"Something you need?" a scrawny, monkey-like punk sneered. "This block is Thunderbolt Gang territory. Who said you could set up shop here?"
Jiang Che didn't want trouble. He took out a few dozen coins from his money pouch. "A small token of my appreciation. Please, buy yourselves some wine."
Zhao Hu snatched the money and weighed it in his hand, his expression growing even darker. "Is that all? Are you trying to get rid of a beggar?"
Skinny snatched Jiang Che's bundle, pulled out a roasted chicken wrapped in oil paper, and cackled, "Oho, eating roasted chicken, are we? You seem pretty well-off!"
Jiang Che's eyes grew cold. "I gave you the money. You can have the roasted chicken, too. Now, please let me pass."
"Let you pass?" Zhao Hu gave a savage grin. "Kid, you've been running your stall for a while now. Have you ever shown us any respect? If you don't hand over one tael of silver today, don't even think about leaving!"
Jiang Che took a deep breath, his fists slowly clenching.
"I don't have that kind of money," he said calmly.
"No money?"
Skinny walked over, brandishing a club.
"Then we'll just have to break one of your legs!"
As the club came whistling toward him,
Jiang Che moved.
Enter the Heart Stream State!
His Perfection Level White Cloud Fist flowed like water as he slammed a punch into Skinny's abdomen.
The man instantly doubled over like a shrimp, spitting up bile.
Zhao Hu, stunned, swung his own club down, but Jiang Che sidestepped it.
He countered with an elbow strike, landing it heavily on Zhao Hu's chin!
"CRACK!"
The sound of bone shattering was sickeningly clear.
The third punk had just rushed forward when Jiang Che swept his legs out from under him, sending him to the ground!
In just a few breaths, all three were on the ground, wailing in agony.
Now that he had reached White Cloud Fist Perfection, dealing with a few punks was almost too easy.
After picking up his bundle,
Jiang Che said coldly, "Get lost."
Zhao Hu clutched his chin, his eyes filled with venomous hatred, but he didn't dare say another word. He staggered to his feet and ran.
After running a short distance, Skinny suddenly turned and screamed:
"Jiang Che! I know who you are! You live in South District Rag Alley, and you have a sister! Just you wait! My big brother is Brother Dao of the Thunderbolt Gang—a Martial Artist in the Qi Blood Realm! You're dead!"
Jiang Che's pupils contracted.
The Thunderbolt Gang was known for its viciousness.
If he let them go back,
he and Jiang Ling would surely die!
He couldn't take that chance. He couldn't afford to lose that bet.
'Why are you forcing my hand! Why!'
Jiang Che clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked.
He stared coldly at the three of them and slowly started walking back.
"Y-You... what are you doing?" Seeing Jiang Che return, Skinny panicked and quickly backed away.
'I can't let these men get back alive!'
It was the only thought left in Jiang Che's mind.
He charged, appearing before the three of them in an instant!
He raised his fist, about to strike.
[Omen] triggered!
A fatal sense of crisis pricked his skin like needles, making him shudder.
Jiang Che looked up.
In the shadows at the end of the alley,
a pair of glowing green eyes were staring intently at him!
The dark figure walked upright,
but its movements were twisted and strange.
Not like a human, but more like a beast!
'What is that thing?!'
Jiang Che's scalp tingled, and he instinctively took a step back.
When the three punks saw Jiang Che suddenly stop,
they thought he had lost his nerve.
They immediately burst into harsh laughter:
"Hahaha, trash is still trash! Scared now, are you?"
"Weren't you acting all high and mighty just now?"
"Just you wait, Brother Dao will—"
Before he could finish his sentence,
"SQUELCH!"
Skinny's head suddenly flew into the air!
Blood gushed from his severed neck like a fountain,
splattering all over the faces of Zhao Hu and the other punk.
They were frozen in shock.
Before they could react,
the dark figure had flashed behind them!
Two huge, withered palms covered in green fur,
clamped down on each of their heads!
