Acid Rain!

The battle was one-sided.

Although the Blood Hand Society members were desperate outlaws, most of them were the ones who ended others' lives.

After the Flame Army's gunmen unleashed several rounds of suppression and the follow-up troops charged into the crowd, hacking and slashing, the Blood Hand Society members were already in disarray.

No matter how high your martial arts skill, you can't beat a cleaver.

No matter how sharp the cleaver, it fears firearms.

Trust in science!

The Blood Hand Society members truly believed in science. They knew the Flame Army was unstoppable and that their two hundred lives couldn't possibly resist. After dozens of their brothers had fallen, the rest voluntarily put their hands on their heads and crouched by the wall or lay flat on the ground.

This decisive and resolute posture conveyed a clear message: Stop fighting, we surrender!

Blood Hand was a killer by profession, renowned in the martial world for his graceful movement and cunning attacks. However, against the simple brute Chen Hu, his skills were useless. Chen Hu practiced a set of military combat punches focused on practicality.

They didn't look particularly sophisticated, but combined with his immense strength, each of his blows was powerful and sweeping, leaving Blood Hand completely unable to retaliate.

After dozens of rounds, Chen Hu swung his saber towards Blood Hand's chest.

Blood Hand dared not meet the blow head-on and retreated desperately, trying to evade the fatal strike.

He knew that if Chen Hu's saber landed squarely, his body would be split in two.

Bang.

Because he retreated too unsteadily, Blood Hand fell to the ground with a thud.

He looked down at his chest and saw a bloody gash there.

Even though the saber hadn't actually hit him, he had already sustained such a severe injury.

Blood Hand was horrified. He knew it was the work of saber energy. Had this brute actually cultivated saber energy through sheer brute force?

The Flame Shrine was home to many ruffians and hooligans, but there were also many capable individuals.

Chen Hu walked over, holding his saber, and placed it at Blood Hand's throat, threatening, "I'll give you one last chance. Hand over the person, or you'll die here."

"I know that even if I hand over the person, I'll still die here," Blood Hand said, his face pale, laughing bitterly. "I, Blood Hand, have killed many people and lived a life of evil. I never expected that for something I never did, for someone I never killed, I would lose my life. I'm truly wronged."

"You're at death's door, and you're still being stubborn?"

"When death is imminent, what is there to be afraid of admitting?" Blood Hand looked up at the white-robed elder and said, "I know who Bian Zhenxin is. With you as his father, a mere barbecue chef, how could I dare oppose him? I've always treated him well, providing him with good food, drinks, and entertainment. I never expected you to blame me for his death."

"My life as Blood Hand is cheap, and it's fine if I die. But you all should be careful. The real killer of Bian Zhenxin has not yet appeared."

Bian Feng's eyebrows twitched slightly. "Strap him up and roast him."

He paused, then added with firm conviction, "As for the real killer, I will find them."

Just then, a group of people approached from a distance.

The Gray Robes outside intercepted them. A Gray Robe leader ran over to report to Bian Feng, "Divine Envoy, another group from the Blood Hand Society has arrived. They say they've found Scarface's body and are returning to report."

"Scarface? Who is he?" Chen Hu asked.

"Scarface is the owner of that lighter. So he was killed too," Blood Hand said, realizing his chance to survive. He quickly got up and explained, "Since Scarface went missing, I sent several groups of brothers to look for them. Now they've finally found their bodies."

"Don't tell me you sent people to silence them," Chen Hu said, his wrist flicking slightly, and a fresh red cut appeared on Blood Hand's neck.

"Bring the bodies over," the white-robed elder said.

Soon, a group of Gray Robes carried several corpses over.

The bodies looked like they had been dead for some time; they were stiff, their skin was pale, and a strong stench emanated from them. One of the bodies had been mangled by unknown animals, with its flesh and internal organs gone, leaving only a relatively intact skeleton.

The white-robed elder pointed to a middle-aged man with a scar on his face and asked, "Is this Scarface?"

"Yes, because of the scar on his face, we all called him Scarface. No one paid much attention to his real name. He was the owner of that skull lighter."

"So, my son was killed by him?"

"That... I don't know," Blood Hand said.

"Then who killed him?" Bian Feng asked, his expression grim.

The coroner stepped forward and felt around the body but found no fatal wounds. It wasn't until his fingers reached the back of the neck that he exclaimed, "Qi Control Technique! He was killed by a master of the Qi Control Technique!"

