20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 796 Calming the Storm: Old Knife Retreats
"Bang bang bang!"

Outside the second gate, Zhao Guoyan suddenly appeared, and without uttering a single word, immediately fired several shots into the courtyard.

Huo Laogui and his gang were truly hopeless; after a few small victories, they became arrogant and complacent, completely losing their guard.

After the gunshot, several brothers standing near the second gate fell to the ground.

Huo Laogui was originally standing in the middle of the courtyard. Fortunately, someone was blocking him from behind, so he managed to escape. He then hurriedly grabbed Donya and pulled her away from the courtyard gate.

Seeing this, the other brothers quickly dispersed, each rushing towards the corridor and hiding behind the pillars to check the situation.

Zhao Guoyan then fired a few more shots and whistled. Yang Lazi and the others responded and took advantage of the opening to break free from their restraints.

The courtyard immediately descended into chaos again.

Hearing the commotion, Yang Lazi and his men mistakenly thought that reinforcements had arrived, and their morale soared. They became even more fearless and were ready to fight Huo Laogui's men to the death.

However, they did not expect that what came was not reinforcements at all, but Zhao Guoyan alone.

The magazine was emptied very quickly.

Zhao Guoyan dodged outside the courtyard gate, his back pressed against the wall. As he raised his hand to eject the magazine and replace it with a spare, he shouted in a rough voice, "Yang Lazi, get out of here!"

Inside the courtyard, the brothers were taken aback upon hearing this—what was going on? They were leaving already?

Meanwhile, Huo Laogui and the others gradually sensed something was amiss.

Zhao Guoyan's shooting caught everyone off guard. Now that they had scattered and caught a moment to catch their breath, they quickly realized that the gunshot had come from only one place and that they had not seen a large group of people. This put their minds at ease.

Huo Laogui was also a brave and ruthless man. Seeing this, he immediately shouted, "Brothers, don't be afraid. The news must be true. The Jiang family can't recruit any more people. We must seize this opportunity. Let's settle our scores and grievances. We'll collect as many rewards as we can wipe out. Let's just do it! What's there to be afraid of!"

He also recognized Zhao Guoyan and knew his status in the Jiang family, so he added, "That guy outside is the head of the Jiang family. Whoever gets rid of him will be famous and influential by tomorrow morning. What are you waiting for? Come with me!"

Having said that, he grabbed Donya's long hair, pulled her in front of him, and with the Mauser pistol in one hand, he immediately rushed towards the second gate.

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

Jiang Family Protector – Don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s only four characters; in the eyes of the online community, it’s worth a fortune. He’s the Jiang family’s top henchman!

The so-called "experience in the martial arts world" is simply a string of names on the Book of Life and Death.

If I kill Zhao Guoyan tonight, I can roam freely outside the pass from now on. Wherever I go, people will look at me with respect. With fame comes profit, and I can achieve both fame and fortune without a doubt.

Upon hearing this, the brothers immediately became alert, especially the young men who were eager to make a name for themselves. They were inherently fierce, and as soon as they spoke, several of them grabbed broadswords, leaped onto the wall, and prepared to flank and attack from behind.

Huo Laogui, as the leader, was also quite righteous. At this moment, he took the lead and quickly reached the vicinity of the second gate.

Zhao Guoyan dared not delay, loaded the spare magazine, and hurriedly slipped out.

Unexpectedly, when he looked up, he bumped into the four concubines of the Jiang family.

With Huo Laogui holding her in front of her, Donya was naturally unwilling to be used as cover. She hurriedly twisted and struggled, eager to break free from his control.

Unexpectedly, Huo Laogui suddenly raised his knee from behind her and kicked her hard in the lower back, sending Dongniya flying out of the second gate.

Seeing Donya stagger towards him, Zhao Guoyan dared not fire. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, unsure whether to catch her or dodge. In that moment of hesitation, he heard two gunshots, and then saw Donya arch her back and lunge forward, crashing straight into Zhao Guoyan's arms.

"Bang-bang!"

Huo Laogui fired two more shots, making a total of four, all of which hit Donya in the back.

The original plan was to "skewer candied hawthorns" and kill Zhao Guoyan and Dongniya one after another.

Fortunately, it was the dead of winter, and the two were wearing thick cotton-padded clothes. The bullet entered Donya's body but did not penetrate, thus saving Zhao Guoyan from certain death.

Unfortunately, her beauty faded and her fragrance vanished, and Donya met her end.

Zhao Guoyan was bumped by her and staggered back two steps. He quickly steadied himself and was about to raise his gun to retaliate.

However, two fists can't fight four hands. Before he could even raise his gun, two figures suddenly appeared from the side, taking advantage of the chaos to rush in and slash at Zhao Guoyan's arm.

Zhao Guoyan was startled and quickly sidestepped Dongniya, turned his gun around, and fired two shots, killing one of them. But the other took advantage of the opportunity to grab Zhao Guoyan's wrist and desperately raise his gun into the air.

