Killing an Initiated Expert, a Hundred-Tael Silver Note!

The little beggar held up his tattered bowl, begging all the way. Whenever he encountered a passerby, he would stop and put on a pitiful expression, hoping to elicit a shred of sympathy and have a few copper coins tossed his way.

However, most of the passersby treated him with cold indifference, walking past him with disdain as if they had encountered something unlucky.

The little beggar was long used to this and felt not the slightest bit of sadness. He continued to beg, walking along until he turned into a secluded alleyway.

Inside the alley, Han Qi stood waiting. When he saw the little beggar, his eyes lit up, and he asked, "How did it go?"

"He accepted the note!"

The little beggar hurried to Han Qi's side, wearing an expectant expression.

"You did well!"

Han Qi smiled, took out one hundred copper coins, and handed them to the little beggar. "Alright, be off with you."

"Many thanks, sir! Many thanks, sir!"

The little beggar's face instantly filled with joy. He clutched the copper coins tightly and turned to run out of the alley. With this much money, he could afford the medicine to treat his sister's illness!

Just as he stepped out of the alley, a black shadow suddenly flashed before him.

Swish!

A cold glint flashed.

The black shadow held a dagger, his eyes as cold and sharp as ice.

Thud!

The little beggar's eyes widened as his body collapsed heavily to the ground. The joy on his face froze, his hands still clutching those copper coins tightly, refusing to let go.

"Zhu Kai!!"

Han Qi's pupils constricted. He recognized the newcomer and was instantly filled with dread.

Zhu Kai, a ranked martial artist!

He was one of the six hall masters of the Green Tiger Gang, known for being sinister and ruthless. Many members of the Golden Fish Gang had died at his hands, and even one of their own hall masters had been assassinated by him.

This is trouble!

Han Qi groaned inwardly.

"Heh heh, you thought you could hide this little trick from me? I had already guessed you would try to contact Liu Chu, so I deliberately kept watch at the entrance of the martial arts school. Sure enough, I caught you!"

Zhu Kai brought the dagger to his lips, stuck out his tongue, and licked the scarlet blood from the blade, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes.

Meeting Zhu Kai's gaze, Han Qi felt as if he had been locked onto by a venomous snake, and he subconsciously took a step back.

I have no choice but to fight for my life!

Han Qi took a deep breath, reached out to grip the hilt of the blade at his waist, and focused his attention.

"If I were you, I would choose to surrender. At least then you might leave behind an intact corpse!"

Zhu Kai glanced at the hand gripping the hilt, a look of contempt appearing in his eyes.

Although Han Qi had studied martial arts, he was ultimately unranked. How could he possibly be a match for a ranked martial artist like him!

Just as he tightened his grip on the dagger and prepared to strike Han Qi down.

Zhu Kai's eyes narrowed, his expression shifting abruptly. Sensing a fierce attack from behind, he didn't have time to think and instantly lunged forward to dodge.

Swish!

A claw shadow appeared out of nowhere, swift as lightning, grazing the back of his neck. The fingertips, sharp as blades, left five bloody gashes.

Had Zhu Kai not lunged forward to dodge, that claw would have been enough to tear his skin, break his tendons, and shatter his bones!

A ranked expert!!

Shock washed over Zhu Kai. He realized that the person who had ambushed him was a ranked martial artist!

"Die!"

As soon as he steadied his footing, he didn't say a word. He stomped his toes hard against the ground, channeling the force from the earth up through his waist in an instant. A burst of power surged, causing him to whip his body around. He swung his dagger, slashing toward Liu Chu!

The dagger flashed with a cold light, slicing through the air like a fleeting shadow, striking straight at the enemy behind him!

"Oh!"

Liu Chu let out a soft exclamation, surprised that Zhu Kai had managed to dodge his sneak attack.

It seems these gang martial artists, having experienced life-and-death struggles, are slightly stronger than the students from martial arts schools like Xu Liyuan!

Liu Chu thought to himself.

If it had been Xu Liyuan, a ranked martial artist, facing his sudden sneak attack, he likely would have been killed on the spot!

Yet this gang martial artist before him had managed to dodge the attack and escape death even while caught off guard.

This must be the extraordinary reaction ability honed by gang members through years of constant fighting and brawling!

However, although Liu Chu was startled, he did not stop his assault.

He had never expected to kill his opponent in one blow. Now, seeing him dodge the fatal strike, he stepped forward violently. His five fingers curled slightly into a claw, piercing the air as they reached for his arm.

