Ambush

Inside the Cheng family courtyard.

Two bare-chested men sat on the threshold of the main hall, chatting idly.

"Who knows how long we'll have to stay here." The younger one rubbed the mosquito bites on his arm.

"Until the original owner comes back, I guess." The older man crossed his legs, a grass stem dangling from his mouth. "Once he's back, we collect the protection money and leave."

"That's true... but I heard the original owner of this place isn't someone to be trifled with. I'm afraid that when the time comes..."

"What are you afraid of?" The older man snorted and spat out the grass stem. "We've got the Incense Master watching over us, and above him, the Four-Ping Gang backing us.

No matter how tough he is, he'll still have to obediently pay the protection fee."

"You newcomers are just too timid." He pointed at the younger man. "Why is our Four-Ping Gang the largest gang in Qinglin County? Strength! Relax. Even if that man has some skill, he wouldn't dare challenge the Four-Ping Gang."

"...You're right, senior. I understand."

So they were from the Four-Ping Gang.

On the roof, Cheng Yang lay hidden among the tiles, listening to every word of their conversation.

They have an Incense Master above them. Looks like these two are just small fry.

The corner of his mouth curled slightly. The Four-Ping Gang is hard to provoke, so I'm supposed to let people bully me?

Before his words had even faded, he flipped down from the roof and landed without a sound.

A blue evil-ghost mask concealed his face. He strode into the house, appearing before the two men like a phantom.

"Who goes there?!" The older man sprang to his feet.

"Could that be the owner..." The younger man's voice tightened.

Cheng Yang could not be bothered with nonsense. His body flashed forward, and both hands rose at once, chopping cleanly into the backs of their necks.

Smack! Smack!

The two men did not even have time to grunt before collapsing limply to the ground.

"So they aren't even martial artists." Cheng Yang shook his head.

He bent down, grabbed one man in each hand, tucked them beneath his arms, and quickly left the courtyard.

This was his own home. He did not want blood spilled here.

After leaving the courtyard gate, Cheng Yang tapped off with the tips of his feet and shot through the night like an arrow loosed from the bowstring.

The scattered pedestrians on the street merely felt a gale sweep past them. They did not even catch a glimpse of his shadow.

Before long, he brought the two men to the familiar little river and casually tossed them onto the ground.

Cheng Yang crouched down and slapped the older man across the face three times.

Slap! Slap! Slap! The blows were heavy, and his face visibly swelled.

"Ugh..." The older man groggily opened his eyes. The moment he looked up, he met a savage fanged mask looming over him in the darkness.

His entire body jolted. He woke instantly and curled up like a dog whose tail had been stepped on. "Mercy, my lord! Mercy! Please spare this lowly one!"

"I ask, you answer." Cheng Yang's tone was calm. "Say one lie, and I'll slaughter you and toss you into the river to feed the fish."

"Yes, yes, yes!" The older man kowtowed like a pounding garlic pestle. "This lowly one would never dare deceive you!"

"What is your Incense Master's name?"

"Huang Xuan."

"What is his strength?"

"He... he is a Flesh-Tempering Martial Master."

"Where does he live?"

"Water-Heaven Street... third house after entering the second alley."

"Was there even half a lie in what you just said?"

"No, no! This lowly one would never dare deceive you!"

"Good."

Cheng Yang stood, his tone as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"You may die now."

He raised a hand and gripped the man's throat, his five fingers tightening. The older man did not even have time to struggle before his breath was completely cut off.

With a casual toss from Cheng Yang, the corpse fell into the river. The water churned a few times before swallowing every trace of it.

Then came the second one.

Using the same method, he slapped the younger man awake with two sharp blows.

The instant the man opened his eyes and saw the evil-ghost mask, his pupils contracted sharply. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Cheng Yang was silent for two breaths, then raised his hand and gave him another slap.

This time, he finally did not faint. The young man clutched his face and trembled, his eyes filled with terror.

"I ask, you answer." Cheng Yang repeated what he had said earlier.

The man nodded frantically.

"Your senior was thrown into the river because he lied to me." Cheng Yang added blandly, "You'd better tell the truth."

The man nodded even harder, nearly flinging out his tears.

Cheng Yang asked him the same questions again. The answers he received were largely identical to the earlier ones; the two men's accounts matched.

After confirming that there was no mistake, Cheng Yang sent the second man on his way as well, swiftly searched him, and tossed him into the river.

The two men were poor enough to rattle when they walked, barely scraping together two taels of loose silver.

