Chapter 43: Martial Dao Genius!

Boom!

A muffled thud.

The figure rushing to the door was kicked in the chest by Old Zhou, sent stumbling back to the ground, groaning incessantly.

"Wang Jiu!"

The gambling den's manager's eyes lit up; he pointed at the groaning man and spat, "Boss Hu, this guy is Wang Jiu!"

"Wang Jiu, is it?" Huang Feiyang's face turned cold as he strode forward.

But before Huang Feiyang could get close, Wang Jiu scrambled to his feet, knelt on the ground, pounding his head against the floor while begging, "Boss Hu, it's not my fault! I was just following orders! It was Sun Gang—Boss Sun made me do it! He threatened to kill my whole family if I refused! Spare me, Boss Hu, spare me!"

"Sun Gang?" Huang Feiyang's expression darkened.

Chen Mu also sneered.

He'd wondered why the main leader of the Fierce Tiger Gang had suddenly come to Changlong Alley.

Turns out Sun Gang had invited him!

Last time, this guy kidnapped Chen Mu and threatened Huang Feiyang to seize the position of main leader.

After his plot was exposed, he was punished under gang rules—lost one hand, forfeited three years' salary.

We thought he'd learned his lesson, but clearly he hadn't given up—he still wanted revenge!

He colluded with Cheng Dongfeng, winning big money in the Big Knife Gang's own gambling den, on Huang Feiyang's turf.

If Huang Feiyang pays the two hundred thousand taels, he'll be seen by Guan Tong as incompetent—unworthy of trust!

If Huang Feiyang refuses to pay, Cheng Dongfeng will beat him up—or smash the den—and the Big Knife Gang can only swallow it, because they have no moral ground to stand on.

The Fierce Tiger Gang is far stronger than the Big Knife Gang.

Under these circumstances, the Big Knife Gang could never go to war with the Fierce Tiger Gang over Huang Feiyang.

Either way, Huang Feiyang is done for!

After all,

No one could have imagined Cheng Dongfeng would have Big Knife Gang members cheating for him at the gambling table!

The entire chain of events flashed through Huang Feiyang's mind; his face grew darker by the second.

Around them, others were either outraged, silent, or shouting curses.

Seeing this, Cheng Dongfeng cleared his throat and said again, "Since this is your own internal feud, it has nothing to do with me. I'm leaving!"

With that, he turned to walk away.

Swish~

Chen Mu's figure shifted, dodging past the others to block Cheng Dongfeng's path, shouting, "Who let you leave?"

Hu!

Internal energy surged, a gust of force erupted.

Residual Cloud Palm!

Boom boom boom~

Cheng Dongfeng barely raised his hands in defense, striking out to meet the palm force head-on.

Chen Mu, wielding his Postnatal Fourth Layer cultivation, combined with his mastery of the Residual Cloud Palm, clashed directly with Cheng Dongfeng in several hard-hitting exchanges.

Cheng Dongfeng felt his hands and arms go numb, sharp pain surged through his limbs, the shockwave jolted his body, causing his blood and qi to churn abnormally, surging upward and clogging his chest, then his throat—his face flushed red, desperate to roar out in release.

But before he could scream, Chen Mu slammed a palm into his chest…

Crack!

A muffled thud, accompanied by the sharp "crack" of snapping bones—Cheng Dongfeng's body shot off the ground, flying over everyone's heads, hurtling backward through the air. Mid-flight, he spat a thick gout of dark blood, then crashed heavily against the wall with a "thud," rolling twice before falling still.

When he stopped moving, the surge of blood and qi slammed into his brain—he went black in the eyes and fainted.

"…"

The gambling den fell utterly silent.

Cheng Dongfeng's subordinates stared in terror, heads bowed, bodies trembling.

The Big Knife Gang members, stunned at first, now looked on with excitement and pride.

Just moments ago, Huang Feiyang had fought Cheng Dongfeng, been beaten into spitting blood, and had no choice but to yield.

