Rainy Night Assassination

On a rainy night, at Zhou Dabao's residence.

Inside the main hall of the courtyard, Zhou Dabao and four underlings sat around a wine table. Several wine jars lay overturned on the floor. It seemed they had drunk quite a lot.

"Boss, you really made a name for yourself this time! The gang leader personally praised you by name!"

"Yeah, yeah! At this rate, Boss might become a hall master someday!"

"Boss is mighty!"

Listening to his underlings' flattery, Zhou Dabao waved a hand.

His words were modest, but the pride in the corners of his eyes could not be hidden.

"It was just good luck. I collected a little more River God Attendant money than the other brothers, and it pleased the gang leader."

"That was more than just a little money!" one underling hurriedly chimed in.

"In all of Four Waters Ward, nobody collected more than you, Boss. That's your skill!"

Zhou Dabao raised his wine bowl and gulped down a mouthful, grinning. "Those lowborn wretches in Four Waters Ward won't listen when I talk nicely to them. They only behave after I give them a taste of force.

"They won't pay eight taels of silver? What matters more, their lives or their silver? They know how to weigh it."

"Exactly!"

"Listen up, you lot. Don't treat those lowborn wretches like people. If they don't obey, beat them until they do. They're just like livestock—if they don't listen, whip them. Sooner or later, they'll behave." Zhou Dabao instructed them in an indifferent tone.

The underlings burst into laughter and raised their bowls in salute.

"Boss is right!"

"Come on, let's drink a bowl to Boss!"

Outside, the rain showed no sign of easing.

Fang Han pressed himself against the courtyard wall, already soaked through.

He instinctively touched the cloth pouch hanging at his waist.

Fortunately, the pouch had been specially waterproofed. Otherwise, the fine river sand inside would have been soaked.

When a clap of thunder suddenly exploded overhead, Fang Han seized the chance. Bracing both hands on the wall, he flipped over it with the nimbleness of a cat.

He made almost no sound.

He silently crept to the side of the main hall. The voices inside came through clearly, every word reaching his ears.

"Boss, today I followed that kid from the Fang Household."

The bald man had the loudest voice, carrying a hint of drunkenness. "That kid seemed to notice me. He led me into the fish market, then vanished in the blink of an eye!"

"You didn't get it done, so why the hell are you babbling at me?" Zhou Dabao said impatiently.

"Boss, hear me out."

The bald man shuddered in fright and hurriedly continued, "This afternoon, I waited for that kid at the alley entrance and found that he came back from the direction of Prefectural Office Street.

"Boss, there are several martial arts academies on Prefectural Office Street. Li Daniu trains at Flood Peak Martial Arts Academy over there!"

"What are you getting at?"

Zhou Dabao's tone eased slightly, and a cold gleam flashed through his triangular eyes.

"I think that brat Fang Han might really have joined a martial arts academy!"

"Otherwise, why has he been sneaking around and avoiding me? Why did he go out of his way to shake me off? He must be afraid I'll see him going to the academy!"

Bang!

Zhou Dabao suddenly slammed a palm onto the table, making several underlings flinch.

"The Fang Household has some nerve!"

Zhou Dabao's voice seemed to squeeze out from between his teeth, cold and vicious.

"They actually have enough money to let a mudleg learn martial arts? Yet they cried poverty to me over eight taels of silver for the Attendant? They don't fucking respect me at all!"

Zhou Dabao smashed the wine bowl in his hand and said viciously, "First thing tomorrow, call the other brothers and come with me to settle accounts with the Fang Household.

"Make the two men sign contracts of sale. Send the little girl to feed the River God. If the old ones refuse to obey, beat them to death.

"I'll make them understand what happens when they try to play tricks on me!"

Outside the wall.

Listening to Zhou Dabao's vicious words, Fang Han's killing intent reached its peak.

This beast truly deserved to die!

Good thing he had come under cover of the heavy rain tonight. Otherwise, tomorrow morning would have brought serious trouble.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his killing intent as he patiently waited for an opportunity.