"SPLAT!"
A sound like bursting watermelons rang out.
In the blink of an eye, the three punks had become headless corpses!
The hair on Jiang Che's body stood on end!
The monster lifted its head.
Its face was obscured by messy hair, its features hidden.
Only two shimmering green eyes
were fixed on him.
"WHOOSH!"
The monster shot off the ground, lunging at him!
At this moment of life and death,
'Run!!!'
Jiang Che roared in his mind.
Suddenly, he felt a tremor in his Dantian.
His Qi Blood erupted!
[Breakthrough: Qi Blood Realm!]
He turned and ran without a second's hesitation!
Using the Qi Blood Power,
he leaped more than ten feet in a single bound!
The monster's pounce hit nothing but air.
It stared at Jiang Che's retreating figure but did not give chase.
Instead, it slowly turned toward the three corpses.
"RRRIP—"
The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the alley.
Followed by the "CRUNCH, CRUNCH" of chewing.
It was a horrifying sound that would make one's skin crawl.
...
Jiang Che ran all the way home, slammed the door shut, his heart still pounding violently.
'What the hell was that thing?!'
He thought of the recent disappearances and what the scholar had said about "unclean" things, and a chill ran down his spine.
This world was far more dangerous than he had ever imagined!
"Brother, why are you panting so hard?"
Jiang Ling looked up from the stove, her small face smudged with soot.
She was lighting a fire to cook congee. The thin porridge in the pot was bubbling away, with a few vegetable leaves swirling in the broth.
Jiang Che caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Just ran a little, I'm fine." He smiled and shook the oil-paper packet. "Look what I've got."
The moment he unwrapped the paper, the aroma of roasted chicken filled the entire room.
Jiang Ling's eyes lit up instantly.
"Roasted chicken!"
She rushed over, then stopped short, looking up at him suspiciously.
"Brother, where did you get the money?"
"Business writing letters for people has been good lately, so I saved up a little!"
Jiang Che avoided his sister's probing gaze, not daring to mention the fact he'd been helping people forge calligraphy and paintings.
Besides, now that he had broken through to the Qi Blood Realm, making money would be much easier in the future.
However, he decided to wait until he went to the Martial Arts Hall the next day to get his official disciple status and uniform before telling Jiang Ling, wanting to give her a surprise.
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Jiang Ling didn't suspect a thing.
She was overjoyed to hear that her brother had earned money.
Jiang Che smiled, tore off a glistening drumstick, and handed it to her.
As Jiang Ling took it, golden grease dripped down her fingers.
She was suddenly reminded of the day their father had bought a roasted chicken, three years ago.
"If only Mom and Dad were here..."
The cheerful atmosphere instantly froze.
"I will find them."
Jiang Che's voice was soft but incredibly firm.
Now that he had broken through to the Qi Blood Realm and activated his Talent Skill, [Omen], he finally had the power to protect himself.
It was time to go to Hengsha City to investigate their parents' whereabouts.
Although he knew in his heart that in these times, "missing" was almost synonymous with "dead."
But until he found out the truth, he would never be at peace.
"Mm."
Jiang Ling replied softly.
Late at night, Jiang Che lay on his hard plank bed, listening to the sound of Ling'er's even breathing from the next room.
Moonlight streamed through a crack in the window, drawing a pale white line on the floor.
He stared at the line of light, but the pair of green eyes from the alley appeared before him.
'Even after breaking through to the Qi Blood Realm, I'm no match for it at all...'
'I have to get stronger!'
...
「The next day, at the crack of dawn.」
Jiang Che slipped out of the house without a sound.
As he neared the dark alley from the day before,
Jiang Che couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
He deliberately lightened his steps.
At the same time, he scanned his surroundings warily.
The monster from last night had left too great an impact on him.
As he drew closer, the faint smell of blood drifted toward him.
He saw a dozen or so people gathered at the mouth of the alley, whispering to each other.
Jiang Che pretended to be a passerby and nonchalantly moved closer.