Chapter 8: Unbearable

Su Mu did not want to kill anyone.

For one, Zhang Chong and his two companions were not beggars without connections; killing them would bring great trouble.

For another, Su Mu was truly not confident in his ability to take on three people at once.

But while the tiger may have no intention to harm, men often harbor malicious intent toward the tiger.

Zhang Chong and his men had pushed him too far. Su Mu had endured and retreated time and again, yet they refused to grant him a way to survive.

Since he could endure no more, there was no need to endure!

He reached to his waist and gripped his wood-chopping knife.

At that moment, the fists raised by Zhang Chong’s two lackeys were just beginning to descend, heading straight for Su Mu’s face.

Suddenly.

A cold light flashed.

*Puff! Puff!*

Two soft sounds, almost simultaneous, rang out, as if thick leather had been sliced open by a blade.

"You... I..."

Zhang Chong’s two lackeys clutched their respective throats, fresh blood flowing out from between their fingers.

Both felt all their strength vanish instantly. Unable to utter another word, they stared at Su Mu with eyes full of resentment before collapsing. They kicked their legs a few times in a spasm, and soon, there was no movement left.

Everything happened too quickly. It wasn't until the two lackeys fell that Zhang Chong realized what had happened.

"Su Mu, you..."

Zhang Chong’s pupils contracted, then bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes. Gritting his teeth until they creaked, he spat out a few words.

"You dog-begotten bastard, you're courting death!"

With an angry roar, Zhang Chong stepped forward and threw a punch at Su Mu.

As a low-level foreman of the Woodcutter Gang, Zhang Chong had practiced a few moves.

Although he couldn't endure hardship and his talent was limited, preventing him from achieving much, his physical fitness was far superior to that of an average man.

This punch carried a faint whistling sound, quite imposing!

Su Mu’s expression was grave. Although he had killed Zhang Chong’s two lackeys, that had been a sneak attack.

Su Mu knew very well that he had only been practicing the blade for a short time, and his physical condition was far inferior to Zhang Chong’s. Even in a one-on-one fight, his chances of winning were slim.

But things had reached this point; he had no choice.

When two enemies meet on a narrow path, the brave one prevails.

Facing demons, he had dared to draw his blade with a mortal body; how much more so against his current opponent, a mere street thug!

*Wave-Breaking Surge!*

As Zhang Chong’s punch came, Su Mu acted as if he hadn't seen it. He didn't dodge or parry, but struck straight out with his blade.

*Wave-Breaking Surge!*

The wood-chopping knife whistled through the air, cutting between Zhang Chong’s hands and slashing directly toward his chest.

Zhang Chong was just a street thug; where would he have seen such a suicidal, life-for-a-life fighting style?

By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late to change his move.

*Crack!*

A crisp sound of breaking bone rang out, and intense pain surged from his chest into Zhang Chong’s mind.

At this moment, Zhang Chong’s fists had already slammed into Su Mu.

One punch hit the corner of Su Mu’s mouth, the other struck behind his ear.

Although both punches landed, the excruciating pain from his chest greatly sapped the power behind Zhang Chong’s blows.

"You..."

Zhang Chong looked at Su Mu in disbelief, unable to fathom how a guy who looked so frail could be so vicious when he fought.

Su Mu had blood at the corner of his mouth, his expression blank.

Zhang Chong’s pupils contracted, and he opened his mouth in terror.

"Spare..."

*Puff!*

The wood-chopping knife sliced across Zhang Chong’s throat, shattering his windpipe and severing his carotid artery.

Zhang Chong fell to the ground, blood spraying from his neck. His body twitched a few times, and finally, it went still.

...

Su Mu scanned his surroundings.

Aside from the three corpses, there was no one else in sight.

He slowly let out a breath of relief. A feeling of exhaustion washed over him, and the places where Zhang Chong had struck him throbbed with piercing pain.

His body was, after all, still too weak.

If he had possessed more strength, the first strike would have killed Zhang Chong, and he wouldn't have had to take those two punches.

