South District, Wang Family Small Courtyard, side room.
The oil lamp burned like a bean, casting light over Wang Yuan's calm face.
He changed out of his night clothes and carefully washed away any blood stench and soot that might have clung to him before laying out tonight's gains one by one.
Several unregistered silver notes, totaling twelve hundred taels.
One copy of the "Black Tiger Saber Technique" manual.
One copy of the "Turtle Breath Technique" manual.
One Huang Family Token.
As well as over a hundred taels of loose silver searched from Steward Huang's body.
It was a bountiful haul, enough to make any ordinary martial artist see red with envy.
Yet there was little joy on Wang Yuan's face. Instead, he frowned slightly and began reviewing tonight's operation.
"The ambush was highly successful. The lime and chili powder worked, Sun Miao and Liu Mang were killed instantly, catching Zhao Hu completely off guard."
"In the direct clash with Zhao Hu, I held an absolute advantage in strength through Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone and the Blood Burning Technique."
"The Mountain Breaking Spear Technique also broke through to Minor Accomplishment under pressure. That was a highlight."
"But..."
Wang Yuan's eyes sharpened as he reflected on his shortcomings:
"After using the Blood Burning Technique, although the feeling of weakness was greatly reduced, I still lost nearly a tenth of my Vital Blood. It will take at least an hour to fully recover."
"That means that in a complicated environment, if I fail to swiftly end the fight or withdraw after using the Blood Burning Technique, I'll be in danger."
"When fighting Zhao Hu, I relied too heavily on suppressing him with strength in the early stages. The changes in my spear technique still weren't fluid enough."
"If I hadn't comprehended the true intent of 'Mountain Severing' at the final moment and broken through to Minor Accomplishment, I would have had to spend much more effort, and might even have been injured."
"The final handling of the scene still wasn't perfect. Though I set a fire, there's no guarantee that no traces were left behind."
"Especially Steward Huang's token... it's a problem."
He picked up the smooth, warm Huang Family Token, rubbing the cloud patterns upon it with his thumb. His gaze was icy.
"The Huang Family... it seems we're completely at odds now."
He did not regret killing Steward Huang.
Under those circumstances, silencing him had been the only choice. He merely needed to be more vigilant of the Huang Family's response going forward.
"If a man has no distant worries, near sorrows are sure to come."
"My strength still needs to improve as quickly as possible!"
Wang Yuan clenched his fist.
First Blood Change was still nothing much in Gaoye City.
Only greater strength could weather the storms ahead.
If he possessed the strength of Transformation Force, a single word from him would condemn the Black Tiger Gang to eternal damnation.
Wang Yuan carefully hid away the silver notes and token, then picked up the two manuals.
He gave the "Black Tiger Saber Technique" a rough read. It followed a fierce and tyrannical path, and it was a saber technique besides, making it poorly suited to him.
Perhaps he could sell it to Third Senior Brother's merchant guild or trade it for other resources.
But for the time being, he still needed to lie low. The Black Tiger Gang had only just been wiped out, and he would be parading the Black Tiger Saber Technique through the streets.
Wouldn't that be directly telling everyone that he was the killer?
The "Turtle Breath Technique," however, piqued his interest.
If he mastered this breath-concealing method, it would be of great use whether for sneaking about, hiding himself, or playing dead at a crucial moment.
"Next, I'll consolidate my Minor Accomplishment in spear technique, attempt to cultivate the 'Turtle Breath Technique,' and use the resources in my hands to charge for Second Blood Change as soon as possible!"
Wang Yuan set his short-term goals.
Meanwhile, at the former site of the Black Tiger Gang's main headquarters in the East District.
It had already been surrounded by government runners and constables, their torches lighting the area as bright as day.
The air was thick with the stench of charred remains and blood that had yet to disperse.
The once fairly imposing hall was now nothing but broken walls, ruins, and blackened charcoal.
Two corpses, burned nearly beyond recognition, lay in the courtyard beneath white sheets.
The lead constable was surnamed Qian. As he looked at the scene before him, his face was full of impatience and bad luck.
Gang clashes and exterminations by enemies were nothing new in the Outer City. Following procedure to collect the bodies, file a report, and then let the matter fade away unresolved was the norm.
But this time, one of the dead was from the Huang Family!
