Chapter 668: Bait, Betrayal

"What the hell do you mean?!"

Hearing Li Yan's words, Zhang Tiankui suddenly bristled.

When he was pulled up, Li Yan was still holding his hand.

This guy was like a startled leopard; his spine shook suddenly, his muscles bulged, his palm was like an iron tong, and he suddenly hooked Li Yan's wrist, then turned his body and lifted Li Yan into the air.

Zhang Tiankui had not only obtained the inheritance of the Cangzhou Wrestling King but also integrated it with his own wharf porter kung fu, creating the "Seventy-Two Dragon-Capturing Wrestling" and "Eighteen Sea River Trips," which emphasized "using the ground as a river and people as boats."

His spine was different from ordinary people, and the force was so fierce that it was only slightly less than Wu Ba's.

This was his signature killing move, "Capsizing Boat Style."

Once someone was controlled, throwing them toward the knees with the waist as the axis could shatter even an iron anchor as thick as a bowl.

However, Li Yan wasn't panicked at all, and the Soul-Snatching Rope whistled out.

Zhang Tiankui's Spirit Invocation technique had already been broken by Wu Ba, and he had no power to resist at this moment.

Almost instantly, his whole body stiffened, and his vision fell into darkness.

Li Yan's voice was very low, so to outsiders, it looked like Zhang Tiankui had suddenly launched a sneak attack, while Li Yan did a swallow flip in the air, his wrist winding silk technique followed the momentum to reverse, and when he landed, he had already twisted Zhang Tiankui's arm and pressed him to the ground.

"Good kung fu!"

"This guy surnamed Zhang is too unscrupulous!"

"Tsk tsk, the 'Haihe Eighteen Ties' is nothing more than this..."

Many martial arts people watching from afar cheered in unison when they saw this.

The Jinghai Gang dominated Jinmen, and this was a place where heroes from the north and south gathered; how could there be a lack of enemies?

On normal days, they didn't dare to speak, but it was inevitable to make some sarcastic remarks in the crowd.

"Second Master!"

The "Haihe Vajra" in the distance exclaimed and rushed over to save him in unison.

These hundred-odd burly men were all tall and sturdy, shirtless, with muscles knotted, tattooed with dragons and tigers.

Running over with a *rumble* amidst the dust, they actually had the feeling of an army charging.

Li Yan glanced at them indifferently. "Don't use heavy hands."

"Roar!"

Wu Ba let out a roar and charged straight up.

He raised his hands in the Eight Extremes boxing stance, his figure landing like an iron tower, the blue bricks under his feet exploding.

What had to be admired was that these "Sea River Vajras" knew Wu Ba was terrifying and that even Zhang Tiankui was no match for him, yet they still had no fear, and their coordination was quite methodical; one jumped to pounce and hug his waist, two reached out from the sides, attempting to rely on their numbers to suppress Wu Ba.

However, this move was pure wishful thinking.

Wu Ba kicked his back foot, his left arm blocking like a great gate, directly intercepting the three wrestlers' capture, his right elbow picking diagonally from under his ribs, hitting the center of the leading sturdy man's acupoint, and then his left and right palms danced, and the three sturdy men flew out like rolling gourds.

This was still because Li Yan had ordered him to hold back.

If Wu Ba didn't hold back some force, the three would have died from internal organ rupture long ago.

However, the number of the other party was really too large, and as soon as the three rolled out, more people surrounded him.

They were all practitioners, and some even pulled out daggers.

While Wu Ba was grabbing the heads of two people, they lowered their bodies and stabbed toward Wu Ba's waist.

*Swish! *

Just at this moment, Lu San's figure shrank like an ape and drilled out from under Wu Ba's armpit.

He used the Image-Forming Boxing, his five fingers forming an eagle claw to hook the man's wrist, twisting it with the momentum, and the dagger fell along with the sound of bone cracking.

Also taking action was Sha Lifei.

He let out a happy laugh, and his ebony blade sheath swung out a half-moon arc of light.

The Guanshan Blade technique "Mountain-Splitting Style," smashed down from top to bottom, forcing the wrestler who was pouncing on Lu San to kneel on both knees.

The blade sheath followed the momentum and slapped horizontally, and the man fell sideways, his mouth full of blood and flesh, his teeth falling all over the ground.

Not only because of Li Yan's order, but in broad daylight, it wasn't good to have the whole street full of corpses.

Even if they held back, the three of them handled it with ease.

They turned back-to-back, actually fighting a stormy sea in a square inch.

