My Gang of Swordsmen

A drunken Yakuza… in this era, they’re practically walking “bombs,” everyone tries to avoid them.

Even though fear had already crept into his heart, Chang Ci didn’t want to lose face in front of his wife and friends. He mustered up his courage and spread his arms wide, shielding Ozuki Minoru behind him.

The commotion caused by Ozuki Minoru’s group and Shimizu Gosaku quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers.

“What do you want…?” Shimizu Gosaku burped as he repeated what Chang Ci had just said, “Not doing anything… Is she… your wife? I just noticed your wife’s beautiful and has a nice figure, so I thought I’d just come over and touch her a bit…”

After speaking, Shimizu Gosaku held his head, laughing heartily.

“Brother… you’re so lucky…! Your wife’s body… is really something…! She’s got meat in all the right places…! Hahaha…!”

Shimizu Gosaku’s frivolous remarks made some of the bystanders who were just here for the spectacle laugh out loud.

After the physical humiliation, now came the verbal one, making the tears in Ozuki Minoru’s eyes well up even more.

Chang Ci was also getting a bit angry at Shimizu Gosaku’s remarks and attitude.

He forced himself to stay calm and shouted at Shimizu Gosaku, word by word,

“Your behavior is really too rude! Please apologize to my wife!”

“Hic… Why are you getting so worked up…” Shimizu Gosaku dismissively picked his ear with his right little finger, “I didn’t do anything to your wife… just hugged her a bit… You get to press that woman down on the bed every night… I just hugged her once… You didn’t lose anything, did you…?”

With that, Shimizu Gosaku leaned forward, sliding towards Ozuki Minoru who was hiding behind Chang Ci, spreading his arms as if he was about to embrace her again.

Ozuki Minoru screamed in fear once more.

Seeing this, Chang Ci couldn’t bear it any longer and hurriedly pushed Shimizu Gosaku to the ground.

“Stop it!”

This time, Shimizu Gosaku couldn’t stabilize himself. He staggered backward a few steps and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Lord Gosaku!”

“Lord Gosaku! Are you alright?”

…

Shimizu Gosaku’s subordinates quickly surrounded him.

“Huff…! Huff…! Huff…! Huff…!”

Shimizu Gosaku sat up with the help of his subordinates, covering his face, breathing heavily like a wild beast.

“If you keep being so rude, I will have to report you to the officials!”

With his chest puffed out, Chang Ci spoke forcefully.

“…Report…? “

Shimizu Gosaku slowly moved the hand covering his face away.

Then…

“You’re so noisy——!!”

Bam!

He suddenly burst up, using the momentum to rush forward and threw a punch, landing squarely on Chang Ci’s face with a loud “bang,” knocking Chang Ci directly to the ground!

“Ugh…!”

Chang Ci let out a painful groan, clutching his cheek where a clear punch mark was swelling rapidly, writhing in pain.

“If you want to report, just go ahead and report!”

Red blood vessels, like branches of a large tree, filled the whites of Shimizu Gosaku’s eyes.

The vessels were so numerous and dense that Shimizu Gosaku’s eyes seemed to be only red and black.

He opened his mouth wide, exhaling turbid air, while pulling at the collar of his yukata, stripping off his upper garment to reveal tattoos covering most of his torso.

“Let me tell you! I’m Shimizu Eiichi’s nephew, Shimizu Gosaku, the leader of the Shimizu Clan! If you want to report, go ahead and see if any official in either the southern or northern garrison will stand up for you!”

The Shimizu Clan?!

Upon hearing this term, both Ozuki Minoru and the still-agonizing Chang Ci, along with his friends, turned pale instantly.

They were just marveling at how impressive the “Shimizu Clan” was, and now they’ve gotten themselves into trouble with people from the “Shimizu Clan”… and the head’s nephew, no less?

The reality presented before them was so shocking that it left the minds of Ozuki Minoru and his group in a daze.

And at this moment, Shimizu Gosaku burst into action once again.

Like a big bird swooping forward, he mounted Chang Ci, landing blow after blow on Chang Ci’s face with both fists.

Chang Ci had learned a little self-defense martial arts, but having lost the initiative and allowing Shimizu Gosaku to take advantage of height and position for an overhead assault, he was utterly powerless to fight back, only able to cover his face with his hands, letting out pig-slaughter-type screams.

“Hey! Stop it!”

“Let him go!”

“Bastard!”

…

Seeing this, Chang Ci’s friends could no longer sit still and rushed forward, trying to pull Chang Ci and Shimizu Gosaku apart.

In his current frenzied state, Shimizu Gosaku hit anyone within reach.

In no time, he was grappling with Chang Ci’s friends.

This time it was Shimizu Gosaku’s subordinates who couldn’t stay put.

There was no way they could remain indifferent while their master was being beaten, could they?

Hence, they quickly joined the brawl.

Chang Ci and his friends, the “merchants’ X generation,” were no match for the street-fighting experienced Yakuza like Shimizu Gosaku and his men.

The fight was entirely one-sided.

Just one minute earlier, Chang Ci’s friends could still stand straight.

One minute later, they were just like Chang Ci, lying on the ground, being beaten at the whim of Shimizu Gosaku and others.

“Someone, anyone! Please help us!”

Ozuki Minoru, whose face had turned ashen since a moment ago, cried like rain on pear blossoms, desperately sending pleading looks towards the surrounding onlookers.