With his qi and blood now vigorous, Chu Fan didn't feel the cold much, despite his thin clothes.
The night was deep.
The wind and snow were heavy.
There was barely a soul on the roads.
Chu Fan followed the four men just like that, all the way to the outside of the Liu Family Courtyard.
He pressed himself against the thick trunk of the old locust tree outside the Liu Family Courtyard, took the piece of black cloth he'd gotten from Mrs. Zhang out from his robes, and tied it over his face.
The crude wooden gate of the Liu Family Courtyard was ajar.
Its two decaying panels creaked in the wind and snow, whimpering like a dying old dog.
"Dammit, it's like I've seen a ghost!"
Liu Da's incredulous curses carried out of the courtyard. "Did you get a good look just now? Was that really that little bastard from the Chu Family?"
"That kid is so weak he couldn't even tie up a chicken. How could he…"
"He looked a lot like him…" Scarface said in a low voice. "But if it wasn't Chu Fan, who else could it have been?"
"Dammit, what the hell is going on!" Number Four whined, furious. "When I beat him up half a month ago, he couldn't fight back at all. How did he disappear for half a month and come back with skills like this?"
In the corner, the short man had become their punching bag. He'd already been beaten black and blue by Liu Da and the other two. Now, he was just curled up, not daring to make a sound.
Chu Fan held his breath and climbed the old locust tree. After peering into the courtyard for a moment, he leaped, landing lightly inside.
The howling, cold wind masked the slight noise he made.
The four men inside were completely unaware.
Chu Fan crept quietly to the window. There was a small hole in the frost-covered paper, and through it, he could see the back of Liu Da's head glistening under the oil lamp.
The short man who had tipped them off desperately wanted to leave but didn't dare. He just stayed curled up in the corner, shivering.
Not long after…
Scarface stood up. "I'm gonna take a piss… Damn, that kid's fists are heavy! I feel like I got hit twice with a sledgehammer!"
Outside…
Chu Fan flattened himself against the wall, creeping to the corner that led to the outhouse. He melted into the shadows.
He slowly drew the Firewood Splitter from his waist, his fingers tightening on the hilt.
Scarface's footsteps drew closer, step by step.
Just as he staggered to the corner, leaning against the wall for support…
A blade flashed in the darkness!
SHHIIICK!
Scarface's eyes bulged as he clutched his neck with both hands!
Blood streamed out from between his fingers…
Scarface tried to speak, but only a strange, gurgling sound came from his throat. "Gak… Gak…"
He reached his left hand toward Chu Fan, who had already retreated, as if trying to grab something. But he caught nothing, and his body slowly slumped to the snowy ground.
Chu Fan looked down and saw that he had sliced more than halfway through Scarface's neck. It was only barely attached to his body.
A normal person's neck, after all, was nothing compared to a log frozen solid.
He could split that kind of wood with a single, easy strike—so what was a man's neck?
Chu Fan bent down and wiped the blood from his Firewood Splitter on Scarface's clothes until it was clean.
From the moment the "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" had appeared on his panel, he had fantasized countless times about the day he would kill someone…
He had thought that when the time came, he would be nervous, maybe even terrified.
But he never expected that in this moment, all he would feel was excitement!
Beyond excitement, he even felt a flicker of some inexpressible desire!
'How can this be…'
'I'm a law-abiding person.'
Chu Fan took a deep breath, and holding his Firewood Splitter, he returned to the window.
Inside, Liu Da was growing anxious. "Did Number Three fall into the damn pit? What's taking him so long?"
"Number Four, in a bit I want you to go to the apothecary and buy some poison…"
"And call Number Two over tomorrow."
"I refuse to believe it… If I don't kill that little shit Chu Fan, I'm not a man!"
"…Oh." Number Four gave Liu Da a resentful look.
'Big Brother is telling me to go buy poison, but he isn't giving me any money. Sigh.'
Chu Fan circled around to the entrance. He waited for three breaths, then gently pushed the wooden door open.
The three men inside just assumed it was Scarface returning and paid him no mind.
Liu Da, who was facing the door, subconsciously raised a hand to call Scarface back for a drink, only to be stunned when he saw a mysterious masked figure enter…
Before he could react, Chu Fan shot to the right like a phantom!
SWOOSH!
The Firewood Splitter whistled through the air as it sliced across Number Four's neck!
A head flew high into the air, landed on the ground with a THUD, and rolled to a stop in front of the short man.
"..."
The short man looked down at Number Four's wide, staring eyes, and with a roll of his own, he fainted dead away.
"Fuck!"
Terrified out of his wits, Liu Da heaved the table, sending it flying toward Chu Fan!
Chu Fan had already anticipated this. Executing the Hawk Form Body Technique, he took a simple sidestep to the left, followed by a quick turn, easily dodging the table and the spray of food and wine.
But Liu Da's reactions were also extremely fast. After sending the table flying, he reached his right hand under the nearby windowsill and pulled out a large saber!
"Who are you?! How dare you try to kill me!"
Liu Da's hands, gripping the large saber, trembled uncontrollably. He was putting on a brave front. "I work for Young Master Huang Yu of the Blood Saber Sect! If you kill me, Young Master Huang will never forgive you!"
"Huang Yu, you say?" Chu Fan advanced two steps, his Firewood Splitter held ready.
Liu Da's eyes darted about as he kept glancing toward the door.
But at that moment, Chu Fan threw his Firewood Splitter at him!
WHOOSH!
In a split second, Liu Da snapped his head to the side.
With a CHUNK, the Firewood Splitter embedded itself in the wall!
And in that same instant, Chu Fan activated his Bird Platform Form Body Technique. Like a bald eagle swooping in on its prey, he was instantly in front of Liu Da!
A look of horror crossed Liu Da's face. He raised his large saber, intending to slash forward!
But to Chu Fan, the motion seemed to unfold in slow motion…
He had barely raised his saber when Chu Fan's Bear Form Shattering Fist slammed heavily into his chest!
BOOM!
With several of his ribs broken, Liu Da let out a pained grunt and was sent flying out the window!
Chu Fan pulled the Firewood Splitter from the wall and slashed it across the neck of the short man, who was just beginning to stir…
The short man didn't even have time to scream before he joined Number Three and Number Four in death.
Chu Fan vaulted through the window and into the courtyard.
Liu Da had collapsed in the snow. Blood gurgled from his mouth as he struggled to get up, but he couldn't manage it.
Chu Fan's punch hadn't just broken his ribs; it had shattered his heart.
Even if Chu Fan didn't deliver the final blow, he was already a dead man.
"Who… who in the hell… are you…"
Liu Da stared at Chu Fan in despair.
Chu Fan remained silent. He simply bent down, picked up the large saber from the ground, and with a reverse grip on the hilt, plunged it into Liu Da's chest…
SHUNK!
The large saber pierced through Liu Da's body, pinning him to the ground.
Chu Fan used a handful of snow to wipe the blood from his Firewood Splitter, then bent down and rummaged through Liu Da's pockets, pulling out a coin purse.
The purse contained a few pieces of broken silver.
Chu Fan tucked the purse into his robes and went to search the bodies of Scarface and the others.
Scarface and Number Four also had some money on them. Though their purses weren't as full as Liu Da's, they still contained a few pieces of broken silver.
But the short man who had tipped them off only had three copper plates on him. He was truly dirt poor.
Chu Fan left the Liu Family home and headed southwest.
'Still one left…'
The last one lived in a small, earthen hut nearby!
The moment he had awoken in this world, he had sworn an oath to himself: he wouldn't let a single one of them get away!
Kill every last one of them!
Uproot them completely!