You're Forcing Me to Kill You

Although he had been slapped by Meng Chong, he dared not utter a single word of complaint.

He was not one of those hot-blooded, ignorant rank-and-file members; having spent so long in the Flying Eagle Gang, he knew exactly who could be provoked and who could not.

The power of the Three Heroes Association was plain for all to see; let alone the current Su Xin, even Sha Feiying could not afford to offend them!

"Old Huang, what is going on here?" A voice suddenly drifted in from outside.

Huang Bingcheng cursed inwardly, and upon turning back, he saw it was Li Huai, who had just returned from his patrol.

He knew Li Huai well; the man looked down on everyone. Even Third Master Hu in the past had meant nothing to him, and only Su Xin had truly managed to win his respect.

This was a man capable of doing anything.

Seeing the injury on Huang Bingcheng's face, a chilling murderous intent instantly erupted in Li Huai's eyes.

He was a man of cold temperament, and in the entire Flying Eagle Gang, there were only two people he cared about: his boss, Su Xin, and Huang Bingcheng, with whom he had the most contact.

In his heart, he had already come to regard Huang Bingcheng as his own brother.

Li Huai turned his gaze toward Meng Chong and his men.

He didn't need to ask to know that these outsiders were definitely responsible.

The men who had come with Meng Chong were not just there to poach talent; they were also responsible for protecting Meng Chong's safety.

Li Huai had killed many people, and his body was naturally shrouded in a grim, murderous aura. As soon as it was unleashed, it immediately put them on high alert.

Meng Chong naturally sensed this killing intent, but instead of showing the slightest fear, he burst into laughter.

"Good! Very good! Your Flying Eagle Gang has quite a lot of nerve. Not only do you dare to block me, but you actually want to lay hands on me? If you dare to make a move today, do you believe that even if I slaughtered every single subordinate under Su Xin, Sha Feiying wouldn't dare to let out a single fart?"

"Fine, if you have the ability, try slaughtering one and see what happens!" The hall doors were pushed open, and Su Xin walked out.

The moment they saw Su Xin emerge, the men who had accompanied Meng Chong revealed expressions of vigilance.

They were all Houtian Initial Realm martial artists, yet from Su Xin, they could only sense a profound threat without being able to discern his true strength.

In truth, Su Xin had long since sensed the commotion outside, but he had been unable to intervene.

He had been at a critical juncture in breaking through to the Houtian Middle Realm; stopping suddenly would not only have wasted all his previous efforts, but could even have caused him injury due to a reversal of his internal energy.

Thus, he had been forced to calm his mind and focus entirely on opening the seventy-two acupuncture points, allowing his internal energy to circulate endlessly through the seventy-two Earthly Fiend points, finally achieving the breakthrough to the Houtian Middle Realm.

But the moment he stepped out, he heard Meng Chong's arrogant words.

He was naturally aware of the Three Heroes Association, but even if they offered a high price, he had no intention of joining them.

He still had a mission to complete; joining the Three Heroes Association would trigger a penalty for mission failure, which was far too high a price to pay.

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

Meng Chong looked at Su Xin with cold eyes and said sarcastically, "You, Head Su, certainly have a high opinion of yourself, refusing to come out despite being invited time and again."

"I didn't invite you here. If you're impatient, you're free to leave," Su Xin said calmly.

Meng Chong laughed out of pure rage. "Everyone says you, Su Xin, are arrogant, and today I've finally seen it for myself. However, I didn't come here to trade insults. My Three Heroes Association has taken a liking to you; as long as you join us, you can name any condition you wish."

The few Three Heroes Association members following Meng Chong breathed a sigh of relief.

The Association Leader had warned them to make sure they helped the Young Master recruit Su Xin.

But they hadn't expected Su Xin to refuse to show himself, nor for Meng Chong to lose his temper, leading to such a volatile atmosphere from the start.

Fortunately, the Young Master still understood the bigger picture and set aside his grievances; after all, those who achieve great things do not sweat the small stuff.

However, Meng Chong's next words made them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

Meng Chong changed his tone and said, "However, those two subordinates of yours annoy me. My Three Heroes Association has no use for such blind fools. If you make them kneel, kowtow, and slap themselves ten times, I will allow them to join the Three Heroes Association along with you."

Su Xin's men felt their eyes turn red with rage, and the hearts of the Three Heroes Association members skipped a beat.

Meng Chong was humiliating Su Xin to the point of no return!

For a leader, failing to protect one's own subordinates was the most shameful and disgraceful thing possible.

That was why, during the assassination of Dai Chong, Su Xin had won such loyalty by refusing to back down or endure the insult; the same held true now.

If Su Xin were to force Huang Bingcheng and Li Huai to kowtow and slap themselves just to join the Three Heroes Association, his reputation would be utterly ruined. It was unlikely that even twenty percent of his men would be willing to follow him.

