A Ruthless Welcome

As soon as he stepped off the dock, Han Li had the two porters walk ahead and lead him to a nearby inn. He planned to rest first before considering anything else.

The two men agreed readily, leading Han Li and the others into the city. But the path they took twisted and turned, and after walking for a good while, there was still no sign of any inn.

Although Han Li continued to follow behind the two porters, he noticed that the roads they were taking were becoming increasingly remote, and the people they passed were growing fewer and fewer. He furrowed his brow slightly.

Even without much experience staying in large towns, he knew that no inn would ever be built in such a secluded area. What guest would come here?

So when he was led into a filthy, pitch-black alley, Han Li gave a wry smile. He felt he should immediately capture the two men and torture them to find out what they were really up to.

Just as Han Li was about to make his move, over a dozen large men suddenly emerged from the depths of the alley ahead. These men looked somewhat familiar—he seemed to have seen them all in the shed back at the dock.

These men, wielding iron clubs and sharp knives, were now staring at Han Li and Qu Hun with ill intent. The two porters carrying the luggage abruptly dashed into the crowd, turned around, and grinned at Han Li with a sinister chuckle.

Han Li sighed. It seemed he no longer needed to torture them to know their intentions. He had barely set foot in Doctor Mo’s homeland before running into a scheme of murder for money.

“Kid, don’t blame us for being heartless. You’re the one who brought so much silver. Blame your own bad luck!” A gruff voice came from behind.

Han Li turned around. Seven or eight more burly men had appeared behind him. At their head were two men: one was dark-skinned, broad-shouldered, and thick-waisted; the other was scrawny with a crooked head and shifty rat-like eyes. They were Black Bear and Sun Ergou.

This kind of murder and robbery for money was not something these two were doing for the first time. They understood that as long as they did the job cleanly and left no witnesses, a missing persons case involving an out-of-towner would never be seriously pursued by the authorities, even if someone reported it. After all, far too many people went missing in this area every year for the government to waste energy searching for each one.

So Black Bear, after saying this, did not hesitate. He shot a meaningful glance at the dozen or so men, who then raised their weapons and charged ferociously at Han Li and Qu Hun, who were trapped in the middle.

Han Li watched the bloodthirsty, savage expressions of these men, and a flicker of killing intent passed through his eyes. He could tell that these people had done this kind of thing more than once; otherwise, they wouldn’t all carry the reek of blood.

“Kill them all. Hold nothing back,” Han Li ordered Qu Hun coldly.

Upon hearing Han Li’s command, Qu Hun let out a few low growls, a hint of excitement lacing the sound. He suddenly lunged forward, charging straight into the oncoming crowd.

With a “whoosh,” he threw a punch, as fast as lightning, striking a large man square on the head. The burly man flew sideways like a sandbag, slamming into the stone wall. Blood and brains splattered everywhere, leaving only half of his skull behind.

At that moment, a sharp knife and a thick iron club, seizing the opening, simultaneously came down on Qu Hun’s back.

Without even turning his head, Qu Hun swung his other arm behind him in a sweeping arc. With two “thuds,” the weapons of the two men flew into the air the instant they touched his arm, their tiger mouths dripping with blood.

Then, Qu Hun propped himself on one leg and swept the other foot backward like a scythe. The two men were struck in the waist and abdomen, sent flying over ten feet, and landed on the ground without moving.

The others who saw this all drew in a sharp breath of cold air. The men surrounding him showed fear on their faces, hesitating to advance.

But even though they had stopped, Qu Hun showed no mercy, striking left and right, shattering the skulls of two more men beside him. Without Han Li’s order, he would not stop on his own.

Sun Ergou and Black Bear’s faces turned grim. It was clear they had misjudged the situation. This giant was no ordinary bodyguard; he was extremely troublesome to deal with.

“Kill this giant, and each man gets twenty taels of silver!” Sun Ergou, sensing a bad premonition, hastily issued a hefty reward to the few “experts” beside him.

Upon hearing this, the men beside him and Black Bear all showed delighted expressions. These men were crude martial artists who only knew the most superficial皮毛 of boxing and kicking. Naturally, they couldn’t see the world of difference between themselves and Qu Hun. They thought he was just a bit stronger and slightly more skilled. So, with no real fear, they all charged at Qu Hun, spurred on by the promise of a heavy reward.

After hearing Sun Ergou’s words, the muscles on Black Bear’s face twitched. He remained silent with a dark expression, his gaze shifting restlessly toward Han Li.

Black Bear was secretly cursing his bad luck.

Unlike Sun Ergou, he had reached his current position through sheer grit and real fighting. He had a decent set of skills—barely enough to be considered a third-rate fighter—and he had very good eyesight.

The moment he saw Qu Hun’s attack, his heart sank. He could tell at a glance that Qu Hun’s skill was so high that even their own gang leader wouldn’t necessarily have a chance against him, let alone small fry like them. But he didn’t dare turn and run, because it was obvious that the giant hadn’t even used his full strength yet. If he tried to flee, he would probably die even faster.

To survive, it seemed he had to go after that shabbily dressed young man. It was obvious that this youth held a higher status than the giant. If he could take him hostage, he might just have a way out. As for the silver, he didn’t dare think about it anymore. Having such a powerful bodyguard by his side—this couldn’t be some country landlord’s son. This was clearly a young master from a major aristocratic family, disguised and out for a stroll. Getting out of this alive would already be a blessing from the gods. Carrying such a heavy bundle was out of the question!

Thinking this, as his few remaining men charged forward, Black Bear exchanged a glance with Sun Ergou and quietly began to sidle toward the scene.