Su Hao's thoughts raced. There was no way he would hand over the Blood Ginseng he had already found. But first, he wanted to fish for information, so he pretended he only wanted to get away and nodded repeatedly in a thoroughly cooperative manner. "This Blood Ginseng belongs to you three masters. I wouldn't dare keep it for myself. It took me quite a bit of effort to dig it up, though. May I ask the names of the three masters? Could you... perhaps reward me with a little spending money?"
Su Hao lowered himself as much as he could, readily agreeing to hand over the Blood Ginseng. But he deliberately wore a reluctant expression as he asked their names and asked for a reward.
It was a reasonable request, but the gray-clad man stared at Su Hao impatiently and said coldly, "Stop talking nonsense! Hand over the Blood Ginseng. We can discuss the rest later!"
The gray-clad man had no intention of giving him a reward. By his standards, he might as well kill a boy like this while he was at it! Running into them was the boy's own bad luck!
But the blue-clad, burly man studied Su Hao carefully, deep in thought. Then, as if he had suddenly realized something, he fixed his eyes on Su Hao. "You couldn't have entered this valley by chance... Your bearing and appearance resemble Su Yu's. You... are Su Yu's son, Su Hao?"
At those words, both the fat man and the gray-clad man froze. A flash of surprise and killing intent suddenly gleamed in their eyes.
"You're... from the Flying Cloud Gang!"
Su Hao raised an eyebrow. The man had mentioned Su Yu, had come to a valley that should have been known only to Su Yu and him, and even knew about him. Su Hao immediately worked out that these men were from the Flying Cloud Gang!
Su Hao didn't know what grudge the Flying Cloud Gang held against Su Yu, but it was clearly a blood feud. They had even sent people to kill Su Hao. Since they knew where this valley was, they must have learned of it from Su Yu.
The blue-clad, burly man evidently didn't believe the boy had stumbled into this secluded valley by chance, either. Su Yu had most likely told his family where the Blood Ginseng was, too... The boy's identity was obvious: he was Su Yu's son!
"You're not stupid, kid. I'm Kuang Fei, Hall Master of Lightning Hall in the Flying Cloud Gang."
The blue-clad man's lips curled into a smile as he gave his name.
In the Flying Cloud Gang, aside from the gang leader, the highest-ranking figures were the four hall masters of Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Lightning. Each was a top expert and a pillar of the gang. The blue-clad, burly man was one of the four hall masters: Kuang Fei!
"So he really is that kid from the Su family? He barely escaped death back then, and then he stayed shut up inside Su Family Fort. Capturing him... would be a great achievement!"
The fat man was delighted.
Su Yu had made an enemy of the Flying Cloud Gang and killed more than ten of its elite fighters, enraging the entire gang. They had ignored the supposed rule that family members were off-limits and sent several disciples to deal with Su Hao, but that attempt had failed.
Still, Su Hao stayed shut up inside Su Family Fort, and the Flying Cloud Gang had its reservations. It couldn't send everyone to the Su family's doorstep just to take revenge on one boy.
But they had never expected to come across Su Hao while gathering Blood Ginseng themselves. They had both come to collect it, making this a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road!
Su Hao furrowed his brow. He hadn't expected to run into the Flying Cloud Gang while they were also here to collect Blood Ginseng. But rather than feel alarmed, he was delighted. This is a perfect chance to learn about Father from them.
His father, Su Yu, had gone missing, and the whole family had suffered for it. His mother often wept in secret, worried about Su Yu's safety. Su Hao, too, wanted to find out whether Su Yu was alive or dead, so their family could be reunited.
Thinking this, Su Hao furrowed his brow and said, "Hall Master Kuang, as the saying goes, a feud shouldn't be visited on someone's family. My father has always kept out of trouble. How exactly did he offend the Flying Cloud Gang, that you'd pursue us to the bitter end? If you want to kill me, at least let me die knowing why!"
But the three men clearly had no intention of explaining. Kuang Fei's lips curled in a mocking smile. "You want to die? It won't be that easy. Your father killed more than ten of our elite fighters, including a hall master. We don't know where he is now, but it doesn't matter. Once we capture you as bait, I'm sure Su Yu will show himself!"
