Revenge Wouldn't Wait Overnight

"Qin Ming? You again?!"

When Scarface saw Qin Ming suddenly appear, he cursed inwardly, Fucking bad luck!

This time, though, Scarface was more confident than before. He had brought seven men and weapons, and with himself making eight, he wasn't afraid even if Qin Ming had a pig-slaughtering knife in hand.

"Embroiderer!"

Qin Ming set down his carrying basket and rushed straight to Embroiderer. Seeing the bright red handprint swelling high on her face, blood already seeping from its edges, he looked ready to burst with rage, his fists cracking as he clenched them.

If he didn't kill Scarface, he swore he wasn't a man!

"Brother Qin, hurry and check on Brother Wang. He was beaten like this because he tried to help me."

Embroiderer was crying.

"What?"

Qin Ming spun around and hurriedly checked Wang Shun's injuries.

Wang Shun had a cut on his forehead, but his injuries were all superficial. Thankfully, none of his bones had been hurt.

"Dad!"

"Brother Shun, are you all right?"

Wang Shun's wife and child were in floods of tears as they watched through the crack in the door.

Scarface and his men had charged over aggressively, forced open Qin Ming's front door, and rushed inside to seize Embroiderer.

At the critical moment, Wang Shun had stepped forward. To keep his wife and child out of it, he had deliberately locked their door to stop them from coming out.

Wang Shun had done manual labor for years and had some brute strength, but Scarface's side had the advantage of numbers. Wang Shun was soon beaten to the ground. If Qin Ming hadn't appeared in time, not only would Embroiderer have been taken away, but Wang Shun would have been beaten to death!

"Young Brother Qin, I'm fine. Don't worry. Hurry and take Embroiderer away! Hurry!"

Wang Shun lay in the snow, gasping for breath. Blood continued to flow from the wound on his forehead, and beneath him it had soaked into his old cotton-padded coat, sticking it to the ground.

"Run? I'm afraid you won't get away."

Scarface grinned maliciously. The seven men behind him quickly spread out and surrounded Qin Ming and the other two.

"You're abducting a woman in broad daylight! If the county magistrate finds out, he certainly won't let you get away with it!"

Wu Shi shouted through the door.

In these troubled times, the authorities often did nothing, but if the matter were brought before them, Scarface would still have hell to pay.

"Abducting a woman? What a joke! Look at what I've got here. An IOU! It's only right and proper to pay your debts. If you can't pay, you can be taken away and sold to settle them. Even before the authorities, I'm in the right!"

Scarface sneered and shook the IOU open for everyone to see.

The principal and interest came to ten taels of silver in total, and the final repayment date was today!

"You!"

Wu Shi was lost for words.

It was just as Scarface said. If a debt went unpaid, the debtor's property could be taken to settle it once it came due.

A son paid his father's debts. Although Qin Shou was dead, he had left the debt to Qin Ming. If Qin Ming couldn't pay, Embroiderer would be taken away and sold to a brothel.

In troubled times, human lives were worth no more than blades of grass. Women, especially beautiful ones, could fetch a good price.

"Qin boy, I've got the IOU. If you know what's good for you, get out of the way. We're taking this little beauty, or I guarantee you'll end up worse off than this meddler!"

A savage grin crossed Scarface's face. He gave a signal, and several of his men drew the swords, knives, and clubs they carried. If Qin Ming dared interfere, they would break his legs!

"Brother Qin, there are too many of them. Don't be rash. At worst, I'll just go with them. Once you've saved some money, you can marry another woman."

Embroiderer looked stricken, her heart as cold as dead ashes.

She had resolved to die. Once she entered the brothel, she would hang herself rather than let anyone defile her pure body.

"Wouldn't it have been easier if you'd known your place sooner? Come with me!"

Scarface smiled coldly and reached for Embroiderer.

"Smack!"

To his surprise, Qin Ming backhanded him hard across the back of his hand. The tremendous force sent Scarface staggering, nearly knocking him to the ground, and the back of his hand quickly turned red and swollen.

The piercing pain sent Scarface into a rage.

"Boy, you fucking refuse to pay and dare hit me? Cripple him!"

Scarface was furious. The seven men behind him raised their blades and charged forward at once.

"Wait!"

Qin Ming pulled a money pouch from his robes. After taking out eight qian of silver, he tossed the rest to Scarface, pouch and all.

"That's ten taels of silver. Give me the IOU!"

Scarface froze on the spot. The other seven exchanged glances, then silently lowered the blades they had just raised.

They were debt collectors, not bloodthirsty killers. Since Qin Ming had paid, they had no reason to attack him.

"Monkey, count it."

Scarface tossed the cloth pouch to one of his underlings behind him.

The underling caught it and counted carefully.

"Brother Scarface, it's ten taels of silver, not a coin short."

Scarface's face immediately darkened.

