Ambushing the Ambushers, Fighting Three in a War of Attrition

"Hall Master Zhao? Talk. If you dare spout one word of nonsense, he'll be your fate."

Chen Mu slammed a dagger into the chopping block.

With the blood-soaked man beside him still wailing, the blade-wielder on the ground was frightened into stammering and spilled everything in one breath.

After hearing him out, Chen Mu finally felt some relief.

According to the man, the Hall Master surnamed Zhao was called Zhao Liqiu and possessed early Qi Accumulation Realm strength.

He wielded an eyebrow-level iron staff, was skilled in water, and bore the nickname River-Crossing Dragon. He commanded several dozen blade-wielders and was in charge of the docks' hauling business.

Last night, he had led men to Bai Le Ward to seize someone, only to suffer some unknown mishap and return in a sorry state.

It seemed they had not captured A-Ning.

Chen Mu did not dare believe him completely. He used more vicious methods to interrogate him, until the man was in such pain that his mind had gone hazy, yet his story never changed.

Only then did Chen Mu believe him seven or eight parts out of ten, and his heart settled somewhat.

"Kill... kill me..."

The man on the ground was covered in knife wounds. He reached out, begging Chen Mu to grant him a quick death.

"Keep your eyes open in your next life."

Chen Mu beheaded him with one slash, casually hoisted the two bodies up, climbed over the wall, and tossed them into the fetid ditch.

Only after finishing all this did Chen Mu let out a breath and begin considering the intelligence he had just extracted.

A-Ning seemingly had not fallen into the Red Whale Gang's hands. That was enough.

"Was it her?"

Chen Mu recalled the aura of being locked onto by an expert when he had met Granny Li, and a faint guess arose in his mind.

Perhaps Granny Li truly was some hidden expert. Perhaps she had used some means to drive back the Red Whale Gang and taken A-Ning into hiding.

The thought made Chen Mu burn with rage again.

"Red Whale Gang... since you refuse to let me go, then let's have some fun."

He immediately took up his blade and left, darting away to hide in a secluded corner.

He waited.

According to what he had learned during the interrogation, Zhao Liqiu had not gone alone to capture A-Ning.

Two other hall masters had gone with him.

One was named Luo Dalong. He cultivated body-hardening arts, was skilled with twin blades, and possessed Body Tempering Eighth Layer cultivation. His Golden Bell Shield made him difficult to injure with blades or swords.

The other was called Ghostfoot Seven, and he too possessed Qi Accumulation Realm cultivation.

His lightness skill was superb. When his footwork unfolded, he moved like a ghostly shadow. He wielded the Mandarin Duck Twin Swords and excelled at sneak attacks.

The lackeys keeping watch in Rubble Ward all belonged to the halls of these three men.

Now that Chen Mu had dealt with every one of them, he was certain that when the three failed to receive any news, they would come to investigate.

Two Qi Accumulation Realm fighters, and one Body Tempering Eighth Layer body-hardening expert.

Chen Mu was only barely at the Body Tempering Sixth Tier.

Even with a thread of Profound Yin True Qi, he knew that he was likely no match for them in a frontal confrontation.

That thread of true qi was too thin. It was adequate for breathing qi into a sword and launching a surprise attack.

If he used it to amplify his blade radiance for killing, it would last no more than thirty breaths.

That was enough!

As long as he could ambush and kill Ghostfoot Seven, the swiftest of them, Chen Mu was confident he could use his own methods to toy the remaining two to death.

At once, he changed hiding places again, concealing himself among the branches of a large tree and slowing his breathing.

After waiting roughly half an hour, his ears twitched. Sure enough, he heard disorderly footsteps coming from the mouth of the alley.

"They're here."

Chen Mu's gaze narrowed slightly as he gripped his blade tightly in the tree.

Zhao Liqiu had indeed come with men.

Besides Luo Dalong and Ghostfoot Seven, there were over a dozen blade-wielding lackeys trailing behind them in a loose pack.

No one noticed Chen Mu lying in ambush among the forked branches.

"Damn it, where are the men below?"

Zhao Liqiu strode to the courtyard gate and kicked it. The already dilapidated wooden door collapsed inward at once.

The courtyard was completely empty.

Half a human leg protruded from the tangled weeds, its blood frozen dark red.

"Something happened!"

Ghostfoot Seven was the first to draw the Mandarin Duck Twin Swords, while Luo Dalong had his twin blades in hand.

"That brat came back! Search!"

Zhao Liqiu stood with his iron staff held across his body and shouted for the lackeys to spread out and search for Chen Mu.

Now!

Chen Mu had been storing strength for a long while. From above, his Blood Essence suddenly erupted as he unleashed the full power of Body Tempering Sixth Tier!

"Die!"

