Chapter 48: The Flamboyant Peng Fei

By the time Zhang Ze and his group joined up with Jin Long and his companions, it was already six in the evening. After a brief discussion, they finally unraveled the origins of the little bald man.

It turned out that the little bald man was somewhat infamous in Heyue City, once stirring up quite a storm over the phrase, “You won’t even give me a hundred bucks?” He was originally from Bangqing City but, finding it difficult to carry on there, had simply moved to Heyue to try his luck. As for the “Sister Ping” he had called earlier to deal with Jin Long and his brother, her real name was Xie Ping, and she was a martial artist of the third rank.

However, a third-rank martial artist like Xie Ping was very different from the students of the Martial Bureau like Li Sanqing. To put it bluntly, Xie Ping was the sort of martial artist the Lin family most disliked—a “realm” martial artist. To put it less kindly, she was someone who, having some money, had used medicinal pills over many years to forcibly raise her rank. Of course, even if her cultivation was only skin-deep, with the thousandfold enhancement of a third-rank martial artist, she still far outclassed first-rank fighters like the Jin brothers. Moreover, before joining the Yongsheng Martial Hall, Jin Long and Jin Yu were not much different from anyone else.

“That’s the general situation,” Jin Long explained after laying everything out, glancing around the group. He admitted frankly, “To be honest, since the opponent is third-rank, neither Jin Yu, Cai Hu, nor I are very confident. That’s why we called you guys in. If you think it’s too risky, just say so…”

Before he could finish, Peng Fei raised his hand and cut him off. Straightening his collar with righteous indignation, he declared, “A brother’s problem is my problem. No need for more words!” Yet he’d barely had two seconds of flair before Qian Qian exposed him.

“Addicted to acting tough, aren’t you?” Qian Qian jeered. “Didn’t you say on the way here you just wanted to see that bold lady again?”

“Ahem—” Their playful banter lightened the mood quite a bit.

Zhang Ze nodded from the side and said, “Don’t worry. Since we’re here, there’s no question of backing out halfway. Now that we know the time and place, let’s get to it. When the time comes, Xie Ping is ours—me, Cai Hu, and Peng Fei will handle her. Qian Qian, you help the brothers grab the little bald man, and then we leave.”

With Zhang Ze’s decision, no one wasted more words.

“Alright—”

It was around ten that night when the six of them arrived at a secluded bar.

“With lighting this suggestive, do we even need to guess what goes on here?” muttered Peng Fei, eyeing the warm red-and-yellow glow by the door.

Out of nowhere, he said, “What do you think would happen if I marched in and shouted ‘police raid’?”

“What would happen?”

“They’d strip you naked and toss you out, obviously!” Qian Qian retorted, already following the Jin brothers inside.

Peng Fei shrugged and, unfazed, fell in step behind the group, mumbling, “Here I come, dear sisters—Peng Fei is here—”

“How the hell are we supposed to find anyone in here?”

“What?”

The moment they entered, the DJ’s thundering beats drowned everything else out. Even Zhang Ze winced in pain, baffled that anyone could like a place like this. Qian Qian shouted at Peng Fei twice, but Peng Fei couldn’t hear a word, soon losing himself in the raucous atmosphere.

Finally, Zhang Ze gave Peng Fei a hard kick and bellowed, “Find him!”

Fortunately, despite their ringing ears, their eyes were still sharp. Within three to five minutes, Qian Qian had led them to a corner. Pointing toward the bar, he yelled, “See that shiny dome? The little bald guy’s head is reflecting light from a mile away!”

Even without catching what Qian Qian said, Zhang Ze followed the direction of his finger and spotted the glistening bald head. Waving his hand, the group of six pushed their way through the crowd toward the little bald man.

“Hey, Mengzi, you miss your big brother lately?” A burly, muscular man with a buzz cut, who looked fierce enough, had his arm flung over the little bald man’s shoulder, speaking close into his ear in a way that made one’s skin crawl.

“How could I not, big brother?” the little bald man replied, his voice soft, lips nearly brushing the other’s face.

“Hey—”

The two were all over each other, and with all the noise, Zhang Ze’s soft-spoken words went completely unheard. When the little bald man didn’t react, Jin Long, unable to hold back, shoved Zhang Ze aside and delivered a sharp kick right to the base of the little bald man’s spine.

“Damn!”

That got his attention. But before he could recover, Zhang Ze finished him off, leaving the little bald man stunned, able to utter only his trademark phrase before falling silent.

Laughing, Zhang Ze said to the burly man, “She’s mine tonight. I’ve already paid.” Without waiting for a response, he grabbed the little bald man by the collar and dragged him toward the exit.

The burly man was left dumbfounded.

In a nearby alley, the little bald man said, “Big brother, one at a time is fine, but I can’t handle all of you together.”

Hearing Zhang Ze’s earlier words, he’d clearly mistaken their intentions, assuming they too were here for a good time. He thought to himself, “Just be a bit rough, whatever, I’m no delicate flower anyway.”

Smack!

“Get lost!” Peng Fei was truly disgusted. “Who the hell wants anything to do with you?” he snapped, landing a few swift kicks on the little bald man.

“Heh—don’t you recognize us?”

Only when the Jin brothers spoke did the little bald man realize what was happening. The lighting had been dim, and with Zhang Ze’s punch having left him dazed, he hadn’t recognized the group at first.

“It’s… you guys?” Once he did, he immediately understood why they’d come. They definitely weren’t here for any fun—or maybe, in a way, they were…

“Cut the crap. Lure Xie Ping out here, or we’ll finish you now,” Peng Fei threatened, kicking and cursing as he went. The group waited for about half an hour before finally spotting Xie Ping emerge at the entrance to the bar.

As a third-rank martial artist, she had enough confidence not to bring backup—mainly, she had no idea the little bald man would betray her.

“Xie Ping?” Zhang Ze called out from the mouth of the alley.

She paused instinctively at the sound of her name.

“Nice figure!” someone jeered from behind, just as a gust of wind swept toward her.

She might have been a third-rank martial artist, but her reflexes were quick. She ducked in an instant, narrowly avoiding the staff Peng Fei swung at her.

Despite his playful banter, Peng Fei showed no mercy in action. Missing with his staff, he twisted midair and launched a fierce kick.

Just as Xie Ping turned to investigate, she was caught off guard—

Peng Fei only felt something soft beneath his toes. An old hand in this line of work, he immediately sensed something was wrong and was momentarily distracted…