Red-Tail Spirit Fish

Watching the teacup carve a sharp arc through the air and hurtle straight at his face, the chill in Chen Jing's eyes deepened.

From the way Wang Cheng had resorted to violence over a single disagreement, Chen Jing could tell he was just like his late, rotten brother Wang Chi: a narrow-minded, arrogant thug!

Since that was the case, there was no need to waste words. He would deal with him directly!

With that thought, Chen Jing no longer hesitated. He drove the Five Harms Technique to its limit in an instant!

In a flash, a faint red mist of blood steamed up from around his body.

Before anyone could react, Chen Jing's figure had become a red blur. Though he had been three zhang away from Wang Cheng, he was suddenly right in front of him.

"Die!"

Chen Jing growled. His right fist, wrapped in violent qi and blood, tore through the air with a howl and shot straight for Wang Cheng's face. The blow was fierce and domineering, with no restraint whatsoever!

"What?!"

Wang Cheng's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He was completely stunned.

He had never imagined Chen Jing could not only dodge his teacup with ease, but move at such astonishing speed.

The pressure Wang Cheng felt from the red mist of blood around Chen Jing made his heart pound even harder.

That was the aura of a Second Blood Martial Artist!

Horror-struck, Wang Cheng's instincts, honed by years of fighting, kicked in. He sprang backward and crossed his arms in front of himself, summoning every last bit of qi and blood to block the attack.

Wang Cheng's eyes were wide as he watched Chen Jing's every move. He roared, "You dare attack me! Do you know who I am? I'm the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang! Aren't you afraid my brothers will come after you for revenge?"

Wang Cheng tried to cow him with the Blue Scarf Gang's name, but Chen Jing didn't so much as flinch. His fist didn't slow in the slightest.

Just as the punch was about to collide with Wang Cheng's arms, Chen Jing suddenly turned his wrist. Somehow, a handful of white powder had appeared in his palm, and he flung it straight at Wang Cheng's face!

"What's this?"

Caught completely off guard, Wang Cheng saw everything turn white. Countless tiny grains of lime shot into his eyes, nose, and mouth. His eyes streamed, his throat itched, and he broke into violent coughs.

"Lime!"

"You'd stoop to such a despicable sneak attack!"

Wang Cheng shook with pain. He couldn't open his eyes, only squinting through a narrow slit as he struggled to defend himself by sound and instinct. His voice was filled with outrage and fury.

He had never imagined that a Second Blood Martial Artist like Chen Jing would resort to such a gutter trick!

But Chen Jing didn't care whether his methods were despicable.

He wanted to finish this quickly, deal with Wang Cheng, and eliminate any future trouble.

While Wang Cheng's vision was blocked and his movements slowed, Chen Jing showed no mercy. His assault suddenly quickened.

His fists rained down on Wang Cheng's arms, chest, and shoulders. Every blow carried the savage strength of a Second Blood Martial Artist.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dull impacts rang through the private room. Wang Cheng staggered backward, waves of pain surging through his arms as his qi and blood began to run wild. Muffled groans spilled from his mouth.

Ji Wen and the Canal Gang members nearby had been left gaping at the sudden turn of events.

Ji Wen reacted first. He hurriedly led those around him several steps back, putting distance between them and the fight so they wouldn't get caught in it.

Then Ji Wen frowned at Chen Jing's back and asked the people beside him in a low voice, "Who is this guy? Why did he immediately go all-out against Wang Cheng? It looks like he's got a deep grudge against him."

"Leader, I know him!"

At that moment, a man in a blue-green martial outfit spoke up beside Ji Wen, his tone certain. "His name is Chen Jing. He's a disciple of the River-Breaking Fist Academy. I went to the academy before to recruit him as an officer for our Canal Gang, but he turned me down!"

The man speaking was Zou Cheng. He had been ordered to recruit Chen Jing, so the young man's appearance had left a deep impression on him. He recognized him at a glance.

"Someone from the River-Breaking Fist Academy?"

