The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter Seventy: The Long Sword Society

"The Longsword Society!" Tie Xiong frowned, looking at Lu Xunyi and asking in a deep voice, "Those two people who were tailing us today were also their men. I didn't see any martial arts skills on them; they were just ordinary thugs. How could they have such a large force? Is there a Taoist sect supporting them behind the scenes?"

Lu Xunyi, his face grim, shook his head slightly and said, "Junior brother, you're new to Mingzhu and may not know this. The environment here is different from other places. In other provinces, although the national situation is chaotic, they are still governed by the laws of our Great Xia. However, here, the forces of many countries are intertwined, and the political environment is extremely complex. Although the Great Xia government still nominally controls this place, even the central government of the dynasty is quite wary of it. Therefore, the environment here is extremely dark, and the level of corruption among officials is unimaginable. The rule of law can only be barely maintained. Under such circumstances, those from all walks of life who cannot gain any influence elsewhere thrive here. To say how terrifying their influence is, even if a famous Taoist sect came to Mingzhu, it would be difficult for them to contend with them."

At this point, Lu Xunyi's voice lowered: "Don't underestimate the Long Knife Society just because it's a secular, ordinary people's organization. This single organization has over 1,100 members!"

"Hiss... 1,100 people?" Tie Xiong's eyelids twitched violently. Even if they were just ordinary people, such a large number was enough to startle Tie Xiong.

Lu Xunyi gave a bitter smile and said in a low voice, "That's not all. There's something even more astonishing. This Long Knife Society of 1,100 people isn't even the largest gang in Mingzhu. They're just a subordinate branch of an organization called the Youth Society. As for the Youth Society's strength, there's a saying among the people: 'The officials sitting in the government office are from the imperial court, but the people working under them are from the Youth Society.' Although this saying is a bit exaggerated, it's really not an exaggeration to describe their influence."

Tie Xiong gasped, because the times were not yet well-established, and he and his fellow disciples had been hiding for the past few years, so they really didn't know anything about the situation here.

Previously, although Tie Xiong had been by Ming Wang's side, given Ming Wang's situation, he would not have paid attention to the national and local environment, so naturally he would not have known. Now, suddenly hearing that a mere mortal community had such a great influence, and that they had even provoked this terrifying organization, made Tie Xiong even more uneasy.

He had previously been thinking of finding a way to recover his belongings, but now he knew the hope was slim, and he would be lucky to escape unscathed.

After a long silence, he suppressed the pounding in his heart and slowly said, "Senior brother, please continue!"

Lu Xunyi nodded and continued to recount the events that followed being surrounded by the Long Knife Society that night.

That day, after they attacked the Long Knife Society, it was as if they had stirred up a hornet's nest. Within just half an hour, no less than two hundred black-clad gang members wielding long knives arrived, their imposing presence terrifying.

When the fellow disciples discovered this situation, they immediately realized that they had gotten themselves into big trouble. But what could they do but face the consequences?

However, it would be difficult to withstand the onslaught. Although everyone was quite skilled in combat, they were outnumbered and outmatched. In addition, in this crowded alley, it would be extremely difficult for them to break through.

Originally, everyone hoped to first clarify things, because in the world of martial arts, one must always act with reason.

But little did they expect that although the other side did not make a move immediately, someone spoke up, but their first words were extremely domineering, demanding that they hand over Junior Brother Chen, who had assaulted them, before discussing anything else.

That won't do. Just by looking at their aura, the other disciples knew that if they really handed over Junior Brother Chen to them, something bad would probably happen in an instant.

When a disagreement arose, the other side proved they weren't bluffing. Seeing that the other side refused to hand over the person, they actually took action and came to arrest them.

The other disciples finally understood that nothing they said mattered; the other party was determined to get revenge.

In fact, they didn't take them seriously at all. Perhaps they were still somewhat wary and didn't want things to get out of control, which is why they talked to them for so long.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the group of fellow disciples were not afraid of trouble. When they were really in this situation, they had no choice but to fight.

Senior Brother Liu Xianming still had some sense. He knew that if they really fought, there would be no way for them to survive. Even if they were lucky enough to break through, the fact that the other side could mobilize so many people so quickly could only mean that there was an even stronger force behind them that had not yet been revealed. If people died and a blood feud was formed, the outcome on someone else's turf was predictable.

Therefore, he forbade his fellow disciples from killing him unless absolutely necessary, hoping only to create a scene of dialogue.

A fierce battle broke out. The opposing side really didn't expect that a few people would actually dare to make a move against hundreds of people.

Moreover, these few people are all tough guys. Although there are many people here, there are too many people in this alley. Although they look imposing, their actual combat effectiveness is limited.

In the ensuing chaos, a mere few managed to hold out, while many on their side fell.

Of course, there are capable people in the Long Knife Society. They can see that this side is already holding back. If they really continue to fight, even if they eventually deal with this group, they may suffer heavy casualties.

In any era, as long as it's not war, cases involving the lives of dozens of people are major events, and no one dares to take them lightly.

