The night was cold, the wind tight and the snow heavy.
Cui Yong and Niu Er had drunk some wine and didn't go on night patrol; instead, they went home to sleep ahead of schedule.
Perhaps they drank too much because their sleep was not restful.
He just had a dream that felt like getting smacked on the head.
In a daze, Cui Yong felt as though his head was about to split open.
He even felt a bit suffocated and couldn't catch his breath.
He wanted to rub his head, but his hands wouldn't obey him.
"Hmm?"
Cui Yong was startled and suddenly woke up, opening his eyes wide.
He instinctively wanted to sit up, only to find that he was not on his warm kang but tied to a chair in his home.
His hands were tied behind his back, and his feet were bound to the legs of the chair, rendering him powerless.
A wad of cloth stuffed in his mouth prevented him from speaking.
What's going on?
Had a thug broken into the house?
Was it a robbery or revenge?
"Mmm!"
Cui Yong struggled on the chair for a long time, panting hard from exhaustion, yet he couldn't break free.
The rope was tied too tightly.
Cui Yong's nostrils flared, and he breathed heavily.
The room was eerily silent.
Oppressive.
Sinister.
It was suffused with a faint but palpable killing intent!
This feeling was torturous.
Cui Yong widened his eyes, looking around. In the dim corner in front of him, there seemed to be a shadowy figure.
"Mmm mmm mmm!"
Cui Yong tried to ask who it was, but only a series of muffled sounds emerged.
"Scritch..."
A sound of metal scraping against stone slowly rang out.
Cui Yong's expression changed.
This was a sound he couldn't be more familiar with.
It was the sound of a long knife being unsheathed, the blade rubbing against the scabbard!
Cui Yong was scared pale.
He was usually domineering and oppressive in the village, having offended countless people.
For a moment, he couldn't figure out which enemy had come for him.
In Changze County, with Chief Cui covering for him, even if someone hated him to the bone, they didn't dare touch him.
Who on earth dared to come after him?
The intruder had a tall stature, dragging a gleaming long knife, slowly walking out from the shadows in the corner.
The 'shh shh' sound of the blade tip scraping against the ground seemed like a death knell from the Underworld!
Cui Yong's heart nearly jumped out of his chest; he forgot to breathe, shuddering in extreme fear.
But as the intruder approached, and Cui Yong could see clearly, his initial fear lessened a bit.
Chen Tang!
This little bastard dared to take advantage of his drunkenness to come for him!
What did he want?
"Mmm mmm mmm!"
Cui Yong glared at Chen Tang, his expression angry, continuously letting out muffled sounds, shaking his body, and if not for the rope binding him, he might have pounced.
Dealing with Cui Yong was simpler.
Chen Tang took advantage of his drunken stupor to sneak into his home, knocking him out with the scabbard, and tied him to the chair with prepared rope.
Chen Tang quietly watched Cui Yong, expressionless.
That gaze did not seem to be looking at a person but rather a piece of wriggling meat.
After Cui Yong struggled until he was out of strength, Chen Tang slowly said: "You answer what I ask, don't waste my time."
"Why was my father imprisoned?"
Chen Tang removed the cloth from Cui Yong's mouth.
"Chen Tang, you dare..."
Thunk!
Chen Tang stabbed a knife down, piercing through Cui Yong's right leg!
"Mmm mmm mmm!"
Cui Yong failed to cry out before his mouth was stuffed with the cloth again, only emitting a series of painful groans.
"You answered wrong."
Chen Tang said lightly.
The reason for asking Cui Yong again was not to torture him but to verify the information from Niu Er and Cui Yong, ensuring the closest answer to the truth, not easily deceived.
Cui Yong trembled in pain, sweating profusely. His gaze at Chen Tang shifted from endless anger to include a hint of fear, his breathing becoming even more rapid.
Chen Tang said: "The same question again, I'll give you one more chance."
This time, Cui Yong nodded repeatedly, looking much more docile.
Chen Tang removed the cloth from Cui Yong's mouth.
Cui Yong's gaze flickered, gulping down his saliva, and he said: "That day County Magistrate Sun sent a few of us to collect money, and when it came to your house, your father refused to pay and hurt someone, alarming Chief Meng who was patrolling nearby, so they took him to the Government Office."
"Sigh."
Chen Tang sighed lightly: "I gave you a chance, but you were useless."
"I-I didn't lie."
