The moment he laid eyes on the man, Li Chuan knew.
He was definitely one of the Black Bear Gang.
The man's bearing was exactly like Liu Hu's, who had died.
Li Chuan forcibly suppressed the urge to beat him to death on the spot.
Killing one Bright Force fighter wouldn't solve the Black Bear Gang problem.
To solve it completely, he had to pull them out by the roots.
Especially the mastermind behind it all—the Black Bear Gang's leader, Cao Yan!
Li Chuan chose not to alert the enemy. Instead, he retreated to a distant spot, put on a bamboo hat, and walked over to the blacksmith's shop.
"Shopkeeper, how much for this dagger?"
Li Chuan deliberately made his voice hoarse and tucked his head beneath the bamboo hat so no one could get a clear look at him.
Old Man Yang, the blacksmith, paused in his breathing. He knew a big sale had come his way.
But he wisely asked no questions, pretending he knew nothing.
"Sir, this dagger is made of hundred-refined steel. It costs one tael and five mace. It's sturdy, durable, and razor-sharp."
"Give me one."
After rummaging around for a while, Old Man Yang found a dagger in a mottled cowhide sheath and handed it to Li Chuan.
After Li Chuan left, Old Man Yang puffed away at his pipe.
"Dark night, high winds. Someone's going to meet with trouble again."
After working in the blacksmith's shop his whole life, he knew that the most important thing for staying alive was the "three don'ts."
Don't listen, don't look, and don't get involved.
It was already dark outside.
Li Chuan raised the dagger and gently rubbed a fingertip against its blade.
In an instant, a drop of crimson appeared.
"Sharp enough!" Li Chuan adjusted his bamboo hat and went back to watch the man in black.
He noticed that once night fell, the man in black stood rooted in place, staring intently at the Li Family Breakfast Shop.
Only after several breaths did he leave.
Li Chuan followed from a distance, moving softly without making the slightest sound.
After breaking through to Bright Force, he had gained much better control over his body.
At this distance, as long as he didn't want to reveal himself, there was no way the man in black would spot him.
Li Chuan followed the man in black all the way, finding him extremely cautious.
He turned left, then right, and sometimes suddenly sped up to run a wide circle.
"Good thing I've nearly reached the halfway point in cultivating the Mountain-Holding Stance. I'm much stronger than when I first broke through. Otherwise, I really could've lost him."
That was what Li Chuan thought.
As time passed, the man in black didn't head for the outskirts as Li Chuan had expected. Instead, he went toward the bustling district.
The bustling district was almost entirely Iron Tiger Gang territory.
The Black Bear Gang wouldn't even dare show themselves there. They'd be spotted and hunted down in an instant.
"Could it be... the Black Bear Gang is hiding right under their noses?" Li Chuan narrowed his eyes.
The Iron Tiger Gang had kept expanding its search area after failing to find Cao Yan, but it still hadn't accomplished anything.
It seemed they'd been looking in the wrong direction all along.
Sure enough!
Li Chuan watched the man in black walk straight to a shop, unafraid of the passersby.
He knocked softly, went inside, and shut the door.
It was as though he were entering his own home.
Outside, several members of the Iron Tiger Gang wandered around in every direction.
Li Chuan bent low and leaped lightly onto the tiled roof.
Anning County was nothing like the prefectural cities, with their night markets. Nor was it like his previous life, with its streetlights.
At night, ordinary people were too thrifty to light a lamp.
They could only rely on the moonlight.
Dressed in black from head to toe, he blended perfectly into the night.
Li Chuan crept over to the shop the man in black had entered and quietly lay down.
Through a gap between the tiles, he discovered that there was more to the place than met the eye!
Two men guarded the entrance, while seven or eight others gathered in the back room to plot.
The man in black from earlier was among them!
"The leader is a master strategist. He only sent one or two gang members to wander around the outskirts, and the Iron Tiger Gang's attention followed them right out there. Who would've thought we'd be hiding right under Song Jin's nose!"
A rat-faced man said obsequiously.
Cao Yan snorted.
"Song Jin isn't worth worrying about. This trick will keep him tied up for at least half a month!"
Li Chuan could clearly see that Cao Yan's complexion was rosy and his expression relaxed. He showed not the slightest trace of being "gravely wounded."
That made Li Chuan all the more grateful for his caution.
If he'd believed the news that Cao Yan was badly hurt and rushed over without thinking, he would have walked straight into a dozen men surrounding him. He'd surely have died without a trace!
"A-Liang, how are things at the Li family's shop?"
Cao Yan turned his gaze toward the man in black who had just arrived.
A-Liang removed his hood and said coldly,
"Unfortunately, Li Nian's grandson hasn't come back yet. He's probably still at Pine Wind Martial Hall, so we can't wipe them all out in one go."
Cao Yan tapped the wooden table lightly.
"No matter. He's only a Bright Force fighter. He can't turn the tables. Besides, I suspect he had something to do with Liu Hu's death. We'll settle old and new scores together."
"Tomorrow. You'll make your move tomorrow. Whatever method you use, those people have to die."
"Getting that shop is what matters most."
A-Liang couldn't help asking,
"Big brother, the Iron Tiger Gang is closing in. Why do I have to be the one to take that shop? I want to help everyone kill!"
Cao Yan shook his head.
"It's not as simple as you think. That shop isn't for my use. There's a big shot behind it."
At that, the room fell silent.
Everyone had their own thoughts.
Cao Yan added,
"A-Liang, don't worry about the gang's affairs. I'll handle them."
"As for the Iron Tiger Gang, let them prance around a little longer. Once Brother Zhou finishes handling matters in Sanyuan Prefecture, he'll come back."
"He cultivates a body-tempering art and has Dark Force cultivation. Killing Song Jin will be as easy as turning over his hand."
At the mention of Brother Zhou, a few of the gang members' eyes flickered, and they put aside thoughts they shouldn't have had.
"Brother Zhou?" Li Chuan silently committed the name to memory.
It seemed Cao Yan had a background he didn't know about.
But coming back from Sanyuan Prefecture wouldn't be so easy.
It would take at least a few months. For now, he posed no threat to Li Chuan.
Inside, Cao Yan gave a few more instructions.
After he was done, fatigue showed on his face. He waved his hand.
"Go stand guard outside. I'll rest for a bit. Don't disturb me."
"Yes, big brother!"
Everyone hurried out of the back room, leaving Cao Yan alone.
A little while later, blood suddenly spilled from the corner of Cao Yan's mouth, and his face turned as pale as gold paper.
"Damn Song Jin, so vicious!" Fury flashed in Cao Yan's eyes as he crushed the teacup beside him in his hand.
"And those ungrateful bastards. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. The moment I show signs of serious injury, each and every one of you will take my head to Song Jin!"
Cao Yan wiped the blood from his mouth, then forced down the blood rising in his throat despite his discomfort.
"Let the grasshoppers kick up a fuss a little longer. The end is near. Near."
Cao Yan closed his eyes and silently regulated his breathing.
But he failed to notice the pair of eyes watching him from above.
"You really are injured." Li Chuan's eyes were cold.
Cao Yan couldn't be allowed to live.
From what they'd said, they were going after his family tomorrow.
They even wanted to wait for him to return before wiping out his whole family!
Li Chuan knew better than to pin his hopes on Cao Yan suddenly changing his mind.
"Tonight. It has to be tonight. Cao Yan must die, and the Black Bear Gang must be destroyed!"
Li Chuan quietly withdrew, leaving no trace behind.
Aside from a slight shift in the roof tiles, no one knew he had been there.
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