Dark Moon, High Winds, You're Despicable

Su Chen had no way of knowing Li Mo's resentment.

By now, he had already arrived at Lin Family Fortress.

The moon was dark, the wind high.

At night, Lin Family Fortress seemed even busier than during the day.

Su Chen found a tavern, ordered a few dishes, and ate while waiting for his target to appear.

With no curfew in place, people streamed past the entrance of Misty Rain Pavilion.

After an unknown stretch of time, Su Chen's gaze sharpened as he spotted Lao Lin's figure.

Lao Lin walked out of Misty Rain Pavilion, as if shedding a burden, strolling leisurely through the streets.

Before he knew it, he had wandered into a brothel.

Seeing this, Su Chen's expression tightened slightly. This old bastard sure knows how to enjoy himself.

Without hesitation, once the man had entered and a short time passed, Su Chen followed him inside. Fortunately, he was fast enough not to lose track.

As soon as he stepped through the door, a swarm of gaudily dressed women rushed at him, each wearing thin, flimsy clothes.

Though Su Chen's face was covered, such attire wasn't unusual in Lin Family Fortress. Some guests were even stranger, and the girls were long accustomed to it.

Faced with the women's enthusiasm, Su Chen remained unmoved.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Lao Lin with three girls in his arms, entering a room.

Su Chen pushed past the women, found a secluded corner, and sat down. He said to the Madam, "Bring me some food!"

The Madam's face fell. She'd thought he was here to spend money, not just to eat and drink.

"Who comes to a brothel just to eat?"

After grumbling, she still called over a waiter.

One after another, several women came to attend to Su Chen, but without exception, he pushed them all away.

Seeing him focused solely on eating and drinking, utterly detached, the girls clicked their tongues in disdain and drifted off.

Ten minutes later, Su Chen, who had barely started his meal, spotted Lao Lin walking out, clutching his trousers.

Three women, and this old bastard still couldn't handle it—finished that fast.

Shaking his head, Su Chen left the money for his meal and followed Lao Lin out of the brothel.

"Sir, you've been tailing me for a while now. Is there something you want?"

Lao Lin seemed to have noticed Su Chen following him. He led Su Chen through a maze of twists and turns into a secluded alley.

Su Chen stepped into view. He hadn't been trying to hide much anyway, and now that he was spotted, he simply revealed himself.

Lao Lin sized Su Chen up—tall, a blade at his waist, and only one arm.

Oddly enough, the blade at his waist rested on the side of his missing arm.

What kind of swordsman is this?

Lao Lin's mind churned with doubt, but he found no memory of Su Chen at all.

So he said, "Who are you, sir? Why follow me so late? What business do you have?"

As he spoke, he took a step back, keeping his distance.

Clearly, from Su Chen's demeanor, this visitor meant trouble.

Faced with Lao Lin's question, Su Chen remained silent. Why waste words? Just charge in and fight!

In an instant, Su Chen's figure shot forward like a cannonball, closing the distance to Lao Lin in a flash.

Lao Lin was already on guard. Faced with Su Chen's swift movement, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He threw a punch, carrying a fierce gust of wind that howled as it came.

Seeing this, Su Chen struck out with a palm without hesitation—an ordinary, unremarkable palm, yet carrying far more brutal force.

Bam!

"What?!"

The moment fist met palm, Lao Lin's face twisted in shock, a flush of red climbing to his cheeks.

He stumbled back more than ten steps in panic before barely managing to steady himself.

One of his arms trembled uncontrollably as he stared at Su Chen, his eyes filled with deep shock.

The instant his fist collided with Su Chen's palm, a sharp pain erupted, as if his arm were about to snap.

It felt less like he'd struck a hand and more like he'd hit an unyielding block of iron.

That brief exchange left Lao Lin's expression grim. He shook his arm, slowly clenching his fist, trying to regain some strength.

"This bastard's Iron Palm is terrifying!"

Lao Lin's gaze flickered. Just then, his pupils contracted slightly.

Su Chen had no intention of giving him time to recover and charged forward again.

This time, however, Lao Lin didn't foolishly clash head-on with Su Chen.

Relying on nimble footwork, Lao Lin advanced cautiously, constantly dodging Su Chen's attacks.

"This guy is strong, but he only has one arm, while I have two. As long as I'm careful, the advantage is mine in this fight!" Lao Lin's thoughts raced as he dodged and searched for an opening, determined to land a killing blow on Su Chen.

Just then, Su Chen raised his palm and struck at him.

With a sharp smack, like swatting a fly, it landed directly on Lao Lin's cheek.

It left him dizzy and disoriented, sending him flying backward to slam heavily against the wall.

The wall let out a crisp sound, cracking with fine lines, as Lao Lin's body crumpled to the ground.

He coughed violently several times, spitting out broken teeth and blood, his face half-swollen as he looked at Su Chen with wary eyes.

"Don't move!"

Su Chen stepped on Lao Lin, looking down at him from above, his voice hoarse.

"What exactly did I do to offend you, sir? Please, for the sake of the Lin Family Fortress, spare me. Whatever you want, if I have it, I'll give it all to you!" Lao Lin said in a trembling, whistling voice.

Su Chen didn't answer. He stomped hard on the man and said, "Now, I ask, you answer."

"Alright, alright, alright, sir, please ask." Lao Lin nodded like a quail.

"Who exactly issued those assassination missions from the Lin Family Fortress?"

"There are many—could be various factions, or individuals. My clearance isn't high enough to access that."

"If someone takes an assassination mission and completes it, but then faces retaliation, would you leak their information?"

"No... ahhh... generally no, but, but in special cases, yes... if they pay extra, paying extra works..."

Hearing this, Su Chen's face darkened. He kicked the man again, making Lao Lin cry out in pain.

"How much are you willing to pay for your life?"

"Thirty taels, no, fifty taels, no, ninety taels—that's all I have."

"Where's the money?"

"At my house. I'll take you there."

"No need. Tell me the location."

"No way. 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 a thought struck him. His eyes widened as he stared at Su Chen.

"You, you're Tie Niu?!"

He had been too tense earlier to think about Su Chen's identity.

But after Su Chen's string of questions, combined with the earlier incident involving Tie Niu, it all clicked together.

"Wait, your arm..."

As soon as Su Chen heard that the man had recognized him, he instinctively followed his gaze to his own arm.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened.

Lao Lin suddenly lunged, one hand grabbing Su Chen's wrist while the other clenched into a fist and slammed into him.

His eyes blazed with murderous intent, a cold gleam shining through.

This punch carried Lao Lin's overwhelming killing desire!

"Die!!" Lao Lin roared.

Crack.

Drip, drip.

Blood dripped from Lao Lin's body, soaking the dry ground.

Lao Lin stared in disbelief at the other arm that had suddenly shot out from Su Chen's body. In that hand was a blade.

And that blade had pierced straight through him.

"You, you bastard!"

Lao Lin spat out a mouthful of blood, glaring at Su Chen with grief and fury.

He had never imagined that Su Chen's missing arm was a fake, a trick to deceive him.

Hidden inside was another arm.

That blade had been meant for this arm all along!

Shiiing.

Su Chen pulled out the blade, blood trickling down its edge.

Thud.

Lao Lin collapsed into a pool of blood, his eyes fixed on Su Chen, staring as if he couldn't accept his death.