Blood for Blood

At dusk, the door curtain of the Hongyun Gambling House in Linshan Town was roughly shoved aside.

Liu San and Wang Laizi walked out, cursing under their breath. Their eye sockets were deeply sunken, and their complexions were ashen.

Liu San spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground. "Damn it all to hell, my luck has been rotten these past few days. I lost everything, principal and interest!"

"Brother San, what do we do now? Brother Lai told us to keep an eye on the Kexianju restaurant..." Wang Laizi patted his empty money pouch, his pockmarked face contorting into a knot.

"Keep an eye on it, my ass! We're broke. Let's head back to the fort first."

Liu San waved his hand irritably. "We'll scrape together some more money tomorrow and come back to win it all back."

The two of them trudged dejectedly along the dirt road outside the town toward Luming Fort.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long, twisting and distorting them on the dusty road.

They did not notice that about thirty paces behind them, a man dressed like a woodcutter, carrying a bundle of firewood and wearing a bamboo hat, was following them at a steady, unhurried pace.

Beneath the bamboo hat, Qin Meng had used his innate talent to alter his appearance, making himself appear shorter. He had come down from the mountain to the town and had been tailing the two of them since they were at the gambling house.

Watching them lose their last copper coin and watching them leave in frustration—this was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Having lost all their money, the two men ahead were hot-tempered, cursing and swearing, and for some reason, the conversation drifted to Qin Meng. "Damn it, that loser has actually turned things around..."

"Ain't that the truth? He killed two spotted deer a few days ago."

Liu San suddenly struggled to lift his head. "Brother, let me tell you some news..."

"Brother Lai has already asked Master Wang for help to deal with that piece of trash."

Wang Laizi tilted his head, his pockmarked face looking even more wretched in the dim light. "Brother Lai also said that once he's tired of playing with that Qiu Yue... he'll let us brothers have a turn. That woman has such a big, perky ass..."

Qin Meng, trailing behind, paused for an imperceptible moment. The last trace of warmth in his eyes faded away, leaving only an icy, frozen chill.

The sky grew darker, and there were few pedestrians on the road.

About two miles outside the town, large patches of wild grass and scattered grave mounds began to appear along the roadside.

This was what the townspeople called Wild Ghost Slope. Aside from woodcutters and scavengers, few people came here. Qin Meng's footsteps suddenly quickened.

Liu San and Wang Laizi ahead sensed the sound of rapid footsteps behind them!

The two turned around instinctively, only to see a black shadow pouncing toward them like a night owl! The face beneath the bamboo hat was obscured, but those eyes shone with a terrifying light in the twilight.

"Who—"

Liu San only managed half a shout before a hand like an iron pincer clamped onto his throat.

On the other side, Wang Laizi was seized with the same technique, his pockmarked face instantly turning a deep, purplish red.

Qin Meng exerted force through his arms, hoisting the two men up like chicks. He strode across the dirt road in a few steps and ducked into a dense patch of reeds beside the irrigation ditch.

"Thud! Thud!"

With two muffled sounds, Liu San and Wang Laizi were slammed hard against the ground, leaving them dazed and disoriented.

"Who... who are you?" Liu San struggled to get up, but a foot stomped heavily onto his chest.

Qin Meng ignored his question, his voice as calm as if he were asking for directions: "I have a few questions. Answer well, and you might live."

"Damn you, we're Qin Lai's men! If you dare touch a hair on our heads—"

Snap.

Qin Meng lightning-fast grabbed Liu San's left pinky finger and snapped it backward with clean, decisive force. The sound of bone fracturing was piercingly sharp in the silent wilderness.

Liu San's scream had barely escaped his throat before a rag was shoved deep into his mouth, turning his cry into a muffled, whimpering wail. Veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat poured down his face.

Wang Laizi, off to the side, was trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"I'll ask one more time." Qin Meng shifted his gaze toward him, the steel blade in his hand glinting coldly in the firelight. "The night Qin Meng fell into the water, who did it?"

"I... I don't know..." Wang Laizi's lips quivered.

Qin Meng didn't waste any more words. The tip of his blade suddenly pressed against Wang Laizi's left eyelid; the icy sensation made him freeze in place.

"If you don't speak, I'll gouge out an eye first." His voice remained devoid of any ripple.

"It was Brother Monkey—no, it was Skinny Monkey Song Zhong who kicked him!" Wang Laizi shouted in a breakdown. "Qin Lai ordered it. He said... he said to leave him half-dead so that Shen Qiuyue would have no other choice but to borrow money from us and sign a contract..."

Qin Meng's blade paused, then turned toward Liu San: "Is what he said true?"

