The Great Song Dynasty's Soul-Forging in Progress

Zhao Zuosi's heart sank to the bottom.

The deathly pallor on Chunxing's face, the almost cold calm in Wang Zhonghua's eyes, and the murderous aura emanating from Qin Tiedan that was almost tangible... all of this told him that tonight was not just a simple showdown.

He looked at Qin Tiedan. This blacksmith, who usually seemed quiet and even shrewd around Wang Zhonghua, was now like a volcano awakening. His faded short jacket was stretched taut by his bulging, iron-like muscles, and the veins on his bare arms stood out. Every breath he took sounded like a muffled thunderclap. His eyes were fixed on Zhao Zuosi, and what surged within them was not anger, but something more primal and cold—the instinct of a wild beast that had seen blood, set fires, and had life-and-death struggles etched into its bones; the embodiment of his deep-seated hatred for Qiu Laohu and his gang.

Two months ago, in the bloody battle at Hulu Bay, countless bandits fell under Qin Tiedan's club, and he also watched his brothers, with whom he had spent every day, fall beside him. That blood feud has never cooled for a moment.

"Young Master Wang..." Zhao Zuosi's Adam's apple bobbed as he forced a smile, his voice dry and weak. "It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! Qiu Laohu forced me into this, I had no choice! Money, I have money! I know everything about Qiu Laohu's secret hideout and ledgers! Just let me go, and I'll tell you everything!"

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the doors and windows out of the corner of his eye, searching for even the slightest possibility of escape.

"A misunderstanding?" Wang Zhonghua's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold hammer, shattering his last shred of hope. "When you helped Qiu Laohu rob merchants, sell smuggled salt, and abduct women and children, was that a misunderstanding? When you bribed the tax collectors at Longsheng Ferry and helped him exploit laborers, was that a misunderstanding? When you sent people to stalk outside my winery and investigate the secret recipe, was that still a misunderstanding?"

With each question, Zhao Zuosi's face paled a little more. He hadn't expected that Wang Zhonghua not only knew about his relationship with Qiu Laohu, but also knew all about these secret dealings.

"I...I can atone for my crimes through meritorious service!" Zhao Zuosi knelt down with a thud, crawling two steps on his knees. "Young Master Wang, I, Zhao Zuosi, still have some use in Chenzhou City! Although Qiu Laohu is gone, his henchmen are still there, and his backer may not have fallen yet! If you keep me alive, I can help you uproot them completely!"

"A powerful backer?" Wang Zhonghua chuckled, picking up the rough porcelain teacup on the table, but without drinking, he simply ran his fingers along the rim. "Are you talking about the one in the Chenzhou government office, or someone even higher up? Do you think I'd be afraid?"

He raised his eyes, his gaze as calm as a deep pool: "Zhao Zuosi, do you think that the rule of this world is that whoever has the biggest fist or the strongest backing calls the shots? Do you think that someone like me, who came from the countryside and started out selling soup, should grovel before you local bullies and be grateful even after you've squeezed me dry?"

His voice gradually turned cold: "Let me tell you, I, Wang Zhonghua, may not have any other skills, but I believe in one principle—if someone treats me with respect, I will treat them with even greater respect; if someone tries to trample me into the mud, I will fight to the death and knock out all their teeth!"

"Don't believe me?" Wang Zhonghua's lips curled into a cold smile. This phrase, which he often used and which was full of ruthlessness and stubbornness, now carried a rusty, bloody smell. "If you don't believe me, let's try it."

Before he could finish speaking, a fierce glint flashed in Zhao Zuosi's eyes! He knew that pretending to be pitiful was useless, and his survival instinct and the ruthlessness he had developed over years of living on the edge erupted instantly!

He suddenly leaned back while kneeling, his right hand flashing as he reached into his boot and pulled out a short dagger that gleamed with a bluish-green light! At the same time, his left hand lashed out, scattering a handful of lime powder at Wang Zhonghua and Qin Tiedan, who were closest to him! This was his last resort to save his life; countless enemies had died from this unexpected and underhanded move.

"Watch out!" Qin Tiedan roared, his massive body displaying incredible agility as he stepped forward, blocking Wang Zhonghua like an iron tower. At the same time, he waved his large, fan-like hand, creating a gust of wind that swept away most of the lime powder. Even so, a few specks of powder still splashed into his eyes.

Almost simultaneously, Zhao Zuosi lunged like a poisoned arrow, heading straight for what seemed to be the weakest point—the window! He had calculated that Qin Tiedan would be too eager to protect his master and would try to block the lime, and he had also calculated that Wang Zhonghua was a scholar with a strong physique. As long as he broke through the window, the night outside would be his way out!

"Trying to leave?!" Qin Tiedan's eyes stung and tears streamed down his face, but he relied on his sense of touch to pinpoint the location of the attack. His left leg swept out like an iron whip, striking Zhao Zuosi's knee with pinpoint accuracy!

