The stars shone bright in the night sky.
Mountain-Back Village.
The Mountain Gang's outpost.
Several villagers rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Long knives sliced open the game's bellies to drain the blood, while iron tongs stripped away thick pelts. They rubbed the hides with coarse salt and spices to cure them, then deftly hauled everything into the storeroom.
A few Mountain Gang underlings stood off to the side, keeping the villagers from slacking off. But they couldn't help sneaking glances at He Xiuyong by the bonfire.
A half-jar of strong liquor sat by his feet. He clutched a roasted animal leg, browned and fragrant, and grease glistened at the corners of his mouth.
The underlings' throats bobbed as they quietly swallowed, their eyes full of longing.
He Xiuyong had noticed their gazes long ago.
He picked up a piece of roasted meat and stuffed it into his mouth, deliberately smacking his lips as he ate.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught their envious expressions, and a faint smile curled his lips.
He didn't tell them to stop. He thoroughly enjoyed being envied.
A little while later.
"Sir, we've finished preparing today's game."
He Xiuyong wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. The liquor jar had long since run dry.
He nodded casually, his voice tinged with satisfaction.
"Mm. Clean everything up, then you can go."
With that, He Xiuyong rose, stretched, and sauntered out of the yard with his hands behind his back.
As soon as he left, the Mountain Gang underlings lost all restraint.
They hurried over and crowded around the stone table.
One reached for the half-plate of roasted meat that remained, while another picked up a clean pair of chopsticks and snatched up the scraps from the plate.
Chopsticks clinked against porcelain with a crisp, constant rattle.
They moved quickly, afraid they'd miss their chance to taste it if they were too slow.
Chewing, one of them mumbled, "This meat's roasted just right."
"Don't take so much. Leave some for me to try."
Before long, they'd divided up every scrap on the table.
After eating and drinking his fill, He Xiuyong walked with an unsteady sway. The smell of liquor clung to him, mingling with the aroma of roasted meat as he staggered back to the Mountain Gang's inner courtyard.
He pushed open the wooden door, a roguish smile on his face.
"Sweetheart, Master He is home. Why don't you hurry over and welcome me?"
The room was dim, lit only by an oil lamp on the table.
A fair-looking woman sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the hem of her clothes in both hands. When she looked up at He Xiuyong, her eyes brimmed with a sorrow that would not fade.
She didn't move. She neither rose nor answered.
Seeing that she wouldn't cooperate, He Xiuyong's smile vanished. His brows drew together, his face darkened, and his voice turned colder.
"Qian Qiuqiao, who are you pulling that sour face at?
"Think you can give me the cold shoulder?"
Qian Qiuqiao's shoulders trembled. Her voice choked with tears she could barely hold back.
"I wouldn't dare give you the cold shoulder, sir.
"It's just... my three younger brothers have been missing for more than half a year.
"To this day, there's no sign of them, dead or alive.
"As their older sister, I worry about them day and night. My heart can't rest, and I can't force a smile."
The matter left He Xiuyong looking just as troubled.
He had mobilized all his connections and searched for so long, but he still hadn't found Li Yun.
Could that brat fly?
He Xiuyong had no idea that, after joining Subduing Tiger Martial Hall, Li Yun spent every day practicing martial arts there.
He hadn't left once.
Recently, though he'd taken a transport job with a meat shop, he worked during the Yin and Mao hours.
Even when he'd sold the deer antlers, he'd chosen newly opened shops.
And on his way to the Martial Hall, he'd stuck to the back alleys as much as possible, avoiding crowds.
He couldn't claim he'd covered his tracks perfectly, but finding Li Yun would be no easy feat for a mere underling like He Xiuyong.
As time passed, He Xiuyong gradually gave up on the search.
"Hmph."
Seeing that Qian Qiuqiao still wouldn't cooperate, the already tipsy He Xiuyong couldn't be bothered to hold back.
He walked over and took what he wanted by force.
The night deepened.
