The evil forces roaming the heavens

Chapter 1746 Thank you, elder brother, for the birthday gifts!

Qinghe County, torrential rain.

Wearing straw raincoats, Zhang Cheng and Er Gou entered the teahouse next door.

"Waiter, bring two pots of hot tea!"

Zhang Cheng took off his heavy raincoat and placed it aside.
Going out in such heavy rain is not only torture, but also a form of oppression for working people.

But what could they do when they couldn't find those bandits? And Ximen Qing even secretly donated a lot of money to the county government!

When people are paid to do things, their resentment isn't so great!
Sipping his tea to dispel the chill, Zhang Cheng turned his head and said, "Brother Laifu, this rain doesn't look like it'll stop anytime soon!"

"Yeah, I wonder when this will all be over!"

Er Gou smiled as he spoke to Zhang Cheng beside him.

However, just as the two were drinking tea, three people walked in.

Looking at the group, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but narrow his eyes, because these people were actually wearing military boots.

Looking at Zhang Cheng, the leader glanced at him and Er Gou, then sat down.
"Sir, what would you like to drink?"

Upon arriving before the three, the waiter immediately began to greet them warmly.
"Bring me a pot of tea and a few plates of pastries!"

The three of them started chatting casually.
Listening intently to their conversation, Zhang Cheng, though maintaining a calm demeanor, had already developed a serious expression.
Not long after, after the three men left with the copper coins, Zhang Cheng's eyes sharpened.

After returning home, Zhang Cheng retrieved the knife his elderly father had left him from under the bed and began sharpening it.
Today in the teahouse, he vaguely overheard things about the "birthday tribute" and speculation about the identities of those people.
The three men were from the Six Doors (a government agency), and their mission was to apprehend the border troops escorting the birthday gifts.
If Zhang Cheng wasn't mistaken, the border troops had likely embezzled the birthday tribute, and then, while passing through Qinghe County, they were forced to break into the prison because the bandits had been captured.
As for killing Ximen Qing, that was purely bad luck for him, since Zhang Cheng had given his name.
Moreover, judging from the relationship between the bandits and their leader, they are most likely brothers!
That makes sense!

"Clang!"

Sharpening the knife with his backhand, Zhang Cheng dried it and then flicked it forward, producing a crisp clang of metal.

Zhang Cheng: No need for anything else, thank you for the birthday gifts, brother!

A dark, windy, rainy night.
A tall figure wearing a straw raincoat walked away into the distance.

Walking along the wall of the alley, Zhang Cheng stepped into the wet water without making a sound.
But after he arrived in the southern city, his eyes gradually sharpened.

In fact, during the past two days of investigation, he had already guessed where the border troops were hiding.
As a notorious bandit, Zhang Cheng is no good as a constable, but if you ask him to "put himself in the enemy's shoes," he can perfectly understand the border troops' actions.
From the first prison break onwards, the perpetrators never left the vicinity of the county government office.
Because it's darkest under the lamp, this principle works well for both them and the constables.
Moreover, most of the people living in this area are acquaintances, so there must be an inside man among the constables!

After navigating the winding road, Zhang Cheng arrived at the outside of a courtyard.
However, before Zhang Cheng could go up, three men wearing straw raincoats had already arrived.

"Bang bang bang!"

A knock sounded at the door. The person inside hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached the doorway.

Upon opening the door, the kind-faced old man Wu smiled and asked, "And who are you three?"

"Six Doors, is Rolling Blade Luo An still hiding?"

When he spoke to the old man Wu in front of him, the constables from the Six Doors stared at him sternly.
"This old man doesn't know who Luo An is, let alone the name Rolling Blade. The three of you must have mistaken me for someone else!"

With a smile, Old Man Wu appeared quite calm.

"Stop pretending. If it weren't for the incident with the birthday tribute, we would never have imagined that you, you little thief, would dare to infiltrate the government office as a constable. It's hilarious!"

