Chapter 130: Thirteen Blades

"What should I do?" Liang Ji subconsciously glanced toward Brother Bao and his group. Sure enough, those burly men were heading straight for him.

"Run!" Fear gripped Liang Ji's heart, and he immediately turned and bolted.

"Heh, heh, heh—that brat wants to run? Does he think he can get away?" one of the brutes sneered.

Brother Bao signaled his subordinates with a look, and over a dozen prisoners gave chase, quickly surrounding Liang Ji.

"We’ll start settling the score with Can Lang by taking it out on this lackey of Ye Fei’s," Brother Bao said with a malicious glint in his eyes.

News of Can Lang being brutally beaten had already spread throughout the prison, shaking the status of Brother Bao and his clique. Naturally, they needed to restore some of their lost prestige.

"Run? You motherfucker, keep running! Damn it, just because you followed a newcomer, you think you can challenge Brother Bao’s authority? In this prison, crushing you is as easy as squashing an ant," one prisoner said, landing a heavy punch on Liang Ji’s stomach before slapping his face.

"Fuck him up, drag this brat to Brother Bao," the prisoner hollered.

Two men grabbed Liang Ji by the arms and dragged him directly before Brother Bao.

"Brother Bao, we’ve got him."

"Good. Let him have a taste of misery first," Brother Bao said, casting a glance at Liang Ji.

They didn't even need to lift a finger themselves; the dozen or so prisoners swarmed Liang Ji, raining kicks and punches down on him. Liang Ji curled into a ball, shielding his head and protecting his vital organs as best he could, but he couldn't withstand the onslaught for long. Before long, he was covered in bruises and coughing up blood.

"Cough, cough!" Liang Ji spat out blood, and before he could even catch his breath, someone grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up.

"Damn it, in this prison, aside from that guy surnamed Chen and Thirteen Blades—who almost had his skull cracked open—no one dares to stand up to me. You think you can challenge me just because of that Ye Fei? You ignorant brat," Brother Bao sneered.

"Take this kid back and let Can Lang deal with him. That guy is nearly driven mad after the beating he took from Ye Fei. Let him collect some interest on this kid first."

Brother Bao and his men dragged Liang Ji toward their cell block.

…

Suddenly, a row of figures blocked their path, creating a standoff.

"Thirteen Blades, what is the meaning of this?" Brother Bao asked, his face darkening.

"Brother Bao, old friends meeting up to reminisce, and while I’m at it, I’d like to ask for a favor—hand over that person," Thirteen Blades said with a grin. His face was already rugged, but as he smiled, the scar running from his forehead to the corner of his mouth twitched, making him look even more ferocious, like a demon crawled up from hell.

Brother Bao said in a low voice, "Hand him over? Thirteen Blades, what if I don't?"

Thirteen Blades narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Brother Bao, show me some respect. It’s better for everyone if we don’t make things unpleasant."

"Fuck you, who the hell do you think you are, Thirteen Blades? That knife didn't kill you back then, and you were lucky to keep your life, but you clearly don't know how to cherish it. Tired of living, are you?" one of the big men behind Brother Bao shouted, tossing his cigarette butt aside.

"Broken Finger, you’re looking for death. Attack!" Thirteen Blades roared and charged forward.

"Get them!"

"Fuck them up!"

Both sides immediately collided, breaking into a chaotic brawl.

That scar on Thirteen Blades' forehead was courtesy of that man, Broken Finger, who had been arrested and imprisoned for it, eventually throwing his lot in with Brother Bao. The fact that Thirteen Blades and Brother Bao were bitter enemies was largely due to this man.

Under these circumstances, Brother Bao’s side couldn't show weakness either; with a roar of rage, they jumped into the fray.

Liang Ji tried to take the opportunity to slip away, but he was quickly cornered and beaten by three men.

"Fuck your mother, Thirteen Blades! What the hell are you doing? You want a war?" Brother Bao bellowed.

"Heh, bring on the war! Who’s afraid of who?" Thirteen Blades snarled, knocking one of Brother Bao’s underlings to the ground with a heavy punch.

"Damn you..."

Brother Bao roared in frustration, refusing to back down.

By the end of the brawl, over fifty people had joined in, resulting in multiple serious injuries and one person suffering from internal bleeding. Finally, a group of prison guards arrived to quell the chaos, ordering both sides to stand down.

In the warden's office, the rotund warden pounded his desk and roared, "Can you two bastards just settle down for a moment? You both know how tense the situation in Deep Sea is right now. While trouble in this prison usually doesn't attract outside attention and the higher-ups don't care, things are delicate right now. You two had better behave yourselves, or I’ll have no choice but to suppress you both temporarily."

"Get out, both of you! If you have scores to settle, go down to the Black Prison, but don't hold mass brawls in the cell block. If word gets out, we’re all finished."

Brother Bao and Thirteen Blades exchanged hateful glares, though neither chose to go to the Black Prison. The so-called Black Prison was a secret, underground fight club within the prison where corrupt guards and inmates colluded for entertainment.

"Boss—"

"Boss—"

Their respective subordinates were waiting outside; seeing them emerge, they swarmed around them.

"Let's go," Brother Bao said. Liang Ji had been taken by Thirteen Blades' men during the chaos. This time, the brat was lucky.

Thirteen Blades sneered, "We’re leaving, too."

"What about that Liang Ji?" Thirteen Blades asked.

"Brother Dao, he’s in the cell," a subordinate quickly replied.

"Good, let’s go back and see the kid."

Inside the cell, Thirteen Blades found Liang Ji, who was already recovering enough to move around. Seeing Thirteen Blades enter, Liang Ji immediately tensed up.

"Hahaha, don't be nervous. I’m not here to give you a hard time like Old Bao; I’m here to save you. Of course, I’m only saving you because of Ye Fei. Old Bao and his lot are my sworn enemies, and since Ye Fei is against them, naturally, I’m going to help him out," Thirteen Blades chuckled.

However, his smile remained somewhat menacing, and even knowing he had no ill intent, Liang Ji still felt a shiver down his spine.

"Thank you, Brother Dao," Liang Ji said tactfully.

"Don't worry. Ye Fei is still in solitary confinement. Once he’s released, you can return to him. Of course, if you want to leave now and aren't afraid of being caught by Old Bao’s men, I can have someone escort you back," Thirteen Blades offered.

Liang Ji hesitated, weighing the pros and cons, and ultimately decided to stay, his heart still pounding.

Thirteen Blades had wanted to pry for information about Ye Fei, but Liang Ji knew no more than anyone else in the prison, so he eventually gave up.

"Brother Dao, Ye Fei has been released," a subordinate reported.

"So soon?" Thirteen Blades was stunned. He felt even more certain that Ye Fei was no ordinary man. No one had ever been released from solitary confinement so quickly.

Thirteen Blades looked deeply at Liang Ji, wondering to himself, *Does this kid really not know Ye Fei’s background? That guy is incredibly strange. If he had no connections, he wouldn't be out so soon, but if he did, the guards wouldn't have dared to lock him up at all! Who exactly is he?*

He had expected Ye Fei to be held for at least a day, maybe even three or four. He had brought Liang Ji here hoping to tease out some information, but with Ye Fei out so quickly, his plan had failed.

"Brother Dao, I..." Liang Ji said hesitantly.

"Haha, I didn't expect Ye Fei to be out so fast. You don't have to fear Old Bao anymore. I’ll have a few brothers escort you back to Ye Fei," Thirteen Blades said heartily, calling over a few men to see Liang Ji off.

"Thank you, Brother Dao," Liang Ji said quickly.