The mountain-forest trail was not dim at this time, but there was no one else around.
Du En walked ahead, with Lu Xiang following behind. They went farther and farther.
At first, Lu Xiang had been quite pleased with himself, eagerly anticipating how he would teach Du En a lesson. But by now, no matter how stupid he was, he should have realized that something was wrong.
So he stopped and raised a hand to grip the hilt of his knife.
"Brat, what trick are you playing?"
"Playing?"
Du En silently turned around.
Seeing this, a murderous glint erupted in Lu Xiang's eyes. With his free hand, he formed a spell seal and launched a brazen sneak attack.
The killing move was not the knife, but this Fireball Technique!
Whoosh!
Flames suddenly flared up, transforming into inch-sized projectiles that shot toward Du En's face!
"Heh heh, I've killed people without even blinking. I already butchered three brats from the Iron Hand Gang. You're a fool who just got here and hasn't even been here three months. You think you can withstand this move of mine?"
Lu Xiang was secretly gloating. Then he saw Du En's feet shift slightly, his figure swaying as he effortlessly dodged the inch-sized fireball.
"W-what?!"
Lu Xiang was instantly dumbfounded, his expression freezing in place. Then his vision blurred, and Du En had already stormed right up to him.
His bloodthirsty nature and habit of killing had given him an instinctive combat experience. He immediately tilted and rolled aside, dodging to the side and diving to the ground.
One ear was grazed by a fist and was smashed to pieces on the spot.
Blood splattered down, yet he remained stunned!
What was going on?
What in the world was going on?
How could this brat be so strong?!
Amid his chaotic thoughts, Lu Xiang simply could not believe that Du En could be this frightening with nothing but his fists and physical strength, practically comparable to a demon beast!
This was actually quite normal. Although Du En still could not compare with a Foundation Establishment Realm steward like He Bo, his Yellow Earth Technique had already reached the stage of effortless mastery, equivalent to an ordinary person cultivating painstakingly for several decades.
On top of that, the nourishment from spiritual cuisine had further strengthened and solidified his physique.
Thus, when Lu Xiang looked up, he saw Du En standing before him once again.
He was startled all over again and tried to draw his knife, but one foot had already stepped down directly.
Crack, squelch!
The hand gripping the knife had its bones crushed and its flesh mashed beneath the stomp.
"Aaargh!"
Lu Xiang could not help howling in pain. He instinctively sprang up like a carp leaping over a gate, only to throw himself right into Du En's hands. The hand reaching toward him seized his head, clamped over his mouth to silence his cry, then slammed him heavily into the ground.
Bang!
Pfft!
Crunch!
Du En's expression remained blank. He raised the hand smeared with pulpy blood and shattered bone, shook it, drew Lu Xiang's knife, and left without looking back.
The operation still had to continue!
How could killing only Lu Xiang be enough?
With two people directly connected to the gravediggers dying one after another, the problem would certainly be exposed.
Even if, to outsiders, Du En currently looked like nothing more than an unlucky wretch who had asked for his wages and been bullied by a steward, suffering severe injuries, that still would not completely conceal the issue.
That was because the Blood Eagle Gang was best at killing one to frighten a hundred. They did not care whether there was truly a problem. If there was even a hint of suspicion, they would kill the person anyway, using him to warn the others.
"So I'll have to kill a few more..."
Du En's figure streaked through the mountain forest.
Target: members of the Blood Eagle Gang.
Target: members of the Iron Hand Gang.
Beside a pond, a Blood Eagle Gang member carrying a sack of fish feed was moving somewhat sluggishly.
The overseer here had left, and with no one watching, slacking off a little was no problem.
"Heh heh, now that the situation has stabilized, I'll go find that little wench after I get back tonight. I just like women who are easy to bully. I'll force myself on her and have a good time!"
Lustful thoughts bubbled in his mind, and his hot blood began to flow downward. His crotch felt tight and swollen, brimming with anticipation.
Then.
Huh?
Why was his field of vision spinning?
He was somewhat dazed. His consciousness began flickering on and off. In his dimming and brightening vision, a headless corpse, crushed beneath the fish feed, fell heavily to the ground. Blood spilled all over the pond, drawing a school of Spirit Fish to try swallowing it.
