Commotion

Mole Zhang had clearly had quite a bit to drink. His speech was already slurred, and he staggered as he walked.

A heavily made-up brothel girl walked beside him. She looked rather old, her face wearing the knowing smile of someone who had seen it all.

"Master Zhang, you only have eyes for Little Peach Red? I'm still right here, you know. You can't treat me like this~"

As she spoke, she rubbed her chest against Mole Zhang's arm.

Though she was only fairly attractive, her wanton air pleased Mole Zhang immensely. He burst out laughing and let his hand roam over her less-than-slender waist, giving a lecherous chuckle. "Now, now, don't say that. At worst, you and Little Peach Red can come together tonight. I'll have one dragon and two phoenixes..."

The brothel girl covered her mouth and giggled. "Master, can you really handle that?"

"Hm? You think your Master Zhang can't? Fine, fine. Tonight I'll show you what your Master Zhang can do! I guarantee you won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow!~"

"Master Zhang~"

The two flirted and teased each other as if no one else were around.

Qin Fang narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across the surroundings... He was looking for the last two targets.

He found them soon enough.

The three had come together, and, just as expected, they were acting together too. Not far behind Mole Zhang, the other two targets were staggering along, each with an arm around a brothel girl. They murmured something to the girls, making both of them giggle.

But Qin Fang had seen these girls change faces at the entrance. He wondered how much of their laughter was genuine.

Still, that had nothing to do with him.

After spotting all three targets, Qin Fang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Finding three targets in Lan Gui Fang had been the biggest challenge of the operation. He hadn't expected to find them as soon as he walked in.

At most, it was only a little past the second quarter of the Chou hour. There were still at least one or two hours until dawn...

That should be enough time.

He stayed hidden in the shadows, watching coldly.

Soon, another brothel girl came over to Mole Zhang. The lantern light was dim, so Qin Fang couldn't make out her features, but judging from Mole Zhang's excited expression, she had to be Little Peach Red, the one he was looking for. In the end, they went together into one of the rooms in the courtyard.

The other two targets laughed and teased Mole Zhang. He laughed and shot back a few words, and then they each went into a room of their own.

Before long, sounds best left unspoken came from inside.

Qin Fang furrowed his brow and looked around the courtyard. There were still plenty of people there.

It obviously wouldn't do to enter those rooms rashly. He could easily draw attention.

So what should he do?

Just as he was considering his next move, one of the doors suddenly opened again.

Qin Fang froze, then saw one of the targets step outside.

That was fast.

Still surprised, Qin Fang watched as the target came out alone and staggered toward the edge of the courtyard.

Over there was...

The privy?

Qin Fang's gaze began to flicker rapidly.

Should he make his move?

But if he struck now, there was still a brothel girl in the man's room. If she noticed that he'd gone to the privy and stayed away too long, she might grow suspicious.

And if she went looking for him, the other two targets might be alerted.

But if he didn't act now, things would be even more troublesome once the man returned to his room...

Qin Fang's gaze flickered for a moment as he watched the target's back.

In the end, he drew a deep breath.

He'd made up his mind.

Attack!

He couldn't keep waiting like this.

Since there was no way to act without anyone noticing...

Then he might as well throw the whole place into chaos.

Having decided, Qin Fang quickly glanced around. There were quite a few people, but most of them had been drinking, including the brothel girls, and everyone was busy flirting.

Qin Fang deliberately hunched his back, making himself as inconspicuous as possible, then entered the courtyard.

He didn't keep to the shadows. Instead, he deliberately walked right past the rooms in plain sight... pretending to be a guest coming out of one of them to use the privy.

Sure enough, although there were plenty of people, and he noticed someone looking at him, they didn't give him a close look before turning away.

Qin Fang kept his eyes on the target. The man's steps were unsteady; he was clearly very drunk. Qin Fang followed him with ease.

The moment the other man entered the privy, Qin Fang slipped in after him without hesitation.

Liu Three-Cudgel, still half in a daze, had just taken off his pants and was about to relieve himself when he heard footsteps behind him. He frowned in annoyance and cursed, "Can't you see someone's in here? Get out, get out. You can come in after I'm done."

As a member of the Iron Tiger Gang, Liu Three-Cudgel followed Wang Long.

Wang Long himself might not amount to much, but as the gang leader Wang Hu's older brother, he held a remarkably high status. In all of South City, hardly anyone dared cross them.

As one of Wang Long's trusted men, Liu Three-Cudgel naturally threw his weight around and bullied people with impunity.

As he spoke, he lowered his pants and began pissing noisily.

The silence behind him made Liu Three-Cudgel suspicious, and he turned around without thinking.

But before he could see what was happening, something struck his neck with brutal force.

Thwack!

A sharp object pierced his neck. Liu Three-Cudgel's eyes flew open, and he could even feel the slick sensation of the blade slipping through flesh.

His whole body stiffened at once. The stream of urine grew louder, and before he could recover enough to shout, a hand clamped over his mouth. The sharp, slick object at his neck then slashed hard.

Thwack!~

He heard blood gush from his neck, and warm liquid sprayed out, spattering his chin.

A wave of weakness swept over him.

He felt someone catch his body. He tried to speak, but not a sound came out. All he could manage was a muffled "mmph," before a rich, bloody taste flooded his mouth and a great deal of blood bubbled up from it.

His whole body spasmed and trembled, powerless. He strained his eyes wide, trying to see the person behind him.

The privy was dim, but in the end, he managed to catch a glimpse.

It was a handsome yet unusually gaunt face, its expression calm, its gaze icy.

The moment he made out the man's features, his eyes widened in disbelief...

It was him?

He recognized Qin Fang.

But he couldn't utter a word. His body jerked for a little while, then his vision went black, and he was dead.

The fourth target had been dealt with smoothly.

Qin Fang let out a soft breath, laid the body flat in the privy, and quickly searched it with practiced ease. He found about two taels of loose silver and a few odds and ends. He pocketed the money, got to his feet, and left the privy.

After looking around, he hunched his back and went to the rooms where the last two targets were staying.

He waited patiently.

Not long after, he saw someone staggering toward the privy.

Qin Fang narrowed his eyes and gripped a Flying Dart, waiting patiently.

Just a short while later...

"Ah!!!"

A shrill scream rang out. A figure stumbled out of the privy in a panic, running as he stammered and shouted.

"Murder!!!"

That sudden cry startled all of Lan Gui Fang.