Chapter 26: The Dark Night
The night was dark, the wind strong, and the heavy clouds obscured the moon.
In the western city, within the smoky and willow-shrouded alleys of Yanliu Lane, where entertainment flourished, three drunken men with flushed faces and the stench of alcohol stumbled out of a bustling brothel. They clung to one another, swaying as they made their way toward the shadowy depths of the alley, muttering nonsensical words.
"Big brother, you've been entrusted with such an important task by the hall master this time. Once the western city is consolidated, your position is bound to rise even higher. I hope you'll remember us younger brothers when the time comes," one said.
"Who do you think I am, Zhang Hong? Which of the brothers in the gang doesn't know I value loyalty? Don't worry, the two of you have been with me for so long. When I move up, your positions will naturally be secure," Zhang Hong replied.
"Thank you, big brother! Thank you!" they exclaimed in unison, their voices brimming with joy, as though they had just encountered some tremendous good fortune.
Their attention was completely focused on their lively conversation, paying no heed to their surroundings. They failed to notice a lean and agile figure silently emerging from a shadowy corner of the alley. The figure followed them at a distance, drawing closer step by step.
"But speaking of this matter," Zhang Hong continued, "you two need to stay sharp from now on. After tonight, stop fooling around for the time being."
"The task assigned by the hall master must not be messed up. If anything goes wrong, even my head won't be safe," he warned.
"Make sure to gather manpower as soon as possible and thoroughly investigate the residents of the streets near Le Ping Lane. Mark each household properly. The hall master has only given us half a month. If we don't complete it within this time, and something goes wrong when the Yangfu Sect takes action, you two better watch your necks."
Upon hearing this, all three men came to an abrupt halt.
"Big brother, don't you think this task is a bit too heavy on the conscience? We're talking about hundreds of lives here. Helping the Yangfu Sect with something like this—it makes my heart uneasy," one of the men said hesitantly.
Smack!
The speaker was suddenly grabbed by the back of his neck.
A harsh voice rang out in the alley, filled with menace:
"I don't want to hear this again! Do you understand?"
"Lives? What's more important—your life or theirs?"
"I... I understand..." the man stammered.
"Good. Now, go home and get some rest. Tomorrow, we rise early and do our jobs properly," Zhang Hong instructed.
"Oh, and make sure to deal with that Chen family boy while you're at it. He's been learning martial arts at the dojo, and it's clear he's got some ambition. He's not the kind to stay in line. I took over his business, and it's been a while now—yet he hasn't made a single move. That's a hidden threat."
"Understood, big brother," the other replied.
With that, the three swayed forward again, their figures disappearing deeper into the alley.
Meanwhile, the thin figure tailing them didn't immediately follow.
'Yangfu Sect... markings... hundreds of lives? What does all this mean?'
Chen Yuan, hidden in the shadows, fixed his gaze on the trio's receding figures, his brow furrowed tightly.
Since hearing about Zhang Hong's activities from Zhao He earlier that day, he had been discreetly tailing the group for most of the day.
Initially, he had no urgent plans to act, merely observing for a suitable moment. When he noticed the trio drinking at the brothel, half-drunk and without any other gang members from the Butcher's Guild accompanying them, he decided to follow them into the alley.
His intention was to wait until they split up before making a move.
Yet, by sheer chance, he had overheard this shocking conversation.
The involvement of the Yangfu Sect—a notorious rebellious faction—along with the mention of hundreds of lives, was clearly no trivial matter.
Most concerning of all, Le Ping Lane was the very street where Chen Yuan rented his residence.
Although he couldn't yet deduce what the Butcher's Guild and the Yangfu Sect were planning in the western city, the mention of his neighborhood being implicated set his thoughts spinning.
Moreover, it seemed Zhang Hong intended to use this situation to deal with him.
Chen Yuan couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion at this realization. However, he quickly took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the distracting thoughts.
'This is an opportunity I cannot miss. Zhang Hong and his group will undoubtedly be on high alert while handling such an important matter. If I let go of tonight's chance, with them drunk and careless, it'll be much harder to act later.'
Not to mention, their connection to the Yangfu Sect added an extra layer of danger.
Chen Yuan wasn't willing to risk missing this chance and getting entangled in even greater trouble in the future.
With this in mind, Chen Yuan stopped hesitating and cautiously followed them again.
