Hug Kill (Please Read On)

Jinghai Casino.

After thinking it over, Za Jiu took a drag from his cigarette and said to Missing-Tooth Kid, "If all else fails, we'll make our move in secret. No matter what, we can't let Huang Sihai get hold of any evidence.

"For the sake of the bigger picture, Brother Ming will say Rotten-Life Ji isn't important and act like he doesn't care, so no one can gossip.

"But don't forget—after Rotten-Life Ji committed that offense, Brother Ming paid no small price to spare Brother Ji's worthless life at the branch hall.

"He may be ruthless, but he values loyalty and brotherhood. Deep down, he still cares.

"If I get this done, I'll have a better chance of obtaining the Flood-Dragon Elixir and taking my strength another step forward. You little brats will rise with me too."

The underling nodded, flashing his big gold teeth as he chuckled foolishly. "Then I'll keep digging. If it really comes to it, I'll secretly snatch him back.

"I've looked into it. That kid's talent is average. The only reason he reached Purple Membrane so quickly is because he's been stuffing himself with Fish Balls.

"I reached the peak of Black Membrane ages ago. I could knock him flat with one hand.

"I figure the money he uses to buy Fish Balls came from Rotten-Life Ji.

"Everyone knows Master Huang loves money. He probably doesn't care that much about some first-floor disciple.

"If you ask me, Ninth Master, you're being too cautious.

"We're walking on knife-edges out here. How can we get anywhere if we're always holding back?"

Za Jiu flicked the underling on the forehead and said coldly, "The walled city is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. It's best to be careful in all things.

"Mr. Ming once said that if a punk doesn't use his brain, he'll be a fucking punk for life!

"My bones are fit for nothing but servitude, and my comprehension is ordinary too. When I was young, I went to Night Heron Martial Arts Hall to take a master, and they threw me out outright. I had no choice but to join a gang.

"Ten years have passed. Plenty of those with average talent are still rank-and-file thugs, while I've become a Straw Sandal.

"Know why?

"Because I'm cautious!

"Because I've spent my whole life treading on thin ice!

"Before you make a move, use your head first... Learn that!"

"Alright, I'll learn..." Missing-Tooth Kid hurriedly flattered him, then left with a smile. He did not take Za Jiu's words to heart.

If he wanted to use his brain, why would he become a punk? Wouldn't getting a job be better?

Time drifted by.

In the blink of an eye, Li Xiuwen had entered Four Seas Martial Arts Hall four months ago.

Only ten days remained until the contest for the second floor.

These days, the martial arts hall's training atmosphere had grown especially intense.

A Zhen watched Li Xiuwen return with rice noodle rolls. "Awen, the tournament is almost here. Why have you been going over to Night Heron Martial Arts Hall so often lately?"

Li Xiuwen smiled. "To buy rice noodle rolls."

"You eat them every day?"

"They're good."

Li Xiuwen did not only go to Night Heron Martial Arts Hall.

He had left his footprints on the streets around Longjin Road, the streets around Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, and Dragon City Grand Arena.

He had also gradually figured out some rules for "uncovering the map" in the Great Void Illusory Realm.

For instance, if someone's realm was too high—say, a Third Gate expert—and they had not spent a long time around him like Huang Sihai had, they could not enter the illusion realm.

Master Ye from the neighboring martial arts hall was not in the illusion realm.

At present, there was only one Third Gate expert in the Great Void Illusory Realm: Old Huang.

Thunder Boy, whom he had only met once, had passed the Third Gate and was far too distant from him. Naturally, he was not in it either.

Once he understood these rules, he stopped wandering around aimlessly and went to the central district less often.

After all, even if he dragged every master in the world inside, he would still be no match for them at his current stage. There was no point.

With Liu Chun, Longlegs Seven, and the others serving as sparring partners, that was enough.

Opening up the map every day took plenty of effort, and he could easily get beaten up by people who mistook him for a petty thief casing the area.

Of course, he still made time to wander around Nine Dragons Grand Arena. It concerned his future means of making money.

At the same time.

Somewhere on Longjin Road.

A close-cropped martial artist wearing a ghost mask looked down from the second floor, waiting for night to fall.

This man was Za Jiu's underling. The brothers all called him Missing-Tooth Kid.

After several days of investigation, Missing-Tooth Kid gave up and decided to play dirty.

Ninth Master is fucking too timid. Too obsessed with rules!

