Chapter 62: Acting Bravely for Justice

When the more than twenty Western Indians saw Jiang Qing running away with Zuo Zhicheng, they immediately shouted even louder, pointed at Jiang Qing and Zuo Zhicheng, and rushed over while cursing.

“Don’t run, you bitch!”

“That stinking woman! Grab her!”

If it were just a few people, or even a dozen, Jiang Qing might have stayed and fought them with her martial arts skills. But more than twenty people were beyond what she could handle. She also thought about Zuo Zhicheng; fighting so many people together would be too dangerous.

Luckily, Jiang Qing practiced martial arts all year round and was in excellent physical condition. Although the Western Indians behind her cursed fiercely, she gradually pulled away from them.

As for Zuo Zhicheng, he had no problem at all. With his physical fitness, he could run like this for a whole day and night without any issue if he wanted to.

Information about these Western Indians came to his mind.

‘The Tuoki gang from the south of the city… Their territory should be near the post station, and they only commit petty thefts.’

‘Did they suddenly become so bold… because they joined the Hundred Families Association?’

Recently, as the Sea Dragon Gang kept retreating, the Hundred Families Association’s power in Xinlu grew stronger. This brought many effects. One of them was that, as their territory expanded, they started recruiting all sorts of people. The Tuoki gang behind them joined the Hundred Families Association under such circumstances.

Besides, the crime rate among the indigenous people of Xinlu kept rising. Ethnic conflicts between the colonists and the colonized were constantly stirred up. The Hundred Families Association often wrapped their interests in a layer of national spirit, which attracted many young Newman People, Western Indians, and other indigenous people.

Just as this information passed through Zuo Zhicheng’s mind, Jiang Qing in front suddenly stumbled and fell toward the ground. It turned out she had tripped over a stone while running fast.

Just as Jiang Qing let out a cry of “Wow!”, a strong hand pressed against her stomach.

It was early autumn, and Jiang Qing only wore a thin shirt. When Zuo Zhicheng’s large hand supported her lower abdomen, she noticed for the first time how warm his palm was.

However, when Zuo Zhicheng helped Jiang Qing up, their brief pause allowed the Western Indians behind to catch up.

“Don’t run, you brat!”

“If you keep running, we’ll burn your house down!”

Of course, no one would stop running after hearing that. But after just a few steps, Jiang Qing cried out in pain. Seeing Zuo Zhicheng turn to look, she said with a red face, “I twisted my ankle!”

‘This woman really is a burden,’ was Zuo Zhicheng’s first thought. But he still pulled Jiang Qing over and carried her on his back.

“Hold on tight!”

Jiang Qing, her face flushed, lay on Zuo Zhicheng’s back. Her chest unavoidably pressed against his back as they moved.

“Ah! Zuo Zhicheng! You jerk!”

“Slow down!”

“Slow down, please!”

Zuo Zhicheng frowned but had no intention of slowing down at all. He just thought to himself again, “How absurd.”

But Jiang Qing, focusing entirely on the physical contact between them, completely failed to notice that Zuo Zhicheng’s speed did not decrease at all while carrying her. Instead, after he took the lead, he swiftly zigzagged through various alleys and quickly left the Western Indians behind.

If someone looked down from the sky, they would see that Zuo Zhicheng was very familiar with all the surrounding roads. He always found the nearest, most inconspicuous paths to move forward, and even circled behind the others.

This was because Zuo Zhicheng had memorized all the streets and alleys of the entire Xinlu City a month before arriving. He knew the surrounding terrain like the back of his hand.

Coupled with his Infrared Vision and his own skills, things like sneaking and tracking became as easy as playing.

When he stopped, he could hear the others panting heavily as they stopped on the other side of a wall.

“Damn, that… brat… pant… Who is he… How can he run so fast!”

“Who knows… Damn… I hope I never see him again.”

Jiang Qing behind him patted his shoulder a few times and pointed toward the other side of the wall.

Zuo Zhicheng nodded, then made a gesture for silence.

They heard the people on the other side cursing randomly until a voice suddenly spoke up. Zuo Zhicheng frowned; this voice seemed to belong to the person Jiang Qing had beaten earlier, the leader of the Tuoki gang, Tuoki.

“Does anyone know who that damned woman is?” Tuoki said furiously. “If we let them get away like this, how can we still hang around?”

The underlings naturally knew that even if the others really escaped, it had little to do with whether they could still hang around. But no one would contradict their boss at this moment, and they all started talking nonsense.

However, after a few guesses, none had any real substance.

Just as Zuo Zhicheng was about to leave, a Western Indian said, “Wait, I remember now. That man seems to be from the Haoran Martial Hall. He’s a one-eyed man; I remember him quite clearly!”

“Haoran Martial Hall?”

“Master Jiang’s people…”

The more than twenty people fell silent, but Tuoki spat and said, “So what if it’s Master Jiang? We’re with the Hundred Families Association now. That one-eyed man must know that woman. Damn it, I’ll sink that one-eyed man in the river and sell that woman to the Red Sleeve House!”

“But Master Jiang…”

“That woman fights so well; she couldn’t be Master Jiang’s daughter, could she?”

“I said, what is Master Jiang? Is he really that good at fighting? Eighteen martial halls, over a hundred people, and so many were killed by one woman. What kind of reputation is that?” Tuoki sneered. “This time, I’ll humiliate him. Does he dare to oppose our Hundred Families Association?”

“Maybe we should just forget it, boss. I heard those eighteen martial halls have united and formed some Martial Arts Association.”

“Forget it? After being beaten like that, how can I just forget it?! Tell me!” Tuoki directly slapped the other person and grabbed his collar, saying, “Brother Hua gave me this street to manage. Now that I’ve been beaten by a woman, how can I keep watching over this place? How can our brothers work on this street anymore?”

Some people still tried to persuade him, but Tuoki, recalling how he had been beaten by someone, had veins bulging on his forehead and seemed to disregard everything.

Zuo Zhicheng frowned, didn’t listen further, and left with Jiang Qing on his back.

But he thought to himself, ‘The one-eyed feature is indeed too noticeable. I need to deal with the threat from Tuoki and his gang.’

After walking a few hundred meters, Jiang Qing patted his shoulder and said, “Alright, you must be tired too. Since we don’t need to run, let me down.”

“Your foot is injured. Before confirming how serious it is, it’s best not to put weight on it. If you still want to practice martial arts.”

Jiang Qing didn’t speak, only felt the heat coming from his body and thought to herself, “Are all men’s bodies this warm? When we practice martial arts, I never noticed his body being so hot…”

She then said, “Do you know those people? They said they’d come for you. I think you should be careful these next few days. How about staying at my place to hide for a while?”

Zuo Zhicheng smiled and said, “It’s fine. I can run very well.”