Strangling

Huai Shu Street lay on the edge of the Outer City, even filthier and more chaotic than Yazi Bay.

Rag-clad beggars packed both sides of the street, while skeletal children rummaged through the filthy gutters for scraps of food.

The air reeked of rot and excrement. Every so often, swollen blue-black corpses could be seen sprawled by the roadside.

In a place like this, a person's death drew less notice than a rat's.

Chen Qing lurked in the shadows beneath the eaves, surveying the tangled maze of narrow alleys below.

Qian Biao's death was like an invisible thorn. As long as the Golden River Gang remained, that thorn would remain embedded in his flesh. Who knew when it might fester and rot?

Rather than wait for trouble to come knocking, it was better to strike first.

Suddenly, Chen Qing's gaze sharpened.

Two figures turned out from the mouth of an alley, skulking about. One was Liu Laizi; beside him was a shifty-looking man with yellow teeth.

The two hurried along with tense expressions, looking back every few steps like startled birds.

"Brother Liu, are we really going out now? Those Tiger Gang dogs are biting down hard."

The yellow-toothed man lowered his voice, unable to hide his unease.

"Bullshit!"

Liu Laizi rubbed his hands irritably and cursed under his breath. "My mouth's so bland I could spit out a bird! Who can stand chewing dry flatbread crusts for two days? Hurry up! Buy it and get back!"

Keeping close to the walls, the two quickly slipped toward the other end of the alley.

Chen Qing's heart stirred. Holding his breath, he silently moved along the rooftops, following them with the nimbleness of a civet cat, his eyes locked tightly on their figures.

Liu Laizi and the other man made several familiar turns before arriving at a relatively lively little crossroads.

After vigilantly looking around for a moment, Liu Laizi hurried forward, pulled out several copper coins, grabbed a package of food wrapped in oiled paper, then immediately turned back with the yellow-toothed man, their pace even quicker as they headed back.

Chen Qing saw everything clearly from the roof. That food did not look like it was meant for only two people.

He followed without a sound, maintaining a safe distance and height.

After winding through countless turns, Liu Laizi and his companion finally slipped into the end of an exceptionally secluded dead-end alley.

Before them stood a battered wooden door.

Liu Laizi nervously looked left and right again. Only after confirming that no one had followed them did he quickly knock on the door.

With a creak, the door opened a crack. The two swiftly slipped inside, and the door shut at once.

I'll probe their strength first.

Chen Qing took a deep breath and climbed the courtyard wall beside him, reaching the rooftop.

Carefully, he stretched out his head and looked into the courtyard.

Two or three long sabers lay on a wooden table in the yard. Torn fragments of women's robes and skirts were scattered across the ground, leaving the place in complete disarray.

Just then, voices drifted out from inside the house.

Chen Qing carefully lifted a roof tile and peered down.

It was a bedroom. Messy quilts were piled on the bed, a medicine bottle sat on the table, and bloodstained bandages had been tossed onto the floor.

Not this room. Chen Qing understood at once. He gently replaced the tile, crouched low, and moved to the eaves of the neighboring room, where he lifted another tile.

The sight of the main hall entered his eyes. Four or five burly men sat gathered together, while at the seat of honor sat a cold-faced middle-aged man dressed in black robes.

They really are Golden River Gang men!

Chen Qing narrowed his eyes. He recognized the middle-aged man as Song Tie, the Golden River Gang's leader.

It was said that Song Tie was highly skilled, especially with the saber. Yazi Bay had been carved out by the blade in his hand.

Chen Qing had seen him once before.

"Gang Leader, we bought the food!" Liu Laizi wiped away his sweat and handed over the oiled-paper package.

Song Tie impatiently tore it open and glanced inside. He immediately flew into a rage. "Cornmeal steamed buns?! Not even a trace of grease? I'm about to scrape knives out of my mouth!"

Liu Laizi gave a bitter smile. "Gang Leader, in a shithole like Huai Shu Street, it's already not easy to get a hot bite to eat."

"Fuck this humiliating bullshit! How long are we supposed to keep hiding?" one man could not help muttering.

"Go out? You want to end up like Qian Biao?" another sneered. "He didn't even know how he died!"

Several gang members could not help complaining in low voices. When Qian Biao's death was mentioned, fear entered their voices.

