Ripples 4

Red Leaf Town.

Watching Meng Hongsheng's figure disappear into the distance.

Liu Yuanshan withdrew his gaze, his eyes falling on Tian Song's corpse on the ground as a cold smile appeared on his face.

"Have someone burn this place down. Burn it clean."

"Yes, Second Gang Leader."

Not long after he spoke, raging flames rose from the small courtyard.

Liu Yuanshan had already turned and left.

He walked into a pitch-black alley several hundred meters outside the courtyard.

As his footsteps drew near, two Tooth Gang members soon emerged from the alley, dragging a figure behind them.

The figure was slight, her long hair hanging in wild disarray. It was Xie Chunniang, though she looked thoroughly bedraggled now.

Seeing the flames rising from the small courtyard not far away, her eyes became somewhat unfocused.

"Tian Song is dead. Take me to the hiding place you know of."

Looking at Xie Chunniang, Liu Yuanshan spoke flatly.

"Y-Yes... yes..."

Hearing Liu Yuanshan's words, Xie Chunniang came back to herself and nodded frantically.

By now, she was filled with terror toward Liu Yuanshan. In her eyes, he was no different from a demon, and she had long since lost all courage to resist.

After all, she had watched with her own eyes as Zhou Tong was carved up bit by bit before her. Yes, carved bit by bit into slices, then fed to dogs.

That was what had utterly broken her, making her reveal Tian Song's hiding place and every scrap of intelligence she knew.

Xie Chunniang got to her feet and hurried in the direction opposite the small courtyard.

She did not stop until she reached a dilapidated little earthen temple.

"This is it... I saw Tian Song come to this little temple at night before."

"Oh?"

Liu Yuanshan's gaze fell upon the ruined temple, which stood barely more than half a man tall. With a sweep of his leg, he directly blasted it apart.

The two trusted Tooth Gang men beside him hurried forward and rummaged through the rubble. Before long, they found a bundle inside the shattered statue.

Taking the bundle and opening it, Liu Yuanshan found several night pearls the size of quail eggs within. At the very bottom lay a blue-covered booklet. When he saw the monkey illustration on its cover, unconcealable delight appeared on his face.

"Ha ha... The Ape Fetus Technique really is here."

He clenched the bundle tightly and burst into laughter.

After witnessing Tian Song's formidable strength, he had yearned for this martial arts technique for a long time.

This was a technique that could be considered top-tier even among second-rate martial arts, precisely what he lacked now. Though he possessed another second-rate martial art besides the White Ape Leg Technique.

That one was only a fragment, capable of being cultivated only to late Muscle Forging, and it had come from Meng Hongsheng.

In the future, obtaining a cultivation method to enter the Blood Circulation realm would certainly not be easy.

He might even have to remain controlled by the family behind the Tooth Gang for the rest of his life. Now that he had the Ape Fetus Technique, things would undoubtedly become much easier, and he would no longer need so many misgivings. Once his technique achieved success, even leaving the Tooth Gang would be no problem.

Especially since he had already cultivated the White Ape Leg Technique to great mastery. Both techniques bore the word "ape," so the Ape Fetus Technique was undoubtedly a better fit for him. Presumably, it would be easier to cultivate as well.

At that thought, his mood brightened considerably.

After putting away the bundle, his gaze fell upon Xie Chunniang on the ground once more.

Noticing Liu Yuanshan's gaze, Xie Chunniang seemed to realize something and hurriedly spoke.

"Gang Leader Liu, I've already helped you find what you wanted. Your younger brother wasn't killed by us either. Let me go... let me go..."

"Let you go..."

Liu Yuanshan raised a brow and gave a cold laugh.

"Then who spared my younger brother?"

As he spoke, he slowly walked toward her. Her value had now been exhausted, and naturally he had no intention of keeping her alive. After all, Meng Hongsheng absolutely could not learn of what had happened here.

"Your younger brother's death really had nothing to do with us. At the time, we only wanted to kidnap him. There was absolutely no need for us to kill him... the murderer... there was someone else! I can help you find the murderer!!"

Xie Chunniang's eyes were full of terror as she continually pleaded.

"Hm!?"

Hearing this, Liu Yuanshan stopped walking, narrowed his eyes, and stared fixedly at her.

These two Tooth Gang members had repeatedly claimed that his younger brother had not died by their hands, but that there had been another culprit.

Though he did not quite believe them, it was not entirely impossible. After all, he had not found the White Ape Leg Technique that had been passed to Liu Ergou on them. Besides, compared to killing Liu Ergou, directly kidnapping him was clearly more valuable.

At this point, suspicion inevitably rose in his heart.

Seeing Liu Yuanshan stop, Xie Chunniang seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and quickly continued.

"I smeared Fish Fat Grass liquid on your younger brother. The murderer must have gotten some on them too, and it will definitely have left traces. As long as that murderer is still in Lin'an County City, I can definitely find them!!"

"If that is so, then I'll give you a chance. Half a month. Find the murderer, and you live. Fail to find them, hmph..."

Liu Yuanshan did not continue, but the meaning in his words could not have been clearer.

Before long, the group vanished into the night.

Three days later.

Yangping Town, medical clinic.

"I never thought I, Zhang Ding, would have a day like this. Though I had expected this day for a long time, I never thought it would come so soon..."

In a private room, Zhang Ding gazed blankly out the window.

"Don't think about it too much. At least you kept your life, and it's not as though there's no chance of recovery..."

Lin Sheng stood beside him, his gaze sweeping over the other man's injured leg. He set down the food and wine he had brought, then spoke words of comfort.

"What state my injury is in, how could I not know? Recovery will probably be a long shot."

Zhang Ding shook his head slightly, but soon laughed freely, seeming rather at peace with it.

"This is good too. This time, I can count it as retiring from the Beast Hunter Hall. I'll still receive a monthly stipend, and a life without fighting and killing is better than yours, kid, no matter what. Besides, thankfully my family jewels are fine. I can still show my might again in the future..."

Seeing Zhang Ding's words starting to veer off course, Lin Sheng quickly took a small box from his robes.

"Brother Zhang, this is your Blood Nourishing Pill. You all contributed a great deal this time, so they gave you an extra Blood Nourishing Pill. As for the rest of the reward money, once Captain Wang recovers from his injuries, you'll have an additional share as well."

Taking the small box, Zhang Ding's face showed a trace of emotion.

"This trip wasn't in vain after all. It's enough for me to live the rest of my life in comfort..."

Lin Sheng stood quietly beside Zhang Ding. Since entering the Beast Hunter Hall, Zhang Ding had treated him fairly well.

That was why he had come to visit. Because his injuries were so severe, one of Zhang Ding's legs had barely been saved, but he had been left lame. Clearly, he could no longer stand guard in the Beast Hunter Hall.

A damaged limb also affected Martial Way cultivation. After these injuries, Zhang Ding would likely have no chance whatsoever of breaking through to the Muscle Forging realm again.

Life was this cruel, and the Martial Way even more so.