Looking at the three corpses, the hand holding the wood-chopping knife trembled slightly.

Although this wasn't his first time killing, he still felt some discomfort in his heart.

But he soon let it go.

This was the way of the world: if you don't kill, you will be killed.

If he hadn't practiced the blade technique, he would have had his limbs broken by Zhang Chong and his men, and would have eventually died from hunger and cold.

The other party wanted his life, and he didn't want to die, so he had no choice but to let them die instead.

After quickly calming his emotions, Su Mu felt even more composed than he had after his last kill.

He was even much more proficient at looting the bodies.

Soon, Su Mu found two ingots of silver in Zhang Chong’s robes, totaling about ten taels.

The two lackeys didn't have much money on them, only three hundred copper coins in total.

After looting the bodies, Su Mu looked around again. Seeing no one, he quickly disappeared in the direction of Wuling City.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to hack a few more times at the wounds on the three corpses to prevent anyone from identifying the cause of death.

As for disposing of the bodies, he truly didn't have the strength left for that.

Besides, out here in the wilderness, after one night, their corpses would be picked clean by jackals and wild dogs.

...

Just moments after Su Mu left.

Several figures appeared before the three corpses. They were on their way back to Wuling City from outside the city and happened upon the bodies of Zhang Chong and his men.

One person crouched down, inspected the wounds, and whispered, "The wounds were intentionally mangled. The killer seems to have used a blade."

He stood up and asked one of the men, "Constable Xing, should we investigate?"

These men were all dressed in black uniforms; they were clearly constables of Wuling City.

"I recognize him. He’s a minor leader in the Woodcutter Gang. In my opinion, it’s nine times out of ten a gang turf war," another constable said.

"We are short-handed right now; there's no need to waste manpower on such low-lifes," Constable Xing said, waving his hand.

In this day and age, a few deaths in a gang war meant nothing.

In Wuling City, especially in the chaotic Southern District, it would be strange if people didn't die every day.

Constable Xing was a constable of the Southern District Office himself and had long since grown accustomed to such matters.

If he had been idle, he might have had the leisure to investigate the killer.

But now, he was already overwhelmed with work; how could he care about the life or death of such thugs?

"The higher-ups have issued a strict order: the Black Dragon Stronghold must be pacified within six months. If we fail, I will inevitably be exiled, and none of you will fare any better," Constable Xing said with a frown.

"Boss, we saw it clearly this time. The Black Dragon Stronghold has at least three hundred men. Our Southern District Office has so few people; aren't the higher-ups asking us to throw eggs against a rock?" one constable complained.

"The higher-ups won't listen to your complaints," Constable Xing snorted.

"Boss, I actually have an idea," another constable suddenly said. "To attack the Black Dragon Stronghold, couldn't we temporarily recruit a batch of laborers?

Our Southern District Office is short-handed, but what does the Southern District have the most of? Refugees and beggars!

We just need to recruit a batch of laborers and use them as cannon fodder to attack the Black Dragon Stronghold. As long as there are enough of them, we can bury the Black Dragon Stronghold with sheer numbers.

Then we can just follow behind and reap the rewards."

"The Southern District Office can't afford to feed that many laborers," Constable Xing said.

"Boss, think about it. Of those laborers who go to attack the Black Dragon Stronghold, how many will return alive? So, there's no need to feed them at all," the constable said.

Constable Xing glanced at the constable, a flash of wariness in his eyes.

He hadn't expected such a ruthless person to be under his command.

The method was feasible, but afterward, he would have to find an excuse to transfer him away.

With such a ruthless person under his command, who knew when he might dig a pit for him?

No leader truly likes such a person without a bottom line.

"That is an idea. I'll leave this matter to you. If you can successfully pacify the Black Dragon Stronghold, I will personally request a merit for you!" Constable Xing patted the constable on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Constable! I guarantee I will complete the mission!" the constable said, overjoyed.

...

(End of chapter)