Ji Wen's heart stirred, and his expression turned grave.

The River-Breaking Fist Academy held considerable power in the western part of Red Rock County, so it was not a group they could afford to offend.

Ji Wen immediately barked at the Canal Gang members around him, "Everyone, fall back! Don't get involved in their business! And keep those Blue Scarf Gang men back. Don't let them help Wang Cheng!"

"Yes, leader!"

The Canal Gang members answered in unison and moved to block the burly men of the Blue Scarf Gang.

The Blue Scarf Gang had wanted to rush over and help Wang Cheng, but the Canal Gang stopped them cold. The two sides were locked in another standoff, able only to watch as Chen Jing crushed Wang Cheng without resistance.

"River-Breaking Fist Academy?"

Dazed from the beating, Wang Cheng faintly heard the words. His doubts only grew. He struggled to block Chen Jing's punches and roared in outrage, "I've never wronged you! Why did you ambush me? Is the River-Breaking Fist Academy really so shameless?"

He couldn't understand when he had ever offended anyone from the River-Breaking Fist Academy.

But the only answer was an even more ferocious assault from Chen Jing.

Under Chen Jing's storm of attacks, Wang Cheng gradually gave way. His black martial outfit was beaten to shreds.

His once-straight posture crumpled. Blood kept seeping from the corner of his mouth, running down his chin and staining the front of his clothes.

The lime had burned his eyes until his vision was blurred. All he could hear was the whistle of fists slicing through the air and the groan of his own bones. His qi and blood ran wild like a runaway horse, and even the strength to raise his arms was slowly draining away.

Then a cold glint flashed in Chen Jing's eyes. The red mist of blood around him suddenly surged as he gathered all his strength and qi and blood into his right fist. He swung one final punch at Wang Cheng's chest!

Thud!

Crack!

The instant fist met flesh, a sharp crack of breaking bone rang out. Wang Cheng flew backward like a battered sack struck by a sledgehammer, his body hurtling uncontrollably into the hard wall with a muffled crash.

Wang Cheng's body slid slowly to the floor. His head lolled to one side, and he fell silent for good.

Even as he died, Wang Cheng was filled with an indescribable frustration and resentment.

He just couldn't understand.

Chen Jing's strength clearly surpassed his by far and could have crushed him head-on, yet he had refused to fight fair. Instead, he had first used a despicable trick like lime to catch him off guard, leaving him able to use only three or four tenths of his peak First Blood strength.

By the end, Wang Cheng hadn't even had the chance to fight back.

For the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang, this was a humiliation beyond measure!

Watching Wang Cheng lie still on the ground, Chen Jing slowly lowered his fist, and the red mist of blood around him gradually faded.

Chen Jing took a deep breath, then exhaled a breath of stale air. The rise and fall of his chest slowly steadied.

With Wang Chi and Wang Cheng, those two sources of trouble, finally dealt with, the weight on Chen Jing's heart at last lifted.

Then Chen Jing's gaze swept slowly across the people in the private room. His expression was calm, but an invisible pressure radiated from him. Wherever his eyes fell, Blue Scarf Gang and Canal Gang members alike lowered their heads instinctively, not daring to meet his gaze.

"B-boss... the boss is dead!"

A Blue Scarf Gang underling finally reacted and let out a shriek.

The steel saber in his hand clattered to the floor. His legs gave way, and he crouched on the ground with his arms around his head, trembling all over.

Once one had done it, another followed.

The other burly Blue Scarf Gang men came to their senses, the ferocity on their faces instantly replaced by fear. One after another, they dropped their weapons. Some crouched on the ground, others fell to their knees, endlessly begging for their lives. None of them looked anything like the vicious men they had been moments before.

The Canal Gang members fared little better. They stared at Chen Jing, not daring to draw a single deep breath.

Ji Wen swallowed hard. Forcing down his fear, he cautiously took two steps forward and squeezed out a smile more painful than a sob. "M-Master Chen... we're with the Canal Gang, not the Blue Scarf Gang."

