Courtyard House: First, kill the hypocrites, leave none alive.

"Yan Bugui!"

A low shout rang out in the courtyard late at night, like a thunderclap, shattering the deathly silence.

Yan Bugui was crouching low, tiptoeing towards the courtyard gate. He carried a small cloth bag in his arms, containing the last of his family's valuables—two silver hairpins, a few silver dollars, and several dozen dollars in cash. He planned to escape under cover of night and leave this awful place.

Hearing someone call his name, Yan Bugui froze, as if he had been frozen in place. He slowly turned around and, by the dim moonlight, saw the figure standing under the moon gate.

Chen Feng.

He was dressed in all black, like a shadow blending into the night. His face was expressionless, only his eyes gleamed with a cold light in the darkness.

"You...you..." Yan Bugui's lips trembled, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.

"Where are you going so late?" Chen Feng took a step forward, his voice as calm as if he were chatting.

"I...I..." Yan Bugui tried to come up with a reason, but his mind went blank. He subconsciously hid the cloth bag behind his back.

Chen Feng saw his movement, a cold smile curving his lips: "Trying to run?"

"Chen Feng... listen to me..." Yan Bugui's voice trembled, "Those things... those things weren't my idea alone... it was Yi Zhonghai... it was the deaf old woman... they forced me to..."

"Forced you?" Chen Feng took another step forward. "Forced you to take money? Forced you to settle accounts? Forced you to help frame me?"

Yan Bugui retreated step by step until his back pressed against the courtyard wall, with nowhere left to go. He saw the knife in Chen Feng's hand; the knife gleamed coldly in the moonlight, like the scythe of death.

"I...I had no choice..." Yan Bugui cried, tears streaming down his wrinkled face. "My family is poor...I have many children...I have to support my family..."

"Support your family?" Chen Feng sneered. "To support your family, you'd cause someone else's family to be destroyed?"

He remembered his father burning to death, his mother's cries for help in the fire, and the fear he felt when Xiaoyu disappeared. Yan Bugui was involved in all of this. He accepted bribes from Jia Dongxu and helped him scheme to take the Chen family's house; he helped Yi Zhonghai collect money and helped the deaf old woman hire thugs; he was shrewd and calculating, keeping every account clear, but he never considered the account of his conscience.

"Today," Chen Feng raised his knife, "it's time to settle the score."

"No...don't kill me..." Yan Bugui knelt down. "I...I'll give you all my money...I'll give you my bankbook...please let me go..."

He pulled the small cloth bag from his pocket and then took out a few crumpled pieces of paper—the deaf old woman's bankbook, which he had secretly hidden during the fight that afternoon.

Chen Feng glanced at it but didn't take it. He walked up to Yan Bugui, squatted down, and looked at that shrewd and calculating face.

"Yan Bugui, do you know what I hate most about you?" Chen Feng asked.

Yan Bugui shook his head, his face covered in tears and snot.

"What I hate most about you isn't your greed, or your scheming," Chen Feng said, "it's that you always find reasons to justify your actions, even when you've done something wrong, and you always feel at ease with yourself. You think you're doing it for your family, for your children, so everything you do is right. You never think about what will happen to the families of those you've harmed? What will happen to their children?"

Yan Bugui was stunned. These words were like a knife, piercing the deepest part of his heart. Yes, he had never thought of that. He only cared about his own family's well-being; what did it matter to him whether other families were doing well or not?

"I..." He wanted to say something, but Chen Feng didn't give him the chance.

The blade fell.

The first knife pierced his shoulder, and Yan Bugui screamed in agony. His cloth bag fell to the ground, scattering money and bankbooks everywhere.

"This stab is for my father." Chen Feng's voice was calm. "He was an honest man his whole life, never harmed anyone, yet you killed him."

The second knife pierced his leg, and Yan Bugui rolled on the ground in pain.

"This stab was for my mother. She was kind-hearted and always helped anyone in the neighborhood who was in trouble. And what happened? She was burned to death by you."

The third cut was made on his face, from his left cheek to his right chin, so deep that the bone was visible. Yan Bugui's screams were so shrill they sounded like the wailing of a ghost.

"This stab is for Xiaoyu. She's only fifteen years old, and you've caused her to disappear. Her fate is now unknown."

Yan Bugui could no longer scream, only making "hoarse" sounds. Blood flowed from his face, shoulders, and legs, pooling on the ground. He stared at Chen Feng, his eyes filled with fear and regret—not regret for harming the Chen family, but regret for not running away sooner.

Chen Feng stood up and looked at Yan Bugui, who was convulsing on the ground. He raised his knife and aimed it at Yan's neck.