"..."

Everyone was shocked!

Chen Hu exclaimed, "How is that possible? How can there be cultivators in the Hate Mountain District? Even if there were, they couldn't be masters of the Qi Control Realm. Coroner, are you mistaken?"

The coroner, brought by Bian Feng from the Lingyang Great Region, didn't have much respect for deputy officers from the district like Chen Hu. Hearing his professional assessment questioned, he replied with displeasure, "Deputy Officer Chen, I may not be as good as you at killing or protecting people, but you're no match for me when it comes to examining bodies and autopsies. I've examined more corpses than you've touched women. It's a matter of specialization, do you understand?"

He beckoned to two Gray Robes beside him and said, "Turn him over."

The two Gray Robes obeyed and turned the large body of Scarface over. The coroner pointed to the fatal wound on the back of the neck and said, "Look at how smooth this cut is. Look at how perfect the depth is. The sharpness of the blade and the control of force are simply flawless."

"He probably didn't feel any pain when he died. It was like being bitten by an ant, and then his life was over."

The coroner stood up and walked to Bian Feng. "A year ago, in that cultivator battle in the Lingyang Great Region, two Body Tempering realm cultivators died at the hands of a Qi Control master. The cut marks are almost identical to this one."

"And the corpses from Crocodile Pond three years ago were also injured by someone in the Qi Control Realm. The cuts were just as smooth and clean, full of aesthetic beauty."

Bian Feng walked to Scarface's body, examined it, then squatted down and gently touched the wound. He nodded and said, "This was indeed done by a cultivator. Without the enhancement of Yin Yang Qi, ordinary weapons could not achieve this level."

He stood up and said to Blood Hand, who was sitting on the ground with a large saber at his neck, "Let him go, it wasn't him."

He didn't believe Blood Hand's words, nor did he believe in his character or oath.

He only believed in his strength; these bandits and hoodlums couldn't have done something like this.

"..." Blood Hand felt like crying but had no tears.

It wasn't me, it really wasn't me.

How many times have I said it, I'm innocent. But you killed more than half of my brothers and left me with severe injuries. If Scarface hadn't returned a few seconds later, my head would have been chopped off too.

You owe me!

Scarface, my good brother, it's so good you're back, it feels so good to have you here!

Only then did Chen Hu retract his long saber and ask Bian Feng, "Divine Envoy, a master of Qi Control Technique has appeared in the Hate Mountain District?"

"Although it's absurd, it's true," Bian Feng said.

The situation was now obvious: a cultivator in the Qi Control Realm had killed Bian Zhenxin. To escape the Flame Shrine's retaliation, he had also killed this group of Predators, the ones led by Scarface, and then deliberately left Scarface's lighter at Bian Zhenxin's death scene to make them believe the Predators were responsible.

Thinking of this, he felt a trace of sympathy for the fallen members of the Blood Hand Society.

But, wasn't this the fate of ants?

"How can we find him?"

Bian Feng looked at Blood Hand and said, "I don't care if he's a cultivator hiding among the crowd, or a distinguished guest from New Star. You all have to find him for me. Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but bring him out."

"Yes," Chen Hu gritted his teeth and agreed.

Cultivators were powerful, not something ordinary people could contend with.

However, the dead Black Robe was his direct superior and the son of his boss. He had to avenge this.

Bian Feng looked at Chen Hu's expression and knew what he was thinking. He said, "I know how formidable Qi Control Realm masters are, and I won't let my brothers go to their deaths in vain. These Flame Army soldiers I brought are at your disposal, as is the Blood Hand Society..."

Bian Feng looked at Chen Hu and said, "Predators have been raiding and committing crimes under the noses of the Flame Shrine. Do you know why we haven't wiped you out yet?"

"Because we're in this together!"

Blood Hand thought to himself.

Of course, he wouldn't dare say this answer out loud.

He prostrated himself on the ground and said loudly, "The Blood Hand Society will obey any command from the Divine Envoy."

"Good." Bian Feng was quite satisfied with Blood Hand's answer and said, "Contact all the bandit organizations in the Hate Mountain District, big or small. Everyone must contribute. I want you to assist the Flame Shrine in finding that cultivator."

"If you can't find him..." Bian Feng's eyes were fierce and sinister as he said, "The Hate Mountain District will cease to exist."

"Yes, Divine Envoy."

"We will do our utmost."

Chen Hu and Blood Hand made a military pledge together.

