Scarlet-tailed Spirit Fish

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

Judging by this style of resorting to lethal force at the slightest disagreement, it was clear that Wang Cheng, just like his dead brother Wang Chi, was a narrow-minded, arrogant piece of trash.

Since that was the case, there was no need to waste breath on him; it was better to just settle this directly.

Thinking this, Chen Jing hesitated no longer, pushing the Five Harms Technique to its absolute limit.

In an instant, a faint red mist of blood steamed off his entire body.

Before anyone could react, Chen Jing's figure transformed into a red blur, crossing the ten-foot gap between him and Wang Cheng in a heartbeat.

"Die!"

Chen Jing let out a low shout, his right fist wrapped in violent blood energy, whistling through the air as it struck directly at Wang Cheng's face with a fierce, overbearing momentum that held nothing back.

"What!"

Seeing this, Wang Cheng's pupils contracted, and his mind went blank.

He never imagined that Chen Jing could not only easily dodge his teacup but also move with such terrifying speed.

Furthermore, the pressure radiating from the red blood mist on Chen Jing's body made his heart race wildly.

That was the aura of a Second Blood Martial Artist!

In his shock, the instincts honed from years of fighting took over; he recoiled violently, crossing his arms in front of his chest and burning all his blood energy to defend.

At this moment, Wang Cheng's eyes were wide, locked onto Chen Jing's every move, as he roared, "You dare attack me! Do you know who I am? I am the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang! Aren't you afraid that my brothers in the Blue Scarf Gang will hunt you down for revenge?"

Wang Cheng tried to use the reputation of the Blue Scarf Gang to intimidate his opponent, but Chen Jing remained unmoved, his fist's speed not faltering in the slightest.

Just as his fist was about to collide with Wang Cheng's arms, Chen Jing suddenly flipped his wrist, revealing a handful of white powder he had been concealing, and flung it straight into Wang Cheng's face.

"What is this?"

Caught off guard, Wang Cheng felt a sudden whiteness before his eyes as countless tiny particles of lime powder drilled into his eyes, nose, and mouth, stinging him until tears streamed down his face and his throat itched, forcing him into a violent coughing fit.

"Lime!"

"You actually used such a despicable, underhanded tactic!"

Wang Cheng trembled in agony, unable to open his eyes, forced to squint through narrow slits and rely on hearing and instinct to barely defend himself, his voice filled with grief and rage.

He could never have guessed that a Second Blood Martial Artist like Chen Jing would stoop to such street-thug tricks!

But Chen Jing cared nothing for whether his methods were honorable or not.

He wanted a quick victory to finish off Wang Cheng and eliminate any future trouble.

Taking advantage of Wang Cheng's obstructed vision and sluggish movements, Chen Jing accelerated his assault without mercy.

His fists rained down like a storm upon Wang Cheng's arms, chest, and shoulders, each blow imbued with the violent power of a Second Blood Martial Artist.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dull thuds of impact echoed through the private room as Wang Cheng was beaten back repeatedly, his arms throbbing with intense pain, his blood energy falling into chaos as he let out continuous, muffled groans.

Nearby, Ji Wen and the members of the Canal Gang were left dumbstruck by the sudden turn of events.

Ji Wen reacted the fastest, quickly leading his men back a few paces to put distance between them and the battlefield, avoiding any collateral damage.

Then, frowning, Ji Wen stared at Chen Jing's back and whispered to his men, "Who exactly is this guy? Why is he going all-out against Wang Cheng the moment he arrives? It looks like there's a deep blood feud between them."

"Leader, I recognize him!"

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

The speaker was Zou Cheng, who had been tasked with recruiting Chen Jing and thus had a deep impression of his appearance, recognizing him at a glance.

"Someone from the River-Breaking Fist Academy?"

Ji Wen's heart skipped a beat, his expression turning grave.

The River-Breaking Fist Academy held significant power in the west side of Red Rock County, so they were not to be trifled with.

