"Clang!"
A resonant sound of metal echoed as a flying knife deflected Su Xin's sword,saving the man from immediate danger.
The man's face,once filled with disdain,now displayed sheer terror.He had never witnessed such a swift swordplay in his entire life.
"Cough,cough."
The door of the black house,unnoticed,had been pushed open,revealing a slightly stooped figure.Though appearing to be in his forties,strands of white hair at his temples hinted at aging,making him look frail.However,despite his apparent age,his countenance was fiercely menacing.Especially his left eye,seemingly forcefully sealed shut,leaving only a gaping hole,exuded an exceptionally ferocious aura.
"Soo Big Boss from the Flying Eagle Gang?Your subordinates lack manners.As a grand leader,you wouldn't stoop to the level of a petty thief,would you?"The gravelly voice of Lao Lang rang out.
Su Xin chuckled,"Pretending to be ignorant?Lao Lang,don't tell me you didn't know I was coming.Your subordinates are unruly;surely,you're not oblivious to that?"
Lao Lang's expression turned cold.He hadn't expected this young leader to show him such disrespect,instantly cornering him with just a few words.
"Soo Big Boss,let's speak plainly.You are in charge of Yongle District,and I handle Blackwater Street.Since you have no interest in this place,let's stay out of each other's way,shall we?"
"Stay out of each other's way?Fine.But a few days ago,when the magistrate's son lost his purse,was that your doing?Hand over the purse and its contents,and we can part ways amicably."
Lao Lang's face darkened.He assumed Su Xin,like Dai Chong and Chen before him,sought trouble.Yet,he hadn't anticipated this specific issue.
Deeply gazing at Su Xin,Lao Lang spoke sternly,"Soo Big Boss,it's not that I won't give you face,but this matter is beyond my control.Each organization has its rules.We took the things,but we can't just hand them over.If today they come for something they lost,tomorrow it might be you.What about the livelihood of my brothers?This is a line we can't cross.Even if the magistrate himself comes,I won't comply."
Su Xin shook his head,"Lao Lang,have you ever heard the saying'give face but don't overstep the boundaries'?"
"Lao Lang,Lao Lang,don't pretend you didn't know I was coming just to save face.Your bunch of thieves engaging in petty theft and mischief,yet you talk to me about rules?It's a joke!"
"Soo Xin!You've gone too far!"
Lao Lang's eyes flashed with a hint of fierceness.Despite his disability,he wasn't someone anyone could insult so freely.
"Gone too far?I give you face by calling you Lao Lang.Without that face,you're just a sick dog!Engaging in all sorts of thievery,dare to discuss rules with me?It's nothing but a joke!"
"Soo Xin!You've overstepped!"
A hint of anger flashed in Lao Lang's eyes.He hadn't planned to fight Su Xin;he had no intention of getting involved with these gang members.After all,they were behind a gang.When Dai Chong and Chen came to trouble him in the past,they didn't lay a hand on him;he merely showed his strength,making them retreat.Useless fights were something both Dai Chong and Chen avoided.
Now,facing the aggressive Su Xin,he couldn't tolerate it any longer.Even if it meant killing Su Xin,he could move to other districts to make a living.
Four flying knives were easily evaded by Su Xin,but the stooped figure of Lao Lang pounced forward suddenly,like a fierce tiger,displaying a remarkable momentum.
Lao Lang's hands resembled claws,and his sharp fingernails gleamed like blades,emitting a cold aura.His martial arts were derived from the Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts,particularly the Dragon Claw technique.It was said that a master of an evil sect killed a Shaolin monk,obtaining a partial manual and later creating this skill by combining it with his own techniques.Although not as robust as the original,it excelled in its sinister and ruthless nature.During his prime,Lao Lang used this technique to tear a person in half.
Su Xin stood still,his expression unchanged.In Lao Lang's peak,Su Xin would have had to retreat.However,the current Lao Lang was just a toothless sick dog,with half his martial arts gone and lacking courage.
Just before the claw reached him,Su Xin finally moved.
A punch erupted,overflowing with hatred!
Hatred for an unjust world,resentment towards the heavens!
Ferocious!Ferocious!Hatred!The Fist of Extreme Hatred!
Does hatred possess power?Every day,people harbor hatred—for love,for power,for desires,and for ignorance.
These are the forces of hatred,forces that Lao Lang couldn't resist.
The first punch shattered Lao Lang's hand bones,the sharp claws breaking into fragments,and his right hand dripping with fresh blood.
