Severed Arm

Chen Zhuo turned to step out the door, only to hear Sun Fei's voice ring out from behind him.

"Use the window."

"Hm?"

Chen Zhuo paused and turned back, watching as Sun Fei used his burly frame to somehow squeeze through the window frame.

He didn't land on the ground; the moment he cleared the window, he employed some unknown movement technique to drift lightly onto the rooftop opposite.

Sun Fei stood on the other side and waved, signaling for Chen Zhuo to follow.

"Movement techniques, huh..."

Chen Zhuo looked at Sun Fei on the opposite roof, hesitated for only a moment, then scrambled out the window.

With a single foot planted on the sill, he used the momentum to launch himself like an arrow released from a bow, soaring to the roof across the way.

After all, he possessed an "Immaculate Body," his skin, membranes, tendons, and bones fused into a singular whole, his mastery over his own strength having reached the pinnacle of perfection.

Even as he landed on the rooftop, he didn't make a sound.

"Good technique."

Sun Fei offered a word of praise, donned a black robe he had prepared beforehand, then spread his arms and tapped his feet, "flying" across the rooftops like a giant bird.

Chen Zhuo began to run.

He lacked any martial movement techniques, relying solely on his minute control over his strength to sprint and leap across the roofs.

Even so, his speed was not the least bit slow; in the blink of an eye, he could clear three or four rooftops.

The two moved with great speed, and less than half a cup of tea after the signal arrow had been fired, they arrived at their destination.

"This area is already part of the outer city. Given the location, these streets shouldn't be this empty."

"Could someone have set a trap in advance?"

Sun Fei was quite observant; he noticed the anomaly the moment he arrived.

Surrounded by houses on all sides, there was only a single open space in the center, accessible only through a few narrow alleys.

If someone were to block those alleys, the central clearing would become an isolated island.

"Be careful later. I'm afraid this matter isn't as simple as it seems."

"I'll go scout the path first. If things go wrong, run immediately."

No matter how dull Sun Fei might be, seeing the scene before him, he could taste the scent of danger.

Chen Zhuo nodded without a word, appearing somewhat dazed.

This was because his attention was focused almost entirely on the houses not far away.

One, two, three...

Dense, swarming demonic auras suddenly appeared within his perception.

These demonic auras all shared a common trait: a heavy, pungent stench.

Chen Zhuo made a rough estimate; there were no fewer than a hundred demonic humans hidden within the rooms below.

"The Long River Gang—are they planning to revolt?"

Faced with such a number of demonic humans, even Chen Zhuo felt his scalp prickle slightly.

He suddenly thought of the mansion in the Ghost Market, the women kept in captivity for their blood, and Huang Tiansheng, who practiced the art of controlling demons...

It was not hard to see that the Long River Gang was intentionally cultivating demonic humans.

Chen Zhuo quietly circulated his true essence, pushing his perception to its limit.

Among the dense thicket of demonic auras, two were the most potent and the most pure.

One of them, he was very familiar with.

"Huang Yuan'er, you really did come..."

"I'll go first... hm?"

Sun Fei had observed for a while and, unable to restrain himself any longer, prepared to head down and investigate.

However, just as he moved, a door to one of the rooms swung open, and a figure draped in a black robe was tossed out. Fresh blood immediately gushed forth, staining the clearing a crimson hue.

Three daggers were embedded in the black-robed figure's back, and his limbs were bent at grotesque angles as he lay silently in the pool of blood.

"Yangzi."

Sun Fei let out a low roar and leaped down beside the bloodstain.

He recognized the dead man in the black robe at a glance; it was the coachman he had sent into the gambling den.

Seeing the coachman who had watched him grow up die in such a miserable fashion, Sun Fei was overcome with grief and rage.

He said nothing more, merely lifting his head, his brow etched with intense killing intent as he scanned every house in the vicinity.

"Come out!"

Sun Fei's roar echoed repeatedly across the empty clearing.

No one responded.

Only the shrill, mournful chirping of cicadas drifted from a nearby tree.

The very next moment.

The creaking of doors opening sounded one after another in rapid succession.

Immediately following, a chaotic flurry of footsteps erupted.

Members of the Long River Gang, clad in brown hempen short-sleeved shirts and wielding long blades, emerged from houses in every direction, surrounding Sun Fei so tightly not even a drop of water could pass through.

Sun Fei finally realized what was happening.

Everything today was nothing more than a trap.

A lethal trap, born of betrayal and a knife in the back.

He scanned his surroundings, his face a mix of sorrow and rage, and roared:

"Uncle Qian, Yangzi was someone you watched grow up! How could you bear to let him be tortured to death?"

As his voice fell, a middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd.

"A little bit of sentiment—how much is that really worth?"

Uncle Qian looked deeply at Sun Fei and said indifferently, "Besides, he was courting death himself; I was merely fulfilling his wish."

"And what about me? What about the Sun Family?"

Sun Fei's expression was complex as he spoke, "Decades of loyalty—is that not worth anything either?"

Uncle Qian remained silent for a long moment before replying, "It is worth a little, but... I want to live for myself for once."

"I wonder if Young Master could, for the sake of our years together, grant me this one favor?"

Clang.

A dagger landed at Sun Fei's feet.

"Please, Young Master, go to your death."

Uncle Qian's words were cold.

Yet, they were nowhere near as chilling as the frost currently gripping Sun Fei's heart.

Sun Fei took a deep breath, slowly picked up the dagger from the ground, and pointed it directly at Uncle Qian:

"If that is the case, then there is nothing left to say."

He finally abandoned all illusions.

He would purge the traitors from within.

Haa—hah!

With a furious roar, Sun Fei's blood surged throughout his body, making him glow like a torch.

"You have actually reached the Blood Exchange stage?"

Seeing this, Uncle Qian's pupils dilated in shock.

Sun Fei kept his mouth shut, preparing to lunge forward and slaughter the traitor.

However, quite suddenly, a deafening crash accompanied by an inhuman wail rang out in everyone's ears.

Sun Fei looked toward the sound and saw a nearby house collapse in a heap.

Immediately after, two figures scrambled out in a frantic panic.

He squinted to get a better look.

One was the young master of the Firewood Gang, Ruan Jing.

The other was none other than Huang Yuan'er.

"Who is so fierce?"

Sun Fei's jaw dropped, his body stiffening. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked up toward the roof.

The rooftop was completely empty.

Could it be... Chen Zhuo?!

Sun Fei turned his gaze back to the collapsed house, but the swirling dust obscured his vision.

He looked again at the two figures fleeing.

Ruan Jing was unscathed, save for a footprint stamped onto his abdomen.

Huang Yuan'er was in a much more miserable state.

Not only had his right arm been severed at the root, but one side of his face was swollen high, as if he had taken a heavy punch.

"Ah!"

Huang Yuan'er's eyes were bloodshot, his shrill wails unending.

All the members of the Long River Gang swarmed over, their eyes filled with bloodlust as they stared fixedly at the collapsed house.

As the dust gradually settled, a tall, slender figure slowly revealed itself to everyone.

Chen Zhuo held a long blade in one hand, his foot planted firmly on a hideous dog's head, his expression cold and stern as he said:

"Move again, and I will slaughter you right now!"