A Long River Myth

Li Hong landed lightly on the roof beam like a monkey, and then seized the opportunity to land on the ground inside the house.

"Who?"

Lin Gun was the first to hear the noise.

Boom!

A startling muffled thud exploded in the room!

Before Lin Gun could even turn around, he felt as if a mountain had crushed his back, and he was sent flying!

Blood spurted from his mouth, splattering all over the faces of the others!

Next up was Hu Laosi. He had barely seen the masked man in black make his move when an iron fist slammed into his cheek!

Snapped!

The fractured jawbone and broken teeth pierced the faces of the other two people.

Two more punches followed, and the four Huang Lin gang leaders died before they could even utter a cry of alarm!

Which of these villains hasn't stained their hands with the blood of the poor? Killing them once wouldn't be enough to satisfy our hatred!

Without lingering, Li Hong picked up a chisel and quickly erased the traces of his actions.

I just heard from them that Yu Cangshan will be coming over later to "close the net".

After quickly looting the heads of a few gangs, Li Hong put away the dozen or so taels of silver and the booklet "Iron Wall Kung Fu," and then climbed onto the roof beam.

His mind raced.

Although Huang Qiang is also in the middle stage of the External Strength realm, he is almost forty years old when he reached this level.

Judging from what I just observed, his skills are far inferior to mine, who comes from the martial arts academy.

Even if he wasn't injured, Li Hong felt that Huang Qiang wouldn't last ten rounds against him.

On the contrary, he could fight Yu Cangshan to a standstill.

Even if it was a disadvantage, it only proved that Yu Cangshan wasn't very strong and was injured.

This way, we can observe first and then act when the opportunity arises.

Perhaps, there really is a chance to accomplish everything in one night!

With this in mind, Li Hong patiently waited for almost the time it takes to drink two cups of tea.

Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow and noticed that there were already torches shining outside the courtyard!

After hearing shouts of killing from the front yard.

Those few remaining of Huang Qiang's men who had not yet surrendered to Yu Cangshan's faction were purged.

Clang!

The door to the inner room was kicked open violently from the outside, and two men wielding knives leaped in.

One of them, Li Hong recognized clearly, was Wang Bin, whom he had met not long ago!

After a gasp of surprise, Yu Cangshan, with his hooked nose, entered with his hands behind his back.

His complexion actually looked better than Huang Qiang's.

But Li Hong observed carefully; the man's steps were somewhat unsteady, and although his injuries were not serious, his blood and qi were showing some abnormalities.

"Master, this...you have other plans?"

Standing in front, Wang Bin suppressed his nausea. Even though he had committed many crimes over the years, he still felt uncomfortable seeing the bloody scene in the room.

"snort!"

Yu Cangshan snorted coldly, stepped forward, looked around, and remained noncommittal.

In truth, he was quite surprised, but having been the leader for so long, he had to maintain an unyielding demeanor in front of his subordinates.

Once these people lowered their guard slightly, driven by curiosity, they went into the house one after another to check.

Suddenly, the oil lamp on the table went out!

"what!"

Suddenly, a strange scream rang out, followed by someone shouting angrily.

Then came a series of terrifying sounds that could only be heard from large bones cracking!

In the darkness, the sudden sounds of fighting lasted only for the time it takes to drink a bowl of tea before ceasing.

After a series of sounds like a chisel hammering meat, the room quickly fell silent again...

...........

At midnight, by the Xishui River outside the outer city.

Li Hong leaped out of the river, washing away the thick stench of blood, and went ashore to wipe his body.

On the clean clothes beside him lay all the spoils of this trip.

The package included twenty-three taels of silver, several jade thumb rings, and a booklet of the "Iron Wall Kung Fu" containing the fundamental diagrams.

The fact that Yu Cangshan and his group did not carry much money was the only thing that Li Hong and his party were dissatisfied with.

"The silver is enough for my expenses of purchasing Blood Pills for more than a month, but the amount is too large. I can't use it until the rumors die down, so as not to arouse suspicion!"

Li Hong put on his clothes and sat cross-legged on the shore, keeping watch over his surroundings.

The Huang Lin Gang was wiped out overnight, but who knows if other forces might rise from the ashes and seize the opportunity in the future...

