You're Forcing Me to Kill You

Although Meng Chong had slapped him, he didn't dare utter a word of complaint.

He wasn't like those ordinary gang members, full of hot-blooded enthusiasm and clueless about the world. He'd been with the Flying Eagle Gang long enough to know who he could afford to provoke and who he couldn't.

The Three Heroes Association's power was plain for all to see. Forget Su Xin—even Sha Feiying couldn't afford to provoke them!

"Old Huang, what's going on?" A voice suddenly came from outside.

Huang Bingcheng silently cursed his bad luck and turned around. It was Li Huai, back from patrolling outside.

He knew Li Huai well. He paid no heed to anyone. He hadn't even taken Third Master Hu seriously back in the day. The only person who had truly won his respect was Su Xin.

Li Huai was the sort who could do anything.

Seeing the injuries on Huang Bingcheng's face, a chilling killing intent immediately flared in Li Huai's eyes.

He was cold by nature, and there were only two people in the entire Flying Eagle Gang he cared about: his boss, Su Xin, and Huang Bingcheng, whom he'd spent the most time around.

In truth, he already considered Huang Bingcheng a brother.

Li Huai turned his gaze to Meng Chong and the others.

He didn't need to ask. Those outsiders had clearly done it.

The men who had come with Meng Chong weren't just there to recruit people. They were also responsible for protecting his safety.

Li Huai had killed plenty of people, so a chilling aura of killing intent naturally clung to him. The moment it emerged, the men grew wary.

Meng Chong sensed it too, but he showed not the slightest fear. Instead, he burst out laughing.

"Good! Very good! The Flying Eagle Gang sure has some nerve. You not only dare to stop me, you even want to attack me! If you so much as lay a finger on me today, I'll butcher every last one of Su Xin's men, and Sha Feiying won't dare fart in protest!"

"Go ahead, then. Try it if you've got the guts!" The main hall doors swung open, and Su Xin strode out.

The moment Su Xin appeared, the men who had come with Meng Chong immediately grew wary.

They were all Post-Natal Initial Realm martial artists, yet all they could sense from Su Xin was a deep threat. They couldn't tell how strong he really was.

Su Xin had sensed what was happening outside long ago, but he couldn't come out.

He was at a critical point in his breakthrough to the Post-Heaven Mid-Stage. Stopping suddenly wouldn't just waste all his effort; the backward flow of his true qi might even injure him.

So he had to calm himself and focus on opening all seventy-two acupoints, allowing them to circulate without end in the pattern of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends. At last, he had broken through to the Post-Heaven Mid-Stage.

But as soon as he came out, he heard Meng Chong's arrogant words.

Of course, he knew about the Three Heroes Association. But no matter how much they offered, there was no way he'd join them.

He still had a mission to complete. Joining the Three Heroes Association would bring the penalty for failing it, and that was far too high a price to pay.

Su Xin wouldn't have joined even if they'd asked nicely, let alone now, after Meng Chong had struck Huang Bingcheng.

Meng Chong looked at Su Xin coldly and said with mocking sarcasm, "Head Su sure thinks highly of himself. We've invited you again and again, and you still wouldn't show your face."

"I didn't invite you here. If you're impatient, you can leave," Su Xin replied calmly.

Meng Chong laughed in fury. "They say you, Su Xin, are arrogant. Now I've seen it for myself. But I didn't come here to trade insults. The Three Heroes Association wants you. Join us, and you can name any terms you like."

The Three Heroes Association's men who had come with Meng Chong immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The association leader had warned them to help the young master bring Su Xin over at all costs.

But they hadn't expected Su Xin to stay behind closed doors, and Meng Chong had lost his temper. The two of them had started off on such hostile terms.

Fortunately, the young master had still known to put the bigger picture first and set their grudge aside for the moment. After all, those who achieved great things didn't sweat the small stuff.

But Meng Chong's next words made them feel as though they'd fallen into an icy abyss.

Meng Chong changed his tone. "But those two men of yours really got on my nerves. The Three Heroes Association has no use for fools who can't read the room.

"Make them kneel, kowtow, and slap themselves ten times each. Then I'll let them join the Three Heroes Association with you."

Su Xin's men immediately saw red. The Three Heroes Association's men also felt their hearts sink.

Meng Chong was humiliating Su Xin to the utmost.

If a boss couldn't protect his own men, nothing was more contemptible—or more humiliating.

That was why Su Xin had earned so much loyalty when he'd assassinated Dai Chong. If he'd caved in and chosen to endure the insult, he wouldn't have won so many people over. The same held true now.

If Su Xin made Huang Bingcheng and Li Huai kowtow and slap themselves just to join the Three Heroes Association, his reputation would be utterly ruined. He probably wouldn't have more than two out of every ten men willing to follow him there.

Who would follow a boss who sold out and humiliated his own men for his personal gain?

"What if I don't want to join the Three Heroes Association?" Su Xin asked calmly.

