The night was deep. At the entrance to a small alley in Outer City West Ward, thick with the scents of rouge and wine.
Song San, a Black Tiger Gang thug, staggered out.
He had just enjoyed himself at a low-class brothel called Soul-Shattering Pavilion. Reeking of alcohol, his face still bore a flush of satisfied red.
Yet deep within his eyes lurked a lingering haze and viciousness.
That afternoon, Gang Leader Zhao Hu had summoned him.
Those cruel words had directly shattered the small delight he had felt after extorting a bit of money.
"Song San, our Black Tiger Gang has thoroughly offended Wang Yuan."
"Before, he was poor and lowly, so we could bully him however we pleased."
"But now? Now he is Zheng Shan's True Disciple."
"High Grade Bone Structure! Do you know what that means?"
Zhao Hu's voice echoed through the dim gang hall, carrying suppressed fury and a trace of barely perceptible panic.
"Once he grows up, Zheng Shan will not even need to act. The first ones Wang Yuan will settle scores with will be our Black Tiger Gang."
"When that time comes, you, me, and all these brothers in the gang will be finished."
Song San had broken out in a cold sweat on the spot, swaying unsteadily.
Zhao Hu stared at him with a ferocious gaze. "You caused this mess. Wang Yuan probably hates you the most."
"Now, there is only one road before you—before his martial path is complete and his foundation is stable, find an opportunity and cripple him."
"A crippled genius is no longer a genius."
"Even if Zheng Shan flies into a rage, he cannot possibly fight us to the bitter end over a cripple!"
"But... Zheng Shan is a Hua Jin Martial Master..."
Song San's voice trembled.
"You do not need to worry about that. I have powerful people behind me as well."
"After you finish this, leave Gaoye City immediately. Go lie low somewhere, and wait until things calm down."
"That is still better than staying here and waiting for that brat to grow wings and feathers, then return to pull us up by the roots!"
Zhao Hu tossed him a small pouch of silver. "This is for travel expenses and settling down.
"The opportunity is yours to find."
"Remember, either do not do it, or if you do, do it cleanly and decisively. Never give him another chance to turn things around!"
Remembering the gang leader's words from that afternoon, Song San clenched the money pouch.
A surge of ruthlessness mixed with fear immediately rose in his heart.
He knew he had no way back.
Wang Yuan had to be crippled!
Otherwise, the one who would die would be Song San—and perhaps the entire Black Tiger Gang.
"Damn it, just a poor brat who stepped in dog shit..."
Song San cursed under his breath as he swayed into a dark, deserted narrow alley that he had to pass through on his way home.
His mind was still calculating how to strike at Wang Yuan.
Should he ambush him near his home, or on his way to the Fist Academy...
Just then, a somewhat hoarse voice suddenly came from behind him:
"Brother, you dropped your money."
Drunk as he was, Song San instinctively believed it seven or eight parts out of ten.
He even wondered whether he had accidentally dropped some silver when taking out his money pouch earlier.
He abruptly turned around, mumbling, "Where? My money..."
Before his words could fall!
A handful of pungent, eye-stinging red powder was flung straight at his face.
It was chili powder prepared in advance.
"Ah! My eyes!!"
Caught entirely off guard, Song San had chili powder instantly invade both eyes.
The searing pain made him let out a pig-slaughtering scream as tears and snot poured forth together.
His vision turned blood-red. He could see nothing at all.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"I am from the Black Tiger Gang! If you dare touch me, just wait for the Black Tiger Gang's revenge!"
Song San cursed as he wildly waved both hands around his face, trying to scare off the ambusher before him.
And in the instant Song San completely lost his sight and his mind fell into chaos.
A figure closed in like a ghost.
"Heh. The ones I am beating are Black Tiger Gang men."
This person was none other than Wang Yuan, who had been lying in wait for a long time.
Wang Yuan's gaze was icy. Seeing that the opportunity was perfect.
The newly formed Rock-Solid Qi and Blood within his body instantly surged.
The terrifying strength granted by Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone rose along his spine and gathered in his right fist.
He used no flashy move whatsoever.
It was merely the simplest, most direct straight punch.
That straight punch carried the heavy force of a boulder and smashed viciously into Song San's utterly defenseless chest.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out, accompanied by the distinct crack of breaking bones.
Song San only felt an irresistible force crash into him.
His chest felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer.
Then his entire body flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
At last, he slammed heavily into the alley's earthen wall before limply sliding down to the ground.
Pfft!
Song San violently spat out a mouthful of blood, seemingly mixed with fragments of internal organs.
Pain and terror instantly drowned him.
His instinct to survive made him endure the burning agony in his eyes and the pain of his shattered breastbone.
Using both hands and feet, he crawled forward, trying to escape this terrifying place.
"Spare... spare my life... Hero, spare my life... Money... I will give you all my money..."
Song San's voice was hoarse and filled with despair.
Yet a foot came down, precisely stepping on the center of his back and pressing his barely raised body firmly back onto the cold ground.
The force coming from that foot left him unable to move in the slightest. Even breathing became difficult.
"You are... who are you... I have no grievances or enmity with you..."
Song San gasped with difficulty.
His heart was full of bewilderment and fear. He truly could not remember offending such a formidable figure.
He had always bullied the weak and feared the strong. He usually kept far away from martial artists like this.
How could he possibly have offended one?
But then a calm voice, carrying a trace of mockery, sounded above his head:
"Yesterday, you were still calling me a sickly ghost with every breath. What, you cannot recognize me today?"
Hiss!
This voice...
Song San's entire body abruptly stiffened, as though his blood had frozen in an instant.
He only felt boundless cold rush from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
"Wang... Wang Yuan? It... it is you!"
His voice twisted out of shape from extreme terror, filled with disbelief.
How was this possible?
Had he not only entered the Fist Academy a few days ago?
How could he possess such strength?
This power, this ruthlessness...
"Correct answer. Pity there is no prize."
Wang Yuan spoke blandly and lightly exerted force with his foot.
The power of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone instantly erupted through the sole of his foot.
Crack!
With a tooth-achingly crisp sound, Song San's spine was forcibly crushed beneath his foot.
His body convulsed violently once.
His eyes remained wide with terror, carrying endless regret and unwillingness, before his breath abruptly ceased.
Expressionless, Wang Yuan bent down and fished the money pouch, still carrying body warmth and the smell of wine, from Song San's chest.
He lightly weighed it in his hand, then tucked it into his own clothes.
He did not spare even one more glance at the corpse on the ground as it gradually turned cold.
Then, with a flash of his body, he vanished at the end of the alley like a shadow melting into the night.
The night wind blew past, rolling several fallen leaves over Song San's face, his eyes still refusing to close in death.
Only the thick smell of blood and the pungent scent of chili powder remained at the scene, slowly drifting through the dim alley.
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