Encountering Rain at West Lake

Voices rose in shouts and howls; the restaurant was as noisy as a boiling pot. However, amidst the chaos, it would be difficult for anyone to grasp the full picture.

As Song Qian dragged Qin Siyuan out of the door, the burly, towering man behind them had already broken through the crowd and was rushing towards them. The distance between them was closing rapidly. At the front of the alley, dozens of people were blocking their path, making it seem as though they had fallen into a prearranged ambush.

Although the imperial relatives did not wield much power these days, Song Qian was not someone to be easily trifled with, given that he was a guard in the Prince's manor. Seeing that he was beset on both sides, he gritted his teeth and drew his long saber. The surroundings were filled with clamor. Those rushing out of the door were not just them, but also some customers who had been near the entrance. They were momentarily stunned to see dozens of people blocking their path. However, the leader on the opposite side also seemed to hesitate, abruptly raising his hand to halt the group, forming a standoff.

There was hardly any time to think. No one could tell who the enemies were. Gunshots echoed through the hall, deafening. The mighty man fought his way out of the crowd, heading straight for Qin Siyuan. Song Qian drew his steel saber, ready to fight to the death, but he could not decide which side to engage first. A voice rang out amidst the din: "They're the ones! Take them down!" The voice was steady and strong, and although it was soon drowned out by the chaos, it was still heard clearly. It was Qin Siyuan, who was behind Song Qian.

Looking back on it, despite being abruptly dragged out in confusion, the elderly man, over sixty years old, did not panic. He reacted first. Others clearly heard his words. The burly man behind them roared "Ah—," grabbed a potted plant, and threw it. Song Qian blocked it with his saber, but the massive impact sent him staggering back a few steps. The shattered ceramic shards and soil flew through the air, and the main body of the potted plant turned slightly, flying towards the dozens of people blocking the alley. The leader had just raised his hand to stop his henchmen when he suddenly saw the projectile flying towards him. In haste, he smashed it with both hands. Although he was not hurt, he was covered in mud.

"Damn it, they were prepared…" The leader wiped the wet mud off his face and suddenly drew a stick from his side. "Brothers, smash them!" Dozens of men charged forward with a roar!

The chaos at the door quickly turned into a frenzy, colliding together. Inside the hall, Yuan Jin'er peeked out from under a counter, unable to understand why the inside had suddenly become so chaotic. All she could hear were shouts and gunshots, spreading smoke and splattering blood. The gunpowder used in the *tuhuo qiang* (突火槍) in those years produced massive amounts of smoke and a deafening sound. It suddenly exploded, and the momentum was truly terrifying. At the other end of the smoke, flesh flew up, splattering on the faces and bodies of some of the people behind.

At this moment, several people came out to watch the scene from the platform at the exit of the corridor on the second floor. They were Zhou Pei, Zhang Rui, and Li Tong, who had come with Ning Yi. They saw Ning Yi take the *tuhuo qiang* (突火槍) out and hesitated for a moment before following. Before they could reach the corridor, they saw someone jump down from the platform. The chaos suddenly erupted, and the scene below was a mess. Zhou Pei was startled and crouched by the railing, looking down. Before she could understand what was happening, she heard a loud bang and saw smoke rising on one side of her vision, mixed with shocking amounts of blood.

Then, Zhou Pei and the two scholars saw the student who had been discussing matters with them. He no longer had the refined demeanor he had shown earlier. As the hall descended into chaos and the doorway erupted into a frenzy, this sudden shot was decisive, without the slightest hesitation. The student stowed the gun and, with his arm around the white-clad woman beside him, prepared to retreat into the crowd.

The three people on the platform were ultimately unable to cope with the sudden blood and death. Whether it was Zhou Pei, who had seen more of the world than the average woman, or Zhang Rui and Li Tong, who were familiar with military strategy, they suddenly saw a body fall to the ground, spewing blood. They couldn't find any concept that matched what they were seeing, and their minds were blank. Then, they saw a scarred man below stop and suddenly rush towards the scholar in the long robe.

"Ya—Ah—"

"Kill the old dog Qin first!"

"*Tuhuo qiang* (突火槍)! Don't let him fire again—"

The voices came from several people, but Zhou Pei, who was staring blankly at everything above, couldn't distinguish who was saying what in the chaos. She could only see the scarred man suddenly rush towards Ning Yi with an angry shout. The northern man was more than a head taller than Ning Yi and had a stocky build. In the blink of an eye, the two collided amidst the lingering smoke.

