Li Mo's resentment was something Su Chen knew nothing about.
By then, he had already arrived at Lin Family Fortress.
The moon was dark, and the wind was high.
At night, there seemed to be even more people at Lin Family Fortress than during the day.
Su Chen found a restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and waited for his target to show up as he ate.
With no curfew in place, people streamed in and out of Misty Rain Pavilion.
After an unknown stretch of time, Su Chen's gaze sharpened when he spotted Lao Lin.
He walked out of Misty Rain Pavilion as if he had shrugged off a heavy burden, leisurely strolling down the street.
Before long, he had wandered into a brothel.
Su Chen's expression tightened slightly at the sight. This old geezer sure knew how to enjoy himself.
Without hesitation, Su Chen waited until the man had gone inside, then followed him in shortly afterward. Luckily, he was fast enough not to lose track of him.
As soon as he entered, a crowd of flamboyantly dressed young women came swarming toward him, each wearing thin clothes.
Although Su Chen had his face covered, that sort of getup wasn't unusual at Lin Family Fortress.
Some customers were even stranger-looking than he was; the women had long since grown used to it.
Su Chen remained unmoved by their enthusiasm.
With a glance from the corner of his eye, he saw Lao Lin enter a room with three women in his arms.
Su Chen pushed the women aside, found a secluded corner, and sat down. Then he said to the madam, "Bring me some food!"
The madam's face fell at once. She had thought he'd come to spend money on the women, only to find he was here to eat and drink.
"Who comes to a brothel just to eat?"
After grumbling, she still obediently called over a waiter.
After that, several more women came by one after another to attend to Su Chen. Without exception, he turned them all away.
Seeing Su Chen eat and drink as if he were above the world, the women couldn't help clicking their tongues in annoyance before scattering.
Ten minutes later, Su Chen, who had only just started eating and drinking, saw Lao Lin emerge, tugging up his trousers.
Three women, and the old geezer couldn't keep up. He was done that fast.
Shaking his head, Su Chen waited until Lao Lin had left the brothel, paid for his meal, and followed him out.
"Sir, you've been following me for quite a while. Is there something you want?"
Lao Lin seemed to have noticed Su Chen tailing him. He led him through a series of turns before reaching a secluded alley.
Su Chen's figure came into view. He hadn't bothered hiding himself much to begin with, and now that he'd been discovered, he simply stepped forward.
Lao Lin sized him up. He was tall, had a saber strapped around his waist, and had only one arm.
Curiously, the saber at his waist rested on the side where his arm was missing.
Were there really saber-wielders like this?
Lao Lin couldn't help feeling suspicious. His thoughts raced, but he couldn't recall anything about Su Chen.
So he asked, "Who are you, sir? What do you want with me, following me at this hour?"
As he spoke, he took a step back to keep his distance from Su Chen.
Clearly, judging by Su Chen's behavior, he hadn't come with good intentions.
Faced with Lao Lin's questions, Su Chen remained silent. Why waste time talking? Just charge in and fight!
In an instant, Su Chen shot forward like a cannonball, reaching Lao Lin in a flash.
Lao Lin had been on guard. Facing Su Chen's lightning-fast movement, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
He threw a punch, its fierce gust of force howling as it hurtled toward Su Chen.
Without hesitation, Su Chen struck out with a palm. It was an ordinary-looking palm, yet it carried even more brutal force.
Bang!
"What?!"
The moment fist and palm collided, Lao Lin's expression changed drastically. A flush rushed up his face in an instant.
He staggered back more than ten steps before barely managing to steady himself.
One of his arms trembled nonstop as he stared at Su Chen, his eyes filled with shock.
The instant his fist struck Su Chen's palm, a sudden wave of pain shot through him. His arm felt as if it were about to break.
It was as though he hadn't struck a palm, but a chunk of iron, hard beyond belief.
That brief exchange made Lao Lin's expression turn exceptionally grim. He shook his arm, then slowly clenched his fist, trying to recover some strength.
"That fellow's Iron Palm is truly terrifying!"
Lao Lin's gaze flickered. Just then, his pupils contracted slightly.
Su Chen had no intention of giving him time to recover. He charged again.
This time, however, Lao Lin didn't foolishly try to meet Su Chen's force head-on.
Relying on nimble footwork, Lao Lin advanced step by step, constantly dodging Su Chen's attacks.
"This man's strong, but he has only one arm, while I have two. As long as I'm careful, I have the advantage!"
Lao Lin's thoughts raced. He dodged while searching for an opening, determined to kill Su Chen with a single strike.
Just then, Su Chen raised his palm and swung at him.
With a slap, as if swatting a fly, it struck Lao Lin right across the cheek.
The blow left him dizzy and sent him flying backward, crashing hard into the wall.
A sharp crack rang out as fine lines spread across the wall. Lao Lin's body then dropped to the ground.
He coughed violently several times, spitting out broken teeth and blood. With half his face swollen red, he looked at Su Chen warily.
"Don't move!"
Su Chen planted a foot on Lao Lin and looked down at him. His voice was hoarse as he spoke.
"What have I done to offend you, sir? Please, for the sake of Lin Family Fortress, let me go. Whatever you want, if I have it, I'll give it all to you!"
Lao Lin spoke in a trembling voice, his words whistling through his broken teeth.
Su Chen didn't answer. He stomped hard on the man and said, "Now, I ask, you answer."
"Fine, fine, ask away, sir." Lao Lin nodded like a frightened quail.
"Who issued those assassination missions at Lin Family Fortress?"
"There were many. It could've been any faction, or even an individual. I don't have enough authority to find out."
"If someone took an assassination mission and completed it, but then suffered retaliation from the target, would you reveal their information?"
"No... Agh! Usually not, but in special cases, we would... Pay more, just pay more..."
At this, Su Chen's expression darkened. He kicked Lao Lin again, making him howl in pain.
"How much will you pay to buy your life?"
"Thirty taels. No, no, fifty. No, ninety. That's all I have."
"Where's the money?"
"At my house. I'll take you there."
"No need. Tell me where it is."
"No! What if you take the money and kill me?"
Lao Lin shook his head like a rattle drum, refusing outright.
Suddenly, his expression changed as if he'd thought of something. He stared at Su Chen with wide eyes:
"Y-you're Tie Niu?!"
He had been too nervous to think of Su Chen's identity just now.
But after Su Chen asked those questions, and with what had happened earlier with Tie Niu, everything suddenly clicked.
"Wait, your arm..."
At Lao Lin's words, Su Chen instinctively followed his gaze toward his own arm.
But at that very moment, something unexpected happened.
Lao Lin suddenly sprang up, grabbing Su Chen's wrist with one hand while swinging his other fist hard at him.
A vicious light blazed in his eyes, cold and sharp.
That punch carried Lao Lin's murderous intent, rising like a stormy sea!
"Go to hell!" Lao Lin roared.
Crack.
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped from Lao Lin's body, soaking the parched ground.
Lao Lin stared in disbelief at the arm that had suddenly sprung from Su Chen's body. A saber was gripped in its hand.
And that saber had pierced straight through him.
"You—you're so vile!"
Lao Lin spewed a mouthful of blood and glared at Su Chen in anguish.
He had never imagined that Su Chen's missing arm was fake, meant to deceive him.
There had been another arm hidden inside it.
So the saber had been meant for that arm all along!
Shing.
Su Chen pulled out the saber, and blood ran slowly down its edge.
Thud.
Lao Lin fell into a pool of blood, staring fixedly at Su Chen, his eyes full of disbelief even in death.
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