Inside the alley, there was the gleam of blades, the shadow of axes, and the sounds of killing. Beside the alley, there was the singing of orioles, the chattering of swallows, and red lanterns hanging.

Inside the narrow Lisamao Hutong, the Ji’s *bagun* were a solid black mass, surrounding Brother Robe and Er Dao in the center. The *bagun* of the *daxing* were very disciplined and not in a hurry to make a move.

Brother Robe looked ahead, then looked behind him.

There were many people.

But the more people there were, the calmer Brother Robe became.

Er Dao asked, “Brother, what should we do?”

Brother Robe didn’t speak.

Er Dao asked again, “Brother, what are you thinking?”

Brother Robe looked at the red lanterns above and grinned. “If I could have a cigarette, that would be great!”

At this time, the singing also stopped on both sides of Lisamao Hutong where the “smoke and flower” places were. Guests upstairs and dancing girls quietly pushed open their windows halfway, looking into the Hutong!

In the crowd, Er Dao lowered his head and took out a welded pipe from his bag, not panicking as he calmly loaded the tobacco!

He handed the pipe to Brother Robe, then took out a match from his bag and lit it for Brother Robe!

Brother Robe took a deep drag. The tobacco in the copper pipe instantly burned red, curled, and made a sizzling sound!

Under the gaze of dozens of people, Brother Robe leaned against the gray tiles and green bricks, comfortably taking two puffs. Green smoke spread hazily in front of him, making it hard to see his expression clearly!

A *bagun* said in a loud voice, “Since we’ve drawn our weapons, let’s not waste time. If we delay any longer, don’t blame us for not following the rules!”

Brother Robe casually replied, “What’s the rush? Are you afraid I’ll run away with so many of you here?”

He smoked for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, and the Ji’s *bagun* actually waited for him for that long!

Brother Robe tapped the pipe on the wall. Sparks flew in the dark night. “Your Beijing *daxing* are quite a spectacle! Unlike us in the beginning, when we said we’d chop someone, we chopped them. We wouldn’t wait for a minute!”

A middle-aged man emerged from the *bagun* and cupped his fist. “A *daxing* has its rules. Brother Robe has come a long way, so we naturally defer to you by three points! However, swords and knives have no eyes, so I hope Brother Robe won’t hold it against us later!”

Brother Robe said curiously, “What other rules do your *daxing* have? Tell me everything. When I come back in my next life, I’ll pay attention too, so I won’t be caught off guard!”

A young *bagun* pointed an axe at Brother Robe and said angrily, “Are you just trying to waste time?”

The middle-aged man pressed down the young man’s arm and said calmly, “Brother Robe’s martial arts are excellent, and we are sincerely respectful. To be able to calmly smoke a pipe amidst the gleam of blades and the shadow of axes, you are indeed a fine man, so there’s no harm in telling you… First, the four prohibitions: no assassination of officials, no robbing of escorts, no taking revenge, and no involvement in lewd matters!”

“Then, the four concessions: concede the road – for colleagues wanted by officials, let them pass and do not report them; concede the territory – no second *daxing* is allowed on the same street; concede profit – when you show off, you must also leave a meal for your colleagues; concede life – do not disturb colleagues who have washed their hands in the golden basin, their past is wiped clean!”

Brother Robe stroked the stubble on his chin. “Is it still time for me to wash my hands in the golden basin?”

The middle-aged man smiled. “I’m afraid it’s not in time!”

Brother Robe asked, “Then if I beat you all down, will this Lisamao Hutong belong to me to collect protection money from now on?”

The middle-aged man shook his head. “Even if you beat us all down today, others will come again tomorrow. Brother Robe must beat everyone until they submit and dare not come again, only then can you!”

Brother Robe said helplessly, “Isn’t this being a rogue?”

The middle-aged man laughed. “Unless you’re a dragon crossing the river who can reach the sky, it’s absolutely impossible to establish yourself in Beijing! But Brother Robe truly has the ability to establish himself. You don’t need to divide the protection money from this Lisamao Hutong to Zhu Guan; if you give it to him, he won’t dare to accept it, it’s a hot potato!”

Brother Robe handed the pipe to Er Dao and turned to the middle-aged man. “Come on, let you see a master’s true skill!”

When the *bagun* heard this, they retreated like a tide, leaving one person in front of Brother Robe. “We said we’d let you have three moves, so we’ll let you have three moves. This is the magnanimity of our Beijing *daxing*!”

Brother Robe sneered, “False benevolence and false righteousness!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Brother Robe stepped forward like an arrow, and his left fist swung towards the right side of the man’s face!

The *bagun* twisted his body to dodge, but before he could defend himself, Brother Robe’s steps suddenly changed, and his right fist suddenly smashed into his lower jaw like a cannon!

The *bagun*’s body instantly stiffened and fell straight backward!

This feint forced the opponent to dodge, yet it was as if he actively put his head onto Brother Robe’s fist!

The *bagun* had not seen such exquisite and novel moves. It was different from the techniques they used in fights; it was simple and clean!

