Rotten Luck

"Bang!"

As the sound rang out, the snow a dozen feet away exploded, and a white cloth flew up in a swirling flurry.

At the same time, a figure beneath the cloth sprang out like a tiger suddenly lunging to kill, sweeping up wind and snow as he pounced at Xu Yang.

He had concealed himself beneath a white cloth in the snow. Xu Yang had only noticed something amiss when he came within a dozen feet.

The instant Xu Yang stopped, his attacker seized the opening and struck.

A dozen feet might sound far, but to a Qi Gathering expert, it was only a single step.

The attacker moved like racing thunder, with the ferocity of a tiger. In an instant, he crossed the distance, his massive fist tearing through the air straight toward Xu Yang's throat-a lethal target.

Xu Yang had already been on guard. Though caught off balance, he did not panic. Just as the fist was about to slam into his throat, he twisted at the waist like a rolling python, turning his body aside to evade the fatal blow.

But his attacker had more than one move. As their figures crossed, his leg swept out like a tiger's tail, kicking straight at Xu Yang's lower back.

"Boom!"

The force of the kick howled like a tiger, stirring up wind and snow. It was even fiercer than the previous punch, and every bit as lethal.

Xu Yang had no time to turn and counter. He could only launch into a bear pounce, the great dragon of his spine driving his body forward like an explosive bear, leaving the kick to strike empty air.

Wind and snow churned!

He twisted around in midair, only to find his attacker clinging to him like a stubborn medicinal plaster, his five fingers clawing toward Xu Yang's dantian like eagle talons.

Now he also got a clear look at the man. His attacker wore a mask, exposing only a pair of vicious eyes.

"Bang!"

Having evaded two killing moves in succession, Xu Yang had naturally recovered his bearings. He kicked out in midair, knocking aside the hand reaching for his dantian, then landed steadily on the ground.

The tremendous force drove his attacker back, leaving several footprints in the snow.

The man seemed to have been jolted by Xu Yang's unbelievably tough physique. He shook his hand as he retreated, his eyes filled with shock. Clearly, he had never expected Xu Yang's body to be so hard. It felt as though he had struck a solid rock.

A cold gleam flashed in Xu Yang's eyes, and his aura turned sharp.

He did not know who this man was or why he had gone to such lengths to ambush and kill him here. But of the two of them, only one would leave alive today.

"Boom!"

Snow, ice, and dirt exploded as Xu Yang lunged forward, his sinews and bones crackling like a string of firecrackers.

This time, it was finally his turn to attack.

His anger ignited the fire in his heart. Vajra True Qi surged out of his dantian, and his Blood Energy boiled like water.

The great dragon of his spine seemed to come alive, power running through it joint by joint as overwhelming force surged into his arm.

Explosive Bear Force!

At their first true exchange, he had no intention of testing his opponent. He immediately unleashed Explosive Bear Force, the signature killing move of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

His fist tore through the air, raising a terrifying gale. Snowflakes shattered three feet from his fist, its power utterly fearsome.

The masked man's expression changed drastically. The move was not intricate, but its savage aura filled his heart with an intense sense of danger.

He immediately abandoned any thought of trading blows with Xu Yang and raised both arms to defend.

"Bang!"

The fist slammed into him, sending a violent tremor through his entire body. His arms felt as though they had been struck by a heavy hammer. Though the bones had not shattered, they had likely cracked, and for a moment, his arms went numb.

Even more terrifying was the overbearing True Qi that poured from Xu Yang's fist into his body, rampaging through his Meridians like blades.

"Explosive Bear Force!"

"True Qi projection!"

"Minor Accomplishment of Qi Gathering!"

The masked man finally understood why his surprise attack had failed to overcome Xu Yang.

Xu Yang had already reached the Minor Accomplishment of Qi Gathering, the stage where he could project True Qi outside his body. He had also mastered the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist's Explosive Bear Force.

Either one alone would have made killing Xu Yang impossible for him, let alone both together.

He wanted to flee!

But Xu Yang's attacks surged like a tide, fierce and relentless.

His second move followed right on the heels of the first.

While the masked man was suppressing the rampaging True Qi, before sensation had returned to his arms, Xu Yang's other hand shot out like lightning and clamped around his wrist like iron pincers.

Xu Yang twisted his hand, releasing a burst of force. With a crack, the masked man's arm was brutally broken, twisted like a fried dough braid.

"Aah..."

The pain of his broken arm darkened the masked man's vision. He nearly fainted from the agony.

Behind his mask, he had not made a sound all this time. But now he forgot that restraint and instinctively let out a howl.

"Bao Gang!"

The moment he heard that voice, Xu Yang knew who had ambushed him. He had never imagined it would be Bao Gang.

This bastard came to kill me just because I wouldn't lend him money earlier today?

"Die!"

The pain of his broken arm drove Bao Gang mad. No longer caring that his identity had been exposed, he swung his other hand at Xu Yang's throat, his eyes flashing with murderous light.

At that moment, all he wanted was to kill the man who had broken his arm.

"Whoosh!"

But he had forgotten that Xu Yang still had another hand as well.

The instant Bao Gang's palm came chopping toward him, Xu Yang lashed out with his other hand as though it had no bones-the whipping force of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

Bao Gang's sleeve burst apart, and a bloody welt appeared on his wrist. The pain made him scream again.

His expression icy, Xu Yang seized Bao Gang's broken wrist with both hands and yanked hard.

"Rip!"

Blood sprayed as the white tendons were torn away along with the hand at the wrist. The sight was gruesome beyond belief.

"Xu Yang, spare me! Lard blinded my heart! I shouldn't have thought of robbing you after losing my money!"

Xu Yang of the Mighty Far Hall, a man abandoned by the Huang Family—surely killing him and taking his money should have been as easy as grasping something already in hand. How could Bao Gang have imagined reality would differ so wildly from his expectations? Without a word to anyone, Xu Yang had reached the Minor Accomplishment of Qi Gathering.

At last, fear took hold of him, and he screamed for mercy.

"If you come to kill, you must be prepared to be killed."

Xu Yang stamped on Bao Gang's knee. With a crack, the leg broke, and Bao Gang immediately toppled sideways.

Xu Yang followed with a chopping palm to Bao Gang's neck. His head slammed heavily into the ice and snow, and his body began to twitch.

"Die!"

For his third move, Xu Yang stamped on Bao Gang's neck. The twitching body immediately went still.

Xu Yang let out a long breath, then crouched down to search the corpse. After rummaging for a while, he failed to find even a single copper coin.

"Rotten-luck bastard!" he could not help muttering.

He had killed several people, but this was the first time he had encountered someone without a single

coin to his name. Bao Gang must have gambled away everything before coming to rob and kill him.

The snowstorm was growing heavier. Soon, it would cover all traces of what had happened here.

Even so, Xu Yang tossed Bao Gang's corpse into the mountains before returning to the road and continuing home.

As he pushed open the door, Xu Qing hurried over to brush the snow off him. "Brother, you're late again."

"I went to our eldest uncle's house," Xu Yang explained.

"Third Aunt Gao from next door came to borrow grain today. I didn't lend her any," Xu Qing said quietly.

Xu Yang nodded. "Unless they helped us before, don't lend anyone anything."

Back when Xu Lao'er had left the two of them to live or die on their own, they had also gone around asking to borrow grain. Very few people had lent them any.

"There isn't much firewood left. The snow's too heavy for me to dare go into the mountains."

"I'll cut some tomorrow. Just stay home and don't worry."

Amid the wind and snow, the siblings' voices gradually faded.