Make Your Move

Boots striking the ground, Xiang Yang turned and surveyed the courtyard. Red bricks paved the floor, flowers and grass grew in clusters—it was far more elegant than the other courtyards he had seen. Only on the western side lay a small pile of firewood, with a somewhat rusty woodcutter's knife stuck beside it.

"Heaven truly favors me. First the grass rope, then the woodcutter's knife. Could it be that I really am destined by Heaven, getting whatever I need?"

The weapon in the courtyard made it hard for Xiang Yang to contain his delight. The strongest combat martial art he possessed was the basic saber technique he had learned from Xiang Da Niu. He had practiced it for seven or eight years and had a solid foundation. This woodcutter's knife was exactly what he needed.

The sounds of men and women making love continued inside. Xiang Yang pulled out the woodcutter's knife and crept to the window outside the room. He licked his index finger, poked through the window paper, and opened a hole the size of a fingertip.

What met his eyes was a mass of pale flesh and a hulking, dark-steel-like man. Hu Qiang truly deserved to be called a beast among men. Even with a knife wound in his chest, he still held the upper hand against five opponents. His long spear charged in and out, sweeping freely across the battlefield, making five advances and five retreats. Yet the sweat on his back and the faint twitching of his muscles showed that his stamina was being rapidly drained.

The scene before him was exceedingly explosive, yet Xiang Yang watched without seeing. He was so calm that he could scarcely believe it himself. He gripped the woodcutter's knife tightly and carefully considered how he should act.

If he rushed in at the instant Hu Qiang and the others finished and took Hu Qiang's life, Xiang Yang reckoned he had a ninety-percent chance of success. But merely killing Hu Qiang did not satisfy him. At the very least, he needed to force some information about the mastermind behind everything out of Hu Qiang.

"In other words, I need to capture Hu Qiang alive and interrogate him without alerting the Giant Bear Gang members outside. That's far too difficult—and Hu Qiang isn't alone. There are still five living people inside."

At that moment, Xiang Yang longed desperately for the soul-befuddling incense that every great Jianghu thief seemed to possess. If he had such premium goods, every problem would be solved.

"But the arrow is already on the string; it has to be loosed. I'll gamble on it. I'll rush in with lightning speed and take Hu Qiang hostage. If I handle it well, I'll get away unscathed. Even if I alert the Giant Bear Gang members outside, I'll still have a talisman to protect myself."

Watching Hu Qiang continue his movements inside, a fierce glint flashed through Xiang Yang's eyes. He reversed the woodcutter's knife in his right hand. Though mottled with rust, it still carried an intimidating aura.

"Whew, that felt good."

Inside the room, Hu Qiang's massive body suddenly convulsed. It was as if his soul had floated from his body as he trembled in enjoyment of release—then the wooden door behind him flew open with a bang, bringing with it a savage gust of wind.

Hu Qiang drove hard with his kneeling feet and lunged forward, crashing directly into the earthen wall. Turning, he shoved the woman beneath him forward, only to see a rusty woodcutter's knife plunge into her abdomen. Blood instantly gushed out.

The remaining four women were lying side by side on the earthen kang, resting. Seeing this scene so suddenly, they were about to lose control and scream.

"Anyone who dares scream, I'll slaughter her."

Xiang Yang's features were refined and handsome, but blood had splashed across his face, staining it red and revealing a savage expression. Under his threat, the four women huddled together, trembling, clamping their hands over their mouths. Not one dared make a sound. They could only stare at Xiang Yang in terror.

Hu Qiang had also seen the one who had ambushed him, and his heart pounded wildly. Wasn't this kid Yang Xiang, the one who had gone up the mountain that day to broker a connection for Zhou Fugui? Why was he here? And he had tried to ambush him?

If not for the vigilance and reflexes he had honed over many years, he would likely have fallen to this kid just now.

Xiang Yang's expression remained unchanged as he pulled the woodcutter's knife from the naked woman's abdomen. He had originally intended to rush straight behind Hu Qiang with the knife and wound him, weakening him and making him easier to control.

