When an unrestrained Mingjin Martial Artist fights a group of common swordsmen, there’s only one way to describe it: a tiger let loose in a flock of sheep.

Xu Meng was far faster than any of the swordsmen. Anyone he caught was cut down in two strikes.

However, there were many swordsmen. Qin Fang had only managed to kill six, and in the short time it took for the remaining eight or nine to flee, Xu Meng had already given chase and vanished from sight.

Qin Fang let out a soft breath and looked around. The scene had fallen silent.

Only pained groans broke the silence.

...The four men who had come over on the boat with him were all injured, almost to a man.

The one in the worst shape had been pinned to the ground and repeatedly hacked, and was now a bloody mess.

He was currently being held in another’s arms. He wasn’t dead yet, but he was in his final moments.

"Heizi, Heizi..."

The men beside him called out his name in low voices.

He roused himself with great effort and struggled to speak, but his words were muffled and unclear. He had taken a slash to the neck, and bloody foam was rising into his mouth.

"I have... seven liang... of silver... under... my pillow... Give it... to... my... little... sister..."

As he spoke, blood gushed ceaselessly from his wound.

Once he finished, his head slumped to one side, and the light in his wide eyes dimmed...

"Heizi... Heizi?!"

The men beside him called his name a few more times, but there was no response.

Their expressions were mournful, but in the end, they reached out and gently closed his eyes.

The atmosphere fell completely silent.

Qin Fang watched from a distance. He had only just met these men and felt no real connection to them, so he didn’t go over.

Instead, he walked over to Deng Chuan’s body and examined it closely...

The man’s neck had been pierced through; the dart was no longer in the body.

He then crouched down... to loot the corpse, of course.

A moment later, he raised an eyebrow. From inside the man’s robes, he had found several sheets of paper...

’This texture...’

Qin Fang’s eyes brightened. He pulled them out for a look.

’They’re really Silver Notes!’

By the combined light of the moon, the reflection off the nearby snow, and the glow from the surrounding lanterns, he was able to make out the numbers on them...

He quickly counted them.

’Over forty liang?’

Qin Fang’s eyes gleamed, and a satisfied smile touched his lips...

’Crime really does pay, after all.’

’And here I was, worrying about money...’

’And just like that, here it is.’

Without the slightest hesitation, he stuffed the Silver Notes into his robes.

Then he stood up, estimated the distance, and walked several paces forward. After a moment, his brow furrowed in resignation...

’The dart is gone.’

’Too much power isn’t always a good thing.’

’Retrieving the darts is too much trouble.’

’...Looks like I’ll have to find a way to get more of them.’

’Or...’

As he was lost in thought, a voice called out, "Excuse me..."

Qin Fang started and instinctively turned his head. He found Xu Meng’s three injured subordinates standing behind him, having approached without him noticing.

They were looking at him with a reserved, almost timid, expression.

Qin Fang was taken aback for a moment, then frowned. "What is it?"

"If I may ask, sir... how should we address you?" one of them asked, taking a deep breath and cupping his fist respectfully.

Qin Fang fell silent for a moment, but after a brief thought, he replied, "Qin Fang."

The three men’s eyes lit up. After exchanging a glance, they called out respectfully, "Master Qin."

Hm?

Even Qin Fang was taken aback.

’So soon...’

’I’m a "Master" now?’

"Is there something you need?"

But Qin Fang didn’t dwell on it; he knew that "Master" was a term of respect.

’After all, didn’t Bald Li call me Master, too?’

"Oh, no, it’s nothing... First, we wanted to thank you for saving our lives, Master Qin. If it wasn’t for you, we brothers and our boss would all be dead for sure. Also... it looked like you were searching for something, Master Qin. If there’s anything we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re at your command!"

they offered hurriedly.

Qin Fang was surprised for a moment, but then he immediately understood. ’My display of strength has clearly earned their respect and fear.’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’On the boat, they didn’t say a single word to me.’

After a moment’s thought, Qin Fang decided not to stand on ceremony. "I’m looking for my darts... I didn’t bring many with me when I left."

"Darts?"

The three men’s eyes brightened.

They had just witnessed what this man could do with his darts... He truly never missed!

Even an expert like Deng Chuan, a Mingjin master, was felled by a single one of his darts... The power of his dart technique was undeniable!

One of them immediately puffed out his chest. "There’s no need for you to search yourself, Master Qin! We’ll find them! How many are there? We guarantee we’ll find them all for you!"

Seeing their enthusiasm, Qin Fang thought for a moment and said, "Five of them. It would be great if you can find them, but if not... don’t worry about it."

"Don’t worry, don’t worry! We’ll definitely find them for you!"

With that, the three men immediately began searching in the distance.

Qin Fang was once again taken aback.

Then, his eyes flickered with understanding.

’I may have been forced to act, but it looks like the results were quite good.’

His journey as a fugitive had taught him all too well what was most important in a chaotic environment.

...And that was to never let anyone think you were weak and easily bullied.

This was especially true in the most chaotic of situations.

’Of course, you have to keep a trump card hidden.’

’But at the same time, you have to reveal a bit of your edge.’

’Human nature is to bully the weak and fear the strong.’

’In a chaotic situation, the weakest person... is the first to be targeted.’

’A proper display of strength and Sharpness makes those around you stop and consider... whether offending you is worth the price.’

’This time, I was forced to reveal my skill with darts, which might seem like I’ve shown my trump card.’

’But in the end, what I showed was limited... just pure, simple accuracy.’

’I haven’t revealed my more advanced techniques.’

’The first reason I acted was, of course, to save Xu Meng’s life... he is my senior brother’s secret contact, and they have a good relationship. And this time, I’ve come here seeking his protection.’

’For every reason, both personal and logical, I couldn’t just let Xu Meng die.’

’Besides, if Xu Meng had died, I would have likely been next...’

’That Deng Chuan was a genuine Mingjin Martial Artist. If his attention hadn’t been completely focused on Xu Meng, killing him wouldn’t have been easy.’

’And if he had gotten close to me, I would have been the one to die...’

’So, for the sake of self-preservation... I had no choice but to act.’

’Secondly, I also intended to establish my authority...’

’Xu Meng respecting my senior brother is one thing, but whether he would take me seriously is another matter entirely.’

’I don’t know how long I’ll be staying here, so I had to let him know I wasn’t a pushover, just to avoid unnecessary trouble down the line.’

’...After all, no matter how you look at it, he’s still a gang member.’

’Ensuring that I am taken seriously will undoubtedly make my days here much easier.’

’Take now, for example...’

’If I hadn’t shown my skill with the darts, would these three men have been so polite? Would they have greeted me, called me "Master," and even volunteered to do things for me?’

’The answer was obvious.’

’So, acting was the right move.’

’The only problem is...’

’I used darts to kill Wang Long and his men before.’

’And now I’ve revealed my skill with darts again.’

’If word of this reaches the Iron Tiger Gang or the Money Association... I’m afraid it will stir up trouble.’

Qin Fang sank into thought.

’Later, I’ll have to tell Xu Meng not to let this information get out...’

Just as he was thinking, footsteps approached. He looked up to see Xu Meng returning, covered in blood and radiating a murderous air.

Seeing Qin Fang, Xu Meng’s eyes were filled with awe. "Brother Qin, I really owe you for this one... If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid my life would’ve ended right here..."