For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

Brother Sanlv and I strolled around the streets of the county town. After sleeping all day, both of our stomachs were rumbling.

Brother Sanlu led me to a noodle shop.

Each person ordered a bowl of noodles, along with peanuts, smashed cucumber, cold beef salad, and roast chicken – four dishes in total.

But as soon as we sat down, before we even started eating, I had a bad feeling.

"Hey bro, can I borrow a couple of coins?"

One of them had long hair, wore bell-bottoms and a floral shirt, and had sunglasses over his eyes.

Long hair and sunglasses almost completely covered the man's face.

It looks weird.

There were several men dressed similarly to him beside him.

However, the man wasn't talking to me, but to Brother Sanlv.

I knew I'd run into a thug.

To put it bluntly, this is no different from the beard of the past.

But compared to the bearded man, these thugs are even more shameless and have absolutely no manners.

The code of honor among江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world or the code of chivalry) has no place in their hearts.

Brother Sanlu looked up.

"Brother, you've got some nerve! The sun hasn't even set yet, and you're already out here robbing people."

"Damn it, I'm borrowing, stop with the nonsense, are you lending me or not?"

The man stretched out his hand, and the person next to him immediately handed him a hand cannon.

I've seen this before. It's a modified hunting rifle. They sawed it short and changed the rifling and bolt.

It has a shorter range but greater power; one shot and it's riddled with holes.

Upon seeing the weapon, Brother Sanlu immediately cowered.

"Brother, let's talk this out. It's not that serious."

"Speak properly? Now you know how to speak properly? Stop talking nonsense and give me the money."

Men don't have much patience.

"Dude, I don't have much money on me. How about we sit down and grab something to eat? We're a bunch of brothers, so let's order some good food and drinks."

Fuck you.

Upon seeing how ignorant Sanlu was, the man overturned the table and slammed a hand cannon directly onto Sanlu's head.

"Say one more word and I'll shoot you."

"Brother, brother."

"Don't get excited, don't get excited. Look, we really didn't bring much money with us. This is all I have. You can have it all."

I took out a few ten-yuan bills and handed them to the man.

The man glanced at it, and the others behind him stepped forward to take the money.

The man then pointed the gun at Brother Sanlu's head several times.

"See? Be smart."

"Let's go, guys."

The man, with money in his pocket and his few thugs, swaggered out of the noodle shop. Just before leaving, he deliberately bumped into Brother Sanlu's shoulder, causing Brother Sanlu to stumble and almost fall to the ground.

"Fuck him!"

Brother Sanlu slapped his thigh suddenly, his face turning bright red, and the veins on his forehead throbbing.

"These bastards! They really think I'm easy to bully! If it weren't for that piece of junk, I would have crippled them today!"

I bent down to pick up the overturned wooden table, and frowned deeply as I looked at the noodles, peanuts, and roast chicken that had rolled into the corner.

The rumbling in my stomach continued, but the hunger had long been suppressed by a surge of suppressed anger.

"Brother Sanlu, forget it."

I patted Brother Sanlu's arm, keeping my voice very low.

"When you're out and about, it's better to avoid trouble. You're here to build a factory, and I'm here to get things done, not to fight these thugs."

Brother Sanlu, panting heavily, glared fiercely at the entrance of the noodle shop. In the end, he gritted his teeth, took out a few coins from his pocket, and slapped them on the counter.

"Boss, I'm sorry, we'll pay for this table."

The noodle shop owner, an old man in his fifties, was already so frightened that he hid behind the counter and dared not make a sound. When he saw that we were going to pay compensation, he quickly waved his hand.

"No need, no need, you two young men should hurry up and leave. Those guys are local thugs in the county, called the 'Long Hair Gang,' and nobody dares to mess with them."

Brother Sanlu and I didn't say anything more, and turned around and left the noodle shop.

The sun was already setting, turning the streets of the county town orange-red. Bicycles jingled and rattled along the street, and workers leaving get off work and aunties buying groceries bustled about. But the ominous premonition in my heart not only didn't dissipate, but grew stronger and stronger.

"Damn it, what bad luck!"

Brother Sanlu was still cursing.