Liu Laizi's eyes rolled as he cautiously said, "Gang Leader, the Tiger Gang is pressing us too hard... How about we try... making peace?"

"I think making peace is a good idea."

Liu Laizi's proposal immediately won the agreement of quite a few people present.

Smack!

Song Tie slammed his palm heavily onto the table. The hard wooden table instantly shattered into four pieces.

The room fell deathly silent. Every gang member was as quiet as a cicada in winter.

What tremendous force!

Even Chen Qing, on the rooftop, was secretly startled.

Song Tie's blood and qi were considered vigorous even among those at Bright Strength. If Chen Qing faced him head-on, he likely would not gain any advantage, let alone with so many Golden River Gang members present.

Song Tie said expressionlessly, "Making peace? Looks to me like you want to offer up my head as a pledge of allegiance, hmm?"

Liu Laizi shuddered. "Wouldn't dare! Wouldn't dare! Please quell your anger, Gang Leader!"

Song Tie's accumulated authority over the years still remained. The gang members all lowered their heads.

"You've all gone soft? A'biao's vengeance, Yazi Bay's territory—I'll personally take them back! Listen carefully!"

Song Tie's hawk-like gaze swept over his silenced subordinates. He sneered. "A'hu! Do you still remember him? He's coming back! Once he arrives, let's see where in Gaolin County that Tiger Gang can still leap about!"

"Master Hu is coming back?!" A bright light suddenly burst from Liu Laizi's eyes, and even his voice trembled.

"Would I lie to you lot?"

Song Tie impatiently waved a hand. "Go back. Don't let those Tiger Gang dogs catch your scent."

"Yes!"

As though granted amnesty, the men hurriedly bowed and withdrew.

A'hu?

Doubts filled Chen Qing's heart.

Who was this man, that Song Tie relied on him so heavily?

He committed the name to memory.

This was not a place to linger.

Chen Qing silently drew back, preparing to leave.

Something's wrong!

Chen Qing halted. He was so clever that if you plucked out a hair from his head, it would be hollow.

Thinking of the medicine bottle and bandages he had seen earlier, was that old fox injured?

Chen Qing lowered himself again and moved above the side room where he had first spotted the medicine bottle and bloodstained strips of cloth. Holding his breath, he gently shifted aside a tile to open a narrow gap.

Inside, Song Tie had just confirmed that the last gang member had left. His entire body immediately collapsed into the chair like a deflated leather ball.

"Pah! A bunch of faithless, treacherous bastards!"

Song Tie gritted his teeth and poured Golden Wound Medicine onto his injury. The powder mixed with blood, forming a dark red scab.

As the gang leader, he knew better than anyone how laughable the "brotherly loyalty" written in the gang rules was. If he showed even the slightest weakness, his head would be hanging from the Tiger Gang's flagpole tomorrow.

"Good thing I was smart enough to keep something up my sleeve."

As Song Tie treated his wound, he snorted coldly. "You're all waiting for me to fall so you can lick a new master's boots?... Just wait. Once I catch my breath..."

That strike just now was probably the empty show of a spent crossbow.

From above the eaves, Chen Qing saw the scene clearly.

If he launched a sneak attack, this seemed like a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

He narrowed his eyes and began calculating in silence.

A starved camel was still bigger than a horse. How serious were Song Tie's injuries? Did they merely look terrible on the surface, or was he truly at the end of his rope?

Besides, a cornered rabbit would bite, and a desperate dog would leap over a wall. A man who had survived gang infighting and risen to the position of gang leader could not possibly be underestimated for the ferocity of his dying counterattack and his trump cards. He might even have hidden weapons, deadly poison, and the like.

The layout of this ruined courtyard was unclear. Were there other traps inside? Secret passages? If he made a move but failed to finish Song Tie instantly, what if the commotion drew others over?

If he failed, or left a survivor behind, his identity would be completely exposed.

If the sneak attack succeeded, the benefit would be Song Tie's possessions—but from the look of him, he did not seem particularly wealthy.

Kill with a borrowed knife!

An idea formed in Chen Qing's mind.

Like a falling leaf, he silently slid down from the roof. When he landed, he did not stir even a speck of dust.

In less than a moment, Chen Qing's figure had melted into the darkness of the alleys.