Tang Fei walked ahead with two buckets of water, and Phoenix followed closely with two more buckets.

Phoenix had now shed her expensive and eye-catching interstellar travel suit. She was wearing faded jeans and a dark gray hoodie, with the hood pulled up to cover most of her face and her dark hair.

Tang Fei had rubbed some soot onto her exposed fair skin, giving her a dirty and disheveled first impression.

The only regrettable thing was her eyes, those bright and lively eyes like stars in the sky were difficult to hide. Tang Fei had stolen a pair of flying goggles from the old man's private stash for her to wear, but it turned out that wearing them made her even more noticeable.

The sky in the ruins wasn't bright enough, and the road wasn't easy to walk. Weren't you afraid of falling to your death wearing sunglasses?

Only the old man would walk from one end of the village to the other wearing sunglasses every few days, deliberately slowing down to chat with the married women and young widows, acting so flirtatiously.

Phoenix now blended in with the land, like a tomboy.

If only she didn't speak with that standard New Star accent...

"Hurry up," Tang Fei glanced back at Phoenix and urged, "If we're late, we won't get a number."

"Do we have to queue to get water?" Phoenix quickened her pace, walking alongside Tang Fei.

"There's only one water point in the entire Hate Mountain District," Tang Fei said. "And only the water from this spring is drinkable. If we're late, there will be many people queuing ahead of us."

"Oh," Phoenix nodded in understanding.

She thought, water resources on New Star were abundant. Water flowed endlessly from the tap as long as you had money to pay the water bill. Life on Old Earth was still too harsh.

When Tang Fei and Phoenix arrived, there were already hundreds of people in line. Everyone, like them, was carrying buckets and small containers, and some had even brought a large pot to collect water for their families.

At the very front of the line, clear spring water was slowly flowing from a small spring. Some people, after filling their containers, took a big gulp. Others directly put their mouths to the spring and drank their fill, only to be urged and cursed at by the people behind them, as if they were afraid they would drink all the water in one go.

"That long?" Phoenix was greatly surprised.

"Are you complimenting me?"

Phoenix's face was covered in black lines, and she looked at Tang Fei and asked, "Where did you learn all these swear words?"

"From books."

"What books?"

"Dragon Tiger. Reverse Scale."

"What kind of book is this?"

"In an era where everyone wants to slay dragons, the male protagonist feels immense pressure as a giant dragon." This was a book Tang Fei saw at Scholar Zhao's house, not the kind of book hidden under the old man's pillow.

"That sounds really interesting, can I borrow it to read?" Phoenix asked. She couldn't leave for a while anyway, so she might as well find something to do.

"No." Tang Fei quickly shook his head.

"Why?"

"That book is too dirty."

"Dirty?"

"Yes, too dirty." Tang Fei finally found an excuse and said with a serious expression, "You don't know, so many people have read that book. Little Fatty reads while eating, so the book is covered in oil. And the old man, he actually fell asleep while reading, and his saliva dripped onto the pages. Now, as soon as I open it, I can smell the old man's saliva."

As expected, Phoenix showed a disgusted expression and said, "Forget it, I won't read it."

She couldn't bring herself to turn the pages stained with the old man's saliva and Little Fatty's grease. It wouldn't bring her any mental enjoyment; it would be a huge torment.

"Exactly, don't read it, it's too disgusting." Tang Fei chimed in.

"Then tell me the story of Reverse Scale, I'm quite interested in it."

"No." Tang Fei refused again.

"Why?"

"It's too long."

"…"

Phoenix felt that Tang Fei was being suggestive again.

After more than an hour, it was finally their turn to go up and get water.

Tang Fei filled the two water buckets he was carrying, tightened the lids, and then helped Phoenix fill the two buckets she was holding.

After finishing, they each carried two buckets of spring water and headed home.

Just as they were halfway there, the sky suddenly let out a loud "boom," followed by lightning and thunder.

Tang Fei sniffed the air and shouted, "Acid rain, quickly find shelter!"

People living on Old Earth had a special ability to determine if the rain was acid rain or ordinary rainwater by smelling the air.

(Ps: Thanks to Miss Piaodang Melbourne for the second Silver萌, a thousand words are not as good as offering myself.

Thanks to the little friend Feng Wu Meng Wu Ya for becoming our Mengzhu, may the wind be at your feet, the dreams in your heart, and may you forge ahead bravely.

Also, the new book is competing for rankings, please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, and ask for all support!)