251: Chapter 249: The Five Tigers of He Village 251: Chapter 249: The Five Tigers of He Village Once he left the hospital room, Tangyu headed for the restroom.
Entering with the intention of simply washing his hands, he immediately sensed an unsettling atmosphere.
The restroom was very empty, and his gaze quickly swept towards a stall which someone had rapidly entered upon his arrival.
In that fleeting moment, Tangyu actually perceived a hint of killing intent.
Tangyu had always maintained a high sensitivity to such threats.
Moreover, the figure seemed oddly familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
There was killing intent, and it seemed directed at him.
This did make Tangyu more alert.
Could it be that someone had targeted him?
But that didn’t seem right; he hadn’t noticed anyone following him.
Moreover, this person must have been staying in the restroom all along.
If it wasn’t aimed at him, then there must be some unspeakable secret.
Tangyu inconspicuously moved closer to the stall door.
Just as he neared, the door was suddenly flung open, and a figure burst out, his hand shaped like a claw, directly aiming for Tangyu’s throat.
Tangyu’s eyes flickered momentarily.
This was the authentic Eagle Claw’s Throat Locking Skill.
This fellow actually had a foundation in ancient martial arts, and judging by his skill, he seemed quite adept, a commendable practitioner.
However, Tangyu naturally wasn’t shaken by this move.
He tilted his neck, dodging the throat lock.
Simultaneously, Tangyu threw a punch as fast as lightning.
The man, seeing his attack miss, his expression instantly changed, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, and he inwardly cursed, ‘not good’, as he felt a strong punch descending on his chest.
He intended to block with a bent arm but realized the punch was too fast and perfectly timed.
“Hmph!” The man grunted, steeling himself to block it.
“Bang!”
Tangyu’s solid punch had indeed landed heavily on the man’s chest, producing a sound like stones clashing, and the man’s body was immediately thrown back, heavily smashing into the restroom’s wall.
A flicker of admiration crossed Tangyu’s eyes; the man’s physique was indeed impressive.
His chest muscles were as hard as stone yet exhibited great resilience, enough to withstand the force of five layers.
Tangyu then took a good look at the man, and quickly remembered who he was—the leader of the five who had robbed a bank near the orphanage.
After their deeds were exposed, all five must have been wanted by the police, explaining why he was hiding here.
Last time, Tangyu had felt this man was no ordinary person; indeed, he proved to be a skilled practitioner.
“Hmph!” The man, having suffered a setback, didn’t hesitate and coldly snorted as he charged at Tangyu again.
“Wait—!” Tangyu immediately extended his hand to stop him.
The man inexplicably paused, yet his gaze did not relax at all, instead tightly fixated on Tangyu.
His expression was ice-cold, and he acted with extreme caution.
Tangyu said, “We’ve met once before, you should remember me.
I’m not a policeman.
So, I hold no hostility towards you.
I can roughly guess your situation, rest assured I won’t call the police.
However, I do admire you; you’re a commendable practitioner with a solid foundation, and you practice authentic ancient martial arts—a rare sight indeed.”
Realizing his thoughts were being read, the man’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Tangyu.
It took a while before he spoke, “Why should I believe you?
What exactly are you up to?”
Tangyu smiled faintly, fully understanding the man’s caution, given they were in Donglin City.
Even a slight exposure could make escape impossible.
Bank robbery was indeed a serious crime.
Of course, smoothing things over could still be possible—it wasn’t like they had stolen a vast amount of money or caused any casualties.
Tangyu admired him, not just because he was a skilled practitioner, but because he could see that fundamentally, the man was not bad-hearted; as evident from the robbery, he did not intend to harm anyone.
A cornered dog will jump over a wall, and a desperate person might act recklessly—it was understandable.
Tangyu felt that they must be facing some difficulties to have acted that way.
“You will believe me because you know I mean no harm to you, and as practitioners of martial arts, we are both honorable men.
We martial artists value integrity and keep our word.
Besides, if I really wished to harm you, do you think you could stand a chance against me?
I could easily capture you and take you to the police station to claim a reward.” Tangyu smiled lightly, his face displaying calm confidence.
The man’s eyes shifted with emotion.
He was silent for a while before he finally looked up at Tangyu and said, “Since you’re not planning to turn me in to the police, thank you.
The kindness you’ve shown today will be amply repaid if the opportunity arises.
But—indeed, you are very strong, the strongest opponent I have encountered so far.
You are the only one who with a single move made me feel that I stand no chance against you.
