Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

At the other end of the alley, around a corner some distance from the Chen Mansion’s rear wall.

Four men, masked and dressed in black, stood still in the shadows. Their figures were hidden at the base of the wall, nearly melting into the night.

The burly man at the very back gave Ruan Bigui a hard shove forward.

Ruan Bigui stumbled two steps, nearly falling flat on his face.

Through the slit in the lead man’s black mask, a pair of cloudy eyes were visible. They were a grayish-yellow, like two fish eyes left out for too long, on the verge of rotting.

He glanced down the alley and asked in a low voice,

”Are you sure it’s that house up ahead?”

”Y-Yes... I’m sure...”

Ruan Bigui nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling. A fine layer of cold sweat on his forehead glistened in the darkness.

”I’ve spent the last few days making inquiries... The entire Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel went to the master of this mansion. But he has the strength of Six Pillars of Blood Qi, so I didn’t dare make a rash move.”

”...Well, that’s an unexpected surprise.”

A low, cold laugh rumbled from the cloudy-eyed leader’s throat. The sound was like sandpaper on rough stone, enough to make one’s skin crawl.

”We originally came just to collect what Ruan Jinzhong owes us. I never expected to stumble upon a fat sheep dripping with grease. What damn good luck!”

”Sirs...”

Ruan Bigui swallowed hard and said sheepishly,

”I’ve delivered this fat sheep to you, so that should count for something. The debt my grandfather owes you... can you forgive it?”

”Nonsense!”

The cloudy-eyed leader shot back coldly,

”Do you have any idea what Ruan Jinzhong owes us, kid? Even if we let you off, would you dare to keep it?”

”Th-That... I...”

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Ruan Bigui’s temple as he shook his head vigorously.

”No, I don’t know... and I don’t want to know. Later, I’ll lead you gentlemen to my grandfather’s secret residence... Whatever catches your eye, feel free to take it.”

As he spoke, he snuck a glance at the men’s faces, then boldly added,

”If you gentlemen are satisfied, could you... could you spare me a few pieces of the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel meat? Even the bones would be fine...”

”Heh. You really take after Ruan Jinzhong, kid. Just as greedy!”

The cloudy-eyed leader sneered again.

”We’ll see. If it’s like you say and this family has the whole Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel, the four of us won’t be able to carry it all anyway. Tossing you a few scraps won’t be a problem.”

”Thank you, sirs! Thank you, sirs!”

Ruan Bigui bowed repeatedly, his earlier fear completely washed away by greed. ’He was already calculating where he would go to eat, drink, and gamble after exchanging the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel meat for money. How he would show off and brag to his degenerate friends?’

However, before the words had even left his mouth, the three black-clad men beside him collapsed as if their bones had been pulled from their bodies.

Thick shadows covered them, so dense that not even the moonlight could penetrate. It was impossible to see what had happened to the three men.

”TING! SHINK—”

At the same time, a sharp, metallic clang erupted from beside the cloudy-eyed man’s temple.

It was as if something incredibly hard had been violently deflected, instantly burrowing into the nearby brick wall and sending a small spray of debris flying.

”Hidden Weapons! Who’s there!?”

The cloudy-eyed man whipped his head around, his gaze as sharp as a blade, slicing through the air behind him.

But the space was empty. Not even a ghost of a shadow remained.

He immediately pushed his five senses to their absolute limit.

But he still couldn’t detect the slightest trace of anything—no breathing, no footsteps, no fluctuations in Blood Qi, no killing intent...

Nothing!

There was absolutely nothing!

He whirled to the other side.

There, on the wall, a three-edged iron spike was embedded deep in the brick, only the very end of its tail visible. A spiderweb of cracks spread out from it.

A chill shot down his spine.

Fortunately, he always maintained a Transforming Force Barrier around his vital points during every operation. It was a habit forged from years of living on a knife’s edge, one he never dared to relax for even a moment.

Without that habit, the three-edged iron spike would now be buried in his temple.

And in the brief span of a breath or two, the sticky, gurgling sound of pooling blood could be heard coming from the heads of the three men on the ground.

They hadn’t struggled in the slightest, not even letting out a faint grunt, as all signs of life were silently extinguished.

The moment he noticed these details, the cloudy-eyed man’s pupils constricted violently.

Even as a Transforming Force expert, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of terror toward this grandmaster of Hidden Weapons.

This person had fired four projectiles almost simultaneously in a single instant, silent, precise, and with devastatingly lethal force.

He knew the three corpses on the ground were no mere lackeys.

Two were at the Six Blood level, and one was at the Five Blood level.

They were all ruthless bandit leaders from the Water Strongholds of Black Cloud Lake, men who could stir up storms and command respect.

And in a single moment, they had all been silently eliminated without exception.

’Does Zhao City truly have such a master of Hidden Weapons?’

The cloudy-eyed man’s thoughts raced, but searching his memory, he couldn’t think of anyone in Zhao City who possessed such skill with Hidden Weapons.

’Fuck! I refuse to believe you won’t show yourself!’

The cloudy-eyed man reacted instantly, his gaze sweeping toward the rear wall of the Chen Mansion.

He didn’t know the identity of the hidden weapon grandmaster, but since they had attacked while he and his men were discussing the Chen Mansion, it was more than likely they were connected to it.

At that thought, he stomped his foot, preparing to charge straight for the Chen Mansion.

In any case, his opponent wasn’t at the Transforming Force level, which put him in an invincible position. He just needed to storm the Chen Mansion and grab a few hostages; he refused to believe his opponent wouldn’t show themselves then.

”Huh!?”

Just then, he suddenly felt a weight on his leg.

Somehow, Ruan Bigui had collapsed to the ground. He was now desperately clinging to the man’s leg, shaking like a leaf in the wind, and muttering something incoherently through chattering teeth.