Chapter Five: The Gathering Hall

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  The Hei Hu Zhai gathering hall looked very simple, the only thing that made Nie Tian interesting was the fourteen cross-chairs in the hall, because they were all wrapped in thick tiger skin.

  What a waste! Nie Tian muttered to himself, if this tiger skin were to be taken to the market in later generations, who knows how many heads would be broken.

  The fourteen leaders of Hei Hu Village are indeed each with their own style, there are Taoist priests, Buddhist monks, scholars, fortune tellers, and even women!

  Dà dāng jiā Niè Qiū Tíng, alias Zuò Shān Hǔ, is skilled in using a pair of guns and can shoot with both hands. He also wields an ancestral green dragon knife that he uses with great agility, not even a drop of water can penetrate his defense!

  The second master, Ma Xiao Feng, gave Nie Tian the most profound impression with his triangular eyes and a strand of goat beard on his chin. However, this strand of goat beard was nothing compared to the sinister look in those triangular eyes, which made Nie Tian feel very uncomfortable.

  Ma Xiao Feng has been in Hei Hu Village for three years. Three years ago, Ma Xiao Feng was the head of Ma Jia Village, which was merged with Hei Hu Village, and Ma Xiao Feng became the second-in-command of Hei Hu Village.

  Ma Xiao Feng is skilled at throwing darts, but few people have seen him in action. It's said that whenever Ma Xiao Feng makes a move, blood must be shed! If there's an opportunity, Nie Tian Ge would love to witness the second master's dart-throwing skills!

  Third Master is the third uncle, named Nan Tianyun, who fought alongside Nie Tian and Hu Zi on the banks of the Da Ling River. He has followed Big Master Nie Quting for several decades and is extremely loyal to him.

  Among the fourteen bosses of Hei Hu Village, five came from Ma Jia Village, and compared to the original nine of Hei Hu Village, their strength was relatively weak.

  What made Nie Tian more attentive was the fourth master of the mountain stronghold, because this fourth master was actually a Taoist priest and also the military advisor of the Black Tiger Stronghold. The fourth master's name was Wu Dao Ren, which made Nie Tian unable to help but think of the name Wu Dao Zi!

  In fact, according to the rules of the gang, any brother who comes up the mountain, as long as he has paid his respects, all previous grievances are written off. In the Jianghu, there is a code of conduct that not everyone who joins the gang necessarily reveals their true name. According to the code of conduct, it is not allowed to ask too many questions about those who come to join the mountain.

  So, in fact, Hei Hu Zhai is a mixed bag of good and evil, with each of the Eight Immortals showing off their unique skills as they cross the sea.

  The Justice Hall was somewhat gloomy due to the seven bloody heads on the ground, and with the loss of fifteen capable brothers in the mountain stronghold, Nie Tian felt a bit suffocated.

  Soon, San Dang Jia Nan Tianyun recounted the experience of this outing ticket.

  When they heard that eighteen capable mountain brothers faced eight Japanese devils and had no power to fight back, fifteen brothers were lost in an instant. The hall was filled with a gasp of breath.

  Nie Tian, however, simply curled his lips in disdain, finding this not surprising at all. A motley crew of eighteen people with only a few crates of guns facing the regular Kwantung Army would naturally be on the losing end, completely at the mercy of being slaughtered!

  If it weren't for the ghost's mischief, Nie Tian Ge crossed over and possessed Shao Dang Jia's body. Moreover, Shao Dang Jia's beloved Mauser rifle turned into Nie Tian Ge's Garand rifle. Probably not even eighteen people could have returned alive.

  Then I heard San Dangjia say that Shao Dangjia shot and killed eight Japanese soldiers with no misses, relying solely on his own strength. At the time, I was so excited that my blood was boiling, and I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration!

  Even the great master Nie Quting was surprised to look at his son, having heard Hu Zi say it once before, and now hearing the usually steady third master repeat it again, Nie Quting finally confirmed that his son was a godly marksman.

  However, there were not many people who suspected anything. The young master did not think that the others in the village liked to point and shoot at random, but he had a special fondness for long-barreled rifles and often carried his Mauser rifle to secluded places to practice shooting!

  Dà dāng jiā Niè Qiū Tíng was originally a godly shooter, able to hit birds in the sky with both his box gun and long rifle. The younger master received the true transmission from the elder master, so there's nothing strange about that.

  People in the rivers and lakes all advocate keeping a hand, being less than ordinary at home, and in critical moments, for the sake of life, they have to take out their own ultimate moves. In the eyes of these people in the rivers and lakes, it is also considered a very normal thing!

  "Now that the score has been settled, let's put an end to this matter." The big boss Nie Quting said in a deep voice, "It seems that the Japanese soldiers are very powerful, so from now on, our mountain stronghold brothers should be more careful when going out and try to avoid the Japanese as much as possible."

  Nie Ou paused for a moment and then said: "The aftermath of the deceased brothers must be properly arranged, we cannot let our brothers down!"

  "Everyone present." Fourth Master Wu suddenly interjected, "From now on, Hei Hu Village is likely to be plagued by troubles."

  "What's the meaning of this?" Nie Quting looked at Wu Daoshi with a raised eyebrow, her brow furrowed.

  "The Japanese have lost eight soldiers, and I'm afraid they won't let it go easily." Wu Daoshi said slowly, with a hint of elegance, even Nie Tianke couldn't help but secretly admire him. "In today's Northeast, the Japanese have basically occupied half of the land, only General Zhang has the capital to confront the Japanese. With the Japanese capabilities, I'm afraid they can investigate us at Hei Hu Zhai."

  "When the enemy comes, we'll stop them; when the flood comes, we'll dam it." Nie Quting said calmly, "If the Japanese won't give up, then we'll take on this burden."

  It's strange to say, the eighteen brothers sent by Hei Hu Zhai were originally going to kidnap a rich merchant in Hei Shan Town, but they unexpectedly encountered Japanese soldiers on the banks of Da Ling River!

  The two sides had no conflict at all, and the Japanese soldiers didn't say a word, picked up their Type 38 rifles and used these brothers as targets for shooting practice. This battle was inexplicably bizarre!

  But what Nie Tianke found strange was that among so many masters, not a single person raised any questions about this matter, including the great master Nie Quting!

  As for why the young master suddenly fainted and lost consciousness, according to San Dangjia Nan Tianyun, it was because when the young master passed by a small forest, he found a bird's nest on a tree, so he climbed up to catch the bird, and that's how he ended up staying in the forest.

  When the battle was in progress, Hei Hu Village suddenly lost fifteen brothers. Hu Zi and San Dang Jia relied on their quick hands and feet to escape back into the forest. When Hu Zi and San Dang Jia returned to the forest, they saw Shao Dang Jia lying under a tree, gasping for breath!

  According to San Dangjia's words, it was precisely because of this bird's nest that saved the life of Shao Dangjia. Otherwise, with Shao Dangjia's skills, he would have been in a precarious situation!

  Now that the master of the house has spoken, the other masters have nothing to say and quietly dispersed, only Wu Daoshi, the military strategist, stayed behind.

  The three masters completely lost their composure on the road, as if they had suddenly aged a lot, and their footsteps seemed particularly heavy. Hu Zi, on the other hand, gritted his teeth and picked up the seven human heads from the ground one by one, stuffed them back into the sack, and then carried it out.

  "Can you tell me in detail what happened on the road?" Seeing that only he and Da Shao were left, Wu Dao asked with a smile, "I always feel that this matter is somewhat suspicious, it's just that there were too many people earlier, and I didn't dare to ask some questions."