"I even specifically told Zou Cheng not to collect your family's protection money. Do you remember?"

Ji Wen was also a Second Blood Martial Artist, but an injury in his youth had damaged his foundation and greatly weakened him. At most, he was only a little stronger than Wang Cheng.

Seeing Chen Jing dispatch Wang Cheng in a few swift moves filled him with an intense fear.

After all, even Ji Wen would have needed considerable effort to defeat Wang Cheng without help to hold him back. They might even have ended up gravely wounded together.

But Chen Jing had taken Wang Cheng down with such ease. His strength was clearly far beyond Ji Wen's!

"That's right! Master Chen, do you remember me?"

Zou Cheng also steeled himself and stepped forward, putting on a smile as he tried to ingratiate himself with Chen Jing. "I asked you to join our Canal Gang as an officer before, but you turned me down. We've never had a grudge against you, and we're enemies of the Blue Scarf Gang too!"

Listening to their explanations, Chen Jing nodded.

His target had been Wang Cheng. He had no grudge against the Canal Gang, and he wasn't someone who killed indiscriminately, so naturally he wouldn't attack them.

But if they dared to attack him, he wouldn't just sit back and wait to die!

Seeing Chen Jing give only a faint nod, with no sign that he intended to slaughter them, Ji Wen finally felt the weight lift from his chest and quietly let out a breath.

Under the immense pressure just now, Ji Wen's back had already been soaked with cold sweat, his clothes clinging uncomfortably to his skin.

He hadn't felt this close to death in a long time.

Ji Wen followed up on the conversation, smiling obsequiously as he said, "Master Chen, you truly have impressive skills! As an elite disciple of the River-Breaking Fist Academy, you took down that villain Wang Cheng in a single move. What a satisfying sight!"

"That scoundrel Wang Cheng used to throw his weight around, bully merchants, and squeeze the common people until they were destitute. Everyone had long been up in arms against him! It was just that his strength was too formidable, and nobody dared stand up to him."

"If you hadn't stepped in today, Master Chen, and rid the people of that menace, who knows how many more would have suffered!"

The words were delivered with such righteous conviction that Wang Cheng's death might as well have been heaven's will, while Chen Jing had merely been acting as a chivalrous hero.

The Canal Gang members around them finally came to their senses as well. They hurried to bow and scrape, plastering ingratiating smiles across their faces as they chimed in over one another.

"Exactly! Master Chen is a true young hero!"

"That punch was so satisfying! You avenged us all!"

"With Master Chen here, this whole area can finally know peace!"

As the mood gradually eased, Ji Wen cautiously smiled and asked in a low voice, "By the way, Master Chen... do you happen to need any silver?"

Ji Wen immediately added, afraid that even the slightest delay might displease him. "If you do, our Canal Gang is willing to pay you a hundred and fifty taels of silver every month. We wouldn't dare fall behind on a single payment."

"And we'd never use your name to throw our weight around!"

"Silver? I don't need any."

Chen Jing shook his head.

Zhuang Tao already gave him a hundred taels of silver every month, which was more than enough for him. It was more than his family could even spend.

Besides, though he had killed Wang Cheng, Chen Jing had no desire to get involved with these Canal Gang people.

Who knew what kind of trouble they might stir up in the future?

Seeing that Chen Jing wouldn't accept, Ji Wen's face flashed with unmistakable pain, as though he had made a momentous decision. He added, "Well... since you've helped us get rid of Wang Cheng, the thorn in our side, our Canal Gang can't let you do all that for nothing!"

He paused, lowering his voice even further. "To be honest, Master Chen..."

"A couple of days ago, we were lucky enough to catch a Red-Patterned Spirit Fish in the river."

"This spirit fish is top-quality Exotic Beast Meat."

"If you don't mind, we'd like to give this Red-Patterned Spirit Fish to you, Master Chen, as a token of our gratitude!"