Chapter 20: What Does It Have to Do with Me

Song Jiachang spun around abruptly, then fell to his knees with a thud, pleading, “Spare me, Brother Lu—no, Lord Lu, please spare this worthless life of mine. I have an elderly mother above, and a child of three below. If I die, how will they survive?”

Lu Yan bent down, drew Song Jiachang’s saber, and pressed it against his throat. “I’ll ask, you answer.”

“Yes, yes, please ask, Lord Lu. I’ll tell you everything I know, I wouldn’t dare hide a word,” Song Jiachang replied, nodding desperately.

Though he was more than a decade older than Lu Yan, he called him “Lord Lu” again and again, his tone utterly sincere.

“The Green Bamboo Gang traffics children. You must have had a part in it. Aside from Meng Qi, who else is involved behind the scenes?” Lu Yan demanded.

“Captain Sun Xiang, Squad Leader Wang Hai, and Meng Qi—that’s all,” Song Jiachang stammered.

“Anyone else? For example, the captains of other teams?” asked Lu Yan.

“No, the other teams know nothing about this,” Song Jiachang replied honestly.

Lu Yan pondered a moment, then asked, “What about Wang Lin? Was he involved?”

He had worked alongside Wang Lin for five months and knew him to be upright and helpful. Truth be told, he sincerely hoped Wang Lin was not implicated.

“No, Wang Lin wasn’t involved. The captain assigned you and Wang Lin to oversee this district precisely because, if anything leaked, you two could be scapegoated—killed to silence the matter,” Song Jiachang admitted.

“Sun Xiang, what a schemer,” Lu Yan’s gaze grew colder.

“To whom does the Green Bamboo Gang sell the children?” he continued.

“To the Wu family. As for what they do with the children, I truly don’t know,” Song Jiachang answered.

So it was the Wu family. They certainly had nerve. The Liu and Wu families had always been bitter rivals; if the Liu family learned of this, Sun Xiang and the others would be doomed. No wonder Meng Qi was so eager to silence everyone.

“One last question: What is the cultivation level of your gang leader, Fang Xiong? How many experts are there within the Green Bamboo Gang?” Lu Yan pressed.

“Our leader broke through four times two years ago. There are also two deputy leaders who’ve broken through three times, two at the second level, and four at the first. Nine martial artists who’ve broken limits, the rest are insignificant underlings,” Song Jiachang explained.

“Lord Lu, I’ve told you everything I know, word for word. Please, I beg you, spare my life. I have a mother of sixty and a child of three…”

Slash!

The long blade swept through the air. Song Jiachang clutched his throat, blood pouring between his fingers. He stared at Lu Yan, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if to ask: why? After a few desperate struggles, his body went limp—dead.

“Your family is none of my concern,” Lu Yan said coldly.

They were all adults, responsible for their own actions. Did having dependents at home excuse wicked deeds? Could one then use family as a moral shield when things went wrong? Ridiculous.

Lu Yan then considered how best to tie up loose ends. With Zuo Yi and the others still missing, Sun Xiang, Meng Qi, and their ilk would surely sense something amiss and likely come after him themselves. In that case, he would have to strike first.

He had another option, of course: to report the matter to the Liu family. But he lacked concrete evidence linking Sun Xiang and the others to the Green Bamboo Gang; they might well frame him instead. Sun Xiang and his associates had been laying roots in the Crimson Guards for years, their connections deep and wide. And Lu Yan? He was but a first-level martial artist—who would people believe? Even if the Liu family believed him and launched a full investigation, the fact that he’d killed Zuo Yi and the others would inevitably emerge. A first-level martial artist taking down one at the third level and two at the second? Could he keep that secret?

Reporting to the Liu family involved too many uncertainties, and Lu Yan despised uncertainty. Thus, he chose the simplest path.

He scouted the area around the alley. The buildings were dilapidated, awaiting demolition; few people lived there—an ideal place to hide bodies. Zuo Yi had chosen it for this very reason, originally to ambush Lu Yan. Now, it suited Lu Yan’s own purposes.

