Deep within Baihua Lane, outside a dilapidated mud-brick house.
Chen Qing pressed himself against the cold wall, his breathing suppressed to a bare minimum.
His gaze pierced through the alley's entrance ahead, locking onto the two figures who had just walked out of the house: Wang Ying and Duan Ye.
Both were Manifest Force experts from the Black Water Gang, burly and wearing expressions of arrogance and impatience.
Wang Ying rubbed the back of his neck, cursing, "Damn it, another dead end! That little widow is slippery as a rat!"
Duan Ye spat a thick wad of phlegm and glanced down the dark alley. "Relax. As long as we have that old bastard, she can't get far... She'll be in our grasp sooner or later."
At this moment, the two were completely unguarded, utterly oblivious to the killing intent lying in wait.
Just as Wang Ying's curse faded and he lifted his foot to leave...
WHOOSH!
Chen Qing moved.
He shot out from the shadows of the corner, his footsteps silent, his speed so great he left only a faint afterimage.
The ordinary saber at his waist was now in his hand, its blade reflecting not a single glint of light in the dim alley, cold and reserved.
Three steps! In just three steps, he crossed a distance of several yards!
His target was Wang Ying's unprotected nape.
The muscles in Chen Qing's arm tightened like a bowstring in an instant. With no flourish, the tip of his saber pierced precisely into the gap between Wang Ying's cervical vertebrae. With a twist and a slice of his wrist...
SQUELCH!
A sickening, muffled sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh and bone.
Wang Ying didn't even have time to react. He only felt a cold sensation on the back of his neck, followed by a gush of hot liquid.
A gurgling sound escaped his throat as his body pitched forward violently. The ferocity in his eyes was instantly replaced by horror and lifelessness as he collapsed heavily onto the sewage-covered flagstones.
The flash of the saber didn't stop!
Almost at the same moment Wang Ying fell, Chen Qing used his forward momentum to twist his waist and pivot, his movements fluid and seamless.
The saber carved a deadly arc, sweeping upward from below, straight for Duan Ye's jaw.
This was a variation of the Gale Saber Technique's "Wind Rolls up the Remnant Clouds," changing a chop into an upward thrust—faster and at a more vicious angle.
Duan Ye caught a glimpse of a dark figure attacking from his periphery. In his shock, he only had time to turn his body halfway before a bone-chilling coldness shot toward his throat!
"Urk?!"
His pupils shrank. He subconsciously tried to draw his saber to block, but it was too late.
The flash of the blade was as fast as lightning, slicing precisely into the corner of his slightly open mouth, continuing diagonally upward along the jawbone, and piercing straight into his cranial cavity.
SHLICK!
The tip of the saber, dripping with blood, emerged near Duan Ye's temple.
Duan Ye's body convulsed violently, as if all his bones had been removed, before he collapsed limply on top of Wang Ying's still-warm corpse.
It all happened in less than two breaths.
The alley was utterly silent, save for the sound of flowing blood.
Chen Qing quickly searched the bodies, stuffing a few pieces of broken silver and some copper coins into his robes.
His gaze was like ice as he swept it over the two bodies, which were still twitching faintly. After delivering several more cuts to disfigure the corpses and destroy evidence, he slipped away quietly.
.....
The night was as black as ink, so thick it felt impenetrable.
Deep in Baihua Lane, a brightly lit courtyard stood out, exceptionally jarring to the eye.
This was the Black Water Gang's temporary hall.
Inside the main hall, an oil lamp cast several figures' shadows onto the mottled walls.
The gang leader, Jiang Hui, was a burly man dressed in an open-chested silk shirt that revealed a hideous old scar on his chest.
He slammed his wine bowl onto the table in frustration.
"Damn it, where are those two bastards, Wang Ying and Duan Ye? What's taking them so long?"
Jiang Hui's voice was laced with alcohol and impatient hostility. "We were supposed to discuss important matters tonight! Where the hell did they go?"
A wiry man sitting below him, nicknamed 'Skinny', quickly bowed and said, "Brother Hui, please calm down. Brother Li and Brother Leopard... they just ran into a pretty widow at the alley entrance. I reckon... heheh, they wanted to 'have a little fun' before coming over. It might take them a while."
