Letting out a drunken burp, Wen Biao felt much relieved.
Beneath the moonlight, a dark silhouette rapidly closed in on him.
"What the—"
Before Wen Biao's alcohol-fogged brain could process the shadow, a fist fitted with spiked knuckles slammed squarely into his temple.
The tremendous force made his head spin, and the sharp spikes pierced deep into his temple.
He opened his mouth to scream for help, but not a sound came out—a cold, rough hand clamped tightly over his mouth.
Lin Zheyu sealed Wen Biao's mouth with his left hand, pinning him firmly against his chest, while his right fist hammered repeatedly into Wen Biao's temple.
Three strikes in rapid succession, and the man in his arms went limp. Only then did Lin Zheyu stop, his fist and clothes stained crimson with blood.
Looking at the lifeless corpse, his arm trembled slightly, yet a look of resolute determination flashed in his eyes.
In this chaotic world, good men didn't live long.
"Whew—"
Exhaling deeply once more, Lin Zheyu suppressed his churning emotions.
With a swift step, he took off in another direction.
Since he had made his move, he had to eliminate every potential threat down to the last trace.
Lin Zheyu had no desire to be constantly targeted by a pack of gutter rats.
* * *
On the other side of the road, Yan Ling was stumbling along, tipsy from the liquor as he wobbled his way home in the moonlight.
"Getting back late means getting chewed out by that woman again."
"What does a woman know anyway? Times are tough, and earning coin is harder than ever. If this job pans out, we're set for half a year to a year."
Yan Ling muttered under his breath, venting his frustration.
He stopped beside a ditch and unhitched his trousers to relieve himself.
Too much drink brought a full bladder.
Shuddering as he finished, Yan Ling mumbled, "Why did it get so dark all of a sudden?"
*Thud—*
*Gurgle, gurgle—*
A flare of agony exploded between his brows. Yan Ling tumbled headfirst into the ditch, thrashing to get back up, only to be pinned down motionless by a massive hand.
Bubbles gurgled up from the muddy water, and within moments, all struggle ceased.
Both men were merely ordinary folks who knew no martial arts and lacked Lin Zheyu's current sturdy frame. Finishing them off had been effortless.
"One left."
Lin Zheyu looked down impassively at the lifeless man in the foul ditch. *There was no enmity between us, but you chose to target me—so you brought death upon yourselves!*
He didn't bother tidying the scene right away. Delayed by these two, Gao Yu had already gotten some distance ahead.
Lin Zheyu pushed off with his feet, kicking up sprays of mud behind him.
Of the three, Gao Yu was the only one with any real strength.
He was a robust, heavily built fellow who stood 1.83 meters tall. Coming from a family of hunters, he had practiced rudimentary martial arts as a boy, though he had let them rust as he grew up.
"Heh heh..."
Gao Yu walked along the road, chuckling and humming a tune in high spirits.
They had found an easy, plump mark. Once this job was done, he'd be able to live comfortably for quite a while.
"That kid is quite capable too. If only I could keep him under my thumb to earn money for me..."
Gao Yu muttered, though he knew that wasn't realistic.
*Rustle, rustle, rustle.*
A chill wind blew past, setting the leaves rustling.
Gao Yu pulled his coat tighter and picked up his pace.
It was getting late. Best to hurry home—his woman had already warmed the bed for him.
*Whoosh—*
A dark shadow streaked past, the sound swallowed by the howling wind.
Dulled by the alcohol, Gao Yu failed to notice anything amiss nearby.
Gao Yu turned a corner and walked past a row of cottages. After another dozen meters or so, total silence surrounded him.
Right at that instant, Lin Zheyu lunged.
A fist armed with iron knuckles drove straight toward Gao Yu's temple. A mortal weak point on the human body, a lethal blow there would leave someone dizzy at best, and kill them on the spot at worst.
*Bang!*
Gao Yu lost his footing and crashed to the ground.
Having grown up a hunter with experience wrestling wild beasts, he managed to lash out with a desperate kick at Lin Zheyu as the youth closed in.
Lin Zheyu twisted aside to dodge, caught Gao Yu's leg in both arms, and used his body weight to drive it down toward Gao Yu's head.
A sickening crack echoed—Lin Zheyu snapped the man's leg.
Dampened by the drink, the agony took several seconds to register. Just as Gao Yu opened his mouth wide to shriek, a rough hand clamped down firmly over it.
*Thud, thud, thud—*
A relentless barrage of punches battered Gao Yu's forehead. Within a few breaths, his breathing ceased completely.
Lin Zheyu sat on the ground, panting heavily as he fought down the indescribable emotions in his chest.
This was his first time taking the initiative to kill someone. During his days among the refugees, it had only ever been passive resistance for survival.
Without lingering in his daze for long, Lin Zheyu quickly climbed to his feet.
"Need to clean this up fast."
Even though the chances of anyone tracing these killings back to him were slim, taking precautions was always better.
Hoisting Gao Yu's corpse onto his shoulder, he found a deserted patch of wasteland and dumped all three bodies in the wilderness.
"Truly broke. Not even a hundred copper coins between them."
Lin Zheyu shook his head as he pocketed the loose coin he had stripped from their corpses.
* * *
Returning home, Lin Zheyu lit a fire and burned his bloodstained clothes.
He went out into the courtyard and rinsed himself down several times, yet he still felt as though he reeked of human blood.
Having lived a peaceful life in his past existence with decades of civilized upbringing, it was impossible for him to casually treat human lives like grass and slaughter his own kind without a shred of psychological burden.
Lin Zheyu lay down to sleep, but unable to drift off, he got back up to wash again. He repeated this several times, only managing to fall asleep deep into the night.
*Cock-a-doodle-doo—*
Early morning.
A rooster with a voice like a cracked bronze gong crowed once more, jarring Lin Zheyu from his slumber.
He blearily opened his eyes, pulled the blanket over his head, and went right back to sleep.
He slept all the way until the afternoon.
*Yaaawn—*
Yawning, Lin Zheyu arrived at Bidan Teahouse.
"Did you go prowling around the Hundred Pavilions last night, boy? What's with the sluggish look?" Manager Wu teased.
"Homesick. Didn't sleep well last night," Lin Zheyu replied.
He had tossed and turned all night, plagued by messy, chaotic nightmares.
"It's still early. Why don't you go catch some more sleep?" Manager Wu suggested.
"All right then. Call me when it's time."
Lin Zheyu didn't decline; he truly needed to make up for lost rest.
Chapter 17