After an unknown amount of time, the door suddenly opened.

The bald man staggered out, following the eaves that shielded him from the rain toward the corner of the house to relieve himself.

Seeing this, Fang Han silently approached.

The bald man groaned as he relieved himself. Sensing movement behind him, he instinctively turned around.

A fist slammed heavily into his neck.

Crack.

The bald man's eyes instantly widened. His mouth hung open, but he could not make a sound as his body fell stiffly to the ground.

Inside the room.

When the bald man still had not returned, someone began cursing.

"That bastard is taking this long to piss?"

"Don't tell me he drank too much and fell into the latrine? Hahaha!"

"I'll go take a look." A skinny man who was close to the bald man stood up and staggered outside.

The skinny man had barely stumbled drunkenly to the corner when he saw the bald man lying on the ground. Cursing, he walked over.

Fang Han darted out from the shadows and struck the skinny man's nape with another punch!

With a crack, the skinny man collapsed directly onto the bald man's body, all breath gone from him.

Inside, Zhou Dabao set down his chopsticks, instinctively sensing that something was wrong.

Two people had gone out in succession and neither had returned. Something had clearly happened!

Zhou Dabao had spent many years in gangs. Although he had drunk a little too much tonight, he still possessed the vigilance he should have had.

He pulled a short knife from beneath the table. Its blade gleamed coldly as he gripped its hilt tightly and said in a low voice to the remaining two underlings.

"Go outside and see what's going on."

The two underlings also sensed something was amiss. Fear appeared on their faces, and neither wanted to leave the room at all.

But when Zhou Dabao glared at them, they could only force themselves to head outside.

"Ahhh!"

"Ahh!!"

The two men's screams came from the rainy night outside, then fell silent.

Zhou Dabao clenched his short knife, his palm drenched in sweat and his voice trembling slightly.

"Brother, what road are you from? We can talk this out. Is there some misunderstanding?"

Zhou Dabao's voice grew weaker and weaker. "I have money! I can give you money! Name your price! We can discuss anything, so don't hurt our relationship!"

Footsteps sounded outside.

Zhou Dabao rose to his feet, gripping his knife as he stared fixedly at the doorway.

A figure suddenly appeared. Before Zhou Dabao could see clearly, the other person flung a handful of river sand straight into his face.

"Fuck!"

Zhou Dabao cursed. His eyes burned so fiercely he could not open them at all, and he wildly slashed the knife in his hand.

"Fuck! Shameless! If you've got guts, come out and fight me one-on-one! What kind of skill is using dirty tricks? Do you have any bearing as an expert at all?!"

Fang Han said nothing.

Seizing the right moment, he rushed forward and punched Zhou Dabao squarely in the chest.

Zhou Dabao's breastbone shattered with a crunch, caving inward with the imprint of a fist.

His eyes bulged wide as he vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood.

With a clang, the short knife fell from his hand, and then his entire body toppled stiffly backward.

Zhou Dabao was dead!

Looking at the corpse before him, Fang Han unexpectedly felt no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

At this moment, he was calm to the extreme. Only his heart continued to pound violently.

Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump!

Zhou Dabao possessed some martial skill. If they had truly fought to the death face-to-face, Fang Han was not certain he could defeat him.

After all, Zhou Dabao had spent years in gangs and possessed abundant experience in killing and fighting.

His successful assassination of Zhou Dabao tonight had been entirely due to catching him off guard while he was drunk and not as clear-headed as usual.

"Hah!"

Fang Han slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding. Only then did his violently pounding heart ease slightly.

After observing for a while and confirming that Zhou Dabao's corpse truly showed not the slightest movement,

he finally walked over, crouched down, and searched the body.

He found a pile of broken silver, totaling thirty-three taels.

And!

A martial arts palm manual titled Nine Flood Dragon Palms!

Fang Han's eyes lit up!

He had not expected to loot "equipment" from Zhou Dabao!