Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 77: Chapter 73: Notorious Bandits? Daring to be Madmen

Miss Ling finally let out a small sigh of relief. For her own safety, she decided to stay at the Dragon Eagle Inn for the foreseeable future.

After leaving the inn, Wan Ze got into Lei Ming’s car. The two chatted idly on the drive, and news about the stolen Rain Bell had spread quickly once Dragon Eagle began flexing its muscles.

...

「That evening.」

Wan Ze had just finished his Cultivation when a call came in from Tie Qingyang. He was the one to bring up the Rain Bell.

It was because of this Rain Bell that the two had crossed paths in the first place.

’After being stolen time and again, even Tie Qingyang felt that the waters of the Holy City ran fucking deep. Thankfully, his side had already cleared up the misunderstanding with Dragon Eagle. Otherwise, given the extent of Situ Bai’s personal involvement, he would likely be the first to face the music.’

”I’ve already arranged for my men to investigate secretly. I’ll inform you the moment I have any news.”

”Thank you.”

”You’re welcome. Also, one more thing... last time you said you were interested in old artifacts from the Martial Dao Realm. I just so happened to get my hands on one. Do you want to come take a look?”

Upon hearing this, Wan Ze’s eyes lit up. ”That sounds great. I’ll head over right now.”

”I’ll have someone pick you up.”

”...Alright.”

They agreed on a location. Twenty minutes later, a black luxury vintage car drove up.

”Brother Wan!” Tie Feiyang called out excitedly, waving from the driver’s seat.

”Oh, it’s you.” Wan Ze couldn’t be bothered to correct the address. In the end, strength was all that mattered.

”Brother Wan, as soon as I heard from my dad that you were coming, I immediately volunteered for the job,” Tie Feiyang said, acting like a total suck-up.

Wan Ze couldn’t help but chuckle. He got into the car, settling into the passenger seat, and smiled. ”You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

”No can do! Ever since we met at the Ruby, my admiration for you has been like... like rolling Celestial Thunder... like a river to the sea... I’m completely in awe... Anyway, you know what I mean!” Tie Feiyang sputtered, as if his tongue was tied, unable to find the right words.

The corner of Wan Ze’s mouth twitched, and he let out a silent laugh.

As if remembering something, Tie Feiyang suddenly added, ”I heard about the Rain Bell. My old man used to believe in that stuff... He was crazy about it, but he eventually got over it. I can’t believe there are still people obsessed with it... Fucking hell, they must have nothing better to do. Oh, right, Brother Wan! I’ve already started investigating. I also heard that day that some people from Guandong have their eyes on the Rain Bell, so I asked some folks back home to dig for info.”

’There’s no need,’ Wan Ze thought. But he couldn’t dampen the kid’s enthusiasm, so he just nodded and let him ramble on about anything and everything.

The black vintage car drove smoothly through the twilight as Tie Feiyang excitedly recounted the underworld gossip about Guandong that he’d dug up through his family connections.

For the most part, Wan Ze just listened quietly, occasionally humming in acknowledgment. His gaze drifted idly over the streetscape rushing past the window.

Just as the car was about to exit the side road.

SCREECH!

A piercing screech of brakes suddenly came from ahead.

A nondescript black van suddenly swerved out, blocking the middle of the road.

Almost simultaneously, a modified SUV roared up from behind, executing a vicious fishtail to completely block their escape.

Boxed in from front and back, Tie Feiyang’s vintage car was instantly trapped on a stretch of road less than twenty meters long.

”Holy shit!” Tie Feiyang’s face changed drastically. He instinctively jerked the steering wheel, trying to find a gap, but the cars were too close. With solid green belts on either side, there was no way out.

He slammed on the brakes, and the vintage car screeched to a halt, its front bumper less than half a meter from the van blocking their way.

SLAM!

The doors of the van and the SUV were violently thrown open at the same time. Seven or eight figures in tight black clothes poured out, quickly spreading out and approaching the vintage car in a semi-circle.

The leader was tall and lanky, with a head full of messy, colorful thin braids. He wore a mask that covered his face, revealing only a pair of defiant eyes.

He held a sawed-off shotgun, the muzzle pointed casually at the ground, radiating an intimidating presence.

BANG!

The man with the braids raised his hand and fired a shot into the ground right in front of the vintage car.

Eighteen-millimeter buckshot slammed into the asphalt, sending gravel flying. The pellets peppered the car’s front bumper with a sharp CRACKLE, leaving behind a dense smattering of white marks.

