After a mont of deliberation, a ruthless glint appeared in Qin Fang’s eyes.
’Rather than let him get prepared and co knocking... I might as well take the initiative!’
’Wang Hu is an Anjin Martial Artist. It’ll be a hassle if he’s prepared.’
Qin Fang’s greatest advantage was his hidden weapons.
And what was the greatest advantage of hidden weapons?
...Wasn’t it to seize the initiative?
If he let Wang Hu co to him, things would get difficult.
Qin Fang had killed many people this ti, but a fair number had also escaped. They were all gang mbers from True Martial County. Who knew if they were acquainted with anyone from the Iron Tiger Gang or had so sort of connection?
What if, by so twist of fate, word got back to Wang Hu?
He had used iron nails this ti, not his usual darts... but as soon as the news reached Wang Hu, he would undoubtedly be the first person Wang Hu suspected.
...After all, according to Xu ng, Monkey, and the others, experts in hidden weapons were relatively rare in True Martial County.
’Instead of living in constant fear, worrying about when Wang Hu might show up at his door...’
’It’s better to strike first!’
’But he is an Anjin expert, after all...’
His eyes flickered for a mont. Then he suddenly stood up and walked out.
A number of people had already gathered outside. Xu ng was standing just beyond the courtyard, having pulled up a chair from sowhere. He was breathing heavily, his injuries clearly severe.
In the distance, Monkey and a few others were directing a group of n to carry away the bodies.
The n’s faces were grim, and though they were clearly angry, they didn’t dare to speak out. They had no choice but to help.
...Fortunately, seeing dead bodies was a common enough sight in these tis. No one was so scared their legs gave out.
Qin Fang glanced over and called out, "Brother Xu."
Lost in thought, Xu ng snapped back to reality. He turned, saw Qin Fang, and said with surprise, "Brother Qin?"
Qin Fang walked over. Watching the n dispose of the bodies, he frowned and asked, "What’s the plan for these corpses? Will this bring the Governnt Office down on us?"
"Don’t worry. The dead are all from the Water Dragon Gang or the Hotown Association. As long as no ordinary people were hard, nobody’s going to report it. The Governnt Office won’t be bothered."
Xu ng said, speaking from experience.
"Disputes between gangs are never reported to the Governnt Office. And even if they were, the officials wouldn’t care much."
"Especially this market... it’s basically a lawless zone."
"The Governnt Office is short-staffed. They couldn’t manage it even if they wanted to."
"Their control is really only strong inside True Martial County Town itself."
"As for what to do with the bodies... we’d normally just dump them in the river. But with demons haunting the river surface these days, the heavy scent of blood from so many corpses might attract them, and that would be a huge problem. So, in a little while, we’ll just carry them outside the city and bury them."
Xu ng sounded like he had done this many tis before.
Qin Fang nodded, then got to the matter at hand. "Brother Xu, I need to ask you about sothing. Can we speak privately?"
Xu ng paused for a mont, then nodded and stood up. The two of them went into the courtyard. Only after closing the gate did Xu ng ask in a low, curious voice, "Brother Qin, what’s wrong?"
Qin Fang got straight to the point. "Brother Xu, can you get your hands on so potent poison?"
"Poison?"
Xu ng stared, dumbfounded. He blinked at Qin Fang and whispered, "Brother Qin, what do you need poison for?"
"I need to kill soone. He’s powerful, and I’m afraid I’m no match for him, so I want to use poison."
"Powerful? Soone even *you* can’t handle, Brother Qin?" Xu ng was stunned.
"He’s an Anjin Martial Artist."
"An Anjin expert?!" Xu ng was shocked.
Anjin Martial Artists were no small matter... in all of True Martial County, they were considered top-tier figures!
Xu ng’s brow furrowed. After a mont of thought, he asked, "Is there no other way but to kill him?"
"If I don’t kill him, he’ll kill . I asked you to keep my darts a secret precisely so I wouldn’t alert him. But too many people got away this ti. I’m afraid he’ll get word." Qin Fang thought for a mont and decided to be direct.
Xu ng sucked in a sharp breath, an apologetic look on his face. "I’m sorry, Brother Qin. If it weren’t for ..."
Qin Fang shook his head. "There’s no point talking about that. So... can you get it?"
"There is poison, yes, but common poisons... they’re fine against ordinary people. But if your target is an Anjin Martial Artist..."
Xu ng frowned and said grimly, "The physique of an Anjin Martial Artist is extraordinary—incredibly resilient. Their control over their own Qi Blood is far beyond that of a Mingjin Martial Artist. Even if poisoned, they can instantly seal off their Qi Blood to contain the toxin to the wound... or even force it out of their body. Killing an Anjin Martial Artist with poison... is extrely difficult."