It’s not that I, He Ganlian, am arrogantly boasting of my skills, but over these years as I’ve roamed far and wide, I truly haven’t met my match.”
From the tone of He Ganlian, Tangyu could discern his confidence, and Tangyu was quite certain that he wasn’t exaggerating.
Moreover, from the brief exchange earlier, Tangyu could feel that this guy was indeed very strong, probably even capable of competing with the masters of the Black Tortoise without losing.
Having such a master was indeed rare, and what’s more, he came from a poor background, practiced traditional Ancient Martial Arts, and was not military, which made him even rarer.
Tangyu indeed felt a sense of appreciation for talent, especially since he had to cultivate a force entirely his own.
Otherwise, fighting against the Yin Medical Sect alone would be too overwhelming.
Even a formidable general couldn’t possibly sweep away thousands of troops all by himself, could he?
Hence, having his own team was very important.
These days, Tangyu had been contemplating this matter.
Lengzi had come to help him, and although Tiger’s force could be used by him, it was too insignificant.
Even after taking down Zhang Guoli and pulling over Lao Niu’s force, it was still negligible.
This He Ganlian was also a formidable candidate, and Tangyu was indeed thinking of bringing him into his fold.
He had constructed an initial plan in his heart, and he also needed manpower to brew his plans.
Since the Yin Medical Sect had already half-emerged, he guessed that major turmoil would erupt soon, so Tangyu had to start preparing now.
“Can you tell me about your situation?” Tangyu said.
He Ganlian looked at Tangyu, hesitated slightly, but still nodded, feeling that he could trust this person.
Having seen Tangyu’s strength, he also had some ideas that perhaps this man could help him.
After listening to He Ganlian’s account, Tangyu finally understood their situation.
He Ganlian and four others were from a remote village in the western part of Huaxia Country, which was extremely poor and backward, where some people even struggled to get enough food.
From a young age, the five of them hadn’t thought about attending school.
They had worked in agriculture at home and later joined together to venture out.
The five of them were as close as brothers, never separating over the years, and had even given themselves the bold moniker “Five Tigers of He Village.”
They arrived full of hopes and ambitions, dreaming of making a mark and earning enough to return home in splendor.
Before arriving in Donglin City, under the moonlight, they swore to make something of themselves here, to carve out a piece of the sky that was theirs alone, or die trying.
But there’s a saying that’s quite true: reasons are beautiful, but reality is cruel.
Dreams are seductive, yet ideals are stark.
They had ambition, dreams, and aspirations, and of course, a somewhat blind self-confidence, a passionate spirit, and skills better than the average person’s.
They thought that with all these, they could make a big impact.
But after arriving in Donglin City, they realized they had oversimplified the world.
Donglin City is both heaven and hell; how easy could it be to make a name here?
The five brothers, lacking both academic degrees and diplomas and exuding a strong rural air, couldn’t even find a proper job.
Even getting a security job was challenging, and the low salary and lack of status deeply dissatisfied them.
Other jobs were also completely out of reach.
Discontented, they waited for an opportunity.
Months passed, and they ran out of money, even struggling to afford food.
They considered joining the underworld, but the underworld in Donglin City wasn’t as simple as they thought.
Unless they were willing to be underlings, there was no place for them.
Moreover, they were hot-tempered, and several times they clashed with gang members, resulting in dozens or hundreds of them being chased with knives.
Of course, they weren’t scared, but given the legal society at the time, they got into trouble with the law a few times because they went a bit too far, and they suffered quite a bit in the police station.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, they thought of pulling off a big job to gain some capital for other ventures.
The plan was sound, and the five were very careful.
However, they weren’t very shrewd and knew too little about modern advanced technology.
Moreover, their anti-surveillance skills were poor, almost non-existent.
They thought that like in the movies, just covering their heads would mean even if caught on camera, they wouldn’t be recognized.
They did successfully rob a bank and managed to steal over two hundred thousand, which for them was a substantial amount of money.
But before they could enjoy their success, the police showed up.
So, they had no choice but to scatter and flee.
Fortunately, their skills were good, and they managed to hide without being found by the police.
As for their considerable skills, they came because in their He Village there was a master who trained all five of them from a young age.
Knowing the other four were also quite skilled, Tangyu was even more inclined to bring them into his fold.
If he could command these five men, it would be like adding five formidable generals to his side.
Then, letting Lengzi train them well might even boost their abilities further.
In that case, having them form a team of six could perhaps become a sharp sword for him in the future.
If so, then perhaps he could kickstart his plans right away.