Volume Three: The Storm at Xuanwu Gate, Chapter Ninety: Severing His Wings

With Mingyu’s skill, not even city walls could stop him, much less the courtyard wall of a gambling den.

He flipped over it in one motion and slipped into the Grand Fortune Gambling House.

By habit from years of carrying out missions, Mingyu first scooped up a handful of mud from the ground and smeared it over his face, streaking it left and right as crude camouflage.

He tore off the cloth bindings from his hands and feet, tidied himself quickly, and crept along the base of the wall toward the back courtyard.

But after winding about for quite some time, he realized with some annoyance that he had somehow gotten lost inside.

Mingyu had already heard from the men of the Evil Tiger Gang that the gambling den was enormous. Yet now that he had actually entered it, he found he had still underestimated its scale.

According to what the gangsters had said, the place was arranged in five linked courtyard layers. The first three were for gambling, while the last two served as the Evil Tiger Gang’s main hideout.

But in order to cram in a few more gambling tables, the damned people here had transformed the place beyond recognition. There was no proper central courtyard, no corridors, no rockeries or garden pavilions of any kind.

Instead, it was a tangled mess of rooms, one packed against the next, one layer pressed against another, so that not even the boundaries between courtyards could be made out. Illegal construction for a thousand years and still counting; no wonder it got people killed.

With no better choice, Mingyu wandered aimlessly here and there inside.

After a long while, he suddenly heard faint voices ahead. Following the sound, he found a building whose windows blazed with light. He was delighted, knowing he had found the right place, though he still did not know where Duan Hu was.

He drew his saber and held it ready, lowered his body, and eased forward.

The bandits inside were drinking wine and eating meat, talking loudly, their voices so boisterous they could be heard from far away.

Mingyu hid in the shadows by the wall and approached soundlessly, wanting to hear what these wretches were discussing.

The thieves remained oblivious and continued their feast.

At first they spoke only of trivial matters. They were the sort of men who could not hold much liquor in their bellies; after a few drinks they began boasting, claiming they could kill seven and butcher eight, all arrogance and bluster, as though they themselves were the greatest men under heaven.

Mingyu found it boring and was just about to turn away when he suddenly heard someone ask, “Why is it that we did not see Boss Duan come out for drinks today? Has he not returned yet?”

Another voice answered, “Boss Duan was in a foul mood today. He was summoned by the government office in Yongzhou and questioned for quite a while. If not for the power backing us, he might have had to spend some time in prison. Of course he came back with a belly full of rage. When he returned, his face was black as thunder, and he was so angry he did not even eat supper. Tch, tch, it has been a long time since I saw Boss Duan in such a temper.”

“Ha! A wealthy young master from the capital went missing, and what does that have to do with Boss Duan? I say the Yongzhou officials are likely just jealous of how much money we make every day and want to stick their hands in for a cut,” said the man who had asked earlier.

Then someone else said, “I say, Third Yu, stop stuffing your face and listen. Since Boss Duan hasn’t even eaten, why don’t you hurry up and have the kitchen warm up some food and wine to send to his room?”

The man called Third Yu replied with a lecherous laugh, “Heh heh, Brother He, you don’t know the half of it. No need to trouble yourself over that. The food and wine were sent over long ago. I’m sure Boss Duan is full and happy by now, and is using that mother and daughter pair we took in today to relieve his fire. Heh heh, mother and daughter on the same bed... tsk tsk. Looking at that little girl’s slender body, I wonder whether she can even take it...”

The people in the room burst into brazen, filthy laughter.

One rough voice shoved aside his bowl and chopsticks and said, “No more eating. Damn it, the way you put it has stirred my appetite too. Heh heh, I’m going to fetch Zhou Laofu’s daughter, the young lady from the Zhou family, and have some fun.”

Third Yu said, “I say, Gao Meng, you ought to take it easy. Don’t go and wear her out to death like last time.”

“Pah!” Gao Meng spat and said, “And you’ve got the nerve to say that to me? Wasn’t it all of you who lost your legs the moment you saw a maiden untouched by any man, insisting on taking turns to sample her first? By the time it was my turn, that little bitch was down to half a breath. I made do for a couple of strokes, and who knew she’d run out of air and die? Just thinking about it makes me feel damn unlucky.”

At that, the bandits roared with laughter, talking over one another.

One said, “They say your chain spear is the finest in the world, Gao Meng. You’ve made quite a name for yourself. But the way I see it, the truly formidable weapon of yours is the one between your legs, to be able to torment that girl right into her grave.”

Another laughed, “Hurry up, Gao Meng. After all, it won’t take you more than a moment. Once you’re done enjoying yourself, it’ll be my turn to have some pleasure.”

Someone else joined in, shouting that perhaps the two of them should go together, a twin dragon playing with a phoenix.

