Kill Zhang Hu, Black Mountain Ginseng

Lu Li learned that Zhang Hu was on the verge of a breakthrough, so he waited nearby, watching closely and preparing to seize the opportunity to kill him in one stroke.

He keenly observed that Zhang Hu had not brought his lackeys today, but was instead entirely alone.

Furthermore, he was drunk.

This was the perfect opportunity!

Zhang Hu was currently in high spirits and did not lower his voice, allowing Lu Li to hear his words clearly.

"Just as Uncle Zhao said."

"Damn it, even after becoming a hall master, he still won't let me go."

How much silver did that old rabbit, Master Wang, give you? Lu Li cursed inwardly.

His gaze grew increasingly cold, making the surrounding air drop a few degrees.

He was just considering whether to step forward and silence him for good.

At that moment, the whistling of the north wind suddenly intensified, and snow began to fall in thick, goose-feather flakes.

Zhang Hu, up ahead, couldn't help but shiver. He tightened his cotton coat and glanced behind him; seeing no one, he cursed the heavens before suddenly quickening his pace.

Seeing this, Lu Li hurried to follow.

Zhang Hu pushed open the door, where his parents happened to be waiting for his return.

When Zhang's mother saw the hideous scar on Zhang Hu's face, her heart ached, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Child, can't you stop working for the gang?"

"Every day is a matter of life and death; it's too dangerous. I just want you to live in peace."

She spoke through sobs and reached out to stroke Zhang Hu's cheek, only to have her hand seized by his iron-like grip: "Nag, nag, nag—do I need you to manage my affairs?"

"You don't know a damn thing! I, Zhang Hu, am now a hall master. My career is taking off, and my future is limitless!"

Zhang's mother's hand was gripped until it hurt. Zhang's father, seeing that Zhang Hu wouldn't listen to a word, felt his temper flare and roared, "How did I raise such a bastard? Let go of her hand right now!"

Before the words had even faded, Zhang Hu slapped him across the face, then proceeded to beat his father mercilessly.

"Damn it, shut your mouths! If you two had any capability, I wouldn't have had to resort to joining a gang!"

"Now that I've finally found a path to wealth, you want to stop me? Get out, all of you, get out!"

He kicked his father, sending him sprawling into the snow.

Zhang's father sat there, his face covered in blood, his hair disheveled, his eyes dull and lifeless, looking utterly wretched.

Snowflakes fell, covering him and making him appear even more aged and desolate.

Zhang's mother wept, her wrist bruised and swollen. Daring not to persuade him further, she tremblingly helped her husband up and into the house.

Zhang Hu snorted coldly, his earlier joy mostly extinguished.

He spat on the ground: "Two old fossils, ruining my good mood!"

With that, he walked straight into the house.

The courtyard fell silent.

Lu Li pressed himself against the corner of the wall, hearing everything.

His eyes widened in shock, and he cursed inwardly that Zhang Hu was truly not a human being.

In the past, Zhang Hu hadn't been in a gang; he was just a small-time hoodlum.

He spent his days fighting, drinking, whoring, and gambling, all while burning through the burial money his parents had saved up.

His bad reputation had spread far and wide, serving as a warning to many.

Now that he had struck it rich, it was one thing to abandon his brothers, but to treat his own parents this way was unforgivable.

He climbed over the wall with light, practiced movements.

Arriving outside the room Zhang Hu had entered, he heard rustling sounds from within.

Lu Li peered through a crack in the door, taking in everything.

Zhang Hu was irritable, seemingly looking to vent his pent-up rage.

His wife, worried, was earnestly trying to persuade him to leave the gang and stop the killing.

This only ignited Zhang Hu's fury once more.

"Even you, damn it, look down on me!"

Zhang Hu flew into a rage, raining blows upon her until she wailed in agony.

"I am a hall master of the Black Wolf Gang now! In the future, I'll have as many beautiful women as I want—you're nothing!"

With that, he grabbed a pair of scissors from the table, appearing ready to kill his wife.

Seeing this, Lu Li was incensed; this man had lost all humanity.

He kicked the door open with a bang and lunged at Zhang Hu, reaching him in an instant. He threw a punch accompanied by a rolling thunderous sound, deafening to the ears.

Alarm bells rang in Zhang Hu's heart, his hair standing on end. The alcohol evaporated instantly, and he sobered up, hurriedly crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Yet, he was sent flying by the sheer, overwhelming force of Lu Li's punch, crashing heavily to the ground.

"A martial artist, you're a martial artist!" Zhang Hu was terrified out of his wits, his eyes bulging in disbelief.

"May I ask which brother from the Blood Wolf Gang you are? I was only following the gang leader's orders..."

Lu Li didn't wait for him to prattle on; he mounted him and rained down punches like a violent storm.

Zhang Hu shrieked repeatedly, his body thrashing violently as he tried to flip over.

But he was no martial artist, and with Lu Li's recent improvement in diet and physical conditioning, his strength and stamina had grown; Zhang Hu simply couldn't break free.

In just three breaths, Zhang Hu could no longer withstand Lu Li's iron fists; his head was drenched in blood, and he was on the verge of death.

He stared wide-eyed at Lu Li, feeling that those eyes were incredibly familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before, yet he couldn't place them for the moment.

Lu Li didn't know what was going through Zhang Hu's mind. He cracked his knuckles, gathered all his strength into a final blow, and prepared to finish Zhang Hu off.

Just then, Zhang Hu suddenly found strength from nowhere; his eyeballs bulged, his throat rattled, and his expression was one of utter disbelief.

He remembered—these were Lu Li's eyes!

Those brows and eyes were exactly the same!

How could this be!

Lu Li was clearly just the lowliest of peasants; how could he possibly possess such strength?

But a person's eyes could not lie—this man was Lu Li!

He opened his mouth wide to shout, "You are..."

Lu Li raised an eyebrow, let out a cold snort, and smashed a fist into his mouth, shattering all his teeth and causing blood to gush out instantly.

The words were cut off mid-sentence.

His face was covered in blood, looking utterly miserable.

Finally, amidst Zhang Hu's look of extreme terror, Lu Li punched him in the temple, killing him instantly.

Fearing Zhang Hu might not be dead, he twisted his neck with a sharp crack, snapping it.

After finishing the job, Lu Li quickly looted the body, turning up a money pouch and that stalk of Black Mountain Ginseng.

Lu Li tucked them away, turned, and vaulted over the wall to leave.

The entire ordeal had taken a mere ten breaths.

Zhang Hu's wife huddled by the door in terror, having witnessed her husband being beaten to death; thinking she would surely meet the same fate, she squeezed her eyes shut.

But suddenly, she felt a gust of wind pass by, and when she opened her eyes again, Lu Li's figure was nowhere to be seen.

"My son!" Mother Zhang, supporting Father Zhang, walked over tremblingly; seeing the miserable state of Zhang Hu's corpse, she wailed in grief.

"Who... who on earth could have done this?"

The wife paused, then said in terror, "Zhang Hu said it seemed to be someone from the Blood Wolf Gang."

Lu Li returned home, bolted the door, and took a bath to ensure no scent of blood remained before heading to his bedroom to tally his gains.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Thirty taels of silver."

"Combined with the silver I already had, that's seventy taels."

"That's equivalent to seventy months of rations for a family of three."

Lu Li placed the silver under his pillow with satisfaction.

Then, he turned his gaze toward the Black Mountain Ginseng.

This was the main event.