"Crack!" The sickening sound of bone breaking rang out clearly.

"Ah—!" Zhao Zuosi screamed and fell to the ground, the poisoned dagger flying from his hand. But his ferocity had been fully unleashed, and ignoring the excruciating pain in his broken leg, he rolled over to grab the dagger that had fallen not far away.

"You're asking for death!" Qin Tiedan roared, his right foot stomping down like a heavy hammer!

"Thud!" The foot landed heavily on Zhao Zuosi's right wrist, producing another crisp sound of bone breaking. Zhao Zuosi's screams stopped abruptly, turning into gasps for breath, the pain almost causing him to faint.

Qin Tiedan bent down and lifted Zhao Zuosi like a lump of mud. His eyes were bloodshot—partly from the sting of the lime, partly from murderous intent. Veins throbbed on his forehead. He brought his face close to Zhao Zuosi's, contorted in pain, and his voice, forced through clenched teeth, carried a chilling, hellish tone:

"When Qiu Laohu and his gang of bastards killed my brothers and injured my sister, were you there? Did you laugh?"

"When those women you trafficked were crying out in their dark caves, did you hear them? Did you feel even a shred of pity?"

"Have you ever dreamt of the wronged souls of those laborers at Longsheng Ferry, whom you exploited to the point of exhaustion, who were then thrown into mass graves when they fell ill?!"

With each question, Qin Tiedan tightened his grip. Zhao Zuosi's face turned purplish-black as he was being choked, his eyes bulging, as he futilely kicked his intact left leg.

Wang Zhonghua dampened a cloth and handed it to Qin Tiedan to wipe his eyes. He then slowly walked up to Zhao Zuosi and looked down at his pathetic, dying struggle.

"I gave you a chance." Wang Zhonghua's voice was devoid of emotion. "In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, tell the truth and live; tell a lie and die. You chose the latter."

Zhao Zuosi made a "hoarse" sound in his throat, his eyes filled with resentment, fear, and final unwillingness.

Wang Zhonghua straightened up, nodded slightly to Qin Tiedan, his eyes cold and resolute. As a time traveler, he knew better than anyone that showing "womanly compassion" to certain heinous criminals was cruelty towards the kind-hearted. If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring breeze.

Upon receiving the signal, Qin Tiedan's last trace of hesitation vanished, leaving only a pure, icy killing intent for revenge for his brother. Without another word, his other free hand gripped Zhao Zuosi's head firmly like an iron clamp.

Zhao Zuosi seemed to have a premonition of something, and a desperate madness erupted from his only remaining eye, his body convulsing violently like a fish out of water.

Qin Tiedan remained expressionless, his arm muscles bulging as he exerted force in a crisscrossing motion.

"Snap!"

A cracking sound, far more muffled and chilling than before, pierced the silent room with a jarring thud.

Zhao Zuosi's body stiffened abruptly, then went completely limp, his head tilting to one side at an extremely unnatural angle, the light in his eyes instantly extinguished, leaving only a lifeless emptiness.

Qin Tiedan released his grip, and the corpse collapsed to the ground like a tattered sack. This "Smiling Wolf," who once dominated the Chenzhou underworld and was known for his cunning and ruthlessness, ended his sinful life in such an extremely decisive, even somewhat brutal, way.

Qin Tiedan gasped for breath, his chest heaving. Looking at the corpse on the ground, the crimson in his eyes slowly faded, but the deep hatred and grief only deepened. He turned to Wang Zhonghua and said in a muffled voice, "Brother, this bastard… he got off too easily."

Wang Zhonghua patted his sturdy shoulder: "Brother Tiedan, blood debts must be repaid in blood, it's only right and proper. Qiu Laohu was the main culprit for the deaths of more than a dozen brothers in Huluwan, and these henchmen were accomplices. Not one of them can escape."

He glanced at Zhao Zuosi's twisted corpse and said calmly, "Take care of him thoroughly. Retrieve the account books from the old house in the east of the city, and the real list from the ship in the south of the city, according to plan. Be quick and thorough. Oh, and make proper arrangements for that poor Chunxing."

"Yes!" Qin Tiedan nodded emphatically and released Chunxing. Chunxing thanked him profusely and fled for her life.

Qin Tiedan picked up the corpse and strode towards the backyard. His steps remained steady and powerful, as if he had not just snapped a person's neck, but crushed a bedbug.

Wang Zhonghua walked to the window and pushed it open. A night breeze rushed in, dispersing the faint smell of blood and lime inside. In the distance, scattered lights could still be seen in the direction of Longsheng Ferry, while an even greater darkness surged within the night.

The smile that resembled Louis Koo's appeared on Wang Zhonghua's lips once again.

Qiu Laohu's cronies, every single one of them.

Don't believe me? Let's try it.