Evidently, they all greatly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of this warm family dinner.
"Mom, Third Sister, Nannan, Ling’Er, help yourselves to more food. Don’t hold back..."
Fang Rui occasionally placed food on everyone’s plates, guiding the conversation as they all talked and laughed merrily.
The mental relaxation and the delicious flavors on their tongues brought a dual satisfaction of both spirit and substance. This profound sense of happiness was especially rare in such a turbulent world.
...
After dinner, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady washed the pots and bowls, while the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, wiped the table and swept the floor.
Afterward, Fang Rui prepared to go out.
He had no intention of sending Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan to Jiang Ping’an at Sweet Water Well Alley to have him look after them.
The reason was simple: if he did that, and something happened to the Tiger Gang tomorrow, the connection would be too easy to make.
’Although Jiang Ping’an is trustworthy, this matter is too important. The fewer people who know, the better. You should never test a person’s heart.’
As for the safety of Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan?
Fang Rui had his own preparations.
In the past two days, he’d had someone find a giant boulder, taller than a man. He would have Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and the others hide in the cellar, then block the entrance with the boulder. Even a typical Seventh Grade Martial Artist would be helpless against it.
Of course, now that Changshan City had fallen into the hands of the Taiping Bandits, order within the city had been reasonably well restored. These were just precautions, just in case.
...
The night wind howled. The moon was gone, and threads of rain drifted on the breeze.
’It’s starting to rain. Tonight, I’ll bring a blade, but no umbrella... Hmm, something about that doesn’t sound right...’
’Oh, that’s it. I didn’t bring my blade either!’
Fang Rui’s broadsword and other blades were all at Sweet Water Well Alley. It would have been too inconvenient to carry them when he came over two days ago. Otherwise, the inspections by the Taiping Bandits on the roads would have been a huge hassle.
Things had been quiet for the past two days, so he hadn’t left home. When Jiang Ping’an delivered two hens this afternoon, he had asked him to bring the blades over next time...
’Going to Sweet Water Well Alley now to get my blades would be a huge detour and a waste of time. Forget it, I won’t go.’
’Besides, I’m a Fifth Grade fighting a Sixth Grade. What do I need a blade for?!’
’I’ll use nails for arrows and my hands for a blade. Tonight, I won’t rest until my enemies are all dead!’
Masked with a piece of Ge Cloth, Fang Rui moved swiftly through the pitch-black streets, heading straight for the Chong Mansion, home of the Tiger Gang’s leader, Chong Jihu.
...
Inside the Chong Mansion, in one of its rooms.
Eight smokeless white candles burned quietly within, illuminating the entire room as brightly as if it were day.
Chong Jihu, a middle-aged man with a sinister face, was dressed in a brocade robe embroidered with a black tiger.
He sat on a chair draped in a White Tiger pelt, smoking a long-stemmed pipe. He suddenly opened his mouth and exhaled a perfect smoke ring, which spun in the air, holding its shape for several breaths before dissipating.
Beside him, one maidservant massaged his shoulders from behind while two others kneaded his legs in front. Five beautiful concubines picked food from a table laden with twelve dishes, chewed it first, and then took turns feeding it to him.
Chong Jihu would alternate between taking a puff from his pipe and accepting a mouthful of food. When the mood struck, he would pull one of the concubines close by her cherry-red lips and kiss her deeply for a long moment.
"Mmm, good. Tonight, Yan Lan and Zi’Er, you two will attend me in my chambers..."
Hearing this, two of the beautiful concubines’ faces paled in terror. They dared not refuse, however, and softly answered, "Yes."
Everyone knew that Chong Jihu, the leader of the Tiger Gang, had only two passions in life: tobacco and women. The former was relatively normal, but the latter was perverse. He loved to torture people... with candles, whips...
He was, relatively speaking, slightly gentler with his own concubines. Even so, serving Chong Jihu for one night would leave them bedridden for days.
But with the women from ordinary families outside, he would literally play them to death—and that was no figure of speech.
Over the years, the number of women from common families he had ruined was, if not a hundred, then at least scores of them...
It was only because of Chong Jihu’s immense power that the common people could only harbor their anger in silence.
Yes, Chong Jihu was clever in one respect: he only experimented with his perversions on women from common families. He never dared to provoke prominent households, Seventh or Eighth Grade Martial Artists, or even the wives and daughters of his own subordinates.
"AH—"
THUD! THUD!
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream rang out from outside, followed by the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground.
"Who’s there?!"
Chong Jihu’s eyes narrowed. He shoved the concubines off him, stood up, and grabbed his blade, striding out the door to see what was happening.
Fang Rui tossed aside the head of the guards—a Seventh Grade Martial Artist—and strode through the moon gate into the courtyard.
There was no helping it. Chong Jihu knew he’d done too many wicked deeds, so his mansion’s guards kept a tight, overlapping watch. The security was so strict that even Fang Rui couldn’t break in without alerting anyone.
Besides, a Sixth Grade Martial Artist’s perception was incredibly sharp, making a sneak attack nearly impossible. So be it. Today, he would simply kill him openly!
"Who are you to trespass in my Chong Mansion at this hour?" Chong Jihu asked, his expression grave as he stared at the masked Fang Rui.
To have fought his way this far, he must be a Middle Grade Martial Artist, just like me!
’So much talking!’
Fang Rui didn’t say a word. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a handful of iron nails flying.
"You damned thief! Attacking me with hidden weapons! Despicable!"
Chong Jihu’s expression changed. He spun his broadsword in a wide arc, creating what looked like a giant silver plate in front of him. Amid a series of sharp CLANGS, the incoming nails were all deflected.
He then took two quick steps and lunged toward Fang Rui, his entire body moving like a fierce tiger descending a mountain as his blade slashed through the air.
The slash, enhanced with Power, was so fast that it even created a faint sonic boom in the air.