A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

Chapter 155 Zhong Ji's Escape

"Brother Zhong," Liang Yan put down his wine cup, his expression turning solemn, and leaned forward slightly, "I've already heard about what happened last night. Jin Tangjing and An Chen died at Su Bai's hands, and the Golden Knife Alliance was wiped out overnight. It's a miracle that you were able to escape, Brother Zhong."

Zhong Ji's shoulders trembled slightly, but he remained silent. His hand, gripping the wine cup, clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Liang Yan sighed, his tone full of sympathy, his brows furrowing slightly: "What a pity for Alliance Leader Jin, a powerful figure of his generation, just like that—alas, life is unpredictable."

He paused, then changed the subject, his voice becoming even more sincere: "But Brother Zhong, rest assured, with me, Liang Yan, here, no one can touch you. Although the Blood Blade Gang may not claim to be that strong, we can still protect a friend."

Zhong Ji finally raised his head and glanced at him.

His eyes were complex, filled with gratitude, wariness, and an indescribable sorrow. His eyes were bloodshot, and his eyelids were swollen and red, as if he had been crying bitterly or hadn't slept for days and nights.

"Chief Liang—" He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping against stone, each word seeming to be forced out from his throat, "Why—why are you helping me?"

Liang Yan smiled slightly, a sincere and harmless smile, even carrying a hint of warmth: "Why? Because we're friends. Over the years, while the Golden Knife Alliance and the Blood Knife Gang haven't been particularly close, they've never had any conflicts. Brother Zhong is a true man, and I, Liang Yan, have always respected him. Now that Brother Zhong is in trouble, how could I sit idly by?"

Zhong Ji remained silent for a moment, then lowered his head again.

Liang Yan looked at him and suddenly asked, "Brother Zhong, what are your plans for the future?"

Zhong Ji's shoulders trembled.

The vibration was so intense that even the chair creaked. He kept his head down, but Liang Yan could see that his cheeks were clenched tightly, and the muscles in his jaw were stretched into a line.

Intend?

What could his plans be?

The Golden Knife Alliance is gone. The alliance leader is dead, the vice leader is dead, and the first elder, second elder, fourth elder, and two protectors are either dead or captured.

He managed to escape, but became a homeless dog with nowhere to go.

Those who once called him brother, those brothers who drank and ate meat together and went through thick and thin together, are now either dead or scattered. What can he do when he is all alone?

Looking at his expression, Liang Yan's smile deepened.

He stood up, walked over to Zhong Ji, and patted him on the shoulder.

Those shoulders were as hard as iron plates, with bulging muscles that felt rough to the touch when patted.

"Brother Zhong, if you don't mind, please stay here." His voice was sincere and warm, echoing in the quiet room. "Although the Blood Blade Gang is small, we can still afford to support one more person. Brother Zhong, you can leave whenever you want. If you want to stay, I, Liang Yan, will welcome you with open arms."

Zhong Ji raised his head and looked at him.

The light shone from the side, illuminating half of Liang Yan's face while the other half remained in shadow. The smile on his face was so genuine, and his eyes so warm, that one couldn't help but want to believe him.

Zhong Ji's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything.

Liang Yan smiled, turned around and walked back to his seat, picking up his wine cup again. The hem of his blue robe fluttered gently as he turned, creating a breeze that made the lamplight flicker.

"Come, let's drink." He raised his wine cup, which gleamed warmly under the lamplight. "Drink this cup, and the past is the past. From now on, we're brothers."

Zhong Ji stared at the wine cup in front of him, remaining silent for a long time.

The room was so quiet that you could hear the faint crackling of the burning lamp wick and your own heartbeat, thump, thump, thump, slow and heavy.

Finally, he reached out and picked up the wine cup.

His hand was still trembling slightly, but it was a little steadyer than before. He gazed at the clear liquid in the cup, the surface of which reflected the flickering lamplight, and also his own reflection—his haggard, unshaven face.

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Liang Yan watched him drink the glass of wine, a slight smile playing on his lips, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. That satisfaction was so obvious that a smile appeared on his face.

Winning over Chung Chi is just the first step.

More importantly—

With the Golden Knife Alliance gone, someone has to take over those territories, right?

If the Blood Blade Gang could use the banner of "upholding justice" for the Golden Blade Alliance to seize those territories, wouldn't that be perfectly legitimate? And Zhong Ji, the third elder of the Golden Blade Alliance, would be the perfect banner.

Push him out and have him stand there, and the Blood Blade Gang will have a legitimate reason to stand up for themselves.

As long as Zhong Ji is with him, he can say: Although the Golden Knife Alliance has been destroyed, its bloodline has not been severed.

