Ultimate True Lord

In the outhouse, under the setting sun.

Jiang Ming lifted the blood-stained brick and struck Zhang Hu's head, now a corpse, three more times to prevent him from coming back to life.

"call!"

He finally let out a heavy breath, the murderous glint in his eyes completely gone. What Jiang Ming wanted was for Zhang Hu to die in despair; that would be the only way he could vent his anger. If he were to die instantly, it would be too easy for that bastard.

He quickly picked up the secret manual that Zhang Hu had thrown into the corner, turned around and left in a hurry.

"squeak."

Less than a few breaths later, Jiang Ming returned and began searching Zhang Hu. It was his first time killing someone, so he wasn't very skilled.

A moment later, Jiang Ming pushed open the door again and left, carrying a heavy money bag in his arms. Meanwhile, Zhang Hu, who was in the outhouse, had been pushed into the latrine, now keeping company with maggots and excrement.

Fenghepu, a dimly lit corner of an alley.

Jiang Ming leaned against the wall, his chest heaving, his back sweating, and he was breathing heavily. His hands, in particular, were trembling slightly, as if he were terrified because it was his first time killing someone.

"My hands are burning hot! I still lack experience in killing people. I didn't plan well the first time and grabbed quicklime with my bare hands. After killing someone, my palms were sweating and burning hot!"

His voice was strained with pain as he muttered to himself.

Jiang Ming vigorously wiped his trembling hands on his clothes, trying to remove all the lime. He looked down at his palms, which were already red from the heat. The sweat on his hands became incredibly hot when it came into contact with the lime.

Jiang Ming now understood why Zhang Hu had shouted so loudly and so miserably just now.

"He deserved it! It wasn't that I wanted to kill him, he forced me to!"

"Even on his deathbed, he was still yelling that he wanted the Gray-Clad Gang to tear me to pieces. This shows that he was vicious and ruthless, and keeping him alive would only cause trouble. Killing him was the right thing to do; I was doing a good deed."

Jiang Ming's heart was filled with turmoil.

He was transported to this chaotic world, where his parents were dead, his elder brother had disappeared, leaving him and his young sister to depend on each other for survival. The two were helpless, weak, and pitiful.

In this dog-eat-dog world, the siblings are like candles flickering in the wind, vulnerable to being trampled on by anyone.

To protect his younger sister and survive, he couldn't be soft-hearted; he had to become ruthless, decisive, and cunning. His younger sister was still too young to support the family.

This wicked man, this cruel thing, can only be done by him, the elder brother.

He did nothing wrong; it was all the fault of this world!

He just wanted to live a peaceful life, that's all...

In the alley, Jiang Ming gradually regained his composure, his sinister gaze returning to calm and steady. No one could tell that this was a young man who had just committed murder.

He leaned against the wall, reviewing the attack, and a series of insights flashed in his eyes.

"What Elder Liu said is true; in actual combat, it ultimately cannot escape the four steps."

The first step is to gather intelligence on the enemy and be fully prepared.

These past few days, he had thoroughly investigated Zhang Hu's movements, knowing exactly when the other man ate, when he went to the toilet, and even when he had sex.

Some time ago, he even chose a latrine as a rehearsal, playing both the offensive and defensive roles.

Jiang Ming knew that people were most relaxed and vulnerable when they were squatting on the toilet. This evening, as soon as Zhang Hu injured his leg, he instantly realized that this was a golden opportunity and immediately took action.

Limping while squatting is practically suicide, isn't it?

In actual combat, the fourth step—strengthening oneself and weakening the enemy—was executed quite effectively, leaving no stone unturned.

He rushed into the latrine and threw out a handful of quicklime, which burned Zhang Hu's eyes and immediately rendered him powerless to resist. No matter how strong the opponent was, he could only be slaughtered at his mercy.

A man who could normally be approached by two or three men was beaten to death in just a few breaths, which was extremely frustrating.

Jiang Ming secretly sighed; Old Man Liu's practical principles were indeed useful.

"Zhang Hu lives in a remote, secluded area where all sorts of people mingle. Several gangs have influence there. Recently, the Gray-Clad Gang has expanded and has had conflicts with these gangs."

