Chapter 62: Chapter 62: A Stick
Tonight, there was fog and a light rain. In front of Medicine King Hall, the bluestone slabs were covered with water stains and the mud trodden by the day’s passersby. The oil-paper lanterns at the entrances of the shops, many of which had been doused by the rain, swung in the autumn breeze. Only the lanterns and candles of a few large shops were waterproof, but in the rainy night, their light was not very bright. The entire North Street seemed rather dim.
「The second watch of the night.」
The night watchman walked past this street, beating his gong and shouting, "Close doors and windows, guard against thieves," striking it over and over, twice in succession.
BANG! BANG!
Huang Gun, wearing a Conical Hat and a straw coat, and carrying a staff wrapped in cloth, crouched behind a house wall. Rainwater dripped off the edge of his Conical Hat. His gaze was fixed intently upon Medicine King Hall’s Butcher Court; from this high perch, he could clearly see the row of houses in the Apprentice Hall where Chen Ku resided.
For two consecutive days, he dared not come out during the day but spent every night watching. Previously, when his deeds hadn’t come to light, he often saw that little bastard, Chen Ku, leave Medicine King Hall after work. At that time, he hadn’t thought much about it. Now, after his actions had been exposed, he wanted to seize this opportunity. Following Chen Ku’s daily routine, he planned to ambush and kill Chen Ku on the road at night.
Unexpectedly, after two consecutive days, Chen Ku seemed to have changed his schedule, adjusting the frequency of his outings.
Cunning little bastard, now that you’re not coming out, it makes me even more certain that you’re guilty and afraid of being ambushed by me on the road!
Huang Gun’s resentment and murderous intent surged uncontrollably. This continued until the night watchman was on his rounds for the fifth watch, his slogan having changed from "All’s well" to "The cold freezes the earth..."
「The fifth watch of the morning.」
The rain had stopped, yet Huang Gun felt an even colder chill. In another two hours, it would be dawn. The last slogan shouted by the night watchman was, "Early to bed, early to rise, take care of your body..."
Huang Gun finally gave up, knowing that Chen Ku would not be going out tonight. However, the murderous intent and hatred in his heart grew even stronger. He felt an unbearable frustration, forcing himself up from the rooftop. He unleashed his movement technique and prepared to return to the outer city to rest.
In the night, Huang Gun, a dark shadow, moved constantly from rooftop to rooftop, soon reaching a lane near his courtyard in the outer city.
Another night wasted in vain. Huang Gun gritted his teeth.
If Chen Ku doesn’t come out every night, giving me no opportunity, am I supposed to just keep waiting?
Recently, the people from Medicine King Hall and the county government office were almost done inspecting the outer city. If he didn’t leave Baojiao County in the next two days, it would be even harder to leave later.
I’ll wait for one last night tomorrow.
Huang Gun walked towards his own courtyard, lowering the brim of his Conical Hat. The look beneath the brim was dark and menacing.
If no opportunity comes again, then I will go to Dachen Village and slaughter his old mother before fleeing justice. At least that will vent some of this damn anger.
Thinking this way, with a new target in mind, he could almost see Chen Ku’s expression. A trace of satisfied joy appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He arrived at the entrance to his courtyard, ready to leap in.
WHOOSH!
A white dog’s shadow flashed by in the alley corner.
"Hmm?!"
Although Huang Gun only caught a glimpse of the afterimage with the corner of his eye, his entire body bristled, his mind raced, and he stomped in place. Infusing Inner Qi into his feet, his figure shot out, considerably faster than a cheetah!
"White Skinny Dog!!"
In a flash, he reached the mouth of the alley where the white dog had disappeared.
Upon closer inspection, the white dog was at the end of the alley, lowering its head and baring its teeth at him, its fierce eyes emitting a ghostly light in the rainy night.
Huang Gun was startled and tense. From his perception, this white Skinny Dog carried no Demonic Qi and was certainly not at the Demon level he had imagined.
But fierceness immediately surfaced in Huang Gun’s eyes.
How could I not guess? Even if I underestimated the Skinny Dog’s strength, this white Skinny Dog appearing near my home at this time, caught by me...
That little bastard has actually been sending you, this actual beast, to watch me!
He suddenly understood why the white Skinny Dog had appeared near his home. Huang Gun was scared, shocked, and angry. He was scared because his whereabouts were evidently not secret, which astonished him deeply.