The little girl's heart almost jumped into her throat. In her memory, her teacher Ning Yi had always been a weak scholar. Even if she occasionally heard him boast about being a Blood-Handed Butcher, it was only because he enjoyed the vulgar pleasure of some Jianghu legends. There was no room for joking now. The two sides were not even in the same weight class. She feared that her teacher would be sent flying with blood gushing from his mouth at the slightest bump. However, in the next moment, she saw the two of them exchanging blows amidst the smoke.

From the very beginning, it was the most direct clash. This kind of fighting lacked any martial arts aesthetics. The surrounding tables and chairs were sent flying. The barrel of the *tuhuo qiang* (突火槍) in Ning Yi's hand was a bamboo tube with some metal at the end. Ning Yi swung it at the scarred man's head. The other party blocked it, and the entire bamboo tube shattered. The elasticity of the bamboo almost turned the *tuhuo qiang* (突火槍) into a whip. The metal at the back grazed the back of the other party's head, and then Ning Yi was sent flying backward.

He had been practicing internal energy for some time, and his physical fitness was far superior to that of ordinary people. The strength he occasionally unleashed was also astonishing. Otherwise, the *tuhuo qiang* (突火槍) would not have shattered into a whip with a single swing. However, this kind of strength was only useful for a moment. His body was still no match for the scarred man. In the blink of an eye, he took a punch. He returned a punch, and a bench he swung was also smashed to pieces by the other party. These brief exchanges proved the imbalance in strength between the two sides. In the next moment, the scarred man turned his hand and swung a steel whip down with force, smashing a table to pieces.

The steel whip was dark and heavy, and if it hit someone, they would be sure to suffer shattered bones and torn flesh. After dodging the first blow, the steel whip swept across again relentlessly. Ning Yi leaned back, and his outer robe was torn with a "whish." His stomach seemed to be burning, and he didn't know if it was psychological or if he was injured. He didn't dare wait for the other party to swing a third time. He suddenly exerted force with both feet and pounced forward, using all his strength to grip the other party's neck and right rib.

The power of Ning Yi's internal energy was astonishing when it suddenly erupted. Lu Hongti had said that this kind of exertion was harmful to the body. After all, he had not been practicing since childhood and could not fully adapt to the method of exertion, but it was indeed tyrannical in critical moments. The other party didn't seem to have expected a scholar to have such courage and strength. For a moment, his neck and right hand seemed to be clamped by iron rings, and he couldn't break free even with clenched teeth. The steel whip in his right hand couldn't be swung down. The two crashed to the ground.

This entire process happened in an instant. As the scarred man charged and the two exchanged blows, they crashed to the ground. The surrounding smoke was still scattering and being stirred up by the fight. As soon as the scarred man fell to the ground, he rolled violently, and his left hand grabbed towards Ning Yi. Ning Yi had already let go and, as he rolled, desperately hugged the scarred man's right arm that was holding the steel whip, his feet tangling around the other party's shoulders.

After coming here, Ning Yi had become interested in martial arts and learned a few sets of fists once he had internal energy. After all, Lu Hongti had taught him the uses of these martial arts. But he had not experienced any fighting in the past six months or so, and he couldn't form a conditioned reflex to these routines. Without a conditioned reflex, the martial arts were useless. Facing the enemy at this moment, his mind was almost blank. He knew as soon as he exchanged blows that he couldn't beat these people in martial arts. He risked his life, and he was still using his old methods.

When the other party had a weapon, there was little point in running. He could only meet them head-on.

The man's strength was fierce and powerful. He might have been a great general on the battlefield, but he was not a martial arts master like Lu Hongti after all. In front of Lu Hongti, Ning Yi had no chance to get close and attack. Even if he really hugged the other party, she could easily use some techniques to break free. But this man was only relying on his bravery and great strength. Although he had a wealth of fighting experience, in past fights, with his strength, he could often throw people flying or knock them down at will. In this moment, the two rolled on the ground several times, but a scholar had only grabbed his body and was constantly trying to use deadly joint locks, which he had never encountered before.

