Shot Dead

Feng Dahu hesitated. He was unwilling to accept this. The western part of the city was the foundation he had painstakingly built, yet now he had to abandon it just like that. But the strategist's analysis had made sense. They simply could not contend with a behemoth like Black Cloud Stronghold. Their headquarters had already fallen, their deputy leader had died in battle, and their strength had been severely depleted. They were no match for the enemy at all.

"Chief, let's leave tonight! We must decide quickly, lest trouble arise from delay!" Lü Tong urged.

"Fine!" After hesitating for a moment, Feng Dahu finally made up his mind.

"Bury Sixth Brother's body. Tonight, we'll leave the city separately. Tell the brothers to gather at the Earth Temple fifty li east of the city. We'll first go to the prefectural city and find Second Master. Once we're settled, we can look for somewhere else to go." The strategist was right. As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood. Although their headquarters had been taken and they had lost much of the wealth accumulated over the years, they still had some funds on hand, along with a portion of their trusted men and core members. The world was vast; there was still much they could do!

"Fine!"

Meanwhile, atop an old locust tree a hundred paces away, its crown thick with foliage, a shadow hid amid the impenetrable leaves. Even as mosquitoes bit him, he did not move in the slightest. It was Zhao Feng, dressed in black with his face covered.

Over the past few days, he had calmly watched the two gangs clash.

He had secretly followed members of the Black Tiger Gang and found this hidden courtyard. He had been there for several days now, lurking every night to observe it.

According to his observations, Black Tiger Gang members brought food, drink, wine, and meat inside every night. Their chief, Feng Dahu, was very likely hiding there.

At last, a burly man with bandages wrapped around his left shoulder emerged from the main house. The black-clad men around him immediately bowed in salute when they saw him.

"Chief!"

Zhao Feng knew this had to be Feng Dahu, chief of the Black Tiger Gang. He really was hiding here. Just as the rumors said, he had been injured. It looked like he had been recuperating for the past few days.

He watched Feng Dahu direct the gang members to dig a pit in the courtyard, though he did not know what it was for.

"A hundred paces away. No certainty." He touched the horn bow on his back. His archery had reached mastery; he was confident within seventy paces, but not at a hundred. At least, he had no confidence in landing a fatal shot.

Yet within a hundred paces, there was only this row of trees. Beyond them lay open ground with nowhere to hide.

What he needed was a single lethal arrow, followed by a swift retreat. But at the moment, that was clearly impossible. As for charging in to kill Feng Dahu, the enemy had too many men. That was no solution either.

"The Black Tiger Gang is already at the end of its rope. I only need to tell the Three Harmonies Gang where he is hiding and let them take action. Or should I simply ignore it and leave?" Zhao Feng's heart was torn by conflicting thoughts.

The Black Tiger Gang had suffered a crushing defeat. They surely no longer had any attention to spare for Chen Bao or that account book. Why should he go out of his way?

But that thought merely flashed through his mind before his gaze hardened once more.

I won't be able to sleep unless I see you dead. Zhao Feng decided to inform the Three Harmonies Gang. Of course, he would not show himself directly; he would think of another way, perhaps tossing over a note.

But just as he was about to climb down, the pit in the courtyard had been dug. The gang members then carried out a corpse, buried it in the pit, and filled it with dirt.

Zhao Feng watched Feng Dahu lead the others in offering incense to the mound. After they bowed, he muttered something in a low voice.

The gang members in the courtyard began changing clothes. They put away their weapons and left the courtyard in batches. Once outside, they scattered and vanished into the night.

"They're running!" Zhao Feng understood. It seemed they were leaving the city separately, which meant it was already too late to inform the Three Harmonies Gang. But since they were splitting up, his chance had come.

He waited patiently until the very end. Feng Dahu changed into the short outfit of a laborer, put on a straw hat, slung a ragged cloth bundle over his back, and left with a man sporting a handlebar mustache. After leaving the courtyard, the two went their separate ways.

Zhao Feng quietly climbed down from the tree and followed Feng Dahu's direction.

It was already past midnight, and the night was black as ink. Prepared in advance, Zhao Feng wore soft-soled cloth shoes that made not the slightest sound on the flagstone road.