Wu Ba's spine exploded with sounds like popping beans, the Eight Extremes "Top Heart Elbow" followed by "Standing Sky-Piercing Cannon," and wherever he passed, those "Haihe Vajra" were like hitting a siege hammer, one after another vomiting blood and flying away...

Lu San's snake-form steps circled to the flank of the enemy group, crane-beak fists specifically hitting the Yifeng acupoint behind the ears, and those who were hit immediately went limp like mud...

Sha Lifei's blade sheath fluttered like snowflakes, one "Dragging Blade Slash" on the left, one "Returning Horse Stab" on the right, beating the wrestlers who tried to surround them until their faces were full of blood...

Although there were many people here, it couldn't compare to the danger of the Battle of Chengdu.

Not to mention the martial arts people watching from afar, even Hundred-Household Wang was full of shock.

The Twelve Yuan Chen were famous in the martial world, but most people only heard how formidable Li Yan was, thinking his companions were just foils, but they didn't expect that each of them had the ability to stand alone.

And this was without using Mystic Sect techniques, and clearly holding back.

No wonder they could make such a great name for themselves.

When the dust settled, more than a hundred wrestlers lay scattered all over the long street.

Some were unconscious, some were groaning in pain, and not one could stand up.

Besides these hundred-odd "Haihe Vajra," the Jinghai Gang also sent many people, all thugs who helped with chores.

Seeing this situation, they were all so scared their legs went soft.

Jinmen had never lacked dragons crossing the river, but they were seeing such fierce ones for the first time.

"Quick, bring reinforcements!"

The middle-aged Confucian scholar holding the white fan retreated repeatedly, trembling and exclaiming.

Immediately, a Jinghai Gang thug took out a signal flare from his bosom, preparing to pull it.

This place was the Beicheng, far from the Sancha River docks, but there were many gang members in the city, and they could arrive in half a stick of incense.

"Stop!"

Just at this moment, an angry shout stopped him.

It was Zhang Tiankui who had already woken up, not knowing when.

He scolded his subordinates: "What are you calling for? Is it not shameful enough for today?!"

"Go find people, find the best doctor in the city to help them heal their wounds, and I'll talk about the rest!"

The words were tough, but when he looked at Li Yan, his eyes were already full of taboos.

"Gang Leader Zhang, please!"

Li Yan smiled slightly and gestured.

"Hmph!"

Zhang Tiankui let out a cold snort, endured the pain, and limped into the guild hall.

The old manager of the Jinzhou Guild Hall was very observant; he had already cleared a tea room for them, and after ordering people to serve hot tea, he closed the wooden door and drove away all the people watching the excitement.

Soon, the tea room became very quiet.

"Hmph!"

Zhang Tiankui gritted his teeth and said, "Today I admit defeat; kill or carve me as you please."

Li Yan laughed dumbly. "If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even have the chance to see me."

Zhang Tiankui's face was ugly, but after what had just happened, he also knew that what Li Yan said was not false, and he said coldly, "What exactly do you want to do?"

"What's the rush."

Li Yan picked up the hot tea and took a sip, saying nonchalantly: "I heard that Gang Leader Zhang has always opposed Yu Wenhai's sale of opium. I don't know if this is true?"

"Hmph!"

Zhang Tiankui said coldly, "That's right, this Jinmen is a mix of dragons and snakes. For the Jinghai Gang to gain a foothold, what matters is that when you throw someone, you must throw them with face, and when you kill someone, you must kill them in the dark, but you also can't forget the Jianghu rule of 'leaving a line for others when doing things'."

"That opium stuff, once smoked, people are ruined. It ruins our reputation and also destroys the brothers in the gang; it will be a disaster sooner or later."

As he spoke, he suddenly realized. "You trashed the Hou residence alley turf last night, just for this?"

"It's not that simple."

Li Yan's eyes turned cold. "That Yu Wenhai colluded with monsters, attempting to use opium to ruin the fortune of our Shenzhou."

"Pfft!"

Zhang Tiankui said disdainfully, "Aren't you talking nonsense? These are just little trinkets; how could they ruin the national fortune? Walking the Jianghu is nothing more than for fame and profit; if you want something, just say it directly."

"I think you're the idiot, not knowing that disaster is imminent!"

A cold voice sounded, and then Hundred-Household Wang pushed the door and entered.

Seeing Zhang Tiankui's vigilance, Li Yan smiled and introduced, "This is Battalion Commander Wang of the Commandant's Office."

"Court hawk?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tiankui's muscles suddenly tensed.