The two sides struggled fiercely, and in the struggle, the guns discharged accidentally one after another.

Immediately afterwards, two more robbers rushed over from the other side and slashed Zhao Guoyan twice in the back.

Fortunately, the cotton-padded clothing provided protection, and the blade sliced ​​through the cotton, injuring the skin but not the bones.

Zhao Guoyan took root in the spot, quickly twisted his waist, and turned around. His sidearm then went off again, killing one of the men.

In an instant, only the three of them were left wrestling again.

Zhao Guoyan, being born in Cangzhou, was skilled in martial arts and quick-witted. He immediately reached out his left hand and grabbed one man by the throat, then suddenly raised his right leg and struck another man in the abdomen.

Just as they were about to escape, they heard Old Ghost Huo shout in a fierce voice, "Get the hell out of my way!"

Turning his head, he saw Old Huo holding a Mauser pistol. Fearing that he might accidentally hurt his own brothers, he quickly walked over and planned to get closer before pulling the trigger.

Unexpectedly, after taking only two steps, a figure suddenly leaped high into the air behind him.

It turned out that Yang Lazi had come to help. He rushed over and, with a grappling technique, wrapped his arm tightly around Huo Laogui's neck.

"boom!"

The gun discharged accidentally, and the bullet flew right over Zhao Guoyan's head.

In the chaos, Yang Lazi was heard cursing loudly: "You motherfucker, I'm going to use you as a scapegoat today!"

Huo Laogui reacted quickly enough, desperately pulling at Yang Lazi's arm while turning his gun and firing several shots at the back of Yang's head.

Seeing this, Yang Lazi hurriedly dodged, thus failing to firmly lock Huo Laogui's throat. He then tripped Huo Laogui and himself, throwing them both to the ground.

The two men wrestled and struggled on the snow, amidst several gunshots.

But soon, Huo Laogui gradually weakened, and his sidearm fell out of his hand without him even realizing it.

Seeing this, the other brothers rushed to help, trying to forcibly pry open Yang Lazi's arm.

However, Yang Lazi held on tightly with both arms, naturally refusing to let go.

Seeing that they couldn't pry him open, the bandits quickly pulled out their daggers and stabbed Yang Lazi several times in the ribs.

The body of flesh and blood is ultimately limited in its strength.

Blood spread rapidly on the snow beside Yang Lazi, causing his grip to loosen considerably. The pain pierced his bones, and he couldn't help but wail in agony.

Taking advantage of the situation, Huo Laogui rolled over, hurriedly scrambled to his feet, panting heavily, and pointed at Yang Lazi, shouting angrily, "Insert him! Insert him for me!"

At his command, the brothers were filled with murderous intent, but instead of swinging their swords to slash, they gripped their broadswords in reverse, the tips pointing downwards, and stabbed repeatedly as if pounding medicine. Yang Lazi was already severely wounded in the ribs and had nowhere to hide, so he could only turn over in despair, lie on his side, cover his head with his hands, and curl up his body.

The bandits didn't take it seriously and kept stabbing Yang Lazi with their knives. In the blink of an eye, they had stabbed him with countless bloody holes.

Yang Lazi cried out in agony, but at this moment, he inexplicably cried out, "Old Niu, save me!"

He then coughed violently several times, coughing up blood, and cried out, "Old Niu, save me..."

The old ox was dead, so naturally it wouldn't come to his rescue, and its voice gradually weakened, leaving only the "gurgling" of its breathing, which soon faded away.

Old Huo stood up, ignoring the horrific scene, and started searching around, shouting, "Where's my gun?"

Just then, Zhao Guoyan also dealt with the two robbers beside him, but suffered two knife wounds on his back. Although they were not serious, there was still a faint trace of blood seeping out.

He had the opportunity to retreat first, but seeing Yang Lazi die tragically on the spot while trying to save him, he immediately abandoned the idea of ​​leaving.

After all, they had worked together in the Jiang family for many years. Although they were of different statuses, they were still brothers. How could they bear to run away like this?

Upon seeing this, the remaining gangsters went berserk and rushed toward Yang Lazi's corpse.

Zhao Guoyan was a man of great loyalty and righteousness. At this moment, he disregarded social hierarchy and only wanted to kill Huo Laogui with his own hands. So he immediately raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

Unexpectedly, a crisp "click" sounded from the chamber; it turned out that the frequent misfires had caused the gun to run out of bullets without the gun's knowledge.

Hearing the commotion, Huo Laogui instinctively shrank back and lowered his voice, only to find that no gunshot had been fired. He cursed as he strode closer.

The two sides had exhausted their guns and ammunition, and only swords and fists could determine the victor.

Zhao Guoyan wasn't intimidated by him. He turned around, spat fiercely, and then charged forward.

"Fuck you!"

As they spoke, the two approached each other.

Meanwhile, a chaotic battle broke out inside the mansion.

