The night was black as ink.
Two Hong Family guards patrolled the residence, carrying a red lantern bearing the character "Hong."
"Damn it, having to patrol in this shitty weather. I really envy those martial arts instructors in the inner residence. Not only do they get out of patrols, they even have beauties warming their beds. When will I get to live that kind of good life?"
A horse-faced guard tightened his drafty collar and glanced back at the brightly lit inner courtyard, undisguised envy on his face.
His companion couldn't help laughing. "Once you break through to the first refinement, you can have a different woman every day, without a single repeat!"
"Bah, you think I don't want to? But stance training is really exhausting..."
After a pause, the horse-faced guard lowered his voice. "Come to think of it, the master's been making more frequent moves these past few days. Usually, we only abduct one every fortnight, but we've already brought in over a dozen these past few days. This is the first time anything like this has happened."
"Ahem... I served the instructors wine in the inner courtyard this afternoon. I heard them saying that person's coming soon."
"That person?" The horse-faced guard looked puzzled. "Who is that?!"
"No idea. Who cares? We just need to abduct people. I heard that bastard Little Ding went to someone's house a few days ago and had his way with both their older sister and their mother. Lucky son of a bitch. Tomorrow, I'm going to do the same... Bang!"
His voice cut off abruptly.
A figure dropped from the sky and planted a foot on the guard's head, driving it into the ground. His skull burst apart instantly.
The horse-faced guard's pupils shook violently. So frightened that he dropped the lantern, he staggered back several steps before making out a black-clad figure in night clothes whose face he couldn't see.
He instinctively wanted to shout.
But before he could open his mouth, he felt himself lifted into the air, struggling for breath.
A hand clamped tightly around his neck, choking off his breathing and turning his face crimson.
"I ask, you answer. Shout and you die. Understand?"
The black-clad man spoke unhurriedly, his voice hoarse and his gaze cold.
The horse-faced guard nodded with difficulty.
The Hong Family's inner courtyard.
The family head's bedchamber.
Bright red lanterns hung high above the doorway. Inside the spacious bedchamber, red ribbons formed festive decorations, and a thousand red candles burned. The entire room brimmed with a joyous atmosphere.
A plump, round-faced, full-bearded squire in a bright red wedding garment was playing hide-and-seek inside, a strip of red cloth covering his eyes.
"Little beauty, where have you hidden? Come into my arms..."
Behind the red bed curtains opposite the fat squire, a delicate-featured boy huddled in a corner of the bed. Terror flashed in his eyes as he watched a hand covered in black spots slowly reach through the curtains.
He desperately tried to retreat, but those withered hands pressed down like a mountain of flesh. There was no escaping them.
"Caught you!"
The full-bearded fat squire seized the boy's arm with one hand and pulled the red cloth off his eyes with the other.
"Now it's your turn! Hehehe..."
With a strange laugh, the fat squire pressed a mechanism beside the bed. The delicate-featured boy, whose hands and feet were bound, was instantly hoisted upside down over the bed, his dangling head exactly level with the fat squire's belly.
"Spare me, spare me..."
The delicate-featured boy had never encountered anything like this before. His face was filled with terror.
But the more terrified he became, the more excited the full-bearded fat squire looked. He took out a long, barbed whip and lashed the boy with sharp cracks.
After only a few lashes, the boy was a bloody mess and had passed out.
"Damn it, this useless?!"
The full-bearded fat squire slapped the boy across the face, knocking out several teeth, and said irritably, "Bring another!"
Soon.
The door opened, and two servants of the Hong Residence carried in a naked girl with her hands and feet bound.
The girl looked at the boy hanging upside down over the bed, his fate unknown. Unprecedented terror filled her bright eyes.
"Quite pretty. I wonder how many lashes that tender little body of yours can take?"
The full-bearded fat squire stroked the girl's skin, his gaze growing increasingly vicious. He tightened his grip until her bones cracked sharply, her little face contorted with pain, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
After playing with her for a while, the fat squire still wasn't satisfied. He raised his hand and lashed his whip at the dying girl.
Crack!
A hand caught the long whip firmly.
"Hm?"
The full-bearded fat squire froze. He looked up at the black-clad man who had suddenly appeared before him, and his pupils abruptly contracted.
"Guards! Get in here!!" the Eldest Master of the Hong Family shrieked.
The two burly servants carrying the girl charged without hesitation, only to fly backward just as quickly and slam heavily into the wall. Their bones shattered throughout their bodies, and they died vomiting blood.
Wei Sheng withdrew his fist, expressionless.
He showed no mercy when killing petty fiends like these who served as accomplices to a tiger.
"Guards! Where the fuck is everyone?!" the Eldest Master of the Hong Family was still shouting.
"Stop shouting. Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come to save you!"
Wei Sheng raised his hand. Vital energy gathered in his palm like flowing flames, carrying a terrifying force as he prepared to strike.
But just then, a sudden chill ran down his spine. An icy killing intent enveloped him from behind.
Wei Sheng swung the palm meant for the Eldest Master of the Hong Family around and struck fiercely behind him.
Bang!
Fist and palm collided. Palm winds surged and fist force raged, instantly cracking and shredding the surrounding furniture.
Already at death's door, the girl died on the spot from the shock of the clash's aftereffects.
His expression icy, Wei Sheng stared at the tall old man opposite him, who resembled an aged ape. "Fourth refinement?"
"Third refinement?"
The tall old man withdrew his fist, astonishment in his eyes. "Such abundant vital energy!"
"You dare ruin my pleasure! Old Yuan, seize him for me! I'll cut his corpse into ten thousand pieces!!"
At the sight of the tall old man, the Eldest Master of the Hong Family seemed to have found a straw to clutch at. His earlier terror vanished, replaced by hatred and viciousness.
"Rest assured. He won't escape."
The tall old man said mildly:
"Boy, you're quite capable, silently killing so many of the guards in the residence. Had I not smelled blood and rushed here in time, even the master might already have died at your hands. Unfortunately for you, I'm here now. You'll never have that chance again!"
Wei Sheng said nothing. He simply swung his fist at him.
"You overestimate yourself. Do you really think taking one casual punch from me means you can contend with me? Today, I'll show you... Pfft!"
The tall old man raised a hand to meet him, but in the next instant, his expression changed drastically.
The moment that punch struck, he felt as though a savage bull had charged into him. The tremendous, violent force surged through his palm into his arm, bending the entire limb until splintered bone even pierced through his skin and protruded.
"What did you say?!" Wei Sheng asked indifferently.
"How?! You're only at the third refinement! How can you have such tremendous strength?!"
Clutching his broken arm, the tall old man stared at Wei Sheng in disbelief.
That strength was nearly at the fifth refinement level. How could someone at the third refinement possess it?!
"Are those your last words?" Wei Sheng stepped forward. "To be honest, I thought the fourth refinement might offer me a little surprise. It seems I expected too much."
"Bastard! You dare look down on me? Then let me show you the difference between the third and fourth refinements!"
The tall old man roared furiously. His vital energy surged throughout his body and gathered entirely into a single fist. As his punch shot out, even Wei Sheng sensed an intense threat within it.
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