"What are you pretending for!"

Hundred-Household Wang knew what Li Yan wanted to do and cooperated by scolding: "Your Jinghai Gang isn't also working for Prince Ying's Mansion? What's the difference between you and a watchdog? Now you've committed a capital crime without knowing it. I'm afraid even Prince Ying can't protect you!"

Zhang Tiankui widened his eyes, "Stop trying to scare me!"

The words were fierce, but the tone was no longer so tough.

The Jinghai Gang controlled the Jinmen dock hub; how could they only care about the small profits on the docks?

Some of the things they did in private, if it weren't for Prince Ying, would have been enough to be beheaded several times over.

Now that even the Commandant's Office had been dispatched, it was by no means a small matter.

Li Yan's expression turned gloomy, and his killing intent was biting.

He had now stepped into the Dan Jin layer. Although his boxing intent and killing intent couldn't achieve the feat of killing people from a distance like Master Cheng Jianxian, they were enough to form a powerful sense of oppression.

Zhang Tiankui first tensed his muscles in precaution, then cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and finally, he closed his eyes, looking like he was waiting for death.

Using his momentum to suppress him, Li Yan then said: "Do you know why I became famous?"

"I've heard of it, with the 'Nine Cauldrons'..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Tiankui's face turned pale, "That dog thief Yu Wenhai is also plotting this?!"

The matter of the Nine Cauldrons was little known to the common people, but it had long since spread through the Mystic Sect and martial world.

More importantly, the Mystic Sacrificial Office had just issued a warning: anyone who dared to participate in this matter, no matter who they were, would be killed without mercy.

Touching this was no different from rebellion.

Two vassal kings had already died because of this, and Prince Ying's Mansion definitely couldn't afford to provoke it.

"Hmm."

Li Yan nodded. "Yu Wenhai has a problem, but you don't have the qualifications to know the specifics. Anyway, the Jinghai Gang has brought this upon itself and is destined to die. Even if we behead all of you, the court will only approve."

"And that opium is also a conspiracy of foreign enemies, so your crimes are compounded!"

Zhang Tiankui's face was uncertain, "What do you want me to do?"

He knew that Li Yan had held back today, so he must still be useful.

"Simple!"

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "The Jinghai Gang controls the Jinmen docks, with tens of thousands of members, and colludes with the naval camp. If that Yu Wenhai is driven to a corner and tricks you into rebelling, Jinmen will inevitably fall into chaos."

"I want you to seize the position of gang leader, control the situation, and then we will only pursue those who participated."

Zhang Tiankui's face was ugly, "My foster father has treated me well; if I usurp the position, what face will I have in the future..."

"If you lose your life, what face are you talking about?"

Hundred-Household Wang sneered: "By then, you'll all be dead, and you won't have a good reputation either."

"Foster father definitely doesn't know about this!"

Zhang Tiankui gritted his teeth and said, "He is in seclusion at the Jade Emperor Pavilion to cultivate. Yu Wenhai is handling all the affairs in the gang, and the opium was also obtained by him from the red-haired barbarian merchants. I will go and report to my foster father now and ask him to preside over the overall situation..."

"You idiot, how could Lu Jinghai not know?"

Hundred-Household Wang scolded coldly upon hearing this.

Li Yan's scene at the Hou residence alley last night had already alerted the Jinghai Gang.

Zhang Tiankui being able to find this place meant that the Jianmu demon people already knew the news of the Twelve Yuan Chen entering Jinmen.

The other party had been laying out plans in Jinmen for a long time. If they took the opportunity to launch, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He originally wanted to control the situation through Zhang Tiankui's hands, but he didn't expect this blockhead to still be a sentimental person.

"Hmph, it's all your one-sided words!"

Battalion Commander Wang's reprimand instead stirred up Zhang Tiankui's rebellious heart, and he began to act like a blockhead.

"Forget it."

Li Yan raised his hand to stop Hundred-Household Wang, then said indifferently: "Anyway, the words have been said. Gang Leader Zhang can decide for himself where to go, but consider it carefully."

"One wrong step is an abyss!"

With that, he picked up the tea in his hand and ignored him.

Zhang Tiankui gritted his teeth, stopped talking nonsense, stood up, cupped his fists, and strode away.

Watching his departing figure, Hundred-Household Wang's expression was ugly. "He will definitely go to Lu Jinghai; it's going to ruin things."

Li Yan shook his head and said in a deep voice: "There's no time."

