Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji and said, "If it were ordinary soldiers, they naturally wouldn’t be able to wield a sixteen-foot long iron weapon, they could only use bamboo."
She pointed at Duobao and the others, "But they are different, they are executive officers."
Chen Ji pondered, "How heavy would a sixteen-foot long narrow iron weapon be?"
Zhang Xia confidently replied, "Ninety jin. If made with hollow iron, thirty-two jin, but there’s no ti to make it hollow now."
"At ninety jin, only soone in the Innate Realm could use it effortlessly," Chen Ji loudly asked, "Who can wield it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Duobao, Li Cen, Qi Zhenzhuo, and others raised their hands. Chen Ji looked around, counting one, two, three, four, five, six, seven... even in the Yulin Army, only a few could easily handle the Iron Bamboo.
But if the Iron Bamboo were truly used, the Heji ruffians would suffer greatly.
Chen Ji curiously asked, "What abilities do your official gateways have, can you talk about them?"
Duobao and the others exchanged glances, then explained, "Instructor, our official gateways were bought from the Ghost Market in Panjia Garden by our families for hundreds of taels of silver. There are too many practicing the sa gateway, before the Seeking Dao Realm, it only serves to strengthen the body. Any step into the Innate Realm was made thanks to large amounts of silver from our families."
Li Cen bitterly smiled, "Having too many with the sa practice has its downsides too. The year before last, I went to the Lantern Festival night and encountered several with the sa gateway. My heart raced several tis that night, nearly thought I was dying..."
Zhang Xia spoke up, "It’s late, everyone should go rest. Tomorrow, there’s no need to bring weapons, I will prepare everything for you."
...
...
The next day at 9 to 11 PM, six carriages stopped again in front of the Yulin Army Commander’s Mansion.
The Yulin Army soldiers boarded the carriages proficiently, covered themselves with grey cloth, and sat inside with their eyes closed in ditation. The six carriages separated on Chang’an Street, exiting the inner city through Chongwen Gate, Zhengyang Gate, and Xuanwu Gate, finally stopping in a small alley next to Zhengyang Street.
As the carriages stopped, a household in the alley opened their door, and Zhang Xia, reciting silently, motioned for the Yulin Army soldiers to enter the courtyard.
She lifted the cover of the cellar, and Chen Ji looked down, seeing long spears, vine shields, Iron Wolf Brushes, tridents, and cowhide slingshots all prepared inside the cellar.
The Yulin Army soldiers transported the weapons to the ground, each picked up their own weapon, turned, and marched toward the Eight Great Hutongs in Zhengxi Fang.
In Li Shamao Alley, Master Qian was precariously balancing in a stance, unmoving. Gradually, a faint blue mist rose from above his head, swirling like mountain clouds.
But just as the cloud began to form, a ruffian ran up and cupped his fist, "Master Qian."
The cloud wavered, Master Qian kept his eyes closed and asked, "Still haven’t found them?"
The ruffian responded ashadly, "Searched almost the entire outer city, can’t find that group at all."
Master Qian calmly said, "The entire outer city, the only ones capable of hiding those people are the Three Mountains Association and the Cao Guild... or they went to the inner city."
The ruffian whispered, "The Dragon Head was furious today, cursing the brothers out and saying if this group continues causing trouble, Heji will lose face."
Master Qian asked slowly, "Where is the Dragon Head?"
The ruffian hesitated to speak.
Master Qian opened his eyes coldly, looking at him.
The ruffian quickly said, "The Dragon Head went to Chongnan Fang’s Funing Temple, lately he’s been bewitched by that nun from Funing Temple..."
Master Qian sternly said, "Is that what you should be saying?"
The ruffian shrank back, "You asked ... What should we do now, can’t find that group at all."
Master Qian slowly closed his eyes again, "No matter, they will return. As long as they co to Li Shamao Alley today, we will capture them for sure."
But just at that mont, a ruffian rushed through the narrow alley, "Master Qian, bad news, that group went to Zhu Family Alley, our brothers were all beaten up!"
Master Qian abruptly stood, "Not good."
The ruffian asked, "Master Qian, what should we do?"
Master Qian imdiately shouted, "Everyone out, to Zhu Family Alley! Rember what I told you yesterday, cut their bamboos first!"
In the next mont, ruffians poured out from the brothel in Li Shamao Alley, they had hidden there waiting for the masked ones to co, but didn’t expect the opponent to launch a feint and hit elsewhere.
At this ti, in Zhu Family Alley, three teams in a Mandarin Duck Formation pierced into the heart of the Eight Great Hutongs like three spears, leaving behind twenty-one fallen ruffians.
A guest on the second floor pushed open a window to look downstairs. The masked Chen Ji coldly glanced back up, startling the guest to quickly close the window, daring only to leave a crack.
The Yulin Army marched rapidly through Zhu Family Alley and arrived at a crossroads when Chen Ji suddenly shouted, "Stop!"
