Grinding to the Martial Sage from the White Ape Fist-Chapter 52: A Dark and Windy Night for Murder

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: A Dark and Windy Night for Murder

The night was deep over the Qingxi Town market.

The Water Snake Gang’s stronghold was brightly lit, and the sounds of boisterous drinking games and raucous curses filled the air.

"Brothers... HIC... Br-Brother Cao said we’ll wipe out the Flying Locust Gang in a few days!" Deputy leader Sun Hong slurred, one foot propped on a stool, his face flushed. "When we do, the boss will give every one of you another five taels of silver as a reward!"

"Brother Sun is amazing! Brother Cao is amazing! The boss is amazing!"

The gang members roared with laughter, drinking and tearing into chunks of beef, having the time of their lives.

As it happened, the three Water Snake Gang members who had gone to Qingxi Village that day were among the revelers.

"Brother Sun, one more thing. That kid from the Su Family we dealt with today is a tough bastard. He beat up a few of the brothers. What are we gonna do about it?"

Sun Hong possessed the power of one who had gone through Three Times of Knocking. Although he had failed to become a Martial Artist, his strength was still formidable. On normal days, with Cao Bin in the city, he was the one who managed the stronghold’s affairs.

Hearing this, Sun Hong slammed his hand on the table, spittle flying from his lips. "That Su Family brat is courting death! HIC... So what if he has the power of Three Times of Knocking? Daring to openly oppose our Water Snake Gang... he won’t be alive for much longer!"

"HIC... Don’t you worry. We don’t need Brother Cao to come from the city for this. In three days, the Su Family... they definitely won’t be able to pay back those two hundred taels of silver. When the time comes, I’ll personally lead the men to go and cripple him..."

From the shadows in a corner, a pair of cold eyes quietly observed the scene.

Su Yu, his face masked, felt a murderous rage boiling inside him.

’Striking first was the right move. If I let this mob go to Qingxi Village in three days, I’d have to kill them out in the open, which would guarantee direct retaliation from the Water Snake Gang!’

’But Cao Bin not being here is a problem.’

’If Cao Bin were here, I could have tested his true strength. According to the intelligence I gathered, he definitely hasn’t broken through to the First Acupoint. His potential was completely spent the moment he became a Martial Artist.’

’I, on the other hand, succeeded in my breakthrough on the first attempt, so my Qi and Blood are far stronger than a Martial Artist with exhausted potential. Plus, the White Ape Fist and Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber I cultivate are both Upper-tier Martial Arts, granting me immense combat power. As Senior Brother Xu said, Cao Bin is most likely not my match.’

’Coupled with my hidden weapon techniques like the Coin Toss, a night raid to kill him would have a high chance of success!’

’But since he isn’t here, I’ll just slaughter everyone in this stronghold first. That should be enough to keep him occupied with investigations and give him a massive headache!’

’Besides, as time goes on, my power will only continue to grow!’

...

After a few more rounds of drinks, snores began to fill the courtyard.

A gust of cold wind blew through, waking one of the men. He staggered to the door, just as he was about to shut it.

In the darkness, a cold light flashed.

SHINK!

A throwing knife silently pierced his throat.

"Urk... ghh..."

The man clutched his throat with both hands, trying in terror to make a sound, but consciousness was already fading as he collapsed limply to the ground.

Like a phantom, Su Yu darted out, catching the body and gently dragging it into the shadows.

[Coin Toss Skill Level +20]

[Martial Arts]: Coin Toss (Great Success Realm 880/1000)

Su Yu was pleasantly surprised to see his Skill Level jump by twenty points all at once.

’Twenty points for killing one person... That’s so much faster than tedious practice...’

Su Yu pulled the throwing knife free, his gaze sweeping across the courtyard.

He couldn’t help but shake his head as he saw the last few men still sleeping soundly in the yard. ’Their vigilance is pathetic.’

He vaulted onto the wall, looking down from his high perch as the throwing knife danced lightly between his fingertips.

With a flick of his wrist, the knife traced an uncanny arc through the night sky, curving around a stool to bury itself precisely in the throat of a gang member who was sleeping while hugging a table leg.

SQUELCH!

In the darkness, blood trickled down the man’s neck as he died without a sound.

[Coin Toss Skill Level +20]

Su Yu nodded in satisfaction. He had just used the Spiral Force technique from his Coin Toss. When he applied the Vortex Technique, any hidden weapon he threw would not only fly in an uncanny arc but would also have its Penetration Power greatly increased.

Now that his technique had reached the Great Success Realm, and with the immense strength of a Martial Artist, killing people with hidden weapons like throwing knives was almost laughably easy.

