The white snow was vast.
On the official road outside Phuc Trach Village, several figures trudged along the snow-covered path, swaying unsteadily.
"Phuc Oa, hang in there, don't sleep! When we get back to the city, I'll find a doctor for you."
The scar-faced man walked at the front. Behind him, every two men supported an injured man. One man, who looked exceedingly simple and honest, pressed his hand firmly on the wound on the injured man's shoulder, speaking continuously.
The snowdrifts obstructed the way, the wind and snow were fierce, and they were also supporting people, so their walking speed was extremely slow.
"Damn it, hurry up, you lot!" The scar-faced man turned his head and urged them on, then spat and said, "What good are you? Several of you couldn't even watch over an old man and got injured like this. In the future, when you're out, don't say you follow Chu Gia. It's an utter embarrassment!"
"Brother Dao, I didn't expect that old man to be so vicious, grabbing a chopping knife and just hacking away. At that time, Phuc Oa and the others were restraining that woman and weren't paying attention at all. It was that old man who sneak-attacked," a lackey explained.
The scar-faced man snorted coldly and said, "In any case, when we get back, everyone stick to the same story: say that the old man attacked first, lashing out and injuring people, understand?"
"Understood, Brother Dao."
"It's a pity about that young girl. She tasted pretty good, just couldn't endure the torment..." The scar-faced man reminisced about the earlier scene.
"Hey, wait a minute."
Just then, a voice sounded from behind them.
The snow was vast and heavy; apart from them, there wasn't another soul in the world, so this voice sounded extremely abrupt.
The men turned to look and saw a figure braving the wind and snow, slowly walking towards them, holding something in his hand. Because he was too far away, they couldn't see clearly.
The men were all stunned. When the other party drew closer, they finally saw clearly: the person approaching was a handsome youth, with a layer of white frost on his eyebrows and head.
He was holding an object wrapped in black cloth. Judging from the exposed handle, it was probably a dao.
"Who are you?" The scar-faced man, holding his dao, pointed at the youth and said.
"I have something I want to give you," the youth's reply, however, was completely irrelevant to the question.
Seeing the youth walking closer and closer, the scar-faced man sensed that something was wrong and shouted, "What do you want to give? Just throw it over!"
"No, this is something I want to give you personally, to be proper," the youth said, striding closer.
"Stop!" The scar-faced man's eyebrows shot up.
The youth approached step by step.
"Laozi told you to stop, didn't you hear me?!" the scar-faced man shouted.
Swish!
The black cloth was revealed, tossed high into the air by the youth, exposing the gleaming Tang Dao in his hand.
The scar-faced man and his group's expressions changed drastically.
At that very same moment, the youth's figure suddenly lunged forward, leaping up. In mid-air, the Tang Dao swung down, cleaving an invisible crescent moon, a Force-Splitting Hua Mountain strike, directly aimed at the top of the scar-faced man's head.
Thwack!
The scar-faced man, being able to become a minor leader, was not too unskilled. His large dao was instantly raised horizontally in front of him, but the difference in their爆发力 (explosive power) was too great, compounded by a vast disparity in strength.
With a "clang," the invisible dao qi severed the body of the large dao, continued downwards, and with another strike, diagonally sliced the scar-faced man in two.
The dao qi, after cleaving one man, continued with undiminished force, landing heavily on the ground, sending up sprays of snowflakes.
At the same time, the black cloth soaring in the sky also fell to the ground.
Wiping the fresh blood splattered on his face, Tran Mac said icily, "Sending you on your way."
The lackeys who had reacted now rushed towards Tran Mac together.
A few breaths later.
Tran Mac picked up the black cloth from the ground and wrapped his Tang Dao.
After taking the money from their bodies, he headed to the next place.
...
Outside Wang Family Village.
Several Thanh Ha Bang members, having just finished looting the village, had not long emerged from behind the village. Just as they stepped onto the main road, they saw a masked man walking towards them.
A few breaths later, several corpses lay scattered on the official road.
Outside the city gate bridge.
The necessary route to enter Binh Dinh County.
All had corpses of Thanh Ha Bang members.
...
In the mountain wilderness, Tran Mac looked at his hands, stained with fresh blood. The unease in his heart, which had just now dissipated a little.
When he had previously ambushed and killed Brother Ho's group, apart from acting on a whim, it was more about wanting to use evil to eliminate evil, and to "borrow" some money from their hands for his own use.
He had also handled the aftermath quite well.
But he had never thought that this small act would stir up such a great disturbance.
They were so wantonly bullying the weak commoners, not treating them as human beings at all.
This damned world, how unfair it was!
Must the weak always be bullied by others?
"Hahaha..."
Tran Mac knelt in the snow with a soft thud, laughing.
But that laugh carried a terrifying edge, self-mockery, and a hint of perversion.
...
For the next two days.
Tran Mac stayed hidden in a forest three li outside Binh Dinh County. Whenever Thanh Ha Bang members came out, he would kill them on sight.
If he encountered a large group, he would avoid a direct confrontation.
If others had red numbers on their foreheads indicating strength greater than his own, Tran Mac also avoided them.
In no time, everyone in Binh Dinh County knew that a Killing Star had appeared outside the city.
He killed Thanh Ha Bang members on sight.
In just over two days, fifty or sixty Thanh Ha Bang members had died.
However, the Thanh Ha Bang still didn't even know who the culprit was.
It frightened many Thanh Ha Bang members so much that they didn't dare to go outside the city, cowering within the county town.
The Thanh Ha Bang, which once lorded over everyone, never expected to see such a day. Many people secretly clapped and cheered.
...
Phuc Trach Village.
Today was New Year's Day.
But the entire village lacked any festive joy.
The Tran family home was the same.
[Nourishing meat consumption +0.05, Blood Nurturing Technique experience +0.05.]
[Nourishing meat consumption +0.05, Blood Nurturing Technique experience +0.05.]
[...]
Han An Nuong watched Tran Mac eating meat mouthful by mouthful, biting her chopsticks, wanting to speak but hesitating.
She always felt that the "Killing Star" of Thanh Ha Bang, about whom rumors were now circulating outside, was her own uncle.
These past two days, uncle had hardly been home. He always went out with his dao and returned very late.
Moreover, after uncle had said those words about "committing murder" and left the village, on the very next day, she heard that many Thanh Ha Bang members had died on the official road, among them the culprits who had murdered Uncle Tong...
"Sister-in-law, why are you looking at me like that?" Sensing Han An Nuong's gaze, Tran Mac looked up and said with a smile.
"Uncle, that... Thanh Ha Bang Killing Star that people outside are talking about, is it you?" Han An Nuong finally couldn't help but ask.
Tran Mac didn't hesitate for a moment, replying, "Of course it's not me. How could I be that formidable?"
"Oh." Hearing Tran Mac's answer, Han An Nuong gently exhaled, then said in a low voice, "Uncle, I listened to you before and took some grain to the Tong family."
Now, in the Tong family, only Liu Shu and Tong Dien's younger granddaughter remained.
Tran Mac's movements paused. After a soft "mm," he continued eating.
As if not wanting the atmosphere to be too stifling, Han An Nuong looked at Tran Mac, who was still wolfing down large mouthfuls of meat. She bit her chopsticks and said softly, "Uncle, my... monthly... monthly affair is over."
After speaking, Han An Nuong lowered her head, her pretty face blushing crimson.