From the Iron Shirt Technique to physical sanctification

"Boss, why don't you kill that kid?"

"Only one of them is a martial artist. Why should we, with so many of us, apologize to them? Did Huang Biao and Qian Yong die for nothing?"

Back at the Black Tiger Gang headquarters, several gang leaders started shouting and yelling all at once.

Gang leader Li Xiong didn't rush to speak. He waited until everyone had finished speaking before slowly taking out a wanted poster.

"Zhang Yu, a native of Yi County, was driven to his death by the Wild Wolf Gang. He single-handedly fought his way into the Wild Wolf Gang and wiped out the entire gang, not even sparing a one-year-old baby."

"Boss, which of us hasn't killed someone?"

"Yes, boss!"

Li Xiong looked at the crowd and said coldly, "Which of you can kill Qian Yong with one punch?"

Uh……

The crowd fell silent.

Qian Yong is the most skilled martial artist in the Black Tiger Gang besides its leader, Li Xiong.

"A man with no ties, who can kill Qian Yong with a single punch—what if we all rushed at him today but failed to kill him?" Li Xiong's gaze swept across the faces of the crowd.

"Use your pig brains to think this through, damn it, he'll lie in wait and slaughter you all one by one."

"Damn it, why am I compromising like this today? It's for you bunch of bastards!" Li Xiong cursed.

"To survive in Cangmang City, you not only need to be ruthless, but also have brains..." Li Xiong continued cursing.

……

Zhang Yu frowned slightly and walked towards the backyard. He hadn't expected Li Xiong to be so patient, and thought to himself, "This man cannot be allowed to live."

He looked up and saw Wen Hua and the others carrying second-tier demon beast meat with great joy, and he felt troubled again.

If he were alone, he would have finished off Li Xiong with a single punch.

But with apprentices like Li Yue, Niu Mancang, and Wen Hua by his side, he couldn't help but consider their safety.

"Looks like I'll have to sneak off to the Black Tiger Gang headquarters tonight." Zhang Yu made up his mind and stopped hesitating.

Killing Li Xiong in person would establish authority and eliminate future troubles, but the next leader of the Black Tiger Gang would definitely want to avenge Li Xiong if he wanted to take over. Zhang Yu himself was not afraid, but Li Yue and the others might be in mortal danger.

Slaughter the gang?

The Black Tiger Gang is no small gang; it has powerful backers. The six major gangs in Cangmang City are merely pawns of powerful families.

According to Chu Qingwen, Cangmang City is close to the Ten Thousand Mountains, and the profits from medicinal herbs and monster meat are astonishing every year. Ordinary people dare not and have no ability to get involved.

You can commit murder and arson in the city and no one will care, but if you affect the fortunes of powerful clans, a master of martial arts will come looking for you to take your life the next day.

Three days later, at midnight.

Zhang Yu quietly left his residence.

For the next three days, he had Wen Hua take the money to investigate everything about Li Xiong. Wen Hua, Zhao Dun, and Xia Shuang kept a close watch on Li Xiong, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, for twelve hours a day.

News has just come back that Li Xiong has left the Black Tiger Gang headquarters.

Ping'anfang is a small house with a single courtyard. In a small alley across the street, Wen Hua is hiding in the shadows, intently watching the gate.

The women Li Xiong keeps outside live in the courtyard; he'll be staying here tonight.

When Zhang Yu arrived at the alley, Wen Hua immediately came to greet him.

"Master, Li Xiong has been inside for an hour and hasn't left yet. He'll probably be sleeping here tonight."

"Hmm!" Zhang Yu nodded. "Has Li Xiong come out with his men?"

Wen Hua shook her head: "No, it was just him."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly, finding it a bit strange, but he didn't think much of it, because he didn't care. Even if it was a conspiracy, he wasn't afraid; all schemes and tricks were futile in the face of absolute power.

Even a master of internal energy transformation could be killed with a single punch, let alone the fact that the Black Tiger Gang has no martial artists with internal energy transformation abilities.