He found an abandoned courtyard with a dry well and tossed the corpses of Zuo Yi and his men inside. He then fetched water to wash away the bloodstains. The later their deaths were discovered, the better.

Once everything was in order, Lu Yan bought some supplies and went home to disguise himself. He darkened his skin with makeup, added a bit of stubble, and aged himself considerably. With his tall, sturdy frame, he looked like a robust man in his thirties—utterly unrecognizable.

Then, Lu Yan made his way straight to the Green Bamboo Gang’s headquarters.

“Tell your leader that Captain Meng Qi sent me,” he said to the guards at the entrance.

Clad in the Crimson Guards uniform, Lu Yan was treated with utmost respect. The guards hurried inside, and soon Lu Yan was ushered before Fang Xiong.

“You look unfamiliar, sir. I don’t recall seeing you before,” Fang Xiong remarked, eyeing him closely.

“I’ve always been working on other tasks for Captain Meng Qi, so we haven’t crossed paths. You wouldn’t have seen me,” Lu Yan replied steadily. “Captain Meng Qi sent me to check on the children. Is everything in order?”

Seeing that Lu Yan knew about the children, Fang Xiong relaxed, convinced he was indeed one of Meng Qi’s men. “Rest assured, everything is in order. The transaction will be completed in a couple of days.”

“By the way, did Captain Meng Qi send you only to ask about that?” Fang Xiong inquired.

“Not at all. Captain Meng Qi gave me a personal letter for you,” Lu Yan said, glancing at the two deputy leaders standing nearby. “It’s confidential. Perhaps they should leave the room?”

“No need,” Fang Xiong shook his head. “These two are my brothers. I trust them completely; there are no secrets between us.”

How cautious, Lu Yan thought.

He had hoped to get the deputies out of the way and deal with Fang Xiong alone—it would have been much easier. No matter; he wouldn’t change his plan for this.

“Very well, please take a look, Leader…”

Lu Yan stepped forward, reaching into his coat as if to retrieve a letter.

In a flash, he flung a handful of fiery red chili powder at Fang Xiong’s face.

Caught completely off-guard, Fang Xiong was struck full in the eyes.

“My eyes! Kill him! Kill him!” Fang Xiong roared, stumbling backward.

The two deputy leaders reacted swiftly, pouncing toward Lu Yan. But Lu Yan was quicker. As the chili powder flew, he launched into the Six Harmonies Kick, his leg muscles swelling, his frame growing more imposing. He stamped down, launching himself like an arrow straight at the Green Bamboo Gang’s leader.

His blood surged, the Iron Thread Fist at its peak—his arms wrapped in dense black lines as if armored with iron wires.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His fists hammered down. Fang Xiong, blinded, could only muster his blood energy and throw random punches in defense. But after barely blocking two blows, he was struck in the chest. Though a fourfold martial artist’s body was tough—honed and refined through four breakthroughs—Lu Yan was no ordinary second-level martial artist. The devastating power of his Iron Thread Fist tore through Fang Xiong’s defenses, caving in his chest and leaving a bloody hole.

Fang Xiong staggered back, blood gushing from his mouth.

By now, the two deputies had reached them. Lu Yan sidestepped one and attacked the other with ferocity.

Crack!

The deputy’s arm shattered. Lu Yan’s leg, like a steel whip, lashed across his head—bursting it open like a watermelon.

Without pausing, Lu Yan spun, his legs sweeping like a whirlwind. The remaining deputy managed to parry only a few strikes before Lu Yan’s fist smashed through his chest.

Two third-level martial artists, killed in the span of a few breaths.

Whoosh!

Fang Xiong, mustering his last strength, seized a table and hurled it at Lu Yan, then tried to escape through the window.

Crash!

Lu Yan shattered the table with a punch, closed the distance in a few steps, and brought his fist down on Fang Xiong’s skull, ending him.

The commotion alarmed the Green Bamboo Gang members outside. Over twenty of them, led by several martial artists, swarmed inside.

[End of translation]