"The final blow," he said, "was for myself. You've ruined me, ruined my whole life."

The blade slashed down.

"puff--"

Blood gushed out. Yan Bugui's body convulsed violently a few times, then lay still. His eyes remained open, frozen with the fear and resentment of his impending death—he had meticulously planned his entire life, only to die such an unjust death.

Chen Feng stood there, catching his breath. He looked at Yan Bugui's body, then at the money and bankbooks scattered on the ground.

These money, these bankbooks, are useless now. What's the use of money when the person is dead?

But he still squatted down, picked up the money and bankbook, and put them in his pocket. Then he stood up and walked towards the central court.

There are still many people.

Liu Haizhong, Liu Guangfu, Jia Zhangshi, Auntie Yi, Auntie Er, Auntie San... and those in the courtyard who contributed money.

Not a single one can be spared.

At Liu Haizhong's home, the family of three were still awake.

Liu Haizhong sat on the bed, his second aunt was packing things, and Liu Guangfu sat in the corner, his eyes fixed on the ground. They were waiting for dawn; as soon as it was light, they would move out and leave this awful place.

Suddenly, a scream came from outside.

The three of them froze simultaneously.

"What was that sound?" Auntie Er asked, her voice trembling.

"It seems to be... it's Yan Bugui..." Liu Haizhong's face turned pale.

Another scream rang out, even more agonizing.

Liu Guangfu jumped up and grabbed a kitchen knife from the table: "It's Chen Feng! He's here!"

Liu Haizhong jumped off the bed and pulled an iron bar from under it: "Guangfu, barricade the door!"

The second aunt was so frightened that she trembled all over and hid in the corner.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The knocking was loud and urgent, like the beat of a death knell.

"Who...who is it?" Liu Haizhong asked in a trembling voice.

No one answered. The knocking stopped.

The room was deathly silent. The three of them held their breath, listening to the sounds outside. But there was no sound at all, only the whooshing of the wind blowing through the window.

Liu Guangfu gripped the knife, his hand trembling. He remembered how his brother Liu Guangtian died, how Shazhu looked before he disappeared, and all the people who had died in the courtyard.

Am I next?

"Dad," he whispered, "shall we...shall we go through the back window?"

Liu Haizhong hesitated for a moment, then nodded. The back window faced the backyard, and climbing out led to the alley. Although dangerous, it was better than waiting to die here.

The three of them tiptoed to the back window. Liu Haizhong opened the window and looked out. The courtyard was dark, quiet, and deserted.

"Hurry up!" he urged.

Liu Guangfu climbed out first, followed by his second aunt. Liu Haizhong was the last one; he was fat and struggled to climb. He had only climbed halfway when he suddenly heard a creak behind him—the door had opened.

Liu Haizhong trembled with fear and nearly fell out of the window. He turned around and saw Chen Feng standing in the doorway, holding a knife that was still dripping blood.

"Liu Haizhong," Chen Feng said, "where are you going so late?"

Liu Haizhong wanted to say something, but his throat was dry and he couldn't make a sound. He tried to climb out, but his body was stuck in the window and he couldn't move.

"Come down," Chen Feng said, "let's talk."

Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth, exerted all his strength, and fell out of the window, crashing to the ground with a "bang." Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet and tried to run away.

But Chen Feng had already walked to the window, reached out, and grabbed his collar.

"Why are you running?" Chen Feng pulled him back and threw him on the ground.

Liu Haizhong was dazed and confused after the fall, and the iron rod in his hand fell to the ground. He looked up and saw Chen Feng's cold eyes, and a sense of despair welled up in his heart.

"Chen Feng...you...please forgive me..." Liu Haizhong cried and begged for mercy, "I...I was wrong...I shouldn't have followed them in framing you...I shouldn't have helped hire someone to do it...please forgive me..."

Chen Feng looked at him, that fat face, that face that used to bully others in the courtyard, now crying like a child.

"Liu Haizhong," Chen Feng said, "do you know why you've lived the longest?"

Liu Haizhong shook his head.

"Because you're the dumbest," Chen Feng said. "So dumb that you don't even know how to harm anyone, you just blindly follow others. You do whatever Yi Zhonghai tells you to do, you say whatever the deaf old lady tells you to say. You're like a dog, following whoever gives you a bone."

These were harsh words, but Liu Haizhong had to admit they were true. He had indeed lacked independent thought throughout his life, always following others.

"I...I was stupid..." Liu Haizhong cried, "Chen Feng, please forgive me...I promise I'll never hurt anyone again..."

"There will be no more," Chen Feng said, raising his knife. "Today is your end."