No Good Men Here

This man with the whip was something else too. Judging by his looks, he had to be over thirty, while Xiang Yang was only fifteen, still in the bloom of youth. Yet just to stay alive, he called Xiang Yang big brother—he had utterly thrown his pride away.

But Xiang Yang liked people like this best, because they were easy to talk to. A little intimidation was all it took to pry out whatever information he wanted.

He smiled, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly as a glint of cold light flashed within. Holding the Wild Goose Feather Saber in reverse, he pressed its tip against the man's chest.

As for the other two, they had only just come to their senses. Clutching their burning cheeks, they stood there at a loss.

"Who are you? What are you doing outside Anjia Manor? Did An Qinglong send you to stand guard out here?"

Xiang Yang's tone was harsh, but what his words revealed delighted the man with the saber tip against his chest. He had called An Qinglong by name, which meant he was not from the Little Knife Society. And as long as he was not from the Little Knife Society, they were not enemies.

So he hurriedly spoke up, recounting their origins and purpose in full. He even spilled things Xiang Yang had not asked about. One look was enough to tell he was the sort who feared death and clung to life.

This man, the two dog handlers, and the twenty-three others lying in ambush around the path leading to Anjia Manor were all from the Green Wolf Gang—the Anyuan County gang that had joined forces with the Little Knife Society to contend against the Giant Bear Gang.

They had obeyed the orders of Song Qing, the Green Wolf Gang's leader, and tightly guarded An Qinglong's manor. Their purpose was not to help An Qinglong, but to share Xiang Yang's very thoughts: rescue Mr. Lan's only son and use the deed as a gift to secure advancement.

As the saying went, snakes had snake paths and rats had rat roads. The County Yamen had received Mr. Lan's report, while the Green Wolf Gang's leader had learned of the matter through his own channels.

And they bottom-rung gang members knew An Qinglong's background inside and out. Some of them might even have had a hand in it.

Thus Song Qing had hatched the idea of stabbing An Qinglong in the back. He wanted to rescue Mr. Lan's only son from An Qinglong's hands and attach himself to this important figure from Qingjiang Prefecture. Then, even without joining hands with the Little Knife Society, the Giant Bear Gang would not dare do anything to them.

Moreover, An Qinglong and Song Qing had been in a honeymoon period recently, with relations between them excellent. Naturally, certain rumors had slipped out, and this manor for concealing abducted people had fallen into Song Qing's sights.

"Looks like no one should take anyone else for a fool. Song Qing has thought this through well enough."

Xiang Yang understood Song Qing's thinking perfectly. An Qinglong had no way out no matter what. The reason the authorities did not dare arrest him, or even uproot the Little Knife Society, was because they feared breaking the vessel for the rat inside. If Mr. Lan's only son died, they too would be unable to escape blame, so the matter had simply dragged on.

But it could not drag on forever. It would have to be settled eventually. When that time came, An Qinglong would certainly die, and the Little Knife Society would certainly disband. Then Song Qing's Green Wolf Gang, left alone in the county seat, would be like one palm unable to clap. It could never maintain itself under the Giant Bear Gang's ferocious assaults, so it could only seek another way out.

"Recently, An Qinglong has been watched to death by the authorities, and every move his men make is under surveillance. Only outside the county seat is there a gap.

"And this place is guarded by us. Not even a fly has gotten in these past days—of course, except for you, big brother."

Xiang Yang sheathed the Wild Goose Feather Saber and stroked his chin. "So An Qinglong is riding a tiger and cannot dismount. He cannot even arrange an escape route. Otherwise, he would have sent men long ago to chop this source of all evil, Young Master Lan, into ten thousand pieces and destroy the evidence."

The man rubbed his chest, still numb, sore, and swollen from the saber sheath's blow, then nodded. "That's exactly it. The reason we've stayed outside instead of rushing in is because we're worried about Young Master Lan's safety."

Yet Xiang Yang felt that these men had fallen into a mistaken line of thinking. Since An Qinglong was being watched so closely, he naturally could not communicate with the people inside Anjia Manor. The people in the manor probably did not realize just how important this child was. Of course, nothing was absolute, and the risks were not small either.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Xiang Yang, a constable of the Anyuan County Yamen. I was also ordered to come to Anjia Manor on official business this time. My purpose is the same as yours."

Hearing Xiang Yang's words, the three men exchanged looks, all somewhat at a loss. Had they known Xiang Yang was a constable, they would not have dared raise a hand against him even if they had been lent three times the courage.

Still, this also let the three men breathe a sigh of relief. He was from the County Yamen—that was even better. At least they no longer had to worry about their lives.

"Now I would like you to assist me in handling this case and follow my command. We'll storm the manor directly and take down everyone inside. If we rescue Young Master Lan, never mind the reward Song Qing gives you—I will also claim credit for you before the yamen."

Although Xiang Yang knew there were risks, he still decided to act at once. And now that he had the Green Wolf Gang's strength, he had enough men and disdained disguising himself any longer.

That was what he thought, and he thought it quite well. But the three men shook their heads repeatedly. The man in the middle gave a bitter smile. "No, no, Constable Xiang. I understand that you are eager to earn merit, but if anything happens to Young Master Lan, us little people cannot bear the responsibility.

"Besides, there are quite a few men in this Song Manor—more than forty of them. We may not be their match."

They knew full well that if Xiang Yang made a wrong decision and something happened to Young Master Lan, then when Mr. Lan pursued the matter, Xiang Yang might shove all the blame onto them. At that point, even dying would not be enough to settle it.

They were not children. Having scraped by at the bottom for so long, it was not as though they had never seen heroes whose loyalty reached the clouds. But Xiang Yang was merely a youth, far from worthy of being called a hero. What was more, those constables from the authorities were all the sort to turn their faces and deny all ties. Xiang Yang was unlikely to be any nobler than them, so naturally they did not dare give him their all.

Xiang Yang was startled by this, as though he had received another heavy blow. Why were there so many people? Hadn't that Little Knife Society man said only a dozen or so were guarding the place?

But he quickly realized he had been deceived. Sure enough, there were no good men among them. Shame and anger stirred in his heart, and his expression soured. The veins on his right hand, clenched around the saber, bulged sharply.

"Those damned bastards. No wonder Wang Ying wanted to kill every last one of them. They truly deserve to die."

A dozen men versus over forty—a difference of thirty. Xiang Yang had some martial skill now, but he had not reached the point of invincibility. If forty people truly surrounded and attacked him, no matter how sharp his saber technique was, could he fend off forty swords and blades at once? There was every chance he would fall within Anjia Manor. Whether he could even leave alive was another question entirely.

"You said it yourselves: An Qinglong is being watched to death, and his men do not dare leave the county seat. The people inside Anjia Manor may not know how perilous the situation outside has become. In their eyes, Young Master Lan is merely someone who was abducted and sold—not someone important.

"And you have thirty men yourselves. With so many hands, plus this constable, taking Anjia Manor will be more than easy enough. If you do not trust yourselves, do you not even trust the saber in my hand?"

Suppressing his shame and anger at having been played, Xiang Yang swept his cold gaze over the three men and spoke lightly. Yet the Wild Goose Feather Saber swaying in his hand whistled through the air, and he even spun a Blade Flower before them. The three men stared dumbstruck. That was not something mere strength could accomplish; technique was the foundation.