Using the faint moonlight, he kept his eyes fixed on the straw-hatted figure ahead, not daring to get too close.

Feng Dahu was heading toward the north of the outer city, an area untouched by either their forces or the Three Harmonies Gang. He was extremely cautious, glancing back from time to time. Fortunately, the night was dark, there were few lights in this part of the outer city, and the buildings were arranged haphazardly amid numerous mud-brick houses and heaps of ruins. It was not easy to spot someone following him.

Zhao Feng followed from afar, watching Feng Dahu draw closer and closer to the county city's northern gate as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

"Once he leaves through the north gate, the open wilderness will make it easy for him to discover me. And who knows whether Black Tiger Gang men are waiting at the gate to meet him? I've gone this far—might as well do it here!" He made up his mind, quietly removed the hard bow from his back, and quickened his pace.

Within seventy paces, he was confident!

Under the moonlight, he sped up, steadily closing in on that retreating figure.

"One hundred paces!"

"Ninety paces!"

"Eighty paces!"

Zhao Feng kicked off the ground, launching himself forward in a leap! Seventy paces!

But at the very moment he leaped, Feng Dahu noticed someone behind him. Worthy of his seasoned experience in the martial world, he did not turn around. Instead, he swiftly rolled to the side!

In midair, Zhao Feng drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The feathered arrow flew with a whoosh! Within seventy paces, he could hit a moving target five or six times out of ten!

The triangular arrowhead struck Feng Dahu squarely in the right knee! "Aah!" Feng Dahu screamed, horror filling his heart.

At such a distance, even after he had rolled aside to evade, the arrow had still hit him!

The Three Harmonies Gang actually had such a divine archer! No, it had to be someone from Black Cloud Stronghold!

Enduring the searing pain, he ducked behind a pile of ruins, gritted his teeth, and pulled a steel saber from his cloth bundle, bracing himself for battle.

The wound on his left shoulder, which had only just begun to heal, had torn open again during that roll. Blood began to pour out!

Bald Zhang's slash had been truly vicious; the cut had gone so deep that bone was visible!

Blood also continued to flow from the arrow wound in his right knee!

Feng Dahu knew that his only chance was to wait until the archer drew close, then pull his saber and fight to the death at close range. He was gambling that the other party would lose patience and come forward to investigate.

Yet the other party's footsteps stopped fifty paces away. Zhao Feng drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and remained motionless as he aimed at the ruins.

What Feng Dahu did not know was that Zhao Feng had already learned of his severe injuries. That roll had most likely torn open his wound, and now he had also been hit by an arrow. All Zhao Feng needed to do was wait. The advantage is mine!

As time passed, the ground around the ruins where Feng Dahu hid had been stained red with blood. Feng Dahu did not dare lower his saber to bandage himself. He could only press down on his wounds, but he could not stop the bleeding. Blood continued to gush from both injuries.

He could feel his strength constantly draining away, and his vision was even beginning to darken.

"I can't drag this out any longer!" Feng Dahu roared. His adrenaline surged as he shot out from the ruins like a leopard. His left leg spun against the ground like a windmill while his right hand swung the saber, its blade flashing in an impenetrable defense. He used the bundle in his left hand to shield his heart as he charged toward Zhao Feng at high speed.

He was still gambling! Gambling that even on one leg, his footwork would remain fast enough! Gambling that his Cloak Saber Technique could block Zhao Feng's second arrow! As long as he got close, he still had a chance of winning. In his mind, archers were never much good at close combat.

And this black-clad man seemed young, while he himself was at the peak of Clear Force. Even an injured tiger could still bite him to death!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the bowstring ahead gave a soft twang. Then pain exploded in his throat, and a cold arrowhead burst out through the back of his neck.

"Kh... kh..." His eyes widened round as he stared in disbelief at the black-clad man slowly lowering the horn bow before him.

"Divine archer..." The steel saber fell from his hand with a clang. His eyes rolled back, and his entire body toppled backward. The corpse crashed heavily to the ground.

Feng Dahu, chief of the Black Tiger Gang, was dead!