Chapter 701 - 428: The Somber Shadow of Death

Chapter 701: Chapter 428: The Somber Shadow of Death

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「Spirit Realm, Dongwu City.」

The event from last night at the Red Blood Gang’s docks—a chaotic battle involving several Peak Tier Two Cultivators—had already spread through every street and alley of Dongwu City. It was now the talk of the town.

"Did you hear? There was a huge fight at the Red Blood Gang’s docks last night," said an old woman carrying a vegetable basket and holding a tomato, speaking to her friend.

"I heard. Everyone was talking about it when I went out this morning! They say the Red Blood Gang’s docks were completely destroyed in that fight," her friend, holding a daikon radish, replied.

"The Red Blood Gang has done plenty of bad things. Getting hit like this is just karma!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! The Red Blood Gang isn’t completely wiped out yet. If they hear you talking about them like that, they’ll come after you."

"What’s there to be afraid of? They have their hands full right now. What time do they have to get revenge on us?"

"That may be true, but the Red Blood Gang isn’t someone small folk like us can afford to offend. It’s better to be careful..."

The two old women chatted away as they picked out ingredients for lunch.

Not far from them, a woman was secretly eavesdropping. She wore plain clothes and had an unremarkable, forgettable face, but her figure was so exceptional it stirred the imagination of anyone who looked at her.

’Didn’t they say that after Li Dingtian became City Lord, Dongwu City’s public safety improved greatly thanks to his years of governance? How come Cultivators are getting into huge fights in the city every other day?’

Qin Muqing thought about what her friends had mentioned about Li Dingtian’s rule over Dongwu City during their gatherings, back before she ran away from home, as she continued to listen in on the passersby.

A moment later, Qin Muqing left the shop with some vegetables and eggs and started walking home.

The new grocery shop wasn’t far from her house, so Qin Muqing didn’t have to buy too many groceries at once. She could just get enough for the day and come back for more when she ran out. Since it was so close, it wouldn’t take much time at all.

As Qin Muqing neared her front door, she saw a figure standing there from a distance.

"Miss Qin, you’re back!" Ms. Zhang, the lunch box vendor, greeted Qin Muqing with a smile.

"Ms. Zhang, I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting..." Qin Muqing said apologetically.

"I just got here a moment ago myself," Ms. Zhang said with a smile. "The vegetables you bought today look very fresh!"

As she took the key from her pocket and opened the main gate, Qin Muqing explained, "The shop owner said all the vegetables today were just picked by the farmers, so they’re especially fresh."

The two chatted as they walked along the pebble path, crossed the courtyard, and entered the villa. It was time for Qin Muqing to begin today’s cooking lesson.

...

In a quiet hospital room, a man lay on the bed, his body wrapped in white gauze.

"Where am I?" Liu Qizhi opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, his thoughts still muddled as he muttered to himself.

Soon, a terrifying masked figure appeared in his mind, causing him to recall the moments before he lost consciousness.

"I’m... still alive!!!"

Just as he spoke, the door to the hospital room was pushed open.

CLICK.

A scholarly-looking but terribly haggard man walked into the room.

Last night, Fang Jingtang had been summoned by the constables from the yamen and was only released this morning.

As the Gang Leader of the Red Blood Gang and the biggest victim of this attack, Fang Jingtang surprisingly found himself hoping the yamen wouldn’t continue investigating the matter.

He had endured two attacks, each one bringing him to the brink of death. The terror of the masked assailant was now deeply seared into Fang Jingtang’s mind.

He never wanted to see that terrifying masked assailant again. He didn’t want to be attacked a third time.

"Gang Leader."

A weak voice from the hospital bed snapped the pensive Fang Jingtang back to his senses.

He looked up at Liu Qizhi, who was wrapped in so much white gauze he resembled a mummy, then walked over and spoke with concern.

"Liu Qizhi, you’ve been seriously injured. Although the physician’s treatment has helped a lot, you’ll still need time to recover.

For now, just focus on resting. Don’t worry about anything else. I’ll take care of things in the gang..."

Liu Qizhi was deeply moved by Fang Jingtang’s obvious concern.

But after just surviving a life-and-death crisis last night, how could he possibly not think about it?

Before, he had only heard others describe how terrifying the masked assailant was. Without having experienced it firsthand, he wasn’t particularly afraid of him.

Last night, he had faced him, fought him, and been defeated without any ability to fight back. He was nearly killed.

Having had a narrow escape from death, Liu Qizhi was now terrified of the masked assailant to his very core.

Whenever he closed his eyes, the assailant’s terrifying, indifferent face would immediately flash in his mind. It terrified him, making his nerves taut and his chest feel as if a giant rock was crushing him, leaving him breathless.

Fang Jingtang’s situation was not much different from Liu Qizhi’s—in fact, it was even worse. After all, he had been attacked by the masked assailant twice.

There’s a saying about bad things coming in threes. He had been lucky to survive the first two times. Fang Jingtang felt that if he were to be attacked a third time, there was absolutely no way he would be as fortunate as before.

The threat of death loomed over Fang Jingtang’s heart, making him feel as if a sharp knife was constantly pressed against his back.

This constant feeling of being on edge was agonizing, something an ordinary person couldn’t withstand.

Even though Fang Jingtang was mentally tougher than most, he could only hold on for a short while. Over time, he would inevitably break down under the pressure of death.

The hospital room fell silent. The two men, both on edge, didn’t know what to say.

BANG.

Suddenly, the door was rudely shoved open. The arrogant-looking Lu Tao walked in, glaring at Fang Jingtang with disgust.

Fang Jingtang wasn’t surprised by Lu Tao’s attitude, since they had had a huge falling out and screamed at each other yesterday.

Since they had already dropped all pretenses, Fang Jingtang saw no reason to try and curry favor with him.

"What do you want?" Fang Jingtang asked, looking at Lu Tao expressionlessly.

If he weren’t concerned about Lu Tao’s status, Fang Jingtang wouldn’t have even bothered to say a word to him, given that they were no longer on good terms.

"Hmph..." Lu Tao snorted. If Wu Xiong hadn’t told him to deliver a message, he wouldn’t have wanted to speak to this guy who had yelled his head off at him yesterday.

"Wu told me to tell you not to show your face at the docks for the next few days. After he gets specific instructions from the Old Master, he’ll let you know what to do..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Jingtang fell silent. Lying in the hospital bed, Liu Qizhi watched the silent Fang Jingtang, feeling as if he could guess what was going through his mind.

"Alright, I’ve delivered Wu’s message. I have other things to do, so I’m leaving," Lu Tao said. He then turned, left the hospital room, and went to report back.

With the unpleasant guy gone, the awkward atmosphere in the room eased slightly.

"Gang Leader, that masked assailant is just too terrifying. He’s targeted us now, and he won’t rest until he’s killed us.

The next time he shows up, we’ll probably be dead," Liu Qizhi said from the bed, finally breaking the silence in the room.

...