Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 304: Chapter 178: Jianghu Chivalry, Righteousness Never Stands Alone

Tie Qingyang had discovered their whereabouts on almost the very first day of their investigation.

He had operated in Holy City for so many years that his informants were in every trade and industry. Not even the slightest whisper of trouble could escape his ears.

Afterward, he employed a small trick, using his connections to get Xiao Yunkai and a disciple named Liu detained at the police station, hoping to force the group to back off.

He never expected Tian Guipu’s counterattack to come so swiftly.

It took him almost no effort to find out that Tie Qingyang was the mastermind, and then, at a time no one expected, he led his men and stormed the manor directly.

This was also why Tian Guipu had shown up uninvited on New Year’s Eve.

He wanted to let Tie Qingyang know: you can’t hide, you can’t escape, and all your schemes are futile before me.

...

In the middle of the main hall, Brother Ma was the one taking action.

By himself, he had already taken down a good number of the Tie Family’s men.

The three brawny men of Tie Shizhe standing guard at the very back had all been hired by Tie Qingyang for a hefty price. They used to be underground fighters and had followed Tie Qingyang for seven or eight years. Rich in real-world combat experience, each one of them could take on three or four ordinary men.

When Brother Ma charged at them, he didn’t even assume a fighting stance. He raised his left hand and swatted away the first punch as if it were a fly. With his right, he caught the second man’s fist, his five fingers tightening. The brawny man’s expression changed instantly.

”D-Damn it!” the man said in terror.

Brother Ma shifted his body slightly to the side, and the third man’s sweep kick slid past his pant leg, not even grazing his skin.

Brother Ma sneered.

He squeezed his hand harder.

”CRACK!”

The crisp sound of a bone breaking.

When Brother Ma released his right hand, the brawny man’s fist was already deformed.

The man let out a muffled groan as his knees gave out and he fell to the ground, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

Brother Ma didn’t stop. He shot out a kick, striking the third man squarely in the abdomen.

The kick wasn’t fast, but its Power was absurd. The man’s entire body bent like a shrimp as his feet left the floor. He flew back three or four meters, slammed into the wall with a dull thud, then slid to the ground, curled into a ball, and began to foam at the mouth.

In the blink of an eye, all three men were defeated. ℴℴ𝘮

From the moment Brother Ma attacked to the end, not even five seconds had passed.

He lifted his head, his gaze dark as he looked at Tie Qingyang, Tie Feiyang, and the five gunmen in front of them who had drawn their pistols.

Five guns, all aimed directly at him.

But Brother Ma just smiled, his brawny face looking particularly unnerving.

His eyes swept over the five guns one by one before landing on Tie Qingyang. ”Tie Qingyang, since you know we’re from the Divine Martial Society, you should understand that even if your men put a gun to my head, I have ten thousand ways to kill them.”

Tie Qingyang’s face was ashen. His gaze shifted from Brother Ma to Tian Guipu. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke. ”What do you want to know? Ask!”

”Sun Weilong...” Brother Ma started to say, but Tian Guipu, who was behind him, raised a hand and cut him off.

”No rush.”

Tian Guipu’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unquestionable calm.

He rose from the grand armchair and walked over to Tie Qingyang, stopping less than a meter away.

Tian Guipu was half a head taller than Tie Qingyang. He looked down at him, his gaze placid. ”I’ve always been curious, President Tie. Where exactly did you get the nerve to plot against a disciple of my Divine Martial Society?”

Seeing this, Brother Ma held his tongue, took a step back, and crossed his arms over his chest again. He averted his gaze from Tie Qingyang and began to scan the room.

Tie Qingyang looked at Tian Guipu.

This young man, about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, was wearing a dark gray cashmere overcoat with a black turtleneck sweater underneath. He wore no accessories.

His gaze was terrifyingly calm.

This was what Tie Qingyang feared most about him.

From the very beginning, he had never been able to figure Tian Guipu out. The man was like a shroud of mist—you think you’ve seen his outline, but when you reach out to grab him, your hand closes on empty air.

During the time Xiao Yunkai and the other disciple were trapped at the guesthouse, Tian Guipu never showed his face.

Tie Qingyang had even thought he’d already left Holy City.

But when he did reappear, it was with a thunderous counterattack that gave Tie Qingyang no time to react at all.

”Mr. Tian, I’ve long heard of your reputation.” Tie Qingyang pulled away from Tie Feiyang’s supporting arm and stepped forward. He didn’t shrink back; instead, he looked at the other man intently.

”It’s been at least thirty years since I first entered the martial world. I can’t say my reputation is spotless, but at the very least, I follow its rules!”

He paused, his gaze shifting from Tian Guipu’s face to scan everyone present. Then, his eyes returned to Tian Guipu as he said, word by word, ”Just as you suspect, I was the one who killed Sun Weilong!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the expressions of the men beside Tian Guipu all changed.

Sun Weilong was their junior martial brother. They had trained together since childhood, grown up together, and been scolded by their master together. That kind of bond couldn’t be summarized by the simple word ”colleague.”

Tie Qingyang stood firm. Stared down by the furious glares of the Divine Martial Society members, his expression remained unchanged, showing a tranquility that completely disregarded life and death.

He said faintly, ”Business and the martial world can’t be separated, after all. Sun Weilong agreed to settle the score with a fight. He was very strong... His death was not an injustice. But if you wish to avenge him, then at worst, you can just kill me. However, how the martial world might judge the Divine Martial Society for its lack of honor afterward... well, that’s not something I can predict.”

”You’re courting death!!!”