Chapter 9: The Fury of the Common Man
Chen Yanzhi wants to make Jishan understand that the Manchu government fears foreigners, yet a common man is unafraid. He intends to teach Jishan a lesson about what it means for a common man to be enraged, causing blood to spill five steps.
Chen Yanzhi arrived at Baozhilin
Huang Feihong said: "No matter what, I cannot disregard Jishan's reputation. It is just right; I want to test Jishan's intentions and see what he truly wants to do. Yanzhi, you will accompany me to the theater this afternoon"
Yan Zhendong glared fiercely at the members of the Shahe Gang. If it were not for having accepted these individuals as disciples, Chen Yanzhi would not have left the Yan family's martial arts school. With Chen Yanzhi's martial arts talent, he is sure to promote the Yan family's martial arts in the future
Yan Zhendong was filled with envy, along with a faint sense of jealousy
Upon returning to his residence, Chen Yan placed the medical books in order and then took out a dagger resembling a willow leaf from beneath the bed
No one can prevent the accumulation of good deeds from leading to great wealth
The leader of the Shahe Gang said: "Chen Yanzhi is a martial arts master who has only emerged in recent months. He has a good relationship with Huang Feihong and is always opposing us"
The longer the delay, the more those women will suffer from humiliation and abuse. The Shahe Gang and the American foreigners are nothing but despicable beings. Chen Yanzhi had no choice but to prepare for the worst possible outcome.
... ...
Chen Yanzhi said: "Of course it is true. Last night, I secretly investigated the Shahe Gang, witnessed it with my own eyes, and even had a confrontation with Yan Zhendong"
... ...
They believe that Yan Zhendong did not teach them true skills. Otherwise, why have they practiced martial arts without any improvement in their abilities
Yan Zhendong gazed towards the direction of Foshan, his eyes filled with blazing anger. The provocation from Chen Yanzhi had caused him to lose all face in front of the Shahe Gang
... ...
At that moment
Ji Shan had a face full of anger: "Bastard, it's that Wong Fei-hung again. By the way, who is Chen Yanzhi that you mentioned?"
Yan Zhendong is not afraid of Huang Feihong, but he has some apprehension towards the authorities. No matter how high his martial arts skills are, he is still just a commoner. Being highly skilled in martial arts does not eliminate the fear of the authorities.
Yan Zhendong scoffed, "Chen Yanzhi is smarter than both of us. Is there anything you can think of that he cannot? If we attempt a surprise attack, we might not even catch a glimpse of Chen Yanzhi. To capture Chen Yanzhi, we must plan carefully and consider the long term."
The leader is right. Since the matter has been exposed, we must transfer those women. It is better to act sooner rather than later
Chen Yanzhi stated: "For the Shahe Gang, where is the safest place? It is undoubtedly the docks and ports of the American foreigners. That area is a restricted zone designated by the foreigners, and the local authorities have no jurisdiction to enforce the law there. The Shahe Gang has a good relationship with the foreigners, and they will certainly transfer the women to the American ports."
Everyone from the Shahe Gang turned to Yan Zhendong
Huang Feihong colluded with the local militia and vegetable vendors to inflate vegetable prices, opposing foreigners at every turn. Both Jishan and the Shahe Gang sought to eliminate Huang Feihong. However, Huang Feihong's martial arts skills were exceptional, and with the support of the militia, they simply had not found an opportunity to strike.
Yan Zhendong nodded helplessly and said, "Alright. Let's go hide for a while."
Chen Yanzhi held onto Huang Feihong and said: "Master Huang, do you not know what kind of character the government possesses? The governor will surely shirk responsibility and may even reprimand you. Moreover, regarding the Shahe Gang's abduction of women, we do not have conclusive evidence; how could the government dare to search the warehouses of Americans in the port?"
Consider it from another perspective; if Chen Yanzhi were the leader of the Shahe Gang, he would also seek assistance from the Jishan Gang
Ji Shan nodded and said, "This afternoon I will invite Huang Feihong to watch a play together. At that time, you can take action within the theater troupe. No matter how formidable Huang Feihong and Chen Yanzhi are, they will still fall under the fire of the guns."
Chen Yanzhi shook his head and said, "Forget it. I have no interest in watching the play"
The leader of the Shahe Gang angrily said: "Master, should we just let that guy Chen Yanzhi leave arrogantly? We might as well take this opportunity to return to Foshan City and launch a surprise attack, killing Chen Yanzhi with a hail of bullets."
Huang Feihong's expression changed dramatically: "Yan Zhi, is what you said really true?"
... ...
In the afternoon, Ji Shan invited Huang Feihong to watch a performance at the opera troupe, marking the beginning of the ambush by the Shahe Gang to assassinate Huang Feihong. Chen Yanzhi wore a slight cold smile at the corner of his mouth, stating, "However, during the time they are watching the performance, it is also the moment when Ji Shan's warehouse and merchant ships are at their most vulnerable. If I strike at this time, it will undoubtedly be effortless."
After Yan Zhendong took a break, the leader of the Shahe Gang convened his core members to discuss strategies for dealing with Chen Yanzhi and Huang Feihong. Yan Zhendong had disappointed him greatly; if he could not even handle the wayward disciple Chen Yanzhi, relying on Yan Zhendong to confront Huang Feihong would likely be equally challenging
The leader of the Shahe Gang said: "Of course, the master is not afraid of Huang Feihong, but what about the government? If the governor brings troops here, what shall we do? I have a deep friendship with Mr. Jishan, a great American merchant, so we should go to his place to hide for a while. Once the storm passes, we will return."