Furthermore, considering their skills, although no background information has been found, their abilities clearly indicate they are not ordinary people.

And so, the brothers, determined and relying on their superior skills, managed to create a situation where a dialogue could take place.

In the end, both sides stopped fighting. Of course, the other side wasn't afraid of these fellow disciples, but they weren't as aggressive as before. Although they still wanted to hand over Junior Brother Chen, they made it clear that they wouldn't harm him. They made it clear that they needed to give an explanation for what happened today. First, they injured a few people, and now so many others have been seriously injured. They couldn't pretend nothing had happened.

In truth, the fellow disciples were also heavy-hearted. They understood that if the situation were to truly turn against each other, none of them would survive.

They weren't afraid of death, but they had promised Tie Xiong to take good care of Ning'er. What would happen to Ning'er if something happened to them?

Left with no other choice, they could only swallow their humiliation and offer compensation as an explanation.

The other party seemed quite impressed with the skills of the three brothers, and offered to settle the matter peacefully in exchange for recruiting them.

They were still completely unaware of the situation, and these people were clearly a group of thugs who were prone to murder and arson. Although they were down on their luck, they still had a heroic spirit and naturally did not want to accept this.

Ultimately, the two sides failed to reach an agreement, and it seemed that another incident was about to occur. The atmosphere became tense, at which point the other party seemed to have other considerations and accepted the compensation plan.

But the price demanded infuriated everyone: five thousand silver coins!

What a joke! Even if you sold all your fellow disciples, you couldn't come up with that much. But the other party stopped beating around the bush and said directly that you should hand over what you owe.

Once they arrived here, everything became clear: what the other party wanted was the medicinal herbs they possessed.

They may not have a clear understanding of their specifics, which is why they set such a high price.

These things ultimately belong to the Ming King. Using some of the money can be considered as funding, but if the medicinal herbs are handed over, that's a different story.

None of the fellow disciples are shameless, so they face a difficult choice: to live or to die.

In the end, Chen Zhiqi stepped forward himself, saying that he had no medicinal herbs at all and could not afford to pay compensation, and that he was free to kill or torture Chen Zhiqi as he pleased.

Of course, no one would agree, but at this point the other party had already revealed their purpose and no longer tried to hide it, saying that Dr. Zhu had connections and that this matter could not be resolved easily. If they could not produce anything, Chen Zhiqi would die, and they would not fare any better.

Finally, they promised to take Chen Zhiqi away without harming him, and gave them three days to consider exchanging him for something.

A family of heroes could only watch in disgrace as Chen Zhiqi was taken away...

Upon hearing this, Tiexiong understood everything, and the outcome was obvious: everyone ultimately compromised.

"Since the items have already been given, why are there still people stalking here? Has Junior Brother Chen come out yet?" Tie Xiong asked in a deep voice.

"Our senior brother went to handle this matter. Junior Brother Chen is fine, but he was left there as a guest. Judging from their intentions, one is that they still want to recruit us, and the other is that Doctor Zhu suspects that we still have goods. The people watching us outside are warning us that they are watching us and we shouldn't try to escape," Lu Xunyi said with a frown.

Tie Xiong's eyelids twitched, and he was about to speak.

Lu Xunyi, however, seemed to know what he was going to ask. He waved his hand and said, "This batch of medicinal herbs comes from the royal family. It's rare for ordinary people to have such a large quantity. With their power, they must be able to guess that this batch of herbs must have an extraordinary origin. So we said that we live on the edge, that we robbed this shipment, and implied that we have more than just these people; we have brothers outside." Lu Xunyi explained in a deep voice, "Even if they want to silence us, they have to consider that we have people outside. If this batch of herbs were exposed, even they would probably be terrified. So they don't dare to make a move against us now. So now we're forcing them to release the people. Otherwise, if this batch of herbs were exposed, not only would we die, but they couldn't afford it either. Senior Brother has been negotiating with them these past few days. Now that you've come, they'll probably have even more reason to believe that we really do have people outside. Junior Brother Chen's safety should be fine."

Everything had been clearly explained, and the room fell silent.

After a long while, Tie Xiong looked up at the sky outside, stood up and said, "Senior brother, Sixth Master is out alone. I promised to go back before dark. Since all the brothers are safe for the time being, I will go to Sixth Master's place first and discuss it with him. I will come back tomorrow."

"Junior brother..." Lu Xunyi stood up, his face bitter.

Tie Xiong chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Senior brother, there's no need to say more. There's no hurdle that can't be overcome. I'll go and explain to Sixth Master."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards Ning'er's room. Ning'er was still asleep and hadn't woken up. Tie Xiong didn't wake her, patted her hair, and then turned and left.

Ajiu wanted to go with him, but Tiexiong reassured her, "Don't be impatient. You can go after everything is arranged."

Finally, Tiexiong bid farewell to his senior brother and left alone.

Once outside, his brows furrowed deeply, his gaze heavy with rage. He stared at the person who was tailing him again, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, but ultimately ignored them. He quickened his pace, shook off his pursuer, and disappeared into the crowd.