Chapter 33: Chapter 31: The Banquet

The timing, angle, and force of the collision were perfect.

BANG! CRACK!

Another muffled thud was accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering bone.

The short, stocky man felt his wrist slam into a sledgehammer. An excruciating pain shot through his entire body as his wrist bone was instantly pulverized.

He let out a shrill scream, clutching his wrist as he staggered back.

“Brother!”

Seeing his two brothers severely wounded in an instant, the sturdy man was overcome with a mixture of shock and fury. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he descended into a complete frenzy! He threw all caution to the wind and, like a crazed bull, tried to grab Chen Qing with brute force and strangle him to death.

Facing this purely brutish charge, a cold glint flashed in Chen Qing’s eyes. He advanced instead of retreating. The moment before the man’s arms could close around him, Chen Qing’s body contracted sharply. Like a startled ape, he ducked right under the sturdy man’s outstretched arms.

At the same time, his hands formed into claws and shot out like lightning. One hand seized the man’s thick right wrist joint, while the other locked onto the gap in his shoulder blade like an iron pincer.

“Tearing Tendons and Shattering Bones? I know a little of that myself!”

Chen Qing’s icy voice rang in the sturdy man’s ear.

The next moment, Chen Qing united his waist and stance, his entire body’s Power erupting in an instant.

The hand on the man’s wrist twisted sharply outward while the hand on his shoulder pressed down. Simultaneously, his right knee, like a battering ram, viciously slammed into the weak point of the man’s lower spine.

“ARGH!”

The sturdy man let out an inhuman scream! He felt his right arm go numb in an instant as a tearing pain shot through his shoulder joint. At the same time, his lower back felt as if it had been struck by an iron spike, and his entire lower body was paralyzed.

THUD—!

His massive body collapsed forward like a wild dog with its spine ripped out, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The sturdy man’s right arm was twisted at a bizarre angle, his shoulder joint clearly dislocated or even his tendons torn. His spine had also suffered a grievous injury.

It all happened in a flash, over in a matter of seconds.

The three men, who had just been so menacing and well-coordinated, were now two down.

The tall, skinny man was on the ground, rolling and wailing as he clutched his broken leg. The sturdy man was sprawled on the ground like a dead dog.

Only the short, stocky man with the shattered wrist remained. He clutched his mangled hand, his face as pale as paper, staring at Chen Qing in utter horror.

The night wind blew, stirring up the dust and the metallic scent of blood.

At this moment, however, Chen Qing’s spirit was in a state of strange excitement.

Strengthened after his second breakthrough, his Power had undergone a qualitative change, and naturally, so had his strength.

“A Dark Energy Expert!”

The short, stocky man saw the effects of the Power on his brother’s body; it was the clear sign of Dark Force.

He looked into Chen Qing’s eyes and felt as if he were being stared down by a wild beast. A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his skull.

“Sp… spare me!”

The short, stocky man dropped to his knees with a thud. Ignoring the excruciating pain in his wrist, he kowtowed repeatedly. “My lord, spare me! We were blind fools to have offended you. I beg you, my lord, be merciful and let this lowly one live! You can have all the silver coins we have on us!”

As he begged for mercy, he fumbled inside his robes with his still-functional left hand.

“If you’re dead, the silver coins will be mine all the same.”

Chen Qing watched him, his expression blank, his eyes cold and unwavering.

The short, stocky man’s body went stiff. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes was extinguished, replaced by utter madness.

He knew Chen Qing would never let him go.

“Then you can go to hell!”

The short, stocky man suddenly looked up. What he pulled from his robes with his left hand was not silver coins, but a short, poisoned Sleeve Arrow!

TWANG! WHOOSH!

At such a close distance, the Poison Arrow, gleaming with a faint blue light, shot toward Chen Qing’s heart like a venomous snake!

This vicious attack was almost impossible to dodge!

But Chen Qing was already on alert. He leaped forward, landing in front of the short, stocky man and grabbing his wrist.

“Ah!” The short, stocky man’s wrist was caught again, and a heart-piercing pain shot through him.

Chen Qing didn’t hesitate for a second! He violently twisted the wrist he held.

CRACK!

The crisp sound of bone breaking rang out again! The short, stocky man’s left wrist was completely ruined.

Chen Qing threw a punch. The wind from his fist howled, carrying a brutal Momentum as it slammed viciously into the man’s defenseless chest!

BOOM!!!

A dull boom, like the beat of a war drum, exploded in the silent night sky.

The short, stocky man was sent flying backward as if hit by a charging bull, blood spewing from his mouth, mixed with fragments of his internal organs.

His chest caved in at a visible rate, and the force of the Fist Force was so great it even tore a hole in the back of his clothes.

He landed heavily on the ground several yards away, his body convulsed violently a few times, and then he was completely Immovable. Only his wide-open eyes still held the terror and disbelief he felt before death.

Killed with a single punch!

Chen Qing walked over to the tall, skinny man, raised his foot, aimed for his throat, and stomped down hard!

CRACK!

With a soft snap, the man’s larynx was crushed. His body arched violently and then went limp.