Tonight, under a dark and windy sky, Zhang Yu prepares to make his move.

He kicked off the wall, grabbed the top, and then gently vaulted over into the yard.

As soon as they landed, they saw a figure, and at the same time, Li Xiong's voice rang out: "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Hmm?" Zhang Yu frowned, realizing it was a trap.

In an instant, a massive avalanche was about to strike.

Whatever conspiracy it may be, killing Li Xiong will render all conspiracies futile.

"Wait!" Li Xiong was about to put on a show when suddenly a terrifying force emanated from Zhang Yu, startling him so much that he immediately said, "I waited for you today specifically to talk to you. I have no intention of being your enemy, nor do I want to avenge Qian Yong and the others."

"I still believe that the dead are safer," Zhang Yu said.

He didn't want to waste time talking to the other party.

"I am backed by the Sima family of the Great Chu Empire," Li Xiong hurriedly said. "Killing me and destroying the Black Tiger Gang is useless. There will be another Black Bear Gang, a Black Wolf Gang... and the Sima family will not let you go because you have delayed their business."

"You may leave, but what about your apprentices? What about those who follow you?"

"Are you threatening me?" Zhang Yu's voice was icy.

"No, I'm just stating the facts. I hope you'll think it through. Sometimes you can't live in Cangmang City by fighting and killing, unless you have the ability to wipe out those ancient families," Li Xiong said.

Zhang Yu retracted his fist: "You went through all that trouble to lure me here, and this is all you wanted to say?"

"Let's reconcile. These past three days you've been investigating me, and I've been investigating you too. I found out you killed a martial artist who had reached the Transformation Realm, so I don't want to be your enemy, and I don't want you to be thinking about me every day," Li Xiong said.

"That's it?" Zhang Yu didn't believe a word of it.

According to normal logic, after luring him into a trap, the other party should have arranged for axemen to surround and kill him, instead of having someone wait for him there alone.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

"I admire you very much," Li Xiong said.

Hearing this, Zhang Yu laughed. It made sense now. He thought to himself, "Damn, is this old bastard trying to use him as a tool because he's young?"

Zhang Yu was right. Li Xiong found out that he was only 16 years old and could kill a martial artist at the Transformation Realm, so he decided to recruit him.

Li Xiong was missing a sharp knife.

The 16-year-old boy, Li Xiong, was confident that he could control his opponent.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that Zhang Yu's soul was now an old man.

"As long as you join the Black Tiger Gang, I can recognize you as my godson, and you'll be the young gang leader..." Li Xiong began to make empty promises.

Zhang Yu completely ignored it, letting it go in one ear and out the other, treating it as if the other person was talking nonsense. He was currently trying to sense whether there were still people lying in ambush in the courtyard.

Besides the incessantly chattering Li Xiong, there was a faint breathing sound in the room, probably from Li Xiong's woman. Zhang Yu didn't hear anyone else breathing.

"Huh? This old bastard is really alone? He seems quite confident. Well, he's only 16 years old after all. What a pity!" Zhang Yu thought to himself.

The next second, he looked up at Li Xiong, who was making empty promises, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Big avalanche.

Ugh!

He threw a punch at his opponent with lightning speed.

boom!

Li Xiong, who was describing all the benefits of being his godson, was suddenly enveloped by a sharp aura. His voice stopped abruptly, and his eyes widened: "Listen to me!"

"No! Wait a minute!" Li Xiong's heart trembled, and it was too late to dodge.

Zhang Yu had no intention of listening to his nonsense anymore. He punched him squarely in the chest. The powerful force instantly shattered Li Xiong's body into pieces, exploding with a loud bang.

"Why?" Li Xiong died with his eyes wide open, unable to understand why a 16-year-old boy from the lower class hadn't believed him.

"You want to be my dad? Damn it!" Zhang Yu shook the blood off his hand and cursed under his breath.