Chapter 120: The Man of Blood and Mire

The next day, the sun rose, bright and piercing, bathing the world in renewed vitality. Only the damp ground and lingering puddles remained as evidence of the torrential downpour from the night before.

A figure, caked in dried blood and mud, struggled to open his eyes against the glare, murmuring to himself, "I must make it back alive. Wan Hong, I will not let you get away with this. The blood of my brothers will not be shed in vain; their lives will not have been sacrificed for nothing."

Yang Feng had long since forgotten the pain in his body. After dragging himself to a street, he was so exhausted that he had to lean against a newspaper kiosk to rest. He looked more wretched than any beggar; no one would have guessed that he was the esteemed First Deputy Hall Master of the Blood Hall and a deputy commander of the Scarlet Members, a name that struck terror into the hearts of countless gangsters.

A-Qing and A-Di were local street thugs who spent their days doing odd jobs like parking cars. Having just parked a car for a wealthy man who had only tossed them a few dozen yuan—a pittance compared to the value of his BMW 7 Series—the two were complaining bitterly as they headed toward the kiosk to buy some Red Bull.

"Boss, two bottles of Red Bull, please," A-Qing said, reaching for his money. Suddenly, a hand covered in caked mud grabbed his calf. Startled, he looked down and was horrified by the sight of the man. The stranger was covered in blood and grime, looking as if he had crawled out of a sewer. His clothes were in tatters, and over a dozen ghastly wounds, now clotted with dried blood and wet mud, marked his body. Yet, his eyes, though terrifyingly bloodshot, still burned with a piercing intensity.

"Damn it! You look more ghost than man! You scared the hell out of me!" Recovering from his shock, A-Qing kicked out at Yang Feng.

Yang Feng, too weak to dodge, stared at him with desperate eyes. "Take me to the Yi Gate headquarters. You must get me to the headquarters. Once it is done, you will receive rewards beyond your wildest imagination." With those final words, he exhausted his remaining strength and collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Hey! Hey, don't pass out! You haven't even told us who you are!"

"What do we do? He mentioned Yi Gate! They're the biggest power in Tuen Mun. Even our local boss, Brother Sheng—the toughest, most arrogant guy on this street—isn't worth a damn to them. Should we take him?" A-Qing and A-Di looked at each other, at a loss.

"We should take him. Maybe this is our chance to join Yi Gate and stop being bottom-tier thugs," A-Di said after a moment of hesitation.

A-Qing shook his head. "What if he has enemies in Yi Gate? If we take him there, we're walking into a death trap! And look at him—how could someone like that be connected to Yi Gate? Let's not borrow trouble."

"If you won't take him, I will," A-Di said firmly. "I'm tired of being a nobody, looked down upon and bullied. I want to make something of myself. I want those who looked down on me to regret it. He said there would be a reward, and I'm going to gamble on it."

A-Qing refused to join him. "This territory belongs to the Horizontal Hall. If he really is connected to Yi Gate, you're going to bring a lot of trouble on yourself. Go ahead if you want, but I'm out."

A-Di didn't argue. He quickly fetched a battered, vintage car, carefully lifted Yang Feng into it, and sped off toward the Yi Gate headquarters in Lingnan.

Midway through the journey, Yang Feng stirred and began coughing violently, spitting up blood. He looked on the verge of death, having aged decades in his suffering.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? I know there's a Blood Hall branch of Yi Gate ahead. I'll take you there!" A-Di said anxiously.

"No, it must be the headquarters."

"But you might not make it that far! Let me take you to a hospital first!"

The answer remained a firm "No." Despite his extreme weakness, Yang Feng’s tone was unwavering. He knew that if Wan Hong was the traitor, he likely had plants throughout the halls and the organization. If he went to a branch office, he might walk straight into the hands of an enemy and be killed before he could expose the truth.

"Hold on for ten more minutes. We've reached Lingnan."

A-Di pushed the car to its limit, speeding through the streets. They were now in Lingnan, not far from the headquarters. Yang Feng struggled to keep his eyes open, taking in the familiar sights. If he could just make it, he would be satisfied, even if he didn't live to see his brothers avenged.

Two minutes, five minutes, eight minutes passed. Finally, the car screeched to a halt in front of the Yi Gate headquarters. A-Di scrambled to carry Yang Feng inside.

He expected to be stopped, but when Yang Feng wheezed, "Blood Hall, Yang Feng," the path cleared instantly, and they were rushed into a secure conference room.

Chen Erpao, who had been waiting anxiously for news all night, recognized the mud-caked, dying man immediately. The others were equally shocked, but none more so than Wan Hong. His facial muscles twitched, and he stood up abruptly, ready to take the risk and finish Yang Feng off right then and there.

However, the situation was out of his control. Chen Erpao had already reached Yang Feng's side, and even a man as bold as Wan Hong dared not act now.

Seeing so many familiar faces, Yang Feng grew agitated. When his gaze fell upon Wan Hong, a flash of pure hatred crossed his face.

"Brother Pao, Wan Hong is the traitor. The men from the Horizontal Hall thought I was dead, and I overheard them. You must avenge our brothers! Besides him, I also heard that there is another..." Yang Feng coughed, unable to finish.

"Feng, Feng!" Chen Erpao held him tightly. The whispered words had sent a chill through his heart. Though he desperately wanted to believe in Wan Hong, the evidence made him the prime suspect.