Chapter 8 Black Evil Gang
In the narrow alley next to the inn, Shi Xiaole paused and turned, looking at the two towering figures blocking the alley entrance.
Both men in short, fitted attire, each wielding a sharp, three-foot-long sword with hostile expressions on their faces.
"Little lad, we, the Twin Heroes of Ji Bei, don't want to rough you up. Hand over the martial arts secret manual you have, and we'll spare your life," grinned the man on the left.
"I'm a disciple of the Huajian Sect. It's best for you guys to leave," responded Shi Xiaole calmly.
The two men clearly hesitated a while. As independent martial artists, they were certainly aware of the reputation of the Thirteen Sects of Mountain Luyan, the most prominent power in Emerald Feather City.
However, their desire for the secret manual obviously overshadowed their fear of these martial arts sects. They were wanderers, after all, it wouldn't matter if they had to leave Emerald Feather City.
The man on the right stepped forward, his dark voice lingering in the air, "Brother, it seems like we have to fall back on our old ways, murder and silence the witness."
The man on the left sighed, "Kid, remember in your next life not to venture into the Martial World at such a young age." His words had barely left his lips when he stepped forward and drew his sword.
The Twin Heroes of Ji Bei were both at the fifth tier of Hidden Qi, but the heavy aura of death clung to them. They obviously had killed before. Shi Xiaole had a feeling that even without joining hands, either one would probably be capable of killing Zhao Buping, who was also at the fifth tier of Hidden Qi.
Perhaps, in terms of resources and talent, these wanderers fell short compared to disciples from prominent sects, but when it came to fighting experience, many disciples couldn't catch up to them.
Swish, swish.
The two swords, one left and one right, one from above and one from below, launched a simultaneous attack. In this narrow alley, they easily cornered Shi Xiaole, leaving him no exit.
Obviously, the Twin Heroes of Ji Bei intended to end this quickly.
They had roamed the Martial World for many years and wouldn't underestimate any disciple from a martial arts sect. Despite Shi Xiaole's Hidden Qi only being at the third tier when he killed the Three-Legged Bird.
Grasping his sword handle, Shi Xiaole forcefully counterattacked only when their swords were about to strike him.
Clang!
He blocked the sword of the man on the left. As his body was forced back, he made use of the Floating Step technique and narrowly dodged the deadly attack from the man on the right.
"Hidden Green Mountain."
His footwork was the Floating Step and his swordplay was the daring Huashan Sword Technique. Shi Xiaole fearlessly yet coldly started his fight with the Twin Heroes of Ji Bei.
The Twin Heroes of Ji Bei were inevitably shocked.
They hadn't expected Shi Xiaole to be so daring. The latter's desperate and death-defying moves forced them to tread carefully. Their past experiences with killing proved to be useless against this audacious young man.
If they were desperadoes, then Shi Xiaole was someone who was clueless about the fragility of life, this reckless lad!
Not bothering to use Miao Family Sword Technique but combining the Floating Step perfected with Spirit Integration, Shi Xiaole's strength had improved since his fight with Zhao Buping.
"This sword move needs to be faster and more ruthless. Not wanting to give your adversary an exit, you shouldn't leave one for yourself either."
In the midst of the fierce battle, Shi Xiaole felt as if he had grasped a deeper understanding of the Huashan Sword Technique.
"Fall!"
With a spring in his step, Shi Xiaole disregarded the incoming sword and charged violently at the older of the Twin Heroes of Ji Bei. It became a contest to see who could react faster.
Among those who cross paths, the brave shall emerge victorious.
The older of the Twin Heroes of Ji Bei panicked. At the critical moment of life and death, his sword slowed by a split second.
Just this split second was enough to decide life or death.
"Brother!"
Seeing his brother fall, the man on the right screamed, turning to flee. But Shi Xiaole was faster. With the Floating Step, he swiftly somersaulted off the wall, swung his sword at the man mid-air.
