Just as the Black Water Gang's men were about to reach the courtyard gate.
"Roar!"
A muffled growl came from the pitch-black depths of the alley.
The rain was coming down hard, but Li Pingsheng heard it clearly.
That wasn't a person.
Something was wrong!
Then he'd wait a little longer.
Master Scar and Master Qin's men below didn't have Li Pingsheng's sharp ears, so they stuck to the original plan.
Master Scar made a gesture.
"Move! Break down the door!"
Just then.
"Awooo!"
Two giant beasts suddenly sprang out from the depths of the alley, bringing a reek of blood with them.
They were two enormous hyenas, each over a zhang long, their bodies covered in black fur and their eyes glowing red.
Low-rank demon beasts: Bloodthirsty Hyenas.
They had probably been drawn by the scent of blood from the discarded corpse of the sentry deeper in the alley.
Now, having caught the scent of even more fresh, living flesh, the two beasts went completely berserk!
The smell of living people drove the beasts into an even greater frenzy.
"Pfft."
The two Black Water Gang members who had been about to kick down the door didn't even have time to react before the demon beasts pounced on them from behind and knocked them to the ground.
"Ah!"
A scream rang out for half a second, then stopped.
One man's throat was torn open by the hyena's sharp fangs, hot blood spraying out with the rain.
The other had it worse. Half his head was eaten away, red and white matter spilling across the ground.
Someone shouted first, and the whole group fell into chaos.
"Demon beasts! They're demon beasts!"
"Run!"
Their formation scattered at once. Everyone fled in a panic, wishing their parents had given them two extra legs.
Master Scar was a branch leader, after all. Though startled, he didn't run right away. Instead, he roared and drew the Ghost Head Broadsword from his waist.
"Don't panic, you bastards! Form up!"
"They're just two beasts. There are more than a dozen of us. What's there to be afraid of? Kill them! Their hides and parts will fetch a pretty penny!"
His words did no good. His men ran even faster.
Master Qin was in an even worse state.
A warm liquid ran down his trouser leg, and the stench of urine immediately spread.
His legs had gone weak. He scrambled to the back of the crowd, clutching his head and trembling, his mouth spilling meaningless pleas.
"Master Scar! Master Scar, save me!"
Amid the chaos, one of the hyenas seemed to have set its sights on Master Qin.
It dug in with all four legs and sprang at him.
"Ah! My leg!"
Master Qin felt a sharp pain in his thigh. Looking down, he saw the beast's bristling tongue licking the flesh of his leg, its foul, reeking saliva covering him.
The beast clamped its jaws around his thigh and dragged him backward with all its strength, as if he were a tattered sack.
Master Qin screamed and stretched out his hand, desperately reaching for Master Scar nearby.
"Master Scar, save me! Please, Master Scar! For all the years I've followed you, save me!"
Master Scar glanced back.
He saw the fear and pleading in Master Qin's eyes, and the other demon beast behind the hyena, staring at him.
Save him?
What a joke!
How?
Not only did Master Scar refuse to help, he seized the moment while the beast was biting Master Qin to drive the other hyena back with a full-strength slash. Then he turned without looking back and ran for the alley entrance.
"Master Qin, go in peace. I'll take good care of your three wives and concubines!"
"No!! Master Scar!"
Despair and hatred flooded Master Qin's eyes. His screams were soon drowned out by the crunch of breaking bones and the sound of flesh being torn apart.
The alley entrance was right ahead.
Once he got out, he'd be safe.
A surge of joy filled Master Scar.
But just as he was about to step out of the alley—
A shadow floated down from the roof above him and landed in his path, blocking the way.
Rain washed over the newcomer's mask, revealing a face Master Scar would never forget.
It was Li Pingsheng.
Master Scar's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
How could he be here?
Hadn't Instructor Wu said his meridians were completely severed, leaving him a cripple who could only patrol the streets?
And what was that movement just now? What kind of sorcery was it?
Terror crashed over Master Scar, shattering his reason.
"You bastard, you played me! You dared to set me up!"
"Take my ultimate move!"
Madness gleamed in Master Scar's eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes, poured out a blood-red pill, and shoved it into his mouth.
The Black Water Gang's secret drug: the Blood Burning Pill.
"Boom!"
As soon as the pill went down, a wave of heat spread through his body.
The flesh on Master Scar's body visibly reddened. Veins bulged wildly across his forehead and arms, and his bones creaked as if they were about to give way.
His eyes were bloodshot, and scalding white breath poured from his nose and mouth. He seemed to grow a whole size larger, his presence more terrifying than that of the demon beasts behind him.
With a beastlike roar, Master Scar gripped the Ghost Head Broadsword in both hands and put all his strength into a slash aimed at Li Pingsheng's face.
"Die!"
The blade's fierce wind left a visible white shockwave in the air.
Facing that strike, Li Pingsheng merely tapped his toe against the slick ground.
The Light Body and Wind Treading talents activated at once.
His figure grew elusive in an instant.
The savage blade-light looked laughably slow to him.
He simply leaned to the side, letting the edge skim past the tip of his nose. The wind from the blade didn't even stir his clothes.
"What?!"
Master Scar's strike missed, and panic seized him.
He roared again and swung his broadsword, covering every inch of ground within three feet of Li Pingsheng.
But it was useless.
Li Pingsheng dodged effortlessly amid the flashing blades. He leaned forward, slid sideways, then bent backward. Each time, he used the slightest movement and the strangest angle to avoid every attack.
No matter how wildly Master Scar struck, he couldn't even touch the hem of Li Pingsheng's clothes.
"Roar!"
As Master Scar's attack missed, the Bloodthirsty Hyena that had just killed Master Qin caught the surging scent of blood on him and pounced from behind, its jaws wide open.
In his berserk state, Master Scar's senses had become exceptionally sharp. Without even turning around, he swung his broadsword behind him.
"Get lost, beast!"
"Pfft."
A flash of blood.
The Bloodthirsty Hyena was cleaved clean in two from head to tail by his slash.
Hot entrails and foul blood splattered across the ground.
But the sight only earned a soft snort from Li Pingsheng.
He even had time to glance at the demon beast's split-open head.
Amid the spraying brain matter, he seemed to see a strange, black little bug. It looked like a maggot and burrowed into the muddy water as soon as it hit the ground, vanishing from sight.
Had he imagined it?
Li Pingsheng looked away and turned his gaze back to Master Scar, whose aura had weakened slightly after that slash.
"The Blood Burning Pill trades your life essence for strength. When its effects wear off, you'll die."
"You burned your life just to put on a show for me by killing a beast?"
Master Scar shuddered, nearing despair.
"W-who are you, really?"
Li Pingsheng looked at him and slowly raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers before abruptly clenching them into a fist.
"Who am I?"
"I'm just someone who's come to collect a debt."
Before you continue