Storming Anjia Manor

The three men with whips looked at one another, somewhat at a loss.

Still, they agreed somewhat with what Xiang Yang had said. As the saying went, those in the thick of it were confused, while onlookers saw clearly. They had drilled themselves into a dead end because of Young Master Lan's status, but now that someone had pointed it out, they understood the stakes.

"What Constable Xiang says makes sense. Fine, we'll trust Constable Xiang this once. A Shuang, call all our men over and have them listen to Constable Xiang's orders."

After considering it briefly, the whip-wielding man spoke to the man in blue beside him. He appeared to hold considerable status and was likely the leader of this group of Green Wolf Gang members surrounding Anjia Manor.

Xiang Yang set down the Wild Goose Feather Saber in his hand, pleased by the man's tact. He considered his martial arts passable now. Charging into Anjia Manor alone might have been overconfident, but with nearly thirty gang members to assist him, success was guaranteed.

The Green Wolf Gang's method of summoning people was primitive: they cupped their hands around their mouths and howled like wolves, letting out rhythmic whoops and howls. Before long, more than twenty men in blue trickled out from all directions behind the path.

All of them wore blue clothing and wolf-head ornaments at their waists. Ten of them held vicious green wolves on leashes, much like the ones Xiang Yang had knocked down with two kicks earlier. They were fierce and bloodthirsty, mouths hanging open and drool dripping down, terrifying at a glance.

Once everyone had gathered and heard the whip-wielding man's words, they were somewhat suspicious, but fortunately no one caused trouble by refusing orders.

Seeing that the whip-wielding man had kept this group in line, Xiang Yang nodded. Gripping his saber, he stepped forward and swept his gaze across them before shouting sternly, "You all heard what this brother said just now. I won't waste words. I have only one thing to say: rescue Young Master Lan, and I'll claim the credit while you receive rewards. We'll all enjoy the blessings together.

"The method is simple too. An Qinglong of Anjia Manor has lost contact with Anyuan County, so there's a ninety-nine percent chance he doesn't know Young Master Lan's identity is anything out of the ordinary.

"What we need to do is trick them into opening the manor gates, then drive straight for the Yellow Dragon and seize control of everyone inside. Anyone who puts up stubborn resistance—life or death doesn't matter. Do you understand?"

The Green Wolf Gang members were usually bold, violent men, but they rarely went so far as to take lives. Hearing Xiang Yang say that life or death did not matter, essentially granting them freedom to kill, some licked their lips and revealed bloodthirsty smiles. These were true ruthless men, who saw lives as ants and even craved slaughter.

Others felt uneasy inside. They feared killing people, but they also feared being hurt themselves. They were the sort who looked tough on the outside but were weak within—usually fierce in appearance, but nothing more than showpieces.

Xiang Yang did not care what these men were thinking, nor did he care whether they suffered losses. As long as they achieved their goal and rescued Young Master Lan, everything would be worth it.

The group accepted their orders. Three Green Wolf Gang members leading dogs went ahead as the vanguard, while the rest formed rows of three and headed along the path toward Anjia Manor. Xiang Yang and the whip-wielding man walked at the rear, chatting casually, and Xiang Yang roughly learned of the man's background.

He was Huang Peng, one of the three "experts" under Song Qing of the Green Wolf Gang, skilled in whip techniques. Once his long whip was unleashed, even five or six men would struggle to get near him. His whip technique, called Chaotic Blossoms, had been passed down by a wandering martial artist.

The reason this man trusted Xiang Yang so deeply and believed taking Anjia Manor would not be difficult was that Xiang Yang had broken his Chaotic Blossoms Whip Technique in a single move. His martial arts were truly unfathomable. It sounded ironic, but it was an accurate reflection of Huang Peng's inner thoughts.

Xiang Yang himself felt rather helpless. At his current level, he could handle ordinary people well enough. Against some external-style experts, he could exchange a few moves by relying on the immense strength cultivated through the Iron Crotch Technique and the subtleties of the Hu Family Saber Technique, but that was all. He was still far from that jianghu where anyone could strike palm winds and sword qi.

After walking for roughly half an hour, Xiang Yang and the others finally arrived outside the gates of a fairly well-built manor. As for the tenant farmers who had originally lived near the manor, the Green Wolf Gang had already subdued them and tied them up inside their own homes, unable to move.

Raising his head to look at the three gilded characters reading Anjia Manor, Xiang Yang gave a cold snort. With a lift and sweep of his right hand, the Green Wolf Gang members took up their assigned positions. They formed two groups of ten behind and to Xiang Yang's left, while one dog-handler from each group followed behind Xiang Yang as he headed toward Anjia Manor's gates.

Three loud knocks rang against the door knocker. Footsteps sounded inside, and with a creak, the gates opened to reveal three burly men with bare chests and terrifyingly bulging muscles.

"Who are you? What do you want? Hm? Green Wolf Gang?"

As the gates opened, the three men first called out a question. Seeing Xiang Yang outside and the two blue-clad men behind him leading dogs, they immediately guessed part of the situation. Their expressions eased somewhat. The Little Knife Society and the Green Wolf Gang were brother gangs—sharing glory and ruin alike—and together they stood against the Giant Bear Gang.

But after another careful look, they sensed that something was wrong. The more than twenty men arrayed behind them did not look like they were paying a friendly visit. They seemed far more likely to be here to smash the place up and cause trouble.

The central man's expression changed, and he was about to ask their purpose.

Xiang Yang had no desire to waste words. His body flashed forward, and his right hand clenched into a fist. One blow struck the man in the abdomen, sending the nearly two-hundred-pound brute flying more than half a meter away. After landing, he spat out a mouthful of blood, convulsed a few times, and was clearly too badly injured to rise.

The other two sensed something was wrong and were about to shout a warning for the people inside the manor to be on guard. But a streak of silver saber light suddenly flashed before their eyes. The saber swept in an arc, cutting both men in turn. Clutching their throats, they could only make muffled noises before Xiang Yang killed them outright.

The changes had occurred in an instant. Not only had the three burly Little Knife Society men been caught completely off guard, but the Green Wolf Gang members behind Xiang Yang were also frightened out of their wits. Seeing Xiang Yang's utterly ordinary expression, some imperceptibly shrank back. Killing without batting an eye—this was probably what it looked like.

Huang Peng was also surprised by what he saw. Judging from Xiang Yang's movements, this was definitely not his first time killing. This youth had given him too many surprises. Truly, the waves behind in the Yangtze River drove the waves ahead onward. He feared that not many of the old constables in the County Yamen could compare to this young man.

"Charge in after me."

Xiang Yang glanced over the three Little Knife Society members without the slightest ripple in his eyes, then spoke to the Green Wolf Gang members behind him. Saber in hand, he was the first to step through Anjia Manor's gates and walk inside, blood still dripping from the tip of his blade.

Under normal circumstances, Xiang Yang would not have dared kill people without an order from the County Yamen. After all, the law stood above, and the yamen kept him in check.

But the conduct of Wang Ying and the other two at the Blacksmith Shop had made him understand that although County Yamen constables were not ranked court officials, they still bore official status. The two mouths in the character for "official" were not there for nothing.

Not to mention that he was currently carrying out official business and rescuing Mr. Lan's only son. Even if he went somewhat overboard, the yamen would not hold him accountable.