"With Zhang Hu dead there, the Gray-Clad Gang will first suspect other gangs, and most likely won't trace it back to me."

He regulated his breathing, regaining his composure. Jiang Ming clapped his hands for a while until the burning sensation subsided before taking out the items he had taken from Zhang Hu. Opening the money pouch, his eyes lit up slightly.

There were actually two or three taels of loose silver inside.

I wonder what Zhang Hu plans to do with so much money.

Jiang Ming took out another booklet from his pocket, and was immediately somewhat disappointed.

"Bone-Entangling Claw? It's probably just some crude street fighting technique."

He flipped through it casually, intending to toss it into his collection later. But the more Jiang Ming looked, the more serious he became. Especially when he turned to the last few pages, which clearly stated that it was possible to break through the "forceful" technique.

"It's not that kind of trashy martial art!"

"The strongest technique can break through the 'hard force' level, which is the first layer of the Red Sand Palm, the White Sand level. This technique will definitely be useful in the Primal Furnace."

Jiang Ming smiled, surprised by this unexpected turn of events.

"However, Zhang Hu is just a street thug; where would he get such martial arts skills?"

He pondered for a moment, but there was too little information to draw any useful conclusions.

Jiang Ming carefully stuffed the manual and money bag into his pocket and walked along the alley.

At this moment, the sky was completely dark, and night had engulfed the entire city. The alleyways twisted and turned, with rooftops crisscrossing on both sides, revealing only a sliver of night sky. A few sparse stars twinkled, and the light ahead was hazy.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at his hometown.

Just as Jiang Ming was about to step into the muddy alley, his gaze suddenly sharpened. He saw the wooden door of Aunt Chen's house creak open, and a stiff figure slowly walked out.

The faint moonlight spilled across the mottled wall, barely outlining Aunt Chen's blank and lost face.

Holding a clay sculpture-like object in her hands, she began to gently knock on the doors of each house, eventually knocking on the doors of most of the residents in the mudstone alley.

The neighbors, one after another, came out of their houses, each carrying a small clay sculpture, and silently followed behind Aunt Chen, gradually forming a long line.

The synchronized steps and lifeless faces created an eerie and chilling atmosphere in the quiet alleyway.

Under the moonlight, everyone lowered their heads, their eyes silently fixed on the clay statue in their palms, as if they were nailed to the spot and remained motionless.

A moment later, as if summoned by an invisible voice, the entire group paused in unison. The next moment, everyone moved in unison and turned to walk slowly towards the east of the city.

"This is……"

In the shadows at the alley entrance, Jiang Ming felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, a strong sense of discomfort creeping up his arm and raising goosebumps all over his body.

He was still shaken. Fortunately, he had moved away from this muddy alley several months ago. If he had stayed here, he probably would have ended up like his neighbors.

"Yuanzhen Sect?"

Jiang Ming still remembers when he moved, he met Aunt Chen, who said that she was going to the east of the city to listen to a sermon and that there would be free rice and meat to take.

Now it seems that this so-called Yuanzhen Sect is extremely sinister. The scene just now was just like a cult's brainwashing and control, which was extremely creepy.

He took a deep breath, not daring to linger any longer. He turned and quickly headed towards the Red Sand Martial Arts School on Muhe Street.

Along the way, Jiang Ming saw many people also hurrying on their way, some heading to the inner city and others to the outskirts. The curfew system originally established by the imperial court had long been abandoned and no one followed it for several years.

"It's getting more and more chaotic."

"Hundreds of people died from the plague in the south of the city before, and now there is that strange Yuanzhen Sect in the east of the city."

For some reason, Jiang Ming had a bad feeling. He had a feeling that the world was about to fall into chaos. Or rather, at least Yanzhou, where Wangyue City was located, was bound to experience turmoil.

Jiang Ming raised his hand and pressed it against his chest. The hard feeling of the martial arts manual against his chest made him feel a little more at ease.

"Regardless, let's first learn the basics of this Bone-Entangling Claw technique."

"Let me see what the effects of strengthening the Primal Furnace are."