Su Mu poured strength into both arms. After snapping Zhao Xuan's neck, he twisted with all his might, wrenching the head completely off. He tore down the bed curtains and wrapped the head in them, then hung it from his waist.
Then he reached over and pulled the treasure armor from Zhao Xuan's corpse—from his mouth.
"It can withstand the force of a perfected Tiger Subduing Fist... A fine treasure."
The treasure armor was as thin as a cicada's wing, translucent in the moonlight. It felt soft and smooth in his hands, with a coolness seeping from every thread. Su Mu tucked it into his robe, then quickly searched the headless corpse.
He soon found a stack of Silver Notes. Without counting them, Su Mu stuffed them into his clothes as well. Hearing footsteps drawing closer outside the courtyard, he picked up Zhao Xuan's corpse with one hand and hurled it toward the entrance to the inner courtyard.
Boom!
The corpse slammed heavily into the courtyard gate.
Taking advantage of the moment, Su Mu rummaged through the room. When he opened a hidden drawer, the rich scent of medicine wafted out.
"White Jade Savage Bone Paste... There are five whole boxes."
A glint flickered in Su Mu's eyes. It seemed Zhao Xuan and Wu Heng were not as close as the rumors claimed. Su Mu had no intention of being polite. He tore off another piece of curtain, rolled it up into a bundle, and took all the medicinal paste along with the other small porcelain bottles.
Just then, the Black Tiger Gang members finally appeared outside. An unusual commotion erupted by the courtyard gate.
"This... This build, and these clothes... Is this the gang leader's corpse?"
"The gang leader... is dead?"
Someone soon recognized Zhao Xuan's corpse. The Black Tiger Gang members who had rushed over stood frozen in place. The unguarded courtyard gate, only a few feet away, seemed like a forbidden line they dared not cross. Their expressions shifted dramatically, and no one dared take the first step.
Inside the room, Su Mu soon found a martial arts manual in a hidden compartment. He stuffed it into the curtain bundle as well. Then, after calmly giving the room a quick search, he slung the bundle over his shoulder and tied it tight.
He leaped out of the room and, under everyone's watchful eyes, sprang onto a wall more than ten feet high. After a few more bounds, he vanished into the night, light as a dragonfly skimming the water.
After Su Mu left, the Black Tiger Gang members swarmed into Zhao Xuan's inner courtyard. Before long, the sounds of fighting rang out. With Wu Heng and Zhao Xuan both dead, the Black Tiger Gang had no leader.
Wealth stirred men's hearts. The gang members immediately fought over the treasures in the house, killing one another until blood flooded the courtyard.
Of course, Su Mu, who had already left, knew nothing about it. Even if he had, he would not have cared.
"Lock your doors and windows. Guard against thieves and burglars."
On the silent street in the dead of night, a night watchman carrying a lantern struck his clapper and gong. It was already the second watch of the night.
Just then, the night watchman suddenly turned to look down the street beside him. He rubbed his eyes; he thought he had seen something dart past.
"Must've been my eyes playing tricks on me. Or maybe a wild cat?"
The night watchman continued on, repeating the second-watch call: "Lock your doors and windows. Guard against thieves and burglars."
On the pitch-black street, a figure moved without disturbing a soul. He lightly touched down on a roof and sprang into a second-floor window of the inn, slipping into a room facing the street. When he emerged again, there was a round bundle at each side of his waist.
He left town and headed east.
Halfway up White Egret Mountain, Su Mu suddenly saw a blaze of fire to the east of town.
"Isn't that where Zhao Xuan's residence is?"
Su Mu was puzzled. He had no idea that the Black Tiger Gang members in Zhao Xuan's residence had already fought themselves into a frenzy. The fire was the result of their battle.
After watching for a few moments, Su Mu turned away. None of it had anything to do with him anymore.
Su Mu reached the summit of White Egret Mountain and took the two bundles from his waist. He laid the heads of the black-armored brute and Zhao Xuan before Zhou Shan's grave.
The first rays of the sun scattered the mountain chill and shone across the earth. Su Mu shouldered his pack and stood gazing at the rising sun in the east. A few long calls rang out from the woods, and several lines of egrets rose from White Egret Mountain, beating their wings as they migrated south.
The Beginning of Autumn had passed. Winter was not far off.
The egrets left the green mountains, never to return to Qingshui.
There was no feast that did not end. Last night, Su Mu had brought the heads of his two enemies. Today, after offering one last cup of wine, he rose and left.
"Uncle Zhou, farewell."
