13: Wu Fu was angry and He Fan died

“You are Hong Tu?” Chen Cuo easily bypassed the obstruction and immediately entered the hall. Ding Xiang was tied up inside the room, with no intention of being hidden. Chen Cuo saw her at a glance upon entering.

Ding Xiang couldn't make a sound at this moment, but her expression showed nervousness and fear, shaking her head repeatedly, urging Chen Cuo to leave quickly.

“How dare you speak to our Boss Chen like that? Kneel and apologize!” A burly man in the main hall immediately said.

Chen Cuo raised his eyebrows, squinting his eyes mischievously, and said, “So it's the North Dipper Gang's scum. Does this mean it was the North Dipper Gang's intention to capture my subordinate this time?”

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately ignited the fury of everyone present. The many burly men in the hall immediately drew their wedge-shaped broadswords and surrounded Chen Cuo.

“You little bastard, don't be so arrogant. It's laughable that you dared to come alone. I really don't know if you're foolish or a brainless idiot. Now that you've fallen into our hands, you still dare to be so presumptuous. You deserve a beating.” Hong Tu had been involved in the Jianghu for many years, acquiring a bandit-like aura. Now in his prime, provoked by Chen Cuo, he was on the verge of exploding in rage and attacking.

“Ah, Hong Laoda, no need to rush. Chen Cuo is just a junior, it's not worth bothering with him. It's better to be harmonious and make money! But Boss Chen, since you're under someone else's roof, don't you know when to bow your head? You'll suffer if you don't.”

The one who spoke was He Fan. He smiled at both Chen Cuo and Hong Tu, like a smiling tiger.

“Bow my head? Hehe, He Fan Laoda, how do you want me to bow my head?” Chen Cuo frowned tightly, feigning confusion.

“Hahahaha, Boss Chen, Chen Good Person, you little bastard, do you still remember your grandpa? Didn't you once say you'd break your grandpa's third leg? Why are you now like a dog, begging my Second Lord Hong?”

Beside them, an extremely annoying voice sounded. Chen Cuo turned his head and saw a familiar figure—it was Hong Yu. He stood in front of Ding Xiang, his hands casually stroking her face, gradually moving downwards. He deliberately provoked Chen Cuo.

Chen Cuo's gaze darkened, cold enough to kill instantly.

“Second Lord Hong, just say it, what are your terms? I don't have time to waste with you.” Chen Cuo was very calm, his gaze fixed on He Fan and Hong Tu.

“Three hundred thousand…” He Fan was about to speak.

Unexpectedly, a voice suddenly interjected from the side: “Grandson, you give me five hundred thousand taels of silver, then kneel and kowtow three times, and call me grandpa three times, and I'll have Second Lord Hong return your girl to you.”

Hong Yu spoke, incredibly arrogant, constantly provoking Chen Cuo.

Chen Cuo narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of a smile appearing, and softly said, “Alright, I'll give you five hundred thousand taels, but…”

“After you die, I'll personally burn it for you.”

In an instant, Chen Cuo transformed into an afterimage, disappearing from in front of Hong Tu and He Fan.

Boom! A sudden explosion, the floor cracked with a large hole. Chen Cuo had already teleported beside Hong Yu, reaching out to grab his neck and lifting him up.

The Major Achievement Realm of Shadow Shifting could achieve such speed that it would create illusions, forming afterimages that could deceive people. In fact, the figure of Chen Cuo you saw was his position two seconds ago.

A miss by a hair's breadth leads to a thousand-mile error.

Two seconds in the eyes of a Martial Artist were enough to decide life and death. And the moment Chen Cuo's tone changed, Hong Tu already thought, “Not good,” but before he could act, Chen Cuo had already seized Hong Yu.

“Your mouth really stinks! I admit, I was indeed wrong back then. I shouldn't have dealt with you like that. I should have just killed you, killed your entire Hong Family!” Chen Cuo said viciously to Hong Yu. Hong Yu was already gasping for breath from the immense force in Chen Cuo's hand. His face turned ashen, and he made 'gurgling' sounds.

“Chen Cuo, what are you doing? This is provoking the Hong Family, provoking the North Dipper Gang! Is the Vajra Sect trying to start a full-scale war with my North Dipper Gang? Quickly put down Young Master Hong Yu.” He Fan's face was ashen. A moment ago, Chen Cuo was calm and cooperative, but the next moment, Hong Yu's life was in his hands. With his current cultivation at the Perfection of the Bone Forging Realm, he hadn't even noticed Chen Cuo's movements.

“Put him down, alright. But I, Chen, am a man of my word, I must burn the five hundred thousand taels for him.” Chen Cuo's eyes narrowed, the immense force in his hand contracted, and with a crack, he directly twisted Hong Yu's cervical spine.

