Lin Changkong, Hong Ye, and Zhou Yue rode together at a gallop.
Before long, he had already grasped a few tricks of riding and could fully keep up with Zhou Yue and Hong Ye's pace.
The three of them chatted and laughed together, carrying something of the feeling of galloping on horseback and sharing in the world's splendor.
After half a day's journey, the outline of Black Dragon Town's walls had already appeared before them.
"I heard the Flood Dragon Gang's leader is called Zhao Heilong. He is now at the Qi Gathering Eighth Level. There may be a fierce battle today. Do not let your guard down; caution comes first."
Before entering Black Water Town, Hong Ye instructed them.
Zhou Yue smiled. "What is there to fear? You can handle one Qi Gathering Eighth Level. Leave the rest to Junior Brother and me. I'm at the Qi Gathering Seventh Level, and Junior Brother is at the Qi Gathering Fifth Level.
"If we join forces, there definitely won't be a problem. My Falling Leaf Sword Technique has already reached great mastery. Today is just the time to show what I can do."
Zhou Yue was rather excited. It was clear that she wanted to show off her skills and properly display her strength.
"Speaking of which, the only relatively weaker one among us is Junior Brother Lin. But don't worry, Junior Brother Lin. Your Senior Sister will definitely protect you."
Zhou Yue looked at Lin Changkong again and reached out to pat him, looking every bit like an elder sister looking after her little brother.
"If we run into anyone above the Qi Gathering Fifth Level later, stand behind me. Don't be afraid, Senior Sister will protect you!"
Zhou Yue patted her chest several times, looking like a supremely confident big sister.
Lin Changkong smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister."
"It's nothing. We're all fellow disciples, and we'll need to look after one another in the future. It's only right. Don't worry, I'll definitely protect you."
Zhou Yue was brimming with confidence, looking eager to give it a try.
Lin Changkong suddenly thought of a question and asked, "Senior Sister, I have a question. Logically speaking, Black Water Town lies within the Heavenly Fire Sect's protection. Why would these gangs dare to act here?
"Aren't they afraid of the Heavenly Fire Sect's retaliation?"
Hong Ye said, "There are mainly two reasons. First, these gangs usually do not stay in one place. They pull off one job and move elsewhere, so they are difficult to catch.
"Second, some gangs are not merely gangs. Other sects support them from behind the scenes. For certain things that are inconvenient to do openly, those sects have the gangs handle them in secret."
Lin Changkong suddenly understood. So there was such a connection behind all this.
Hong Ye continued, "Take our Eastern Wasteland, for example. There are several hundred sects throughout the entire Eastern Wasteland, large and small. The Heavenly Fire Sect is only one of them, and among the whole Eastern Wasteland, it can only be considered middle-ranking.
"The Heavenly Fire Sect is located within the Cloud Sky Mountain Range. The Cloud Sky Mountain Range stretches for thousands of miles, and there is another sect there called the Mystic Moon Sect. It is the Heavenly Fire Sect's greatest rival.
"Although the two sides interact openly and seem quite cordial, they have secretly been at daggers drawn for many years. The Mystic Moon Sect in particular has never stopped making little moves in the dark. If their strengths were not so close, they would have started fighting long ago."
Lin Changkong nodded, gaining a new understanding of this region.
Looks like I need to find some time to catch up on this world's knowledge. At the very least, I need a general understanding of it.
That was what Lin Changkong thought to himself.
As they talked, they reached Black Water Town's main gate. Yet strangely, there should have been guards stationed here, but not a single person was present.
Hong Ye was puzzled. She then pushed open the city gate, and the three rode inside.
Once inside, they saw that every door on both sides was tightly shut. The streets were bleak and desolate, without a single soul in sight.
Many items were scattered everywhere in utter disarray, making the place look extremely chaotic.
All three of their faces darkened slightly. Hong Ye said, "This is bad. The Flood Dragon Gang may be looting again. The people here have either been taken hostage or already massacred.
"Find them, quickly!"
After entering through the gate, there was only one street stretching inward, so the three had no need to split up. They spurred their horses and raced ahead.
They soon reached the end of the street, where a crossroads appeared. Cries and roars came from one direction.
Hearing the sounds, the three immediately charged toward their source.
At that moment, in the town square, groups of residents were surrounded by armed thugs. They trembled uncontrollably as they were herded into the center of the square.
At the head of the thugs stood a burly man. As he looked at the trapped residents, a vicious and perverse sneer curled across his lips.
He sat arrogantly on a chair that had been brought over.
"Damn it, a bunch of worthless peasants!"
"They're all useless trash even if we keep them alive. We might as well kill a few, spill some blood, and liven things up for me. Hahahaha..."
The burly man laughed loudly. His gaze swept over the crowd before he pointed at one man and said, "That one. Drag him out and chop him down!"
Several other thugs immediately stepped forward, dragged the man out from the crowd, and with a lift of the blade and a single slash, severed his head.
Blood sprayed into the sky, and the headless corpse collapsed to the ground.
"Father! Father!"
Beside him, a woman clutched an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl tightly in her arms. Seeing this scene, she cried as if her heart had been torn apart.
The girl shrank deeper into the woman's embrace, trembling so badly that she did not dare look.
"Ahahahahaha..."
Yet the thug leader threw back his head and burst into laughter, immensely satisfied by the sight before him.
In truth, he had already looted all these people's money and possessions. The reason he had driven them together was exactly as he had just said: simply to kill a few people and amuse himself.
He liked watching people get hacked to death. He liked watching people despair, especially the despair he himself had driven them into.
It gave him a perverse sense of superiority, as though he stood high above them and held their lives and deaths in his hands.
"What are you crying for? He was just a useless piece of trash. What's there to cry about?"
After laughing, he looked at the woman who was sobbing bitterly and barked at her.
The woman had lost her man and was terrified. She did not dare make a sound and could only whimper softly.
But the thug leader's brows sank. "Damn it, a bitch is always so pretentious! Go, cut out her tongue."
Another thug stepped forward, pried open the woman's mouth, gouged out her tongue with one slash, and threw it onto the ground. Blood flowed from her mouth and splashed all over the girl in her arms, immediately drawing another burst of laughter from the surrounding thugs.
"Mother! Mother!"
The girl in her arms raised her head. Seeing the woman's mouth full of blood, she cried until she was utterly inconsolable.
The thug leader looked at the girl, and his eyes immediately lit up as he licked his lips.
"Damn it, I didn't expect this little bitch to be so damn pretty. I like this kind of tender young chick. Bring her over here. I'm going to enjoy her properly right now. Hahahahaha..."
A thug stepped forward, grabbed the girl, and began dragging her away. The woman had no tongue and could only make muffled whimpering sounds as she clung to the girl, unwilling to let go.
"You don't know what's good for you. Chop off her hands."
At the thug leader's command, they were about to sever both her hands.
Suddenly, the sound of pounding hooves rang out. Lin Changkong, Hong Ye, and Zhou Yue arrived, and at a glance, they saw the scene before them.
Hot blood immediately rushed to their heads. Hong Ye and Zhou Yue nearly shouted at the same time, "Stop! You pack of beasts, let her go—"
Bang!
Before the two could finish speaking, Lin Changkong, who had remained silent beside them, had already leaped from his horse and drawn the Crimson Flame Saber in midair.
A flash of fiery saber light streaked past, and a head was already flying through the air as blood shot toward the heavens.
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