Hearing this, the torchbearers cautiously spread out. They were all tense, but they still instinctively raised their torches overhead, wanting to get a clear look at whether the people on the ground were dead or alive.

Zhao Cheng also narrowed his eyes, his expression guarded as he carefully scanned the area.

Just then...

SWISH!

An almost imperceptible sound of something cutting through the air suddenly reached Zhao Cheng’s ears.

Ever on alert, Zhao Cheng reacted in an instant. His expression changed drastically as he violently jerked his head to the side.

SWISH!

A searing sensation grazed his cheek.

He touched it with his hand, and his fingers came away slick...

Blood!

"Who’s there?!"

Alarmed, he instinctively looked up in the direction his Perception told him the attack had come from.

But with so many torches around, he could only see the illuminated area; beyond it, everything was pitch-black.

The next instant, another wave of heart-stopping fear washed over him. Without a moment’s hesitation, he shot backward, trying to retreat into the safety of the crowd.

But with another SWISH, the sound of something cutting through the air came again. This time it was faster, more urgent, and aimed straight for his chest.

’I can’t dodge this!’

He was horrified.

THUD! THUD!

Following the two sounds, he felt heavy impacts strike his chest one after another. He staggered back two steps, then lowered his head in disbelief to look at his chest...

Finally, he collapsed, sitting on the ground.

"Master Zhao!!!"

"Boss?!"

The men around him cried out in alarm.

Someone instinctively rushed to support Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng sat on the ground, his face a mask of horror and disbelief as he looked down...

There were no visible wounds on his chest, not even any blood.

But before he and the surrounding men could recover from their shock...

THUNK! THUNK!

Zhao Cheng’s head snapped back. His eyes bulged, and his entire body went rigid.

After a moment of stunned confusion, the crowd suddenly gasped...

Two large Iron Nails were embedded in Zhao Cheng’s forehead!

"He’s... he’s dead!!"

Someone stammered, their voice trembling.

The Gang Leader of the Water Dragon Gang had been nailed to death right here, just like that.

The next moment...

THWACK! THWACK...

"Argh!"

Bloodcurdling screams erupted. In a single instant, four or five men suddenly collapsed, unmoving.

The crowd erupted in panic.

"It’s... it’s an Expert in Hidden Weapons! Master Zhao’s been killed!!"

"Run! Just run!!"

Only now did the crowd finally understand.

It wasn’t a Demon.

It was an Expert in Hidden Weapons!

But this realization only made them panic more. No longer daring to linger, they scrambled to turn and run.

Then, they clearly heard a series of "SWISH SWISH" sounds.

The sound pierced their eardrums like a demonic melody. With every "SWISH," another man beside them fell.

Everyone’s faces were filled with terror and horror.

...’The Fish Dragon Gang has this kind of expert?!’

’How have we never even heard of them before?!’

Their panic reached its peak.

Even the men holding torches didn’t dare hold them anymore, as the light made them obvious targets.

In the ensuing chaos, they scattered and fled in the blink of an eye.

Finally, it was quiet outside.

Bodies lay strewn across the ground, and scattered torches cast a dim, flickering light.

On the courtyard wall, Qin Fang let out a soft breath and shook his slightly aching wrist...

Seeing the panicked crowd already fleeing into the distance, Qin Fang didn’t pursue.

’With my current strength and the Great Success Hidden Weapon technique, my attack range has reached fifty to sixty meters... but that’s the limit. Any farther and there’s not much lethality.’

He thought to himself.

He then glanced back into the courtyard. Monkey had already helped Xu Meng into the house. Qin Fang paid them no mind, instead leaping down from the wall and walking toward the bodies.

He went first to Zhao Cheng’s side. After looking down for a moment, he crouched and tore open Zhao Cheng’s clothes to get a better look.

Only then did he see the two bloody holes on Zhao Cheng’s chest. He could vaguely make out the Iron Nails embedded within.

’Zhao Cheng must have also practiced a Training Method... As expected of a Mingjin Martial Artist, his reactions were very fast.’

Qin Fang thought.

’The Iron Nails still aren’t as powerful as Darts... It only took one Dart to kill Deng Chuan. But for this Zhao Cheng, it took five nails...’

He had too few Darts, so Qin Fang naturally had to find a solution.

He had mentioned this to Xu Meng, but Xu Meng had reluctantly explained that things like Darts were only available in True Martial County. And because they were classified as a ’Weapon’, they were regulated. Trying to buy them in bulk was, one, expensive, and two, a huge hassle.

After some thought, Qin Fang decided to give up on Darts and instead had Xu Meng find him a large number of Iron Nails.

Iron Nails were comparatively much easier to find... after all, they weren’t considered a ’Weapon’, but rather a construction material.

And so, Xu Meng had procured a good number of Iron Nails for him.

In the end, Qin Fang found that Iron Nails about as thick as a little finger and as long as an index finger had the best feel when he used them.

They still weren’t as smooth to handle as Darts... but the skills were transferable. After getting used to them with his dart-throwing technique, he mastered them completely.

Thus, Qin Fang had prepared a large supply of Iron Nails for emergencies.

...But it was clear now that a professional Weapon was still more powerful.

Still, the results weren’t bad.

Qin Fang looked at the bodies lying on the ground...

With the power he could now focus into an Iron Nail, it was practically no different from a bullet. Combined with his accuracy, he could hit almost whatever he aimed at within fifty meters.

For Ordinary People, it was a direct headshot!

As for a Martial Artist...

’A Martial Artist who has reached Mingjin really does have faster reactions and a stronger Physique...’

Mentally summarizing the experience, Qin Fang crouched down and began looting the bodies.

A short while later, he pulled some silver from inside Zhao Cheng’s robes. It was only about five or six taels... which made Qin Fang frown.

This Zhao Cheng was the Gang Leader of the Water Dragon Gang; his fortune had to be more than this. He obviously didn’t carry it all on him.

His eyes glinted. He suddenly stood up, returned to the courtyard gate, and leaped over it.

Then he entered the house...

"Who is it?!"

Monkey’s nervous voice called out.

"It’s me."

Qin Fang said.

"Master Qin!"

Monkey hurried over to greet him.

Qin Fang nodded and looked past him at Xu Meng, who was slumped in a chair, clutching his wound and panting lightly.

"Brother Xu, how are you feeling? Can you hang in there?"

Xu Meng struggled to lift his head. His breathing was faint, but he managed to say, "I’m holding on... What about outside?..."

"I killed Zhao Cheng. The others have been driven off. There shouldn’t be any more trouble."

Qin Fang said calmly.

Hearing Qin Fang’s casual words, both Monkey’s and Xu Meng’s eyes widened...

After a long moment, Xu Meng looked at Qin Fang with a complex expression, sighing between shallow breaths, "An Expert in Hidden Weapons... truly formidable. Brother Qin, you’ve saved my life again..."

The way Monkey looked at Qin Fang grew even more respectful.

Qin Fang shook his head. "We can talk about that later... If Brother Xu can hold on, I need Monkey to come with me for a bit."

Xu Meng froze for a second, then instinctively glanced at Monkey.

After a moment of stunned silence, Monkey quickly said, "Just give the order, Master Qin!"

Qin Fang nodded. "I need you to take me to Zhao Cheng’s House."

Zhao Cheng was dead and the money wasn’t on him. It was obvious that his underlings would go to Zhao Cheng’s House at the first opportunity, clean the place out, and then run for their lives...

But he was the one who had killed Zhao Cheng.

His money was Qin Fang’s money.

...How could he let someone else claim the spoils?