[Fate Points +1]

With a throw, Hong Yu's corpse flew towards Hong Tu, then crashed to the ground.

“You dare! Kill him, kill him!” He Fan roared, rushing quickly towards Chen Cuo.

“Yu'er!” Hong Tu's eyes were bloodshot. Seeing Chen Cuo kill Hong Yu, he lunged forward like a mad dog.

The other North Dipper Gang members and Hong Family servants in the hall gasped, truly not expecting Chen Cuo to have such courage and ruthlessness, completely different from his rumored reputation as a good person.

And with He Fan's command, everyone, armed with various weapons, rushed to kill Chen Cuo.

“Clang!” With a sound, a streak of silver light burst forth from Chen Cuo. Endless brilliance, a magnificent and dazzling blade light, appeared with incredible speed in this small hall.

“Badao Slash!” Chen Cuo entered the room, seemingly without any weapons, but he had already used the hidden blade technique. His weapon had changed from a wedge-shaped broadsword to a short blade. The short blade was only arm's length, incredibly sharp, usually kept in its sheath, which was on Chen Cuo's back, unnoticed by anyone.

As the Badao Slash was unleashed, beneath the beautiful light that could Move anyone, lay a killing intent that could make all flowers wither. The chilling blade light unleashed layers of killing intent, the blade light shot directly towards He Fan, who was at the very front, sweeping past and retracting instantly.

Neither the perfectly trained skin nor the exquisitely tempered bones could offer the slightest resistance. A head flew into the air. He Fan only felt a flash of light before his eyes, and then he saw a headless corpse fall to the ground, its eyes wide in death.

[Fate Points +5]

“Badao Technique proficiency +45.”

And this scene also appeared before everyone's eyes. Those ordinary gang members, seeing such terrifying blade technique, immediately felt like they were shouting at a fierce tiger.

Hong Tu's angry and astonished voice came out: “You are also a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist!”

“What did you say?”

Chen Cuo strolled leisurely, cutting the ropes binding Ding Xiang with a single strike, then stood with his blade facing everyone.

“Second Lord Hong, why so irritable? It's just killing one of your nephews! He's not your biological son, yet you're so enraged out of shame. Could it be?” Chen Cuo hinted that Hong Yu was born of incest between Hong Tu and someone else.

“Archers, shoot him dead! Kill him!” Hong Tu was furious, but he was wary that Chen Cuo might unleash that terrifying strike again, so he didn't dare to approach. He then ordered the archers of Hong Family Fort to attack.

Hong Family Fort was originally a war fortress, specially built to defend against mountain bandits and foreign invaders. Not only was its defense extremely strong, but it also had an archery team. The servants of the Hong Family Fort would occasionally train, but because the government strictly prohibited private possession of bows, crossbows, and armor, they dared not use them openly, and they hadn't been updated for a long time.

“Hong Tu, how dare you! You dare to secretly possess military bows and crossbows? Are you planning a rebellion?” Chen Cuo questioned loudly, his voice penetrating the entire Hong Family Fort and reaching outside.

“Who will know if I kill you? Fire.” With Hong Tu's command, countless crossbow bolts were fired simultaneously, seemingly intending to turn Chen Cuo into a porcupine.

Seeing this, Chen Cuo took down a door panel next to Ding Xiang and barely held it in front of him. He asked urgently, “Are you alright? Has your Seven-Colored Treasure Bottle True Force entered the elementary Realm?”

If she had, it meant Ding Xiang's Skin Forging had achieved some results. Chen Cuo wouldn't be able to look after her later, so she needed to be able to protect herself.

“Mm!” Ding Xiang nodded heavily.

“Good, today you shall see me go on a rampage!” After dodging a volley, the archers were reloading their crossbows. Chen Cuo pulled the arrows from the door panel, waved his hand, and threw them. Their speed was even faster than that of the crossbows, instantly knocking down two or three archers. However, his aim was truly bad; the three were purely killed by Chen Cuo's force. But the archers were all standing in a row, practically live targets.

Chen Cuo repeated the same Move, killing two more people, before the archers realized they should scatter and hide. Chen Cuo threw the door panel, crushing two hidden crossbowmen, and then, taking Ding Xiang, rushed straight out of the fort.

“That little scoundrel is cunning!” Hong Tu had intended to ambush Chen Cuo while he was injured by the crossbows and preoccupied, but he didn't expect Chen Cuo to adapt quickly and break through the archers' encirclement. And the North Dipper Gang's subordinates, having all witnessed Chen Cuo's ferocity, dared not approach.

“Whoever kills him, I'll reward a hundred taels, no, a thousand taels of silver.” Wealth Moves hearts. A thousand taels of silver was a fortune that these ordinary gang members could never earn in a lifetime.

Immediately, some people rushed forward, heedless of their lives.