Hisss.
The man on the right fell, dead on the ground.
Shi Xiaole sheathed his sword and swiftly searched through their bodies. After finding two secret manuals, he quietly left the alley.
...
The distance from Emerald Feather City to Mountain Luyan was about a day's journey. Shi Xiaole ran to a forest outside the official road without stopping to catch his breath, before he entered the system to exchange the secret manuals he got from the Twin Heroes of Ji Bei for 200 reward points.
"That's enough for me to practice for twenty 2-hour periods."
Determining his direction, Shi Xiaole decided to return to the Huajian Sect first.
However, halfway there, he suddenly heard the sound of fighting in the distance.
"You people of Black Evil Gang, dare to kill us, aren't you afraid of provoking the wrath of the Duster Gate?"
In the dense forest, Qi Guang, Qi Hui, and Zhao Molan, all wounded to varying degrees, were surrounded by more than thirty men dressed in black. Qi Hui shouted ominously.
Outside the circle of men was a lean old man, who sneered, "The three of you trespassed into my Black Evil Gang with malicious intentions and deserve to die! As for the Duster Gate, heh heh, without evidence, they wouldn't dare to act against my Black Evil Gang."
Not far away, hidden in the dense forest, Shi Xiaole remained expressionless.
He had, of course, heard of the Black Evil Gang. The gang was full of skilled fighters and also possessed countless low-ranking members. It was the largest gang in Emerald Feather City.
He hadn't expected Qi Guang and the others to provoke the Black Evil Gang.
"Junior brother, junior sister Zhao, I'll cover you two. You should find a way to break through and alert the sect," said Qi Guang resolutely, waving his sword.
The three of them had just left Emerald Feather City when they were targeted by the Black Evil Gang. They had been through a series of ordeals along their journey, killing dozens of the Gang's members, but they had also suffered injuries.
Now that they were surrounded again, Qi Guang knew their chances of survival were slim.
"Brother, I'm not leaving. Worse comes to worst, I'll go down with them," snapped Qi Hui fiercely.
Zhao Molan remained silent, yet didn't retreat an inch, clearly making up her mind to fight to the death.
"As expected from the offspring of a reputable and orthodox sect, this old man admires you, hehehe."
The skinny old man voiced his admiration, but his tone was filled with contempt.
Under the fight of Qi Guang and his two companions, more than thirty Black Evil Gang elites were reduced to just seven or eight individuals. However, Qi Guang and his companions suffered heavy injuries in the siege, their strength barely half of their usual.
"You three have quite a reputation among the younger generation in Emerald Feather City. When this old man plucks off your heads, I'm sure the Gang Leader will be richly reward me."
Commanding the remaining Black Evil Gang members to surround Qi Guang and the others, the skinny old man took off his gloves, preparing to reap the benefits from the situation.
"Despicable!"
Zhao Molan's face flushed with anger.
The old man possessed a mere sixth tier Hidden Qi cultivation. On a normal day, not to mention her two Senior Brothers, even she herself would confidently engage him in battle. But now, the old man might overpower them, even if the three of them joined forces.
Weighing his options, Shi Xiaole's rationality told him to leave immediately. After all, virtually no bonds tied him to Qi Guang and his companions, and there was no need to offend the Black Evil Gang for their sake.
However, judging by their pursuit of the Three-legged Bird, it could be inferred that this trio likely also adhered to the chivalrous and righteous type. Otherwise, they wouldn't have offended the vile Black Evil Gang.
Could he just stand by and do nothing?
Zhao Molan, the least injured, finally engaged the skinny old man in a battle, but only lasted a few moves before she was in grave danger. On the sidelines, Qi Guang and his brother were helpless, as every time they attempted to assist, they were surrounded by the remaining Black Evil Gang members, and help came too late.
"Oh, what the hell, let's help them out this time."
Having made up his mind, Shi Xiaole charged out without any hesitation, thrusting his sword ferociously towards the skinny old man.
