Brothers in Life and Death
Tengyun carried Lin Xu over the buildings and quickly arrived above the abandoned factory.
Although it's called an abandoned factory, it has long been transformed into a stronghold by the Black Tiger Gang. With high walls and iron fences, it is filled with hidden sentries, resembling a heavily guarded fortress.
By this time, the Black Tiger Gang had been completely alarmed, with people scurrying about in the factory area and alarms blaring through the sky.
Lin Xu looked down and patiently waited for the gang members to gather.
A few minutes later, dozens of armed gang members rushed out of the factory area, Liang Hu, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, hurriedly stepped out of the crowd.
Liang Hu was a burly man with a hideous scar running through his left eye. He had a fierce appearance and moved with a powerful stride. Surrounded by his men, he also exuded the aura of a tyrant.
Liang Hu looked at Lin Xu in mid-air with a respectful expression, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He smiled and clasped his hands in a salute, "May I ask which esteemed person has graced us with their presence? I am Liang Hu. If you require anything, please do not hesitate to ask. The Black Tiger Gang do its utmost to serve you."
Lin Xu looked down at him, his gaze sharp as a knife. "You're Liang Hu? Good timing!"
Too lazy to waste words, he flickered the flame of the Glazed Lamp in his hand, and a flame shot out, transforming into a ten-foot-long fire python in mid-air, rushing straight at Liang Hu with the force of wind and thunder.
Liang Hu was terrified. He quickly retreated, then slammed out both palms, unleashing a surge of internal energy that sent the fire python flying. "Senior, is there some misunderstanding? I..."
Before Liang Hu could finish speaking, the fire python coiled up and engulfed him in flames.
"Ah~" Liang Hu's scream came to an abrupt halt. The flames dissipated, leaving only a charred corpse in the spot.
The Black Tiger Gang members were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, trembling with fear.
Liang Hu was a level 4 internal energy martial artist, a top-tier figure in the Black Tiger Gang and a prominent figure in Meng City. However, he couldn't even last 3 seconds against Lin Xu; his appearance was a funeral.
With a thought, Lin Xu dispelled the fire python and looked down at the Black Tiger Gang members. "I killed Liang Hu's nephew. He vowed to skin me alive in revenge. Now that he's dead, anyone who wants to avenge him, come forward."
The Black Tiger Gang were terrified and no one dared to raise their heads or make a move.
"Is nobody here? How could gangsters be so disloyal? Sigh~ Your silence is making me uneasy. Let's just hit the road together!" Lin Xu shook his head. As soon as he finished speaking, the flames of the Glazed Lamp rose again, and the blazing firelight ignited the sky above the factory area.
"No! No, sir!" A middle-aged man knelt down abruptly, tears streaming down his face. "That scoundrel Liang Hu has committed countless evils, and we have long harbored resentment towards him, but we were powerless and could only watch him lord it over us. Today, you have acted on behalf of Heaven, which is truly gratifying! So gratifying! How could we possibly avenge him? Fortunately, you saved us from dire straits, sir. We are willing to submit to your command and serve you at your beck and call!"
"We are willing to submit to your lord's command and serve you at will!" The other gang members kowtowed and echoed in unison, their voices trembling but perfectly synchronized.
Lin Xu frowned. "They've all surrendered? Aren't any of Liang Hu's trusted confidants enduring humiliation and lying in wait for an opportunity to take revenge?"
The middle-aged man shuddered, cold sweat trickling down his temples. Without hesitation, he picked up the steel knife from the ground and slashed at one of his gang members beside him.
"Ah!" the gang member screamed, his shoulder bleeding profusely from the slash, and he collapsed to the ground. "Brother Shun, you... how could you..."
"Shut up! You scoundrel, you're always fawning over Liang Hu, now you're just pretending to submit, you can't be allowed to live!" A sensible person in the crowd shouted, "Brothers, kill Master Hu! Bah! He's a lackey of the Tiger bandits!"
The crowd erupted in fury, swarming forward and unleashing a barrage of punches, kicks, and knives, hacking the wounded man to pieces. He still stubbornly protested, "I... I'm innocent..."
The voices gradually faded, eventually being drowned out by a chorus of curses.
"I, Zhang Meng, am loyal to you, sir, and would never dare to have the slightest disloyalty! This man is Liang Hu's confidant, and there are still a few of Liang Hu's remnants in the gang. If you are at ease, sir, please give me three days, no, one day, just one day to drag them out and prove our loyalty!" Zhang Meng crawled two steps on his knees, his forehead hitting the ground heavily, and blood flowed down his brow.
Lin Xu stared at Zhang Meng, the firelight flickering in his eyes like torches. After a moment, he chuckled softly, "Alright, I'll give you one day. Come see me at the Lin Lineage in one day."
Seeing Lin Xu take off, Zhang Meng breathed a sigh of relief, got up from the ground, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and his eyes suddenly turned sinister.
He glanced around at his gang members, who were all looking relieved. "Although that old scoundrel Liang Hu is dead, several of his henchmen are still alive. These people can't be spared. We'll make our move tonight—this is the Daoist priest's order, and it's our chance. Will you follow me and fight for your future, or will you be buried with that dead ghost Liang Hu? Have you all thought this through?"
The gang members looked at each other, then someone quickly agreed, "We'll listen to Brother Shun!"
"Yes, we'll all listen to Brother Shun!"
"Listen to Brother Shun..."
Zhang Meng grinned, patted his chest, and said in a hearty tone, "Good brother! We share both good times and bad. From now on, we are brothers in life and death!"
The residential area in the north of the city is the old city of Meng City. A hundred years ago, before the Spirit Realm descended, this was a bustling market town where merchants gathered.
A century later, technology has regressed, and the flow of people has become sparse.
The old-fashioned residential buildings, like tenacious human civilization, stand tall in solitude.
Lin Xu walked slowly through the mottled alleyway, while passersby looked at him with envy in his embroidered red Daoist robe.
Traditional handicrafts have almost fully revived in this era. A high-quality Daoist or monk's robe requires dozens of processes and is woven by experienced craftsmen over several months. It not only symbolizes status but is also regarded as a talisman to ward off low-level evil spirits.
Those were more decorative than practical handicrafts, but Lin Xu's outfit was made of spirit silkworm silk, with gold thread embroidered on the cuffs to ward off evil spirits, and the robe was secretly woven with the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams array pattern. To the naked eye, it shimmered with a faint halo, making it unforgettable at first sight.
"A-Xu, you... passed the Spirit Realm Trial?" an elderly man in his fifties or sixties asked in a trembling voice, a hint of awe appearing in his cloudy eyes.
"Uncle Wang, I just came back from the Spirit Realm." Lin Xu smiled and nodded.
"Ah~ Is it really A-Xu? I thought I had mistaken him for someone else~ I knew this child was extraordinary from a young age, and he really has soared to great heights!" The Li family's daughter-in-law slapped her thigh and laughed out loud. Several neighbors also gathered around, praising him and asking him all sorts of questions.
Lin Xu answered each question with a smile, his expression humble yet distant.
"You've really made something of yourself, kid. If your father were still alive, he'd be laughing in his sleep countless times..." Uncle Wang shook his head with a sigh.
Lin Xu smiled and said, "Everyone has their own destiny, Uncle Wang, take care." He paused, then added, "My family is waiting for me, I'll head back now. I'll come see you another day."
Having said that, he bowed respectfully, turned, and left.
"This child has been different from others since childhood..."
He heard clear voices behind him, but did not turn around.