Su Chen had no way of knowing about Li Mo’s resentment. By this time, he had already arrived at Lin Family Castle.
It was a dark and windy night. The streets of Lin Family Castle seemed even more crowded than during the day.
Su Chen found a tavern, ordered a few dishes, and ate while waiting for his target to appear. Without the restrictions of a curfew, a steady stream of people came and went in front of Mist Rain Tower.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Chen’s gaze sharpened as he caught sight of Old Lin. The man walked out of Mist Rain Tower looking as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, leisurely strolling down the street. Before long, his wandering led him straight into a Brothel.
Seeing this, Su Chen’s expression tightened slightly. He thought, "This old man certainly knows how to enjoy himself."
Without hesitation, Su Chen waited a brief moment before following him inside. Fortunately, he moved fast enough not to lose his target.
As soon as he stepped through the door, a flock of heavily made-up women threw themselves at him, each wearing nothing but thin, revealing garments. Although Su Chen had his face covered, such attire wasn’t considered strange in Lin Family Castle. Some guests dressed even more bizarrely, so the girls had long since grown accustomed to it. Faced with their enthusiasm, Su Chen remained completely unmoved.
Catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, he saw Old Lin wrap his arms around three women and enter a room. Su Chen pushed the flock of girls aside, found a secluded corner to sit down, and said to the madam, "Bring me some food!"
The madam’s face fell instantly. She had assumed he was here to spend money on their services, not just to eat and drink.
"Who comes to a brothel just to eat?" she grumbled. Nevertheless, she obediently called a waiter over.
Shortly after, a few more women came by one after another to serve Su Chen, but without exception, he pushed them all away. Seeing him focused entirely on eating and drinking with a detached, unbothered demeanor, the girls secretly cursed and dispersed.
Ten minutes later, Su Chen, who had barely started his meal, spotted Old Lin walking out while pulling up his trousers.
He thought, "Three women are indeed too much for this old man to handle. He finished so quickly."
Shaking his head, Su Chen left some money for the food and followed Old Lin out of the Brothel.
"Sir, you’ve been following me for a long time. Is there something you need?"
Old Lin had apparently noticed Su Chen tailing him. He led him through a series of twists and turns until they reached a secluded alley. Su Chen revealed himself; he hadn’t tried very hard to hide anyway, so since he had been discovered, he simply stepped out into the open.
Old Lin sized Su Chen up. He was tall, carried a saber at his waist, and had only one arm. Strangely enough, the saber at his waist was positioned right on the side of his severed arm.
He wondered, "Is there really such a Swordman?"
Old Lin couldn’t help but feel suspicious. His mind raced, but he found no memory of Su Chen. Thus, he asked, "Who are you, sir? Why are you following me so late at night?"
As he spoke, he took a step back to maintain a safe distance. Clearly, judging from Su Chen’s actions, the man had not come with good intentions.
Faced with Old Lin’s questions, Su Chen remained silent. He thought, "Why waste time talking when I can just rush up and fight?"
In an instant, Su Chen shot forward like a cannonball, appearing right in front of Old Lin. Old Lin was already on guard. Confronted with Su Chen’s swift movements, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He threw a punch, a sharp gale howling along with his fist.
Seeing this, Su Chen struck out with his palm without hesitation. It was an unremarkable palm strike, yet it carried an even more tyrannical force.
BAM!
"What?!"
The moment their fist and palm collided, Old Lin’s expression changed drastically, and a flush of red instantly climbed up his cheeks. He stumbled backward in a panic for more than a dozen steps before barely managing to steady himself. His arm trembled uncontrollably, and he looked at Su Chen with deep shock.
The instant he struck Su Chen’s palm, a sudden burst of intense pain had washed over him, making it feel as if his arm was about to snap. It was as though he hadn’t hit a flesh-and-blood palm, but an incredibly hard block of iron. This brief exchange left Old Lin looking utterly grim. He shook his arm and slowly clenched his fist, trying to recover some strength.
