Plans Could Not Keep Up with Changes

Night had fallen. A cool breeze stirred the long hair at Xiang Yang's temples. Reflected in his eyes was a burly, towering middle-aged man with a vicious face, his steps unsteady as two Giant Bear Gang members supported him. The stench of alcohol on him could be smelled from more than ten meters away.

Xiang Yang was in the third small courtyard deeper inside Flower Alley. Beyond the crack in the gate, Hu Qiang had removed his conical hat and was staggering about. Though Xiang Yang had long expected this, now that the day had truly come, his heart still could not help pounding in waves.

"Heaven, when it wishes to destroy someone, first drives him mad. Hu Qiang is a wanted criminal whose name is on the books in several counties, yet he dares swagger about and show his face in public. It seems that his long years of arrogance and indulgence have made him lose the vigilance necessary for survival."

Yet to Xiang Yang, this was a rare opportunity. The more reckless and conceited Hu Qiang was, the greater Xiang Yang's chances of completing the Heavenly Book's mission and avenging Xiang Da Niu. Seeing Hu Qiang injured and reeking of liquor, Xiang Yang could barely suppress the urge to act tonight.

"Opportunities like this are rare. Although I don't have the Wild Goose Feather Saber tonight, Hu Qiang is seven parts drunk and three parts wounded. He's nothing but a sick old tiger. I can give it a try."

Xiang Yang had originally planned to make his move two days later. During those two days, he would use the small courtyard he had rented to secretly observe Hu Qiang, learn his routines inside out, and formulate a detailed plan.

But plans could not keep up with changes. Hu Qiang was wounded tonight, and after drinking himself senseless while entertaining the two Giant Bear Gang leaders, he had presented Xiang Yang with a heaven-sent opportunity. If he missed tonight, then even if he found another chance two days later, it might not offer better odds than this one.

"I just don't know whether I'm a match for Hu Qiang bare-handed now."

Hu Qiang's nickname was Big Saber. Born with divine power, even his crude saber techniques could unleash tremendous force. Under normal circumstances, even three Xiang Yangs might not have had any hope of defeating Hu Qiang at his peak.

But Hu Qiang was injured now. His strength, exertion, and physical condition had all declined, so his combat power had certainly been greatly diminished. On top of that, he had drunk so much tonight and would soon be locked in a gut-twining battle with who knew how many women. Taking it all together, along with Xiang Yang striking from the shadows, his odds of victory had to be seventy or eighty percent.

"Besides, apart from my saber techniques, the Iron Finger Technique is another trump card. The increase in strength from practicing the Iron Crotch Technique these days is also an advantage. It's worth taking a gamble."

Watching Hu Qiang slowly disappear from view, Xiang Yang pulled the wooden gate shut with both hands and made up his mind. He would not wait two more days. Tonight was the best opportunity.

On the other side, Hu Qiang had not noticed in the slightest that someone meant him harm. After entering the room of the innermost small courtyard in Flower Alley, he dismissed the two Giant Bear Gang men and lay flat on his back on the soft bed, waiting for the girls from Crimson Tower to come entertain him.

Before long, five lavishly dressed girls entered Hu Qiang's courtyard under the guidance of the Giant Bear Gang members. All five were quite lovely, with fair skin and distinct temperaments—some coolly alluring, others passionate and fiery. They gave off a completely different feeling from the girls of Flower Alley.

Hu Qiang had been holding himself back for quite some time. At the sight of so many beauties, he ignored the wound in his chest, stripped himself bare, and frolicked with the five women. The sounds that drifted out were clear even to Xiang Yang.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yang used both hands and feet, climbing onto the wall of the second small courtyard next door by the same method as before. Then he dropped down. The thud was fairly loud, but the sounds of Hu Qiang fooling around with the women inside were even louder and completely covered it up.

"Misstep, misstep." Xiang Yang's heart raced. He feared that the sound of his movements would startle the snake in the grass. But after pressing himself against the wall bordering Hu Qiang's courtyard and waiting for a while, he found that Hu Qiang had shown no unusual reaction and was still laughing lewdly as he played. Xiang Yang let out a breath of relief.

"In that case, climbing straight over the wall into Hu Qiang's courtyard is impossible. No matter how careful I am, I can't conceal the sound when I land."

This was where the difference between knowing lightness skills and not knowing them became apparent. If he knew lightness skills, his feet would move like a cat's, silent and soundless. He would not need to rack his brains over how to enter Hu Qiang's room.

Xiang Yang had decided to act tonight on a sudden whim. He had not fully considered or thought through many matters, so there were plenty of crude flaws in his plan.

"Hm, this straw rope? My luck can't be this good, can it?"

As he considered his options, Xiang Yang suddenly spotted a braided straw rope as thick as a man's wrist among the straw pile covering the dog hole. He walked over, picked it up, tested its toughness and length, then compared it against the distance from the tops of the walls of the previous two courtyards to the ground. His eyes narrowed with delight.

Xiang Yang thought it over. If he first tied the straw rope to the iron bolt at the corner of this courtyard's wall, then climbed up the wall with the rope and used it to slide down from the other side rather than jumping directly down, then even if there was a sound, it would be much quieter. Hu Qiang was no martial artist proficient in internal energy; the chance of him discovering Xiang Yang was very low.

Just as Xiang Yang was pondering this, a burst of smack smack smack came from the room in the neighboring courtyard, accompanied by women's high-pitched cries and a man's low panting. The terrifying part was that there were five women crying out.

"What the hell kind of maneuver is this? One against five, battling a whole flock of females, without caring whether his body can take it."

He muttered softly, but his face was full of delight. His phoenix eyes glinted coldly beneath the night, as he thought, Enjoy yourselves as much as you can, Hu Qiang. Use every last scrap of strength in your body. I'm sure I'll give you a surprise soon enough.

Wait. Still wait. Xiang Yang knew that what he needed most now was not haste, but patience—just like a venomous snake hunting its prey.

A man was at his most vulnerable when he was most relaxed, which was after he had released his essence. If Xiang Yang entered the courtyard and launched a sneak attack then, his odds of success would not be seventy or eighty percent, but eighty or ninety percent.

Under the night sky, Hu Qiang was indulging in pleasure with five beauties in the neighboring room, while Xiang Yang sat cross-legged at the corner of the next courtyard's wall, waiting miserably. Like some pervert, he listened to the sounds of men and women having fun, growing more and more excited.

This excitement had nothing to do with lust. It came from the sense of fulfillment at being about to complete the Heavenly Book's mission, the exhilarating release of finally being able to avenge Xiang Da Niu, and the thrill of the spirit of adventure rising from deep within a man's bones.

The women's cries grew ever more shrill, and the smack smack smack quickened in pace. Xiang Yang abruptly rose, every muscle in his body taut. With the straw rope wrapped around his right hand, he sprang upward, seized the top of the wall with both hands, bent his arms, and gradually hauled himself onto it.

Careful, and then more careful—Xiang Yang made sure not to produce the slightest sound. Even if there was a sound, it had to be so faint as to be imperceptible, the kind no one would notice.

Bracing himself with the straw rope, Xiang Yang slowly slid down along it, his arms taut to keep his body balanced. It felt somewhat like rappelling down after rock climbing.