He hadn't expected Qin Ming to scrape together ten taels of silver in just three days!

Was there that much profit to be made slaughtering New Year's pigs?

"Boy, you've got some nerve! Just you wait!"

Scarface flung the IOU to Qin Ming.

"Let's go!"

Scarface led his men away. Before leaving, he glanced at Embroiderer, unwillingness in his eyes.

After Scarface and his men left, Qin Ming opened the door and helped Wu Shi carry Wang Shun to bed.

"Embroiderer, stay here with Sister-in-law and look after Brother Wang. I'll go fetch a physician!"

Qin Ming turned and plunged into the snowy night.

Wang Shun had been badly beaten, and Embroiderer had been slapped and nearly abducted. He could never let the matter rest!

Revenge wouldn't wait overnight!

Clutching his pig-slaughtering knife, Qin Ming strode after Scarface and his seven men.

It cost ten taels of silver to enter a martial arts school. He had only managed to save some silver with great difficulty by slaughtering New Year's pigs this time. Once the New Year had passed, who knew what year of the monkey or month of the horse he would have to wait for to save ten taels?

Since that was the case, he would take what was already there.

Killing Scarface would not only avenge Brother Wang and Embroiderer, but also give him the silver he needed to become a disciple at the martial arts school.

Not to mention, killing eight people would earn him another forty proficiency points, the equivalent of twenty big fat pigs!

"Scarface, you've pushed me again and again. You brought this on yourself!"

Snow swirled through the air as Qin Ming followed the disorderly footprints on the ground and quickly caught up with Scarface's group.

With the darkness, slippery roads, and heavy snow, Scarface and his men didn't even notice an extra person at the back of the group.

Qin Ming raised his knife and brought it down, slitting the throat of the man at the very back in a single stroke.

He immediately did the same again, quickly dispatching two more men.

In the blink of an eye, only five of the eight remained.

"Something's wrong!"

Scarface, walking at the front, suddenly felt that something was amiss. He whipped around and found that only five people were left behind him.

Where were the other two?

"Stop!"

Scarface shouted, and everyone stopped, looking puzzled. They still didn't know what had happened.

"Shick!"

Just then, one of the men suddenly drew a knife. Its gleam flashed through the dark like a streak of white lightning.

"Swish! Swish!"

Two more men had their throats slit in a single stroke each, and scalding blood sprayed across Scarface's face.

"Fuck! It's Qin Ming!"

In the faint moonlight, Scarface saw Qin Ming's face.

In the blink of an eye, five men had died at Qin Ming's hands. Only three of Scarface's group of eight remained.

"Brother Scarface! What do we do? I'm scared!"

Monkey was so frightened that he huddled behind Scarface, trembling all over. The other man was badly shaken too. These debt collectors were used to throwing their weight around like foxes borrowing a tiger's might. When had they ever encountered such a ruthless man? Five living men had vanished in no time at all.

"Scared, my ass!"

Scarface grabbed Monkey, kicked him in the backside, and sent him stumbling toward Qin Ming before turning tail and running.

Qin Ming finished Monkey with one stroke. When he looked up, Scarface and the last man had fled in opposite directions.

He hesitated briefly, then gave up on Scarface and chased after the other man.

The man was rather fat, so Qin Ming would soon catch him. As for Scarface...

Killing him so easily would be letting him off far too lightly.

Besides, Qin Ming wanted to force some useful information out of Scarface.

For example, the cause of his father Qin Shou's death...

"Huff... huff... huff!"

After running for he knew not how long, Scarface felt as though his lungs were about to burst and finally had to stop.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

He coughed so hard that tears came to his eyes. His lungs felt like a broken bellows, wheezing whenever they worked. If he drew even a slightly deeper breath, stabbing pains shot through them.

Fortunately, he had finally escaped.

At that moment, even the air seemed sweet to Scarface.

"The fatty's probably done for. That little bastard Qin Ming actually killed seven men in one go. I'll report him to the authorities first thing tomorrow morning. Once the boy's been beheaded, won't little widow Embroiderer be mine to play with as I please?"

At the thought, Scarface couldn't help grinning.

He didn't feel the slightest regret for the seven dead underlings. There were plenty more lackeys to be had, and with them dead, he would have to share less money.

Scarface brushed the snow off his shoulders and whistled as he headed home.

He lived in a small single-story house on a street corner in the eastern part of Qingshan Town.

He had seized it from a creditor last year to settle a debt.

After shutting the door and lighting an oil lamp, Scarface went to a corner of his bedroom. He pulled out two stone bricks and took a wooden box half a foot long from inside.

"I get two taels of silver from this trip. The other eight have to be handed over."

He counted out two taels of silver and tossed them into the wooden box. After putting the box away, Scarface turned around, only to freeze at the sight before him.

A figure sat in a chair, staring at him with the hint of a smile.