The constables from the Six Doors drew their swords and became serious.
Squinting, Old Man Wu slowly backed away, saying, "It's been twenty years, why won't you let this old man go? I just want to live, is that wrong?"

"You also come from the border army, so you should know the price of killing your comrades and plundering gold and silver!"

Staring coldly at Old Man Wu, the leader of the Six Doors immediately drew his long sword.

"Take it!"

Pointing a finger at Old Man Wu, the captain of the Six Doors began to reprimand him.

"Shh!"

He leaped forward, and the Six Doors constables beside him immediately drew their swords with lightning speed, "Clang clang clang!"

The sound of clashing swords rang out, and a short knife appeared from Old Wu's sleeve, blocking all of his attacks.

Standing at a distance in astonishment, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but feel bewildered.
Because Old Wu, that old fox, really knows how to keep his skills hidden!
Although he could tell that the other party had a background in the border army, he never expected that he himself had been a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws) person in his youth!

To be hunted down by the Six Doors means that the person must have been a ruthless person in their youth!

Just when Old Wu was about to lose control, a series of angry shouts rang out.
Seeing the border soldiers appearing around him, the captain of the Six Doors roared, "I knew it! You were here after all!"

"Hmph, so what if you know? Even if we kill you all, no one will be able to find us!"

Looking coldly at the Six Doors captain, the leading thug turned his head and said, "Uncle, leave this to me!"

As he spoke, the fierce bandit from the border army immediately leaped forward, raising his knife in a furious slash.

"Clang!"

The Six Doors captain, who had been holding his knife up in a backhand motion, couldn't help but take a half step back, a cold smile on his face. "Little thief, no matter how strong you are, the Six Doors can still take care of you!"

After saying this, a meteor hammer appeared in his left hand.

"Let's attack side by side! These three from the Six Doors are no ordinary people!"

Addressing those around him, Old Man Wu became serious.

Because he also knew that the Six Doors would never have come knocking on his door unless they were absolutely certain of success.

Just as the group of people rushed up, the three members of the Six Doors were also starting to feel the strain.

What surprised them even more was that the elderly Wu possessed such exquisite swordsmanship.
"Pfft!"

Just as one of the Six Doors members had his shoulder severed, the other two also seemed to lose their composure.
"Take advantage of his illness to kill him!"

With a furious roar, the border bandit immediately charged forward, risking injury to save his life, and slashed the Six Doors captain across the neck with his blade.
Clutching his neck in disbelief, the Six Doors captain staggered backward, crying out, "The Six Doors! The Six Doors won't let you get away with this!"

Panting heavily as he watched his opponent fall, the border bandit, seeing the last man beside him collapse, said, "Uncle, we can't stay here any longer! We'll kill that Ximen Qing and head south."

"I'm afraid we won't be able to leave!"

Speaking to the border guards and bandits beside him, Old Wu stared into the darkness, his eyes serious.

"Boom!"

Thunder rumbled across the night sky.

In the flash of lightning, the light illuminated the figure ahead.

Holding a knife, Zhang Cheng appeared at the door and took off his straw hat, saying, "I've suspected many people, but I never expected it to be you, Uncle Wu!"

When did you become suspicious?

Looking at Zhang Cheng's handsome face, Old Wu gripped his knife with both hands, his eyes like those of a venomous snake.
"After the prison break, I sent you to find the jailer, but you were too slow. I bet you didn't expect that Ximen Qing and I would survive!"

Zhang Cheng spoke to Old Man Wu with a mocking tone.
"But you're already here, how can you think you can still survive?"

Upon hearing Zhang Cheng's words, Old Man Wu inquired.

"Didn't I tell you? In the entire Qinghe County, the most capable fighter isn't Ximen Qing, nor Wu Song, but me, Zhang Cheng!"

After saying this, Zhang Cheng raised his hand forward, slowly tightening his grip on the long sword, and said, "My father, I'm afraid you were the one who silenced him!"

"Boom!"

Thunder rumbled across the night sky, and the killing intent between the two sides began to gather!
(End of this chapter)