They were gangsters. They were a gang!

If they found a way to beat a confession out of Li Xiuwen and made him press his fingerprint on it, wouldn't that be direct evidence?

Wasn't that how those police inspectors outside did things too?

They were gangsters, yet when kidnapping someone, they had to look this way and that, fussing over those high-sounding underworld rules.

This world was truly absurd.

The lawful side used underworld methods. Inspector Lei covered the sky with one hand and made five hundred million!

The underworld used lawful methods, fussing over jianghu rules like they were pretending to be pure and innocent!

How pedantic!

Missing-Tooth Kid was not yet thirty. He was still at the peak of his vitality, his cultivation had not declined, and he was a genuine peak Black Membrane expert.

It was only because his aptitude was too poor and his chance of successfully passing the gate was too low that he had remained stuck here, accumulating foundations.

He had also mastered a basic fighting technique approaching the major mastery stage, and his skills were decent enough.

He was confident that, among Black Membrane martial artists, few of those brats in martial arts halls whose hair had not even grown in properly could defeat him.

He had been in the gang for five years. He had fought his way through blades and mountains of corpses, seas of blood. His real combat experience utterly surpassed those fledgling birds in the martial arts halls.

"If I pull this off, Ninth Master promised to help me pass the gate. Then I can become a glamorous Straw Sandal too and marry Xiu'er from Temple Street openly and properly."

Temple Street was the most prosperous part of the walled city, filled with brothels and streetwalkers.

As he waited and waited, night finally fell.

Missing-Tooth Kid had staked out this area for several days and confirmed that this was Li Xiuwen's unavoidable route.

The world was unsettled. It was only eight at night, yet pedestrians on the street were already thinning out as everyone retreated into their homes.

At one end of the street, a young man around six feet tall walked quietly toward him.

"He's here." Missing-Tooth Kid grinned. Kid, sorry about this. Once Ninth Master gets his hands on you, your days are over.

At the thought of Za Jiu's vicious methods, Missing-Tooth Kid instinctively shuddered.

When Li Xiuwen passed beneath the building where he was hiding, Missing-Tooth Kid leaped lightly down like a panther from more than ten feet up.

His legs clamped around Li Xiuwen's neck like scissors.

Then he rolled, bringing Li Xiuwen down with him.

His fist shot from his sleeve, the brass knuckles on it gleaming with cold light as they struck toward Li Xiuwen's abdomen.

That punch would not kill Li Xiuwen, but it would scatter the qi and blood in his dantian and temporarily cripple his cultivation.

This little ambush combo had never failed him. He had used it to kill countless so-called martial artists.

Clang!

The brass knuckles seemed to have smashed into a slab of bluestone and were forcibly knocked aside by a surge of force.

Missing-Tooth Kid felt overwhelming strength erupt beneath him. The young man let out a low roar and lifted him high like an overlord raising a cauldron.

He tried to dodge, but the young man's not particularly thick arms were like beast traps, locking down his legs as he hurled him backward in a bear-hug throw.

Bang! After a dull impact, Missing-Tooth Kid crashed hard onto the ground, his qi and blood churning.

Fortunately, his combat experience was rich enough that he had raised the back of his head as much as possible. Otherwise, that blow would have cracked his skull open.

The young man's eyes were icy as he asked in a deep voice, "Children's Gang?"

Missing-Tooth Kid ignored him. He sprang up with a kip-up, but just as he was about to rise, the young man struck with a palm that looked soft and powerless.

Palm wind carrying sea sand swept into his face, sharp and stinging, accompanied by the fishy stench of seawater.

His eyes instantly reddened and began streaming uncontrollably, blurring his vision.

He did not dodge. Relying on his peak Black Membrane cultivation, he intended to trade injury for injury and end this quickly, lest the patrols of the major gangs notice him.

Li Xiuwen's large hand pressed against his chest. At first, he felt no force behind it and paid it no mind.

He got up and had only taken two steps when his old face suddenly flushed red. With a splutter, he spat out a mouthful of thick, fishy blood.

Bang! A muffled blast came from his chest, as if a gun barrel had burst.

His powerful heart was torn apart, his meridians and blood vessels severed one by one.

His pupils dilated, then lost their light. Staring at the young man in disbelief, he said in broken breaths, "You... Black Membrane... and you fucking used a hidden weapon... No honor among martial artists."