Something was wrong. Linshan County lay in Yunzhou, on Great Xia's border, next to one of the demonic holy lands: the Nether Abyss Demon Court.
They said that thirty years ago, the remnants of the Corpse Demon Cult had only escaped with their lives by hiding in the Nether Abyss Demon Court.
If it had only been the Corpse Demon Cult seeking revenge on Great Xia, that would have been one thing. What worried him was the possibility that this power was pulling strings behind them.
"Their leader's name is Tang Heihu."
Big Black slowly recounted what he had learned.
The Black Tiger Gang had over a thousand members. Its leader, Tang Heihu, was nicknamed the "Heaven Shaking Hammer" and was supposedly at the first or second layer of Meridian Opening. Beneath him were two deputy leaders, four Hall Masters, and dozens of officers of varying rank. It was the biggest gang in Linshan County.
As for Huang Qianqing's uncle, Huang Ren, he was the Hall Master of the Transmitting Arts Hall. His cultivation was only at Body Tempering Layer Seven, though rumor had it that he was very close to a deputy leader surnamed Zhang.
Big Black finished speaking and downed the tea on the table. "Boss, the Black Tiger Gang is nothing to fear."
Su Ye said calmly, "When I first entered the county, they invited me to a banquet tonight."
"A banquet? Sounds to me like they're asking for death." Big Black didn't care in the least.
Su Ye pondered for a moment. "Big Black, do you know where Zombie Mountain is?"
Understanding what he meant, Big Black hesitated. "I don't know the exact location. Want me to scout it out?"
"Good," Su Ye said.
The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. There was still plenty of time before the banquet, and with nothing else to do, Su Ye took hold of his standard-issue saber and strode out of Changfeng Inn.
Beneath the night sky, figures already moved along the main street. There were fewer people in tattered clothes than during the day, and a few more young masters dressed in silk, gathering in twos and threes as they streamed into the brothels and elegant pavilions.
The busiest pavilion was lit bright as day, with three gilt characters on its signboard.
"Drunken Flower Pavilion."
Su Ye casually surveyed the street. Suddenly, a porter caught his attention. The man looked to be in his forties, with an utterly ordinary build and face—the kind of person who vanished from sight the moment he was lost in a crowd.
He felt much weaker than the Tiger Demon, but was probably at Meridian Opening Early Stage. Su Ye was tempted to follow him and find out who he was.
But then he reconsidered. Linshan County might not be large, yet passing Martial Artists were bound to come through. If the man posed no threat, there was no need to invite trouble. Since the appointed time was drawing near, Su Ye settled his bill and left.
After Su Ye explained why he had come, a young man who seemed like a low-ranking officer gestured for him to follow.
They passed through a stone gate shaped like a gourd and turned a corner. A brightly lit hall lay ahead, as bright as daylight, with two figures sitting upright inside. Su Ye had barely stepped in when—
An old man in the seat of honor, well past fifty, smiled and spoke. "I am Zhang Zejiang, deputy leader of the Black Tiger Gang. A pleasure to meet you, Lord Su."
The old man sat at ease in his grand chair, the contempt in his eyes plain to see. Su Ye merely replied, "You called me here. What do you want?"
Just then, the old man seated at the head of the right-hand side suddenly slapped the table and rose. "Quit pretending you don't know, boy. Qing'er went to Kaoshan Town to look for you last night and hasn't returned. Did you do something to him?"
The speaker was in his fifties, and his face bore some resemblance to Huang Qianqing's. Su Ye looked at him and answered with a question of his own. "You're Huang Qianqing's uncle, Huang Ren?"
"Enough nonsense. Where is my nephew?"
"I killed him with one palm," Su Ye said, his voice calm.
"What? You dared to kill him! Men, seize this bastard!" Huang Ren shouted. At his words, hurried footsteps sounded outside.
Four members of the Black Tiger Gang stormed into the hall, each armed with a weapon. Their leader glared at Su Ye. "Come quietly, and you'll suffer less."
At this point, what was there to say?
Su Ye drew the long saber at his waist and gazed coolly at the Black Tiger Gang members.
"You're courting death!"
The four men quickly spread out, surrounding him as they charged with weapons raised.
Su Ye moved without haste, dodging the trident coming straight at him. He was as nimble as a monkey; spotting his chance, he swung his saber with tremendous force.
The blade swept across one man's neck, its momentum undiminished as it sliced off half the head of the man to his right. Blood gushed from their necks and the severed head, spattering the tables and chairs on either side. Their shrill screams rang out.
"Useless! You can't even handle a greenhorn."
As he spoke, Huang Ren suddenly sprang forward. As Hall Master of the Black Tiger Gang's Transmitting Arts Hall, he publicly claimed to be only at Body Tempering Layer Seven.
But the force he displayed in his attack was at least that of Body Tempering Layer Eight.
Zhang Zejiang sneered inwardly. Huang Ren was a real fox, deliberately hiding his strength.
The young man before them was certainly skilled, but far too young. Even if he had started practicing martial arts in the womb, he could have trained for no more than twenty years. He couldn't possibly be a match for Huang Ren.
Zhang Zejiang was certain that, given Huang Ren's temperament, the young man would be tortured to death in fewer than ten moves.
In the blink of an eye, Huang Ren had closed to within two steps of Su Ye. A dagger flashed from his sleeve like a venomous snake striking, aiming straight for Su Ye's heart, while his other hand formed an eagle claw and reached for Su Ye's throat.
Huang Ren's attack was vicious. The eagle claw was a feint; the dagger hidden in his sleeve was the real killing move.
Su Ye saw it all clearly, but had no intention of dodging. He drove his body straight into the eagle claw.
To Huang Ren, Su Ye's move seemed to prove he was weak and had lost his composure before a powerful opponent like himself.
"Clang!"
Huang Ren's face suddenly filled with shock. His dagger seemed to have struck an iron plate. It did not so much as scratch Su Ye, while the force rebounding through the weapon left Huang Ren's palm numb.
"Not bad, kid. You actually hid an iron plate in your chest." As he spoke, Huang Ren abruptly froze. His eagle-claw hand had suddenly gone completely numb.
A sharp pain hit without warning. At the instant Huang Ren attacked, Su Ye's hand had fallen like a blade, chopping off his arm.
"Ah!"
The scream did not last long. Su Ye's right hand flashed forward and lightly jabbed Huang Ren, who collapsed to the floor. A bloody hole had appeared in his throat.
Zhang Zejiang was stunned beyond words. Su Ye had struck in the blink of an eye.
Yet in that brief moment, a Martial Artist at Body Tempering Layer Eight had been killed without a sound. The young man's strength was likely even greater than the gang leader's.
With that thought, Zhang Zejiang didn't dare linger. He poured all his strength into his legs and reached the wooden window in a breath, leaping through it.
His old face had already emerged outside when a streak of dark light appeared behind him. It was the dagger Huang Ren had tried to use to ambush Su Ye.
The tip pierced the back of Zhang Zejiang's head and burst out through his forehead. In an instant, red and white matter splattered across the ground.
The commotion inside the hall drew the attention of people outside. Some gang members hurried off to inform the Black Tiger Gang's higher-ups.
"You bastard! You actually dared to kill my men in the Black Tiger Gang!"
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