Ji Wen immediately barked at his Canal Gang subordinates, "Everyone back off! Don't get involved in their business! Also, block those Blue Scarf Gang members; don't let them help Wang Cheng!"

"Yes, Leader!"

The Canal Gang members shouted in unison, moving to stand before the burly men of the Blue Scarf Gang.

The Blue Scarf Gang members had wanted to step in to help Wang Cheng, but they were held firmly in check by the Canal Gang, leaving the two sides in a standoff while they watched Wang Cheng being unilaterally crushed by Chen Jing.

"From the River-Breaking Fist Academy?"

Dazed and reeling, Wang Cheng vaguely heard the words "River-Breaking Fist Academy," and his heart filled with suspicion and fear. While struggling to parry Chen Jing's fists, he roared in grief, "I have no grudge against you! Why are you ambushing me? Does the River-Breaking Fist Academy not care about the rules?"

He truly could not fathom when he had ever offended anyone from the River-Breaking Fist Academy.

But the only response he received was an even more ferocious assault from Chen Jing.

Under Chen Jing's storm-like onslaught, Wang Cheng gradually lost his footing, his black martial robes shredded to rags.

His once-upright posture became hunched, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth and dripping down his chin, staining his chest crimson.

With his vision blurred by the lime and his ears filled with the whistling of fists and the groaning of his own bones, his blood energy spiraled out of control like a wild horse, and even the strength to lift his arms began to slip away bit by bit.

At this moment, a cold glint flashed in Chen Jing's eyes. The red blood mist surrounding him surged violently, condensing all his strength and vitality into his right fist. He swung his final punch straight at Wang Cheng's chest!

BOOM!

CRACK!

The instant fist met flesh, a crisp sound of breaking bones echoed. Wang Cheng was sent flying backward like a tattered sack struck by a heavy hammer, slamming hard into the solid wall with a dull, thunderous thud.

Wang Cheng's body then slid slowly to the floor, his head lolling to one side, and he fell completely silent.

Even in death, Wang Cheng was filled with an indescribable sense of frustration and grievance.

He simply could not fathom it.

Chen Jing's strength was clearly far superior to his own—he could have crushed him head-on—yet he chose not to fight fairly. Instead, he used the despicable tactic of throwing lime to ambush him, leaving him unable to exert more than thirty or forty percent of his First Blood peak martial prowess.

Until the very end, he hadn't even had a chance to fight back.

For the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang, dying in such a manner was an utter humiliation!

Watching Wang Cheng collapse and go still, Chen Jing slowly retracted his fist, the red blood mist around him gradually dissipating.

Chen Jing took a deep breath, exhaled a mouthful of stale air, and his heaving chest slowly steadied.

With the threats of Wang Chi and Wang Cheng eliminated, the weight that had been pressing on Chen Jing's heart finally lifted.

Chen Jing's gaze then swept slowly across the people in the private room. His eyes were calm yet carried an invisible pressure; wherever his gaze fell, whether it was the men from the Blue Scarf Gang or the Canal Gang, they instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

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

At this, a lackey from the Blue Scarf Gang finally snapped out of his shock and let out a shrill scream.

The steel blade in his hand clattered to the floor. His legs went weak, and he collapsed into a crouch, clutching his head and trembling uncontrollably.

Where there was one, there was a second.

The other burly men of the Blue Scarf Gang also reacted, the ferocity on their faces instantly replaced by terror. One by one, they dropped their weapons, either crouching on the ground or falling to their knees, begging for mercy incessantly, showing not a shred of their former bravado.

The men from the Canal Gang were no better off, staring fixedly at Chen Jing, not daring to even draw a full breath.

Ji Wen swallowed hard, suppressing the fear in his heart. He took two cautious steps forward, forcing a smile that looked worse than a cry, and said softly, "This... Master Chen, we are from the Canal Gang. We aren't with the Blue Scarf Gang."

