Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 303: Chapter 178: Jianghu’s Heroic Spirit, Righteousness Never Stands Alone

”Okay, okay...” Xiaoyu drawled, sliding off the sofa. Her bare feet went PATTER PATTER as she ran into the bathroom, then she poked her head back out. ”Oh, right, Bro, are you training tomorrow?”

”I am.”

”Then you have to wake me up tomorrow morning!”

”Set your own alarm.”

”No! I want you to wake me up!”

Wan Ze didn’t reply and turned to walk toward his room.

Xiaoyu huffed behind him and shut the bathroom door.

Mrs. Wan put down her knitting and glanced at Wan Ze. ”Ah Ze, have you eaten tonight? There’s still soup in the kitchen.”

”I’ve eaten. Don’t worry about me, Mom. You should get to bed early.” After speaking, Wan Ze pushed open the door and entered his room.

The living room fell silent.

Father Wan turned off the radio and got up to go to the bedroom. As he passed Wan Ze’s door, he paused for a moment as if he wanted to knock, but after some thought, he walked away.

Mrs. Wan put her yarn and needles into a cloth bag, yawned, and turned off the living room lights.

Inside his room, Wan Ze sat cross-legged on the floor.

He sat on a cloth cushion that Mrs. Wan had made from old clothes, saying the floor was cold and sitting on it was bad for his back.

The cushion had a floral pattern, dotted with little pink and blue flowers, which created a strange sense of dissonance when placed next to his training clothes.

Wan Ze placed his hands on his knees, palms facing up, his thumb and middle finger lightly touching to form a small Hand Seal.

His breathing was long and steady.

Inhale and exhale, exhale and inhale.

The qi and blood in his body slowly circulated with the rhythm of his breathing.

Wan Ze could clearly feel the qi and blood flowing through every one of his meridians.

”BUZZ BUZZ.”

Just then, the communicator in his pocket began to vibrate.

The moment Wan Ze answered...

”Brother Wan! This is bad!”

Tie Feiyang’s voice was frantic. ”A group of people showed up looking for trouble with my old man! He’s no match for them at all. They’re going to kill him...”

Tie Feiyang’s voice was trembling as he spoke.

”I heard... the other party seems to have a Refining Viscera Realm expert. Brother Wan, you’re the only one who can help us now!”

Wan Ze’s brow furrowed slightly. He spoke quickly, ”Stall them for as long as you can. Where are you now?”

”At the manor, Brother Wan—”

”I know. Stay calm.” Wan Ze could faintly hear the sound of things being smashed on the other end of the line, so he added, ”If you have to, use the name Dragon Eagle. I permit it.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator.

”Brother Wan, thank you.”

”Wait for me.”

Wan Ze hung up, rose swiftly to his feet, and walked to the corner of the room. He took the sword from its rack, checked the fit of the blade in the scabbard, and after confirming there were no issues, slung it over his back.

He pushed the door open and bumped right into Father Wan, who was on his way to the bathroom.

Father Wan was wearing his big boxer shorts and had pulled on an old sweater. The collar of the sweater was stretched out, revealing an old-fashioned thermal shirt underneath.

He was stunned for a second when he saw Wan Ze emerge from his room fully armed. He blinked, as if to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

”Ah Ze, you... going out?”

As he spoke, Father Wan’s gaze shifted from Wan Ze’s face to the sword, then back to his face, but he didn’t ask any more questions.

”A friend asked me to celebrate New Year’s Eve.” Wan Ze walked briskly to the door, bent down to change his shoes, and tied the laces quickly but tightly. ”Dad, I can’t talk now. I’m heading out.”

Father Wan scratched his head, standing in the hallway and watching his son’s retreating back.

’Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the middle of the night?’

A thought popped into his head. ’Could it be a girl?’

The moment this thought occurred to him, the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.

But he quickly suppressed the smile, because he remembered the sword on his son’s back.

’What kind of girl asks someone to bring a sword to a New Year’s Eve party?’

’Maybe... making friends through martial arts? Kids these days really know how to have fun.’

”Well then... be safe.”

”I will.” Wan Ze pulled the door open, slipped out, and closed it softly behind him.

Father Wan stood in the hallway, listening as the footsteps outside faded into the distance. He smacked his lips. Something felt strange, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

「The Manor.」

All the lights in the main hall were on. The light from the crystal chandelier illuminated everyone’s faces, leaving no shadow for any expression to hide in.

Members of the Tie Family lay fallen all over the floor.

The air was thick with the smell of blood.

Only a single figure moved swiftly, continuously felling members of the Tie Family.

In the center of the hall sat Tian Guipu, like a king surveying his domain, flanked by a group of followers.

Tian Guipu sat slowly in the grand armchair Tie Qingyang normally used to receive guests. He leaned back slightly, one hand resting on the armrest and the other on his knee, his posture as relaxed as if he were in his own home.

Xiao Yunkai stood at the very edge of the group, his face pale, his eyes constantly darting toward the entrance.

The senior brother surnamed Liu stood beside him with his arms crossed, his expression somewhat calmer than Xiao Yunkai’s.

Two other men stood behind Tian Guipu, one on his left and one on his right, like a pair of door gods.

Tie Qingyang’s expression was grim.

He stared at the group from the Divine Martial Society.

It had all started with a business matter that led to him offending Sun Weilong.

Ultimately, Sun Weilong’s death was related to him.

Although he hadn’t killed him with his own hands, if it weren’t for that whole affair, Sun Weilong would never have appeared in the Holy City, would never have been drawn into that conflict, and certainly would not have died.

And Sun Weilong was from the Divine Martial Society.

Tian Guipu and his men had come to the Holy City, claiming to be investigating the cause of Sun Weilong’s death, but Tie Qingyang knew in his heart that their objective was far more than that.

What kind of organization was the Divine Martial Society?

It was one of the top three Martial Dao powers in Jiangnan Province. It had numerous disciples, experts of the Refining Viscera Realm were a dime a dozen, and it wasn’t unheard of for even a Grandmaster to be an honored guest.

’Would they really care about the life or death of an ordinary disciple?’