Liu San's face turned deathly pale. Meeting Qin Meng's cold gaze, his Adam's apple bobbed: "Yes, it was Skinny Monkey who did it, but it was Qin Lai—it was Qin Lai's idea! It was to force the loan contract; even the authorities couldn't do anything about it."

"And then?" Qin Meng's voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Then... then once the loan matured and she couldn't pay it back, Shen Qiuyue would..." Liu San didn't dare continue.

Qin Meng pressed the blade against Liu San's neck, and the latter let out a shriek.

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" Liu San squeezed his eyes shut, speaking at a rapid-fire pace. "Qin Lai has had his eye on Shen Qiuyue for a long time and found Qin Meng to be an eyesore.

He said once the contract was in hand and Shen Qiuyue couldn't pay, she would have no choice but to... to submit to him. Once he grew tired of her, he'd sell her to a brothel and make another profit..."

The reed patch fell silent for a moment.

There was only the sound of the gurgling ditch water and the rustle of the night wind blowing through the reeds.

Qin Meng's voice was hoarse and filled with murderous intent: "Where is Qin Lai right now?"

"He went to the city with Master Wang," Liu San replied hurriedly.

"When will he be back?"

"He said once he finishes his business, he'll be back in a couple of days."

"What about Lin Hai, the owner of the gambling den?" Qin Meng frowned and switched to another question.

Wang Laizi chimed in before anyone else could: "Boss Lin is usually in town. He has a residence on the west side of town, and he can also stay in the back courtyard of the gambling den, but tonight he should be at the residence..."

"The exact location of the residence. How many guards are there?" Qin Meng asked, enunciating every word.

The two of them spilled everything they knew like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube—the layout of Lin Hai's residence, his relatives and family members, and the number of guards. They even circled back to Qin Lai, mentioning which brothels he frequented...

Qin Meng silently committed it all to memory.

Having asked everything he needed to know, he looked down at the two men slumped on the ground.

A glimmer of hope still lingered in their eyes—perhaps telling him all this could buy them their lives?

"Br-brother, we've said everything we know..." Liu San squeezed out a fawning smile. "If you could just show some mercy, we'll pretend we never saw you. We promise to leave Luming Fort immediately, leave the borderlands, and never come back..."

Qin Meng suddenly smiled.

Before the words had even faded, Qin Meng suddenly smiled.

That smile appeared exceptionally chilling in the dim light.

"You just said," he began slowly, his voice as soft as a mutter to himself, "that once Qin Lai gets bored, Shen Qiuyue could be tossed to you to play with?"

Liu San and Wang Laizi shuddered, their faces turning ashen.

They finally realized—the man before them had never intended to let them live from the very start.

"Run!" Liu San lunged upward, trying to bolt toward the edge of the reed patch.

Qin Meng didn't even move; he simply raised his foot and kicked.

"Crack!" A clear sound of bone snapping.

Liu San screamed and collapsed, his left lower leg bent at a grotesque angle.

Wang Laizi seized the chance to flee, hoping to dive into the water to escape. But the moment he was about to touch the surface, his neck tightened, and he was hauled back.

Qin Meng gripped his throat with one hand and hoisted him to the edge of the irrigation ditch. Under the moonlight, the ditch water looked deep and dark, reflecting Wang Laizi's face, which was twisted from suffocation.

"Look," Qin Meng leaned into his ear, his voice icy. "Ten days ago, Qin Meng was pushed into this very ditch by you lot and nearly died."

Wang Laizi struggled frantically, his hands clawing at the air, but it was useless against Qin Meng's iron-like arm. His face was pushed inch by inch toward the water.

"Glub, glub..."

Bubbles surged from his nose and mouth. Wang Laizi's eyes were wide open, reflecting the shimmering moonlight and water, just like Qin Meng had that night.

Ten breaths later, the struggling ceased.

Qin Meng dragged the limp body back to the bank, pressed his hands against the head, and twisted with all his might. A bone-chilling crack echoed through the darkness. He then repeated the process, cleanly and efficiently snapping Liu San's neck.

[Life Source +2%]

[Life Source +2.3%]

A familiar warmth flowed into his body. There was no expression on Qin Meng's face. He rolled the two corpses up in reeds, carried them like two bundles of firewood, and silently bypassed the irrigation ditch, heading toward the desolate mountains far from human habitation.

Half an hour later, deep in the forest, at a steep ravine frequented by wild wolves.

Qin Meng tossed the bodies down, used his waist saber to create marks of beasts gnawing and dragging, and then found some animal excrement and fur to scatter around the area.

The rain and the creatures of the mountain would soon take care of the rest; in the end, not even bones would remain.

After finishing all this, Qin Meng stood in the dark woods and whispered to himself, "Scum like you, how could you ever change? If you can't change, then you only deserve to die."

With that, Qin Meng gripped his saber, turned, and vanished into the night, quickly heading back toward Linshan Town.