Chapter 63: Choosing a Target, Midnight Killing

"Oh, how terrifying!" Li He patted her trembling chest, calming herself down. "There are so many bad people in the State of Chu."

Actually, there were plenty of people like this in the State of Wu as well; it was just that back in Wu, Li He had never had the chance to visit such places.

"There will be fewer after tonight," Jinju said with a smile, patting the neck of her warhorse. The two pulling horses automatically drew the carriage toward the other side of the alley.

Li He had always been sheltered in the inner chambers by the Li family, groomed to be a pawn for a future political marriage into a good household.

She had learned embroidery, arithmetic, and household management, but dealing with ruffians and street thugs was a first for her.

As for why Ma Jiu and Wang Liu managed to detect panic and fear from Li He, it could only be said that women are born actresses who require no training whatsoever.

A splash of cold water to the face jolted Ma Jiu awake. His head throbbed fiercely, and his vision was blurry.

"What is your name?" A woman's voice asked.

The scenery before his eyes gradually cleared.

A woman was standing in front of him; she was remarkably tall, appearing half a head taller than he was.

Another woman stood not far to their side, toying with something using an exceptionally long saber.

A wave of reassurance washed over Ma Jiu initially—no matter what, women were generally easier to deal with than men.

Then, realizing he was not tied up and that his hands and feet were entirely free, his confidence grew a little more.

"What is your name?" the woman repeated.

"Who do you people think you are, dragging me here? Do you have any idea who I am?" Ma Jiu asked instead of answering.

Living on the streets, one could never afford to lose face or show weakness.

Without missing a beat, the woman reached out and grasped Ma Jiu's forearm. With a sharp *crack*, his forearm instantly shrank in the middle and swelled at both ends, looking precisely like a dumbbell.

Ma Jiu let out a scream fit for a slaughtered pig.

"What is your name?" the woman asked again.

"If you've got the guts, kill me! The Black Snake Society won't let you off, and I swear—"

Blinded by pain and with his eyes burning red, how could Ma Jiu find the heart to answer questions?

A flash of blade light, and a head hit the ground.

The woman retrieved her long saber, thrusting it into the ground behind her, and cursed, "A piece of trash like this isn't even worthy of sharing my surname!"

"Sister Mei, don't we all share the young master's surname? Who uses their own family name anyway?" Jinju remarked.

"All the more reason not to let him share mine. I won't have him tarnishing the young master's surname."

***

Redmei uttered those words before turning back to Wang Liu. "What is your name?"

With Ma Jiu's fate fresh as a warning, Wang Liu—though he had only just regained consciousness moments ago—hastily blurted out, "This humble one... this humble one is Wang Liu! Spare my life, great hero!"

"Are you with the Black Snake Society?" Redmei demanded.

"Yes, yes! I'm a plant for the Black Snake Society, just like Wang Jiu whom the great hero just killed."

"Where is the headquarters of the Black Snake Society?"

"Right at the southern corner of the southern town, at Lord Wang's estate—Lord Wang is the leader of the Black Snake Society."

Strictly speaking, Wang Liu shared a distant family relation with this Lord Wang, but Lord Wang didn't even deign to look at him, simply using him as an ordinary errand boy. Wang Liu had wished to cling to the relation for status, but he never dared.

"What kind of businesses does the Black Snake Society run?" Jinju stepped forward to ask.

"The Li Family Pawnshop, the Golden Gambling Den, and the Hundred Flowers Brothel all have stakes belonging to Lord Wang. Lord Wang specializes in usurious loans, and also—"

"Enough. The target for tonight is the Black Snake Society," Redmei said with satisfaction.

Then, she casually killed Wang Liu.

"What about the other three over there?" Jinju asked.

Over on her side were three other unlucky scoundrels whose eyes had wandered where they shouldn't have.

"Kill them too. Wave Ripple Town is a bit far; we'll deal with them whenever we have time," Redmei replied.

Li He hid inside the carriage, covering her eyes with her hands.

