The God of the Human Realm!

Chapter 18: A Lingering Feeling of Resentment

The wharf in Yangquan County was originally located outside the city. Later, with the development of water transport and the prosperity of commerce, the city walls were expanded many times, eventually including the wharf area.

Meng Yue was highly skilled and daring, and he deliberately chose to travel through secluded alleys. He strode forward, and the closer he got to the dock, the stronger and more pungent the smell of fish, sweat, and some indescribable stench became.

Meng Yue frowned and looked up.

Not long after nightfall, the dock was still bustling with noise and clamor.

On the Jade Belt River, several small cargo boats were moored, brightly lit and filled with people. Some laborers, their voices hoarse, were carrying sacks or wooden boxes, constantly unloading them from the gangplank.

"Hurry up, hurry up! Do you want to eat a whip?"

The foreman on the canal boat, with his belly protruding, still complained that the laborers were too slow and were delaying his rest time. He swung his water-soaked whip, making a crackling sound.

Meng Yue noticed that on the dock, several men dressed in short jackets and carrying sticks were walking around in the crowd with their shirts open, exposing their chests. They would wave their sticks around from time to time, intimidating the laborers.

These fierce men were all under Yan Tieshan's command, sent to the docks as supervisors. Whenever any of the laborers dared to slack off, they would be dragged away and given a beating as a warning.

Next to the dock was the fish market street, where the stench of decay was even stronger. At this moment, there were no fishmongers hawking their wares, and Meng Yue covered his mouth and nose as he walked forward.

In the most conspicuous part of the dock area, a large area was enclosed by wooden boards, forming a spacious area.

Sixteen tree stumps, each two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) high, were driven into the ground around the perimeter, and lanterns were hung on them, illuminating the area.

Meanwhile, burly men patrolled the area from time to time, carrying not only sticks but also steel knives at their waists.

All of this was because a two-story gambling den stood in the center of the venue, which was Yan Tieshan's lair.

Meng Yue had just approached, still some distance from the arena, when he was stopped by a shout: "Halt! Who are you?"

Several fierce-looking men drew their long knives and clubs, surrounding Meng Yue and questioning him sternly.

"I've come to see Third Master Yan..."

Before he could finish speaking, a man with a knife almost touching his nose interrupted him: "Do you think you can just see Third Master whenever you want? Kid, take off your straw hat."

Meng Yue opened his palm, revealing the small wooden plaque, and said calmly, "Give this to Third Master. He will understand once he sees it."

"Let your mother go..."

The man was about to curse again, and even raised his hand to chop Meng Yue's palm with his knife, but was suddenly pulled back by another scarred man.

The scarred man scrutinized Meng Yue for a few moments, then took the small wooden plaque and said, "Wait a moment."

He turned and hurriedly ran into the building.

A short while later, the scarred man reappeared, clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to Meng Yue, and said, "Third Master has prepared a private room on the second floor, please!"

Meng Yue immediately followed the scarred man into the building.

It was already extremely noisy just from the outside, and once you entered the lobby on the first floor, all sorts of noises and unpleasant odors rushed in, creating a smoky and chaotic atmosphere.

A dozen or so tables were crammed into the small hall, which was crowded with people. Some were drinking, some were gambling, and some were even pulling and pushing crying girls into a private room.

Meng Yue remained indifferent, pretending not to see anything, and followed the scarred man who was leading the way, going straight up to the second floor and stopping outside a closed private room.

"Third Master, the person has been brought!" Scarface said, bowing deeply.

"Come in!" a deep voice came from inside.

Meng Yue then took off his straw hat, pushed open the door, and found that the room was quite dark inside with only one candle burning.

Meng Yue squinted, adjusting his eyes to the light. In the center of the room sat a burly man, his face hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to see clearly.

Besides these, there were four other people in the room: two leaning against the door on either side, and two guarding the burly man's sides.

"Are you Yan Tieshan, the Third Master Yan?"

Meng Yue glanced back, then turned to the man in the center. "Enough with the unnecessary nonsense. I, Yan Laosan, am a straightforward man and dislike beating around the bush." ​​Yan Tieshan waved his hand and said bluntly, "I owed Mr. Cui a favor back then. What do you want from me, Yan Laosan, with his token?"

