Turning Hostile

"Constable Xiang, do you have any way to get us out of this case? If us brothers think it's feasible, we can immediately tell you where Boss An is hiding the people."

The young men were no fools either. If Xiang Yang could not offer a practical plan, let alone reveal their trump card to him, they would not even let Xiang Yang leave. After all, they had already laid their entire background bare before him.

With a crack, Xiang Yang raised the Wild Goose Feather Saber in his hand and shattered a flagstone beneath his feet. The bottom of the saber's scabbard also split with a few cracks. The sight drew startled cries from the crowd. Quite a few looked at Xiang Yang with fear in their eyes, while two somewhat more loyal men rushed in front of the young man, afraid Xiang Yang might harm him.

It was not as if they had never seen people with great strength. These burly men were all blacksmiths, and every one of them had plenty of strength in his arms. Shattering a flagstone was not difficult either; with a sledgehammer, anyone among them could do it.

The key was that Xiang Yang had used a thin iron scabbard to shatter the flagstone with sheer strength. That was not something ordinary people could accomplish. At the very least, none of them could.

Xiang Yang wore a smile at the corner of his lips, looking every bit the master. In truth, his palm was bright red, numb and aching, nearly devoid of feeling.

There was no helping it. For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction. Before learning inner force, Newton's coffin lid could still hold him down. Since he had put on this act, he had to finish the performance even if he cried through it.

"What you brothers are worried about is nothing more than the authorities holding you accountable. That is actually simple."

"First, the greatest threat to you is Boss An, the leader of the Little Knife Society. If he is arrested, he may very well expose you in order to lessen his punishment."

"Second, the testimony of those people who were trafficked is also an unstable factor. Third is Xiang himself. As long as these three points are dealt with, you are actually nothing in the eyes of the authorities."

Hearing Xiang Yang's words, the young man and the others' eyes lit up, and they nodded repeatedly. In truth, they did not care much about the third point. Since Xiang Yang had agreed to help them, could he possibly go back on his word?

Seeing their approval, Xiang Yang gave a cold smile. "Since Xiang has agreed to help you all, I presume you trust me. What remains are Boss An and those people you once abducted.

"In this world, only the dead can keep secrets. I can guarantee that once Mr. Lan's only son is found, neither Boss An nor those people you abducted will utter a single word.

"After the move Xiang just displayed, I daresay not just anyone in Anyuan County can do the same. You need not worry about my skills."

The young man and the others froze. Murder? Boss An was one thing—he deserved to die for his crimes—but those abducted were all pitiful women and children. Xiang Yang could actually bring himself to do it? They had not expected someone so young to be so vicious. For the sake of their future, people truly could do anything.

That was right. The reason the young man and the others were confident Xiang Yang would help them was because of his future prospects. Helping Mr. Lan recover his only son was no small favor. No one in the County Yamen would fail to be tempted by it. They simply did not trust him.

"Boss, everything he says is empty talk. Any guarantee is worthless. What if he turns around and sells us out? I think it's still too risky."

A sturdy man with lively eyes said hesitantly. To be honest, if the young man had not always been the decision-maker among them and held great prestige, he would have tried to stop this from the beginning.

The others also fell into thought. Was Xiang Yang truly worthy of trust? This was no trivial matter. If their deeds were exposed, Boss An would kill them, and the authorities would throw them in prison as well. Spending the finest years of their lives behind bars made their hearts turn cold just thinking about it.

The young man looked at Xiang Yang's resolute expression and clear eyes. Xiang Yang met his gaze openly and without shame. Remembering how Xiang Yang had just helped them out and even kindly warned them, the young man, though initially hesitant, finally made his decision.

"Trust a man without doubting him; if you doubt a man, do not trust him. I believe Constable Xiang. Constable Xiang, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Boss An usually keeps the people he abducts at..."

As he spoke, the young man moved closer to Xiang Yang and quietly told him several possible secret locations in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Xiang Yang's expression gradually softened. His phoenix eyes sometimes showed understanding, sometimes surprise. Those places were as unrelated as wind and horse; he had not expected Boss An to be such a complicated figure.

After the young man finished, he was about to explain in greater detail whom he had trafficked and whom they would need to kill when, without warning, a cold weapon pressed against his chest. It was the cracked scabbard of the Wild Goose Feather Saber.

The young man frowned, cold light flickering in his eyes. "Constable Xiang, what does this mean? Are you trying to tear down the bridge after crossing the river? Those of the jianghu place trust above all else. Acting like this is simply faithlessness and betrayal."

Seeing Xiang Yang's movement, the other burly men also raised their weapons and surrounded him, killing intent in their eyes. This was the Blacksmith Shop. The storefront out front mostly held farm tools, but the small courtyard was filled with blades and swords, each gleaming beneath the sunlight.

"Faithlessness and betrayal? You think you deserve to speak to me of trust and righteousness? Parents cherish their children dearly, yet you abducted them and tore families apart. Is that your trust and righteousness? I say you are worse than beasts."

"Do you know how many families have been shattered because of you? Some parents could not endure it and even lost their minds."

The young man's mouth twitched, and at last he forced out, "I had no choice. Do you think I wanted this? Even if I didn't do it, someone else would. Boss An was the mastermind behind it all."

Xiang Yang shook his head. Glancing at the people closing in around him, he kicked the young man away with a smack. The man flew more than two meters before crashing heavily to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth. For a moment, he could not even stand.

"No choice? That is merely your excuse. Did you also have no choice but to join the Little Knife Society? Did Boss An hold a blade to your necks and force you to join?

"You are all strong young men. Even if you worked as hired laborers for others, doing heavy work or carrying grain sacks, you would not starve to death. You simply harbored wicked thoughts, always dreaming that joining a gang would bring both prestige and wealth. Now that you see Boss An is in trouble and cannot stand against the Giant Bear Gang, you want to pull yourselves free? Where in this world is there such a bargain?

"You accuse me of faithlessness and betrayal, but when you joined the gang, did you not chop off a chicken's head and burn yellow paper in oath? The faithless traitors now are you.

"And did you truly think I would kill those innocent women and children for the likes of you? This was the final chance I gave you. If you still had a shred of humanity and tried to persuade me otherwise, I might not have spared you. Unfortunately, you have disappointed me."

What Xiang Yang said was the truth. He was not afraid of killing, but it depended on whom he was killing.

"To be honest, today was nothing but an accident. Running into the Giant Bear Gang causing trouble for you was an accident. Helping you out was an accident. Being dragged in here by you to listen to your story was an accident. Only after learning the whole sequence of events, turning hostile was no accident. Come at me."

Xiang Yang looked at the burly men surrounding him on all sides and spoke softly, his left thumb lightly braced against the top of the scabbard.