The young man's steps grew lighter and steadier, leaving their heaviness behind. His road through life was like the newly risen sun: everything was only just beginning, and his story was still unfolding.
"In troubled times, good people don't live long... Only what you hold in your own hands can be called fate!"
A trace of resolve flashed in the young man's eyes, and his determination to grow stronger only hardened.
At the foot of the mountain, Su Mu met Uncle Li and Xiaohu.
"Xiaomu, go back and get some good rest," Uncle Li said, a trace of relief in his eyes. He had not misjudged Su Mu, and neither had Zhou Shan.
Su Mu answered and then took his leave.
"All right. The masters are all at the shop. You can go see them before you leave."
Li Tie patted Su Mu on the shoulder, then walked a few steps away to give Xiaohu and Su Mu some time together. At last, Li Xiaohu hugged Su Mu. "Su Mu, I'll come find you in the city someday!"
"All right. I'll be waiting."
The young man answered solemnly and went down the mountain. The Li family father and son headed up.
"Dad, what are those two dark things in front of Uncle Zhou's grave?"
When they drew closer and looked carefully, they saw that they were two bloody heads. Li Xiaohu turned deathly pale and trembled, but Li Tie's expression changed drastically.
He recognized one of the heads at a glance. It belonged to the leader of the bandits who had attacked the town and led his men into the Iron Shop, killing Master Zhou and the others.
Though the other head's face had been ruined, any head placed beside that bandit leader's was no ordinary one. The image of Black Tiger Gang leader Zhao Xuan suddenly rose in Li Tie's mind. In a daze, the head before him overlapped with the figure from his memory.
"Could the other head be Zhao Xuan's?!"
Gulp.
Li Tie swallowed and abruptly turned to look down the mountain road. The young man's figure had long since vanished.
"Uncle Li... I, I feel tight in the chest. I'm going out for some air. I'll be right back."
The boy's words from several days ago surfaced in Li Tie's ears at that moment.
Memories flowed backward. On the night the thirty-fold-forged long saber was stolen by Wu Heng, a mysterious expert had stormed Wu Heng's residence and killed him.
His memories continued to rewind.
Li Tie recalled that the first time Wu Heng had come to cause trouble at the shop, it had also been Su Mu who helped Zhou Shan to his feet. Everything connected in Li Tie's mind.
"So it was Xiaomu... But he's only fourteen!"
As Li Tie marveled inwardly at the boy's monstrous talent, Su Mu had already returned to the shop. He bade farewell to the masters and soon left town. He had to continue searching for Pharmacist Lin.
On White Egret Mountain, Li Xiaohu saw that his father was still staring dazedly at the two heads. He swallowed and nervously looked again. The moment he did, a cry of shock escaped his lips.
Li Xiaohu recognized one of the heads and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Dad, Dad... Isn't this head the one from that day..."
Li Tie cut him off. "Come on, back to the shop. We have to get back there now!"
They were still a step too late. After learning from the masters that Su Mu had already left, Li Tie thought for a while and announced in front of everyone that he was closing the shop.
Ignoring the masters' attempts to persuade him, Li Tie insisted on taking out his savings and giving each of them a generous sum of money.
"Masters, these are troubled times. I plan to take Xiaohu back to our hometown. Please take care of yourselves!"
"Take care, Shopkeeper!"
As he watched the masters from the Iron Shop leave one after another, Li Xiaohu felt an indescribable sense of loss and confusion.
"Dad, why are you closing the shop? You clearly don't want to. This shop is the work of more than twenty years of your life."
Li Tie looked at Xiaohu and spoke earnestly.
"Xiaohu, you'll understand one day... Someday, our shop will produce a truly remarkable man. Come on, Xiaohu. Let's go."
The closing of the Li Family Blacksmith Shop did not cause much of a stir in Qingshui Town. That was only because an even more shocking event had taken place.
Zhao Xuan, who had dominated Qingshui Town for nearly twenty years, had been beheaded in the night. With the Black Tiger Gang leaderless, the remaining hall masters had each fought for themselves, slaughtering one another and suffering heavy losses over the treasures. The once-mighty Black Tiger Gang had collapsed in a single night.
The tiger's roar heard on the night Zhao Xuan died spread from mouth to mouth throughout Qingshui Town. Before long, the ancient legend of the mountain lord appearing had spread beyond the town and begun circulating across the land once more.
Over the next several days, Su Mu traveled alone throughout the Qingshui Town area. He learned from several medicine merchants that Pharmacist Lin had been seen a month earlier, but Lin's current whereabouts remained utterly unknown.
"I'd better return to Qingyun City first."
Before you continue