The gangs in the outer city are a complex and intertwined group, and the information he had secretly gathered was mostly aimed at Huang Qiang and Yu Cangshan.

If this money is exposed, it could lead to rumors that the downfall of the Huang Lin Gang is related to him.

Once such stories spread, they never need to be verified.

Without any other force taking the blame, this will inevitably become a series of unsolved cases.

"Sometimes, even if my strength hasn't reached the required level, just some rumors can be enough to pose a fatal threat to me."

"If we can't strengthen our internal defenses... we should still be careful in the outer city!"

Li Hong pondered for a moment, and then made up his mind.

On the surface, I cannot spend too much of this "dirty money" at once; I must maintain the maximum level of normalcy.

"Alas, once we've grown strong enough, and if we can gain the favor of the family, we must earn more money through legitimate means so we can move Grandpa and Mother to a new place!"

Li Hong sighed softly, then lit a tinderbox, opened the "Iron Wall Kung Fu" book, and began to read it intently.

He had never been exposed to the martial arts of this world before.

Not long after.

His previous doubts vanished!

This Iron Wall Skill is a martial art from Wanliang Mountain, a powerful force in the Jianghu (martial arts world) of Shangyang County.

The booklet contains the fundamental diagrams for the four levels of Iron Wall Kung Fu...

The first layer is the Python Coiling Force, followed by the Rhinoceros Armor Force and the Elephant Mountain Force, and the fourth layer is the Tiger Spine Force...

"If one hadn't mastered the Python Coiling Technique to perfection and laid a solid foundation while still a virgin, would one be unable to progress to the later levels?"

Li Hong looked at this with a half-smile.

With the panel providing continuous benefits, no restrictions or barriers seem to have any effect on him.

Moreover, his body is still...

"No wonder Huang Qiang used it to prop up the cabinet legs; he must have been tricked by Yu Cangshan back then!"

Li Hong secretly speculated that Yu Cangshan, judging from his age, was probably no longer a virgin when he mastered the Python Skin Technique.

But I must say, when I fought him in the dark just now, the few punches I landed on him felt cool, smooth, and incredibly tight.

It really does feel like hitting old vine bark.

It is similar to the description of the first layer of "Python Entanglement" in the booklet.

Unfortunately, Yu Cangshan's kung fu was not yet fully developed before he broke the precepts; it was neither pure nor refined.

Despite his injuries, he was still no match for those punches and ultimately died from broken bones.

"When I have free time, I can start practicing this Iron Wall Kung Fu... It's always good to have more skills!"

After a night of bloodshed, Li Hong finally felt a sense of accomplishment. He packed his valuables and quietly departed...

..........

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The news of Huang Lin Gang's overnight annihilation spread throughout the northern part of the outer city at an astonishing speed.

The Huang Lin Gang, which used to run rampant in the five streets and twelve alleys of the outer city, disappeared overnight.

Before the sun had even risen in the early morning, several streets and alleys were already bustling with activity.

Jinshui Street.

In front of each house, small groups of neighbors gathered, their voices barely audible, yet unable to conceal their alarm and secret joy!

"They're all dead! I heard that General Manager Yu and Huang Qiang's faces are rotten; it's a truly gruesome sight!"

In front of the incense and candle shop, Xu Laonian, who had just returned home, spoke in a low voice, but the corners of his eyes couldn't help but turn up!

Carpenter Zhang wiped away his cold sweat, repeatedly saying, "What a tragedy! What happened? How could everyone be dead in this internal strife?"

This morning, people gathered in the streets and alleys.

Neighbors who used to be too quiet to speak are now spreading the news, making it even more lively than during festivals.

Inside the grocery store, Yao and Li Fulin were somewhat bewildered and taken aback; this was a mountain that had been weighing on their heads for many years.

When I woke up one morning, I suddenly heard that I had vanished into thin air?

Then, after realizing what had happened, they couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

Without these gangs sucking our blood, we can finally live a peaceful life for a while!

As for Li Hong, when he went out to the martial arts hall in the morning, he was stopped by the neighbors more than a dozen times along the way.

He'd heard the news of Huang Lin's gang's demise so many times he was practically sick of it.

However, he didn't dare to act as if he already knew, and his eyes were sore from staring so hard.

..........