That left him with no choice but to bring his brothers here in the dead of night to deal with this mess, all while treading on eggshells for fear of offending the Inner City's dignitaries.
"Chief, we checked. Aside from those two charred corpses, there are two more bodies inside. Their throats were pierced by sharp weapons. They should be Black Tiger Gang deputy leaders Sun Miao and Liu Mang."
A constable stepped forward and reported in a low voice.
Captain Qian rubbed his brow, just about to speak.
Then he suddenly heard a commotion outside.
A lavishly decorated carriage drawn by four magnificent horses, surrounded by a group of sharp, formidable guards, ignored the government runners' attempts to stop it and drove straight to the ruins.
The carriage stopped, its curtain was lifted, and a woman stepped down.
She appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. Her features could only be considered delicate and ordinary, with nothing particularly remarkable about them.
But her eyes were as cold as two deep pools, utterly without ripples.
A mere sweep of her gaze sent chills down one's spine.
She wore neat azure martial attire, with a slender sword at her waist. Her aura was steady and heavy as a mountain.
The moment Captain Qian saw her, his heart jolted. The impatience on his face vanished at once, replaced by respect and even a trace of fear.
He hurried forward and bowed. "This subordinate Qian Lu pays respects to Instructor Huang!"
He was deeply shocked. She actually came in person.
"Huang Yao!"
"One of the Huang Family's renowned young geniuses. At only twenty-five, she has already reached Third Blood Change, and it is said she is only one step away from Force Entry."
"Moreover, because of her ruthless methods and decisive conduct, she bears the fearsome Inner City title of 'Mother Yaksha'!"
Huang Yao did not even glance at Captain Qian. Her cold gaze fell directly on the two charred corpses.
It lingered especially on the smaller corpse for a moment, and an almost imperceptible flash of anger passed through her eyes.
"Who did this?"
Her voice, like her gaze, contained not the slightest trace of warmth.
Cold sweat beaded on Captain Qian's forehead. He forced himself to answer, "In reply to Instructor Huang, the scene was severely damaged by the fire. The murderer... the murderer has not left any obvious clues for the moment."
"However, according to several surviving outer members of the Black Tiger Gang, fierce fighting could be heard within the headquarters tonight. By the time they arrived, the fire had already started..."
"Useless."
Huang Yao spat out those two cold words. Captain Qian's face turned pale, but he did not dare argue.
She walked to the charred corpses and crouched down. Entirely unconcerned by the burnt stench, she extended a hand clad in a silk glove and carefully examined the break in the corpse's neck.
She then studied the traces of violent destruction around her and the two corpses with pierced throats.
"One strike, one kill. Clean and decisive."
"The one who killed Sun Miao and Liu Mang was far stronger than them, at least an expert among Second Blood Change martial artists."
"When fighting Zhao Hu, their strength was immense. Their weapon... seemed to be a heavy weapon, something like a long spear."
Huang Yao rose to her feet, her cold gaze sweeping across the ruins.
"The arson was meant to destroy the evidence, but the method was crude. It seems the culprit acted quite decisively, even somewhat... recklessly."
She looked at Captain Qian, her tone allowing no dispute:
"Investigate! Use every force you can mobilize."
"Investigate everyone who has recently held grudges against Outer City gangs, especially anyone with a grudge against the Black Tiger Gang or Zhao Hu."
"And martial artists skilled with heavy weapons and possessing astonishing strength. Do not let a single one slip through!"
The moment Captain Qian heard the words "investigate," his heart sank. He immediately bowed and replied:
"Yes! This subordinate understands! I will certainly investigate with all my strength!"
Huang Yao said no more and turned back toward the carriage.
Before boarding, she cast one final glance at the ruins, cold light flashing in her eyes.
"Whoever you are, if you dared touch someone from my Huang Family, I will drag you out and tear you into ten thousand pieces!"
The carriage slowly departed, leaving Captain Qian and the government runners standing where they were, exchanging looks as the pressure weighed upon them like a mountain.
Captain Qian looked at the two charred corpses, then recalled Huang Yao's icy gaze. His mouth twitched, and he muttered a curse under his breath:
"Fuck, what kind of mess is this!"
"Someone from your Huang Family died, and you make us investigate."
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