Envelopment

Deep within Baihua Lane, outside a dilapidated earthen house.

Chen Qing pressed close against the icy wall, keeping his breathing extremely low.

His gaze pierced through the alley entrance ahead, locking onto the two figures who had just emerged from the earthen house: Wang Ying and Duan Ye.

Both were Bright Strength experts of the Blackwater Gang, broad and burly, their faces carrying arrogance and impatience.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Wang Ying cursed, "Fuck, another empty catch! That little widow is slippery as a rat—she ran fast enough!"

Duan Ye spat out a wad of phlegm and glanced into the shadowy alleyway. "Relax. With that old bastard there, she can't run far. Sooner or later, she'll be ours to take from our pockets."

At that moment, neither man was on guard, utterly unaware of the killing intent lying in wait.

Just as Wang Ying's curse ended and he lifted his foot to leave—

"Whoosh!"

Chen Qing moved.

He shot out from the shadows at the corner like an arrow, his steps soundless, so fast that only a blurred afterimage remained.

The plain saber at his waist had somehow appeared in his hand. Its edge reflected not a glimmer in the dim light, cold and restrained.

Three steps! In merely three steps, he crossed several zhang!

His target was Wang Ying's unguarded nape.

The muscles in Chen Qing's arm tightened like a drawn bowstring. Without the slightest flourish, the saber tip pierced precisely into the gap between Wang Ying's cervical vertebrae. His wrist twisted, then sliced.

"Pfft!"

A dull, teeth-grinding sound of a sharp blade cutting through bone and flesh.

Wang Ying did not even have time to react. He only felt a chill at the back of his neck, followed by scorching liquid gushing out.

A gurgling sound escaped his throat as his body pitched forward. The savagery in his eyes was instantly replaced by terror and lifeless stillness, and he crashed heavily onto the bluestone slabs covered in filthy water.

The blade's gleam had not yet faded!

Almost at the same moment Wang Ying fell, Chen Qing used his forward momentum to twist at the waist and spin, his movements flowing without the slightest stiffness.

His saber carved a deadly arc, sweeping upward from below toward Duan Ye's jaw.

This was a variation of Wind Sweeps Clouds from the Gale Blade Technique, turning a chop into an upward thrust. It was faster and struck from an even trickier angle.

Duan Ye caught a glimpse of a black shadow rushing in from the corner of his eye. In his shock, he had only managed to turn half his body when a bone-piercing chill was already bearing down on his throat!

"Ugh?!"

His pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he tried to draw his saber to block, but it was too late.

That flash of blade-light was swift as lightning. It entered precisely through the corner of his slightly open mouth, slanting upward along his jawbone and piercing straight into his skull.

"Crack!"

The saber tip, stained with blood, protruded near Duan Ye's temple.

Duan Ye's body seemed to have had every bone pulled from it. It convulsed violently once, then crumpled limply atop Wang Ying's corpse, which still retained a trace of warmth.

No more than two breaths had passed.

The alley was deathly quiet, save for the sound of blood flowing.

Chen Qing swiftly searched the two corpses and stuffed several bits of broken silver and copper coins into his clothes.

His icy gaze swept over the two bodies, still twitching faintly. Only after delivering several more slashes to erase the evidence did he slip away silently.

The night was like ink, thick enough that it could not be dissolved.

The brightly lit courtyard deep within Baihua Lane was particularly glaring.

This was the Blackwater Gang's temporary hall.

Inside the main hall, oil lamps cast several shadows across the mottled walls.

Gang leader Jiang Hui was broad and burly, dressed in an open-fronted silk shirt that exposed a savage old scar across his chest.

He irritably slammed his wine bowl onto the table.

"Fuck, where are those two little bastards, Wang Ying and Duan Ye? What are they dawdling for?"

Jiang Hui's voice carried the haze of drink and impatient savagery. "We agreed there was important business to discuss tonight. Where the hell did they die off to?"

A lean, wiry man seated below, nicknamed Skinny Monkey, hurriedly bent at the waist. "Brother Hui, calm down. Brother Li and Brother Leopard... they ran into a pretty widow at the alley entrance just now. Heh, I reckon they wanted to have a little fresh meat before coming over, so they got delayed."