In modern fighting systems, the development of joint locks, with the cooperation of scientific means, has reached an almost extreme level in the understanding of vital points. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is deadly at close range, and Aikido and Karate also have many anti-joint techniques. Traditional Chinese Chin Na Kung Fu and various Sanda self-defense techniques are all aimed at weaknesses. Ning Yi was certainly not at the level of a Jiu-Jitsu master, but he was clear-headed in the face of life and death and knew that once he let go, he would be dead. With the strength that erupted from his internal energy, he switched positions several times, either hugging the other party's head and neck or limbs, performing joint lock movements, rolling to the right, and then suddenly rolling to the left, trying to break the other party's limbs.

Perhaps only those who have really practiced these joint locks can understand how fragile a person's body is. But the big man was also extremely sensitive to the grip between life and death. He was in a mess for a while, but his powerful counterattacks could still force Ning Yi away at the last moment. However, as soon as he was forced away, Ning Yi would pounce on him again. The two rolled on the ground for no more than ten seconds, but every moment was almost a life-and-death situation. The surrounding tables and benches were destroyed, beaten to pieces by the scarred man's wild swings and punches. Ning Yi's leg was also hit by his left hand, but every moment, Ning Yi was also risking his life to twist off his limbs. At this time, he was holding the other party's right hand again, trying to break it with force. The big man's left hand also grabbed towards Ning Yi. Suddenly, a white figure rushed up.

It was Yun Zhu, who had been pushed aside by Ning Yi at the beginning of the fight. She had hidden beside her and watched for a few eyes. At this time, she gritted her teeth, pulled out the hairpin on her head, and pounced up, stabbing the hairpin into the other party's abdomen.

The big man roared "Ah" and kicked Yun Zhu away. This kick was not in the right position, it hit her shoulder. Although he did not use all his strength, Yun Zhu also rolled out. Ning Yi didn't know where Yun Zhu was hurt. He clenched his teeth and suddenly exerted force, breaking the big man's forearm with a "crack." The steel whip had already fallen to the

Ground.

The pain of the broken arm and the stab in the abdomen made the big man's eyes bulge. His body rolled again. This time, the scholar did not follow him again. He stood up smoothly. As soon as he raised his head, Ning Yi had already grabbed the steel whip weighing dozens of pounds and charged straight up. In his field of vision, his hands had already swung to the rearmost position.

"Go to hell—"

With a bang, the corner of the steel whip slammed into the scarred man's left brain. For a moment, almost half of the big man's head had exploded. He was now at the wall of the hall. The force of Ning Yi's full-force blow almost sent his body flying, smashing the front window facing the river. His upper body swayed out, and then he fell back.

On the platform, Zhou Pei watched Ning Yi's swing, the scene of the other party's head exploding, and her lips trembled, unable to speak. Her entire head was blank.

Ning Yi looked back at Yun Zhu. He saw her sitting up, covering her shoulder, and trying to give Ning Yi a smile. On the other side of the hall, Jin'er screamed "Ah" and ran towards this side.

At the door, no one knew how many people were fighting in a mess. The tallest and strongest man was in the midst of it, constantly approaching Song Qian, who was fighting in the chaos, and Qin Siyuan, who was being protected. This person was obviously the most powerful of the five. Although the dozens of people blocking them from the street had weapons in their hands, they could hardly stop him for too long, especially since Song Qian was also caught up in the battle. Although he was also skilled in martial arts, he was protecting Qin Siyuan and was blocked by others, so he couldn't rush out for a while.

The relatively tall and thin man had also joined the chaotic battle, wielding two sabers, and the dozens of people who had blocked them were just a bunch of hooligans. In the blink of an eye, he had also slashed down several people. He looked back at this side and saw that his companion's head had been smashed open. Ning Yi was holding a steel whip, and for a moment, he wanted to turn back and rush over. Ning Yi exchanged a few glances with him, and the ferocity in his eyes was no less than his. He slammed the steel whip again and hit the scarred man's head again. The wall next to him was made of wood, so it was considered solid, but it had been hit once just now. This time, it cracked open, and the scarred man's head had been beaten beyond recognition.

"Come on!"

Ning Yi threw away the steel whip and shouted at that side. He drew out the remaining *tuhuo qiang* (突火槍) with his backhand and took out the fire starter from his body. At the same time, a saber wind swept over, and the noble young master at the back turned around and charged towards him.

"Kill the old dog Qin—"

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