"Fire! The carriage shed is on fire!"
Amid the chaotic shouts, the entire Five Blessings Hall carriage business instantly fell into disarray.
Yang Hu and Miao Guard, who had been chatting idly indoors, were greatly alarmed when they heard the news and immediately rushed outside.
When Yang Hu saw the towering flames rising from the direction of the carriage shed, his face instantly turned pale.
That shed represented his life’s work. If it burned down, everything would be lost.
"What... what happened? Quick, put out the fire!" he shouted with a voice strained to the breaking point.
Miao Guard, however, felt somewhat suspicious.
The timing of this fire seemed far too strange.
His master had just ordered these carriage businesses to secretly investigate leads on the Heartless Dao earlier today, and now there was a fire at night.
No matter how he looked at it, something wasn’t right.
While Miao Guard stood in front of the house deep in thought, Wu Liangchen, hiding in the shadows, finally got a clear look at the man.
He was a man of around thirty, with an ordinary appearance except for his unusually long, claw-like fingers.
Indeed, he was from the Eagle Claw Sect.
Wu Liangchen didn’t act rashly, instead carefully observing Miao Guard’s every move.
He noticed that the man’s muscle lines were exceptionally defined, with tremendous strength evident in every gesture, but his joints didn’t appear particularly abnormal.
Clearly, he was an entry-level Martial Artist who had mastered skin toughening and muscle strengthening but hadn’t reached the Tendon-Stretching and Bone-Loosening Realm.
Since they were at the same realm, he had a chance.
Realizing this, Wu Liangchen no longer felt anxious and continued hiding in the darkness, waiting for his opportunity.
Meanwhile, the fire continued to spread.
To ensure the fire would catch successfully, Wu Liangchen had deliberately doused the area with plenty of lamp oil.
Combined with the highly flammable carriages in the shed, once the fire started, there was no saving it.
Yang Hu was beside himself with anxiety. Not caring about Miao Guard anymore, he ran toward the fire.
Miao Jiandong wasn’t in a hurry—after all, it wasn’t his property burning—so he walked leisurely behind.
But just as he reached the courtyard gate, he suddenly sensed danger. Without turning around, he immediately struck backward with his palm.
THUD!
Feeling something soft give way under his palm, Miao Jiandong knew something was wrong. He immediately pushed off with both feet, trying to dodge away.
But it was too late.
His palm had burst an oil-soaked cloth package, and the liquid inside splattered everywhere. Despite his quick retreat, he was still drenched.
"Who’s there?" Miao Jiandong was burning with rage as he wiped his face with his sleeve, feeling a fiery sting on his skin accompanied by a pungent smell.
Lamp oil!
The fire was indeed deliberate!
Miao Jiandong’s thoughts raced as he changed his palm strike into a claw grip, preparing for combat.
Just then, he sensed an attack from behind. Having learned his lesson, he didn’t try to block it this time but instead dodged to the side.
Two broken bricks fell into the darkness with a clatter.
Seeing this, Miao Jiandong’s face twitched with anger. "If you have any guts, come out and face me properly! What kind of coward hides in the shadows?"
But no one in the darkness answered.
He didn’t dare rush in, and to avoid further danger, Miao Jiandong slowly backed away.
Suddenly.
Something else flew toward him.
Though enraged, Miao Jiandong still tried to dodge, but as the object neared him, it suddenly burst open, releasing a cloud of smoke.
A piercing smell instantly filled his nostrils, stinging so badly he couldn’t keep his eyes open.
Fire Alkali Powder!
There was an alkali mine near Dinghai City, and with abundant sea salt supplies, Fire Alkali Powder was quite common in the area.
But Miao Jiandong never imagined someone would use it in an ambush.
Shocked and furious, he also began to consider retreat.
Whoever his opponent was, their endless tricks revealed a vicious mind, and being caught in the open while his enemy remained hidden put him at a severe disadvantage.
So despite the stinging pain that kept his eyes shut, Miao Jiandong didn’t attempt to fight back but turned to flee instead.
This was exactly the opportunity Wu Liangchen had been waiting for.
He leaped up from the ground and, empowered by the Wind-Chasing Leg technique, moved like a shadow, instantly appearing behind Miao Jiandong before launching his fist forward.
It was the third move of the Four-Step Fist: Striding Cannon!
Miao Jiandong naturally felt the force of the punch behind him. With a furious roar, he suddenly turned around and, relying on instinct, managed to block the punch.
BOOM!
