The entrances before and after Xiazhen Town were now swathed in darkness, figures swiftly advancing towards the town.
Chu Ning, who sat atop the courtyard wall of the wealthiest family in the town, was currently clad in fitted clothes, an arrow quiver on his back, his sleeves stuffed with chili powder, and a constable's saber hanging by his waist.
At the same time, he wore armor forged by the smithy's shopkeeper on his chest and back.
This armor was the treasured heirloom of the smithy's family, revealed to Chu Ning only after he inquired about armor. That's when he learned that average martial masters typically didn't wear any.
Because ordinary iron armor couldn't defend against Dark Energy and the force of the impact could even injure the internal organs due to the backlash.
Effective armor had to be made from special fine iron combined with unique forging techniques, with starting prices at 500 taels of silver.
Knowing that Chu Ning needed armor, the shopkeeper had temporarily lent him the set forged by his ancestors.
In the darkness of the night, Chu Ning's eyes swept back and forth, soon picking up on some noise.
The enemy had arrived!
Several days before, Liu Da had reported to him that all of Daning County's gangs, except for the Three Bamboo Gang, which went about their usual business, had their elite members and high-ranking officers from both the Flying Tiger Gate and the Blood Blade Hall acting secretive recently.
Liu Da was unaware of Uncle Huang's situation, but Chu Ning was extra vigilant.
With Uncle Huang vying for the position of the Huang Family head against his competitor, while they kept an eye on each other's people, borrowing the power of external gangs seemed like an excellent choice under these circumstances.
Chu Ning drew his bow. Even though the night was dark, the enemy was clearly a group, and shooting in the direction of their shadows meant he wouldn't miss.
Whoosh!
The first arrow flew, aimed at the group approaching from the rear of the town.
From within the darkness came cries of agony, the sounds instantly causing commotion.
Chu Ning notched another arrow and released it.
"Not good, there's an enemy!"
"Torches, light the torches."
The group behind the town clearly panicked. Chu Ning had now notched three arrows but didn't shoot them yet.
Until, a light appeared below.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three arrows flew in unison.
The glow of the torches allowed Chu Ning to aim with even greater precision.
The hissing of the arrows through the air was followed by the sound of each finding its target, piercing them through the body.
By the light, Chu Ning spotted a middle-aged man below wielding a large ring blade. Those men seemed to be centering around him. Without hesitation, he fired another arrow straight at the man.
As for accuracy, Chu Ning didn't deliberately aim for vital spots, because being hit by his arrow meant certain death or the loss of combat capability.
This was no TV drama where actors could continue fighting after being slashed a dozen times or stabbed with several holes. Being pierced by an arrow meant being incapacitated.
Feeling the whoosh of the arrow, Wu Qiang clenched his teeth and struck at the arrow with his blade.
Bang!
Arrow and blade collided, causing Wu Qiang to stagger back several steps, his face one of shock as he gazed into the darkness ahead.
The shock had left his palm numb, nearly causing him to lose grip on his blade.
"Could the enemy be a Seventh Grade martial master? No, if it were a Seventh Grade master, they wouldn't need to shoot arrows from a distance, probably just a martial master with great strength."
A thread of fear wound through Wu Qiang's heart. Wasn't there supposed to be only one constable in Xiazhen Town?
And where did this master archer come from?
"Too bad, if a martial master had noticed my arrow, they would still be able to block it."
Chu Ning shook his head at the deflected arrow. In the next instant, he drew his bow to full strength again, this time sparing no effort.
Whoosh!
"Again!"
Feeling the sound of the approaching projectile, Wu Qiang felt a tingling on his scalp, not daring to block with his blade this time. Instead, he instantly chose to roll to the side and hide in a corner.
The arrow failed to hit Wu Qiang but caused misfortune for one of his gang members behind him, striking directly into his brow and burying halfway into his head.
"Everyone, hide!"
Wu Qiang quickly instructed his subordinates to take cover by the wall. Looking at the five or six men lying on the ground, including a Vice Gang Leader, his heart bled—these were the key players in his future domination of Daning County.
Especially the Vice Gang Leader, who had been brought in from another county at a high cost after the death of Zheng Yangjie to replenish the strength of the Flying Tiger Gate.
But in the next moment, Wu Qiang sensed the malice of the archer.
The archer had not followed through with shots at the gang members lying injured on the ground, instead allowing their cries of pain and calls for help to ring out. Observing the looks from his other subordinates, Wu Qiang understood the archer's intention.
It was deliberate.
He intended to sow discord between Wu Qiang and his men.
If Wu Qiang didn't attempt a rescue, those lucky enough to survive would possibly lose their loyalty to him. And with other gang brothers watching, what would they think of their Gang Leader?
Chu Ning didn't linger to finish off those shot by his arrows. He purposefully spared the gang members, knowing they had already lost their will to fight for now.
In a swift move, Chu Ning leaped to another courtyard wall and headed towards the front of the town.
He repeated his tactic!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
In the chill of the night, the arrows became grim reapers' scythes, reaping one life after another.
But whether it was the Flying Tiger Gate or the Blood Blade Hall, each had sent thirty men this time. Even with most struck by arrows, a few still closed in on the courtyard.
"Four martial masters of considerable strength must be the Sect Leader and Vice Sect Leader of Flying Tiger Gate as well as the Hall Master and Vice Hall Master of Blood Blade Hall," he analyzed. "Among them, the Vice Hall Master of Blood Blade Hall is the weakest, having taken one of my arrows in the arm. He's lost most of his combat capacity, which means I'm currently facing three martial masters."
