Fierce Battle

Yazi Bay, Tiger Gang courtyard.

Er Mazi stood with his arms folded, leaning against the doorframe and yawning in boredom.

Smack!

A hard little paper ball suddenly flew over and struck him squarely on the forehead!

"Who?!"

"Who?!" Er Mazi jolted upright, one hand on his sword hilt as he warily swept his gaze over the empty alley.

No one answered. Suspicious, he bent down to pick up the paper ball. Unfolding it, he saw it was densely covered in writing.

"Damn it..." Er Mazi cursed under his breath. He was illiterate, unable to recognize a single character.

But he was no fool. He knew this thing had to mean something.

He immediately clenched the paper ball and rushed into the courtyard.

"What are you panicking for?" Xu Chengfeng happened to be stepping out of the courtyard gate with a dark expression.

"Brother Feng! Someone... someone threw this!" Er Mazi hurriedly presented it to him.

Xu Chengfeng took it suspiciously and quickly scanned it by the dim light. Wild delight and viciousness instantly erupted across his face. "Damn it! Worn through iron shoes searching in vain, only to find it without effort! That old dog was actually hiding on Huai Shu Street!"

He waved the note and lowered his voice. "That treacherous dog Liu Laizi! He's switched sides! This is Song Tie's hiding place!"

Er Mazi looked utterly bewildered. "Liu Laizi? He..."

"You! Take two sharp brothers at once and keep watch around Huai Shu Street! See if there are any Golden River Gang rats poking their heads around there! Go!" Xu Chengfeng ordered urgently.

"Yes!" Er Mazi dared not delay and turned to run.

Xu Chengfeng stared at the note, a murderous gleam flickering in his eyes.

He already believed this intelligence seven or eight parts out of ten. He knew Liu Laizi's character—he was a fence-sitter, greedy for life and afraid of death, fully capable of doing such a thing.

But just in case, they still had to verify it.

Before long, Er Mazi came running back, panting heavily with excitement on his face. "Brother Feng! There really are! At the entrance to Huai Shu Street, there are two Golden River Gang brats standing lookout."

"Gather the brothers!"

Murderous light shot from Xu Chengfeng's eyes. "Grab your weapons! Seal off that alley on Huai Shu Street! Don't let even a fly escape! Chop Song Tie to pieces, and there'll be a heavy reward!"

"Yes!" The courtyard instantly filled with the sounds of blades being drawn and low growls.

Er Mazi leaned closer and asked softly, "Brother Feng, that Liu Laizi..."

Xu Chengfeng's lips pulled into a cruel sneer. "Keep him for the New Year? I hate traitorous bastards most! Deal with him too!"

Soon after, over a dozen Tiger Gang members drew their longswords. Like a pack of wolves pouncing on prey, they silently yet murderously surged toward Huai Shu Street.

Huai Shu Street.

The Tiger Gang members seemed pumped full of chicken blood, drawing their longswords one after another. Led by Xu Chengfeng, they rushed silently yet murderously toward Song Tie's hiding place like hyenas that had scented blood.

Chen Qing hid in the darkness, silently watching the murderers vanish into the depths of the alley. Until he saw Song Tie's corpse with his own eyes, he could not rest easy.

Bang!

Kill!

"Song Tie! Get out here and die!"

Very soon came the thunderous crash of a door being smashed open, furious roars, the clang of weapons striking, and shrill screams.

Firelight faintly flared from the direction of the ruined courtyard, dyeing that narrow patch of sky red.

Song Tie's eyes were bloodshot as he leaned against the doorframe and slashed madly, using two subordinates as human shields in front of him.

At the same time, the wound in his abdomen tore open again with the violent movements, blood gushing out wildly.

"Who was it?! Who sold me out?!!"

Song Tie roared in despair. With the last thread of his strength, he slammed toward the shattered wooden window behind him, which had long been on the verge of collapse.

"Watch out for his poisoned darts! Chase him! Chase that bastard!"

Xu Chengfeng's enraged howl came from the courtyard. He seemed to have been injured.

Run!

He had to escape!

Like a wounded beast driven into a dead end, Song Tie erupted with a shocking instinct to survive.

Ignoring the tearing pain in his abdomen, he fled for his life through the narrow back alleys piled with clutter, relying on his familiarity with Huai Shu Street's complicated terrain.

He did not dare take the main roads, choosing only the darkest, most winding gaps to squeeze through.

Every ragged breath carried a heavy stench of blood.

His vision began to blur, and the dizziness from blood loss crashed against his consciousness again and again like waves.

But he did not dare stop!

As long as he could rush out, blend into the crowds outside, or leap into the river beside him, there was still hope of survival.

The last trace of madness burst from his eyes. He bit through the tip of his tongue, using the excruciating pain to spur himself on, wringing out his final shred of strength as he staggered toward the path ahead!

Three steps! Two steps! One step!

Whoosh!

A black shadow flashed beneath the nearby eaves! Chen Qing swooped down like a hunting night cat.

He used Tongbei Fist's Exhibiting Hands to Bind Mountains. The fingers of his right hand were like iron hooks as they clamped tightly around Song Tie's arm just above the right elbow joint. His fingers tightened.

Crack!

The crisp sound of bone splitting made one's teeth ache.

Song Tie had only just cried out in pain when Chen Qing's left hand coiled around like lightning, locking onto the inside of his elbow! His waist and legs twisted sharply, the strength of his whole body exploding forth as he savagely pulled and tore.

Riiip!

Flesh tore apart, exposing even splinters of bone. His entire right arm was ripped off alive.

The agony made Song Tie's vision go black, his body swaying as if he were about to collapse.

Chen Qing gave him no chance to catch his breath. His right fist carried the force of his entire body as it blasted out like a hammer striking an anvil.

Bang!

That punch landed heavily on Song Tie's face. His entire body flew more than ten feet before crashing to the ground, unable to rise again, blood gurgling from his mouth.

He forced his eyes wide, trying to see his ambusher clearly.

The next instant!

Crack! Splat!

His breastbone shattered completely, his internal organs crushed beneath the foot. Song Tie's body convulsed violently once, his eyes rolling white as he fell utterly silent.

"Phew!"

Chen Qing let out a long breath. Fortunately, he had guarded the outskirts, or Song Tie might truly have escaped alive.

He swiftly searched Song Tie's body and found a heavy money pouch.

Opening it, he found more than twenty taels of gleaming silver inside!

"I've struck it rich!"

A sharp gleam flashed in Chen Qing's eyes.

The last time he had intercepted and killed Qian Biao, he had found only a few taels of loose silver.

Yet Song Tie had carried twenty taels of silver on him.

This was an enormous fortune!

How many years would it take for him and his mother to save this much silver without eating or drinking!?

Besides the silver, there was also a thin booklet, Gale Blade Technique.

Chen Qing delivered several more punches to the vital points of Song Tie's corpse. Only after ensuring that no traces of Tongbei Fist's distinctive force could be seen on the surface did his figure flash away, swiftly disappearing into the shadows of Huai Shu Street.

The next day, news spread throughout Yazi Bay that the Golden River Gang's leader had been killed by the Tiger Gang.