Zhong Ji is the Third Elder, representing the Golden Knife Alliance.

Liang Yan stood up for the Golden Knife Alliance, which was a great act of righteousness. Who can say anything about that?

As for Zhong Ji himself, Liang Yan looked at the burly figure opposite him, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

External martial arts skills, impervious to swords and spears, with immense strength.

With such a master in his hands, how could he possibly leave?

Zhong Ji lowered his head, staring at the empty wine cup, seemingly lost in thought.

The light cast his shadow on the wall, huge and silent.

His face was expressionless, but occasionally a complex emotion would flash in his bloodshot eyes—was it sorrow? Anger? Confusion? Or fear of the future?

Perhaps both.

But more than anything, it was a deep sense of powerlessness.

Overnight, he went from being the third elder of the Golden Knife Alliance to a stray dog. His former glory, his former brothers, his former gang—all gone.

All that was left was himself.

And the smiling man in front of me.

He didn't know what Liang Yan was up to, but he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Liang Yan must have ulterior motives for taking him in. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

But he had no other choice.

Because he had nowhere to go.

Zhong Ji closed his eyes and drank the remaining wine in his cup in one gulp.

Wine enters the sorrowful heart, turning into a mouthful of bitterness.

The headquarters of the Golden Knife Alliance.

The once grand compound is now a mess.

The courtyard wall was made of blue bricks and was originally painted white. Now, the whitewash was stained with blood, some of which had dried and turned black, while others were still dark red, flowing down the bricks.

Swords, severed limbs, and tattered clothes were scattered on the ground, lying haphazardly, making it impossible to step anywhere.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, a burnt smell, and the putrid odor of feces, making one want to vomit up even leftovers.

The officers of the Zhenfu Division were busy going in and out, counting the spoils of war.

They were dressed in gray-blue official uniforms, with single swords at their waists, walking hurriedly, but their faces were filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Boxes of silver ingots were carried out of the warehouse and piled up like a small mountain in the courtyard.

The sunlight shone on it, making it dazzlingly white and gleaming with an alluring sheen.

Account books, land deeds, and house deeds were all registered and stacked up.

Swords and weapons, bundled together and piled to one side, still bore dried bloodstains on their blades. There were even several boxes of silks, satins, and antiques, all searched from various rooms, their colors shimmering in the sunlight.

Tang Dingzhen stood in the courtyard, looking at the mountain of wealth, his face full of smiles.

He was one of the deputy chief officers of the Zhenfu Division. He was in his early forties, of medium build, with a round face that was always smiling, and his eyes were narrowed into slits, making him look like an amiable businessman.

But those who know him well know that this deputy chief clerk, who smiles like Maitreya Buddha, is more ruthless than anyone else when he gets into a fight.

Years ago, he chased a notorious bandit for three days and three nights with a smile on his face, finally cornering him in a cave and beheading him with a single stroke.

"Old Tang, it's almost done here." Another deputy chief inspector walked over and said in a low voice.

This man's surname was Zhou, given name Dewang, and he was also the deputy chief inspector. He was in his fifties, tall and thin, with a long face and a few sparse whiskers on his chin.

Zhou Dewang leaned close to Tang Dingzhen's ear and whispered, "The contents of the storeroom have all been inventoried. There are 80,000 taels of silver in cash alone. The land deeds and house deeds combined are worth at least 200,000 taels."

Tang Dingzhen's eyes lit up, and her smile deepened. Her eyes narrowed into two slits, and even her pupils were no longer visible.

"Great, great!" He nodded repeatedly, rubbing his hands together. "We've really struck it rich this time. The Golden Knife Alliance has been operating in Qingyuan County for twenty years, accumulating so much wealth. It's all ours for the taking."

Zhou Dewang laughed too, but then suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Old Tang, what's the background of this Lord Su, really?"

As he spoke, he looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them.

Tang Dingzhen glanced at him: "What?"

"Look," Zhou Dewang said, counting on his fingers one by one, "He's in his early twenties, late stage of True Qi Realm, killing Jin Tangjing is as easy as killing a chicken."

They took us to the banquet, then acted without hesitation, not even blinking. Then they immediately mobilized all their forces to encircle and annihilate the Golden Knife Alliance overnight, wiping out the entire gang in one night. That courage, that method, that decisiveness…

He paused, then sighed, his expression complex: "I initially thought this was just some kid who got in through connections, but I never expected—"

"I didn't expect it to be a fierce tiger?" Tang Dingzhen chimed in with a smile.