We walked slowly along the street, thinking of finding another restaurant to fill our stomachs. Just as we turned a corner, we heard a girl crying and a man laughing lewdly from the alleyway not far away.

"Hey little beauty, don't run away! Play with us for a bit, and we'll buy you candy!"

"Exactly! Look at you, you're even prettier than the movie stars in the town cinema!"

"Tsk tsk, that waist is so slim, touching it would feel amazing!"

That voice sounded familiar to me.

Brother Sanlu's expression changed instantly, and he pulled me along quickly.

At one end of the narrow alley, several men in floral shirts and bell-bottoms were gathered in a circle, cornering a girl in a blue cotton jacket with two braids against the wall.

The girl looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. She was clutching a cloth bag tightly in her hand, crying with tears streaming down her face. Her shoulders were shaking, and her face was full of fear.

The leader of that group was the same long-haired man who had robbed us of our money at the noodle shop earlier! His sunglasses were pushed up to his forehead, revealing a pair of lecherous little eyes, and he was reaching out to pull the girl's braids.

"Let her go!"

Without even thinking, I rushed over and shouted.

The long-haired man was taken aback at first. When he turned around and saw me and Brother Sanlv, he paused for a moment, then burst into laughter as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

His henchmen behind him also laughed, each one doubled over with laughter, their eyes full of mockery.

"Hey! Isn't this the smart little brother from earlier?"

The long-haired man licked his lips and looked me up and down.

"What's wrong? You were so quick to hand over the money, now you're getting bolder? Trying to be a hero and save the day?"

Brother Sanlv also stood next to me.

"You bunch of scum! Harassing an innocent woman in broad daylight, aren't you afraid of getting arrested by the police?"

"Police station?"

The long-haired man patted his chest as if he had heard a joke.

"I'm a regular at the police station! I go in for a cup of tea and come out just as carefree! It's you two who are the real problem."

His eyes suddenly turned fierce.

"You were too kind of people earlier, and now you dare to meddle in my business?"

As he spoke, he suddenly pulled out the sawn-off hunting rifle from behind his waist, the dark muzzle pointing directly at my chest.

"You little bastard, you're asking for trouble! I let you off easy at the noodle shop earlier because you seemed to know what was good for you, but now you dare to come here! Believe me or not, I'll shoot you dead and dump you in the mass grave outside the county to feed the stray dogs!"

His henchmen also surrounded him, each one rubbing their hands together, their eyes filled with ferocity.

I didn't move, I didn't even blink.

I slowly pulled a pack of cigarettes from my pocket. It was the Dashengchan brand, and it belonged to Brother Sanlv. I had taken it with me before leaving Zhu Xiaoxiao's house.

I pulled out a cigarette, put it in my mouth, and then took out a match and struck it with a "sizzle".

The flames leaped, illuminating my calm face.

Just then, a weak yet slightly cold voice rang in my mind: "Thirteen...don't panic...I'm here..."

It's Liu Ruoyun!

My ancestral home is that willow tree that has cultivated for a thousand years!

However, her voice was weaker than ever before, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness, with an undeniable weariness.

My heart tightened. I knew that she must have used up too much of her cultivation to help me through the last crisis, and obviously she couldn't recover so quickly.

Even so, she still responded to me immediately.

A faint yet incredibly warm current flowed through my veins and throughout my entire body.

The long-haired man was furious when he saw that I was not only unafraid but also dared to smoke under his gun.

"Fuck you! You dare smoke?! I'll shoot you!"

He pulled the trigger!

"Bang!"

No, there was no bang!

There was only a dull thud, like the bolt of a gun jamming.

The long-haired man paused for a moment, then pulled the trigger hard again.

Still no sound!

His arrogance instantly turned into confusion. He looked down at the gun in his hand and pulled the trigger a few more times, but the once imposing hunting rifle was now as still as a fire poker, not moving an inch, let alone a bullet, not even a spark.

"What happened?"

The long-haired man got anxious, shook the gun hard, and patted the gun barrel with his hand.

"Damn it! Why is this crappy gun jamming?"

His henchmen were also bewildered, exchanging bewildered glances, not understanding what was going on.

I slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and amidst the swirling smoke, my gaze turned icy cold.

"Your gun might not be working well today."

I said it casually.

The long-haired man suddenly looked up and stared at me fiercely.

"You little bastard! I can take you down even without a gun!"

As he spoke, he was about to rush up and fight me to the death.

But just then, a cold wind blew by, and the temperature in the alley dropped instantly.

That eerie wind didn't come from the outside, but from within me.

I could clearly feel Liu Ruoyun's power gathering behind me.

Immediately afterwards, under the watchful eyes of Brother Sanlu, the gang of thugs, and the terrified girl, a huge phantom slowly appeared behind me.

That was a huge snake!

A giant white snake, as thick as a bucket and over ten meters long!

Its scales shimmered with a cold light in the afterglow of the setting sun. Its huge snake head was raised high, and its vertical pupils, like two cold glass beads, stared intently at the long-haired man and his group.

The snake hissed as it flicked its tongue, emanating a suffocating aura of pressure.

This is Liu Ruoyun's true form!

However, it is only a manifestation of the Dharma at present.

Although the Dharma form appeared somewhat illusory due to the excessive consumption of cultivation energy, it still carried an aura of dominance over the world. It was the pressure of immortals who had cultivated for thousands of years, enough to make any mortal tremble with fear.

"Snake! Big snake!"

One of the henchmen was the first to react, letting out a piercing scream before turning and running away.

The other lackeys also seemed to have their souls stolen away; their faces turned deathly pale, and their legs trembled uncontrollably. Where was their previous arrogance? They all turned and scrambled away.

Only the long-haired man remained, still holding the jammed shotgun, frozen in place, his eyes wide open, staring at the white snake phantom behind me, his mouth opening and closing but unable to utter a sound. His trouser leg gradually became wet, emitting a strong stench of urine.

I slowly walked forward, one step, two steps.

With each step he took, the long-haired man's body trembled.

I walked up to him, snatched the hunting rifle from his hand, and threw it on the ground.

"roll."

I uttered only one word, my voice was soft, yet it carried an indescribable power.

The long-haired man seemed to have been granted a pardon. He dared not linger any longer and ran away as fast as he could, almost tripping over his own bell-bottoms. He looked as pathetic as could be.

The white snake phantom behind me slowly dissipated only after the group had completely disappeared at the end of the alley.

The warm current gradually receded.

Liu Ruoyun's voice echoed in my mind again, even weaker than before.

"Thirteen...I...can't hold on any longer...I need to...go into a deep sleep for a while...You...take care of yourself..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the connection with Liu Ruoyun became weak, as if it had sunk into the endless depths of the sea.

My heart sank. Liu Ruoyun and Huang Dalang both need to rest for a while. It seems that I will have to rely on myself to help them recover.

Just then, a timid voice came from behind me.

I turned around and saw the girl who had been harassed standing in the corner, still clutching her cloth bag tightly in her hand, her tears still wet on her face, looking at me with gratitude mixed with a hint of fear.

"Thank you... thank you for saving me..."

The girl said softly.

Brother Sanlu finally came to his senses. He looked at me with shock in his eyes and his mouth was agape.

"...You...you just now...that was......"

Brother Sanlu stammered, clearly having also seen the white snake phantom behind me.

I took a deep breath, suppressed my worries, and smiled at the girl.

"Young lady, are you alright?"

The girl shook her head and wiped away her tears.

"I...I'm fine...Thank you..."

"Where are you from? What are you doing here in this alley all by yourself?"

The girl bit her lip.

"My name is Cuiping, and I'm from Wangjiatun, which is next to Zhujiakan. I came to the county town to get medicine for my mother, but I never expected... I never expected to run into them..."

Wangjiatun, isn't that Xiulian's village?

"What illness does your mother have? I know a little about medicine; maybe I can help you!"

I regretted saying that as soon as I finished speaking. Liu Ruoyun needs to rest for a while.

What I know is only the tip of the iceberg.

But the words have already been spoken, so even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, we have to fight it.

"Really? That's wonderful! There's hope for my mother's illness."

The girl was so happy that she jumped up.

In my mind, I was hoping it wasn't a difficult disease to treat.