Despite Huo Laogui's aggressive demeanor and apparent skill, Zhao Guoyan spotted his weakness just as he was about to make a move. He immediately dodged to the side, swiftly closed in, and delivered a right jab to Huo Laogui's left ribs.

If it were an ordinary person, that single punch would have been enough to leave them breathless for half a day.

However, as mentioned earlier, Huo Laogui was no ordinary person. All the prostitutes in the ten rooms, regardless of their beauty, ugliness, weight, or build, had to accompany him. No one knew what kind of evil technique he had practiced, but despite being obsessed with women for more than ten years, his body had not been hollowed out.

As for his abilities and profound skills, that's debatable, but he was incredibly resilient, and not just in ordinary ways. In Fengtian, he was second to none.

When Huo Laogui started fighting, he seemed fierce and aggressive, but in reality, he was full of loopholes. He swung his arms and threw a few punches and kicked a few times, but he couldn't even touch a hair on Zhao Guoyan's head. Instead, he revealed many flaws and was able to counter Zhao Guoyan's moves and turn the tables.

However, no matter how heavy the punches hit him, Huo Laogui only groaned twice before regaining his footing and continuing to throw punches haphazardly.

Zhao Guoyan had a wound on his back. He was fine until he threw a few punches, and his blood was rushing through his veins. Blood seeped from the knife wound on his back. Unfortunately, he ran into a "thousand-year-old turtle". Before long, his strength gradually gave out, and he had to retreat repeatedly until he finally reached the gate of the courtyard.

Huo Laogui was bruised and swollen, with a cut on his brow bone, but he was not seriously injured. Instead, he became even more unscrupulous and approached Zhao Guoyan step by step.

"What, is this all the Jiang family's henchman is capable of?"

Old Huo was quite smug. He gave a thumbs up, pointed to his chest, and said, "I've been practicing Iron Shirt since I was a kid. With hard qigong as my foundation, what kind of punches and kicks haven't I blocked? Why would I be afraid of yours?"

Zhao Guoyan exhaled a puff of breath and remained silent, but he had to admit to himself that he had indeed underestimated Huo Laogui's physique.

So he retreated while looking around for something handy.

Just then, a shout came from inside the courtyard: "Brother, your gun is right here!"

As soon as the sound came, a robber came running out and handed the Mauser pistol that had just fallen to Huo Laogui.

Huo Laogui grew increasingly smug, leisurely taking the pistol. Seeing that there were still a few bullets in the gun, he pointed the muzzle at Zhao Guoyan and sneered, "Old Zhao, it's come to this point, and you still don't understand? What Marshal Zhang, General Guo, they're all pushovers. In our Northeast, the Japanese still call the shots! The Jiang family is finished. When it comes to backing, we old brothers are stronger than the Jiang family!"

"we?"

Zhao Guoyan suddenly realized that Huo Laogui was not acting alone or on a whim. He then recalled the various encounters the Jiang family had experienced along the way...

He suddenly had a guess, but the current situation didn't allow him to think about it carefully.

Huo Laogui had no intention of explaining to him. As he was speaking, he was about to pull the trigger.

However, at that moment, a loud roar suddenly came from the entrance of the alley.

"Om-"

The three men's expressions tightened, and they looked in the direction of the sound, only to see two beams of light sweeping across the dark alley and rushing toward the courtyard gate.

The bright light shone on his face, and Huo Laogui felt dizzy. He couldn't help but squint. By the time he realized it was a car, it was too late to react, whether to fire back or jump away.

The black car immediately sped up in front of us.

"boom!"

Huo Laogui fired a shot, but it was to no avail.

Immediately afterwards, there was a loud crash, the car left a long rut on the snow, and Huo Laogui was thrown five or six meters away, his shoes flying off, and he landed heavily in the distance like a sandbag.

The incident happened so suddenly that the robber who had come to the gate to deliver the gun was completely dumbfounded.

While they were still in shock and disbelief, the rear window of the car slowly rolled down, and a dark gun barrel emerged from inside the vehicle.

"Bang bang bang!"

The robber collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The twin brothers, Li Genleng and Leng Genli, also got out of the back seat of the car, carrying guns.

Immediately afterwards, the driver's side door opened, and Lao Dao, holding a large mirror, climbed out of the car and strode over to Huo Laogui's side.

Old Huo was still alive at this moment, lying on the ground muttering, "Iron Shirt... Hard Qigong... I'm fine!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Old Dao immediately fired three shots, ending Huo Laogui's life. He then turned and walked back. When he was almost at the gate of the mansion, several more figures rushed out of the alley, who looked like his men.

Before Zhao Guoyan could react, the passenger door opened as well.

Kang Zheng strode over, squatted down, and asked, "Old Zhao, are you still holding on?"

"It's alright, I can hold on!"

Zhao Guoyan nodded, finally relieved. It was Xue Yingqing's brothers from the counter who had come to help...

(End of this chapter)