Kill Our Way Up!

Between two black pines, a crack suddenly split open in the snow-covered ground.

A short, stocky man crawled out through the crack, carrying a large iron-ringed saber.

When he saw an unfamiliar man standing beside Zhao Xia—someone who was not a member of the Wild Wolf Gang—he immediately became wary.

"Young Gang Leader, who is this man?"

Seeing that Liu Dachui was safe and sound, Zhao Xia let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly introduced him.

"My lord, he is one of the Seven Fiends of the Wild Wolf Gang, Sixth Master Liu Dachui, nicknamed 'Iron Head Wolf.'"

Zhang Yu nodded. Iron Head Wolf. That was quite an unusual nickname.

When Liu Dachui heard the Young Gang Leader address Zhang Yu as "my lord," he understood. Zhang Yu was probably from the Sun Moon Divine Cult. He simply looked far too young. Could he really deal with the Dragon Scale Association?

"Uncle Liu, this is the Divine Cult's envoy. If he hadn't reached the Martial Saint Temple in time, all of us would have been killed by that dog Zhao Huaien."

"Zhao Huaien?"

"That bastard had long been colluding with the Dragon Scale Association. He was the one who drugged my father and the five other masters. That night, they... they didn't escape—not a single one of them."

Liu Dachui was somewhat dazed. Zhao Huaien was the adopted son of his elder brother. He had been with the Wild Wolf Gang for more than ten years. He could fight on horseback and manage the provisions on foot. He had worked conscientiously and had never made any mistakes.

"Young Gang Leader, is this... is this really true?"

Zhao Xia said bitterly, "After you left, he used the same trick again and put Five-Muscle Softening Powder in the porridge. We were all poisoned. That bastard thought he had everything under control, so he confessed everything himself."

Liu Dachui's face flushed crimson. His blood surged, and his eyes widened as if flames were about to shoot from them.

He raised his iron-ringed saber and cursed furiously, "Zhao Huaien! Bah, he doesn't deserve the surname Zhao, and he doesn't deserve the name Huaien either. That son of a turtle! That son of a turtle! Where is he now? I'm going to flay him alive!"

Zhao Xia said, "I already killed him."

"Good! Good! He deserved it! It was just too easy on him."

Overcome with emotion, Liu Dachui knelt toward Wolf Head Mountain and burst into loud sobs.

"Elder Brother, you rose from humble beginnings and were a hero all your life, yet you actually fell into the hands of such a petty villain..."

Zhao Xia hurriedly helped him up. "Uncle Liu, powerful enemies surround us. This is no time for grief."

Liu Dachui had only just risen when he knelt again. He cupped his hands toward Zhang Yu and said, "Many thanks to the esteemed envoy of the Divine Cult for saving our gang leader."

"From now on, we'll all be brothers under the same roof. Let's stand united, avenge Old Gang Leader Zhao, and kill our way back to Pingyang City as soon as possible."

Zhang Yu exchanged a few polite words with him, then stepped forward and reached out to help Liu Dachui up.

But he couldn't.

Liu Dachui remained kneeling on the ground without moving an inch. His cupped hands looked as though they were embracing an iron barrel.

"Sixth Master Liu is a senior of the martial world..."

Zhang Yu's gaze turned slightly cold. He placed both hands on the stocky man's elbow joints, and Internal Energy surged from his Dantian. After the two struggled for five breaths, he actually lifted Liu Dachui up little by little.

"...The ground is freezing here, so you mustn't kneel for too long, or you'll injure your legs."

"My lord, you're truly young and accomplished. I've merely lived a few more years."

Liu Dachui smiled and rubbed his numb elbows. He had only used seventy percent of his strength. But competing in strength was like attacking a city: he had been the defender and thus held a three-point advantage. The fact that Zhang Yu could still lift him meant that his Internal Energy was no weaker than his own.

Such a young expert. No wonder he's from the Sun Moon Divine Cult!

Zhao Xia noticed the odd exchange between the two and could more or less guess what Uncle Liu had been thinking.

First, seeing that the Divine Cult's envoy was young, he had wanted to test him and determine whether he was merely a pretty face or truly capable.

Second, he had wanted to establish his authority. He was worried that this outsider would come and seize control of the Wild Wolf Gang.