Qin Fang’s brow furrowed. "Not even if I hit him in the head with a hidden weapon?"
Xu ng froze for a second before it dawned on him. "Oh, right. I almost forgot you’re an expert in hidden weapons, Brother Qin. If you hit him in the head... it’s not entirely impossible."
He thought for a mont before continuing, "Still, to be safe, common poisons like arsenic or aconite probably won’t cut it. You’ll need sothing stronger."
He paused, then took a deep breath. "Leave it to . I’ll find you a poison that can kill in a single strike."
He looked at Qin Fang, shouldering the responsibility.
Qin Fang was taken aback. "Won’t this be too much trouble for you?"
"I’ve been wondering how to repay you for saving my life, Brother Qin. Now you finally have a use for your big brother here. You think I can’t even handle a small thing like this? Don’t worry about it. When do you need it by?"
Xu ng said with a smile.
Qin Fang replied, "The sooner, the better, of course. I’m afraid if this drags on, he’ll hear about what happened."
"Alright. How about tomorrow? I’ll bring it to you in the morning," Xu ng said.
Hearing this, Qin Fang thought for a mont and nodded.
...’Even though so people escaped, a delay of one or two days shouldn’t be a problem.’
’After all, with the river surface being impassable, those who fled would have to travel by land.’
’That’s much slower than traveling by water.’
’So the news about won’t spread that quickly.’
They exchanged a few more words, and then Xu ng said he would get on it right away before leaving the small courtyard.
Qin Fang let out a soft breath. He glanced at the sky; it would still be a while before dawn. After a night of killing, he was tired. He simply went back to his room and slept.
When he woke, it was already broad daylight.
Qin Fang went into the courtyard to stretch, then began his daily training...
’I was almost out of Qi Blood Pills, but now I have another half-month’s supply... Still, I need to figure out how to turn this money into more Qi Blood Pills later.’
’My training is progressing too slowly. I might not even gain a single point of proficiency in a day or two.’
’If I want to train faster, Qi Blood Pills are essential.’
He trained all day. As evening approached, Qin Fang was in the courtyard, sharpening his darts.
’Since I’ve decided to go after Wang Hu, I can’t use nails... they just don’t have the sa stopping power as darts.’
’And since I’m taking the initiative, there’s no longer any need to hide my thods.’
After honing all five darts until they were gleaming and razor-sharp, Qin Fang was about to make dinner.
Just then, Monkey showed up at his door.
"Master Qin, the boss invites you over for dinner."
Monkey said respectfully.
"Dinner?" Qin Fang paused.
"The boss said that if it wasn’t for you yesterday, we’d all be dead today. He insists on treating you to a al to show his gratitude. He’s cooking himself and can’t step away, so he sent to fetch you."
Monkey said with a smile.
Qin Fang considered for a mont and accepted. It was a good opportunity to ask about the poison, and it would save him the trouble of making his own dinner.
After tidying himself up, he left with Monkey.
The fish market was still deserted today, but the market on the shore was quite lively. As evening fell, however, it too had quieted down considerably.
"So the Fish Dragon Gang has taken over all of Fisherman City now?" Qin Fang asked Monkey casually.
"Yes." Hearing the question, Monkey’s face lit up with excitent.
"Before, the Water Dragon Gang controlled the shore and the Fish Dragon Gang controlled the fish market. There was always friction between us."
"But now, the Water Dragon Gang has been wiped out, and most of the Hotown Association guys are dead too. So, naturally, the Fish Dragon Gang has taken over their territory."
"Last night, when we had the rchants co out to collect the bodies, we also inford them that the Fish Dragon Gang is in charge here from now on..."
"None of the rchants had any objections."
"...Anyone who might have had an objection lost it when faced with seventy or eighty corpses."
"We might be short-handed right now, but Xu ng is still alive. With a Mingjin Martial Artist like him holding things down, we still have control."
"As for manpower..."
"...we can just recruit more over ti."
"Now that the entire Fisherman City is Fish Dragon Gang territory, we have more turf, so we can support more n."
"This is all thanks to you, Master Qin. If it weren’t for you... we’d be holess strays right now, if not dead already."
Monkey sighed, his expression one of heartfelt respect.
Qin Fang suddenly asked, "Monkey, do you know where Pingze City is? And how far is it from here?"
He clearly rembered what his senior brother had said... For the past few months, Wang Hu had been in Pingze City.
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