Seeing that the remaining men were still fast asleep, and that even their leader, Sun, was completely oblivious, Su Yu retrieved three Flying Locust Stones from within his robes.

With his current power, even the Flying Locust Stones were lethal enough to kill. As long as his targets weren’t experts on the level of a Martial Artist, he could easily break through their defenses.

"Scattering Gold Across the Heavens."

Su Yu whispered the name, and with a flick of his wrist, sent the Flying Locust Stones flying.

The three stones shot out in a wide, graceful arc, like a goddess scattering blossoms, but each one was imbued with terrifying Spiral Force.

They tore through the air, emitting a faint, sharp whistle.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

The three gang members slumped over the table didn’t even have time to lift their heads before the stones pierced their temples. Brains splattered as they collapsed to the ground.

The noise finally woke the last two men.

"Who’s there?!"

Sun Hong’s eyes snapped open, the drunken haze instantly scared half away.

But before he could get a clear look, a dark figure descended upon him like a hawk swooping down on a rabbit.

"Die!"

Su Yu’s fist shot out, connecting squarely with the throat of the other gang member who had just scrambled up.

CRACK!

His neck bone shattered. The man was sent flying like a dead dog, expiring on the spot.

"You bastard!!!"

Sun Hong’s eyes were practically bursting from their sockets with rage as he stared at the carnage, his heart consumed by fury.

"You dare kill men from my Water Snake Gang? You’re courting death!"

He was, after all, a fighter who had completed the Three Times of Knocking, and his reflexes were lightning-fast. With a roar, his Qi and Blood erupted through his body as he threw a punch that whistled through the air, aimed straight at Su Yu’s face.

Fueled by the eruption of his Qi and Blood, the punch was immensely powerful and heavy. It whistled through the night air with enough force to smash an ordinary person’s head to pulp.

But Su Yu didn’t dodge or evade; he didn’t even shift his feet. He had intentionally left this man alive precisely to test his own current strength.

"White Ape Asks for the Way!"

The Qi and Blood surged within him as he threw a punch of his own, meeting his enemy’s fist head-on.

CRACK!

The moment the two fists collided, the victor was decided.

Sun Hong’s arm was instantly twisted like fried dough, with splinters of bone bursting through the skin. The tremendous rebound force sent him flying backward to crash heavily against a wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

’Just as I thought. The power of a Martial Artist completely crushes someone who’s only gone through the Three Times of Knocking. No wonder Martial Artists look down on everyone else and see them as mere ants!’

"How is that possible... You’re... a Martial Artist?!"

Sun Hong slumped to the ground, watching in terror as the masked man approached step by step, his eyes filled with utter despair.

"My lord, spare me! Please, spare my life! This humble one doesn’t know how he offended you..."

He struggled to kowtow, begging frantically for mercy, all traces of his earlier arrogance gone.

Su Yu’s expression was cold and indifferent as he flicked a finger.

PFFT!

A Flying Locust Stone pierced the center of his forehead.

Having dealt with everyone in the courtyard, Su Yu pushed open the door to the main building.

"Die!"

From the shadows behind the door, a blade suddenly swung down!

Su Yu had already anticipated this. Seeing the power behind the slash, he didn’t even try to dodge. He simply raised his left arm, circulated his Qi and Blood, and used it to block the steel saber head-on.

CLANG!

The steel saber struck Su Yu’s arm but felt like it had hit a sheet of tough old leather. It only left behind a white mark, not even breaking the skin!

"Wh-what kind of monster is he?!"

The ambusher was so terrified his soul nearly left his body, and he could no longer hold his saber steady.

Su Yu’s expression remained calm as he delivered a backhand punch that shattered the man’s throat.

He shook the blood and gore from his hand, his gaze turning to the room’s interior.

’This is a Water Snake Gang stronghold. There ought to be plenty of good stuff here!’

...

A quarter of an hour later, Su Yu found a hidden compartment in a bed’s headboard. Inside was a locked iron box, which he forced open.

Bathed in moonlight, a stack of silver notes and a sheet of cowhide parchment lay inside.

Su Yu set the parchment aside and counted the silver notes first. There were six in total, each worth one hundred taels.

"I’ve struck it rich!"

Su Yu’s breath caught in his throat.

’This must be the Water Snake Gang’s take for the month. I’ve snatched it all before they had a chance to hand it over!’

Suppressing his excitement, Su Yu quickly examined the parchment.

It was a detailed map of the Black Water River’s waterways.

But the map was rather peculiar.

Not only were the waterways marked, but several remote areas were also labeled with grotesque skull markings drawn in crimson ink.

’These markings show the waterways, right? But what are these spots marked with skulls?’