Challenging the Hall of Definitive Kills

Ninth District, southeast corner. This sector had originally belonged to Dongliu, one of the five major factions, but starting the day after tomorrow, it would be reassigned to the newly established Azure Dragon Gang. The residence of Berlik Gang’s leader, Old Charles, as well as nearly all of the gang's properties, were located here. As an affiliate faction of Dongliu, they had always helped manage this small sector. While they were not excessively wealthy, they were definitely part of the city’s upper class. It was already late at night, yet the lights inside the house remained on. Sitting on the side couch, Lynne suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. Earlier, she had actually hoped the Wild Band Alliance would win. In fact, tonight she had returned home torn between anxiety and joy. "Father," she called out softly. "...Ah." After a slight hesitation of a second or two, Old Charles lowered his hand from between his brows, raised his head, and turned toward her. "I'm sorry. I ran off with Jenna earlier." "It's fine. It's enough that you're back safe and sound. But I hope Miss Lynne will be more careful next time." This was a playful exchange customary between father and daughter. Old Charles offered a strained smile, looking thoroughly exhausted, yet he made an effort to keep his emotions in check. Thanks to the nourishment of source energy, her father previously had only white in his beard, while his face had not looked very old at all. But now, he looked haggard, as if he had aged in an instant... Lynne felt a pang of heartache and asked, "Are we not leaving with Dongliu?" "We aren't... It's not that we don't want to; it's that they don't dare take us with them. All affiliate factions and properties belonging to the five major factions within the territory designated for the Azure Dragon Gang were left behind. This was part of the compensation terms. Because it mattered least to their own vital interests, they agreed to it right away." Old Charles was candid because these matters could not possibly be kept secret anyway. Under the present circumstances, even the five major factions had been extorted—what could small bands like them do?! "Then... it's going to be very bad, isn't it?" "Ah, probably. Almost every gang took part in the Culling Day operations, so it's only fair that we face retaliation. As they say in the Huaxia language, 'the victor is king, the vanquished a rebel.' I'm waiting for news. Word from outside right now is that their first step might be confiscating sixty percent of our assets and demoting us all to Rank 4 gangs, and after that, there might be more..." A Rank 4 gang was the lowest tier in any faction, burdened with the heaviest combat duties and the poorest benefits. Back when Berlik Gang was with Dongliu, they had slowly climbed their way up from Rank 4. That had been a grueling period Old Charles never wished to look back on; too many old comrades had departed during those days. Now, the founding teams of the Azure Dragon Gang were naturally all Rank 1 gangs. Rank 2 and Rank 3 were left vacant, while all the teams transferred from the five major factions were designated as Rank 4 gangs straight away. With sheer strength and confidence on his side, Dao Dali was utterly uncompromising. "Is there really no other way, then?" Lynne asked tentatively, hesitation in her eyes. "None. Except hoping for clemency and earning trust through battle." Old Charles rose as he spoke, for hurried footsteps were approaching outside the door. His old comrade Al rushed in and said hurriedly, "The Azure Dragon Gang's first order has been issued! All newly reassigned gang leaders are to report in person tomorrow morning." "Right, understood." Old Charles pondered for a few seconds, then turned and said, "Lynne, stay safely at home. I need to go out for a while." Tonight might see unrest. Whenever power shifted between old and new factions, such turmoil was inevitable. Old Charles needed to stabilize his gang to keep them from being dragged into tonight's chaos. If any small faction was foolish enough to resist, it might even result in a massacre. Her father left directly with Uncle Al, leaving bodyguards and servants guarding the perimeter of the house. Lynne returned to her room and lingered over the suggestion she had wanted to offer her father earlier but had ultimately held back... *Would it do any good to plead with that person? His status over there must be very high right now.* *I gave him some money—a little over a thousand US dollars—as well as two dead iron fragments and three source energy blocks... Of course, he wiped down my car and chatted with me in return.* For a tip, it had been an astronomical sum, but in the context of the present situation, it was as tiny as a sesame seed. That was precisely why Lynne hesitated. *If I go to him now, using that as the basis of a friendship to ask for a favor... wouldn't Father and I just be mocked and thrown out?