Zhou Dewang nodded emphatically, his long face stretching even further: "Yes, a fierce tiger. A fierce tiger that eats people without spitting out the bones."

Tang Dingzhen didn't speak, but just looked in the direction of the courtyard gate, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

Yes, a fierce tiger.

What the Zhenfu Division has been lacking for years is precisely this kind of fierce tiger.

Deputy Chief Feng is more steady than decisive.

All these years, they have been enduring everything, to the point that the prestige of the Zhenfu Division has been lost, to the point that even the gang members dare to spit on the constables.

Last time, a constable went to collect protection money, but was ambushed in an alley by several gang members and beaten black and blue. When he returned and complained, Deputy Constable Feng simply sent someone to negotiate, and in the end, he paid a few taels of silver to settle the matter.

It wasn't that Deputy Inspector Feng lacked ability; it was that he had too many concerns. A single misstep could have far-reaching consequences; if things went wrong, the four major gangs would join forces, and the Garrison Command wouldn't be able to withstand it.

But now—

It's different now.

This Lord Su doesn't talk to you about any concerns at all.

They can kill or wipe out at will, regardless of the four major gangs or the fact that a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

Overnight, the Golden Knife Alliance vanished.

The morale that the Zhenfu Division had lost over the years seemed to have returned.

"The adults are here."

A voice announced something from outside the door, its drawn-out tone particularly loud in the morning light.

Tang Dingzhen perked up and strode towards the courtyard gate. Zhou Dewang followed closely behind, the two walking hurriedly, one in front of the other.

Outside the courtyard gate, Su Bai led Wang Muzhi and others in single file.

He was still wearing that black fish-scale outfit, the fish-scale patterns gleaming faintly in the sunlight. He had a dagger on his left and a sword on his right at his waist, and his steps were steady and unhurried.

The morning light shone on him, casting a long shadow on the ground. The shadow moved with his steps, sweeping across the threshold, across the blue bricks, and forward.

Despite not having slept all night, he showed no signs of fatigue; his skin remained fair, and his gaze was as calm as still water, as if he had done nothing of importance the night before.

"My lord!" Tang Dingzhen stepped forward, bowed and clasped his hands, his waist bent at almost a ninety-degree angle, and his smile was as bright as a flower. "Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord! Of the three hundred and twelve members of the Golden Knife Alliance, one hundred and twenty-seven were executed on the spot, and the remaining one hundred and eighty-five were all captured! Not one escaped—oh, no, there was one who escaped."

As he finished speaking, the smile on his face froze for a moment, and he cautiously raised his head to observe Su Bai's expression.

Su Bai didn't stop walking, but just turned her head to glance at him.

That gaze was indifferent and flat, devoid of any emotion, yet it inexplicably tightened Tang Dingzhen's heart, and cold sweat poured down her back.

He quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet their gaze.

"Zhong Ji, the third elder of the Golden Knife Alliance, is a practitioner of outer martial arts, known as the Great Vajra," he said, forcing a smile, his voice lower. "During last night's siege, he escaped in the chaos. That guy's outer martial arts are truly formidable; our brothers' swords struck him like iron, making a clanging sound, completely unable to cut him. He single-handedly defeated seven or eight brothers, then escaped by scaling the wall in the backyard. By the time we chased after him, he was already gone."

Su Bai paused in his steps.

"They escaped?"

"Yes." Tang Dingzhen carefully observed his expression, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. "But don't worry, sir, we've already sent people to chase after them; we've scattered people in all directions."

"No need to chase after them."

Su Bai interrupted him, her voice very calm.

Tang Dingzhen was taken aback: "My lord?"

Su Bai continued walking forward, his boots making a steady sound on the blue bricks. He stopped in front of the pile of silver ingots.

The sunlight shone on him, outlining his back as cool and upright.

"Where is he?" he asked.

Before Tang Dingzhen could react, Wang Muzhi stepped forward and bowed, saying, "My lord, according to reports, Zhong Ji fled towards the Blood Blade Gang. An informant saw him enter the Blood Blade Gang's headquarters and hasn't come out yet."

Wang Muzhi's voice was clear and steady, neither humble nor arrogant. He was Su Bai's confidant, having followed him all the way from the capital. In his early twenties, he was handsome with delicate features, yet extremely capable in his work.

Su Bai remained silent.

He simply stood quietly before the pile of silver ingots, his gaze fixed in a certain direction—the direction of the Blood Blade Gang's headquarters. The courtyard wall blocked his view, but he seemed to be able to see through it, to see everything in the distance.

The morning light shone on his face, outlining his cool and aloof features. It was a young face with well-defined lines, and his brows and eyes carried a composure rarely seen at his age.