Chapter 18 The Tide Turns

Rushing to the window, they looked out and saw a group of people with flashlights charging menacingly into the courtyard. Leading the way was none other than Zhou, the housekeeper!

Without discussion, they immediately decided to go downstairs. The upstairs space was too narrow; once something happened, they wouldn't be able to maneuver. But before going downstairs, Jiang Cheng and the others went to the bedroom and dragged Song Keli out.

The two groups collided on the first floor stairs. Zhou the housekeeper's eyes flashed with a fierce light when he saw Jiang Cheng and the others, but after seeing Song Keli, he was obviously hesitant, forcing a smile and saying, "Masters, don't panic. We were entrusted by Madam Su to come and check on Master Su's condition. Madam Su also said that if we saw Master Su was safe and sound, we must reward you handsomely!"

"This is the first time I've seen someone give thanks like this," Yao Shunyu retorted, "Forget gold and silver, are you thanking us with knives?"

Behind Zhou the housekeeper stood a dozen men dressed as servants, but all of them were holding Japanese swords, staring at them with sinister expressions, their hands on the hilts, exuding a murderous aura.

Among them, Jiang Cheng recognized two familiar faces from the back. "Hey, aren't you the rickshaw pullers?" Now that the pretense was over, Fatty didn't hold back, "I remember you two, you pulled the rickshaw pretty well, just a little slow going over the bridge."

"Ba ga!" The square-faced Japanese man who had chased Jiang Cheng for the rickshaw fare couldn't hold back any longer. With a "shing," he drew his sword, the blade reflecting a cold light.

Seeing that he had been exposed, Zhou the housekeeper also stopped pretending, sneering and threatening Jiang Cheng and the others, "We are all Chinese, I don't want to see you die in vain, so you all better be smart. Be sensible and hand over Master Su, otherwise... the Japanese masters will not let you go, they will cut off your heads!"

Remembering the tragic state of Mr. Ke and the others, Fatty cursed angrily: "Bah! You dog traitor still knows you're Chinese? If your ancestors knew what you looked like, they'd crawl out of their graves to find you, have you no shame!"

"No, how could a thing like you have ancestors, you must be an orphan! And the only child for eight generations!" Fatty never held back when it came to scolding such people; he would take care of this scoundrel first when they started fighting.

For some reason, Jiang Cheng always had the illusion that Fatty was implying something about him when he heard him scolding people.

If it were ordinary people, they would be confident in dealing with them, but these Japanese exuded a murderous aura and had handy weapons, clearly not easy to deal with.

"Try to stall for time."

After exchanging glances, they understood each other's intentions.

"Housekeeper Zhou." Li Bai stepped forward and called out to Housekeeper Zhou, "You don't need to scare us, we know this person's identity. He's not Master Su, but Song Keli, the traitor Song Keli. Now many people outside are looking for him, causing a stir in the city."

Hearing this, Zhou the housekeeper's face turned gloomy. "What exactly do you want?"

"Nothing much, we have no interest in you or this Song Keli, we just want to leave safely, and then..." Li Bai paused, "Get the reward you promised earlier."

"No problem, you hand over the person, and I'll take you to get the money." Zhou the housekeeper agreed very readily.

Jiang Cheng shook his head impolitely, "Housekeeper Zhou, we're not three-year-old children, we can't believe everything you say. What if we hand over the person and you go back on your word?"

"I, Zhou, am an upright and honest person, I keep my word, it's well known, if you don't believe me... ask these Taijun." Zhou the housekeeper turned to look at the Japanese.

Fatty couldn't figure out how Zhou the housekeeper could be so confident.

Ding Zhenzong secretly glanced at his phone, and the next second, the light from the phone seemed to stimulate the Japanese, who roared and charged up with their swords.

A sword grazed Luo Tianhe's clothes. The Japanese man was unable to retract his strength and was grabbed on the shoulder by Luo Tianhe, who pressed down. With a "crack," the Japanese man cried out in pain, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground.

Yao Shunyu seized the opportunity to pick up the sword, and with a slash, blood spurted out, and an arm fell to the ground.

Housekeeper Zhou stood in place shouting loudly. Fatty had long been displeased with him. After deftly avoiding the incoming blades, Fatty finally caught Zhou the housekeeper. Zhou the housekeeper initially wanted to struggle, but his thin frame was like a chick in Fatty's hands, and the latter grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. "I'll let you do bad things! I'll let you betray your ancestors! I'll let you Taijun!"

Zhou the housekeeper was dizzy from the impact, and his cries quickly attracted a Japanese man, but under Fatty's absolute strength suppression, he was quickly subdued. Fatty grabbed one in each hand, this time slamming two people against the wall, "You have nothing better to do than to run wild in our country, I'll let you run wild! Go to hell!"

Objectively speaking, the swordsmanship of the dozen or so Japanese exceeded Jiang Cheng and the others' expectations, especially for people like Li Bai and Lin Qianqian, who could only barely hold on.

What was even more dangerous was that more and more Japanese were arriving from outside to reinforce them.

It was now 11:55, still a while before the agreed time, and they were already struggling to hold on. Yao Shunyu's arm had been cut, and Ding Zhenzong was also injured. The group could only retreat constantly, stalling for time. If it weren't for Song Keli as a hostage, the situation would be even more critical.

Even if they wanted to rush out now, it was too late. The Japanese had sealed the door and definitely had people guarding it.

Just as everyone was struggling, suddenly, a flare soared into the sky outside the window, tearing a brilliant wound in the dark night. Then, like a lit fuse, the area around the Su residence instantly became lively.

Countless footsteps sounded, rapidly converging towards the Su residence.

"Punish the traitor!"

"Avenge Mr. Ke!"

…

The crowd shouted, erupting with unprecedented power. This power was unstoppable, instantly smashing open the Su residence's gate, and then swarming in.

The Japanese guarding the door were immediately swallowed by the crowd. Those at the front of the group were all strong men, wielding sticks. Pincer attacked from front and back, the remaining Japanese were knocked down and finally brought under control.

A man walked out from the indignant crowd, it was the owner of Bao Mo Zhai.

The owner cupped his hands at Jiang Cheng and the others, and said excitedly, "Thank you all for your help. We will definitely make this scum, Song Keli, accept punishment. These Japanese are the murderers who killed Mr. Ke!"

"The patrolmen are already on their way. For your safety, please leave first and hide." The man's tone was very sincere.

Luo Tianhe cupped his fist slightly, "Farewell."

The man immediately returned the salute, "Take care, everyone, we'll meet again."

The sounds of the patrolmen's shouts could already be heard in the distance, but the crowd was growing, almost surrounding the entire Su residence. Jiang Cheng and the others walked against the crowd towards the outside.

These people were holding torches, and the flickering flames illuminated the young and old faces. Jiang Cheng saw on their faces an indomitable perseverance, an epiphany after experiencing vicissitudes, a hope after a long period of confusion...

"May God bless China!"

Someone shouted from the crowd.

The next second, the howling sound spread out like a tide, piercing the darkness and sweeping across the entire city.