He then walked to the sturdy man’s side. The man seemed to want to struggle, but his lower body was completely paralyzed, and he could only writhe helplessly.

Chen Qing ended his life with another stomp.

Then, he located the vital points on the three corpses and mercilessly delivered a final blow to each.

His fingertips, like iron awls, stabbed into their temples and cervical vertebrae; Inch Force erupted from the tips of his toes as he viciously kicked their chests and groins.

He poured his full strength into every strike, ensuring all signs of life were completely extinguished and eliminating any possibility of an “accidental awakening.”

He then quickly looted their money pouches, checked carefully to make sure nothing was left behind, and swiftly cleaned up the scene before dragging the bodies to a tributary of the Nan River.

To prevent the bodies from floating to the surface and being discovered, Chen Qing found heavy, sharp-edged rocks on the bank and, using strips of cloth torn from the corpses, firmly tied them to their waists and ankles.

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

The bodies sank in an instant, and the whirlpools they created left no trace.

Only after finishing all this did Chen Qing finally head for home.

When Ms. Han saw Chen Qing push open the door, her anxious heart finally settled. “Ah Qing, why are you back so late tonight? You had your mother worried sick.”

Her voice was tinged with lingering fear.

Chen Qing replied perfunctorily in a calm tone, “Master had some things for me to do, so I was delayed. I’m sorry to have worried you, Mother.”

“It’s fine, as long as you’re okay.”

Ms. Han let out a long sigh, and her tense shoulders relaxed. “The food was ready a long time ago. I kept it warm on the stove. Hurry and eat while it’s hot.”

As she spoke, she carefully collected the few sticks of incense offered on a simple wooden board.

“The River God Festival is in a few days.”

Ms. Han’s voice grew quiet. “Even though your father is gone, the two of us still rely on this boat to eat. We can’t skimp on the incense we ought to offer.”

Chen Qing nodded silently.

The River God Festival was the largest sacrificial event in Gaolin County, and also the liveliest celebration of the year.

After a quick meal, the exhausted Ms. Han went to rest early.

Chen Qing was left alone in the boat’s cabin, the dim, yellow halo of the oil lamp flickering.

Only then did he take out his earnings from the night and lay them out on his lap.

There were twenty taels in broken silver coins, and besides that, four Blood Qi Pills.

One had to know, his official post at the River Hall paid a mere two or three taels of silver a month. Yet tonight, he had gained twenty taels of silver for killing three men. This was equivalent to more than a year’s official salary.

’These three were professional Desperadoes who ambushed people. It seems they targeted me because I was alone.’

Chen Qing’s eyes were cold as he instantly pieced together the cause and effect.

He looked down at his inconspicuous old clothes; in the dim light of night, he really did look like an easy target.

’Next time…’

An incredibly clear thought filled Chen Qing’s mind. ’I absolutely cannot walk home at night anymore.’

He had run into three well-coordinated, vicious Desperadoes this time. What if next time he encountered even more cunning, more ferocious fiends, or even monsters who possessed an Exotic Technique?

…

「The next morning.」

Chen Qing arrived at the Zhou Institute as usual, as if nothing had happened the night before.

The other disciples arrived one after another, bustling about to set up the training equipment.

“Did you hear? Senior Brother Qin was invited out by the Lord Captain!” one disciple whispered, unable to hide his excitement.

“For real? A banquet with the Lord Captain?” The person next to him immediately leaned in, his face full of disbelief.

“It’s absolutely true! At the Linjiang Restaurant! I hear the other guests are all the top figures of Gaolin County’s younger generation. There’s Zhang Chen, the senior disciple from Tianju Martial Arts Hall, and Ding Yiyang from Hongyun Martial Arts Hall… Every single one of them is a big shot!” The well-informed disciple spoke animatedly, as if he had been there himself.

…

When the disciples in the courtyard heard that Qin Lie was attending the Lord Captain’s celebratory banquet, they immediately lost all interest in training and began to gossip excitedly.

“My god… Senior Brother Qin actually managed to get connected with the Captain’s Mansion?” Song Yufeng was so shocked his mouth hung open, his eyes filled with astonishment and envy.

In Gaolin County, the Captain’s Mansion was like the sky itself, an insurmountable power pressing down on everyone.

Even the local bullies, the Five Great Races and the Two Major Gangs, could only bow their heads.

Chen Qing said faintly, “Don’t be envious of others. Use the time to practice your forms.”

’In his opinion, this was not a good thing.’

’The Captain’s Mansion is a great tree. While clinging to it might bring temporary glory, the taller the tree, the stronger the winds it attracts.’

’Pang Qinhai is powerful and holds a high position, but he is also the target of countless overt and covert attacks.’

’The closer one clings, the easier it is to be swept into a vortex of storms that ordinary people can’t even imagine.’

Song Yufeng quickly composed his Heart and Spirit, suppressed his restlessness, and followed behind Chen Qing to continue his Cultivation of the Pile Skill.

In the evening, Qin Lie returned, drunk. His face, however, held an unconcealable pride and excitement.

However, he hadn’t been in the courtyard for long before Zhou Liang called him to the back courtyard.

…

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