While the gangsters stood frozen in fear, Lin Fang made his move. He was afraid that if he were too slow, they wouldn't be counted as having killing intent anymore.
Lin Fang moved like a ghost, appearing next to a gangster and tapping him lightly in a moment, and appearing on the other side of the room and tapping another in the next moment.
Pa!
Pa!
Pa!
In just a couple of seconds, the once rowdy hall turned completely silent, countless bodies lay sprawled on the floor. Lin Fang smiled and turned towards the steps to the next floor, "more", he whispered.
The stairs groaned under his heel. Lin Fang climbed without hurry.
Second floor. The air was thick with old smoke and sour wine. Red silk screens bled lamplight across sticky boards. Dice clicked. A fly worried at a crust of spilled meat. Low rafters pressed down like a lid.
Forty faces turned. Knuckles tattooed. Clubs and cleavers and short sabers scraped wood off the tables. Boots dragged. Chairs squealed. The room smelled of sweat and incense that had burned too long.
At the far end sat a chair taller than the rest. Not a throne, but trying. A man lounged there with one leg over the arm, a cup balanced in two fingers. A black snake crawled up his throat in ink, tongue split across his jaw. Gold glinted when he smiled. His eyes were half closed, like a cat watching birds.
"This really looks like a boss fight that the protagonists gets into after a whole training arc", Lin Fang muttered in amusement.
CLICK!
Lin Fang casually sheathed and unsheathed his sword in a quick manner. The gangsters instantly froze for a moment before collapsing in quick succession. Some of them were beheaded, others cleaved into two halves, and some of them even collapsed into multiple pieces.
"Well, that was anticlimactic", Lin Fang's voice sounded like thunder in the silent hall.
Du San's cup fell from his trembling hands, his face paled, and he looked like he had seen a ghost. Before Lin Fang could say anything else, Du San jumped from his 'throne' and kneeled before him, shouting, "Young Master! I thank you on behalf of Galecrest city for disposing of the trash plaguing it!"
Lin Fang was dumbfounded, this guy was too shameless, "Oh? So you weren't part of them?", he said with amusement.
"I am a righteous man, Young master! I was only forced to operate this gang by that demon of a man. He...", Du San's eyes watered, despite his muscular frame and face full of scars, he now looked like a pitiful victim, "that monster threatened me with my family, I can only comply, young master!"
Lin Fang obviously didn't buy this man's story, but he decided to play along to bait a bigger fish.
Lin Fang's face morphed into righteous anger, "who dares be so despicable in my Divine Wind Sect's territory!"
Hearing this, Du San was shocked, then overjoyed, 'he must be one of those reckless righteous cultivators. Then...', he thought, his eyes flashing with a cunning light, 'I can make him do my bidding. And finally break out of that guy's shackles.'
Du San licked his lips, eyes shining with sudden hope. "Young master is from the Divine Wind Sect. Then you can handle him."
Lin Fang nodded, making Du San continue, "the hand in the dark," Words tumbled out. "The Lantern Vipers are only a surface. The one who controls us and lets us bully the docks is a cultivator. He has white hair and an Old face, but his body is like iron. He cultivates fire true qi. Stand near him and your back soaks in sweat. I never asked his realm. I never dared."
Lin Fang's gaze didn't change. "Name"
"I do not know. We call him Master Yan. He comes when he wants, leaves when he wants. We only count coins after."
Suddenly, Lin Fang sensed something and turned his gaze towards the stairs, "I don't need you anymore," Lin Fang suddenly said. His face shed righteousness like an old robe and wore its usual lazy confidence again. He flicked Du San's forehead with one finger.
Pop.
Du San's head exploded into a shower of blood, turning the hall into an even darker crimson.
tap… tap… tap…
An old man climbed from the lower floor. White hair, dull as ash. Bare forearms roped with muscle. He took in the scene with cold indifference, "This gang was a good source of income", he muttered, not a hint of anger on his face.
Lin Fang stood easy, one hand resting on his scabbard. Despite feeling this man's realm to be qi refining level 5, higher than him, he wasn't afraid, he was sure that his techniques could bridge the gap.
If they could not, there was still the pendant at his chest. Even though it would be a bit of an overkill to use it on a qi refiner.
Just when Lin Fang expected the man to attack him, he instead sighed and cupped his fists, "Well, since brother decided to destroy my gang, then it is those mortals' honour to get killed by a cultivator", he said calmly, shocking Lin Fang.
Lin Fang blinked. "You are not going to attack me to seek revenge?"
"Revenge??" The man laughed until his eyes watered. "Why would I offend a cultivator, especially someone so young yet already at qi refining level 4 for a bunch of mortals? I could just create another gang in a few weeks."
Lin Fang's shock faded into something strange. "Well, looks like not everything is cliche in this world," he said, half to himself, confusing the old man. "If you had met any other cultivator, you might have survived," he added, a predator's grin cutting across his face. "But alas you met me."
The old man's expression hardened, "lets just both go our own ways, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."