Chapter Thirty-Six: The Gang Leader

  The remaining ronin, seeing his two companions die in an instant, showed no fear in his heart. The twin blades in his hands danced more and more urgently as he stepped closer to Kuryuu.

  The rain in winter was endless, but the thin fog at dawn gradually dispersed, and the sound of voices came from afar. Gu Longfei knew that under the rule of the Japanese, if it was discovered that a Japanese ronin had been killed, there would be no end to the bloodshed and chaos. He didn't dare delay any longer, so he moved his body forward, rolling on the ground.

  A Japanese ronin, a samurai, learned the art of killing, when have you ever seen the flourishing martial arts of our great China?! The ronin held knives in both hands, slashing left and right, alternating up and down, just as he was getting into the swing of things, suddenly saw that his opponent wasn't facing him head-on, but instead was rolling around on the ground like a child. He couldn't help but burst out laughing: "You Eastern weaklings can't even fight properly, now you're trying to kneel down and beg for mercy? Ha! Too late!" Before he could finish speaking, his body slumped forward and fell to the ground.

  The original text is already in Chinese, so I will translate it into English:

  At first, the Japanese ronin saw that the sky was bright and didn't dare to continue fighting with Gu Longfei. He rolled on the ground and ended up at the feet of his companion, stretching out his legs and using force to trip him up. The companion's lower body felt empty and he couldn't stand still, so he fell down along with his knife. This ronin was the leader of the three and had always thought himself superior in martial arts. He looked down on his two companions, who were killed earlier, but now he was defeated by an unremarkable Chinese person! He didn't deserve to be a qualified ronin and it served him right that he died. However, when he charged forward with his knife, he hadn't even exchanged one move with the Chinese person in front of him before being tripped up by a strange move and falling to the ground! The anger in his heart ignited the pride of the Great Japanese Empire. Taking advantage of the moment when he fell down, he rolled to the side, used force on his waist, and sprang up like a carp jumping out of water. He grasped his knife with both hands and charged at Gu Longfei again.

  Jade Dragon saw it, his brow furrowed, and he felt anxious in his heart. On the main street, fighting with Japanese people, if discovered by the Japanese army, trouble would be big. He made use of the Ground Treading Knife Method again, rolling towards that Japanese rascal's face. Although there was no knife in his hand, on the way to rolling over, he picked up the dead rascal's waist knife.

  The leader of the ronin, having just suffered a loss, knew better and saw Koryu flying over again. He sped up his dancing knife while spreading his legs apart, thinking to himself: "My legs are open, see how you can knock me down!" However, Koryu had already planned ahead. After rolling on the ground several times, he suddenly appeared in front of the ronin and with a swift motion, plunged a slightly curved Japanese tanto upwards into the ronin's groin, all the way to the hilt! Then, he quickly rolled forward, escaping the range of the Japanese man's attack, stood up straight, and stared tightly at him.

  That ronin took this one knife, chrysanthemum tight, not feeling any pain at all, only to feel both hands suddenly powerless, wrist loose, can no longer hold the knife handle, a metal touch sound rang out, a warrior's life more important than the warrior's knife, fell to the ground. Then, he felt his legs also lost strength, the whole body's energy quickly dissipated, before understanding what was happening, stumbled and sat down, eyes wide open, until death did not understand what happened!

  Murong Ding and Tang Ao saw Gu Longfei reveal this move, looked at each other, and quickly walked towards him to prepare for praise. At this time, the voices of people in the distance were getting closer, and Gu Longfei said in a low voice: "Quickly, drag them into the car, it's hard to escape if they are discovered!"

  Murong Ding and Tang Ao were taken aback for a moment, but soon understood Gu Longfei's intention. They nodded and retreated, each dragging the Japanese corpse in front of them into the car. Gu Longfei grabbed the leg of the Japanese man he had just killed, took three steps to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and with a kick, threw it inside with a "thud". Tang Ao was carrying the corpse on his shoulder, walking quickly towards this side. He glanced at Murong Ding, who was struggling to drag the corpse over, grabbing its collar tightly. Seeing him take three steps and stop for two, Gu Longfei quietly let out a hum, ran over a few steps, took the corpse from Murong Ding's hands, and with one hand on the collar and the other on the belt, dragged it into the trunk. After seeing that Tang Ao had finished, he slammed the trunk shut with a "bang".

  Three people got on the car, Murong Ding said a thank you to show his gratitude for the help just now. At this time, the voices of people in the distance were getting closer and closer. When they looked up, everyone was shocked. It turned out that there was a team of Japanese patrol soldiers in front, with bayonets on their long guns, carrying a bandage flag, which was lightly fluttering in the fine rain. The three people all secretly felt lucky in their hearts. Just now, if they had fought with the three Japanese rascals and slowed down for a moment, prolonging the fighting time, and were caught by these patrol soldiers, the consequences would be unpredictable!

  Gu Longfei patted Tang Ao's shoulder and said, "Let's go!" Tang Ao had just killed the enemy with the ferocity of a tiger descending from a mountain, without any hesitation. But now, seeing the large group of Japanese soldiers, he thought back to his previous actions and was suddenly dazed. It wasn't until Gu Longfei patted him that he came back to his senses, started the car, and slowly drove away. Gu Longfei secretly smiled to himself, thinking that Mu Rongding's driver, who appeared brave on the surface, had actually not experienced many big battles!