The older generation of martial artists had experienced too many schemes and betrayals. Such thoughts were only natural.

Zhao Xia asked, "Uncle Liu, are the other brothers all right?"

Liu Dachui wiped away his tears and smiled. "They're fine. Every one of them is fine. They're all staying underground."

"They're all underground?"

"This is also thanks to my elder brother's spirit watching over us. Come with me."

Liu Dachui walked to the crack and pushed aside the wooden cover at the entrance. A row of earthen steps was revealed. The three of them bent over and walked down.

"Back then, the seven of us had just entered the martial world. Around the Black Pine Forest, we robbed... did a little small-time business."

"Sometimes we had more goods than we could move in time, so we dug out an underground chamber here."

"First, it served as a temporary warehouse. Second, it gave us several hiding places, like a rabbit with three burrows."

"Later, the Wild Wolf Gang grew stronger and stronger, sweeping through the area around Pingyang City with hardly an opponent to match us. This place was eventually abandoned."

Liu Dachui led the way, reminiscing about the glorious history of the seven brothers who had founded the Wild Wolf Gang.

The underground chamber was cramped, with more than thirty dark figures sitting inside.

One person was lying down as well. He was already on the verge of death. It was Wang Jinquan. After being captured, he could not withstand the torture and surrendered to the Dragon Scale Association. This time, he had come to the Martial Saint Temple on Peng Canghu's orders to deliver false information.

Liu Dachui kicked him aside and said to Zhao Xia, "That bastard's mental fortitude was too poor. As soon as he entered the forest, he tried to escape. After I caught him, he confessed everything."

But Wang Jinquan did not know that Zhao Huaien was also a spy planted by the Dragon Scale Association in the Wild Wolf Gang.

"Brothers, I have two pieces of good news for you."

"The gang leader has come to save us."

"The Sun Moon Divine Cult's envoy has come too."

"The Divine Cult has sent people to help us. It's only a matter of time before we kill our way back to Pingyang City!"

Liu Dachui had extensive experience in the martial world. With just a few words, he raised the morale that had fallen to rock bottom by several levels.

The men who were still willing to follow the Wild Wolf Gang were mostly its core members or people who had deep blood feuds with the Dragon Scale Association.

Liu Dachui led thirty men in kneeling toward Zhang Yu and Zhao Xia.

"Greetings, esteemed envoy of the Sun Moon Divine Cult. Greetings, gang leader."

Among martial-world forces, clearly establishing rank and status was the first priority.

Zhao Xia also stepped before the group and knelt toward Zhang Yu. "Your subordinate Zhao Xia is willing to serve at your command. I beg you to lead the Wild Wolf Gang in avenging our fallen brothers and destroying the Dragon Scale Association!"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Although he could not see clearly in the darkness, he still took out the bronze token symbolizing the Sun Moon Divine Cult and flashed it once.

"By the sacred order of Cult Master Dongfang Bubai, I have come here to lead you in killing our way back to Pingyang City and making the Dragon Scale Association pay its blood debt in blood..."

Zhang Yu was a capable speaker and said many things, but none of them inspired the crowd as much as those four words.

The Wind Thunder Hall's elder, Tong Baixiong, might not be known to these low-ranking gang members.

But if they had never heard of the Sun Moon Divine Cult's Cult Master Dongfang Bubai, they would be too embarrassed to call themselves martial artists.

Liu Dachui had initially felt somewhat displeased when he saw Zhao Xia kneel before Zhang Yu as well. But upon hearing the name Dongfang Bubai, he instantly felt that it was only right.

Dongfang Bubai. Those four words gave people only one impression: undefeated.

To the people of the martial world, he was practically an immovable mountain, one that had at least half the martial world struggling for breath beneath its weight.

The Wild Wolf Gang had originally been one of the many subordinate gangs of the Sun Moon Divine Cult, and an inconspicuous one at that. Old Laodao Zhao had not even been qualified to ascend Blackwood Cliff. Since Cult Master Dongfang had sent an envoy, that envoy would naturally command the Wild Wolf Gang.

Liu Dachui asked, "My lord, what do we do now?"

Zhang Yu said only three words, each one brimming with killing intent.

"Kill our way up!"