Cui Yong hastily defended himself, not realizing in his panic that he had let something slip.
"Niu Er and the others have already confessed."
After saying this, Chen Tang shoved the rag back into Cui Yong's mouth, stepped on the chair, and swiftly drew his long knife!
Blood spurted, splattering across his face, but Chen Tang was unfazed. He aimed at Cui Yong's other leg and stabbed down forcefully!
Thud!
One stab drew blood!
"Mmm mmm mmm!"
Cui Yong convulsed in pain, the chair creaking under him. His body tensed, and he strained his neck, veins bulging.
"You're running out of chances. The next stab might land anywhere."
Chen Tang removed the rag from Cui Yong's mouth again.
"I'll talk, I'll talk!"
This time, Cui Yong dared not play any tricks.
In his eyes, Chen Tang's blood-splattered face, in the dim light, resembled a devil from hell!
Cui Yong recounted the events that had transpired, with little difference from what Niu Er had said.
Chen Tang said, "Tell me everything you know about your uncle and the County Government Office."
"I know, I know it all!"
Cui Yong nodded repeatedly, saying: "This uncle of mine is, at best, a distant relative. We're not very close..."
Cui Yong divulged everything he knew about this uncle's background, martial arts techniques, habits, residence, and preferences.
He even revealed that the uncle was keeping a woman outside and gave Chen Tang her address.
From Cui Yong's account, much information about the County Government Office was also disclosed.
"Brother Chen, I beg you, spare me. I won't dare provoke you again."
Cui Yong was truly terrified.
He had never experienced such a scene.
Blood continued to seep from the wound on his thigh, dripping to the ground with a loud ticking sound.
It sounded right next to his ear, eerily clear!
If the wound wasn't treated, he wouldn't survive just from the blood loss.
"Spare you?"
Chen Tang raised an eyebrow and questioned: "Chen Da'an was minding his own business, just trying to live a peaceful life, who among you spared him?"
Cui Yong said, "Your father died in the Government Office. It wasn't me who killed him; it was the County Magistrate who ordered the severe punishment..."
"County Magistrate Sun?"
Chen Tang grinned and said: "I'll find him, none of you will escape."
Seeing that begging for mercy was futile, Cui Yong steeled his heart and, in a fit of defiance, gritted his teeth and said, "Chen Tang, if you kill me, my uncle will definitely avenge me!"
"Heh..."
Chen Tang chuckled and said, "I'm just a cripple with severed tendons, who would suspect me?"
Cui Yong was stunned.
This statement nearly shattered his last psychological defense.
"My uncle, he... he is a Ninth Grade Martial Artist appointed by the Court, the Chief Constable of Changze County... He... he will definitely find the killer, he'll find you!"
"It'll be easy for him to kill you; you can't escape!"
Cui Yong's speech was intermittent, his consciousness already somewhat fuzzy.
Chen Tang pointed the knife tip at Cui Yong's chest, gradually applying pressure, while leaning in to whisper softly into his ear: "I'll send you on your way first. It won't be long before your uncle joins you."
"Poof!"
The knife tip pierced his chest.
"Take your time on the journey to the Yellow Springs. You might find companionship there."
Chen Tang's voice, mingled with the chilling sound of the blade slicing through flesh, seemed to come from the Netherworld.
Cui Yong heard it clearly.
His face filled with terror, his mouth agape, wanting to scream, but he found himself unable to make any sound.
Slash...
He could feel the cold blade slowly advancing within his chest, inch by inch.
With each inch the blade went in, his body would shiver.
Until the crimson knife tip protruded through his back, piercing through.
Cui Yong no longer twitched. His head tilted, motionless; he was already dead.
Chen Tang took a deep breath, stepped back a few paces, and slumped into the chair behind him, his face slightly pale, trying hard to calm his mind.
He had killed three people in one night.
Though it seemed effortless, it was a massive drain on his mental energy.
He was far from as calm as he appeared.
Only when everything was over, and the dust had settled, did his hands start to tremble.
The outcome had been what he had anticipated all along.
Either don't make a move and swallow the insult, living in humiliation.
If you do make a move, you can't afford even the slightest mercy!
Leaving any survivors would only bring endless trouble.
The entire process went smoothly, without him even having to engage the three directly.
Before descending the mountain, the Mountain Guest had said that dealing with the Constables of Changze County wasn't about your strength, but whether you were ruthless enough.
It turned out he was right.