He waggled his brows, the meaning obvious.

"Fresh meat?!"

Jiang Hui slammed the table. "Those dog-fucked bastards! Playing with women is more important than the serious business I assigned, is it? Do they not know this batch of goods being sent to the Warm Jade Workshop in the Prefecture City is precious as gold?!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The younger gang members below fell silent as cicadas in winter, nodding repeatedly.

Jiang Hui took a deep breath, then seemed to recall something. "That Yang Family girl is top-grade merchandise. I heard her mother was a daughter of the Chen Family from Firewood Fish Market?"

Skinny Monkey sneered. "Rest easy, Gang Leader! We looked into it thoroughly. The old man of the Chen Family is just an old fisherman. His second son, Chen Wen, is a rice-boring parasite. As for his grandson Chen Heng, he's muddling along at Guangchang Martial Arts School. Heh, that kid is all flash and no substance. All he does is drink with his fellow disciples and brag. I heard even his Bright Strength training is half-baked. And the son of the Chen Family's eldest, Chen Qing..."

Someone beside him looked disdainful. "He's got his name hung at the River Bureau, nothing more than a runner who handles odd jobs. How capable could he be? Gang Leader is about to touch the threshold of Hidden Strength—why fear him? Besides, behind us..."

Jiang Hui cut Skinny Monkey off. "A lowly River Bureau foot soldier, a martial arts school waste, and a few mud-legged relatives—do they deserve to block my road to riches? If the Chen Family knows what's good for them, they'll take the silver and obediently send the girl here! If they don't know what's good for them? Hmph!"

A vicious glint flashed through his eyes as he drained the remaining wine in his bowl. "Perfect. We'll use them to make an example, so everyone in Firewood Fish Market can see what becomes of anyone who offends my Blackwater Gang!"

Before his words had faded, the hall doors were smashed open with a bang.

A man covered in mud and wearing ragged clothes staggered inside. His face was smeared with blood and dirt, making his features impossible to see. One hand clutched his waist and abdomen as though he had suffered grave injuries, while he gasped and screamed hoarsely:

"Brother Hui! Bad... something happened!"

The hall fell silent in an instant.

Jiang Hui's brows knotted tightly as he barked, "What are you panicking for?!"

The "injured" man panted heavily. "Brother Hui, Brother Leopard and the others got blocked at Old Scholar Tree! The target's tough! The brothers can barely hold on! Brother Duan Ye sent me to beg for help! He told you to hurry and bring the brothers to save them! If you're late, then... then..."

His body swayed, nearly toppling over. He barely remained standing by bracing himself against the doorframe.

"Old Scholar Tree? Duan Ye got blocked?"

Jiang Hui sprang to his feet, savagery erupting across his face. "Who the fuck ate a bear's heart and leopard's gallbladder to dare touch my Blackwater Gang's men? Grab your weapons! Follow me—"

Something was wrong!

Jiang Hui brought his steps to an abrupt halt! He had survived by licking blood from the edge of a blade, and his vigilance was exceptionally keen.

How could a minor thug who had been slashed, fleeing for his life in a panic to seek help, still subconsciously maintain such a stable stance—one nearly like that of a trained martial artist?

And that man's voice was hoarse, as if he were deliberately lowering it...

Every hair on Jiang Hui's body rose at once. He spun around, his eyes nailing themselves to the face of that "messenger."

"Wait! Who the fuck are you?! Why haven't I seen that face of yours before?! And your saber... where did that blood come from?!"

That furious roar was like a clap of thunder! The younger gang members in the hall froze from the shout and instinctively followed Jiang Hui's gaze toward the man and his saber.

This man was none other than Chen Qing.

At the instant Jiang Hui roared the final word, the last trace of disguise vanished from his eyes, replaced by killing intent as cold as frozen ice!

"You'll know once you go down there!"

Chen Qing's voice was cold to the bone!

Before his words fell, his left hand, which had been clutching his waist and abdomen, suddenly released.

What was exposed at the wound was not flesh and blood, but a long saber.

At the same time, his entire body sprang forward like a powerful bow suddenly loosed after being drawn to its limit!

"Rip!"

