Night Kill

It was late at night.

The night breeze brushed past. Just as expected, the temperature had dropped over the past two days. Hidden beneath the night sky, Qin Fang felt a penetrating chill.

But his expression didn't change as he lowered his head and looked at his left hand...

He had reset the index finger, but now it was swollen and red, as thick as a sausage. Even the creases around the knuckle had been stretched flat, and waves of unbearable throbbing pain came and went.

The bone inside was probably broken. He'd have to ask his master to take a look later... He didn't know if it would leave any lasting damage.

He thought about it.

But his face remained expressionless as he looked up at the street not far away.

This was the South Market Entrance. Before dawn, it was quite lively here, but now that night had grown late, only a few shops were still lit, with faint sounds coming from inside. Every so often, one or two hurried passersby crossed the street, but most of the time it was quiet.

Now and then, shouts of abuse or excited cries drifted through the night...

They came from the gambling houses.

In this era, most ordinary people worked from sunrise to sunset... except for gambling addicts.

Clack, clack, clack~~

"Peace and safety!~~"

The sound of a wooden clapper rang out. Qin Fang looked up and saw a night watchman patrolling the street with a lantern.

It was already past midnight.

The night watchman kept clacking his wooden block and calling, "Peace and safety!" as he walked away. He didn't notice Qin Fang, who was standing deliberately beneath the wall.

Qin Fang remained calm as he waited there.

At some point, the faint sound of hurried footsteps reached him, followed by Scar-Head Li's somewhat breathless call. "Master? Master? Are you still here?"

Qin Fang's expression shifted, and he answered, "Over here."

Scar-Head Li's figure paused, then hurried over. When he saw Qin Fang waiting there, he visibly let out a long breath. Then a hint of tension surfaced on his face, and he spoke quickly in a low voice. "Master, Wang Long and the others are getting ready to leave!"

Qin Fang's expression shifted. He narrowed his eyes. "Where?"

"Follow me!"

Scar-Head Li spoke quietly, quickly glanced around, and led the way.

Qin Fang narrowed his eyes and followed close behind.

They followed Scar-Head Li across the street, turning left and right. Before long, they arrived at the back door of a gambling house called Ruyi.

As soon as he got there, Qin Fang's eyes narrowed slightly. Several figures were coming out through the gambling house's back door.

"Damn, this weather's crazy. It was scorching just a couple days ago, and now it's this cold?! Shit..."

"Heh heh, you lucky dog, your luck was good today, huh? What do you say? How about treating your grandpa to a seat at Lan Gui Fang?"

"Get lost, get lost! When I was losing a few days ago, why didn't you offer to treat me?"

They swore and grumbled as they walked along.

"They're... they're right there..." Scar-Head Li whispered, his voice trembling.

Qin Fang recognized their voices, too... They were Wang Long's group.

He knew their voices well.

"Master, we really... really..."

Scar-Head Li's voice shook.

Now that the moment had come, he was clearly losing his nerve again.

Qin Fang said calmly, "Come on. Follow them."

"Huh? I... I have to go too?" Scar-Head Li's face went deathly pale.

Qin Fang gave him a cool look. "Don't want to go? Then you don't want the money?"

Scar-Head Li opened his mouth, but Qin Fang had already quietly started after them. He gritted his teeth and could only follow as softly as he could.

The men chatted and joked noisily as they went. After they'd crossed several streets, one of them said to the others, "Brother Dragon, I'll head home first. I'll come find you tomorrow!"

"Mm," Wang Long replied.

One of them split off from the group.

Qin Fang's eyes narrowed slightly.

Then he saw the man enter a deep, shadowy alley.

He'd obviously reached home.

Qin Fang immediately whispered to Scar-Head Li, "Follow the others from a distance. I'll take care of this one and catch up."

Scar-Head Li trembled all over, realizing what was about to happen...

This was murder!

He was a street thug, but honestly, he'd never imagined he'd take part in something as serious as killing someone!

...Sure enough, refugees were all desperadoes!

He thought with a shiver.

But he wore a smile uglier than crying, his voice trembling as he spoke. "Master, then... please, hurry..."

Qin Fang said nothing more. He quickened his pace, keeping close to the wall as he followed the man into the deep, shadowy alley.

A Flying Dart was already held in his right hand.

It was too dark for him to tell exactly which one of the men was ahead... but the man was one of his targets, that much was certain.

The man seemed to be in a good mood. He hummed a tune as he walked, completely unaware that a pair of chilling eyes had already locked onto him from behind.

Qin Fang carefully picked up his pace, drawing closer and closer.

His Flying Dart had only reached the Minor Accomplishment Stage, and he could only guarantee his aim within five meters.

Besides, he'd only practiced on stationary targets before. Now, his target was a living person.

He had to get closer to be sure.

And he had limited time, because he didn't know whether the others would split up during this time.

If they did, it would be a lot of trouble.

Since he'd decided to strike... he had to wipe out all his targets in a single night.

Otherwise, by tomorrow, word would spread, and those men would certainly catch on. Then things would get troublesome.

Closer and closer...

At last, he was within five meters.

But Qin Fang still didn't strike. He continued closing the distance.

He kept at it until the man ahead seemed to suddenly sense something. He let out a startled sound and turned around instinctively.

Qin Fang didn't hesitate. The Flying Dart in his right hand shot out!

The man only had time to turn before the dart whistled through the air. He hadn't even reacted yet.

Pfft!!

The dart struck him squarely in the neck!

His whole body went rigid, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

The moonlight was dim, but they were only three or four meters apart. The man had been walking in the dark for a while, so his eyes had adjusted to the night. He saw Qin Fang at once.

Then his eyes widened. He tried to say something, but only a gurgling sound came out.

Bloody foam welled from his mouth.

Qin Fang said nothing. He suddenly rushed forward and, before the other man could react, grabbed the dart in his throat and shoved it in hard!

The man's body crashed to the ground with a thud.

His whole body convulsed as he tried to struggle.

But his neck had already been pierced through, and that last thrust had completely torn open his windpipe, throat, and the surrounding blood vessels.

Blood gushed out. As he lost a large amount of blood, his vision went black.

His body trembled for a while. Then he stared wide-eyed and, full of unwillingness, stopped struggling.

One target eliminated.

Qin Fang stood up and let out a quiet breath. Only then did he lower his head to identify the man...

Then he recognized him.

"Was the meat good?"

He asked in a low voice.

This was the very man who'd found the meat his master had given him in the kitchen and eventually taken it away.

The man obviously couldn't answer that question anymore.

His eyes were empty, their light gone.

His face was frozen in a death stare.

Qin Fang pulled the dart from the man's neck, and warm blood sprayed across his face.

But his expression didn't change...

Since transmigrating into the body of a refugee, he hadn't seen much of anything... except corpses.

Then Qin Fang quickly searched the man's body. Before long, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at what he'd found...

Aside from a few odds and ends, there were a good three or four taels of silver.

Consider it payment for the meat.

He said quietly and tucked the silver into his clothes.

He looked up. The alley was still and silent, the moonlight dim.

Qin Fang didn't linger. He turned and left.

There were still five more.

He had to take care of them all before dawn.

He thought.