He pounced down from the tree, his snow-bright blade light striking directly at Ghostfoot Seven.

"Not good!!"

The lackeys were so startled that they hurriedly drew their blades.

But they were too slow!

No one reacted in time!

Chen Mu's slash came without warning. Three inches of dim radiance burst and flickered from the blade's edge, sweeping forward with the force to split bamboo!

Ghostfoot Seven only felt a chill at his back, and his soul nearly fled in terror.

"Brother Zhao, save me!"

He shrieked and raised his twin swords with a clang, but before he could cross them in defense, Chen Mu's blade had arrived!

Splurt!

The slash tore through his right shoulder and chopped diagonally downward, severing half his arm along with his short sword and sending them flying into the air!

[ Ding! Killed one Qi Accumulation Realm Martial Master, seized Blood Essence: +400, gained Karmic Slaughter: +40 ]

A Qi Accumulation Martial Master!

Killed in a single strike!

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Only after the man's two mangled halves collapsed did Chen Mu land lightly on the ground.

"I heard you were looking for me? Well, I'm standing right here."

He flicked the blood from his blade, tilted his head slightly, and swept the surrounding area with icy eyes.

Hearing this, Zhao Liqiu finally snapped out of it and immediately flew into a rage.

"You audacious bastard!"

The iron staff in his hand suddenly trembled, then smashed down wildly, wrapped in surging true qi.

"If you've got the skill, come chase me!"

Knowing he could not block it head-on, Chen Mu held his blade crosswise to parry. His entire body was blasted backward.

Though he had already withdrawn and dispersed much of the force, the web between his thumb and forefinger still split open, and he nearly lost his grip on his blade.

A full-force strike from a Qi Accumulation Realm fighter truly was absurdly heavy!

Fortunately, Chen Mu had calculated the direction. Borrowing the force of that blow, he shot into the alley.

"Where do you think you're going, brat?!"

Zhao Liqiu rushed out first, with Luo Dalong close behind.

More than a dozen lackeys surged forward in a swarm, cramming themselves into a tangled mass in the alley.

Chen Mu knew every alley in Rubble Ward like the back of his hand.

After turning past a shadowy corner, he suddenly hid behind a wall, then slashed backhandedly.

The two lackeys chasing fastest had just rounded the corner when the blade light was already before them.

[ Ding! Killed two Martial Men, seized Blood Essence: +40, gained Karmic Slaughter: +4 ]

With two spluttering sounds, two heads flew away, blood splashing over the earthen wall.

"Bastard!"

Zhao Liqiu, behind them, flew into a furious rage.

But Chen Mu had run again!

Without slowing, he charged through the alley and flicked his hand backward.

Clatter!

The bamboo poles holding laundry by the wall rolled across the ground, scattering Zhao Liqiu's group.

The pursuing lackeys were tripped in a heap. Chen Mu seized the chance to turn and charge in, flashing up and down several times and sending another shower of heads flying.

[ Ding! Killed one Martial Man, seized Blood Essence: +10, gained Karmic Slaughter: +2 ]

[ Ding! Killed one Martial Man, seized Blood Essence: +15, gained Karmic Slaughter: +3 ]

In the blink of an eye, corpses carpeted the ground, and more than ten men had died where they stood.

The remaining few lackeys were so terrified that they wet themselves, scrambling and tumbling into the fetid ditch!

"Trash! A pack of trash!"

Zhao Liqiu kicked away a bamboo pole blocking his path, his true qi erupting as he raised the iron staff and attacked again.

But Chen Mu did not engage him at all. With several rises and falls of his movement technique, he slipped deep into the alleys.

"Brother Zhao! Capture that brat quickly, so we can trade him for the antidote!"

Though Luo Dalong's physique was formidable, he could not keep up. He could only trail far behind and howl, still thinking about the corpse poison antidote.

Those words also provoked Zhao Liqiu.

He had already been poisoned by corpse poison and had spent an entire night seething. Now Chen Mu was toying with him while killing more than ten of his subordinates. How could he endure it any longer?

"Brat! If you've got the guts, stop running!"

He swept his staff through the alleys as he pursued, smashing a stone mill by the roadside to pieces. The millstone exploded into fragments.

Yet he had not noticed at all that no one remained behind him!

Ahead, Chen Mu had been watching the pursuers behind him from the corner of his eye. Seeing that Zhao Liqiu was now alone, he immediately ducked into a dim dead-end alley.

The sight filled Zhao Liqiu with joy, and killing intent surged in his eyes.

"Idiot! Weren't you good at running? Keep running, then!"

He approached with a savage grin, his burly body blocking the alley exit.

"Run...?"

"How do you know I wasn't looking for a place to bury your corpse?"

Chen Mu stopped in the alley and turned back with his blade in hand. Dim light flickered in his eyes, and killing intent blazed around him!