The medicinal wine in Liu Ergou's home was something he had paid a hefty price for at an apothecary in the inner city. He had originally planned to test its effects in Flower Willow Alley today, even specifically hiring two girls for the purpose.
It was all to test the medicinal wine's effects, so that when he went to the brothels in the city later, he could flaunt his virility.
As they walked down the street, there was practically no one else around.
The waning moon in the sky cast faint, pallid rays.
Other than the heavy breathing of their group, the empty street held only the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.
"I'm telling you, when we see Fifth Brother, none of you had better stop me..."
Liu Ergou muttered incoherently, yet after waiting for quite some time, no one behind him answered.
But he did not sense anything amiss, and his mouth kept muttering on.
Suddenly, a cold wind swept over him. The midnight chill made him shudder involuntarily.
He pulled his clothes tighter around himself, and some of his drunken haze cleared. Only then did he realize something was wrong.
He turned around, only to find the space behind him utterly empty. There was no sign of the others.
"Where is everyone??"
His eyes widened, and he spotted a pair of feet exposed beneath the moonlight at the corner at the end of the alley.
Seeing that, he relaxed, assuming the men had gotten drunk and collapsed on the ground to sleep.
"A bunch of trash!"
He frowned and turned to walk over, intending to kick them awake.
Beyond the alley's shadows, the exposed legs twitched from time to time.
From the black, split-seamed shoes, he recognized the owner of those legs as Third Brother.
"Third Brother, you fucking... get up already..."
He cursed, but still received no response. He did not think much of it, but as he drew closer, he felt something slick beneath his feet.
The cold wind swept past, carrying a faint stench.
It was the smell of blood.
Frowning in confusion, he lowered his head. Under the moonlight, the ground was covered in a huge pool of dark red blood.
"This... something happened!!"
His drunkenness vanished in an instant, leaving only that thought in his mind.
Before he could react, a fierce gust of wind crashed toward his face with astonishing speed. Still, he was a Body Tempering martial artist, and his reactions were far quicker than an ordinary person's.
Though he could not dodge, he raised both arms to shield his face.
As a Body Tempering martial artist, he was confident that as long as he blocked this strike, he would gain a chance to catch his breath. Then whether he fled or fought would be up to him. Besides, this was Tooth Gang territory. With one shout, Tooth Gang members would soon come to support him.
At that point, whoever dared ambush him would never get away.
But with a bang, what followed was the teeth-grinding sound of bones shattering.
Liu Ergou felt as though he had been struck by a speeding carriage.
The bones in both arms shattered at once, leaving them limp at his sides, while he staggered back several steps before crashing down hard onto the ground.
"Ah!!"
The excruciating pain made him let out a shrill scream, but before it could fully ring out, a bowl-sized stone soaked red with blood smashed into his face.
With a single blow, his cheek caved in, and his head slammed hard against the solid brick pavement.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Soon came the second... then the third blow. The dark red stone struck down again and again, only stopping after more than ten blows.
Then the figure turned and ran with the stone in hand, only to quickly double back and search Liu Ergou's body before hurriedly leaving.
Squeak, squeak...
At the same time, the weasel's squeaks startled two black-clad figures in a distant alley.
"What happened!?"
The tall black-clad man asked with a frown.
"Something is wrong. Something may have happened!"
The black-clad woman also frowned as she watched the weasel circling endlessly, her voice low.
"Come on, let's go take a look."
At that, the two black-clad figures nimbly slipped out of the alley and headed toward Flower Willow Alley.
They had not been far from Flower Willow Alley to begin with, and soon reached the main road of the long street.
They saw only a gray-clad figure vanishing right at the far end of the street.
Not far away, a mangled, blood-soaked human figure lay silently in the street.
With a whoosh, the weasel slipped out from the woman's clothes and darted toward the fallen figure.
Seeing this, both black-clad figures' expressions changed.
"Not good."
Their hearts jolted, and they hurried over. Looking at the weasel circling the figure nonstop, their faces immediately darkened.
"It's Liu Ergou!"
The woman spoke.
The figure on the ground had been beaten beyond recognition. Not even a trace of his original features remained, and his clothes had long been dyed red with blood.
But judging from the weasel's actions, the one lying on the ground was their target, Liu Ergou.
In this state, he was unquestionably dead beyond death.
"Damn it! Whoever dared ruin our plans, just let me catch you. Otherwise, I'll chop you to pieces."
The tall black-clad man stared toward the far end of the street. He was already certain that the one who had acted was the gray-clad figure who had disappeared there moments ago.
Perhaps their luck was simply poor. Just as the black-clad man was flying into a rage, a patron returning home late at night emerged from Flower Willow Alley.
The moment he saw the scene in the alley, he let out a shriek.
"Murder! Someone's been murdered!! Come quickly!"
The cry rang out through the silent night.
Since this was Tooth Gang territory, and Flower Willow Alley was one of the Tooth Gang's highly valued businesses, there were quite a few Tooth Gang members nearby.
Hearing the shout, many people immediately rushed out.
"Not good, run!"
The tall black-clad man could no longer bother with anything else. He called out and sped toward an alley.
"They're there! They're right there, don't let them get away!!"
Since they were the only two people standing on the long street, the Tooth Gang members who rushed out immediately spotted the two black-clad figures. Without hesitation, they shouted and chased after them.
The two were highly skilled and extremely fast, far beyond what ordinary Tooth Gang members could match. Yet just as they climbed over a wall, whistling sounds tore through the air.
Crossbow bolts were shooting toward them.
Caught off guard and unable to evade in time, the tall black-clad man was struck in the shoulder by one bolt.
"Damn it, those bastards actually have crossbows! Run!!"
Ignoring the sharp pain in his shoulder, the two black-clad figures hurriedly leaped down from the wall, finally shaking off the Tooth Gang members.
Meanwhile, Lin Sheng had no idea so many twists had unfolded after he left. Even if he had known, he would not have had the slightest intention of going back to watch the commotion.
He weaved through the city's alleys, arrived beside a foul drainage ditch, and hurled the bloodstained stone in his hand into it. Only then did he hurry home.
Before you continue