"Where did this brat come from? Get lost."
As the sword light approached, the skinny old man reached out with one hand. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhao Molan finally evaded the dangerous situation, exclaiming in astonishment, "Young Master!"
"You insignificant brat, dare to meddle in the affairs of the Black Evil Gang, do you not care about your life?"
The brief clash informed the skinny old man that Shi Xiaole was only at the third tier of Hidden Qi, hence, he remained calm.
"I'm giving you one chance, leave now."
Shi Xiaole declared indifferently, standing with his sword.
"Hahaha…"
The skinny old man and the remaining members of the Black Evil Gang burst out laughing, as if they had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
Zhao Molan urgently said, "Young Master, thank you for your intervention, but you should leave."
No matter how shameless the skinny old man was, he was still a fifth tier Hidden Qi practitioner. Teamed with the remaining four tier Black Evil Gang elites, how could Shi Xiaole, only a third tier Hidden Qi practitioner, stand a chance?
Only Senior Brother Qi Guang, who was in the same realm, might be capable of a fair fight.
Qi Guang, with a grateful expression, said to Shi Xiaole, "Brother, the situation is dire, but we appreciate your kindness. If you don't mind, please report our deaths to Duster Gate, and someone will surely avenge us."
Shi Xiaole shook his head, "I'm not obliged to do you this favor, I'm only involved in the current situation."
The skinny old man was furious that this boy dared to defy him like this. He decided to kill him in the most brutal way. Thinking of this, the skinny old man showed a malicious smile, and his hands turned into a claw-like form, aiming for the head of Shi Xiaole, as quick as the wind.
A third-rate mid-level martial art skill, the Evil Wolf Claw.
"Be careful!"
Zhao Molan cried out.
One should note that, the higher the level of martial art, the harder it becomes to reach the advanced state, however, its power would consequently be stronger.
The skinny old man's Evil Wolf Claw had already reached a Spirit Integration initial stage. Combined with his fifth tier Hidden Qi cultivation, he had effortlessly killed the Twin Heroes of Jibei earlier.
As the wind from the claws approached, for a moment, Shi Xiaole seemed to see two terrifying wolf claws. He did not seem to be resisting at all.
In the eyes of others, clearly Shi Xiaole was scared out of his wits.
"He has no real ability, yet he imitates others' acts of bravery. Go to hell."
The skinny old man snarled a gruesome smile, and his claw-like hands were about to penetrate Shi Xiaole's skull.
At that moment, Shi Xiaole made his move.
A silvery sword light shot up into the sky, carrying an unstoppable sharpness, and directly collided with the Evil Wolf Claw.
It was the Spirit Integration initial stage Miao Family Sword Technique.
Shi Xiaole himself did not expect to use this sword technique so soon.
Bang.
Upon the collision of sword and claw, Shi Xiaole and the skinny old man both retreated three steps.
In terms of stage, Shi Xiaole was naturally inferior to the skinny old man. However, what he cultivated was a third-rate mid-level Hengshan Mind Method. But the skinny old man, as one of the minor leaders of the Black Evil Gang, had only cultivated a third-rate low-level Mind Method.
Therefore, even though Shi Xiaole was at a lower stage, the purity and circulation speed of his Internal Power was stronger than the skinny old man.
"Damn!"
Enraged, the skinny old man saw a flicker of greed in his eyes. He realised that Shi Xiaole must be cultivating superior skills, and killing him would greatly enhance his own martial abilities.
The remaining Black Evil Gang elites were also gearing up to strike.
Noticing this, Shi Xiaole suddenly did something shocking: he plunged his sword tip harshly towards his own heart.
"You wish to die, but it won't be that easy."
The skinny old man pounced forward quickly.
However, when the tip of the sword hit Shi Xiaole's body, it did not pierce him. Instead, the entire sword rushed out from the opposite direction, striking the skinny old man squarely, causing him to spit blood and fly backward.