Rain Falls

The middle-aged man sighed heavily as he spoke.

When the rabbit died, the fox grieved; creatures mourned their own kind.

Hearing of such a thing, one could hardly avoid putting oneself in their shoes.

Even Chu Qing was somewhat shocked when he heard this:

"Could someone really be so utterly devoid of conscience? But what does this have to do with what is happening now?"

"How else could I say that things just happened to come together?"

The middle-aged man folded his arms and said:

"That young man over there is no ordinary person. He is the young hall master of Falling Rain Hall in our Heavenly Dance City.

"His family business is enormous.

"They have enterprises in many of the surrounding towns.

"There is one in Ten Mile Town too... and when that girl died, Young Hall Master Tang happened to be in Ten Mile Town.

"For some reason, Er Gou insisted that Young Hall Master Tang had killed his betrothed wife and stubbornly demanded to kill him.

"Young Hall Master Tang could not defend himself even with a hundred mouths, yet he pitied Er Gou's circumstances and did not wish to lower himself to his level. Once he finished his business in Ten Mile Town, he hurried back to Heavenly Dance City.

"Who would have thought that Er Gou would chase him all the way to Heavenly Dance City?

"This even alerted the City Lord's Mansion. City Lord Wu personally investigated it, but nothing came of it.

"He camped outside Falling Rain Hall day and night, causing trouble time and again. Falling Rain Hall's people caught him many times, but Young Hall Master Tang released him every single time.

"Later, Falling Rain Hall would not let him stay outside their doors anymore. Whenever they saw him, they drove him away... but he always found a chance to assassinate him. This is already the third time this month."

The middle-aged man spoke in a torrent, recounting every detail as if he knew them by heart.

Clearly, this matter was nothing new in Heavenly Dance City.

Chu Qing put on a look of having his eyes opened wide and said:

"This Young Hall Master Tang truly is a good man."

"Isn't he?"

The middle-aged man chatted with Chu Qing for a few more moments. Just then, Tang Xi had already left with his men, while Er Gou had been thrown by the roadside.

With the excitement gone, the crowd quickly dispersed.

Er Gou sat dazed by the road for a while before finally carrying his blade into a nearby alley.

He staggered as he walked, utterly lost and despondent.

He kept muttering things like, "I've let you down," and "I'm too useless."

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and a trace of bloody red surfaced within them.

He flipped his blade around and was about to plunge it into his own throat.

Hidden in the shadows, Chu Qing's heart skipped a beat. He had followed Er Gou only because he had some suspicions about Tang Xi and felt there was something wrong with him, hoping to uncover something.

Besides, given Er Gou's circumstances, he might even be able to bring Chu Qing a deal.

Yet he had never expected this man to be so resolute, attempting suicide the moment he decided on it.

Just as Chu Qing was about to intervene, a sharp whistle suddenly sliced through the air.

A flying stone shot through the air and, with a smack, knocked the short blade from Er Gou's hand.

Chu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, restrained his aura, and remained motionless. He saw a figure rush from the end of the alley like a ghost.

His form flickered in and out of sight. Each flicker carried him more than ten feet forward.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached Er Gou. When his face came into view, it was Tang Xi!

The moment Er Gou saw Tang Xi, his eyes turned even redder.

"You bastard!!"

Tang Xi grinned.

"Seeing you so full of spirit puts me at ease.

"But from the look of things, you were trying to kill yourself just now.

"Don't tell me you've already fallen into despair?"

Scarlet light flickered in Er Gou's eyes. He reversed the short blade in his hand and viciously stabbed it toward Tang Xi.

Yet just as the blade reached him, Tang Xi casually brushed his hand, and the short blade flew away at once.

Then he kicked out. Er Gou was sent flying backward, crashing hard into the wall before sliding down it, blood spilling from his mouth.

Xin Youhen had kicked him during the day, leaving his life and death uncertain. Even outside the clinic just now, his face had been pale.

Yet now, his movements were crisp and decisive, and his voice rang with strength. Where was there even the slightest trace of weakness?

"Actually, there is reason for you to despair.

"After all, the man who killed your betrothed is standing right before you. But no matter whom you tell, no one will believe you.

"Did you hear what they were saying today?

"'The young hall master is such a good man... The young hall master is kindhearted. If it had been someone else, who knew how many times Er Gou would already have died.'

"Hahaha, tell me, isn't it interesting?"

Tang Xi planted a foot on Er Gou's shoulder and slowly leaned closer.

"I am clearly the one who killed her, yet no one is willing to believe you.

"My Falling Rain Hall has vast wealth and immense power. Even the City Lord's Mansion cannot do anything to me without evidence.

"What are you going to do?

"I feel despair on your behalf... but wanting to die is where you are wrong.

"I enjoy watching you struggle in this despair. If you died, how boring would that be for me?"

As he spoke, he removed his foot from Er Gou's shoulder, turned around, and said with a half-smile:

"Come to think of it, every time I see you, I feel a little nostalgic.

"That little girl was so young, yet so endearing.

"When she was afraid, her tears fell like rain upon pear blossoms, so pitiful that even I felt tenderness.

"She simply loved resisting too much... I had no choice but to harden my heart and chop off her arm. But don't worry, I quickly used the best wound medicine on her.

"Afterward, she could no longer push me away, but she still wanted to run.

"So I chopped off her legs too. Then she could not run... Unfortunately, she seemed to go numb afterward. She could not even make a sound. No matter how I tormented her, she lay there like a dead pig, and I quickly grew tired of it.

"Do you know? I strangled her to death. Poor thing—even before she died, she was still calling for her Brother Er Gou."

"Ah!!!"

Those words were like venomous needles piercing through Er Gou's entire body, driving him into a frenzy of rage.

The veins on his face bulged one by one, as though black blood flowed through them.

Tang Xi abruptly turned around. Seeing Er Gou in that state, wild delight flashed in his eyes.

"Almost... almost..."

Behind the eaves atop the wall, Chu Qing's pupils contracted slightly as he watched this scene.

"This is..."

At the same time, Er Gou seemed to have exhausted all his strength. His eyes suddenly rolled back, and he fainted.

The delight on Tang Xi's face instantly vanished. He gave a cold snort.

"Useless trash..."

With that, he flicked his sleeve and actually turned to leave.

Chu Qing frowned slightly, deep in thought.

The entire street and alley fell silent...

Chu Qing cautiously surveyed the surroundings. Only after confirming that no one was there did he slowly approach Er Gou.

He pulled open Er Gou's lapel and saw densely packed black bloodlines surrounding his heart, gradually fading away.

Chu Qing's expression turned icy.

"Just as I thought!"

After pondering for a moment, he did not touch Er Gou. Instead, he leaped back onto the roof and waited quietly.

The sky gradually darkened. By evening, thunder suddenly rumbled through the previously clear sky, and moments later, rain poured down in torrents.

This caused the unconscious Er Gou to slowly open his eyes.

He looked around in confusion. Only when all his memories returned did he climb to his feet, his face dark and gloomy.

He picked up the short blade from the ground and walked silently deeper into the alley.

But after only two steps, a voice suddenly came from overhead:

"I can help you kill him."