Brother Robe picked up the opponent’s axe from the ground and weighed it in his hand. “When this old man was in the boxing ring, no one dared to say they’d let me have three moves! I’m not used to using an axe, throw me a dagger.”

The *bagun* looked at each other, silent.

Brother Robe glanced over. “What’s wrong? You Beijing *daxing* don’t even have this much magnanimity? So many people blocking me, and you still won’t let me use a weapon I’m good with?”

A *bagun* drew a dagger from his waist and threw it towards Brother Robe. “Brother is a remarkable person. To be able to see your true skill today is also our honor! However, this Beijing underworld will not tolerate you!”

Brother Robe first held the dagger with his front hand, then switched to a backhand grip. “Remember, this master’s real name is Chen Chong. Friends like to call me Brother Robe!”

There was a sound as he threw the dagger to the ground!

The *bagun* dragged away the unconscious companion from the ground, and another sturdy man walked forward!

Brother Robe stepped forward, his body slightly hunched in a strange way. The hand holding the dagger behind his back swung forward, but his gaze was like an arrow, completely unaffected!

He closed in on the man, and the dagger was drawn out with a backhand motion!

The man on the opposite side lifted his axe to block, but the dagger in Brother Robe’s hand casually flipped, going around the axe handle and cutting across his hand tendon!

With a clang, the axe fell to the ground!

Brother Robe said calmly, “Next one!”

Another *bagun* rushed out. Brother Robe used the same trick again, cutting with the backhand. The person’s eyes blurred, and their hand tendon was again severed!

The *bagun*’s hearts turned cold. They looked at each other, and no one was willing to step forward!

Now, the big talk of letting him have three moves had already been said. The first three moves were only for dodging, not countering, but Brother Robe fundamentally didn’t give them a chance to see the third move! The *daxing* whose hand tendon was cut might be crippled afterward!

At this time, another *bagun* holding two *yuanyang* knives came forward, cupping his hands and saying, “Lanshou Men, Liu Yu!”

Brother Robe struck forward with a knife, but it was blocked by a *yuanyang* knife. Just as he was about to change his move to cut the hand tendon again, Liu Yu’s *yuanyang* knife in his other hand suddenly slashed forward!

Brother Robe flashed backward, barely dodging the knife edge. If his reaction hadn’t been faster than others, this knife would have likely cut open his belly!

He lowered his head to look at the cut-open clothes on his abdomen and the shallow bloodline cut into his abdomen underneath the clothes, then raised his head to look at Liu Yu. “Boy, that wasn’t over three moves yet!”

Liu Yu closed his mouth and didn’t speak!

Brother Robe suddenly raised his head and laughed heartily. “This is more like it, this is the kind of jianghu this old man knows!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Brother Robe no longer held back. The dagger in his hand flipped, and he suddenly slashed towards Liu Yu’s abdomen!

Liu Yu used his left hand with the *yuanyang* knife to block, but he expected the sound of metal clashing not to ring out. Brother Robe only flicked his wrist, and the dagger drew across his neck. Fresh blood sprayed onto the green brick wall!

Liu Yu slowly knelt down in front of Brother Robe. “Fierce.”

Brother Robe wiped the blood off his face. “After coming to this damn place, this old man has been acting cautiously every day, running away at the slightest hint of danger, afraid of provoking any of you cow ghosts and snake gods. But I still ended up provoking you! This rotten world truly doesn’t let good people live! Come on, this old man will kill as many as he can. After killing them all, maybe I can still go home!”

“Come on.”

The *bagun* charged up one after another. Brother Robe killed step by step, moving forward, until his muscles were tired and his strength was exhausted. When he turned his head to look, there were already over twenty corpses lying behind him!

Beijing’s *daxing* also completely tore off their disguise, surging up like a wave!

Er Dao protected Brother Robe from behind, his body also having several wounds. Blood flowed from his clothes onto his pants, and then dripped from his pant legs to the ground!

Brother Robe sighed lightly. “Er Dao, I’m sorry, brother. Let’s be brothers again in the next life!”

Er Dao, however, was not afraid, only curiously asking, “Who will be the brother and who will be the younger brother in the next life?”

Brother Robe laughed and scolded him, “You bastard, you still have this ambition?”

He threw away the chipped dagger and picked up two axes from the ground. He roared angrily, “Kill!”

However, just at this moment, a miserable cry came from behind the *bagun*. Brother Robe suddenly turned his head to look in the direction the sound came from, and he saw a person wearing gray cloth clothes with a gray mask covering their face, holding an iron ruler in their hand, killing their way in from outside the Hutong!

This person’s strength was extremely great, far beyond what these local *bagun* could resist. Caught off guard, over twenty *bagun* were actually sent flying and falling by the opponent, opening up a gap!

Extremely fierce!

A *bagun* roared angrily, “Quick, call for backup, it’s the Xing official!”

“Quick, call for the hall master!”

Amidst the sounds of killing, the masked person arrived inside Lisamao Hutong. They looked at Brother Robe and Er Dao’s wounds up and down. “Can you walk?”

Brother Robe raised an eyebrow. “I can walk!”

The masked person turned and killed their way back outside. “Walk.”

