Chen Jianghe pulled an old piece of cloth from inside his clothes, quickly wrapped it around his face, and left only his eyes exposed.
He moved silently and followed them.
Aunt Wang and the Sun Moon Cult follower who called himself Zhang Mingyuan had not gone far.
They turned into another, narrower alley and stopped in a corner piled high with broken wooden crates.
A dead end blocked the far end of the alley. Moonlight could not reach it; only a faint glimmer filtered in from the scattered lights on the main street in the distance.
Chen Jianghe crouched behind the corner wall, holding his breath as he listened.
"Master Zhang, about this matter..." Aunt Wang's voice was very low, tinged with ingratiation. "I did as you instructed and lured her out. Lin is soft-hearted and easy to handle. If her son hadn't suddenly shown up, she'd have followed us to the cult's altar by now."
Zhang Mingyuan's voice remained gentle, but there was a chill beneath it. "It's all right. If it doesn't work today, there's always tomorrow. Since Chen Jianghe is an official disciple of Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, he's exactly the sort of talent the Holy Lord needs."
Aunt Wang sighed. "You don't know how sharp that boy is! The look he gave me just now was fierce. I'm afraid he's already suspicious..."
"So what if he is?" Zhang Mingyuan chuckled. "He's just a martial arts hall disciple. Our Sun Moon Cult already has over a thousand followers in the Outer City. Forget a shabby place like Xingyi Martial Arts Hall—even disciples from Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall, one of the top martial arts halls in the city, have secretly joined us."
Behind the wall, Chen Jianghe's pupils narrowed.
Zhang Mingyuan continued, pride creeping into his voice. "The cult leader said it himself: in this world, the official disciples of those martial arts halls have abundant blood and strong physiques. They're perfect material for cultivating our cult's 'Sacred Art.' Besides, most of them come from poor families. Offer them a little silver and a way out, and they'll flock to us."
Aunt Wang seemed to understand, but not quite. "Then... why don't we just approach Chen Jianghe directly? Why go to all this trouble and target his mother?"
"Fool." Zhang Mingyuan's voice turned colder. "A martial arts hall disciple is full of youthful pride. If we approach him directly, he'll probably turn us down. But if we get a hold over someone close to him, he'll have no choice but to lower his head. And a dutiful son like him is all the easier to handle."
His tone softened, coaxing her. "Aunt Wang, you did well today. Once this is settled, the cult will reward you. We'll give you two extra taels of silver each month as 'alms,' and make sure no one in Loach Bay dares bully your family."
Aunt Wang beamed and bowed repeatedly. "Thank you, Master Zhang! Thank you, Master Zhang! So... what should we do next? That boy caught us today. I'm afraid he'll be on his guard."
Master Zhang sneered. "On his guard? How much can a newly accepted martial arts hall disciple do? Just keep a close eye on him. In a couple of days, I'll find an excuse to visit the martial arts hall myself. I'll speak to Chen Jianghe directly—offer him ten taels of silver a month and promise his mother an easy job in the cult. I don't believe he won't be tempted."
He paused, his voice turning cold. "If he still doesn't know what's good for him... the cult's enforcers need a few 'test subjects' for their medicines. Martial arts hall disciples have strong physiques. They're ideal."
Behind the wall, Chen Jianghe slowly drew in a breath, then let it out.
They couldn't be left alive.
It was obvious Zhang Mingyuan had come after him.
At the mouth of the alley, Zhang Mingyuan turned to leave, with Aunt Wang beside him, still chattering away.
Chen Jianghe stepped out and flung up his right hand, scattering a cloud of lime powder over them!
"Who's there—Aah!" Caught off guard, Zhang Mingyuan screamed and clapped a hand over his eyes.
Aunt Wang was so terrified she nearly lost her wits. She turned to run, but Chen Jianghe caught her by the nape with his left hand and slammed her hard into the wall.
Zhang Mingyuan sprang back half a step, but lime powder still swept across the corners of his eyes. A searing pain struck at once, and tears poured from them.
With a furious roar, he drew a short blade from inside his clothes and thrust blindly forward!
But Chen Jianghe was no longer there.
The instant the lime powder rose, he had slipped sideways, circling around Zhang Mingyuan like a darting fish.