  The car drove past the patrol soldiers, and through the window, they saw the Japanese soldiers turn their heads to glance at the people inside the car. Tang Ao's face suddenly turned pale, his eyes fixed on the front without blinking, not daring to look at those Japanese soldiers, especially afraid of being discovered with inner panic! Gu Longfei whispered, relax, it's okay, they don't know anything!

  The car turned two corners, went straight for a while, and then turned another big corner. In the distance, I saw a mansion. It was an ancient building with flying eaves and upturned corners on its roof, several round wooden pillars in front of the gate, and peeling paint, which showed that it had been around for a long time! The car stopped in front of the gate, and after Gu Longfei got out of the car, he saw an incense table arranged in front of the door, with three thick incense sticks inserted into it, emitting wisps of smoke. Gu Longfei looked back at Mu Rongding in confusion, "Are you bringing me to a temple to offer incense?"

  Murong Ding smiled slightly and didn't say a word, walking towards the main gate first. Just as he arrived at the front of the gate, there was a creaking sound that made one's teeth ache, and two heavy wooden doors swung open. Two robust men with red headscarves and small knives inserted into their waists walked out, standing on either side of the gate, exuding an aura of majesty and killing intent.

  The dragon flew up and looked at the lintel above the door, a large plaque with black background and red characters, dragon flying and phoenix dancing, writing several big words: Small Knife Association! He couldn't help but wonder, why did Miao Yu bring himself here, was this another one of his subordinate organizations? Was he really a cunning rabbit with three burrows?

  A man walked out of the gate, and when he saw Murong Ding, his face was full of smiles: "Big brother, you're here!" Gu Longfei looked at the man, who was in his 40s, with a ruddy complexion and a stout waist. When speaking to Murong Ding, although he lowered his voice, it could still be heard that his breath was full, and without guessing, it was clear that he was a member of the gang!

  Murong Ding turned his head and smiled, saying: "Xiao Fei, this is the Huamanlou I told you about, the master of Xiaodao Hui!" Gu Longfei was shocked as soon as he heard it. Murong Ding said he wanted to take him to see someone, and when he mentioned the person's name, he thought the owner of that name should be a romantic figure. But now, upon meeting him, he turned out to be such a sturdy middle-aged man, and couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed!

  Murong Ding introduced Hua Man Lou: "This is Long... Little Fei, you guys get closer to him in the future!" He originally wanted to say the two words Dragon God, but seeing that there were still many bystanders around, he changed his words.

  Hua Man Lou burst out laughing and said loudly, "Xiao Fei Ge, I've admired you for a long time! From now on, I'll still need to rely on your great help! Please, come in!" As he spoke, he walked inside while stretching out one hand in a welcoming gesture.

  Jade Dragonfly heard his voice like a thunderclap, making his eardrums ache with a dull pain, and he was full of doubts. You are the leader of the Small Knife Society, the head of a gang, what connection do you have with me that requires my great help? Even if it's just a polite phrase, it seems to be said too unrelated!

  Actually, he didn't know the inside story. When Murong Ding first arrived in Hankou, he was unfamiliar with the place and the streets were filled with Japanese spies and traitors, making it impossible for him to make a move. Later, an accidental opportunity allowed him to find a breakthrough, and he set his sights on the Xiaodao Society's local influence: The Xiaodao Society had a history of over a hundred years in the area, its power and tentacles had long since penetrated into all walks of life, even after the Japanese arrived, they gave them courtesy!

  It just so happened that the leader of Xiaodao Hui, Huamanlou, looked very similar to one of his subordinates from Chongqing. This was a heaven-sent opportunity for him! So, Murong Ding got rid of Huamanlou and sent his subordinate to Germany to find a plastic surgeon to modify his face. After returning to Hankou, he spent some time studying and imitating Huamanlou's words and deeds. When the time was ripe, he quietly replaced Huamanlou without anyone noticing. To achieve the goal of replacing the real with the fake, he even went so far as to secretly poison Huamanlou's wife. As a result, no one discovered the truth, and Xiaodao Hui, which had been operating in Hankou for over a hundred years, fell into Murong Ding's hands!

  Murong Ding got the help of Xiao Dao, and soon he was able to gain a foothold in Hankou Station. For this, he received no small amount of praise from Dai Li! In order to commend his meritorious service, Dai Li even personally petitioned Chiang Kai-shek to award Murong Ding the highest honor at that time - the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun! Murong Ding was naturally overjoyed, and with renewed vigor, he devoted himself to managing Hankou Station. His principle of doing whatever it took to achieve his goals became more and more unstoppable, like a maddening swarm of insects!

  Murong Ding pulled Huamanlou's hand and whispered a few words in his ear. Huamanlou, who was about to enter the door, stopped suddenly, looked back at Gulongfei, then looked at the car parked in front of the door, and beckoned to someone standing behind him. He gave a few low orders, and that person nodded slightly and walked straight towards the car where Gulongfei and others were sitting!

  Gu Longfei knew that Murong Ding had let Huamanlou dispose of the corpse of the Japanese ronin in the carriage. After making arrangements, Huamanlou led the way inside.

  As soon as he entered the gate of Xiaodao Hui, he found it very spacious inside. After passing through the courtyard and entering a corridor, he walked through a winding corridor, turned around an ancestral hall, and to his right was a flower hall, which was actually the reception area of Huamanlou. Along the way, there were many men standing with the same attire as the strong man at the gate, each one robust and spirited. Gu Long Fei thought to himself that if all these people could become anti-war forces, it would be a great force!