yuan Qiu, at a loss, stared at Chen Zheng.

"It's A Chang, no mistake, that's his footsteps…"

After confirming again from Chen Zheng's mouth that it was Fan Wuchang, everyone hurriedly turned their heads toward the corner's entrance, eagerly gazing at the dark opening ahead.

Not long after, the footsteps grew more intense, and a figure staggered out from the gloom.

Sure enough, it was Fan Wuchang…

At that moment, Fan Wuchang's right hand covered his left shoulder, his face smeared with much blood, appearing seriously wounded. The instant he saw us, a look of shock crossed his face, and he even swore: "Damn it, why haven't you left yet?"

Pangzi spread his hands and said, "Aren't we waiting for you?"

At that moment, Chen Zheng pushed Pangzi aside and prepared to go meet Fan Wuchang.

Who would have thought, Fan Wuchang, with a terrified expression, shouted loudly: "Zheng Ge, don't come over, hurry up and leave!"

Suddenly, my heart tightened, and a feeling of panic slowly spread in my chest. I know this feeling well—it is my spiritual sense; whenever there is danger, this sensation will abruptly appear in my mind.

Behind Fan Wuchang, I faintly saw a flash of piercing cold light, flying at extreme speed toward his back.

Although I didn't know what that flash of cold light was, I instinctively followed my instincts. I casually picked up a stone from the ground, sprinted quickly to Fan Wuchang's front, shoved him aside, and at the same time threw the large stone in my hand at that flash of cold light.

With a boom, the large stone shattered into sky‑filling shards, and at that moment the flash of cold light rapidly enlarged in my pupils. It turned out to be… a silver flying sword about six inches long, streaking through the air at extreme speed, and behind the sword there was no one.

"How could this be…… how could flying swords exist in this world? They ought to be only props of myth and movies. Could it be…… that this world truly has sword‑riding cultivators of Shu Mountain?"

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