The second punch crushed Lao Lang's right arm,hanging limp by his side.
The third punch made Lao Lang spew blood,sending him flying backward,convulsing weakly on the ground.
Despair,profound despair—a feeling of powerlessness that Lao Lang had experienced before.
A decade ago,he was vigorous,leading his brothers in dominating the mountains and forests.Even passing officials dared not traverse the dense woods of Xiangnan without losing a chunk of flesh.
Until that day when he provoked the wrong person.
The person was just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old youth wielding a Youquan sword.He raided Lao Lang's stronghold,killed his brothers,while he could only play dead on the ground.
Later,he learned the youth's name:He Xiu,later known as'Sword Gentleman'He Xiu,one of the Five Schools of Swordsmanship,the heir to the Named Sword Villa!
Facing He Xiu,Lao Lang felt powerless.He could never seek revenge in this lifetime.Hence,he retreated to Changning Prefecture,gathering a few hundred pickpockets and thieves,reminiscing about his glorious past in the dark corners.
But now,Su Xin's three punches completely crushed him.
At the same age,succumbing without resistance.
Just as Su Xin had said,he wasn't some old wolf;he was just a sick dog!
Su Xin approached Lao Lang,who lay on the ground.All Lao Lang could see were Su Xin's black boots,and at this moment,he had no desire to lift his head.
"Hand over the purse and the Warm Jade,"Su Xin demanded.
Coughing up blood,Lao Lang struggled to get up,instructing his stunned subordinate,"Go and bring out my box."
The subordinate hesitated for a moment,only realizing the situation after seeing Lao Lang's fierce one-eyed gaze.He immediately went into the house and brought out a small box,handing it to Lao Lang.
Opening the box revealed a dazzling array of treasures.
Every time Lao Lang's pickpockets acquired something,they showed it to him first.If there was anything valuable,he would keep it for himself.
Despite claiming to uphold his rules,even if the magistrate himself came,he wouldn't surrender stolen items.In reality,he hoarded these things,afraid to use or pawn them.He feared reprisals if someone came looking for their lost possessions,and he couldn't return them.
From the box,Lao Lang took out a purse and handed it to Su Xin.Opening it,Su Xin found a jade pendant carved with a mythical beast—an invaluable Warm Jade.
Closing the purse,Su Xin turned to leave,but at that moment,Lao Lang spoke,"Wait."
Su Xin turned back,raising an eyebrow.
Lao Lang handed a silver-white porcelain bottle to Su Xin,a bitter smile on his lips."I have no use for this anymore,nor do I have the right.Take it,and I hope you can give my brothers a way out."
Lao Lang had heard about Su Xin's exploits.He wasn't a compassionate man,and now,he was no match for Su Xin.Did his Blackwater Street still have a reason to exist?
Despite this,Lao Lang wanted to try.He didn't want to repeat the past,watching his brothers die under that person's sword,while he could only cower beneath the corpses.
To the question of"What is this?"Lao Lang said,"I don't know.My brothers stole it from a martial artist.It has a strong medicinal fragrance,probably a top-notch healing medicine or a supplementary cultivation elixir.Anyway,I have no use for it."
What Lao Lang truly wounded wasn't his body but his heart.A heart that had been ruined couldn't be healed,even with the best medicine.
Taking the bottle of elixir,Su Xin remarked casually,"From now on,Blackwater Street belongs to me,Su Xin.However,I won't send my men to interfere with you.Blackwater Street will remain Blackwater Street."
Exiting Blackwater Street,the gang member who led the way was in absolute awe of Su Xin.
Their leader was truly a legend of the Flying Eagle Gang,defeating the once formidable Lao Lang,who had humiliated Dai Chong and Chen before.In fact,Su Xin had no reason to be proud of defeating Lao Lang.His acupoints were already connected to sixty,approaching the mid-stage of the Houtian realm.Lao Lang might have been strong once,but now he only possessed strength equivalent to having less than ten acupoints left.His martial arts were still formidable,and his combat experience was rich,but Su Xin easily overpowered him.
Of course,Su Xin was quite satisfied with the power of the Fist of Extreme Hatred.It truly lived up to its reputation as a technique passed down by the notorious villain Yuan Shu in the book"The Thirteen Limitations of Wen Shu."
With the Fist of Extreme Hatred being so powerful,Su Xin was eager to see how stunning the"Heartbreaking Little Arrow"would be,as mentioned in the book.
