The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Lu Chen was stopped by the owner of the sudden voice.

He looked up.

A face he hated intensely was planted right in front of him.

It was Li Feng, drunk and holding a jug of wine.

He was the young master who had beaten Lu Chen's predecessor half to death, the son of County Commandant Li Ziren.

Killing intent erupted in Lu Chen's heart, but his expression did not change in the slightest. Instead, he glanced to either side, seemingly wondering whether the man was speaking to him.

"Young master, may I ask if you're speaking to me?"

Li Feng sneered.

"What are you pretending for? It's only been a few days since you got beaten. Have you forgotten already?"

Lu Chen frowned.

Wang Bao had already disappeared from sight.

He looked at Li Feng. "You must have mistaken me for someone else, young master. I don't think I've ever met you!"

Li Feng swayed on his feet, supported by the woman beside him.

He frowned and looked Lu Chen up and down.

He seemed a little unsure himself.

Had the person he beat up been this tall?

That kid seemed pretty skinny.

It had only been a few days. Surely he couldn't have suddenly grown so much taller and sturdier?

But he remembered that face clearly. He remembered the hateful eyes and stubborn expression very clearly.

They looked far too alike!

"Scram! What rotten luck!"

Li Feng violently swept his sleeve, spilling wine from the jug in his hand all over Lu Chen.

Without a change in expression, Lu Chen walked in the direction Wang Bao had gone.

But Wang Bao was long gone. Lu Chen couldn't even see a trace of him.

He searched back and forth, but still couldn't find him.

Perhaps Wang Bao had left with his men.

"Fuck!"

Lu Chen was deeply unwilling to let it go. He wanted nothing more than to kill Li Feng on the spot and avenge his predecessor.

Unfortunately, he had more important things to do now. Without showing anything unusual on his face, he still went to the latrine to keep anyone from noticing anything amiss.

After he came out of the latrine and had just finished washing his hands, a burly man entered from the side, glanced at him, and walked straight inside.

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

The man looked a lot like someone Qian Gui had described to him.

Li Mantun.

He was from the Black Pole Gang and happened to be the son of Huang Sangu, whom Lu Chen had killed.

He was said to be exceptionally ruthless and had broken through to the Organ Tempering Realm a few years ago.

Li Mantun had come to a brothel under the Green Bamboo Gang?

Lu Chen pondered it, in no hurry to return, and waited somewhere instead.

Li Mantun soon came out and went straight to a Heaven-Class Room on the third floor.

Lu Chen kept watching Li Mantun out of the corner of his eye and was very surprised to see which room he entered.

It was right next to Wang Bao's Heaven-Class Room!

Could Li Mantun be making a move, or did he simply come to drink and enjoy the girls?

He returned to his private room and said to Xiao Taohong, "It's my first time here, and I got lost. Come down and let's keep drinking. We didn't drink enough just now!"

He went over and pulled Xiao Taohong down to continue drinking.

Xiao Taohong was practically speechless.

Did you come here to drink or to have your way with me? Are you just going to drink instead of doing something more substantial?

I'm about to drink myself sick!

Could it be that he can't get it up?

Even so, she smiled and poured wine for Lu Chen, acting very gentle.

After watching for a while, Lu Chen was pleasantly surprised to find that Wang Bao had somehow returned!

Beyond the willows and flowers lies another village!

Lu Chen was delighted and fondled the girl in his arms with even more enthusiasm. She gasped repeatedly, her almond-shaped eyes hazy and her cheeks flushed.

Not long afterward, Lu Chen saw Wang Bao push open the door and leave again. Even the girls were no longer with him.

Several of his men followed him out.

Lu Chen did not rush after them.

Sure enough, someone also came out of the room next door.

It wasn't Li Mantun, but another man. He glanced around, then pretended to be drunk as he headed downstairs from the other side.

Only after a while did Li Mantun come out of the room.

The corners of Lu Chen's mouth curled up.

I didn't expect someone else to have the same idea as me!

Perhaps I won't even need to make a move myself.

He looked down at the girl in his arms. Seeing that her eyes were already hazy with drink, he pressed lightly on the back of her head, and she immediately passed out.

Lu Chen picked her up and laid her on the bed, then closed the door and opened the window to look outside.

There was an alley below, pitch-black and deserted.

With a whoosh, he jumped out the window and slipped away, bent low.

