The Rise of Killing Intent

Zhao Ya heard everything clearly from behind the door, his eyes narrowing slightly as they filled with killing intent.

There was no doubt that the person those two thugs were talking about was Tang Zuier.

In truth, Zhao Ya had long anticipated such a situation.

After all, Tang Zuier had no background, no father, and no brothers. As an orphan who was also incredibly beautiful, she was bound to attract the covetous eyes of those with ulterior motives in this chaotic world.

That was why Zhao Ya had previously instructed Tang Zuier to stay inside as much as possible if she had nothing to do.

Yet, he had not expected that despite all his precautions, he still failed to prevent it.

Very well, since he had just made a breakthrough today, he would use these two death-seeking thugs as a sacrifice for his banner.

Zhao Ya tapped his toes lightly against the ground, vaulting over a meter high. He then braced his hand against the top of the wall and flipped over, landing on the ground as silently as a withered leaf.

The two thugs were so preoccupied with their lustful thoughts that they did not notice the movement behind them.

By now, they had arrived outside Tang Zuier's door. One of them stooped down, pulled out a short blade, and inserted it into the door gap to pry at the latch.

The other stood to the side, keeping watch.

The world was silent, and this slum area had no streetlights. The moonlight in the sky was dim, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

The thug keeping watch simply leaned against the mud wall and began to hum a little tune.

"A twenty-one-year-old young widow, what a disappointment, oh hey yo..."

Yet, he did not notice a dark shadow slowly approaching him along the base of the wall.

"I've been thinking for three days that I should go visit the grave, bringing a mourning shroud, not wearing any rouge or powder..."

As he sang with gusto, the thug felt his heart bubble with joy at the thought of finding a young girl soon.

But just then, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.

The thug assumed his companion had already succeeded. Just as he turned his head to look, the hand clamped around his throat from behind and squeezed with sudden force.

Snap.

The thug's neck was snapped clean.

His eyes widened instantly. His remaining consciousness allowed him to see a tall man with a cold, stern face.

But immediately, his consciousness sank into an endless abyss of darkness.

Thud. The corpse hit the ground.

"Old Third, what the hell are you doing? Keep it down," the thug fiddling with the latch cursed without turning his head.

Zhao Ya did not waste words; he raised his fist and smashed it toward the back of the thug's head.

However, this thug was clearly sharper than the one who had died. Hearing the fierce wind behind him, he knew something was wrong. He drew his short blade and rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the punch.

Only then did he see a stranger standing before him, while Old Third lay on the ground, dead or alive he could not tell.

The thug was shocked and immediately raised his small knife.

"Who are you? I'm with the Black Snake Gang in the east of the city, you—"

Zhao Ya did not bother with nonsense and lunged forward in a flash.

The thug was a coward at heart. His small knife might have been enough to intimidate ordinary people, but how could he be a match for Zhao Ya?

Snap. Zhao Ya broke his wrist.

The short blade clattered to the ground.

The thug was just about to scream, but Zhao Ya would not give him the chance. He slammed a fist into the man's throat.

The thug's throat instantly collapsed into a deep crater. His eyes bulged, staring fixedly at Zhao Ya before he fell to the ground, unwilling to accept his fate.

In just a few dozen seconds, Zhao Ya had dealt with both thugs.

The entire process was clean and efficient, not even a drop of blood staining his clothes.

Zhao Ya, having killed two men in a row, felt nothing at all.

He knew clearly that if he had not intervened, the heinous crimes those two thugs would have committed tonight were beyond measure.

Zhao Ya reached out to pick up the short blade from the ground. After confirming it was not poisoned, he tucked it into his belt.

Nowadays, the price of weapons had skyrocketed, and they were often unavailable even if one had the money. Zhao Ya had been wanting to find a suitable weapon for self-defense but had never had the chance.

He had not expected one to be delivered right to his doorstep.

Although this short blade was plain and even had a hand-wrapped handle, the steel was of good quality. It was clear it had been sharpened frequently, as the edge was very keen. Zhao Ya naturally accepted the gift.

Afterward, Zhao Ya searched the two thugs' bodies, only to find that these guys were also paupers. All their worldly possessions added up to only two or three qian of silver.

However, Zhao Ya made an unexpected discovery.

He found two small pouches in the thugs' sleeves. Upon opening them, he realized they contained finely ground quicklime.

It turned out that these two thugs often hung out on the streets. Although their skills were mediocre, they had mastered a set of scoundrel tactics for brawls.

Whenever they encountered someone they could not beat, they would throw the quicklime from their pouches.

This trick was extremely vicious, and more importantly, it was impossible to guard against. Even the most formidable expert would fall for it if caught off guard.

Seeing this, Zhao Ya's eyes lit up.

While this stuff was low-handed, it was nonetheless a good method.

Although it was a pipe dream to rely on this to deal with martial arts experts, it was not bad for saving his life in a critical moment.

After stowing away the gear he had looted from the two thugs, Zhao Ya picked up the two corpses, one in each hand. Taking advantage of the night, he went to the city wall and threw them out through a gap.

A moment later, he saw many bright spots appearing in the darkness.

They were wild dogs roaming in packs in the wilderness.

These wild dogs had grown accustomed to eating human corpses, so they were all large and had sleek, oily fur. Their eyes, in particular, were a terrifying, glowing red.

Upon smelling the scent of the corpses, the pack of wild dogs immediately swarmed forward and began to tear into them frantically.

Zhao Ya watched quietly until he confirmed that both thugs had been completely consumed by the wild dogs, leaving no trace behind, before he quietly departed.

The next day.

Zhao Ya knocked on Tang Zuier's door.

"Have you been out these past few days?" Zhao Ya asked.

"Yes, I went to the street to find a doctor the day before yesterday. Why, Brother Zhao Ya?" Tang Zuier asked cautiously.

"Find a doctor? Is Grandmother sick?" Zhao Ya asked immediately.

Tang Zuier's eyes turned red instantly. She nodded and said in a low voice, "Yes, she is sick, and quite seriously. That's why I snuck out to the street the day before yesterday, hoping to find a doctor to see her."

"But the doctor's consultation fee was just too expensive. I couldn't afford it at all..."

By the end, Tang Zuier was in tears.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Zhao Ya asked, somewhat angrily.

"Grandmother wouldn't let me tell you. She said she's lived a long life and has lived enough; she didn't want to be a burden..."

Before Tang Zuier could finish, Zhao Ya stepped inside. Upon entering the room, he saw an old woman lying on the bed.

It was indeed Tang Zuier's Grandmother.

In the memories of his predecessor, Zhao Ya had seen this old lady many times.

Back then, she had been very kind.

But now, she had withered away to the point of being unrecognizable. If not for the fact that she was still breathing, she would have looked exactly like a corpse.

Hearing the commotion, the old woman turned her head with great difficulty, her dull eyes looking toward Zhao Ya.

"Is that you, Little Ya?"

"Yes, it's me, Grandmother!" Zhao Ya said softly.

"Little Ya, come here. I have a few things I want to tell you."