"Jianmu has long been on guard against me and has spread the news of the fire last night everywhere. They definitely won't come out in the open. They might be laying out plans right now. Let this stubborn man go find Lu Jinghai and disrupt their rhythm."

"Hundred-Household Wang, this is the token left by Thousand-Household Tian. You immediately take this order, go and mobilize the people you trust in the Commandant's Office, and then go directly to the garrison outside the Beicheng of Jinmen, have them prepare, and send troops immediately when necessary."

"Understood."

Hundred-Household Wang immediately took the token.

The one colluding with the Jinghai Gang was the naval camp. The Jinmen Garrison was not far away, and if something happened, they could directly enter the city and control the situation.

Although there was no tiger tally, if Jinmen really caused a mess, the garrison wouldn't dare to just watch.

"What about you, Young Hero Li?"

Seeing Li Yan stand up, Hundred-Household Wang asked with concern.

Li Yan looked toward the south of the city, "I'll go take a look and see what kind of thing this bait, Zhang Tiankui, can fish out..."

………

Inside the Jade Emperor Pavilion, the pines and cypresses were dense.

It was nearing dusk, and there were significantly fewer pilgrims.

"Get out of the way!"

Zhang Tiankui let out a violent shout and pushed the Daoist blocking the road away directly.

Behind him, he also followed more than twenty subordinates, all ruthless men holding blades.

Seeing the flying eaves and arched beams of the backyard, Zhang Tiankui quickened his pace.

His footsteps were heavy, stepping on the broken incense ash in the cracks of the blue bricks, and the bronze wrestling rings on his neck jingled with his steps.

Pushing open the backyard door, Zhang Tiankui suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

He saw an old man practicing Tai Chi under the porch of the side hall in the backyard.

His figure was tall, his beard and hair were all white, his skin was bronze, and his Daoist robe was washed until it was stiff.

When pushing his hands, the cuffs vaguely revealed anchor chains and lotus tattoos.

It was the leader of the Jinghai Gang, Lu Jinghai.

Seeing Zhang Tiankui's aggressive momentum with a group of subordinates behind him, Lu Jinghai's expression was calm; he was still practicing Tai Chi, pushed a cloud hand, and slowly opened his mouth, "Tiankui, bringing so many people here, are you impatient for the position of gang leader?"

"Foster father, there's no time for jokes!"

Zhang Tiankui's face was ugly, the bronze wrestling rings clinking, and he knelt on one knee on the bluestone slab, cupping his fists, "That dog-day Yu Wenhai has colluded with demon people and is plotting the Nine Cauldrons, which has already provoked the Twelve Yuan Chen and the Commandant's Office."

"Please come out of seclusion immediately and preside over the big picture, otherwise our Jinghai Gang will be gone!"

"Oh?"

Lu Jinghai frowned. "What exactly is going on?"

Zhang Tiankui clearly trusted Lu Jinghai very much and did not hide anything, recounting the matter once.

"Unreasonable!"

Lu Jinghai was furious and slapped the pillar until it broke.

"This one surnamed Yu, I trusted him so much, yet he secretly did these things."

"Go, follow me to take his head."

As he spoke, he strode toward the door.

Zhang Tiankui hurriedly stood up and followed by his side.

But just at this moment, Lu Jinghai suddenly turned around, and three-inch ebony thorns popped out from his fingertips.

This was the ancient secret "Ship Nail Sealing Acupoint Hand" of the foot-porters and boat gangs, a method for dealing with fish monsters and turtle monsters in the lake. Once it hit an acupoint, even a Mystic Sect cultivator would go limp and be unable to use techniques.

Zhang Tiankui was shocked in his heart, his muscles trembling instinctively. While arching his back to dodge, he used the Dragon-Capturing Wrestling move "Little Ghost Pushes the Mill" to counter-hook the other party's wrist pulse.

He was angry and furious, not expecting that the foster father who had raised him would actually want to kill him.

Of course, it was just anger, without any fear.

Many years ago, Lu Jinghai was no longer his match, and coupled with his old age, he had closed his doors to practice.

But while hooking the wrist, Zhang Tiankui was full of shock.

His hand felt cold and sticky, and he hurriedly looked down.

Lu Jinghai's arm was already covered with dark green snake scales.

*Puff! *

Lu Jinghai suddenly opened his mouth again and sprayed a red, pungent smoke at Zhang Tiankui.

At the same time, figures jumped down from the surrounding walls with a swish, all dressed in black and masked. Amidst the flashing sword light, flesh and blood splattered, killing Zhang Tiankui's subordinates one after another...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 669 =====