Now Chen Mu struck back—Cheng Dongfeng spat blood again, several ribs broken, and lay unconscious.

Postnatal Fourth Layer effortlessly crushed Postnatal Third Layer!

As for how Chen Mu suddenly advanced to the Postnatal Fourth Layer realm—no one knew.

Well, he's a genius, after all!

Geniuses are just different.

…

"Big Brother, take them all to headquarters—let the Boss decide their fate."

Chen Mu retracted his hand and looked at Huang Feiyang. "I'm sure the Boss will give us a proper reckoning."

"Understood."

Huang Feiyang nodded and ordered, "Bind them all!"

This included Cheng Dongfeng and his men, Wang Jiu, and the gambling den's manager.

The manager willingly tied himself up and followed to face punishment.

Otherwise, he wouldn't rest easy.

As for Sun Gang—he won't escape either!

…

…

Huang Feiyang escorted the captive to the Great Saber Gang headquarters.

Chen Mu, as usual, accompanied Long Tutu to a nearby pig butcher's home to watch the slaughter.

Long Tutu liked watching pigs being killed — not the instant kill itself, but the crowd of people chasing the pig around, the pig's panicked, death-throe struggles, and its shrill squeals.

This hobby of hers…

Chen Mu had no comment.

As long as the little girl was happy, that was fine.

Setting aside Long Tutu's identity and origins, the little girl's personality was genuinely endearing.

Small in age but sharp as a tack, clever and quick-witted, with a wildly imaginative mind.

If he ignored her age, Chen Mu really did feel as though he were chatting freely with an old friend.

……

Meanwhile.

Great Saber Gang headquarters.

Huang Feiyang escorted the captive in, met with Guan Tong, and laid out the whole story from beginning to end.

Guan Tong flew into a rage and ordered men to seize Sun Gang, but learned that the latter had received word and already fled. He immediately dispatched his personal guards.

The order given was: bring back his head!

Last time Sun Gang had caused trouble, Guan Tong, mindful of the merits Sun Gang's father had earned in life, had only severed one of the man's hands.

He hadn't expected Sun Gang to remain unrepentant and cause trouble again — this time colluding with outsiders.

Then he couldn't blame Guan Tong for being unmerciful.

Of course.

Compared to Sun Gang colluding with Cheng Dongfeng to skim money from their own gambling house, Guan Tong was far more interested in Chen Mu!

"Houtian fourth level?"

After soothing Huang Feiyang and waiting for him to leave, Guan Tong sat in his chair, astonishment rising on his face.

"This Chen Mu's martial arts talent — it seems it's no ordinary height!"

How long had it been since he broke through to become a martial artist?

And now he'd advanced again, crossing the first threshold, reaching Houtian fourth level!

This realm was more than enough to hold the position of hall master.

A genius!

Previously, Chen Mu becoming a martial artist had still been within what Guan Tong could accept.

But this time, with such a short interval, Chen Mu breaking through again had exceeded Guan Tong's expectations.

People who broke through repeatedly in such a short span all had a name for themselves.

Martial arts genius!

"Unthinkable, truly unthinkable." Guan Tong murmured.

"Report!"

While Guan Tong was pondering, a trusted aide ran in through the door.

"Reporting to the gang leader — the little girl beside Chen Mu has no small background; she's connected to the Town Martial Bureau!"

"What?" Guan Tong shot to his feet, light flashing in his eyes. "You mean it? Chen Mu has formed ties with someone from the Town Martial Bureau?"

"Uh…"

The aide paused, then explained, "Whether Chen Mu has formed ties or not, it's not very clear. But the little girl he accompanied this morning — according to reliable intelligence — is indeed connected to the Town Martial Bureau."

At this point he paused a moment, recalling it in his mind, then went on, "It's said that for the past month, the Town Martial Bureau's personnel have been patrolling the streets every day, all because of this little girl!"