He thought, "This guy’s Iron Palm is truly terrifying!"
Old Lin’s eyes flickered, but just then, his pupils slightly contracted. Su Chen had no intention of giving him time to recover and charged at him again. This time, however, Old Lin didn’t foolishly meet Su Chen head-on. Relying on nimble footwork, he calculated every step, constantly dodging Su Chen’s attacks.
He thought, "Although this man is strong, he only has one arm, while I have two. As long as I’m careful, the advantage in this fight is mine!"
Old Lin’s mind raced as he dodged, looking for an opening to strike, determined to kill Su Chen with a single blow.
Right at that moment, Su Chen raised his palm and swung it at his opponent.
SMACK!
Like swatting a fly, the slap landed directly on Old Lin’s cheek. It left him dizzy and sent him flying backward until he crashed heavily into a wall. The wall immediately cracked with a crisp sound, fine fissures spiderwebbing across its surface, as Old Lin’s body crumpled to the ground. He coughed violently several times, spitting out broken teeth and blood. With half his face red and swollen, he stared at Su Chen in terror.
"Don’t move!" Su Chen commanded in a hoarse voice, stepping on Old Lin and looking down at him from above.
"How exactly did I offend you, sir? Please, for the sake of Lin Family Castle, let me go! Whatever you want, as long as I have it, I’ll give it all to you!" Old Lin pleaded in a trembling voice, his words leaking through his broken teeth.
Su Chen didn’t answer. He stomped down hard on the man and said, "Now, I ask, and you answer."
"Yes, yes, yes! Please ask, sir," Old Lin nodded vigorously like a frightened quail.
"Who exactly issued those assassination missions in Lin Family Castle?"
"There are many. It could be various factions, or it could be individuals. I don’t have enough authority to access that information."
"If someone accepted an assassination mission and completed it, but faced retaliation from the target’s side, would you leak their information?"
"No—AAAHHH! Normally no, but, but in special circumstances, yes... Just pay more, paying more is enough!"
Hearing this, Su Chen’s face darkened slightly. He delivered another vicious kick, making Old Lin scream in agony.
"How much are you willing to pay to buy your life?"
"Thirty taels! No, no, fifty taels! No, ninety taels! That’s all I have."
"Where is the money?"
"At my house. I’ll take you there."
"There’s no need. Just tell me the location."
"No! What if you take the money and kill me anyway?" Old Lin shook his head like a rattle-drum, absolutely refusing to agree.
Suddenly, his expression shifted as if he had realized something. He stared at Su Chen with wide eyes and exclaimed, "You... you are Tie Niu?!"
He had been too tense earlier to consider Su Chen’s identity. But after being asked those specific questions, combined with the recent events involving Tie Niu, he instantly connected the dots.
"Wait a minute, your arm..."
Hearing that his opponent had seen through his disguise, Su Chen instinctively followed Old Lin’s gaze to his own arm.
However, right at that moment, a sudden change occurred. Old Lin violently sprang up, grabbing Su Chen’s wrist with one hand while throwing a vicious punch at him with the other. A fierce, murderous glint erupted in his eyes. This punch carried Old Lin’s overwhelming killing intent!
"Die!!" Old Lin roared.
CRACK.
DRIP DRIP.
Blood dripped from Old Lin’s body, soaking into the dry ground.
Old Lin looked in utter disbelief at the second arm that had suddenly thrust out from Su Chen’s body. At this moment, that hand was tightly gripping a saber. And that saber had pierced straight through his body.
"You... you’re so despicable!" Old Lin spewed a mouthful of blood, staring at Su Chen in grief and indignation.
He never could have imagined that Su Chen’s severed arm was fake, a mere ruse to deceive him. Hidden inside was an actual arm! That saber had been meant for this hand all along!
SHING.
Su Chen pulled out the saber, letting the blood slowly slide down its blade.
THUD.
Old Lin collapsed into a pool of blood, his eyes locked onto Su Chen, wide open in death.