Who would want to follow a leader who would betray and humiliate his own men for his own benefit?

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

"You won't join?" A chilling murderous intent appeared in Meng Chong's eyes. "Since you won't join, you are not one of us. If you dare to disrespect me, I will slaughter every single member of your Yongle District!"

Su Xin sighed. Was this what one would call a disaster falling from the sky?

He was a good judge of character, and he knew Meng Chong was not a broad-minded man. Su Xin did not take the threat to slaughter his men as a joke.

The man had the intent, and more importantly, the strength to back it up.

Even if he let him go today, his Yongle District would never know peace again. Furthermore, if he truly let him go and swallowed this insult, the reputation he had built up within the Flying Eagle Gang would vanish into thin air.

After all, a leader who swallows his pride and lacks backbone is not worth following.

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

Su Xin sighed, causing the members of the Three Heroes Association to immediately brace themselves as if facing a great enemy, shielding Meng Chong in their center.

But Meng Chong pushed them aside and sneered, "You want to kill me? I'm standing right here today. Let's see if you actually have the guts to do it!"

Su Xin shook his head. "The three leaders of the Three Heroes Association built such a massive foundation from nothing, and I, Su Xin, truly admire that. It's a pity you haven't inherited even a tenth of their intelligence."

"The Three Heroes Association currently holds the greatest strength in Changning Prefecture. Why haven't you directly swallowed up the other gangs? Because the moment the Three Heroes Association dares to claim hegemony over Changning Prefecture, the other Three Gangs and Four Associations will immediately cast aside all grievances and unite against you."

"As the saying goes, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. While the analogy isn't perfect, the meaning remains: leave others a way out. If you force people into a dead end, you won't gain a single benefit yourself."

"Now that you've declared you'll slaughter everyone in my Yongle District, since I'm destined to die sooner or later, why wouldn't I dare to kill you? If I kill you now, I can at least take someone down with me to the grave."

Su Xin's words were soft, devoid of any murderous intent, yet the members of the Three Heroes Association were terrified. They scrambled to block Meng Chong, one of them shouting, "Young Master, run!"

But before his voice had fully faded, Su Xin had already moved.

Grudge Extreme Palm! Deep Grudge Like the Sea!

A deep, bitter grudge, repaid with blood!

One of the Three Heroes Association members tried to block, but the palm strike shattered his heart meridian instantly!

Grudge Extreme Palm, the man dies, the grudge is settled!

Meng Chong had brought five men, all of whom possessed the strength of the early Acquired Realm. In the Flying Eagle Gang or the Green Bamboo Gang, they would have been qualified to serve as major leaders, yet now, they were killed by Su Xin in a single strike!

Su Xin stepped forward, arriving right before Meng Chong.

Although Meng Chong also possessed the strength of the early Acquired Realm, his practical combat experience was far too lacking.

While he had participated in managing the association's affairs, he had never truly taken part in a gang war. Now, facing the sudden onslaught of Su Xin, he even forgot how to draw his sword to counterattack.

He might have forgotten, but the others had not.

One member reacted with lightning speed, drawing the waist saber at his side to slash at Su Xin.

His saber was the standard-issue weapon of the imperial court, the same kind worn by Tie Wuqing and his subordinates. Though thin and light, it was extremely sharp and designed for rapid drawing to handle emergencies.

But fast as he was, Su Xin was faster.

Su Xin drew his sword with his left hand, but he held the hilt in reverse, using it to strike the saber and deflect it from its path, letting it graze his shoulder as it swung down.

At that moment, Su Xin stepped sideways and threw a punch with his right hand!

Hate Extreme Fist!

Hate! Hate! Hate! Hatred Filling the Heavens!

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

"Clang!"

The cold, sharp sword was drawn once more, but this time it wasn't the hilt—the blade pierced toward Meng Chong's neck!

At this moment, Meng Chong was only repeating one thought in his mind: He wants 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 be ignited. He abruptly bent backward in a bridge stance to dodge the strike, but when he reached for the sword at his waist, he grabbed nothing but air.

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

He tried to call for help from the remaining three members, but seeing Su Xin kill two men with just a punch and a palm, they were already paralyzed with fear.

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

The biting edge swept across Meng Chong's neck. He instinctively tried to dodge, but felt a sharp pain in his heart—Su Xin's sword had already pierced his chest!

Meng Chong collapsed, filled with unwillingness, and everyone present gasped in unison.

Huang Bingcheng felt gratitude that Su Xin had stood up for him by killing Meng Chong, but at the same time, he felt as if the sky were collapsing.

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

Compared to this, the time Su Xin killed Hou Tong was like swatting a fly—disgusting, perhaps, but with no real impact.

But this time, it was a matter of life and death!