After a short while, his patience paid off.
At a fork in the alley, the three men split up, each heading in a different direction.
Chen Yuan's gaze lingered briefly on each of their departing backs before he decided to follow Zhang Hong.
Watching Zhang Hong walk some distance and turn into a quieter alley, Chen Yuan silently drew a short dagger from his waistband.
Moments later, he was trailing Zhang Hong from a distance of about seven steps.
Perhaps due to years of street smarts and experience in gang skirmishes, Zhang Hong still retained some vigilance, even in his half-drunken state.
Chen Yuan had intended to close in further for a surer strike, but as he narrowed the gap to five steps, Zhang Hong suddenly stopped, glancing around warily as if sensing something.
Seeing this, Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he called out decisively, "Big brother!"
"Hmm?"
Zhang Hong visibly froze, his body unable to react fast enough as he instinctively turned his head to look behind him.
And at that very moment—
Swish!
A flash of cold steel, accompanied by a rapidly lunging figure, appeared in his line of sight.
Zhang Hong didn't even have time to see what was coming.
He felt a sudden chill at his neck, and the world around him spun chaotically.
What's happening?
Wide-eyed, he tried to steady his head and make sense of his surroundings. But no matter how hard he struggled, his mind wouldn't cooperate.
Thud!
The next instant, an unbearable pain coursed through his head, followed by a loud buzzing noise.
In a hazy moment, he thought he saw something approaching him. Then, a distant, muffled voice reached his ears:
"This... is it? That was simpler than I expected..."
And with that, his consciousness faded away.
"I've killed someone..."
The thought flashed through Chen Yuan's mind as he gripped the short dagger tightly.
Aside from the adrenaline making his heartbeat race, he realized he didn't feel much else.
Taking a step back instinctively, he avoided the spray of blood from Zhang Hong's neck. His gaze remained fixed on the severed head now resting in the corner of the alley. For a brief moment, he was dazed.
But almost immediately, another thought surfaced:
"There are still two more to deal with."
Taking a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions, Chen Yuan made no move to approach Zhang Hong's body. Instead, he decisively turned away, leaving the alley to pursue the other two targets.
After some time, Chen Yuan emerged from another messy alley and stepped back onto the main street.
His breathing was still visibly uneven, and his expression carried a trace of disorientation. Shaking his head slightly, he forced himself to regain composure, his breaths gradually evening out.
"The power of my initial mastery in force refinement, combined with lethal fist techniques, is more effective than I thought," he reflected, exhaling deeply.
Instinctively, he glanced back toward the alley he had just left.
In that moment, Chen Yuan truly grasped the strength of a martial artist trained in strength refinement.
To ensure success, he had deliberately carried a short dagger. His original plan was to leverage the weapon to enhance the agility and precision of the Swallow Peck Strike, a signature technique of the Swallow Wing Fist.
Yet, he hadn't anticipated the lethal synergy of the weapon and the martial art. The raw killing power, already potent, had even surprised him.
Recalling the events from earlier, Chen Yuan found his hands trembling uncontrollably.
It was only now, after the act, that the full weight of killing someone truly dawned on him.
"I'm not as accustomed to this as I thought..."
He took a deep breath, his expression shifting to one of subtle complexity. After all, this was his first time taking a life.
"But since I've come to a world like this, killing is inevitable. It's better to take a life than to lose mine. Experiencing it now isn't necessarily a bad thing."
With this thought, he steadied himself.
The day he decided to train in martial arts, he had mentally prepared for such eventualities.
As his mind refocused, Chen Yuan recalled the fragments of conversation he overheard from Zhang Hong and his men.
Though they spoke in snippets, the implications of their discussion were shocking enough.
The fact that his own neighborhood was involved in their plans gave him no choice but to be concerned.
"I'll need to be more vigilant about this... Moving somewhere else might be the safest option. But judging by the areas Zhang Hong's group is targeting, living in the crowded slums probably won't make much difference. And if I want to move to a better area..."
Chen Yuan's thoughts shifted to the silver he currently had on hand.
"Didn't Zhang Hong mention their leader gave them half a month to complete this task? At least I still have a bit of time."
Lost in contemplation, Chen Yuan glanced around the deserted street.
Not lingering further, he picked up his pace and headed quickly back toward his home.