Kuang Fei then barked at the gray-clad man beside him, "Zhang Wenxuan, take him down! But don't let your guard down. According to our information, this kid has probably developed Blood Energy!"
"Allow me to handle it."
The gray-clad Zhang Wenxuan smiled.
Zhang Wenxuan had a lean face, but his cheekbones jutted out, giving him a fierce look. A powerful pressure radiated from him as he strode toward Su Hao. "Kid, you might have a little strength, but before me, you're as fragile as a child. Don't resist. Let me dislocate your joints, and you'll suffer less..."
Zhang Wenxuan spoke as if Su Hao were a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, and he had good reason to be confident. As an elite of the Flying Cloud Gang, he wasn't one of those useless wine sacks. He had genuinely cultivated his Blood Energy to its peak and refined secret medicine, breaking through the limits of the human body. He was a First Refinement Martial Artist!
"Whoosh!"
Despite his confidence and utter contempt for Su Hao, Zhang Wenxuan still approached him like a lion hunting a rabbit. He had been through more than a few fights and knew that only by despising your enemy strategically while taking them seriously tactically could you survive longer in this chaotic world!
When he came within one zhang of Su Hao, Zhang Wenxuan suddenly sprang into action. His aura turned razor-sharp as he pounced like an eagle swooping on a rabbit, thrusting out his right hand, bent into a claw, and tearing through the air toward Su Hao's shoulder.
His fingers were long, and his hands were covered in thick calluses. He was clearly a master of claw techniques. That probing grab left no room to resist. If he got a firm hold, the strength of one arm—capable of a thousand catties—would crush even sturdy bones as easily as dry wood!
Tiger Form Fist: Fierce Tiger Probing Claw!
But Su Hao, who had seemed weak, like a lamb awaiting slaughter and all bluster, suddenly moved. He was like a crouching tiger springing from its lair. His sinews and bones thrummed, and every tendon in his body unleashed an extreme burst of speed and strength.
Su Hao's right hand bent into a claw as well, but it was as fast as lightning—several times faster than Zhang Wenxuan's. He had been still as stone, but when he moved, he struck like thunder, locking onto Zhang Wenxuan's wrist with pinpoint precision!
"Th-this is bad! Let go!"
Zhang Wenxuan's heart lurched. He hurriedly gathered his Blood Energy and tried to break free of Su Hao's tiger-claw grip, but it was already too late!
Su Hao's Five Animals Fist was an internal style that cultivated the five organs. He had mastered three fist techniques to the point of generating force, and his body was so powerful that one arm could muster a thousand catties of strength, surpassing most First Refinement Martial Artists. Now his five fingers suddenly clenched like a closing tiger's claw, like an iron clamp!
"Crack, crack, crack!"
An immense force crushed down. Zhang Wenxuan's wrist bones groaned under the strain and shattered in Su Hao's grip!
"Ahhh! My hand!"
A piercing pain shot through Zhang Wenxuan's whole body, and he roared like a beast, eyes bloodshot. His Blood Energy surged to its limit in an instant, swelling his muscles as he poured all his strength into a frenzied left-handed punch at Su Hao.
Pain and fury drove the strike, drawing out every ounce of Zhang Wenxuan's potential. It was his most powerful blow, enough to smash a beast to death!
But facing Zhang Wenxuan's ferocious attack, Su Hao remained expressionless. He punched as well, combining the force hidden throughout his limbs with his body. The strike looked ordinary, but it roared like a fierce tiger, unstoppable as it met Zhang Wenxuan's head-on!
"Bang!"
Their fists collided, each carrying a thousand catties of force. A muffled boom burst through the air, like two colossal beasts crashing into each other.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
But in an instant, Su Hao's force overwhelmed Zhang Wenxuan's. Zhang Wenxuan felt as though Su Hao's fist wasn't flesh at all, but a solid iron hammer. It carried a fierce, unstoppable force, and when the fists collided, Zhang Wenxuan's hand gave a strained, cracking burst!
The bones in his hand shattered, and a mass of splintered bone pierced through his flesh. Blood streamed everywhere!
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