Chapter 31: Banquet |
This collision had exquisite timing, angle, and force.
"Bang! Crack!"
Another muffled sound accompanied by the crisp snap of breaking bone.
The stocky man felt as if his wrist had struck a heavy hammer. Excruciating pain instantly spread throughout his body, his wrist bones shattering completely.
He let out a shrill scream, clutching his wrist and staggering backward.
"Big Brother!"
Seeing both his brothers instantly severely injured, the sturdy man was shocked and enraged, blood filling his pupils as he completely descended into madness! Reckless and desperate, like a crazed bull, he actually tried to use brute force to grab Chen Qing and strangle him to death.
Facing this pure brute force charge, a cold glint flashed in Chen Qing's eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced. At the instant the opponent was about to grab him, his body suddenly contracted like a startled ape, actually drilling through beneath the sturdy man's outstretched arms.
Simultaneously, his hands formed claws, striking out like lightning. One hand locked onto the opponent's thick right wrist joint, while the other clamped like an iron vise onto the gap in his shoulder blade.
Chen Qing's cold voice rang in the sturdy man's ear.
The next moment, Chen Qing unified his waist and stance, his entire body's strength exploding instantly.
His wrist-gripping hand twisted fiercely outward while his shoulder-locking hand pressed downward. Simultaneously, his right knee struck like a battering ram, viciously ramming into the vulnerable spot of the opponent's rear lumbar spine.
"Gaaah!"
The sturdy man let out an inhuman scream! He felt his right arm instantly lose all sensation, tearing pain from his shoulder joint, while his lower back felt like it was pierced by an iron awl, his entire lower body going numb.
"Thud—!"
That massive body crashed forward to the ground like a wild dog with its spine removed, stirring up a cloud of dust.
The sturdy man's right arm was twisted at a grotesque angle, clearly having his shoulder joint forcibly dislocated and even the tendons torn, his spine also severely damaged.
Quick as a rabbit, fierce as a falcon, all in just over ten breaths.
The three men who had been so aggressive and well-coordinated moments before now had two down.
The thin tall man was rolling on the ground clutching his broken leg and wailing, the sturdy man lay limp on the ground like a dead dog.
Only the stocky man with his shattered wrist remained, clutching his deformed wrist, his face pale as paper, staring at Chen Qing ahead with absolute terror.
Night wind blew past, stirring up dust and the smell of blood from the ground.
At this moment, Chen Qing's spirit was in a strange state of excitement.
The enhancement from his second breakthrough had caused a qualitative change in his strength, and naturally his power had undergone a qualitative transformation.
"Hidden strength expert!"
The stocky man saw the force on his brothers' bodies, clearly the mark of hidden strength.
Looking into Chen Qing's eyes, he felt like being stared at by a wild beast, a chill rushing from his soles straight to the top of his head.
"Spare... spare my life!"
The stocky man fell to his knees with a thud, ignoring the severe pain in his wrist as he kowtowed repeatedly, "Master, spare my life! We were blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai, offending you, Master. Please show mercy and give this lowly one a way to live! All our money and valuables are yours!"
While begging for mercy, he used his still-functional left hand to fumble in his chest.
"Once you're dead, the money will be mine anyway."
Chen Qing looked at him expressionlessly, his gaze cold without the slightest fluctuation.
The stocky man's body stiffened, the last trace of hope in his eyes extinguished, leaving only complete madness.
He knew Chen Qing would never let him go.
"Then you can die!"
The stocky man suddenly raised his head, what he pulled from his chest with his left hand wasn't silver coins, but a small poisoned sleeve arrow!
"Snap! Whoosh!"
A poison arrow gleaming with dark blue light shot toward Chen Qing's heart like a venomous snake at such close range!
This vicious strike was almost unavoidable!
But Chen Qing had been alert all along. He leaped forward, landing in front of the stocky man, then forcefully gripped his wrist.
"Ah!" The stocky man's wrist was seized again, pain piercing his heart.
Chen Qing showed no hesitation! His hand gripping the opponent's wrist suddenly exerted force and twisted.
"Crack!"
The crisp sound of breaking bone rang out again! The stocky man's left wrist was completely ruined.
Chen Qing threw a punch, fist wind howling, carrying a tragic momentum as it hammered fiercely toward the stocky man's defenseless chest!
"Bang!!!"
A muffled sound like thunder drums exploded in the silent night sky.
The stocky man was like being hit by a charging wild bull, his entire body flying backward off the ground, blood spraying wildly from his mouth mixed with organ fragments.
His chest visibly caved in, and the clothes on his back were even torn open by the force penetrating through his fist strength.
He crashed heavily to the ground several zhang away, his body convulsing violently a few times before going completely still, only his wide-open eyes still retaining the terror and disbelief of his final moments.
Killed with one punch!
Chen Qing walked to the thin tall man's side, raised his foot, aimed at his throat, and stomped down hard!
"Crack!"
