Human Martial Saint: Starting with Bajiquan

Chapter 71 Decisive Escape

I heard that Ah Qi had arrived.

Fox Jessie took a deep breath, and in just one second, enduring the pain, restored his appearance.

He then planned to display his two iron balls to demonstrate his usual composure.

It turned out that the iron pellets could no longer be found.

He then remembered that he had already thrown it out as a hidden weapon during the fierce battle with the masked expert from the Mingsha Gang.

So Fox Jesse could only sit up straight awkwardly, turning his anger into a deep one, and wait for Fox Ah Qi to come in.

Then he addressed his trusted guards outside the door:

"You all go and guard the outer courtyard gate; don't let anyone in!"

"yes!"

Once both of them were sure the guards had gone far away and there was no one else in the courtyard, they waited until they were sure the guards had gone far away.

Fox Ah Qi then closed the door behind him.

"Boss, fourth brother... fourth brother is dead, and all the 'goods' in the cellar have been stolen!"

"I've heard about it."

Seeing that the gang leader remained as composed as ever, Fox Seven continued:

"This was definitely done by that woman and the Mingsha Gang! They..."

"I'm not blind yet."

Fox Jesse coldly interrupted him:

Tell me something I don't know.

Hearing this, Fox Seven felt a chill run down his spine from the cold gaze of his leader.

He didn't dare say anything more.

Last night, the eldest brother realized something was wrong and tried to back down, but he couldn't stop it from happening.

Something serious must have happened here.

He just didn't know it.

Seeing Ah Qi standing silently to the side, the gang leader, Fox Jessie, sighed deeply:

"Ah Qi, go back and pack your valuables. Take a few loyal and discreet men with you and meet me at the East Gate at Chen Shi (7-9 AM). We can't stay in Crescent Moon County any longer..."

"Ah! Boss, where are we going...where are we going? Is it that serious?"

Looking at Ah Qi's bewildered eyes, Fox Jessie said slowly, "Last night when I was turning back, the Mingsha Gang sent out a masked seventh-rank expert to block my way."

"A seventh-rank master? How is that possible! Their gang leader, Cao Dahuang, is only an eighth-rank master."

After saying this, Fox Seven was struck dumb, his mouth agape.

"Indeed! The Mingsha Gang certainly doesn't have such an expert. If they did, they wouldn't need to wear a mask..."

Fox Jesse had complete confidence in his judgment:

"After much thought, I can only come up with one possibility: a few days ago, you offended Yang Hongliu, the head of the Bajiquan Hall, Gao Huang, who is said to be extremely protective of his own. Those experts from last night were most likely sent by him from the Gao family of Shazhou! They wanted to secretly eliminate us in the name of the Mingsha Gang!"

Ah Qi was dumbfounded.

Yes, I've always been cautious and timid in Crescent Moon County, only bullying the old and weak, and I've never offended any ruthless people.

Looking back now, the most likely connection is that a few days ago, when we were collecting children, Yang Hongliu stopped us, and the two of us had a verbal argument.

When he mentioned it upon returning, he was reprimanded by the gang leader.

It's not a big deal to have one more or one less child; there's no need to antagonize a powerful organization like Bajiquan.

At the time, he thought his boss was overthinking things.

Now that he realized that this whole thing might have started because of him, Ah Qi's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.

Fox Jesse saw him like this and didn't blame him.

What he didn't say was that he was able to set fires precisely to several Black Fox Gang properties in the commercial district without leaving a trace, and that no one could catch him. It was rumored that the masked members of the Beggars' Gang were responsible.

Perhaps it was this county magistrate who couldn't withstand the pressure from Gao Huang, the eldest son of a powerful family in Shazhou, that led the Beggars' Sect to turn against him so ruthlessly.

To sever one's roots in Crescent Moon County.

If we don't leave now, and they get more prepared, we might not be able to leave at all!

So Fox Jesse continued to comfort Ah Qi, saying:

"Let's leave as soon as possible. If Gao Huang finds out we're still alive, who knows what kind of people he'll send next? Besides, we couldn't save the child this time, and that big shot in Shazhou won't let us off the hook either. Let's get out of here while we can!"

"Where...where to?"

"Let's go to my senior brother's place, the Guazhou Iron Mine! We'll hide there for now, lay low for a while, and maybe we'll have a chance to make a comeback someday!"

Guazhou Iron Mine, the largest iron mine in the Hexi region, is located in Guazhou, adjacent to Huangqu County in Shazhou.

Fox Jesse's senior brother works in the iron mine and is said to be doing quite well. A while ago, they were saying they needed a head guard and asked him if he was interested.

The iron mine was also owned by the Shang family, and the governor, being a member of the clan, had no jurisdiction over it and could not control it.

At present, this is the best place that Fox Jesse can think of in a short period of time.

"Yes, yes! Boss, I'll go prepare right away!"

Watching Ah Qi frantically retreat as if grasping at a straw, Fox Jessie slowly leaned back in his chair, the pain from his wounds returning.

He stared at the empty hall, his eyes filled with resentment, bitterness, and relief at surviving the ordeal.

It was three quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM).

Crescent Moon County, south of the city.

The fires and noise from the west of the city last night seemed to have had no effect on this place at all.

Just like any other day, the southern part of the city and other county areas have always been two different worlds.

Today, the main street, the yellow dirt road, has been swept clean and splashed with water.

There seemed to be a deliberately created solemn atmosphere in the air.

The streets were already packed with onlookers, a mix of fine silks and coarse linen clothes, mostly from wealthy families in the south of the city and ordinary households in the city's residential areas.

As for the poorer people, or the vendors who set up stalls whenever there was a lively atmosphere, there were none of them.

The government has issued a clear order that no unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach such a grand event, as it would be an eyesore.

The examination grounds were set up on an open space in the south of the city, right next to the county government office; the site had clearly been carefully arranged.

The outermost perimeter was marked out with freshly cut poplar wood and thick hemp rope, keeping the crowd outside and only able to observe from the rope's edge.

Inside the arena, there is a separate arena in each of the four directions: east, south, west, and north. They are built with heavy wood and are more than three feet above the ground. The surfaces of the arena are covered with a thick layer of fine sand to prevent slipping, cushion the impact, and absorb blood and sweat.

In the very center of the four arenas is a larger and significantly taller main arena.

The main arena is paved with polished blue bricks, and heavy walnut planks are placed on top. This is where routines are practiced, stone weightlifting is performed, and the final battle takes place.

North of the five arenas (one large and four small), a two-zhang-high pavilion with flying eaves and brackets was erected, and a brand-new plaque inscribed with "Great Fan Ten Thousand Years" was hung. This was the judge's seat.

At the head of the judge's seat was a large armchair, naturally the seat for the county magistrate to discuss matters of benevolence.

Below that, slightly lower, was the seat of County Lieutenant Kang.

Further down, five chairs were arranged side by side, where several expressionless figures dressed in mountain-patterned armor sat. They were the chief examiner and four deputy examiners for this provincial examination.

On both sides of the pavilion, outside the boundary of the examination hall, stood a circle of county soldiers with their hands on their swords. In Liu Sheng's eyes, they all looked somewhat listless and their postures were slouching, far inferior to the elite righteous army he had seen before.

However, in Crescent Moon County, they are the only guard force that can be considered presentable.

At this time, Liu Sheng was accompanied by his senior brother Lu You, his second senior sister Yang Hongliu, and some familiar disciples.

We finally arrived at the outer edge of the training ground.