The bonfire at the Mountain Gang's outpost burned down to embers. Sparks crackled now and then, then gradually fell silent.
Insects chirred together in the distant woods, making the courtyard seem even quieter. Even the wind brushing past the shacks could be heard clearly.
Just then, a shadow moved beyond the courtyard wall.
The figure was exceptionally agile. Using a low tree by the wall to gain leverage, he touched a toe to the gap between two bricks and vaulted over as lightly as a tiger.
He landed without a sound and quickly disappeared into the shadows.
Not long after, a flare of light suddenly shot up from the storeroom.
At first, it was only a faint flame. In the blink of an eye, the night wind fed it, and the blaze surged high as thick smoke billowed upward.
A gang member on watch had just been dozing against the wall when he caught sight of the flames. He jolted in fright, scrambled to the gong stand, grabbed the mallet, and pounded desperately as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Fire! There's a fire!"
BANG, BANG, BANG!
The rapid, piercing gong shattered the courtyard's stillness.
The sleeping gang members woke with a start and rushed out of the shacks in disarray, clothes askew.
After a strenuous bout of "exercise," He Xiuyong had barely touched the bed before falling into a deep sleep.
The gong and shouts dragged him awake. He sprang upright, fury burning in his eyes.
Cursing, he snatched up the coat hanging beside the bed.
"Damn it!
"Which blind fool neglected his duty? If I catch him, I'll skin him alive!"
He pulled on his clothes as he headed for the door.
The instant he opened it, a cloud of white powder suddenly burst into his face.
The dust blanketed him, rushing into his nostrils and stinging his eyes.
He squinted instinctively. In an instant, his eyes burned as if they were on fire.
Through the blur, he saw a figure rushing toward him.
It was Li Yun.
He Xiuyong was like a thorn stuck in Li Yun's throat. He wouldn't be satisfied until he pulled it out.
At first, the two sides had left each other in peace.
Half a year ago, the Qian Brothers had come after Li Yun. They must have had He Xiuyong's approval.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have happened.
As for why, Li Yun didn't understand.
If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't waste time thinking about it.
Eliminate the source of the trouble, and there would be no more trouble.
He opened with an ancestral secret art: throwing lime powder.
Then he circulated his qi and blood, sending force from his feet through his legs, waist, shoulders, and arms, straight into his fist.
His body coiled like a tiger ready to pounce. He unleashed Fierce Tiger Pounces on Prey in a flash, his fist cutting through the air with a sharp whistle as it drove straight for He Xiuyong's chest.
A chill shot up from He Xiuyong's feet to the crown of his head, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
There was no time to think. He hastily crossed his arms in front of his chest and managed to raise only half his qi and blood to take the blow.
BAM!
The muffled impact boomed like a war drum.
He Xiuyong's arms went numb, and his chest felt as though a boulder had smashed into it. His qi and blood churned, and he choked on them.
He flew backward like a kite with its strings cut and crashed through the wooden table in the bedroom with a sharp crack.
At the brink of life and death, terror seized him.
Ignoring the pain, He Xiuyong used his familiarity with the bedroom to roll toward the bedside.
He paid no attention to Qian Qiuqiao's scream. Reaching for the oil on the bedside table, he tried to flush his eyes.
Li Yun hadn't expected He Xiuyong to be such a crafty opponent.
He even had oil.
Li Yun immediately launched Crouching Tiger Mountain Climbing Step. Taking three steps in the time it took to take two, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow, charging straight at He Xiuyong.
Even caught off guard, He Xiuyong had managed to withstand Li Yun's full-powered strike.
He was even stronger than Zhuo Yong, whom Li Yun sparred with regularly.
Clearly, from guarding Crow Mountain Pass and lining his own pockets, He Xiuyong's qi and blood had grown abundant. He was only a step away from developing Bright Force.
Strike while he was down and finish him.
Li Yun bent his arm, his fist already gathering power again.
All he had to do was get within range, and he could unleash another full-force blow.
Before you continue