After a dull thud, Miao Jiandong staggered backward, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
In contrast, Wu Liangchen’s confidence soared.
From that single exchange, Wu Liangchen discovered that Miao Jiandong’s strength was actually quite ordinary.
He might not even need all his preparations—he could defeat him with raw power alone.
As they say, when your enemy is down, press the advantage. Wu Liangchen gave Miao Jiandong no time to recover and charged again.
"Four-Step Fist! You’re from Long Wind Martial Arts Hall?" By now, Miao Jiandong could barely open his eyes, but he recognized Wu Liangchen’s fighting style and roared with a mixture of shock and rage.
Wu Liangchen naturally didn’t respond, continuing to throw punch after punch.
At a disadvantage, Miao Jiandong was quickly backed into a corner.
"I am Young Master Yan’s personal guard. If you dare kill me, not even your master Yu Changfeng can bear the consequences!" Miao Jiandong shouted desperately, his voice filled with mortal terror.
But another heavy punch was his only answer.
With a crack, Miao Jiandong’s arms fell limply to his sides, causing him to let out an agonized wail.
"Spare—"
Before he could finish saying "my life," Wu Liangchen’s fist smashed into his throat.
The punch was so powerful that Miao Jiandong’s throat bone protruded from the back of his neck, exposing stark white bone fragments.
Miao Jiandong’s eyes bulged, filled with pain and confusion.
He didn’t know who this black-clothed man was or why he was determined to kill him.
As if to answer his confusion, Wu Liangchen said calmly: "Want to know who I am?"
Miao Jiandong’s throat made a wheezing sound, like air escaping from a broken bellows.
"Too bad, I won’t tell you. Go ask the King of the Underworld!"
With that, Wu Liangchen smashed his fist into Miao Jiandong’s throat again.
SPLAT!
Blood sprayed from the back of his neck, creating a horrific gaping hole.
The light in Miao Jiandong’s eyes instantly extinguished as his corpse collapsed to the ground.
Wu Liangchen quickly searched the body but found nothing except the small payment Yang Hu had given him earlier.
’Damn, for all his big talk, he was just another pauper!’
Then Wu Liangchen struck a flint, igniting the lamp oil covering Miao Jiandong’s body.
Once the fire caught, Wu Liangchen turned and rushed toward the carriage shed.
Now it was Yang Hu’s turn.
When he reached the carriage shed, he saw many people trying to put out the fire.
Yang Hu had joined in, carrying a wooden bucket and continuously throwing water onto the flames.
But against such a large fire, these meager efforts were like a drop in the ocean.
When Wu Liangchen arrived, nobody noticed him.
Even Yang Hu’s bodyguards and thugs were desperately fighting the fire.
Wu Liangchen easily approached Yang Hu from behind.
When Yang Hu turned around, he nearly collided with Wu Liangchen and cursed, "Get out of my way, don’t block the path!"
Wu Liangchen remained unmoved, merely giving a cold smile.
Only then did Yang Hu realize a black-clothed man was standing before him. His heart skipped a beat, and just as he was about to shout, Wu Liangchen’s fist smashed into his mouth.
With a sickening crunch that made one’s teeth ache, all of Yang Hu’s teeth were shattered, along with his jawbone.
In extreme pain, he could only make muffled cries, but Wu Liangchen was prepared. He pulled out a package of lamp oil and poured it over Yang Hu’s head, then said softly:
"Third Master Yang, farewell!"
With that, Wu Liangchen kicked Yang Hu into the flames.
The roaring fire immediately engulfed him. Yang San couldn’t even scream, only struggle desperately.
This scene naturally shocked the people fighting the fire nearby.
Some of the more timid ones were so frightened they collapsed to the ground, but Wu Liangchen didn’t hesitate at all and charged straight at them.
Since he had already taken action, he would eliminate everyone, leaving no potential problems behind.
Besides, none of these bodyguards and thugs were good people—their deaths wouldn’t be a loss.
After successfully killing Miao Guard, Wu Liangchen’s confidence had grown, and he now had a clear assessment of his own strength.
Dealing with these men was like cutting melons and vegetables—even the two burly men who had learned some martial arts couldn’t withstand a single punch from Wu Liangchen.
In the blink of an eye, corpses littered the ground.
After quickly searching the bodies, Wu Liangchen threw them all into the fire, then returned to Yang Hu’s quarters. After another thorough looting, he took all the valuables and jewelry before leaping over the wall and disappearing.