Zhu Kai slashed with his dagger, but before he could reach Liu Chu, Liu Chu's five fingers had already firmly clamped onto his left arm.

His five fingers curled like a tiger's claw, power surging forth to instantly tear through skin and flesh, digging deep into the sinews and bones. With a sudden, violent twist of his wrist and a downward rake, he executed a move to rend tendons and dislocate bones!

Crack!

The sound of snapping tendons and breaking bones rang out. Zhu Kai let out a miserable shriek as his entire arm hung limp and unnaturally bent, marked by five striking bloody gashes with severed tendons exposed to the air.

"Retreat!"

Cold sweat beaded on Zhu Kai's forehead. Realizing he had encountered a master, he didn't hesitate to scramble backward, desperate to put some distance between himself and Liu Chu.

Liu Chu naturally wouldn't let him succeed. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he lunged forward like a tiger released from its cage, closing the distance to Zhu Kai in an instant.

Zhu Kai's pupils contracted. Still attempting to resist, he swung his right arm, sending his dagger slashing toward Liu Chu once more.

Liu Chu had already anticipated the move. His expression remained unchanged as he threw a punch, roaring like a Dragon Soaring through the sky, striking Zhu Kai's chest with pinpoint accuracy.

Zhu Kai's dagger was a fraction too slow, and his body was already struck by the fist.

As the Dragon and Tiger power erupted from the blow, the true might of his perfected Combat Technique was laid bare!

Zhu Kai felt his entire body shudder. Even though his skin had already undergone transformation, becoming as hard as iron and stone, he still felt a searing pain in his chest as his bones shattered, sending him reeling backward.

The dagger slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground!

Liu Chu's figure clung to him like a maggot on a rotting bone, closing in once more. He clenched his fingers into a fist and slammed it into Zhu Kai's throat!

Zhu Kai instinctively tried to dodge, but the agonizing pain from his shattered chest bones slowed his reaction, leaving him to watch helplessly as the fist connected with his throat.

"Crack!"

With his throat crushed, Zhu Kai spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed heavily to the ground, never to rise again!

Zhu Kai was dead!

This Ninth Rank Skin Refining martial artist had been killed by Liu Chu in just a few moves!

"A-Chu... is it really you?"

Han Qi widened his eyes, staring at Liu Chu in disbelief, momentarily afraid to even acknowledge him.

Zhu Kai, a hall master of the Green Tiger Gang, was a ruthless character who had slaughtered many members of the Golden Fish Gang, even killing a hall master who was an initiated martial artist.

Yet, such a vicious man had been killed by Liu Chu in mere moments, his arm broken, his chest shattered, and his throat crushed!

This was completely beyond his expectations!

Only when he saw Liu Chu stoop down to loot the corpse did Han Qi finally recover from his shock, his face filled with excitement. "A-Chu, did you break through to become an initiated martial artist?!"

"One hundred and ten taels of silver... I didn't expect this guy to be so wealthy!"

Liu Chu finished searching the body, pocketing both the dagger and the silver banknotes before looking up at Han Qi with a smile.

He did not answer Han Qi's question, for killing Zhu Kai was the best answer possible!

"That's great! I never expected you to break through so quickly. I really didn't misjudge you!"

Han Qi was brimming with excitement.

But after a moment of exhilaration, he sighed. "It's a pity the Golden Fish Gang was wiped out. I had originally hoped the two of us could carve out a future there!"

Although Liu Chu had become an initiated martial artist, the destruction of the Golden Fish Gang by the Green Tiger Gang left Han Qi feeling a mix of joy and sorrow.

Liu Chu returned the thirty taels of silver he had borrowed to Han Qi and asked, "What are your plans now?"

"I don't know. For now, I'll stay with the hall master at the Changle Gang for a while. Perhaps I'll join the Changle Gang later..."

Han Qi looked a bit lost. He looked at Liu Chu and suddenly asked, "By the way, why did you suddenly appear here?"

"You had that little beggar send me a message saying you were safe, but I was worried, so I followed to check..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the little beggar's corpse and sighed. "What a pity."

He had tracked the little beggar to this location, but he had been too far behind to intervene before Zhu Kai killed the boy.

"He still has a sick sister; I will take care of that matter."

Han Qi also sighed. "I never expected Zhu Kai to be secretly watching the martial arts school. It's fortunate that you had already broken through and followed me, otherwise I likely would have fallen victim to his hands as well!"