Immediately, all that remained was murderous intent towards the white Skinny Dog before him.
So it was you, you damn dog!
This must be the white-furred beast Chen Ku sent to kill my nephew and get those letters!
BANG!
His back twitched, and the Seven-foot Hexagonal Staff, wrapped in cloth, instantly landed in his hands. His entire body’s Inner Qi surged, filling his arms and shoulders!
With a stomp, he trod on the swirling rainwater. His figure, holding the two-hundred-pound Seven-foot Hexagonal Staff, shot out like lightning, covering a distance of five zhang in a blink! The staff was raised high, and with the speed of an Inner Qi realm expert, far too fast for the white Skinny Dog to react, it smashed down toward its head!
"You beast! Die for me!"
Huang Gun’s strike was fueled by the frustration of not having caught Chen Ku, his rage boiling like a volcano. Seeing the white dog now was like seeing Chen Ku himself. With one move, his Inner Qi exploded out, the strike dispersing the mist in the air!
It crashed down heavily!
This explosion of Inner Qi sent the staff swinging down. Yet, before it could hit the white Skinny Dog—
WHOOSH!
The Skinny Dog under the staff suddenly turned into a wisp of white smoke and dissipated on the spot.
Huang Gun’s mind briefly froze, stunned by this bizarre turn of events.
What the...
He had seen Demons before, but they were typically beasts that had cultivated Demonic Qi, similar to human Inner Qi, augmenting their strength and speed. It was impossible for one to turn into a wisp of white smoke on the spot...
But just as Huang Gun was dazed—
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion, like a cannonball, seemed to detonate behind his head in the silent, rainy night.
It’s... an ambush...
Huang Gun’s face changed dramatically, and he instinctively spun around, swinging his staff. But considering his moment of dazed confusion and the action of turning, he was already two moments too late!
Face to face, he saw a masked young man swinging the Nu Dragon Staff at him!
Huang Gun’s prior strike had been propelled by Inner Qi that hadn’t yet recovered. He was caught between his old strength being spent and new strength not yet generated, so he hadn’t even managed to fully circulate his Inner Qi. He just managed to raise the staff over his head.
His heart raged. Despite the opponent’s mask, he was ten-tenths certain it was Chen Ku.
An Apprentice in Force Transforming, even if he uses all sorts of tricks and an ambush to catch me off guard, as long as I block this first strike, his ambush will be useless! Then it will be my turn...
But his thought had not even completed.
Chen Ku, leaping down from above, brought his staff crashing against Huang Gun’s Seven-foot Hexagonal Staff.
DANG!!
The moment they contacted, a cloud of white powder burst from a torn cloth wrapped around the head of Chen Ku’s staff, sprinkling onto Huang Gun’s face.
Knockout... Knockout Drug...
As a Pharmacist, Huang Gun instantly identified the powder that entered his mouth and nose. He finally understood why his opponent was masked.
A trap, an ambush, and now scattering Knockout Drug during the fight? What kind of underhanded methods does this little bastard use? His heart is too black!
Huang Gun’s head spun, whether from anger or the effect of the Knockout Drug, his Qi Power diminished further.
After the two staffs struck each other—
BOOM!
An immense force, one that couldn’t possibly have come from an apprentice like Chen Ku, instantly overwhelmed him. His nostrils began to bleed, and his fingers trembled!
No! What kind of immense force is this!
He instantly couldn’t hold onto his own weapon. It felt as if an elephant were bearing down on the staff, and the shock made him let go...
SWISH! The weapon slipped from his hand!
And that strike, carrying an overwhelming force that made Huang Gun howl in despair and disbelief, continued relentlessly and smashed into his neck!
BURST!!
Huang Gun’s half-shoulder and neck exploded into a bloody pulp. He knelt, his neck twisted and hanging by just a shred of flesh. His eyes turned dull like a dead fish, instantly losing all signs of life.
His dying eyes still glared at Chen Ku, filled with resentment and shock, a trace of a bitter smile playing on his lips. But soon, his gaze and facial expression vanished completely.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The young man brought his staff down several more times, smashing everything above Huang Gun’s chest into a bloody pulp.
As a stream of Evil Qi flew into his brow, the masked young man finally felt relieved enough to squat down and begin searching Huang Gun around the waist and on his body.