Brother Robe looked at the masked person’s back, always feeling some familiarity, yet he couldn’t remember where he had seen them before!

The masked person led Brother Robe and Er Dao out of Lisamao Hutong and rushed into another Hutong. The three of them ran wildly under a row of red lanterns, causing the guests on the second floor of the Hutong to open their windows and look!

The Ji’s *bagun*, wearing black short jackets, surrounded them from all directions. In the narrow Hutong, they flowed like water, converging towards the center!

As a *bagun* came towards the masked person, the iron ruler in his hand came down on his head. But before his iron ruler could fall, he saw the masked person dodge by, hitting him with an elbow to the chest that sent the opponent flying two *zhang* away, knocking down three pursuing *bagun*.

A guest on the second floor shouted loudly, “Well fought, here’s a reward!”

Saying this, this guest actually took out more than ten copper coins from his sleeve and scattered them down.

The masked person took advantage of the opportunity when the opponent fell to the ground, turned and drilled into a *xiang gong* hall!

When they entered, the *xiang gong* with thick makeup on his face, wearing green opera clothes, was sitting among the guests singing opera!

Seeing the masked person rush in, a small *xiang gong* suddenly jumped up from a guest’s leg. “Ah ah, who are you, get out!”

But the masked person ignored him, making their way through the hall, breaking through the white paper window behind them, and drilling out. Brother Robe and Er Dao followed closely behind!

Before the *xiang gong* and guests could recover, they saw several dozen of the Ji’s *bagun* carrying weapons come through the hall, causing the small *xiang gong* to shriek repeatedly!

The masked person ran wildly all the way, leading Brother Robe and Er Dao into a clean and tidy Hutong!

This Hutong had a road paved with green bricks and no red lanterns. Instead, it was hung with green lamps!

On both sides of the road, there was no longer the singing of orioles or the chattering of swallows, only the faint sound of silk and bamboo floating in!

He turned his head to look back and saw a middle-aged man standing in the Hutong blocking the *bagun*. “Don’t disturb the noble guests in Baishun Hutong, let them go!”

Having said that, the middle-aged man stood outside the Hutong and remotely cupped his hands towards the three people. “Brother Robe is a fine man, and today his life should not end! However, since you leave today, do not return. We will meet again when the mountains are high and the rivers are long; we will not see each other in the jianghu.”

The middle-aged man again cupped his hands towards the masked person. “I and the Ji’s will certainly repay this kind man, whoever he may be!”

Brother Robe wanted to say a few words in return, but the masked person pulled him back step by step into Baishun Hutong. “Hurry, if they surround Baishun Hutong from the other end and block the road, we’ll be truly trapped!”

Brother Robe turned to walk and followed the masked person, disappearing into the end of Baishun Hutong!

That middle-aged man in the long robe remained standing outside the Hutong, slowly raising his hands to his sides and saying to the *bagun* beside him, “Go, find the Cao Bang. If someone tries to secretly transport this Brother Robe away, let me and the Ji’s know; search all guest inns, opera troupes, green houses, gambling houses, medical halls. Just say that the Ji’s are offering one hundred taels of silver for his life! Brother Robe is a character; if we let him rise again, the Ji’s will have no way to survive!”

The masked person led Brother Robe and Er Dao silently through the small alleys in the dark night, passing Zhangjia Bridge, walking through Chunshu Hutong, and over Guanyintang!

Along the way, the masked person also looked left and right, as if they were lost in the deep Hutongs of Beijing!

Brother Robe was somewhat suspicious. This person… seemed not very familiar with Beijing either. He opened his mouth to ask, “Kind man, where are you taking us?”

The masked person replied, “Everywhere in the outer city are the *daxing*’s eyes and ears, it’s not safe! We have to enter the inner city through Guanwu Gate, they can’t get in there!”

Brother Robe was startled. “Xuanwu Gate Street was only one Hutong away just now, now we are getting further and further away!”

The masked person was a little awkward, turning to go in another direction. “Sorry, first time in the outer city!”

Brother Robe suddenly asked, “I still haven’t asked for the kind man’s origin, and I don’t know why you extended a helping hand?”

The masked person thought for a moment and replied, “Seeing injustice on the road, draw the sword to help!”

Brother Robe stood still, no longer following the masked person forward!

He cupped his fists in the narrow Hutong. “If you were just passing by and saw us two were pitiful and helped us, we are very grateful, but we cannot continue to follow you. Those *daxing*, they talk about jianghu justice in front, but behind it’s all dirty business! We killed so many of them today, they will definitely not let it go. You still haven’t shown your identity, it’s best to escape quickly!”

The masked person thought for a long time, then said without changing their expression, “What if I can help you take back the business in Lisamao Hutong?”

Brother Robe narrowed his eyes. “En Gong is joking, there are probably several thousand *daxing* in Beijing, and more than three hundred scattered in the eight big Hutongs alone. You, even as a Xing official, can’t defeat so many people!”

“You don’t need to worry about that, I have my own men.”

The masked person said casually, “I only ask you, if we take down Lisamao Hutong, I get ninety percent, you get ten percent, can we agree?”

Brother Robe said decisively, “Agreed.”