With a light sound, the thin tall man's throat bone shattered. His body jerked up suddenly, then went limp.
He then walked to the sturdy man's side. The opponent seemed to still want to struggle, but his lower body was completely paralyzed, only able to twist futilely.
Chen Qing similarly stepped down, ending his life.
Next, he targeted the fatal weak points of the three corpses, mercilessly delivering final strikes.
His fingertips like iron awls heavily stabbed temples and cervical vertebrae, his toes exploding with concentrated force, viciously kicking heart pits and lower regions.
Each strike was delivered with full force, ensuring life was completely extinguished, eliminating any possibility of "accidental revival."
Then he quickly searched their money pouches, carefully checked for anything left behind, swiftly cleaned the scene of traces, and only then dragged the bodies to a tributary of the South River.
To prevent the bodies from floating up and being accidentally discovered, Chen Qing moved heavy angular stones from the riverbank, using cloth strips torn from the corpses to firmly bind them to the bodies' waists and ankles.
"Splash! Splash! Splash!"
The bodies instantly sank, whirlpools carrying them away without leaving any traces.
After finishing all this, Chen Qing finally walked toward home.
When Lady Han saw Chen Qing push the door open and enter, her worried heart finally relaxed, "Ah Qing, why did you come back so late tonight? You had mother worried sick."
Her voice carried a trace of lingering fear.
Chen Qing casually deflected with a calm tone, "Master had some things to instruct, which delayed me a bit. I made mother worry."
"That's good, that's good."
Lady Han let out a long breath, her tense shoulders relaxing, "The meal has been ready for a long time, kept warm on the stove. Eat quickly while it's hot."
As she spoke, she carefully put away several incense sticks from a simple wooden board.
"The River God Festival is coming in a few days."
Lady Han's voice lowered, "Though your father is gone, we mother and son still depend on this boat for our livelihood. The incense offerings we should make can't be reduced by even a little."
Chen Qing nodded silently.
The River God Festival was Gaolin County's largest sacrificial activity and the year's most lively celebration.
After hastily eating dinner, the exhausted Lady Han went to bed early.
Only Chen Qing remained in the boat cabin, the oil lamp's dim yellow halo flickering.
Only then did he take out tonight's gains from his chest, laying them out one by one before his knees.
Scattered silver pieces totaled twenty taels, plus four blood qi pills.
One should know that Chen Qing's position at the River Office only paid two to three taels of silver per month, but tonight killing three people had netted him over sixty taels of silver, equivalent to more than three years' salary.
"These three brothers specialized in robbery. It seems they targeted me as someone alone."
Chen Qing's eyes were cold as he instantly understood the cause and effect.
He looked down at his own inconspicuous old clothes, which in the dim night indeed looked like an easy target.
"Next time..."
An extremely clear thought occupied Chen Qing's mind, "Absolutely cannot walk at night again."
This time he had encountered three desperate criminals with skillful coordination and ruthless methods. What if next time he met even more cunning, more vicious, or even supernatural demons and monsters?
...
The next morning.
Chen Qing came to Zhou's courtyard as usual, as if nothing had happened the night before.
Other disciples also arrived one after another, busily organizing practice equipment.
"Did you hear? Senior Brother Qin was invited by the Colonel!" one disciple whispered excitedly, unable to hide his excitement.
"Really? The Colonel's banquet?" someone nearby immediately crowded over, face full of disbelief.
"Absolutely true! At Riverside Wine House! I heard those attending were all top figures of Gaolin County's young generation, like Senior Brother Zhang Chen from Tianju Martial Hall, Ding Yiyang from Hongyun Martial Hall... which one isn't a renowned character?" The well-informed disciple spat as he spoke, as if he had personally been there.
...
Hearing that Qin Lie was attending the Colonel's celebration banquet, the courtyard disciples immediately lost interest in martial practice, discussing animatedly.
"My heavens... Senior Brother Qin can actually connect with the Colonel's residence?" Song Yufeng was so shocked his mouth couldn't close, his eyes full of amazement and envy.
In Gaolin County, the Colonel's residence was the sky pressing down on everyone's heads.
Even the local tyrant Five Major Families and two major gangs could only bow their heads.
Chen Qing said indifferently, "Don't envy others, focus on practicing boxing."
In his view, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The Colonel's residence was a great tree with luxuriant branches providing shade, and clinging to it could indeed bring temporary glory.
However, the taller the tree, the greater the wind it attracted.
Pang Qinghai held high position and great power, was the sky of Gaolin County, but also the target of countless open spears and hidden arrows.
The tighter one clung, the easier it became to be swept into storm vortexes beyond ordinary imagination.
Song Yufeng quickly composed himself, suppressing that restlessness, and followed Chen Qing to practice stance work.
At evening, Qin Lie returned drunk, though his brow carried undisguisable pride and excitement.
However, he hadn't stayed in the courtyard long before being called to the back courtyard by Zhou Liang.
