Ambush Li Hu

The night was hazy.

In the dilapidated temple behind Li Family Village, candlelight flickered, casting a glow through the gaps in the windows.

Inside the spiderweb-choked building, Li Hu sat beside an oil lamp, taking a small sip of wine before tossing a peanut into his mouth.

On the other side sat one of his two lackeys; the other was nowhere to be seen.

His name was Li Jian, and he was actually Li Hu's cousin once removed.

However, to maintain the dignity of the gang, Li Hu forbade him from calling him uncle, insisting on "Master Hu" instead.

Mountain winds whistled through the ruined temple, sounding like ghosts wailing, which turned Li Jian's face deathly pale.

"Look at you, you coward. It's just killing a man, isn't it? He wasn't afraid when he was alive, so what's there to fear now that he's dead?" Li Hu sneered at Li Jian's appearance.

"He Shicai died and still managed to drag me into hiding in this dump. If he could turn into a ghost, I'd kill him all over again."

He hadn't intended to kill He Shicai; he had only slapped him once. He hadn't expected He Shicai to be so fragile, literally dying of anger, which forced them into hiding.

As long as no one reported it, the authorities usually ignored such matters, and ordinary people wouldn't dare report the Tri-Union Gang. The only concern was if He Shicai's family did something foolish.

Even if the authorities were in cahoots with them, they would still have to go through the motions, so hiding was the safest bet.

Li Jian looked ashamed. "Master Hu, you've killed several people, so naturally you aren't afraid. But this is my first time, and I'm terrified of a vengeful spirit coming for my life."

"There's no such thing as a vengeful spirit. If there were, would I have been living so freely all these years?"

Li Hu comforted him, "Don't be afraid. Even though we killed someone, it counts as handling business for the gang. Many people want to kill to climb the ranks but never get the chance. With this behind you and Li Liang, you'll be able to move up in a few years. This is a good thing. I only made a name for myself in the gang after I killed someone. Remember, in the gang, you only get a chance to rise if you can shoulder the heavy burdens."

Hearing this, the fear in Li Jian's heart subsided significantly. "Master Hu, how much longer do we have to hide? This is no place for a human to stay."

They had been hiding for three days. Although they had plenty of food, he couldn't stand it anymore; sleeping on door planks every day was breaking his back.

"Wait for word from Li Liang. If He Shicai's family hasn't reported it to the officials, we can go back." Li Hu took another swig of wine.

He had been through this many times and was long since used to it.

"And if they did report it?"

Li Hu laughed, "Then we finish them off. No victim, no case."

He spoke as if he were talking about stepping on a few ants.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

"Who's there?"

Li Hu reacted first, pulling a dagger from his waist.

"Master Hu, it's me."

Li Liang ducked inside and grinned. "Good news: He Shicai's family didn't report it."

"We can go back!" Li Jian stood up.

"They didn't seek their own deaths; He Shicai's family is sensible enough. Let's go, first to your little aunt's place!" Li Hu took a gulp of wine and led the way out.

The "little aunt" was his mistress, a widow who had been unable to pay her protection fees and had paid with her body instead; one thing led to another, and she became Li Hu's mistress.

Having been in hiding for days, his lust was burning.

Li Jian blew out the oil lamp and followed them out of the temple.

The three of them descended the mountain, skirted around Li Family Village, and headed toward Big Tree Village, where Li Hu's mistress lived.

"Master Hu, walk slower!" Li Jian reached out to steady him.

Li Hu had already drunk plenty in the temple and had kept drinking on the way down; now that the alcohol was hitting him, his gait had become unsteady.

"It's nothing, this little bit of wine can't get me drunk. When I was your age, I could down two or three pounds of liquor and still hack people to pieces."

The Tri-Union Gang had rival gangs and frequent skirmishes and assassinations, so Li Hu usually didn't drink when walking at night.

But he had been hiding for the past few days, and with no one knowing their whereabouts, he wasn't worried about trouble on the road.

Not far ahead, Big Tree Village came into view.

"Your little aunt shouldn't be asleep yet. I'll have her whip up some dishes, and the three of us will keep drinking. Being up on that mountain, my mouth has gone bland as a bird."

As Li Hu spoke, he seemed to remember something and added, "Right, did that brat Xu Yang bring the money?"

Li Liang shook his head. "I asked the brothers at the hall; he hasn't been there."

"Is the little bastard intentionally stalling? Tomorrow I'll go to his house and see..."

Before he could finish the word "see," a black shadow suddenly lunged from beneath the field ridge ahead, as swift as a tiger or leopard.

Li Hu had spent years in the gang, having killed several people and been targeted many times; his combat instincts were razor-sharp.

Despite being somewhat drunk, he made the correct move instantly, shoving Li Liang, who was beside him, out of the way.

"Puchi!"

A sound like cowhide being pierced rang out. As he retreated, he saw a sharpened wooden stake run through Li Liang's body, lifting his clothes up with the force of the impact.

In an instant, his scalp went numb and he broke into a cold sweat; had he not reacted quickly, he would have been the one skewered like a candied hawthorn.

"Bang!"

Xu Yang kicked Li Liang off the wooden stake, lunged forward, and gripped the wrist-thick wooden pole with both hands, swinging it down toward Li Jian's head.

He had laid in ambush outside the village entrance where Li Hu's mistress lived for two days, finally waiting for Li Hu to appear on the third.

He had originally expected only Li Hu, but he hadn't anticipated all three being present; killing them all would conveniently prevent anyone from linking the incident back to him.

Lacking a proper weapon, he had fashioned a sturdy, heavy wooden pole and sharpened it, using it as both a spear and a club.

He had never studied spear or staff techniques, but as long as one had enough strength, the lethality of such a weapon was not much less than a blade.

"Boom!"

The wrist-thick pole sliced through the air with a dull thud, bending slightly under the force of Xu Yang's swing; the terrifying power behind the blow was evident.

Li Jian had already been scared out of his wits by Li Liang's death, but faced with the crisis of mortality, he still managed to react.

He crossed his arms over his head, attempting to block the lethal strike with his own flesh and blood.

"Crack!"

The sound of shattering arm bones rang out.

With Xu Yang's current strength, he could lift a 150-jin stone lock with one arm; with both hands behind the strike, the impact force was well over 500 jin.

Li Jian's arms snapped instantly; before he could even let out a scream, the unstoppable pole had already smashed into his skull.

With a "thud," brains and bone fragments splattered, and Li Jian collapsed, his body going limp.

"Snap!"

Xu Yang had used too much force, and the wooden pole finally snapped under the repeated impacts. He stumbled, but quickly took a step forward to regain his balance before he could fall.

"Mur—"

Li Hu was already paralyzed with terror, having completely forgotten the dagger on his person.

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye; he had only retreated three or four steps and hadn't gotten far.

He opened his mouth to scream "murder," but before he could make a sound, the broken pole flew through the air and slammed into his back.

Li Hu's vision went black; he didn't even have time to feel the pain before the force of the blow knocked the wind out of him, leaving him unable to draw a breath.

The next moment, Xu Yang was already behind him, grabbing his head with both hands and twisting it backward with all his might.

"Crack!"

Li Hu's neck snapped instantly. As his head twisted around, he saw a familiar, icy face in the darkness.

"Xu Yang..."

It was Xu Yang who was killing him!

That was the only thought he had time to form before his consciousness plunged into darkness.

"Crack!"

Xu Yang continued to apply force until Li Hu's head had been twisted a full three hundred and sixty degrees before finally letting go.