Judging by the gaps between her fingers, however, those openings were probably as wide as her eyes.

***

Nightfall.

The grand Wang estate was brilliantly lit, bustling with noise and excitement.

Today happened to be the fiftieth birthday of Master Wang Long, as well as the joyous occasion of taking his seventh concubine.

Numerous guests from the town and fellow martial artists from the surrounding area had arrived at the Wang residence. Over thirty tables of banquets were set up; when the main hall ran out of space, the rest had to be placed in the courtyard.

Ma Jiu and Wang Liu were mere nobodies within the Black Snake Society. The society was not a strictly managed organization, let alone one with clock-in systems; a few days of losing contact with two petty thugs was entirely normal.

"Hahaha! Today is yet another joyous occasion for this old man. Thank you all for coming to grace us with your presence—bottoms up!"

Wang Long rose to his feet, raised a giant wine goblet, and drained it in front of everyone.

The crowd burst into simultaneous cheers, washing over him with a tide of congratulatory remarks.

"Lord Wang took one bride last year, another the year before that, and yet another this year! It seems Lord Wang will surely be taking another one next year!"

"Lord Wang is truly robust despite his age, brimming with vitality and spirit!"

"Wishing Lord Wang to have days like today every year, and mornings like this every age!"

"May Lord Wang's spear never falter, his might as formidable as days of yore—"

Yet, amid the tidal wave of congratulations, a discordant note pierced the air.

*Crack—* With a sharp snap, the courtyard gate's heavy wooden bolt shattered, and the vermilion double doors swung wide open.

Two figures in black robes strode in side by side, each wielding a seven-foot-long saber. One wore a Green Dragon mask, while the other bore a Vermilion Bird mask.

"Who goes there? Such audacity—" One of the seasoned fighters of the Black Snake Society, relying on his formidable strength, hoisted a sturdy round pine stool with one hand to shield his chest as he stepped forward to challenge them.

The black-robed figure on the left stepped forward as swift as lightning. Under the illumination of the courtyard's lanterns and torches, the blade's gleam flashed and vanished like a crescent moon.

The lower half of the pine stool dropped to the ground, while the upper half of the man began to slide crookedly downward.

Internal organs spilled out in a rush, and the heavy stench of blood filled the courtyard.

Wang Long, observing the scene clearly from the main hall, flew into a rage.

The status he held today had been hacked out with his own blade, not inherited. Today was his fiftieth birthday combined with a concubine-taking celebration; how could he tolerate outsiders coming to pull the whiskers of a tiger?

Consumed by fury, Wang Long ignored the distinguished guests seated around him. With a single press of his hand on the round table, his body vaulted across the banquet tables and leaped into the air. Mid-air, he roared, "Bring me my blade!"

A sheathed long saber flew horizontally through the air, landing precisely in Wang Long's palm, tossed by his second disciple, Wang Xinhao.

Before Wang Long even landed from mid-air, his hands parted as the blade cleared its scabbard. The sword flashed like snow, and his white beard fluttered in the wind. Truly, he was vigorous in his old age, his momentum roaring like a rainbow!

"The same old rules?" The tall black-robed figure wearing the Vermilion Bird mask paid no heed to Wang Long whatsoever, merely turning her head to ask.

"Of course. This isn't home, after all, so we can afford a bit less restraint—women and children who offer no resistance shall be spared," replied the black-robed figure on the left wearing the Green Dragon mask. She was slightly shorter than the one in the Vermilion Bird mask, speaking with an air of absolute detachment as if no one else was present.

"Audacious wretches!" Wang Long roared from the entrance of the main hall. Pointing his long saber forward, he commanded, "Attack! Take down these two shameless punks putting on a ghost show!"

With such a massive household and immense wealth now under his belt, he naturally couldn't afford to risk his life recklessly over every little thing; jumping out just now was merely to strike a pose and boost his subordinates' morale.

Otherwise, why else would he keep so many thugs and disciples? Were they meant to serve merely as an audience?