The Yulin Army stood still, transitioning from movent to stillness in an instant.
The people secretly watching in Zhu Family Alley were puzzled, wondering what this group was doing at the intersection.
At the next mont, more than twenty Heji ruffians ca from the southern and western intersections to support them after hearing the commotion, but they were caught off guard, running into the Yulin Army lying in wait.
Li Xuan shouted violently, "Kill!"
The three teams of the Mandarin Duck Formation suddenly split, one team charged south, while two teams headed west, attacking fiercely.
The ruffians had replaced their weapons with Broadswords today, intending to chop down the bamboo first. But at the mont of contact, when the Broadswords struck, sparks flew, producing a piercing tallic ringing.
One ruffian exclaid, "It’s not bamboo! It’s iron!"
"Why did they switch to iron?!"
Qi Zhenzhuo swung the "Iron Bamboo" towards the ruffian’s face, and the cold "branches" scraped across his face, imdiately leaving it a bloody ss, causing him to retreat in panic.
Zhou Chong took advantage of the situation, jabbing the ruffian’s abdon with the butt of his spear, causing him to scream and fall to the ground.
With just one encounter today, the Yulin Army had already crushed the ruffians guarding both alleys, leaving Heji with no ans to resist. A ruffian in the dark threw a flying knife unexpectedly, yet it was easily blocked by the vine shields within the formation.
The crossbowman at the end of the lineup drew their slingshots to retaliate, but unfortunately, their aim was off, only scaring people without hitting them.
The ruffians fled deeper into the alley, and as the Yulin Army was about to give chase, Chen Ji’s voice rang out, "Their reinforcents are arriving, retreat!"
The Yulin Army turned their formation and left swiftly and decisively, leaving Zhu Family Alley with only a ground full of wailing ruffians. It was only after the Yulin Army had completely retreated that Master Qian arrived with his n.
He looked at the scene of moaning throughout the three alleys, took a deep breath before asking, "Where are they?! Didn’t I tell you to cut down the bamboo first, how co there’s not a single bamboo chip on the ground?"
A ruffian on the ground held on and said, "They’ve replaced their weapons with iron ones today, and they’re four feet longer than yesterday, it’s impossible to withstand!"
"Master Qian, that military formation is extrely bizarre, we have no way to deal with those people at all!"
Master Qian was stunned, "Replaced with iron? Are they hollow or solid?"
The ruffian replied, "The sound of the strikes was dull, solid!"
Master Qian asked again, "How many of them are wielding those iron weapons?"
"Six!"
Master Qian swiftly calculated in his mind, how many pounds would an iron weapon over a foot long weigh? At least dozens of pounds, it must be wielded by officials of the Innate Realm.
This group of masked people has only thirty-eight mbers in total, and there’s already one Grand Official of the Seeking Dao Realm, six in the Innate...where did this group of officials co from?
"The Three Mountains Association? Cao Guild? Longevity Army? Lantern?"
Standing at the dark and gloomy crossroads, Master Qian looked at the darkness at the end of the alley, muttering to himself, "Heji has provoked a big problem."
As he was contemplating, soone shouted from afar, "Master Qian, it’s bad! That group has gone to Li Shamao Alley again!"
Master Qian imdiately set off, but by the ti he led his n to Li Shamao Alley, only ruins remained, with the group having long disappeared without a trace.
Facing such a group of officials who co and go as they please, with an unheard-of formation, Master Qian suddenly felt powerless.
He lowered his head and thought for a mont, then whispered to the ruffian beside him, "Go invite the Dragon Head of Furui Xiang over here, tell him Heji is willing to give Li Shamao Alley and Hanjiatan Alley to Furui Xiang, with external enemies at hand, private grudges can be put aside for now. I will ask the ’diator’ to witness in front of the ancestor’s statue, swearing alliance in blood."
The ruffian was stunned, "Master Qian, there are only thirty-so of them, is it necessary?"
Master Qian said sternly, "This group is hiding their strength, we might not have seen their true skills yet. Just go, if we don’t prepare now, it’ll be too late to think of making a desperate stand after they exhaust us!"
As the ruffian turned to leave and had just taken half a step, Master Qian pulled him back and whispered, "Tell Zhu Guan, that Brother Pao was sold by his own hand, if he sits on the fence, the next one to suffer will surely be him."
When this person left, Master Qian pointed at another ruffian, "You go to Chongnan Fang and find the Dragon Head, explain clearly to him, Heji must invite all the court officials of the Inner Eight Halls this ti... the over-river dragon has co."
As a gust of wind blew, Master Qian stood under the swaying red lantern, silently watching the ruffians go to deliver the ssage.
When the wind stopped, he lifted his robe and walked into the depths of the alley.
A ruffian asked curiously, "Master Qian, where are you going?"
"Three Mountains Association."
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