Misguided practice of sinister cultivation techniques: Slander! The problem lies with you all, not me!-Chapter 12 - The First Murder Brings Inevitable Tension

"Whoever thinks the protection fee is too expensive can learn from him. Do you know how much we, the Xuanxiong Gang, have sacrificed to protect your safety?"

"Is this protection fee really too expensive?"

After making an example out of one as a warning to others, the members of the Xuanxiong Gang continued collecting protection fees along the street.

Duan Yun had previously paid the protection fee; half of his hard-earned consulting and medicinal fees each month went to these people "protecting" him.

This was an extremely unreasonable charge.

Mainly because they charged too much, and instead of protecting, they might even turn around and beat you, treating you like a ball being kicked around.

Duan Yun thought, even if he killed these three men now, it probably wouldn't stop such incidents from continuing.

After all, without these three, there were still other gang members of Xuanxiong Gang who would come to collect, and they would beat people up if collections fell short.

These gang members also had their reasons; after all, they were just working, and the protection fee was demanded by their superiors, layer by layer.

Therefore, Duan Yun came to a conclusion: the only way to stop these unreasonable protection fees was to kill all the members of the Xuanxiong Gang, wipe out their kind, and then naturally, no one would collect these unreasonable fees.

Yes, that's it!

In front of the stall, only a little girl remained, clutching her father's arm, crying inconsolably.

The man's face was painfully distorted, tears streaming, eyes extremely bleak.

No one reached out to help because this was one of the people beaten by the Xuanxiong Gang; many people watched, pointing and gossiping with a mixture of sympathy and excitement.

Duan Yun walked over, grabbed the man's jaw, and pushed.

With a crack, the dislocated jaw was set back in place.

Duan Yun handed over a piece of Silver to the man, saying, "Go see a doctor."

"Thank... thank..."

The man's words of thanks were not yet finished when Duan Yun walked ahead, disappearing into the crowd.

With his eyes swollen to slits, the man didn't even see the face of his benefactor.

Holding the Silver, a flicker of warmth and hope ignited in his heart, which was previously ashen.

He couldn't die yet; he had a family, and he had to live on with them.

...

Today, collecting the protection fees went smoothly, making Chen Laoer of the Xuanxiong Gang somewhat moody.

Since everyone obediently paid the protection fees, it shouldn't be permissible to beat people randomly.

Thus, the irritation and itch in his hands could hardly be vented.

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Ever since he mastered the Xuanxiong Palm to a certain extent, this itchiness in his hands was somewhat uncontrollable, longing for release.

He regretted not hitting the sweet potato seller more vigorously.

If he weren't kind-hearted and noticed the man had a daughter, would he have stopped so easily?

Chen Laoer, too, had a daughter, and once humbly ran a roadside stall waiting for others to come collect protection fees.

Luckily, later he seized an exceptional opportunity to join the Xuanxiong Gang, mastered the Xuanxiong Palm, transformed, and became the one collecting protection fees.

Afterward, his family also had better days.

He was deeply grateful for everything the gang had given him; thus, he took collecting protection fees very seriously.

He understood well that the protection fees were crucial for the gang's development; he couldn't allow the gang and the Gang Leader to suffer the slightest loss or grievance.

Thinking about how Xuanxiong Gang had fiercely fought for so long in Lishui City, defeated many formidable foes, and achieved a dominant position in this city, Chen Laoer couldn't help but puff out his proud chest.

Just then, he suddenly heard a hissing sound, like a wine sack being punctured and leaking.

Moments later, an intense pain transmitted to his brain.

Chen Laoer's proud chest involuntarily bent forward.

He was horrified to find a bloody hole in his abdomen, blood bubbling from within.

Clueless about what happened, engulfed by immense fear, he could not help but let out a bizarre scream.

Immediately following that, there was a hissing sound as another white flash pierced through his belly, leaving a second bloody hole.

This time, Chen Laoer felt as if his intestines were severed.

Instinctively wanting to look back, his body trembled in a blink, and two more bloody holes appeared.

Covered in a fog of blood that danced around him, massive pain and fear overwhelmed him. With a thud, Chen Laoer's body hit the ground, twitching.

Only then did his two minions react from their dazed state, screaming, "Ghost!" as they tried to flee, but two streaks of white light pierced through their hearts, killing them on the spot.

Three men who once boasted pompously all fell in an instant.

Their bodies twitched and struggled, and they soon died.

Their eyes remained open in death.

"There's a ghost!"

The nearby civilians realized what happened and scattered in panic.

Duan Yun ran along with the civilians.

He had no choice but to make a move.

Because if he delayed any longer, the protection money would be demanded from his own home.

He had just given most of the silver to the sweet potato vendor, and with the previously owed protection money, it simply wasn't enough.

So he had to kill them ahead of time.

Such an action somewhat disrupted Duan Yun's rhythm.

After all, with people being killed here, the Xuanxiong Gang would certainly be on alert once they got the message; thus, he returned home, disguised himself casually, and then headed to the Xuanxiong Gang's headquarters.

He hoped to kill the members of the Xuanxiong Gang before the news spread widely enough to shock and then kill them all.

Especially the Gang Leader and the elite members were primary targets since they were the most powerful and the most "Xuanxiong".

Yes, start with killing the Gang Leader.

By now, it had grown dark, and Duan Yun walked the streets, slightly tense.

After all, this was his first time attempting a mass assassination. The likes of Wang Li and the three men he had just killed were merely nobodies within the Xuanxiong Gang.

But the Gang Leader and the other elites of the Xuanxiong Gang could be formidable experts.

This could be his first confrontation with the masters of the Xuanxiong Gang, so it was natural to feel nervous.

The entrance to the headquarters of the Xuanxiong Gang was grand and imposing, but there was only one young gang member dozing and guarding it.

Duan Yun directly woke him up.

The gatekeeper looked confused and asked, "What do you want?"

"The Gang Leader requested me to come and treat him," Duan Yun said earnestly.

The demeanor of the gatekeeper instantly turned serious, reminiscent of a concierge in a high-end community seeing the property owner, and respectfully said, "The Gang Leader is inside drinking, I'll take you to him."

Thus, Duan Yun was led into the Xuanxiong Gang's headquarters.

Along the way, he observed that the headquarters consisted of four courtyards, quite extensive, including pavilions, clear pools, and bamboo. The largest courtyard even had a tall Xuanxiong Mud Sculpture — truly a luxury in Lishui City.

Such extravagance came from extorting the hard-working commoners!

However, the entire gang's headquarters appeared more makeshift than Duan Yun had imagined, with merely dozens of people scattered around, and fewer than ten actually on guard.

At that moment, the guide couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Doctor, the Gang Leader isn't seriously ill, is he? I really couldn't tell he was sick."

Duan Yun pointed to his groin and said, "No serious illness, just a minor infection here causing some itching."

The guide immediately showed a knowing expression.

The Gang Leader did like to fool around.

This courtyard was relatively secluded, with even fewer people around.

At that moment, Duan Yun could already hear the clinking of glasses and voices discussing inside.

The Gang Leader and the elite of the Xuanxiong Gang were right inside...