The saber at his waist emerged like a venomous dragon leaving its sheath, drawing a miserable streak of cold light.

It did not slash directly at Jiang Hui. Instead, it cut like lightning toward the nearest stunned man—Skinny Monkey!

"Pfft!"

The blade entered flesh, and blood burst forth!

Skinny Monkey did not even have time to scream before his head flew into the air, his face frozen in incredulous shock!

"Move! He's an assassin!"

Jiang Hui's eyes nearly split apart.

"Enemy!"

The remaining men were instantly sobered, crying out in alarm.

By now, Chen Qing had already slain Duan Ye and Wang Ying. His fighting spirit blazed, and his killing intent boiled over.

Qi and Blood surged through his entire body, yet he was terrifyingly cold, like a vicious beast tensed from head to toe and poised to strike.

The long saber in his hand slashed repeatedly. Its paths were strange and treacherous, so swift that only streaks of cold light remained.

The three remaining Blackwater Gang members had no time to react before the blade swept across their throats. They collapsed one after another, twitching on the ground as they sank into the brink of death.

"Who... who exactly are you?!"

Cold sweat instantly seeped down Jiang Hui's back, and the last remnants of drunkenness vanished without a trace.

Chen Qing did not answer. His body shot forward, and his long saber cleaved straight for Jiang Hui's face! Jiang Hui dodged sideways in haste, the fierce blade wind lashing his cheek with pain.

"Boom—!"

A wooden table beside them exploded on impact, scattering shards of wine jars in every direction.

Jiang Hui seized the chance to draw his saber and strike back. The two blades collided, throwing off dazzling sparks beneath the cold moon.

Chen Qing was intensely focused—real combat was unlike sparring; victory or defeat meant life or death.

Though Jiang Hui was drunk and sluggish, his speed somewhat slowed, he was still a peak Bright Strength expert, seasoned and rich in actual combat experience.

"Clang!"

A Clash of Metal rang out, deafeningly loud.

Chen Qing narrowed his eyes. With a move of Spirit Monkey Turns Over, he avoided a head-on collision. His saber reversed course, whipping up a sharp gust as it chopped straight at Jiang Hui's vulnerable ribs!

A chill surged through Jiang Hui. He instinctively retreated, then flicked out his sleeve, revealing several flying needles in his callused palm.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The flying needles streaked through the night toward Chen Qing's brow.

Jiang Hui had survived countless deadly trials by relying on these concealed flying needles. This was also his signature skill.

And in the darkness of night, it was the perfect time to employ concealed weapons.

Clang!

The blade flashed.

Chen Qing exerted force through his entire body, and a crisp blast erupted. The dilapidated courtyard wall before him burst apart beneath the razor-sharp blade wind, turning into flying rubble that directly engulfed the needles.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Then the shattered stones poured down toward Jiang Hui.

This kid is a tough one!

Jiang Hui was horrified. He turned and tried to flee.

Seeing this, Chen Qing flicked his saber tip. Shards from the wine jars on the ground shot out like sharp arrows.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The sharp pottery shards tore through the air with piercing shrieks.

Jiang Hui dodged frantically, yet still felt a chill run down his back. Warm liquid wound down his spine.

The next moment, a powerful fist came crashing toward him.

Tongbei Fist?!

Jiang Hui's mind tightened. The instant the palm wind struck, he recognized its origin.

He had no time to think. His instinct to survive drove him to meet the palm head-on, intending to borrow its force to escape.

But he had severely underestimated Chen Qing's killing intent. This strike used nearly all of Chen Qing's strength, his Qi and Blood pushed to its very limit. A crisp blast echoed through the courtyard.

Boom—!

The explosive collision of their palms shook the snow from the eaves in a flurry.

Jiang Hui's entire right arm instantly went numb. His body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing through the earthen courtyard wall.

Chen Qing was also shoved back more than a zhang by the recoil, his boots plowing two deep furrows through the frozen earth.

"Cough, cough."

Jiang Hui crawled out of the pile of bricks and stones, blood froth spilling from the corner of his mouth. Then he staggered into a dark alley.

Chen Qing steadied himself and hurried after him.

He knew Jiang Hui was badly wounded now. This was the best chance to kill him.