Ambushing Li Hu

The night was hazy!

In the ruined temple on the back hill of Li Family Village, lamplight flickered, shining through a drafty window.

Inside the spiderweb-covered building, Li Hu sat beside an oil lamp. After taking a small sip of wine, he tossed a peanut into his mouth.

Across from him was one of his two lackeys. The other one wasn't there.

His name was Li Jian, and he was actually Li Hu's nephew.

But to project authority in the gang, Li Hu wouldn't let him call him Uncle. He had to call him Lord Hu instead.

The mountain wind swept through the ruined temple, wailing like ghosts and wolves. Li Jian's face turned pale with fright.

"Look at you, scared stiff. So what if we killed a man? You weren't afraid when he was alive. What's there to fear now that he's dead?" Li Hu mocked Li Jian's reaction.

"Even dead, He Shicai has me hiding in this dump. If he can turn into a ghost, I'll kill him all over again."

He hadn't meant to kill He Shicai. He'd only slapped him once, but He Shicai had turned out to be so useless that he'd angered himself to death, forcing them to go into hiding.

As long as no one reported it, the authorities generally wouldn't get involved in this sort of thing. Ordinary people wouldn't dare report the Tri-Union Gang, either. The only worry was that He Shicai's family might do something stupid and go to the authorities.

Even if the authorities were in cahoots with them, they'd still have to put on a show of doing their jobs. That was why they'd hidden away first.

Li Jian looked a little ashamed. "You've killed several people, Lord Hu, so of course you aren't afraid. But this is the first time your nephew's ever killed someone. I'm just afraid the vengeful ghost will come for me."

"What vengeful ghost? If there were any, would I have been able to live so freely all these years?"

Li Hu reassured him. "Don't be afraid. Even though we killed someone this time, we also took the fall for the gang. Plenty of people want to kill their way up, but don't get the chance. You and Li Liang have this under your belts now. Stick it out for a few more years, and you can move up. This is a good thing.

"I only made a name for myself in the gang after killing someone.

"Remember, you have to be willing to take the heat in the gang if you want a chance to rise."

Hearing this, Li Jian felt much less afraid. "Lord Hu, how much longer do we have to hide? This place is no place for a person to stay."

They'd been hiding here for three days. They had plenty of food, but he couldn't stand it anymore. He'd been sleeping on a door plank every night, and his back was about to break.

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

He'd been through this sort of thing many times and was used to it by now.

"What if He Shicai's family does go to the authorities?"

Li Hu laughed. "Then we kill them. Without a complainant, no one will pursue the matter."

He said it as if he were talking about squashing a few ants.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

"Who's there?"

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

"Lord Hu, it's me."

Li Liang slipped in from outside and said with a grin, "Good news. He Shicai's family hasn't gone to the authorities."

"We can go back!" Li Jian got to his feet.

"They didn't go looking for trouble. He Shicai's family knows how to behave after all. Come on, let's go to your little aunt's place first." Li Hu gulped down some wine and headed out first.

The "little aunt" was his mistress. She'd been a widow, and when she couldn't afford the residence fee, she'd paid with her body. One thing had led to another, and she'd become Li Hu's mistress.

After hiding for several days, he was feeling pent up.

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

The three of them made their way down the mountain, skirted Li Family Village, and headed toward Big Tree Village, where Li Hu's mistress lived.

"Lord Hu, slow down!" Li Jian reached out to steady Li Hu.

Li Hu had already drunk quite a lot at the ruined temple, and he'd kept drinking on the way down the mountain. Now the alcohol was catching up with him, and he was beginning to stagger.

"I'm fine. This little bit of wine can't get me drunk. When I was your age, I could down two or three jin of liquor and still go out hacking people up."

The Tri-Union Gang had rival gangs, and there were frequent brawls and assassinations. Li Hu usually didn't drink when he traveled at night.

But he'd been hiding for the past few days, and no one knew where they were. He wasn't worried about anything happening on the road.

Big Tree Village had appeared in the distance.

"Your little aunt should still be awake. I'll have her whip up some dishes, and the three of us can keep drinking. I've been up on that mountain for days, and my mouth's about to go bland as a bird's."

As he spoke, Li Hu seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, has that kid Xu Yang brought the money yet?"

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

"Could that little brat be stalling on purpose? Tomorrow, we'll go to his house and—"

He didn't get to finish the word "see" before a dark figure suddenly shot up from below the ridge ahead, swift as a tiger or leopard.

Li Hu had spent years in the gang. He'd killed people several times and had been targeted for murder many times, too. He had plenty of experience reacting to danger.

Though he'd had a bit to drink, he responded correctly at once, shoving Li Liang beside him away.

"Pfft!"

There was a sound like thick leather being pierced. As Li Hu stumbled backward, he saw a sharpened wooden stake pierce through Li Liang's body, stretching his clothes taut.

In an instant, Li Hu's scalp prickled and cold sweat broke out all over him. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he'd have been the one skewered like a candied hawthorn.

"Bang!"

Xu Yang kicked Li Liang off the stake. With a single stride, he raised both hands around the wrist-thick stake and swung it down at Li Jian's head.

He'd lain in ambush outside the entrance to the village where Li Hu's mistress lived for two days. On the third day, Li Hu had finally shown up.

He'd thought he'd only be able to wait for Li Hu, but all three men were there. He might as well kill them all, so no one would connect the matter to him.

He didn't have a suitable weapon, so he'd found a sturdy, heavy wooden stake and sharpened one end. It could serve as both a spear and a club.

He'd never learned spear or staff techniques, but with enough strength, this thing could be nearly as deadly as a blade.

"Boom!"

The wrist-thick stake struck the air with a muffled roar. It bent slightly under Xu Yang's swing, showing just how terrifying the blow was.

Li Jian had already been scared out of his wits by Li Liang's death, but faced with mortal danger, he still reacted.

He crossed his arms above his head, trying to block the fatal blow with nothing but flesh and blood.

"Crack!"

The sound of bones shattering rang out.

Xu Yang was strong enough now to lift a three-hundred-pound stone lock with one arm. With both hands behind the swing, the blow packed well over five hundred pounds of force.

Li Jian's arms snapped on impact. Before he could even scream, the unstoppable stake smashed into his skull.

With a bang, brains and bone fragments flew everywhere, and Li Jian's body went limp.

"Crack!"

Xu Yang had swung too hard. The stake snapped under the repeated blows, and he stumbled. Fortunately, he quickly stepped forward and reined in his momentum before he fell.

"Mur—"

Li Hu was already scared out of his wits. He'd even forgotten the dagger at his waist.

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

He opened his mouth to shout, "Murder!" but had barely made a sound when Xu Yang's broken stake came flying and smashed into his back.

Li Hu's vision went black. He didn't even have time to feel the pain. The force of the blow had left him unable to catch his breath.

The next moment, Xu Yang had darted behind him. He grabbed Li Hu's head in both hands and twisted it sharply backward.

"Crack!"

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

"Xu Yang..."

Xu Yang had killed him!

That was the only thought he managed before his consciousness sank into darkness.

"Crack!"

Xu Yang kept twisting until Li Hu's head had made a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, then let go.