But he had not expected Hu Qiang's reaction to be so fast. In an instant, Hu Qiang had lunged forward to evade him, then used the woman beneath him as a shield by shoving her backward at him, causing him to miss and kill her instead. From that brief moment of reaction alone, Xiang Yang knew that even after practicing the Iron Crotch Technique and Iron Finger Technique, he was still no match for Hu Qiang. Fortunately, he was bullying a Hu Qiang who was in an incomparably terrible state.

As for the woman's accidental death, Xiang Yang could only apologize to her in his heart. Having killed Zhao Shan and Li Qian, his growth was obvious.

After delivering his vicious threat, Xiang Yang pushed off with his feet and charged Hu Qiang again. He unleashed the basic saber technique, its moves grim and orderly. His purpose was not to kill Hu Qiang, only to wound him—and he maintained the upper hand throughout.

Hu Qiang was injured, reeking of alcohol, and had just spent nearly an hour locked in fierce battle with five beautiful women as ravenous as wolves and tigers. He was now at less than a tenth of his peak condition. Even so, he exchanged three rounds with Xiang Yang. His reactions were astonishing as he slipped past the woodcutter's knife and chopped his palm onto the blade, shouting without pause in hopes of drawing the attention of the Giant Bear Gang members outside.

Feeling the jolting force transmitted through the clash between the woodcutter's knife and Hu Qiang's fleshy palm, Xiang Yang was immensely grateful that he had acted tonight. After practicing the Iron Crotch Technique for so many days, his strength had grown day by day. He could now casually lift a fifty-pound boulder, yet even so, he was still far weaker than Hu Qiang in raw strength.

Xiang Yang could lift a fifty-pound boulder, but he could not wield a fifty-pound weapon. Hu Qiang's broadsword, meanwhile, weighed a full seventy pounds. That was a qualitative gap. One force could overcome ten techniques; if Hu Qiang used Forcefully Splitting Mount Hua with sheer strength alone, Xiang Yang would find it nearly impossible to block.

At the same time, Xiang Yang realized that in terms of true strength, Xiang Da Niu could never have been Hu Qiang's match. The fact that he had managed to wound Hu Qiang must have been because Hu Qiang had underestimated him and been cut by Xiang Da Niu through carelessness.

Outside, more than ten meters from the gate to Hu Qiang's small courtyard, two Giant Bear Gang members in brown clothing squatted together, chatting idly. As they watched the women passing by, lewd light gleamed in their eyes. From time to time, they reached out with lustful hands to slap the women in sensitive places, drawing startled cries and curses.

"Huh? Did you hear something? It sounded like Lord Hu's voice. Could something have happened?"

One gang member tilted his head and listened, asking in confusion. The man beside him, however, wore the expression of a drooling pig as he stared at a very flirtatious woman.

"What could happen to him? He eats well, dresses well, and most infuriatingly, sleeps well. He's always been like this—he howls and yells when he plays with women as if he's fighting a war. If you want to meddle, go take a look yourself. But if he curses or beats you, don't blame me."

The gang member who had first noticed something odd recalled Hu Qiang's fierce face and overbearing nature and shuddered. This was Giant Bear Gang territory, and Hu Qiang had entered the room safely right beneath their noses. What could possibly happen? Better not provoke him.

This was precisely the downside of being fierce and tyrannical. If one made enemies everywhere, the one ultimately harmed would still be oneself.

Inside, Hu Qiang shouted himself hoarse, yet no one burst through the door to help him repel the enemy. Anxiety rose in his heart, and in that instant of agitation, Xiang Yang caught an opening and slashed at Hu Qiang's right wrist. The blade might have been dull, but a weapon was still a weapon, and it cut a line of blood.

Xiang Yang's eyes lit up. He pressed close to Hu Qiang, wielding the knife in his right hand while keeping his left concealed behind his back. When Hu Qiang's move had run its course, he switched the woodcutter's knife to his other hand. His right-hand fingers flickered like butterflies among flowers and struck Hu Qiang in both eyes. In agonizing pain, Hu Qiang toppled headfirst to the ground, naked as he curled up and covered his eyes, screaming miserably.