Chu Ning was also calculating the strength of his opponents. The remaining three martial masters must all be Ninth Grade. If he could take them down one by one, that would be ideal.
He needed to be quick!
With a plan in mind, Chu Ning fired off several more arrows to block the way of the Blood Blade Hall members.
Wang Qinghua, hiding around a corner, instructed Vice Hall Master Li Chuang, "Li Chuang, take some men and circle around from the back. This archer is just one person. If we surround him from both sides, I refuse to believe he can keep shooting this quickly."
Li Chuang nodded and led four subordinates around the other side of the wall.
"One, two..."
Chu Ning was counting the seconds. He knew Xiazhen Town like the back of his hand, and in recent times, he had gone over it again and again, memorizing the time it took to walk each street and past every house with regular steps.
Thirty breaths later, Chu Ning leaped over to another yard wall—Wang Qinghua was right there on top of this wall.
Wang Qinghua reacted swiftly to the noise above, swinging his long blade upward in a slashing motion that was fierce and sharp, almost simultaneous with Chu Ning's landing on the yard wall.
The blade strike was fast.
Unfortunately, he struck nothing.
Because Chu Ning hadn't jumped down.
What was more crucial was that even though Wang Qinghua had hit nothing, he felt a warmth on his face.
"Despicable!"
Wang Qinghua, raised in the gang world, instantly understood what had happened—this man had resorted to dirty tricks.
He didn't touch his face with his hands but instead kept his gaze fixed upward intently.
But the next instant, a burning sharp pain assaulted his face, a mix of spicy and sour, with a hint of saltiness... and a certain nauseating stench.
In his life, Wang Qinghua had never smelled anything like it.
The pain in his eyes was as if someone had violently gouged at them, and he couldn't help but sneeze uncontrollably.
In that brief moment of distraction, Wang Qinghua felt a sudden severe pain in his arm. The sound of bones breaking came from the arm that held his blade. In a panic, Wang Qinghua stumbled backward, just as the force of a punch was bearing down on him.
Bang!
Wang Qinghua's body flew like a kite with its string cut, crashing hard against the yard wall and making a hole in it. The commoners inside the house, woken by the commotion, hurriedly came out with lanterns.
"Constable Chu, what's going on here?"
"Old Xu, go back to sleep. The constabulary is conducting a thief-catching drill tonight. If there's any damage, you can come to the constabulary tomorrow to claim compensation," Chu Ning explained.
Old Xu took in the sight of the still figure on the ground in his courtyard and then noticed a few fearful and nervous men holding blades not far from Chu Ning. After a pause, he said, "This drill seems very realistic. I won't disturb you further."
Clack!
Old Xu turned and closed his door, and darkness returned to the room.
Chu Ning turned and attacked the remaining Blood Blade Hall members.
A dozen or so breaths later, silence reigned again.
"Old Xu, the constabulary's doing a drill. We should go out and enjoy the spectacle," one voice said.
"Drill my foot. Among those holding blades, I recognize one. He's a member of the Blood Blade Hall. Last time I was in the county town, I saw that guy beating a merchant until he vomited blood. If you're looking to die, go out and watch."
"Ah, doesn't that mean Constable Chu is in danger?"
"I guess so, but it seemed like those Blood Blade Hall guys were quite scared of him."
...
...
After dealing with Wang Qinghua, Chu Ning didn't hesitate to continue his assault on the Vice Hall Master of Blood Blade Hall. Although the Vice Hall Master's blade technique was decent, Chu Ning, coordinating with his agile footwork, took him down with just three punches, causing him to die on the spot.
Chu Ning had a principle when it came to striking.
If he could finish an opponent in three moves, he'd strike with full force, estimating that it would be enough. If not, he'd use chili powder for a surprise attack.
Having taken care of the Hall Master and Vice Hall Master of Blood Blade Hall, Chu Ning didn't pursue the other gang members who were fleeing in panic towards the town entrance. His goal was to defend the courtyard.
What remained now was dealing with Flying Tiger Gate.
In a secluded courtyard,
a graceful woman tightly embraced a young boy. They had already heard the commotion outside.
"Xuan'er, remember, if your mother can't leave, you must get closer to your father in the future," the woman told the boy.
"Mother, with Brother Chu around, we won't be harmed," the boy replied with confidence.
"I hope so, but mother is just preparing for the worst," the woman said, a trace of hatred flashing across her eyes. "You must get close to your father and please him, but never fully trust him."
"Mother, why can't I trust father? Is it because he doesn't come to see us often? But father has visited us several times this year," the boy questioned, not understanding.
He had lived with his mother since he was young. Previously, his father would only visit them once or twice a year, but this year he had visited more frequently.
"He's not coming to see us; he's doing it on purpose," the woman whispered bitterly, then ruffled the boy's hair. "Just remember your mother's words, and about the man outside, Constable Chu, try to associate more with him in the future."
"I will remember," the boy said, not fully understanding but always obedient to his mother. He nodded earnestly.
PS: I have some unfortunate news to share with everyone. It seems... there's a rumor that a certain renowned author has taken a liking to the title 'Jiudeng.' As a minor author who hasn't done well, I have no choice but to relinquish the title.
If you happen to see a book titled "I Just Want to Outlast You, Don't Force Me to Beat You to Death" in your library, don't be surprised—it's this book.
The great author is amazing indeed, writing diligently. We'll bear it, and maybe in five or ten years...
Forget it, I won't make things up. The editor says the conversion rate is low, meaning that out of a thousand readers recommended, only about 20 are willing to click. After changing the summary, it reached 30, and now the title is being changed.'