He winked and nudged, his meaning obvious.
"Fun?!"
Jiang Hui slammed his hand on the table. "Sons of bitches! Is screwing around with women more important than the official business I assigned? Don't they know this batch of 'goods' for the Warm Jade Square in the Prefecture City is incredibly valuable?!"
"Yes, yes!"
The underlings below him fell silent, too terrified to speak, nodding repeatedly.
Jiang Hui took a deep breath, then, as if remembering something, said, "That girl from the Yang Family is top-quality 'goods,' though. I heard her mother was a daughter of the Chen Family from Chaiyu Square?"
Skinny sneered, "Don't you worry, Boss! We've looked into it. The Chen Family's old man is just an old fisherman. His second son, Chen Wen, is a good-for-nothing parasite. And his grandson, Chen Heng, just messes around at the Guangchang Martial Arts Hall. Heh, that kid's all flash and no substance, spends all day drinking and bragging with his martial brothers. I hear he's not even a proper Manifest Force practitioner. As for the eldest son's son, the one named Chen Qing..."
Someone beside him added with a look of disdain, "He's just on the books at the River Department, a mere errand boy. What can he possibly do? The Boss is about to touch the threshold of the Dark Force Realm, why would he fear him? Besides, with who we have behind us..."
Jiang Hui cut Skinny off. "A grunt from the River Department, a good-for-nothing from a Martial Arts Hall, and a few mud-legged relatives think they can block my path to fortune? If the Chen Family knows what's good for them, they'll take the silver and hand the girl over! They don't? Hmph!"
A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he drained the remaining wine in his bowl. "Perfect. We'll make an example of them. Let everyone in Chaiyu Square see the price of offending my Black Water Gang!"
Before his words had faded, the hall doors were slammed open with a CLANG.
A man covered in mud, his clothes in tatters, stumbled in. His face was caked with blood and dirt, making his features unrecognizable. He clutched his side as if seriously injured, crying out with ragged breaths:
"Brother Hui! It's bad! Something... something's happened!"
The hall fell silent in an instant.
Jiang Hui's brow furrowed into a knot. "What's all the panic!" he barked.
The 'injured' man gasped for air. "Brother Hui, Brother Leopard and the others have been cornered over by the 'Old Locust Tree'! The target is tough! The brothers can't hold on much longer! Brother Duan Ye sent me to get help! He said to bring everyone and save them! If you're late... then... then..."
His body swayed, and he almost collapsed, only managing to stay upright by leaning on the doorframe.
"The Old Locust Tree? They cornered Duan Ye?"
Jiang Hui shot to his feet, his face filled with rage. "Who the hell has the balls to touch my Black Water Gang? Grab your weapons! Follow me—"
'Something's not right!'
Jiang Hui's steps came to a dead halt. He had made his living on the edge of a blade; his instincts were razor-sharp.
'How could a mere underling, wounded and fleeing for his life, subconsciously maintain such a stable stance... almost like the Pile Skill of a trained martial artist?'
'And his voice is hoarse, as if he's deliberately lowering it…'
The hairs on Jiang Hui's body stood on end. He whirled around, his eyes locking onto the 'messenger's' face:
"Wait! Who the hell are you?! I've never seen your face before! And your saber... where did that blood come from?!"
His roar was like a Thunder Shock! The underlings in the hall were stunned by the shout and instinctively followed Jiang Hui's gaze to the man and his saber.
This man was none other than Chen Qing.
The moment Jiang Hui roared the last word, the final trace of disguise in Chen Qing's eyes vanished, replaced by a glacial killing intent!
"You'll find out when you get down there!"
Chen Qing's voice was bone-chillingly cold!
Before his voice faded, he abruptly released the left hand clutching his side.
What was revealed at the 'wound' was not flesh and blood, but a long saber.
At the same time, his entire body shot forward like a powerful bow, taut with Power, suddenly released!
SHING!
The saber at his waist flew from its sheath like a venomous dragon, trailing a piercingly cold glint of light.