"You want Third Master to kill someone?"

"Kill who?"

Meng Yue did not answer immediately, but hesitated and looked at the four guards in the room.

Yan Tieshan snorted: "My reputation in this business is known to every big family in the county. If you don't trust me, just leave."

"Third Master, you jest. I've heard of your reputation." A hint of murderous intent flashed in Meng Yue's eyes as he said calmly, "Hong Yuan, a disciple of the Yang Family Martial Arts School."

"The Yang Family Martial Arts School?" Yan Tieshan was slightly surprised. "Yang Erhu is not someone to be trifled with."

"What? Is Third Master afraid?" Meng Yue chuckled softly.

"I'm afraid of Yang Erhu? Haha!" Yan Tieshan laughed a few times, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table in front of him, making a dull thud.

"It just so happens that Yang Erhu and I have some past grievances that haven't been settled yet. Let's settle both old and new scores together this time... Go back, and you'll hear good news within half a month!"

"Half a month?" Meng Yue frowned, feeling that the time was a bit long. Just as he was about to say something, a shrill scream suddenly came from outside.

Bang bang bang!
Immediately following were a series of loud thuds, as if multiple people were being thrown out at the same time and crashing heavily to the ground, followed by a series of metallic clanging sounds.

Chaos erupted downstairs, with footsteps clashing and interspersed with piercing screams.

Meng Yue could picture the gamblers panicking and running away in terror. He couldn't help but glance at Yan Tieshan across from him: "Third Master, it seems you've run into some trouble."

"Trouble? What trouble is a little storm? It'll be resolved quickly."

Yan Tieshan sneered, remaining motionless, and even the four guards did not leave.

Meng Yue, however, became restless and wanted to get up to take a look. Suddenly, he heard several piercing whistles from downstairs, followed by a series of noisy sounds.

Not long.

Five men dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with lean figures, dark skin, and moving lightly and silently, came to the outside of the room.

Meng Yue glanced at them and saw that although the five men were thin, they had a strong and fierce aura, sharp eyes, and carried hard bows and quivers on their backs. Their right hands had thick calluses, and there were obvious marks on their thumbs and index fingers. A thought struck him.

'Hunters? Yan Laosan actually recruited five hunters?'

Yan Tieshan had already started speaking, "The person has been caught? Who is this blind fool who dares to cause trouble for me, Yan Tieshan? Give him a good beating."

The five hunters remained silent.

Yan Tieshan glanced at the group, then suddenly stood up and overturned the table in front of him: "What are you good for if you didn't catch anything? Have I been raising a bunch of useless trash?"

Outside the gambling den, a dark figure darted swiftly through the shadows, moving at breakneck speed, and in the blink of an eye, it had darted out of the dock area and disappeared into a dark alley.

The dark figure leaned against the wall, pulled off the black cloth covering his face, took a breath, and looked at his arm. An arrow had pierced through his clothes, but fortunately he had dodged in time and only suffered a minor scratch.

"In the end, I still feel uneasy."

The face revealed under the black cloth was Yang Erhu, who was now letting out a deep sigh.

When he was investigating Qin Ziyue's whereabouts, he found out that Qin Ziyue's cronies were Yan Tieshan's men. He had a few secret battles with Yan Tieshan and killed some of his henchmen, but ultimately he was limited by his own strength and could not defeat Yan Tieshan's many men.

Today, when Master Qin came to say goodbye, his lifeless appearance reignited Yang Erhu's anger, so he came under cover of night to attack the gambling den.

He lurked in the darkness, intending to sneak into the gambling den to see if there was a chance to kill Yan Tieshan, but unexpectedly, he revealed his presence and had to launch his attack prematurely.

He suddenly attacked, killing seven or eight people and injuring more than a dozen in a short time. Just as he was about to rush upstairs, a series of cold arrows were suddenly shot out from the shadows, forcing him to flee quickly.

"Today we've stirred up the enemy; Yan Laosan will only be more wary in the future, making it even harder to assassinate him again."

(End of this chapter)