"I even specifically instructed Zou Cheng before not to collect protection fees from your family. I wonder if you recall that?"

Although Ji Wen was also a Second Blood Martial Artist, he had suffered an injury to his foundation years ago, which had severely diminished his strength; he was at most only a hair stronger than Wang Cheng.

Seeing Chen Jing dispose of Wang Cheng so easily, a surge of intense fear rose within him.

After all, even for him, taking down Wang Cheng without help to distract him would have required a great deal of effort and might have even resulted in mutual injury.

Yet Chen Jing had taken Wang Cheng down so effortlessly—his strength was clearly far above his own!

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

Zou Cheng, standing to the side, also bit the bullet and stepped forward, wearing a fawning smile to try and build a connection with Chen Jing: "I invited you to join our Canal Gang as a leader before, and you turned me down. We truly have no grudge against you, and we are mortal enemies with the Blue Scarf Gang!"

Listening to their explanations, Chen Jing nodded.

His target for this trip had been Wang Cheng. He had no enmity with the Canal Gang, and since he was not a man who killed indiscriminately, he naturally would not strike at them.

However, if they dared to make a move on him, he would not sit idly by and wait for death!

Seeing that Chen Jing only nodded faintly and had no intention of slaughtering them, the stone in Ji Wen's heart finally settled, and he secretly exhaled a breath of relief.

Under the immense pressure from just moments ago, Ji Wen's back had long been soaked with cold sweat, his clothes clinging to his skin in a most uncomfortable way.

It had been a long time since he had felt the sensation of being only a step away from death.

Ji Wen then followed the flow of the conversation and continued, "Master Chen, you truly have incredible skill! As expected of an elite disciple of the River-Breaking Fist Academy, taking down the villain Wang Cheng in a single move—it is truly gratifying!"

"That scoundrel Wang Cheng was always tyrannical, bullying the markets and squeezing the common people; the grievances against him were long-standing! It was only because of his formidable strength that no one dared to stand up to him."

"If not for you stepping in today to rid the people of this scourge, who knows how many more would have suffered!"

These words were spoken with such righteous indignation that it sounded as if Wang Cheng's death were the will of heaven and Chen Jing was merely acting in the name of justice.

The surrounding members of the Canal Gang finally snapped out of it as well. They scrambled to nod and bow, wearing extremely sycophantic smiles as they chimed in one after another.

"That's right! Master Chen is truly a young hero!"

"That punch really vented our frustration for us!"

"With Master Chen around, this area can finally have some peace!"

Seeing the atmosphere gradually soften, Ji Wen smiled cautiously and lowered his voice, saying, "By the way, Master Chen... I wonder if you are in need of silver?"

As soon as he finished, Ji Wen added quickly, fearing that a moment's delay might displease the other party: "If you are in need, our Canal Gang is willing to offer a tribute of one hundred and fifty taels of silver every month. We would never dare to be late."

"And we would never dare to act under your banner!"

"Silver? I am naturally not in need."

Hearing this, Chen Jing shook his head.

With Zhuang Tao already providing him with a hundred taels of silver every month, he had more than enough to spend, and even giving it to his family, they couldn't finish it all.

Besides, although he had killed Wang Cheng, Chen Jing did not want to get entangled with this group from the Canal Gang.

After all, who knew what kind of trouble they might stir up in the future.

Seeing Chen Jing refuse, a flash of barely concealed heartache crossed Ji Wen's face. As if having made a monumental decision, he added, "This... since Master Chen has helped us eliminate Wang Cheng, that thorn in our side, the Canal Gang cannot let you act in vain!"

He paused for a moment, his voice dropping even lower. "I won't hide it from you, Master Chen."

"Two days ago, our Canal Gang was fortunate enough to capture a Red-patterned Spirit Fish in the river."

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

"If you don't mind, we would like to gift this Red-patterned Spirit Fish to Master Chen as a small token of our sincerity!"