Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

"Father, Mother, save me, save me..."

The mournful cries of a young woman echoed from the depths of the alley.

Many poor people from the surrounding area stood around the alley entrance watching, but no one dared to speak up and stop them.

A family lives in the alley.

Several fierce-looking men were dragging a young woman in tattered clothes outside, then skillfully gagging her and stuffing her into a sack.

"Please, please, let go of my daughter! I promise I'll pay back the money!"

An old man pleaded and chased after another man, grabbing onto his clothes and refusing to let go.

"Go to hell, you old bastard!" A fierce glint flashed in the man's eyes, and he kicked the old man in the chest, sending him flying back into the doorway.

Soon, an old woman's wailing came from inside the gate, "Old man, what's wrong? Old man..."

Upon reaching the alley entrance, the leading man looked at the onlookers with a fierce glint in his eyes. He pulled up his shirt, revealing a ferocious snake head tattooed on his chest, and shouted curses.

"What are you looking at? You bunch of stupid dogs! Get out of here!"

The crowd cowered in fear and quickly made way for them. A group of thugs carried the wriggling sack and swaggered away.

"Go quickly and check on how Old Yang is doing."

The crowd rushed to the door of the house, where they found the old man lying on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth, barely breathing, clearly not going to live. An old woman was lying there, wailing loudly.

Neighbors who knew the woman rushed over to help rescue her and persuade her.

"What's going on?" someone asked.

"Alas! Old Yang's son was tricked into gambling at a casino by those people, lost everything, and owed twenty taels of silver. The boy couldn't take it anymore and tried to drown himself a few days ago. But even though he's dead, the debt remains, and that's how he snatched Yang's daughter away."

"What a terrible thing!"

The old tailor who asked the question shook his head, turned around, and left.

......

In the most bustling area of ​​Yingzi Street in the South District, there is a two-story building.

The second floor refers to Zuixianlou and Hongxianglou, which are respectively a place for dining and a place for pleasure.

This "fang" refers to the Hongyun Gambling House.

This gambling den belongs to the Black Snake Gang. It's packed with gamblers every day, and countless people have lost everything, their families ruined, and even their lives destroyed. Yet, more and more gamblers still flock in like moths to a flame.

It was late at night, but the gambling den was still bustling with activity. Countless gamblers, their eyes bloodshot, were frantically betting around the tables. Every now and then, someone would leave because they had lost all their money, or be thrown out by the thugs.

On the second floor of the casino, in a luxuriously decorated room, candlelight flickered, illuminating two figures.

A middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe and with a refined appearance sat at the table, holding two dark iron balls the size of duck eggs in his hands.

This man is Wang Jinzhong, the leader of the Poison Fang Hall of the Black Snake Gang, who oversees the gambling den.

He was also a martial artist who had broken through the skin barrier, and his Vajra Iron Arm Skill was fierce and domineering, making him impervious to swords and spears. His strength was even greater than Gao Fei's.

At the same time, he was a confidant of the gang leader Wu Xiangwei, which is why he was entrusted with the important task of overseeing the most prosperous Yingzi Street in the southern city and managing the lucrative Hongyun Gambling House.

"Master, this is today's interest. A total of 282 taels, 5 mace, and 3 fen. Besides the usual commission and loan interest, we also slaughtered two fat pigs..."

Li Xin, a thin man, placed a bulging cloth bag on the table with both hands. The bag jingled, producing the crisp sound of coins clinking together.

He was the manager of Hongyun Gambling House, responsible for its day-to-day operations. Despite his teacher-like appearance, he was just as ruthless as Wang Jinzhong. All the gambling house's various swindling and exploitative practices were his doing.

"Besides, that kid from the Hu family is almost completely hooked. They've already squeezed all the money out of him; he's sold off a lot of ancestral property, except for his ancestral home, which he's stubbornly refusing to budge on. It's a large four-courtyard house, worth a considerable amount of money..."

Li Xin lowered his head and obediently reported on the day's events.

After listening, Wang Jinzhong nodded in satisfaction. "Very good! Take down that idiot from the Hu family quickly. The gang leader is urging us to do it."

As he spoke, he stood up, grabbed the cloth bag from the table, and walked toward the door.

"Understood," Li Xin said with a slight bow.

Wang Jinzhong walked out the door, went downstairs, and walked straight out of the gambling den. Three strong men automatically followed behind him, each carrying a long knife and walking with agile steps; they were clearly trained fighters.

These three were his bodyguards, all skilled fighters close to breaking through the skin barrier. They were also experienced in street fighting and adept at various underhanded tactics. Even disciples from martial arts schools who had broken through their barriers might not be able to gain the upper hand against the four of them working together.

The group left the gambling den and headed towards the Black Snake Gang headquarters, carrying lanterns.

......

The night was deep, and the dim yellow lanterns could only illuminate a distance of two or three meters around us.

Wang Jinzhong strode down the alley, spinning two iron balls rapidly in his hands. This was a habit he had developed over many years; the faster the iron balls spun, the more agitated he was.

The gang leader made it clear the day before yesterday that three thousand taels of silver must be raised within half a month, otherwise the position of Poison Fang Hall leader should be replaced.

This amount of money was simply not enough for the gambling den's normal operations, forcing him to take the risk of preying on those he had his eye on. He had originally intended to take things slowly and steadily, without arousing suspicion.

"But now we have no choice but to take the risk. And those women are all top-notch; it's time to send them away."

Wang Jinzhong was making plans in his mind.

Just then, with a snap, a dark shadow flew by, and the lantern a guard was holding went out.

The entire alley was suddenly plunged into darkness.

"Who is it?"

Wang Jinzhong abruptly stopped, gripping his iron clapper tightly, his eyes fixed on the direction from which the dark figure had come. He could only see a high, dark wall, with a few weeds swaying slightly on its top.

The three guards drew their long swords with a clang and stood guard on either side of Wang Jinzhong.

huh~~

A cold wind blew in from the other side, carrying something in it.

The guards instinctively squinted to look, and the next instant, a large cloud of white powder pelted them, instantly obscuring their figures.

"Close your eyes! It's lime! Get out of there!"

Wang Jinzhong roared and charged forward. At the same time, he flung the two iron balls in his hand forward, sending them flying with a whoosh. If any enemy tried to ambush him from the front, they would surely be hit.

Three guards followed closely behind, charging forward with their eyes closed. The lime powder made their throats itch and their eyes burn, but they still managed to maintain their formation, their steps steady and precise, while their ears twitched slightly, clearly alerting them to their surroundings. This was all the experience and instinct honed by years of fighting on the front lines.

However, they did not notice that a figure was standing against the wall in a doorway they were passing through, like a ghost, without making a sound.

As the last guard brushed past him, the man moved, his figure appearing behind the last two like a ghost, his fists striking out like lightning.

Click~~

"Ah~~"

The two men only managed a short scream before being thrown into the air and killed instantly.

Upon hearing the sound, the last guard, ignoring the discomfort in his eyes, forced them open, turned around, and suddenly slashed out with his sword.

Unexpectedly, the man spun around in a perfect circle, easily dodging the blade, and lunged into the guard's arms, delivering a powerful punch to his chest. The guard coughed up blood and died.