He didn't strike directly at Jiang Hui, but instead, with lightning speed, slashed at the closest person to him—the stunned Skinny!
THWACK!
The blade bit into flesh, and blood sprayed forth!
Skinny didn't even have time to scream before his head, an expression of utter disbelief frozen on its face, flew into the air!
"Get him! He's an assassin!"
Jiang Hui's eyes were practically splitting with rage.
"Enemy attack!"
The remaining few men sobered up instantly, shouting in alarm.
Having already cut down Duan Ye and Wang Ying, Chen Qing's will to fight was blazing, his killing intent boiling over.
His blood and qi surged through him, yet his entire being was terrifyingly cold, like a beast tensed and ready to pounce.
His long saber struck out again and again, its path unpredictable and vicious, so fast that only streaks of cold light remained.
The three remaining Black Water Gang members had no time to react before the blade swept across their throats. They all collapsed, convulsing, on the verge of death.
"Who... Who in the world are you?!"
Cold sweat instantly beaded on Jiang Hui's back, the last vestiges of his drunkenness completely gone.
Chen Qing didn't answer. His body erupted forward, his long saber chopping straight for his opponent's face! Jiang Hui hastily dodged to the side, the sharp wind from the blade stinging his cheek.
BOOM—!
The wooden table beside them exploded on impact, sending shards of the wine jug flying everywhere.
Jiang Hui seized the opportunity to draw his saber and counterattack. The two blades met, striking blinding sparks under the cold moon.
Chen Qing's focus was absolute—real combat was not like sparring; victory was life, and defeat was death.
Although Jiang Hui was sluggish and slightly slower from the alcohol, he was, after all, an expert at the Peak of Manifest Force Realm, a veteran with vast combat experience.
CLANG!
The clash of metal was deafening.
Chen Qing's eyes narrowed. He used 'Spiritual Ape Flipping Over' to evade the head-on clash, his Saber Momentum reversing, stirring up a sharp wind as he chopped straight for the soft spot on Jiang Hui's side!
A chill shot through Jiang Hui. He instinctively retreated, and with a flick of his sleeve, several Flying Needles appeared in his calloused palm.
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!
The Flying Needles shot through the night, heading for the space between Chen Qing's eyebrows.
Jiang Hui had survived countless perilous situations thanks to his Flying Needle Hidden Weapons; it was his signature skill.
With the cover of night, it was the perfect time to use Hidden Weapons.
CLANG!
A flash of the saber.
Chen Qing put his full strength into the move. A crisp crack echoed as the dilapidated courtyard wall before him exploded under the sharp wind of his saber, turning into a shower of rubble that completely swallowed the Flying Needles.
BANG BANG BANG!
The rubble then rained down on Jiang Hui.
'This kid is a tough one!'
Jiang Hui was terrified and turned to flee.
Seeing this, Chen Qing flicked the tip of his saber, and the shards of the wine jug on the ground shot out like sharp arrows.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
The sharp ceramic fragments tore through the air with a piercing whistle.
Jiang Hui dodged hastily but still felt a cold sensation on his back as a warm liquid trickled down his spine.
The next moment, a powerful fist strike came at him.
'Long Arm Fist!?'
Jiang Hui's Heart and Spirit focused; the moment the palm wind struck, he recognized the technique.
He had no time to think. Survival instinct drove him to take the palm strike head-on, hoping to use the force to escape.
But he had gravely underestimated Chen Qing's killing intent. This palm strike contained almost all of Chen Qing's strength, his qi and blood pushed to their absolute limit. A sharp crack echoed through the courtyard.
BOOM—!
The explosive sound of their palms colliding shook the accumulated snow from the eaves, causing it to fall silently.
Jiang Hui's entire right arm went numb instantly. His body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing through and collapsing the mud-brick courtyard wall.
Chen Qing was also pushed back over ten feet by the recoil, his boots carving two deep furrows in the frozen earth.
"Cough, cough..."
Jiang Hui climbed out of the rubble, blood frothing at the corners of his mouth, and then staggered into a dark alley.
Chen Qing steadied himself and immediately gave chase.
He knew Jiang Hui was now heavily injured—it was the perfect opportunity to kill him.