It was already late at night, and all was silent.

Lu Chen soon spotted figures moving not far ahead.

He hurriedly followed in silence, trailing the group.

They carried knives and walked quietly along the side of the road without a word, like thieves, not making a sound.

At the very front was a burly man with an Eyebrow-Level Staff in his hand. His movements were quite nimble.

Li Mantun's weapon was a staff.

Looks like he really is planning to stir up trouble.

Follow them!

After walking for quite some time, Lu Chen saw seven or eight people ahead, laughing and joking as they walked. They were telling dirty jokes, discussing how they had shown off their prowess and made the girls scream, how long they had lasted, and so on.

Wang Bao's robe hung half open, and he was gnawing on half a roast chicken.

As he walked, he thought about what had happened over the past few days.

It's been so infuriating!

He had been forced to come here to cool off.

But I'm tired of all the girls in the brothel. We need to bring in some fresh stock.

Wang Bao spat out a chicken bone and suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

He jolted and bellowed at the space ahead, "Who's there? Get out here!"

The men following him also grew serious, their faces turning grim.

This was Green Bamboo Gang territory. Someone actually dared to come after them here?

Were they looking for death?

A figure appeared in front of Wang Bao, backlit.

"Li Mantun? What are you trying to do?"

Wang Bao narrowed his eyes at the light ahead.

With the light behind the figure, he couldn't see his face, only his outline, but he recognized the staff.

Sensing trouble, Wang Bao quietly took a step back, letting his underlings stand in front of him.

"Tsk, Hall Master Wang, we go way back. We didn't know each other until we fought, and now you see me and leave without even saying hello? That's a little rude!"

Li Mantun's sinister voice rang out.

In the moonlight, his fleshy face looked exceptionally fierce.

He thumped the short, brow-high staff in his hand against the ground with a dull clang.

The muscles in his arms bulged enormously.

Wang Bao turned to look behind him.

His heart sank.

Eight or nine men had also appeared behind him without a sound, all carrying knives.

It's over!

Li Mantun had come prepared.

"Is your Black Pole Gang ready to tear all pretense of friendship with my Green Bamboo Gang apart today and fight to the death? Do you think you've got me in the bag?"

Wang Bao shouted angrily, nudging the underling beside him with his arm. "Quick, send the signal!"

"Heh, fucking idiot!" Li Mantun wore a vicious grin.

The underling had already pulled out a signal launcher. Trembling, he lit it and aimed it at the sky.

"Whoosh—bang!"

A firework burst in the sky.

But the Green Bamboo Gang's headquarters in the distance was on fire, and everything there was in chaos.

"Kill!"

Li Mantun watched Wang Bao's actions at his leisure, gave a disdainful smile, and then waved his hand lightly.

The eight or nine knife-wielders rushed straight at them and began slashing.

"Stop them!"

With his strength at the Late Iron Bone Realm, Wang Bao had little trouble dealing with these knife-wielders. He sent one flying with a punch, picked up a knife from the ground, and tried to charge out of the encirclement.

Li Mantun sneered and rushed forward with his staff held behind him.

"Die!"

A skilled Green Bamboo Gang fighter in his path raised a hand to stop Li Mantun, only to take a direct blow to the forehead from his staff. His skull split open, and his brains exploded outward.

It was as though a watermelon had been smashed to pulp.

At the sight, Wang Bao's liver and gallbladder nearly burst with terror. Every trace of drunkenness vanished as he slashed wildly with the long blade in his hand and charged out.

He swallowed frantically, his feet flying.

Behind him, Li Mantun, fierce and imposing, laughed wildly as he smashed a Green Bamboo Gang member across the waist, sending him flying into the door of a roadside shop. The door shattered, and the man had already been reduced to a heap of pulp.

White and red fluids clung to the short wrought-copper staff in his hand. He dragged it at an angle along the ground as he raced forward, sparks flying with a clang, clang, clang.

"Stop running! You can't escape!"

Li Mantun's voice drew closer and closer, and he was soon about to catch up with Wang Bao.

Lu Chen trailed the group from a distance and witnessed the scene with his own eyes.

His heart began pounding fiercely.

He was also in the Organ Tempering Realm now. He didn't care about the grudges between Li Mantun and Wang Bao, but could he take a little bite out of those minor underlings?