He opened with the Three Body Stance, twisting his waist and hips as power surged from the soles of his feet into his fist.
Five Elements Fist—Splitting Fist!
His fist fell like an axe, smashing into the elbow of Zhang Mingyuan's knife-wielding right arm.
"Crack!"
The clear snap of breaking bone sounded especially chilling in the night.
Zhang Mingyuan let out a wretched howl. The short blade slipped from his hand, and his right arm hung limp at his side.
Chen Jianghe's attack did not let up. He flowed straight into his next move—Crushing Fist, driving forward and striking Zhang Mingyuan square in the chest.
Bright Strength burst from the blow, his sinews and bones ringing as one!
Zhang Mingyuan was hit as if by a heavy hammer. His chest caved in, blood sprayed from his mouth, and he fell backward.
Eyes wide, he stared at Chen Jianghe's masked face and rasped, "You... you dare lay a hand on me? I'm a follower of the Sun Moon Cult... The enforcer is nearby... If you kill me today, the cult will never rest until you're dead!"
Chen Jianghe crouched down and looked at his face, twisted with pain. His voice came low and cold through the cloth. "What's your cult leader's name? Where's your main altar?"
Zhang Mingyuan grinned, blood bubbling from his mouth. "Heh... heh heh... You're scared, aren't you? You dared to touch one of our people... The enforcer... will find you... and wipe out your entire family... The Sun Moon Cult will live forever!"
Chen Jianghe asked no more.
He gripped Zhang Mingyuan's jaw with his left hand and brought the fingers of his right together like a blade. With one precise stroke, he cut through the gap beside the tendon along his throat.
Blood gushed like a spring.
Zhang Mingyuan's body convulsed. A wet, breathless rattle escaped his throat, and his eyes slowly lost focus.
Nearby, Aunt Wang was still clutching her eyes, rolling on the ground and wailing.
Chen Jianghe walked over and looked at her face, etched with greed and fear. He felt neither grief nor joy.
"Aunt Wang," he said calmly. "Was the boat at my home really leaking?"
Aunt Wang went rigid, her cries cutting off at once.
She shook her head frantically, lime powder and tears smeared across her face. "N-no, it wasn't leaking! Jianghe... I was out of my mind! Zhang Mingyuan forced me! He paid me to trick your mother... I-I won't ever do it again! Please spare me, spare me!"
Chen Jianghe watched her in silence.
After a long while, he said softly, "My mother trusted you and treated you like a neighbor. For two taels of silver, you were going to push her into a pit of fire."
Aunt Wang was so terrified she nearly lost her wits. She knocked her head against the ground again and again. "Jianghe! I was wrong! Truly wrong! Spare me this once, and I'll work like an ox or a horse for you from now on..."
Before she could finish, Chen Jianghe's hand flashed, and his blade fell.
It entered at the back of her neck and severed the tendons, swift and precise.
Aunt Wang's body went limp and collapsed to the ground. She never moved again.
Chen Jianghe searched the two bodies with practiced ease. Besides five taels of silver, Zhang Mingyuan had a wooden token in his clothes. The sun-and-moon emblem was carved on the front, and the back bore the words "Cult Follower Zhang Mingyuan."
He weighed it in his hand, then pocketed both the token and the silver. Aunt Wang had only four hundred copper coins on her.
He quickly cleaned up the scene. With the knife, he made several more cuts around the wounds on their necks and chests, making it look as if they had been hacked to death in a flurry of blows.
Then he put Zhang Mingyuan's short blade back in his hand and arranged the body to look as if he had died after a struggle.
Chen Jianghe knew very well that Master Zhang's last words had not been empty threats. The Sun Moon Cult had been targeting martial arts hall disciples for more than a day or two.
Today he had killed one Zhang Mingyuan. Tomorrow, there would be a Li Mingyuan or a Wang Mingyuan.
There was no escaping them.
The follower had made it clear: if things didn't work out today, they would go straight to the martial arts hall and seek him out, Chen Jianghe. They would try to intimidate and tempt him, mixing threats with promises. And, worse... they might use his mother against him.
Unless he stayed inside the martial arts hall forever, the moment he stepped outside, danger would lurk at every turn.
"Only strength is the foundation."
Chen Jianghe murmured to himself, then disappeared into the night.