At the Door

"Gang Leader, why has Zhao Hai gone silent too?"

Another lackey's voice trembled with fear.

No matter how slow-witted they were, they could sense how bizarre this was.

"I wonder, Zhao Guang, whether you have some accomplice hidden in this house?"

Luo Jian fixed Zhao Guang with an icy gaze.

He suspected Zhao Guang was up to something.

"I'm all alone. What accomplice could I possibly have?" Zhao Guang seemed deeply puzzled as well.

Luo Jian stared into Zhao Guang's eyes. Seeing nothing, he snorted coldly. "Then I'd like to see what exactly is inside."

As he spoke, he told the lackey to keep a close watch on Zhao Guang. He drew his long saber himself and cautiously stepped into the room on the left.

The room was utterly ordinary, somewhat cramped, with a bed, table, chairs, and the like.

Perhaps no one usually stayed there, because it carried a rather strange smell.

Luo Jian searched the room from top to bottom, even checking beneath the bed, but found no trace of Zhao Hai or the other men.

"Strange. It's such a tiny room. Where could they have hidden?"

Cold sweat beaded across Luo Jian's forehead.

No matter how he looked at it, the matter reeked of eerie wickedness.

"We should leave this place first."

Luo Jian steadied himself slightly and decided not to linger.

But the moment he stepped out of the small room, his pupils abruptly contracted.

Zhao Guang and the other subordinate, who should have been in the courtyard, had mysteriously vanished as well.

The tiny courtyard stood empty and desolate, cold and uncanny.

For a moment, a chill ran down Luo Jian's spine.

He felt dense clusters of malicious gazes behind him, brazenly sizing him up.

No. Those malicious gazes seemed to be spreading. Luo Jian felt icy stares watching him from every corner of the residence.

Luo Jian's scalp tingled. Terror drained his face of color as he kicked off the ground and sprinted toward the entrance.

Bang—

He kicked the main gate open and fled Zhao Guang's residence at top speed.

In the end, he returned to the gang's headquarters.

Seeing his pale face, the gang members crowded forward to ask what had happened.

Luo Jian was unwilling to say more. He waved them away, returned to his room alone, and intended to rest for a while.

When he pushed open his door, the room was pitch-black.

He lit the lamp, locked the door, and then turned around again.

Luo Jian's heart pounded wildly, and his body trembled with fright.

In the depths of the room—

Zhao Guang stood there, smiling at him.

But his face was rotten and foul-smelling, with bloody tears streaming from his eyes.

"So... it was you. You were behind all of this."

Luo Jian's mouth went dry. He turned and tried to run.

Bang—

The instant he turned, he slammed into another figure and staggered backward.

"Y-you...?!"

Luo Jian stared at the several figures blocking his way.

They were the lackeys he had taken to Zhao Guang's residence. Now they stood shoulder to shoulder like a human wall, each with a bizarre smile on his face.

"No... no!"

A scream rang out from Luo Jian's room. Then there was no more sound.

Two months slipped by in silence.

The bitter cold was receding, and the weather had grown slightly warmer.

For the impoverished commoners of the Outer City, this grueling winter was finally nearing its end.

Laifu Restaurant opened for business as usual.

Clack, clack, clack—

Shopkeeper Hu listlessly flicked the abacus beads behind the counter.

There was not a single customer in the main hall. Even the waiters were slacking off, sprawled across tables and asleep.

The Outer City had become increasingly chaotic lately, and the restaurant's business had worsened by the day. Aside from a little business during mealtimes, they spent the rest of the day swatting flies.

"Shopkeeper Hu, I heard the White River Gang smashed up Da'an Inn yesterday."

"Do you think this fire will spread to us?"

A newly hired guard, bored out of his mind, came over to chat with Shopkeeper Hu.

"Hmph. With our young master here, does Luo Jian have the nerve?!"

Shopkeeper Hu was not afraid in the slightest.

He had heard some news about the White River Gang's recent activities.

For example, on the street where Laifu Inn stood, most of the shops had shut down, and some did not even dare open their doors.

The White River Gang had forced them into it. Rumor had it that every shop had to hand over half its daily profits, or they would send men to cause trouble, even smashing the place outright.

After half a month of this, any shop that could flee had long since fled, while the rest simply shut their doors.

Those still operating generally had solid ties to the White River Gang.

But the very next moment, Shopkeeper Hu was slapped hard across the face by reality.

A vicious-looking burly man entered with more than a dozen underlings.

The two Guards stationed at Laifu Inn immediately became alert.

Shopkeeper Hu was not afraid. He recognized the burly man, though he frowned. "Hall Master Li, what's with such a grand show of force?"

This burly man was a Hall Master of the White River Gang, responsible for this area. Shopkeeper Hu had dealt with him many times before.

The burly man said flatly, "The Gang Leader has taken a liking to Laifu Inn and wishes to buy it."

Shopkeeper Hu's expression turned ugly. "What, does your White River Gang dare lay hands on even our Laifu Inn?"

He had just boasted, only for the White River Gang to come knocking and slap his face with a resounding smack. Anyone would have been angry.

Hall Master Li's eyes flashed fiercely, and his tone carried a threat. "Shopkeeper Hu, you're a smart man. You know what to do."

Shopkeeper Hu did not fear Hall Master Li at all. He sneered, "Li Yong, aren't you afraid my young master will come looking for trouble with you?"

Since the other side had come with ill intent, Shopkeeper Hu no longer bothered pretending.

At the mention of Qin Yang, Li Yong did indeed falter a little.

If it had been any other shop, he would have already led his men in and smashed it up.

But Laifu Inn was different.

The person behind it was someone he could not afford to provoke.

Qin Yang's fierce reputation had long spread through these streets.

Yet Li Yong could only brace himself and say, "Shopkeeper Hu, I'm merely delivering a message."

"Five hundred taels of silver to purchase your restaurant. You have three days to decide. The choice is yours."

After saying that, Li Yong hurriedly led his men away.

"What the hell was that!"

Shopkeeper Hu spat toward his retreating back.

"Shopkeeper Hu, what should we do now?"

One of the Guards asked in a low voice.

"Go back to Qin Manor first and tell Uncle Qian what happened."

Shopkeeper Hu was not flustered in the least.

With someone to back him up, he was not afraid of these Jianghu gang members.

"Then I'll go."

The guard nodded and hurried toward Qin Manor.

Inside Qin Manor's small courtyard—

Dull thunderous booms rang out from within the courtyard.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Qin Yang moved like lightning, his palms striking out in rapid succession like roaring thunder.

Boom!

He fiercely struck a stone in the courtyard.

Bang!

The hard boulder, half the height of a man, instantly shattered into four pieces beneath his palm.

"The Rushing Thunder Palm can finally be considered usable."

Qin Yang was quite satisfied with the explosive force displayed by that strike.

The Rushing Thunder Palm emphasized charging like lightning and directly destroying one's opponent with terrifying explosive force.

He calmed the surging blood and qi in his body slightly, then casually called up the panel.

Host: Qin Yang

Turtle-Snake Art: Level 3 (873/1000)

Po Jun Saber Technique: Great accomplishment (566/1800)

Primordial Qi Shield: Level 6 (794/1200)

Rushing Thunder Palm: Proficient (67/800)

As the martial arts he cultivated gradually increased, the panel could no longer hold so many entries. Thus, martial arts trained to perfection had been moved to the bottom, requiring Qin Yang to open the ellipsis with a thought to see them.