Since taking Yan Zhendong as his master and practicing martial arts, Chen Yanzhi has not carried this dagger with him. Now that he has achieved proficiency in his skills, in the entire Foshan, only Huang Feihong and Yan Zhendong can surpass him in martial arts.
Huang Feihong said: "Alright then. This afternoon, I will take Auntie Shisan along with A Rong and A Su with me."
"Yan Zhendong is somewhat unreliable," said the leader of the Shahe Gang coldly. "If we want to eliminate Huang Feihong and Chen Yanzhi, we must rely on ourselves. Their martial arts are formidable, but we have firearms. As long as we plan properly, we will definitely be able to kill Huang Feihong and Chen Yanzhi"
Chen Yanzhi clasped his fists and said: "Master Huang, I will take my leave now. With such an incident occurring, I am unable to learn medicine here."
A foreigner sent an invitation
Chen Yanzhi took out the dagger again, intending to unleash a massacre on the Shahe Gang and those foreign devils. Unless those despicable creatures are made to fear and tremble, they will truly believe that the Chinese are easy to bully
The leader is right. The members nodded, saying, "If we want to dominate Foshan, we cannot rely on Yan Zhendong; we must depend on the fire guns in our own hands."
Yan Zhendong snorted coldly: "How would I know?"
The leader of the Shahe Gang laughed loudly and said: "Good. Mr. Ji Shan, as long as you can invite Huang Feihong and Chen Yanzhi out, our Shahe Gang will definitely be able to eliminate the two of them. No matter how high their martial arts skills are, our firearms can turn them into a sieve."
The leader of the Shahe Gang found an American named Ji Shan
Unfortunately, there is no remedy for regret in this world. Many opportunities, once missed, can never be reclaimed
Huang Feihong took out several books and handed them to Chen Yanzhi, saying: "Yanzhi, you have a great talent for studying medicine. These medical books were painstakingly collected by Baozhilin, and there are also some insights on medical techniques that I have written myself. I hope they can be of some help to you"
Huang Feihong looked anxious: "But where will they transfer those women to? Without knowing the specific location, how can we rescue them?"
The dagger is exceptionally sharp, forged from high-quality steel by Chen Yanzhi at the blacksmith's shop six months ago. This dagger cost Chen Yanzhi a total of thirty taels of silver at that time. At that moment, Chen Yanzhi was seriously ill and weak, had not yet practiced martial arts, and in the chaotic late Qing Dynasty, it was essential to carry a means of self-defense for a sense of security
The leader of the Shahe Gang said: "Chen Yanzhi has discovered the women we captured. At dawn, the government office will come to search this place. We must transfer them immediately. The safest location is Mr. Jishan's port warehouse; it is a restricted area designated by foreigners, and even the court would not dare to search it lightly"
A glint of cold light flashed in Yan Zhendong's eyes: "What can Huang Feihong do even if he comes? I would not be afraid of him!"
Chen Yanzhi expressed his gratitude, saying: "Thank you, Huang Feihong. If I achieve success in medicine in the future, I will certainly dedicate myself to healing the world and helping the people."
He, Yang Zhendong, has been practicing martial arts since childhood, training in Eagle Claw Iron Shirt for over thirty years to reach his current level. But what about Chen Yanzhi? In less than two months of training, he has already achieved his own realm
Not only the women, but almost all the possessions of the Shahe Gang's main headquarters have been transported to the restricted area designated by the Americans
The leader of the Shahe Gang said to Yan Zhendong: "Master, what we have done has been exposed. After Chen Yanzhi returns, he will definitely join forces with Huang Feihong to encircle and suppress us"
"Mr. Ji Shan, Huang Feihong and Chen Yanzhi must be eliminated," said the leader of the Shahe Gang with a sinister expression. "Otherwise, our operations of capturing women will be completely exposed. At that time, human trafficking will become impossible to carry out"
Chen Yanzhi's progress in martial arts has exceeded anyone's imagination
The leader of the Shahe Gang asked: "Master, why is Chen Yanzhi's martial arts so formidable? I heard that he was previously a hopeless invalid."
Huang Feihong said: "I will go find the Admiral now"
... ...
Huang Feihong took the invitation card and, upon reading its contents, had a somewhat bewildered expression on his face: "Jishan is inviting me to watch a play this afternoon?"
Whoever dares to block the way shall face death
Why did Chen Yanzhi refuse Huang Feihong's invitation, not to watch a play? Because he was determined to destroy the merchant ship of Jishan. The merchant ship carried a large quantity of oil and coal; igniting the oil and coal would result in the ship being set ablaze
Chen Yanzhi let out a cold snort: "Offering kindness without reason is either deceitful or thieving"
Mr. Ji Shan from the United States has long been dissatisfied with Huang Feihong
Before dawn, the members of the Shahe Gang finally transferred all twenty or so women to the warehouse of Jishan
"Master Huang, the women who have recently gone missing have all been held in the basement of the Shahe Gang's headquarters. If I am not mistaken, they should have already moved them to another location. We must find a way to rescue them as soon as possible" said Chen Yanzhi
He has objections to Yan Zhendong; if it weren't for Yan Zhendong saying not to shoot, Chen Yanzhi would have died just now under the hail of bullets
Huang Feihong, even when saving others, would not resort to lethal force. However, Chen Yan is not Huang Feihong; he intends to use violence to counter violence, to stop killing with killing