"Huang Xuan?"

Cheng Yang wiped the water from his hands on the riverbank and narrowed his eyes toward Water-Heaven Street. "Since you've bullied your way onto my head, don't blame me for coming to your door in the middle of the night."

They were both Flesh-Tempering martial artists. There was nothing to fear.

Besides, a grudge from the day was best repaid that very day. Nothing mattered more than having one's thoughts flow freely.

Following the address he had obtained, Cheng Yang passed through several streets and alleys. More than ten minutes later, he arrived at Huang Xuan's home.

The moment he vaulted over the courtyard wall, a wave of indecent sounds drifted out from inside the house.

Quite energetic, aren't you?

I'll make sure you stay energetic.

Bang!

He kicked the bedroom door open. The force was so great that the entire door panel flew away, struck the wall, bounced twice, and only then fell to the ground.

The room instantly erupted into chaos.

Huang Xuan, who had been in the middle of business, suddenly shrank back in fright and nearly rolled off the edge of the bed.

The woman on the bed screamed and wrapped the blanket tightly around herself as she shrank into the corner.

"Which son of a bitch?!" Huang Xuan hurriedly pulled up his pants and rushed outside barefoot.

Before he could take two steps, Cheng Yang had already closed in on him.

With a flick of his left hand, he scattered a cloud of lime powder straight at Huang Xuan's face.

Though startled, Huang Xuan did not panic. He sharply threw his head back, narrowly avoiding most of it.

Cheng Yang followed with an upward kick aimed directly at his vital parts.

Yet as Huang Xuan leaned back, he raised his right leg sideways to block it, precisely catching the kick.

Fast enough reactions.

Without pausing, Cheng Yang pressed forward again, driving a Vajra Pushes the Mountain punch at Huang Xuan's chest.

Unexpectedly, Huang Xuan suddenly exerted force through his waist and abdomen. Using his left leg as a pivot, he spun half a circle in midair, and the gust raised by his turn forced Cheng Yang half a step back.

An expert... but not one I can't beat.

Cheng Yang clenched both fists and pressed forward once more.

The two swiftly became entangled in battle within the cramped room. Cheng Yang's punches were far heavier than Huang Xuan's, and every blow carried a crushing sense of pressure.

Though Huang Xuan's footwork was exquisite and his techniques seasoned, he was indeed a considerable step behind in raw ability.

After taking several punches, his speed visibly slowed.

After another dozen exchanges, Huang Xuan discovered in terror that his moves were becoming less and less effective.

The man opposite him seemed to have completely figured out all his patterns. Every change in technique was precisely sealed off.

Cheng Yang steadily wore down his condition, gradually compressing the space Huang Xuan had to maneuver.

At last, the crucial moment arrived.

Cheng Yang suddenly drove his shoulder into Huang Xuan's chest. His shoulders contracted and shook, and his fist moved forward only three inches, yet it erupted with short-range force at such extreme proximity. At the instant his fist struck Huang Xuan's Tanzhong acupoint, his wrist sharply twisted, pouring all its force inward.

Vajra Fist: Vajra Shaking Scales.

Caught off guard, Huang Xuan flew backward like a kite with its string severed. His back slammed viciously into the wall with a dull thud. After landing, he vomited blood in great mouthfuls and no longer had the strength to fight back.

The instant that punch landed, Cheng Yang felt blessed understanding descend upon him, and his Vajra Fist had unexpectedly broken through to Minor Mastery.

He did not hesitate, immediately stepping forward to finish him off. Huang Xuan soon became a corpse.

And the woman on the bed witnessed all of it.

Cheng Yang suddenly turned his head and gave her a cold look.

That one look froze the woman rigid. It felt as if even her blood had congealed, and her teeth began chattering uncontrollably.

"Find Huang Xuan's property and place it before me." Cheng Yang's voice did not carry a trace of warmth. "Otherwise, you'll end up just like him."

How could the woman dare hesitate? She scrambled up, threw on a garment, and began frantically searching through the room.

Before long, she held out a pile of silver and valuable items with trembling hands.

She lightly bit her lip and looked at Cheng Yang with a seductive expression. "My lord, if you want..."

"I don't like secondhand goods."

Cheng Yang's tone was flat, with no other meaning behind it—he simply did not like things others had touched.

The woman's face instantly turned green. The next moment, Cheng Yang struck the back of her neck, and she slumped unconscious.

Cheng Yang neatly gathered the valuables. With a flash of his body, he vanished into the night.