The vintage car’s hood was also hit, making a dull thud.

”Get out of the car! Tie Feiyang, get your ass out here!” The man with the braids raised his shotgun slightly, aiming it at the driver’s cabin.

Inside the car, Tie Feiyang’s face turned ugly, startled by the gunshot.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen his share of trouble, but this kind of brazen thuggery—blocking a road in broad daylight with guns and fucking opening fire immediately—was beyond anything he’d ever known.

His first reaction was to look at Wan Ze in the passenger seat, his eyes full of apology. ”Brother Wan! I’m sorry, this is my fault! I didn’t expect... I’ll go out and talk to them. Please, don’t...”

He was terrified of dragging Wan Ze into his family’s affairs, and even more afraid that Wan Ze would take his anger out on the Tie Family.

After all, the Tie Family had only managed to drive out the Yu Shang Group because Wan Ze had solved their biggest problem.

If anything happened to Wan Ze here, or if he were to be humiliated, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the consequences.

Wan Ze’s expression was calm. He didn’t even spare a glance for the menacing gunmen outside the window. He just said coolly to Tie Feiyang, ”No rush. Let’s see what they want.”

Seeing how composed he was, Tie Feiyang’s wildly beating heart calmed slightly. He took a deep breath and nodded. ”I’ll go negotiate.”

The moment he stepped out of the car, he glared coldly at the men and roared, ”Are you all fucking tired of living? What do you want? Huh? Do you have any idea whose car this is?!”

The man with the braids sneered, tilting his head. He used the barrel of his shotgun to tip the brim of his hat, his tone dripping with contempt. ”Tie Feiyang, the great Young Master Tie. Who doesn’t know you? What, you drove out the Yu Shang Group, and now you really think you’re the number one man in the Holy City?”

Tie Feiyang frowned, staring at the man. He suddenly seemed to recognize him and his frown deepened. ”Jie Bufan? When the fuck did I ever mess with you? With the Western District redevelopment project, if my Tie Shizhe does well, your family gets a piece of the pie too. So why are you pulling this shit now? Are you a fucking idiot?”

”Heh.” Jie Bufan’s eyes suddenly turned cold. ”That’s a deal between you and my father, not me. I’ll just ask you this: where is Sun Shengji?”

Tie Feiyang was taken aback, then frowned. ”What, is he your dad or something? How the fuck should I know where he is? I’m telling you, don’t be a fool. Take your men and get the hell out of here, and I’ll pretend today never happened!”

BANG!

Another shot suddenly rang out, hitting the ground in front of Tie Feiyang. Splintered gravel peppered his body, causing a sharp sting.

Tie Feiyang’s heart leaped in shock. He snarled angrily, ”Jie Bufan! Don’t think I won’t touch you just because your old man is on the management committee!”

”Good, then come and kill me!” Jie Bufan laughed maniacally, pointing his shotgun at Tie Feiyang from a distance. ”If you don’t kill me today, then from now on, I’ll call you Daddy!”

’Madman!’

Tie Feiyang’s heart sank. Of course, he knew about Jie Bufan’s reputation among the rich young masters of the Holy City.

They had always kept to themselves, but he never expected this guy would target him over someone like Sun Shengji.

The thought of Wan Ze still in the car made him anxious. He could only force himself to take a breath and calm down. In a low voice, he said, ”Young Master Jie, since you insist on asking, let’s just lay it all out. Sun Shengji wanted to negotiate with us at the restaurant before, but he lost. The higher-ups even called us specifically to mediate. I’m sure Sun Shengji got a call from them too... As for who he’s so afraid of that he’d abandon an entire corporation and run... I don’t know.

”Since you know him so well, why don’t you ask around for him? If you can get in touch with him, you can also tell him that my Tie Shizhe is willing to shake hands and make peace. We’re all just trying to make money, aren’t we?”

Jie Bufan frowned and said nothing, his eyes fixed on Tie Feiyang. But then his gaze shifted to the vintage car behind him. He said, word by word, ”I heard your Tie Shizhe has found a powerful new backer. Is that him in the car?”

Tie Feiyang’s breath hitched.

’You motherfucker, don’t you dare!’

Before he could speak, Jie Bufan, his face a mask of arrogance, aimed his shotgun at the passenger seat. He laughed wickedly and yelled, ”Hey, you in the car! Get your ass out here! Stop pretending to be some big shot!”