“Pah! As if! Tonight it’s my turn to have the first taste. Liu Dahai, you wait your turn. I won’t be done until daybreak!” Gao Meng cursed with a laugh, then pushed open the door and walked out, shaking his head, humming some filthy tune as he swayed drunkenly away.

Hearing these vile beasts spew such filth, Mingyu felt they were lower than animals. He did not know how many innocent girls they had ruined and destroyed in their time.

His liver and lungs nearly burst with rage, and he gritted his teeth until they almost crumbled. Since fate had brought him here today, their hour had come. One by one, he would send them all to meet the King of Hell.

Seeing Gao Meng walk ahead, Mingyu gave a cold smile, tightened his grip on the hilt, and quietly tailed him.

Once they were out of the courtyard and had gone only a short distance, Mingyu judged they were far enough away that no one should notice if he struck here. He quickened his steps, caught up in two strides, clapped a hand over Gao Meng’s mouth, and pressed the saber across his throat with his right hand.

Gao Meng, drunk to the point of stupidity, had no idea anyone was following him. His mind was full only of what pleasures he might indulge in next.

Then his mouth was clamped shut, his neck went cold, and a saber was laid across it. A low voice said, “Do not move. Move even a little, and I’ll kill you.”

Gao Meng was so terrified his soul nearly flew out of his body. Half his drunkenness vanished at once, and he hurriedly nodded.

Mingyu half-dragged, half-led him to a corner by the wall and asked in a low voice, “Where is Duan Hu? Point him out to me.”

With his mouth covered, Gao Meng could not make a sound and could only lift a hand to point behind him.

Mingyu looked in the direction indicated and indeed saw lights burning there. It seemed the man had not lied.

Having confirmed the location, Mingyu gave Gao Meng a savage grin and said, “Since I know where he is, you’re useless now. Let me send you off to your next life.”

With that, he drove the saber forward with his right hand and slashed down hard.

From what he had just overheard, Mingyu knew this Gao Meng was a beast in human skin, and who knew how many respectable young women he had ruined. His hatred ran deep, and he struck with such force that he nearly split Gao Meng’s entire neck open, leaving only a thin strip of flesh connected.

With a wet hiss of blood, Gao Meng never even had time to cry out before his head was severed and blood poured out. He was dead beyond any doubt.

Mingyu had kept a tight grip over Gao Meng’s mouth so he would not shout, and because he was so close when the blood gushed from the wound, it splattered across his face.

“Pah! You inhuman thing. Even your blood stinks!” After killing Gao Meng, Mingyu wiped the blood from his face and spat fiercely at the corpse.

He thought for a moment. Now that he knew where Duan Hu was, it would still be safest to first cut down his claws, strip away his wings, and then move against him in the end.

After all, if he wanted to uncover the man behind the scenes, he would have to take Duan Hu alive. It was said Duan Hu’s martial skill was no small thing either. If a fight broke out and his men came to help, then being outnumbered might make even the strongest man helpless.

Though Mingyu was confident in his own abilities and did not think a handful of wandering fighters would pose much trouble, he was still deep inside enemy territory. Better to be steady, cautious, and secure.

As for the mother and daughter he had just heard the bandits speaking of, the pair now being brutalized by Duan Hu, Mingyu could only think to apologize to them in his heart after weighing the matter again and again. At most, he would kill Duan Hu shortly after and avenge them that way.

Duan Hu had many underlings at his command. If Mingyu rushed in recklessly just because he wanted to save them, letting his blood get hot and going straight for Duan Hu, he would most likely fail to save anyone and instead put himself in danger as well. Mingyu was not a saint. He could do a righteous deed, but only on the condition that he remained safe.

Having made up his mind, Mingyu sliced off Gao Meng’s head with his saber. One hand holding the blade, the other carrying the severed head, he turned and walked back to that courtyard.

Inside the room, the bandits still had not noticed a thing. They kept shouting loudly and drinking heartily, discussing which woman they would seek out later once they had eaten and drunk their fill.

“Hmph. They are on the brink of death and still do not know it, and here they are thinking about women! Very well, today I’ll send you all down to the netherworld so you can play with female ghosts!” Mingyu cursed inwardly, then moved closer to the room and quietly observed the situation inside.

At this point there were still eight or nine thugs left in the room, all of them drunk and lurching about, reeking of liquor. Perhaps because they were in their own den, they had completely let down their guard. One and all, they lounged with open collars and brazen postures; their weapons had long since been tossed aside somewhere.

This was the moment. If he did not strike now, when would he?

Mingyu turned to the door, lifted his leg, and kicked it open wide.

Then with a flick of his left hand, he hurled Gao Meng’s head straight at the cluster of bandits.

Without another word, he sprang forward with his saber in hand and brought it crashing down toward the thieves standing by the door.