At night, Zhao Xuanqi and a party of six, all in plain clothes, arrived at Guanhe Road.
This area was located in the East Suburb of Celestial Sea Prefecture. It was a filthy place, a gathering point for vagrants and rife with chaos. With little industry to speak of, it was so troublesome that not even the three major martial arts halls were willing to set foot here.
The Cang Mountain Gang was one of the factions that had recently risen to power in this slum.
According to their intelligence, the Cang Mountain Gang had a core of just over ten members and about two dozen regular ones. They kept a low profile and occupied several large, old courtyard compounds along Guanhe Road.
For now, the Cang Mountain Gang was unaware they had been discovered by the Martial Arts Hall. Their defenses were lax, making it the perfect time for a surprise attack.
According to Cai Mingliang's plan, he and Zhao Xuanqi would form one team. They were to sneak into the compound where the Cang Mountain Gang's leader was and carry out a decapitation strike, while the other five would split into two teams to deal with the rest of the gang.
Zhao Xuanqi and Cai Mingliang crept toward the target building.
The house where the Cang Mountain Gang's leader was staying was brightly lit. The courtyard was roughly three or four hundred square meters, surrounded by a wall only half a man high. Two guards could be seen patrolling, one in front of the house and one behind it.
"You take the left, I'll take the right. We move at the same time. Try not to make a sound. Any questions?"
Cai Mingliang whispered to Zhao Xuanqi.
Zhao Xuanqi nodded, and the two split up.
Keeping low, Cai Mingliang took advantage of a moment when the guard wasn't looking to dart silently to the base of the wall.
On the other side, Zhao Xuanqi did the same.
They looked at each other across the courtyard. Cai Mingliang gave Zhao Xuanqi a three-two-one countdown with his fingers, and then they both moved at almost the exact same moment.
SWOOSH!!
Cai Mingliang's body shot forward like a pouncing tiger. He cleared the wall and landed in the courtyard, just behind and to the side of the guard.
The guard sensed a dark shape flash past and instinctively turned his head, not yet comprehending what was happening.
As he did, Cai Mingliang rolled with his landing, sprang to his feet, and plunged a sharp dagger into the guard's neck before the man's shocked eyes.
Clean and efficient.
As the leader of the operation, Cai Mingliang was a senior Outer Sect member; both his strength and his methods were impeccable.
He gently lowered the body to the ground, feeling quite satisfied with his performance. 'From the advance to the kill, not a single wasted motion. Simple and direct.'
'I wonder how Zhao Xuanqi is doing,' he thought. 'He's a rookie, after all. He can't afford to mess this up. Otherwise, we'll have to launch a frontal assault, and that would introduce too many variables.'
He quickly turned to look in the direction Zhao Xuanqi had gone, only to see a body lying silently on the ground.
Zhao Xuanqi, meanwhile, was already crouched beneath the window of the main house. He was gesturing at Cai Mingliang, seemingly telling him to stop dawdling in the open and be careful not to be spotted by those inside.
"..."
Cai Mingliang was speechless for a moment. 'So I'm the one who's slow?'
'Where in the world did Second Senior Brother find a monster like him?'
He shook off the thought and immediately crouched down, quickly moving to another window. Peering through a gap in the frame, they could vaguely make out the scene inside and hear voices.
"I brought your things. I hear you've been meddling with the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall's businesses? Lost a few men, did you? I'm pretty sure I told you not to touch anything under their control."
"What's the problem? In the entire Upper River District, all the decent restaurants, singing halls, and dance halls are in the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall's territory. Why would I pass up such a good opportunity?"
"You should get ready to relocate. Leave tonight, and lay low for a while."
"Leave? Why? We just lost a few subordinates. We were clean about it. How could they possibly trace it back to us?"
"You're new to Celestial Sea Prefecture, so you don't understand. The Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall alone might not be able to track you down, but it's a different story with the Luo Family of Celestial Sea involved."
"I'm surprised. So there are powers in Celestial Sea that even your Jingmao Trading Company fears?"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? How many times have I told you never to mention that name? If there's a next time, I'll make you disappear from the face of the earth. Now, get all of your people out of here tonight."
"Fine. You're the ones with the gold, so you call the shots."
"..."
Inside the room, two tall men were talking. One had high cheekbones and several scars on his face, giving him a ferocious appearance.
The other, dressed in black, close-fitting attire, had an extraordinary air about him.
In the middle of their conversation, the man in black handed a black wooden box to the Cang Mountain Gang leader.
'Jingmao Trading Company?'
Cai Mingliang frowned. 'It seems things have gotten a bit more complicated.'
"Wait," the man in black suddenly said, his expression changing. "Something's wrong. I smell blood."
Hearing this, Cai Mingliang's expression changed as well. He knew they couldn't wait any longer. He took out a short whistle, put it to his lips, and blew a sharp, piercing blast.
TWEET!!
The shrill sound pierced the night sky—the signal for the operation to begin.
CRASH!!
Both windows shattered as Zhao Xuanqi and Cai Mingliang burst into the room at the same time.
"The Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall?!"
The man in black froze for a second, then realization dawned. A murderous glint appeared in his eyes as he snatched up a large saber from nearby and charged toward Cai Mingliang.
"Hah!!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the man in black. His eyes instantly became bloodshot, glowing with an unnatural crimson light, and every strand of his hair stood on end.
Most terrifying of all, his chest, beneath the black attire, suddenly swelled to a dramatic size, as if he had inhaled a single, massive breath that expanded his lungs to an unbelievable degree.