Huh?
This is, I...
His consciousness was snuffed out, and the man went to his death.
By the time the others working at the same site discovered it, Du En had long since run off without a trace.
At another logging ground.
An Iron Hand Gang member was baring his teeth and cursing. "What the hell are you good for? Hurry up and chop the wood for me! I'm telling you, if you dare slack off, I'll whip you!"
Smack!
As soon as he finished speaking, a whip lashed out viciously. With a crack, it struck the bare-chested man laboring to chop wood in front of him.
The man's face flushed dark red as he held back, his eyes filled with fury and helplessness.
Using a chicken feather as a commander's baton!
The overseer here wanted to slack off, so he had this Iron Hand Gang member fill in for him. The fellow had begun beating and cursing the others, not caring in the slightest whether they had actually slacked off.
What a thrill!
Hahaha!
"You still dare to slack off, do you? You bunch of lowlifes are only fit to be whipped, understand? You're all a bunch of—cough!"
His original shout was cut off by a sudden choking cough.
He lowered his head in confusion, only to see a knife thrust through his chest. It was then dragged sideways before being pulled free.
He desperately circulated his spiritual power to cling to life and turned his head to look, but he saw no trace of his attacker, only a faint shadow between the trees.
"Save, save, save me..."
He turned back and stretched out a trembling hand toward the man he had just whipped.
The only response was a stretch of cold, gleeful gazes.
No one reached out to help.
The fact that they did not step forward and kick him hard was already a sign of restraint!
In the end, the Iron Hand Gang member struggled and died in agony.
Kill, kill, kill!
They were all people who deserved to die and be killed!
Du En moved from place to place. Whenever he encountered an overseer slacking off and saw that no one was watching, he launched a sudden sneak attack and took a life with one slash!
Six killed in a row.
Three from the Blood Eagle Gang and three from the Iron Hand Gang, perfectly matching the count.
With that, the operation was more or less complete.
He tossed the knife somewhere in the mountain forest, washed away the excess blood, and confirmed that he had left no traces behind, especially traces of spiritual power. Then he hurried covertly back, returning to the gravediggers' small courtyard before the others could react.
Glug, glug~
When he pushed open the door, the porridge and medicine happened to be ready.
He downed a bowl of detoxifying medicinal broth filled eight-tenths of the way in one gulp.
It was mainly to guard against the possibility that the two gangs had some kind of poison on them.
Then he changed his clothes.
Next, he ate another pot of Three Talents Porridge and began circulating his cultivation to heal his wounds.
Only after completing one Greater Celestial Circuit did a little color return to his face.
He did not cook more porridge. Instead, he grabbed the medicine and boiled it on the stove, making the bitter smell in the courtyard grow increasingly dense.
Soon, evening arrived.
The others returned hurriedly.
The moment they smelled the bitter medicinal scent filling the air, their expressions changed, and their footsteps quickened even further.
They flung open the courtyard gate and saw Du En extinguishing the clay stove just as he poured out a bowl of pitch-black, thick medicinal broth.
"Boss, you..."
Seeing Du En's pale face and weak aura, Wei Ming's expression changed at once. He clenched his fist and said angrily, "How about we go fight that Lu Xiang bastard? Six against one—how could we not win?"
"We can win, but then what?"
"Then, then..."
Wei Ming was rendered speechless by the question.
Six against one could indeed win. After all, everyone was in the Early Qi Refining stage. As long as they gritted their teeth and did not retreat, they truly had nothing to fear from that Lu Xiang bastard. But afterward, when they faced the Blood Eagle Gang's retaliation, it would not be as simple as merely being ganged up on six to one in return.
"In any case, as long as everyone still looks whole and sound, that's enough. As for the rest, we can only let things be..."
Ning Caize stepped forward to smooth things over.
The others remained silent, bitterness filling their hearts.
After that, they took turns washing and cleaning themselves, then cooked coarse rice and waited gloomily for Lu Xiang to come collect the money.
They waited and waited, but Lu Xiang, that dead man, never came. Instead, they heard the commotion of people shouting about fighting and killing.
Before you continue