Chapter 55: Chapter 51: Sneak Attack

Song Hu led two of his men into a secluded alley.

One of them couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Brother Hu, is that Chen kid really involved in this?”

“It’s hard to tell for now.” Song Hu’s expression was as grim as iron.

He had been raised by his uncle, Song Tie, who had also provided all the resources for his martial arts training.

After training at the Martial Arts Hall for two years with no hope of a breakthrough, he left home and became an Assassin.

Unexpectedly, upon his return this time, he was shocked to learn that his uncle had been murdered. In a fit of grief and rage, he stormed the Tiger Gang’s headquarters that very night and killed their leader, Xu Chengfeng, with his own hands.

What chilled him to the bone, however, was the shocking truth Xu Chengfeng revealed before he died.

The Tiger Gang had learned of Song Tie’s hiding place from a leak, and the fatal blow had not been dealt by them.

Someone else had killed his uncle, Song Tie.

Using someone else to do the dirty work, cleaning up the scene, framing the Tiger Gang… this series of moves suggested that the person behind it all not only knew Mute Bay like the back of their hand but was also a meticulous, ruthless character.

’Who had a motive to kill my uncle? A personal grudge? Or was it to climb the ranks?’

To be able to ambush and kill a master at the Great Success stage of Manifest Force, even a heavily injured one, in a small alley, the killer’s own strength had to be at least at the Manifest Force level.

And Chen Qing, a Fisherman from Mute Bay, had coincidentally started practicing martial arts during this very period, quickly making a name for himself.

All of this forced Song Hu to pin a sliver of suspicion on Chen Qing.

The other man chimed in, “Brother Hu, so what do we do now…?”

A vicious glint flashed in Song Hu’s eyes. “For now, we lay low to avoid tipping him off. When I get back, I’ll pay a hefty sum to hire Chief Liu to investigate thoroughly!”

“Chief Liu?!”

Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in both men’s eyes.

That man was a legendary investigator, well-known even throughout Yunlin Prefecture for cracking tough cases.

But the man beside him hesitated. “But Brother Hu, Chief Liu’s fee…”

“With the treasure I got from the Tiger Gang this time, do I need to worry about mere silver coins?”

Song Hu pressed a hand firmly against his bulging chest, gritting his teeth as he spoke each word with emphasis. “No matter who killed my uncle, I will make them pay a thousand times over. A debt of blood will be paid in blood.”

“Yes! We’ll make sure that bastard dies without a proper bur—”

The man’s words were cut short.

“THUD—!”

A muffled impact, like a sledgehammer hitting meat! The man who had just spoken was sent flying sideways as if struck by lightning, slamming violently into the brick wall at the side of the alley.

The dull thud of the impact reverberated through the alley. Blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering across the mottled wall in a ghastly crimson blossom, before he collapsed like a boneless heap.

“Who—?!”

Song Hu was scared out of his wits, alarm bells screaming in his head.

But before he could turn to react, a figure as fast as lightning lunged at him with the force of a thunderclap.

It was Chen Qing!

He stomped his left foot hard on the stone pavement, his hips and waist driving his spine in a powerful twist like a grinding millstone. A heart-stopping series of cracks and pops echoed from his joints.

His right arm instantly became as supple as a snake, yet it contained a fierce, unyielding Penetration Power strong enough to shatter mountains!

“BOOM!”

A low, explosive boom of air suddenly ripped through the narrow, dark alley.

Chen Qing’s fist, wrapped in a terrifying gale, didn’t travel in a straight line. Instead, like a steel whip charged with lightning, it carved a bizarre and vicious arc, whipping upward from below and forward from behind to strike the other man.

The other man only felt an overwhelming Power penetrate his torso before he could even register the pain.

“CRACK—!”

The sickening sound of splintering bone erupted—the sound of several ribs instantly shattering under a brutal wave of Dark Force.

His body was flung through the air like a discarded sack, landing with a THUMP less than three paces in front of Song Hu, then falling silent.

In the blink of an eye, both men were dead!

Song Hu, after all, was a seasoned master who had faced death many times. His sense of crisis was etched into his very bones.

The instant the air boomed, a bone-deep chill shot straight to the top of his skull.

He forced his body to twist around. With a SHING, the short blade at his waist was unsheathed. A cold glint flashed as it struck like a viper’s tongue, whistling through the air as it slashed behind him.

“SHLICK!”

The blade flashed past! But Chen Qing seemed to have anticipated it, sidestepping while his arm coiled around Song Hu’s wrist like a Spiritual Snake wrapping around a vine!

A strange, insidious, yet deeply penetrating Dark Force erupted from the pores of Chen Qing’s skin, instantly drilling through his arm and into Song Hu’s wrist bones!

“Not good!”

Song Hu’s expression changed drastically. He knew how terrifying Dark Force could be and, in his panic, he abruptly dropped his blade and yanked his arm back.

“CLANG!”

The short blade fell to the ground.

Seizing the opening, Song Hu pivoted on his right foot. His body spun like a phantom, and he appeared behind Chen Qing, his left palm striking like a blade, aiming viciously for the center of Chen Qing’s back.

In that single motion of retreat and advance, his killing intent flared!

But Chen Qing seemed to read his intentions as clear as day. With just a slight, nimble shift of his feet, the fatal palm strike scraped past his spine, hitting nothing but air.

At the same time, like a shadow sticking to its owner, Chen Qing had already moved back in front of Song Hu.

Without a shred of hesitation, the blood and qi in Chen Qing’s body began to boil. He unleashed the killing move of Long Arm Fist, the “Mountain-Breaking Technique,” which descended with the force of a roaring tsunami.

Both fists shot out like a Flood Dragon bursting from the sea. A savage wind howled, completely enveloping Song Hu.

The moment his arms shot forward to punch, his joints popped like thunder! His ferocious aura was like that of a man-eating tiger that had just broken its chains.

’Shameless!’

’Utterly shameless!’

Song Hu roared in his mind. ’Chen Qing’s strength is far greater than mine, yet he still resorted to a sneak attack.’

’How can such a shameless person exist!’

However, once the initiative is lost in a fight, it’s lost at every following step.

Chen Qing’s blood and qi surged, his Power erupting completely as his fists smashed viciously into Song Hu’s arms.

BANG!

Song Hu felt an aching soreness in his arms, the muscles and bones within shattered by the immense Power. Beads of sweat began to stream down his face.

This was the tyrannical nature of Dark Force!

Naturally, Chen Qing wouldn’t let such a perfect opportunity slip by. He split Song Hu’s arms apart, breaking his guard, and landed a solid “Spiritual Ape Paying Respect” strike squarely on his chest.

“CRACK! SQUELCH—!”

A muffled sound came from Song Hu’s mouth—the sound of his sternum cracking and his internal organs rupturing.

After landing the punch, Chen Qing stepped back.

Song Hu’s face was as pale as wax paper before it flushed beet red. A gurgling sound came from his throat, his eyes bulged, and his body swayed as if from a heavy blow before he violently coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

“…”

A final, desperate will to live and a sense of indignation flared in his pupils, but all his struggles were in vain.

His body twitched twice, then collapsed with a thud, devoid of any breath.

Chen Qing’s eyes were icy as he quickly searched the three corpses.

When his hand reached into Song Hu’s robes, his fingertips brushed against a tough Parchment Scroll.

Chen Qing unhesitatingly stuffed it into his own robes. He then channeled his Inner Strength, delivering a series of heavy blows to the joints and vital points of the corpses, mangling them beyond recognition.

After doing all this, he scanned his surroundings vigilantly, and with a flicker, his figure melted silently into the alley’s shadows and vanished.

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep