The night was shrouded in mist!
In the dilapidated temple on the mountain behind Li Family Village, the light of a lamp flickered, shining out from a drafty window.
Inside the cobweb-filled building, Li Hu sat by an oil lamp. After taking a small sip of liquor, he tossed a peanut into his mouth.
Across from him sat one of his two lackeys; the other was absent.
His name was Li Jian, and he was, in fact, Li Hu's nephew.
But to project an air of authority in the gang, Li Hu forbade him from calling him "Uncle," making him call him Master Hu instead.
The mountain wind howled through the dilapidated temple, sounding like the wails of ghosts and wolves, and Li Jian's face turned pale with fear.
"Look at you, you coward. We just killed a man, so what? You weren't afraid of him when he was alive, what's there to be scared of now that he's dead?" Li Hu mocked, looking at Li Jian's expression.
"That He Shicai had to die and force me to hide in this shithole. If he can turn into a ghost, I'll just kill him a second time."
He hadn't meant to kill He Shicai. He'd only slapped him once, but he never expected the man to be so fragile, to actually die of rage. It forced them to go into hiding.
As long as no one reported it, the Government usually didn't bother with such matters. Most people wouldn't dare to inform on the Sanhe Gang anyway. But there was always the fear that He Shicai's family might do something stupid and go to the authorities.
Even if the Government was in cahoots with them, they would still have to put on a show for the public. That's why they had to hide first.
Li Jian said, somewhat ashamed, "Master Hu, you've killed several people, so of course you're not afraid. But this is the first time your nephew—me—has killed someone. I'm afraid his vengeful spirit will come for me."
"Vengeful spirit my ass. If they existed, would I have gotten away with this for so many years?"
Li Hu comforted him, "Don't be scared. Even though we killed someone, you took the heat for the gang. A lot of guys want to kill their way up the ladder but never get the chance. With this incident under your belts, you and Li Liang can get promoted in a few years. This is a good thing.
I made a name for myself in the gang by killing someone back in the day.
Remember, in the gang, you have to be able to take on big jobs to get a chance to move up."
Hearing this, Li Jian's fear subsided a little. "Master Hu, how much longer do we have to hide? This place is no fit for a person to live in."
They had been hiding here for three days. Although they had plenty of food, he couldn't stand it anymore. Sleeping on a door panel every night, his back felt like it was about to break.
"We wait for news from Li Liang. If He Shicai's family doesn't report it to the authorities, we can go back." Li Hu took another swig of liquor.
He had been through this many times and was long used to it.
"What if He Shicai's family does go to the authorities?"
Li Hu laughed. "Then we'll get rid of them. With no accuser, no one will come looking for trouble."
He said it as if he were talking about squashing a few ants.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside.
"Who is it?"
Li Hu was the first to react, pulling a dagger from his waist.
"Master Hu, it's me."
Li Liang squeezed in from outside and said with a smile, "Good news. He Shicai's family didn't go to the authorities."
"We can go back!" Li Jian stood up.
"So they didn't want a death wish. He Shicai's family has some sense after all. Let's go. First, to your little aunt's place!" Li Hu chugged a mouthful of liquor and led the way out.
This "little aunt" was his mistress. She was a widow who couldn't afford to pay the protection fee, so she paid with her body. One thing led to another, and she became Li Hu's mistress.
After hiding for a few days, he was feeling very pent-up.
Li Jian blew out the oil lamp and followed him out of the dilapidated temple.
The three of them made their way down the mountain, bypassed Li Family Village, and headed toward Dashu Village, where Li Hu's mistress lived.
"Master Hu, slow down!" Li Jian reached out to support Li Hu.
Li Hu had already drunk a lot in the temple and had kept drinking on the way down the mountain. The alcohol was hitting him now, and his steps were becoming unsteady.
"I'm fine. This little bit of liquor won't get me drunk. When I was your age, I could down two or three catties of liquor and still chop people up."