* Her accustomed life of privilege made Lynne fear such humiliation. She sat down. Yet her father's haggard face kept flashing across her mind... *Let me try. I'm grown up now.* Lynne stood up, donned her gear, sheathed her blade across her back, and after a moment's hesitation, summoned her closest maid to pass along word that she was safe. Then, she leaped out the window. In the early hours past midnight, few people walked the streets. Instead, many more figures lurked across rooftops and street corners... Some were seizing the chaos before the handover to reap profits with their blades. Situations like this were perilous, for lone wolves were always the most ruthless. Lynne advanced with utmost vigilance. A journey that normally took less than an hour took her nearly three hours before she finally arrived in the Third District, standing before the building bearing the new sign. "I'm looking for A Jing," she said to the guard at the entrance. "A Jing isn't here," the man replied. *** "So, did you finally absorb more?" In the hospital room, He Tangtang asked in a hushed whisper, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Under the present circumstances, they desperately needed Qingzi to recover, and for him, recovery definitively meant progress. "A little," Han Qingyu said. "Shh, don't let the Little Prince know." Rusty Sister and Wu Xu both nodded. "Wait, does it mean you actually have to get injured for it to work?" He Tangtang suddenly stood up. "I remember you saying that last time, when you fought that Sean, you completed an absorption only after being heavily wounded... Were you not hurt badly enough this time?" "Then what about that time with the Qu clan? You were hurt the worst then," Rusty Sister asked, puzzled. "Yeah, so it's not just getting hurt... more precisely, injury alone isn't enough," Han Qingyu said. "From what I can tell, some special source energy power needs to strike into my body and cause harm before the things in the bone source get agitated, grow, and resolve them. For instance, Sean's scorching life source energy was special, and Weize's source energy blast was laced with death energy—let's call it death energy for now. In short, that should be special too; after fighting him, the injuries automatically worsen dramatically." Rusty Sister leaned back slightly in a gesture of marvel and realization. "No wonder the Little Prince looked fine when he first came back, but now he's crying and wailing in agony." Han Qingyu: "Yeah." "Then are you going to fight Weize again? Why not just fight him every day?" He Tangtang asked. Han Qingyu shook his head. "It won't work. His death energy isn't strong enough. What he can accomplish for now is probably only this much." "So..." "Qingzi and I just talked it over. We decided to put word out tomorrow morning that in two months, in the name of the Azure Dragon Gang's newcomer A Jing, he will begin challenging the Hall of Definitive Kills." The Hall of Definitive Kills was established by Kill God and served as one of the major ladders of advancement in the City of Iniquity. There, experts from the city's assassin rankings, including rank one Shu You, accepted life-and-death challenges. A victorious newcomer gained both fame and fortune; the defeated died, or in the luckiest outcome, were taken under a powerhouse's wing. Of course, the prerequisite was that you had to fight your way up, step by step, all the way to that position. In other words, Qingzi intended to fight his way up, getting injured along the way, to see if he could encounter people possessing special source energy traits... "But Qingzi's condition is so poor right now... and doing that will gradually expose his fighting style," Rusty Sister said worriedly. "There's no way around it. Time is probably running short. Last night on our way back, someone in the crowd called out 'Major Qing.'" Han Qingyu hadn't spoken; it was Wen Jifei who said it. When Qingzi proposed something himself, no one else could stop him—but if Wen Jifei objected strongly, he could have put a stop to it. He hadn't. Since that person had called out "Major Qing" last night as a probe, subsequent tests were bound to follow in rapid succession, most likely in the form of armed ambush probes... Therefore, Wen Jifei had decided to proactively give them a chance to observe and assess. Setting the Hall of Definitive Kills challenge two months out was really a way to buy time... Wen Jifei wanted those people to be a little more patient. *** Lynne waited through the night without getting a single opportunity to speak. When she returned home in the early morning, her father was there. Old Charles had changed into fresh clothes, preparing to report to the Azure Dragon Gang—or more accurately, to accept their judgment. Having worried all morning, Old Charles walked past his newly returned daughter without looking at her. Only when he reached the doorway did he stop, saying in a stifled voice, "Why can't you be just a little bit more sensible? My Lynne is no longer a child."