"F-Flying Dagger Art..."
Zhou Hu recognized Zhao An's peerless Flying Dagger Art too. It came from his own Fierce Tiger Blade Art.
Even more ironically, even now, Zhou Hu had only barely reached the Third Realm in the Fierce Tiger Blade Art.
He had never been able to use this exquisite Flying Dagger Art properly, nor had he managed to master it.
He had never imagined that one day he would die beneath someone else's Flying Dagger Art.
"You... how do you know the Fierce Tiger Blade, the Tiger Blade Intent...? This is the Fourth Realm..." Zhou Hu lay face-down on the ground, his breath fading. All he could see was Zhao An approaching.
But Zhao An had no intention of answering the doubts of a dying man. He simply drew his long blade and charged at Chen Song.
As for Zhou Hu, the Tiger Head Gang's leader, he breathed his last in bitter resentment.
Seeing how decisively Zhao An killed, Chen Song panicked.
"Y-Young brother, spare me! I'm a Chief Constable of the yamen. If you kill me, you'll be signing your own death warrant. The authorities won't let you off!"
Only now did he suddenly understand why Zhao Ke had never taken the money from Zhao An's hands.
Was it that he hadn't wanted to take it?
No—no one could take that money away!
Chen Song had thought that revealing his identity would let his official status save his life.
But Zhao An had no intention of holding back.
He was like a Fierce Tiger that had lain in wait for ages. Once it tasted blood, how could it possibly let its prey go?
Chen Song's blade skills were inferior to his, and now Zhou Hu was no longer there to restrain him. After a few exchanges, this Outer City District yamen Chief Constable also met his end beneath Zhao An's blade.
But Zhao An's blade still did not stop. He continued to hunt down every Red Name he could find.
He turned the entire Tiger Head Gang into a river of blood, with heads tumbling everywhere! Shen Pan stared, dumbstruck.
He had only just entered the martial world. Though he had taken lives himself, he had never witnessed a slaughter like this.
He had heard that Zhao An had the ability to cut his way through the entire Python Gang. Now he had seen it with his own eyes once more. The rumors had been true!
Tonight, the Tiger Head Gang would meet the same fate as the Python Gang!
Some Tiger Head Gang members managed to flee, but their faces were deathly pale and their legs shook beneath them. They were scared witless. Zhao An's image filled their minds, like some demon god.
For many nights to come, they would likely have nightmares at the very sound of his name.
Zhao An let out a light breath. His blade and the hand gripping it were both slick with blood.
He glanced at the edge of his blade. After chopping through so many heads, he had rolled its edge.
Though there was blood on his body, he hadn't suffered a single wound. He had only expended a great deal of strength.
Fortunately, his Internal Breath kept circulating to sustain him, so he hadn't truly fought until he was spent.
He had reaped quite a reward from the bloody battle.
Besides Zhou Hu and Chen Song, who had become Martial Master Soul Slaves, the Tiger Head Gang's Red Name leaders and key members had contributed over thirty more Soul Slaves.
That more than replenished the Soul Slaves he had expended recently. Only a dozen or so of his Soul Slaves from the Python Gang remained.
After tonight, he could afford to be a little more extravagant when investing Soul Slaves in his martial training.
"It seems a martial art's realm really matters in actual combat..." Zhao An reflected on the battle, his heart stirred with understanding.
They had both practiced the same Fierce Tiger Blade Art, but he had reached the Fourth Realm, while Zhou Hu had only mastered the Third. He could cut Zhou Hu down with ease.
In fact, Zhou Hu's blade work had been riddled with openings in his eyes.
That was why he had dared to take on two opponents at once.
After watching them from the sidelines for a while, he had felt that both men's blade skills were mediocre.
Even Chen Song, with his ties to the authorities, could have been finished off in a few strokes. There was no chance the fight would drag on.
And that was without even counting the Soul Slaves he kept in reserve.
Every Soul Slave in his Soul Pool had a passive skill that could trigger in his place and take a fatal blow.
Even if he got overconfident for a moment, he had so many Soul Slaves to take the hits for him. That was another great source of confidence.
All he could say was that the two men had gotten what they deserved. His mastery of martial arts far surpassed theirs!
When Zhao An finally looked his way, Shen Pan felt his whole body go cold, as if a bloodthirsty tiger had fixed its gaze on him.
Fortunately, Zhao An merely glanced at the color of the name above Shen Pan's head, then walked past him.
Perhaps because he had killed only wicked men, Shen Pan's name wasn't red.
Nearby, Li Gou'er and Zhao Chunzi had already begun scavenging as ordered. They hoisted a chest of spoils and followed Zhao An with beaming faces.
Only Shen Pan remained behind, still dazed.
A cold wind swept through, carrying the heavy stench of blood.
Shen Pan immediately left the scene as well.
He knew that once news of the Tiger Head Gang's destruction spread tomorrow, it would surely cause another major stir in the Outer City.
But no matter what, it was definitely good news for the common people of the Outer City.
Whether it was the Python Gang or the Tiger Head Gang, people would only applaud their destruction. Not a soul would pity them.
As for Zhao An, Shen Pan found him harder and harder to understand.
He had clearly been a villain before, but lately he seemed like a different person. He no longer seemed intent on bullying the common folk. Instead, he helped the people at the bottom and cut down their oppressors.
No one could say what Zhao An's goal was.
The next day.
In Two Wells Alley.
"Mother, I'm going to the Martial Academy to practice my punches." Shen Pan said after finishing a bowl of rice gruel and a wheat cake.
"That's good. Master Zheng's Martial Academy should be safer too." Mother Shen nodded.
"Mother, it's all right now." Shen Pan stopped, turned back, and said solemnly.
Mother Shen was about to ask what he meant when laughter suddenly rang out from the alley.
"The Tiger Head Gang will never bully us again!"
"Heaven has eyes! The Tiger Head Gang has been wiped out!"
"Heaven has eyes!"
A limping old man stumbled along, laughing through his tears. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy.
"Old Lin, is that really true?" an old woman asked at once when she heard him.
"It's true as can be! The courtyard is full of those beasts' corpses. The yamen's runners are hauling them out, cartload after cartload!" The old man's voice was trembling with excitement, as if he had waited his whole life for this moment.
One by one, the families in the alley began asking about it.
When they heard the incredible good news, some clapped in delight, some covered their faces and wept, some laughed with abandon, and others danced for joy.
It was as if the dark clouds hanging over their heads had dispersed, and their long, miserable days were finally about to end.
"Th-Then who did this?" someone asked.
"Who cares who did it? Whoever it was, from this day on, they're my great benefactor! If I ever see them, I'll kowtow to them!" the old man said.
Shen Pan, who had just stepped out of his home nearby, watched the scene without knowing what to say. He quietly headed to the Martial Academy.
After everything that had happened the night before, he had realized just one thing.
His strength was still far from enough!
"The Martial Examination is coming up soon. This year, no matter what, I'll earn a title and make Mother proud!"
But the news of the Tiger Head Gang's destruction wasn't the biggest event of the day.
There was another even more jaw-dropping piece of news, which spread from the Inner City that afternoon and shocked everyone!
Last night, the County Magistrate of Lianjiang County had died!
And he had met a violent end!
Before you continue