The Sanhe Gang had rival gangs, and clashes and assassinations were common. Li Hu usually wouldn't drink when traveling at night.
But he had been in hiding for the last few days, and no one knew their whereabouts, so he wasn't worried about running into trouble on the road.
Not far ahead, Dashu Village came into view.
"Your little aunt should still be awake. In a bit, we'll have her whip up some dishes, and the three of us will keep drinking. My mouth has gone bland after all these days on the mountain."
As Li Hu spoke, he seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Oh, right. That kid, Xu Yang, did he deliver the money?"
Li Liang shook his head. "I asked the brothers at the hall. He never went."
"Is that little brat trying to stall for time on purpose? Tomorrow, we'll go to his house and see—"
He never got to finish the word "see." A dark figure suddenly shot out from below the ridge of a nearby field, as swift as a tiger or leopard.
Li Hu had been in the gangs for years. He had killed several times and been the target of assassins many times more; he was extremely experienced in dealing with such situations.
Despite being tipsy, he reacted instantly and correctly, shoving Li Liang, who was beside him, forward.
"PFFT!"
With a sound like leather being pierced, he saw, as he retreated, a sharpened wooden staff run through Li Liang's body, tenting his clothes.
In an instant, his scalp went numb and he broke out in a cold sweat. If he hadn't reacted so quickly, he would have been the one skewered like a candied haw.
"BANG!"
Xu Yang kicked Li Liang's body off the wooden staff, took a swift step forward, and, gripping the wrist-thick staff with both hands, brought it crashing down on Li Jian's head.
He had lain in ambush outside the entrance of the village where Li Hu's mistress lived for two straight days. On the third day, he finally caught Li Hu.
He originally thought he would only get Li Hu, but he hadn't expected all three of them to be there. Killing them all would be perfect, preventing anyone from connecting the incident to him.
He didn't have a proper weapon, so he had found a sturdy, heavy wooden staff and sharpened its tip, using it as both a spear and a staff.
He had never learned any Spear Technique or Staff Technique, but with enough strength, a weapon like this was nearly as deadly as a blade.
"BOOM!"
The wrist-thick staff cut through the air with a dull thud. It bent slightly under the force of Xu Yang's swing, a testament to the terrifying power of the blow.
Li Jian was already scared out of his wits by Li Liang's death, but faced with his own demise, he still managed to react.
He crossed his arms above his head, foolishly trying to block the fatal strike with his bare flesh and bone.
"CRACK!"
The sound of his arm bones shattering rang out.
With Xu Yang's current strength, he could snatch-lift a 150-jin Stone Lock with a single arm. The force of this two-handed blow was well over five hundred jin.
Li Jian's arms snapped instantly. Before he could even scream, the unstoppable wooden staff had already smashed into his forehead.
With a dull THUD, brains and bone fragments splattered as Li Jian collapsed, his body limp.
"CRACK!"
Xu Yang had used too much force. The wooden staff, having delivered consecutive blows, suddenly snapped. He couldn't help but stumble, but he quickly took a step forward to regain his balance and keep from falling.
"Mur—"
Li Hu was scared witless, having completely forgotten about the dagger at his waist.
Everything had happened in a flash. He had only managed to retreat three or four steps and hadn't gotten far.
He opened his mouth to shout "Murder!", but before he could make a sound, the broken staff flew through the air and slammed into his back.
Li Hu's vision went black. He didn't even have time to feel the pain. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him, trapping the air in his lungs.
The next moment, Xu Yang was behind him. He grabbed Li Hu's head with both hands and twisted it backward with all his might.
"CRACK!"
Li Hu's neck snapped. In the darkness, his twisted head faced a familiar, cold face.
"Xu Yang..."
'The one killing me... is Xu Yang!'
He had just enough time for that single thought before his consciousness plunged into darkness.
"CRACK!"
Xu Yang continued to apply force, not letting go until he had twisted Li Hu's head a full three hundred and sixty degrees.