With all three chiefs dead inside the base, Yin Qianlang naturally could not sit still.
If he did not hurry back to take control, there was no telling what chaos might erupt.
He sprinted the whole way, pausing only briefly at the outer city gate. Once he reached the Refugee District, he picked up speed again, racing toward South Street.
On the only route to the base, Yin Qianlang suddenly spotted a gray-clad man up ahead, pushing a cart with his head lowered.
Yin Qianlang only wanted to return to the base as quickly as possible and paid the Corpse Collector no attention.
Just as the two passed each other-
A chill shot through Yin Qianlang, and he instinctively tensed every muscle!
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the gray-clad man had silently closed in on his flank.
Was he really trying to ambush me?
Am I overthinking this?
For some inexplicable reason, Yin Qianlang second-guessed himself.
But he quickly dismissed that thought and swept out his right arm, intending to knock the gray-clad man back first.
In that instant of hesitation, the man's palm seemed to drain away all the force of his blow, then coiled around Yin Qianlang's arm like a constricting python, crushing it in an instant!
Yin Qianlang could not even make a sound.
A hand shaped like a snake's head had stabbed straight through his throat.
"Gurgle..."
Blood kept spilling from Yin Qianlang's mouth as he stared at the gray-clad man before him, his eyes filled with shock, despair, and bewilderment.
Even as he lost consciousness, Yin Qianlang still had no idea who this gray-clad man was or why he had killed him.
Lu Mian quickly caught Yin Qianlang's body, lifted it onto the cart, and covered it with a tattered straw mat before pushing the cart away as though nothing had happened.
The entire process was seamless.
Having worked as a Corpse Collector, Lu Mian knew how quickly people came and went here. He had no need to worry about other Corpse Collectors recognizing him.
Only after pushing the cart into a secluded corner did he search Yin Qianlang's body.
"Banknotes for fifty taels of gold... five hundred taels of silver, and some loose silver."
"He carried this much money on him... he really was rich."
Lu Mian's eyes lit up when he saw the gold notes.
In times like these, silver was worth less and less, but gold was hard currency.
Lu Mian put away the gold and silver notes, then pushed the cart onward.
Before long, he reached Chen Xiuzhu's stone house and carried the body straight inside.
Hearing the noise outside, Chen Xiuzhu struggled to get up.
"Captain, I've avenged you."
Lu Mian dropped Yin Qianlang's body onto the floor.
At the sight of that contorted face, its eyes still wide open in death, Chen Xiuzhu began trembling all over.
This was the enemy whose flesh he had longed to devour day and night!
"Ping... you've finally been avenged!!!"
Tears streamed down Chen Xiuzhu's aged face.
Lu Mian said nothing, only sighing inwardly.
After a while, Chen Xiuzhu calmed down a little. "Lu Mian... help me one last time. I want to burn this bastard to ashes."
"All right."
Lu Mian nodded.
He carried Yin Qianlang's body back onto the cart.
Chen Xiuzhu seemed to regain a little strength. He put on his Corpse Collector clothes and came outside.
The two left the Refugee District and eventually reached the Corpse-Burning Valley.
Lu Mian brought over a pile of wood and arranged it, leaving Chen Xiuzhu to light the fire.
As he watched Yin Qianlang's body slowly turn to ash,
Chen Xiuzhu's heart filled with conflicting emotions.
"Avenged... she's been avenged..."
"Thank you... Lu Mian."
Chen Xiuzhu turned toward Lu Mian and started to kneel.
"Captain, don't."
Lu Mian hurried to hold him up.
Chen Xiuzhu wiped the tears from his eyes and gripped Lu Mian's hand, repeating over and over, "Thank you... thank you..."
His voice grew weaker and weaker...
Lu Mian's gaze grew complicated, and he sighed softly.
He could feel Chen Xiuzhu's body temperature dropping, turning cold.
Lu Mian supported Chen Xiuzhu, keeping him from falling.
"Captain... keep watching..."
Lu Mian spoke softly.
Only after Yin Qianlang's body had burned to ashes did Lu Mian leave with Chen Xiuzhu on his back.
He did not return to the refugee quarantine area, instead taking a fork in a woodland path.
Lu Mian heard the gentle murmur of running water.
It was a small stream.
Lu Mian followed the stream uphill until he reached a small hollow.
A burial mound stood quietly there.
The crude gravestone bore the words "Grave of my beloved wife, Meng Ping."
Lu Mian gathered some firewood nearby and laid Chen Xiuzhu's body on it.
"Ashes to ashes... dust to dust."
"Captain Chen... rest in peace."
Lu Mian closed Chen Xiuzhu's eyes and lit the wood.
Then he fashioned a simple urn from a block of wood. Once the body had burned to ashes, he placed them inside.
This had been Chen Xiuzhu's final wish.
He had wanted to be buried with his wife.
By the time Lu Mian buried Chen Xiuzhu's urn, dawn was breaking.
But for some people, time would forever remain in yesterday.
Lu Mian did not dwell on his sorrow. After bowing three times before the grave, he turned and left.
The Black Snake Gang had lost three chiefs in a single night, and even its leader had mysteriously vanished.
There was no way to keep the news hidden.
Like ravenous wolves scenting blood, the other gangs in the Refugee District descended in a frenzy, devouring the Black Snake Gang's territory!
In the inner city stood an exquisite, lavish residence.
An old man in brocade robes, his eyes sharp, sat in a pavilion playing a board game with a middle-aged man.
"Feiguang... what do you make of what happened to the Black Snake Gang?"
Holding a black stone, the old man asked in an even tone.
"Father... we haven't found any leads yet."
"Yin Qianlang simply vanished. The last people to see him were the Golden Ox Guards at the outer city gate."
"After entering the Refugee District, he disappeared. We haven't found him alive or dead."
Tian Feiguang shook his head.
"Yin Qianlang had reached blood-qi perfection, after all... making him disappear without a sound would take someone in the first realm, at the very least."
"Everyone in Thousand Chimes City knows Yin Qianlang was one of ours... only one of the other three families would dare make such a move."
"Which one could it be..."
Tian Yuan placed the black stone on the board.
"The Han Family has run into some trouble recently... those above seem to be making a move. They probably don't have the inclination."
"The Qi Family is on fairly good terms with our Tian Family... they wouldn't resort to something like this."
"That leaves the Xu Family."
As Tian Feiguang spoke, he placed a white stone on the board.
"Hmph..."
"This is a world where people devour one another. Anyone can betray anyone..."
"These supposedly good relations are flimsier than a sheet of paper."
Tian Yuan was deeply dissatisfied with Tian Feiguang's answer.
As he spoke,
he placed his black stone.
In an instant, the black stones formed a great dragon, swallowing every white stone on the board.
"I understand, Father."
"I'll keep investigating."
Tian Feiguang nodded.
"Yes... there must be a result."
"Even if there is no result... there must be one."
Tian Yuan spoke evenly.
Tian Feiguang nodded and left the pavilion.
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