Chapter 22: Carnage in the Gambling House

“That’s impossible! How could I agree to that?” Zhang Tie’s forehead glistened with cold sweat from the pain. Had it not been for the burly man behind him clutching both his arms, he would have already collapsed to the ground.

“Why not?” Lord Kui sneered coldly. “With a hopeless gambler like you for a father, those girls probably can’t even count on a decent meal.”

“Well, have you made up your mind? If not, I’ll have them give you a few more lessons,” Lord Kui continued to press.

At that moment, a thunderous bang erupted. The roof of the gambling house fractured, sending bricks and tiles tumbling down with a cloud of dust, and Lord Kui along with the surrounding thugs hastily dodged aside.

A masked figure dropped through the opening, eyes glinting with a cold, steely light. He landed right behind the crumpled Zhang Tie.

“Who are you? How dare you make trouble here!”

In an instant, chaos turned to stunned silence; the lively clamor of the gambling tables ceased. A few gamblers, muddled by intoxication, tried to seize the chance to meddle with the chips, but the croupiers immediately seized and slapped them hard across the face.

The gambling house’s enforcers drew their weapons, encircling the masked intruder. Behind them, Lord Kui’s expression grew sinister. “You have some nerve, coming here to wreck my place. I’ll see if you can walk out of here alive!”

“Everyone, listen up! Tonight’s games are over. Take your money and leave at once!”

Sensing the deadly tension, the gamblers dared not utter a word. One by one, they hurried out the main entrance, which was promptly shut behind them.

“Attack! Life and death—no concern!” With a wave of Lord Kui’s right hand, the thugs tightened the circle, blades flashing as they lunged.

Standing at the very center, Su Yi unsheathed his saber with a metallic ring and charged forward. He met the oncoming blades head-on, shattering their coordinated encirclement by seizing the initiative.

Is he looking to die? The thugs wondered. Even if he blocked the first few knives, how could he withstand so many? As long as one blade struck him, he’d be finished.

Su Yi parried their weapons with a single clash, scattering their blades wide. With a deft flick, his saber flashed, slicing through a thug’s shoulder and severing his hand.

A blade whistled toward him from behind, but Su Yi, unconcerned, didn’t bother dodging. The blade sliced open the outermost layer of his black coat, then skidded aside, unable to penetrate further.

Su Yi’s heart settled. The anti-stab garment he wore was no cheap knockoff bought from some online shop. These second-rate thugs had no chance of cutting through it without extraordinary luck.

For tonight’s bloody harvest, Su Yi had even donned the matching anti-stab hood—something so ugly it resembled the face-coverings worn by seaside aunties. Only the mask over his face spared him utter embarrassment.

Seeing their attack thwarted, the thugs’ ferocity faltered. Su Yi seized the moment, charging through their ranks with relentless momentum, attacking without defense. After two more blades bounced harmlessly off him, the enforcers’ morale collapsed completely—they scattered in terror.

“No one escapes!” Cowed and broken, the thugs stood no chance against Su Yi’s pursuit. His saber rained down like a storm, crippling their legs to ensure none could flee. Only then did he pursue Lord Kui, who was running for the back exit.

At the rear door, Su Yi caught up with Lord Kui in a burst of speed. His right hand hurled the saber, which struck like lightning, pinning Lord Kui's hand to the door latch.

A scream tore the air. With a single bound, Su Yi closed the gap and, facing Lord Kui’s terror-stricken eyes, delivered a palm strike to the crown of his head.

The Devouring Whale Technique activated!

Pain, fear, regret—all of Lord Kui’s final expressions froze. With a dull thud, his lifeless body collapsed to the floor.

Su Yi turned and strode back into the main hall, dispatching the remaining thugs one by one. With each kill, a trickle of inner energy was drawn into his own body. Individually insignificant, but together a boundless surge—like rivulets joining the sea. Even as a martial artist of the second tier, Su Yi could feel his strength growing steadily.

He couldn’t help but marvel: paired with the system’s empowering effects, the Devouring Whale Technique was absurdly overpowered.

As for negative side effects after absorbing so much inner force, Su Yi only felt a slight discomfort in his chest and a faint urge to vomit, but nothing else. It seemed the system's warning—that the backlash would only manifest after prolonged practice—was accurate.

Perhaps witnessing the fate of those who tried to escape, Zhang Tie remained huddled on the floor, trembling violently even after the massacre. When Su Yi approached, his shaking grew worse.

Su Yi crouched down, watching him. Zhang Tie slowly lowered his hands from his face, his eyes vacant and unfocused, and managed to croak out, “Spare me.”

Without warning, Su Yi seized his hand and slammed it to the ground. Before Zhang Tie could react, Su Yi brought his blade down, severing his little finger.

A short, sharp scream—then another, as Su Yi turned and cut off the little finger from his other hand as well.

“It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!” The so-called ten fingers connected to the heart—finally, the man who moments ago had seemed utterly lifeless writhed in agony on the floor, consumed by the pain.

Su Yi regarded him with disgust, stood, and tossed a few silver pieces onto the ground.

“Listen well. If I want to kill you, it would be no harder than slaughtering a pig. If you ever dare to gamble again, go do it in the underworld!”

——————————

On the western side of Rivercourt City, a quiet river known as the Ning River flowed through town. It was already past midnight when a small boat glided toward the shore under the dusky night.

A man in a short brown tunic stepped out of the cabin, carrying a ship’s lantern. He peered into the distance until he spotted a responding lantern swaying in the darkness. Satisfied, he set his lamp down, pulled two long planks from the gunwale, stacked them, and tossed them onto the shore.

He returned to the cabin, and soon emerged with two other men. Each carried a burlap sack slung over his shoulder. They walked across the planks onto land and dumped the sacks to the ground. Two of them wriggled and squirmed—the contents still alive.