"You don't want to join the Three Heroes Association?" A chilling killing intent gleamed in Meng Chong's eyes. "Then you're not one of us. You dared to disrespect me, so I'll butcher every last one of your men in Yongle District!"

Su Xin sighed. Was this what it meant to have trouble fall from the sky?

He was usually a good judge of character. Meng Chong was definitely not the broad-minded sort. Su Xin didn't take it as a joke when the man threatened to slaughter all his men.

Meng Chong had both the intent and the ability to do it.

Even if Su Xin let him leave today, Yongle District would be thrown into chaos. Besides, if he really let Meng Chong go and swallowed this insult, much of the reputation he'd built up in the Flying Eagle Gang would scatter.

After all, no one would follow a spineless boss who swallowed every insult.

"Young Master Meng, you're forcing my hand. You're forcing me to kill you!"

Su Xin sighed, and the Three Heroes Association's men immediately tensed, forming a shield around Meng Chong.

But Meng Chong shoved them aside and sneered. "You want to kill me? I'm standing right here. Let's see if you've got the guts to try!"

Su Xin shook his head. "The three leaders of the Three Heroes Association built this great enterprise from nothing. I admire them, but unfortunately, you didn't inherit even a tenth of their brains.

"The Three Heroes Association is the strongest force in Changning Prefecture. So why haven't you gone straight out and swallowed up the other gangs? Because the moment you dared announce that you wanted to rule Changning Prefecture, the other Three Gangs and Four Associations would cast aside every grudge and unite against you.

"As the saying goes, even a rabbit bites when cornered. The comparison isn't quite right, but you get the idea. Leave people a way out. Drive them into a corner, and you won't gain a thing.

"You've already said you'll slaughter every last person in Yongle District. If I'm going to die sooner or later, why shouldn't I kill you? At least I can take someone down with me."

Su Xin spoke softly, without the slightest hint of killing intent. Yet the Three Heroes Association's men were terrified. They hurriedly shielded Meng Chong, and one of them shouted, "Young Master, run!"

But before his words had even finished, Su Xin was already in motion.

Grudge Extreme Palm! Deep Grudge Like the Sea!

Deep hatred—repay it with blood!

One of the Three Heroes Association's men tried to block him, but the palm strike shattered his heart meridian on the spot!

Grudge Extreme Palm: When the foe dies, the grudge ends!

Meng Chong had brought five men with him, all of them in the Post-Natal Initial Realm. In the Flying Eagle Gang or the Green Bamboo Gang, any of them could have become a head officer. Now, Su Xin had killed one with a single palm strike!

Su Xin stepped forward and was already standing before Meng Chong.

Meng Chong was also in the Post-Natal Initial Realm, but he had far too little combat experience.

He'd taken part in handling the association's affairs, but he'd never truly fought in a gang war. Now, facing Su Xin's sudden attack, he even forgot how to draw his sword and strike back.

But he wasn't the only one there.

One of the men reacted swiftly, drawing the saber at his side and slashing at Su Xin.

It was a standard-issue saber from the Imperial Court, the same kind carried by Tie Wuqing and his constables. Though short and light, it was extremely sharp and could be drawn with exceptional speed, making it ideal for dealing with sudden situations.

But Su Xin was faster.

The Left-Hand Sword came out of its sheath, but Su Xin held it by the hilt in reverse and struck the saber with the hilt, knocking it off course. It sliced past Su Xin's shoulder.

At the same moment, Su Xin took a sideways step and threw a punch with his right hand!

Hate Extreme Fist!

Hate! Hate! Hate! Hatred Filling the Heavens!

The man's chest caved in, and he was sent flying.

Clang!

The chilling longsword left its sheath again. This time, Su Xin didn't strike with the hilt. He thrust the blade straight at Meng Chong's throat!

At that moment, Meng Chong could only repeat one sentence in his mind: He's going to kill me! He actually dares to kill me? He really dares to kill me!

At the brink of life and death, Meng Chong's potential seemed to awaken. He suddenly bent backward into an iron bridge, dodging the sword. But when he reached for the sword at his waist, his hand found nothing.

He hadn't expected to fight on this trip, so he hadn't brought a weapon!

He tried to call to the other three men for help, but they'd just watched Su Xin kill two men with a single punch and a single palm strike. They were already terrified.

The Three Heroes Association treated them well, but they wouldn't throw their lives away for Meng Chong.

A fierce glint flashed across Meng Chong's neck. He jerked aside to dodge, but then felt a sharp pain in his chest. Su Xin's sword had already pierced him!

Meng Chong fell with resentment on his face. In an instant, everyone drew a sharp breath.

Huang Bingcheng felt grateful that Su Xin had stood up for him and killed Meng Chong, but at the same time, it felt as though the sky had come crashing down.

To Changning Prefecture, the Three Heroes Association was the heavens!

Compared to this, the time Su Xin killed Hou Tong had been like swatting a fly—disgusting, perhaps, but otherwise without consequence.

This time, though, it could cost them their lives!