"You wait for me here. I’ll decide whether to go in based on the situation. I don’t know what’s happening inside, and if a fight breaks out, I might not be able to watch your back."

Although Pingze City was much larger than Fisherman City, it was still just a market town at its core. After a short while, Qin Fang and Monkey had arrived near Wang Hu’s residence.

Along the way, the market was nearly closed for the day, and a clamor filled the air. It was obvious that both the Iron Tiger Gang and the Four Seas Gang were in turmoil, and the chaos was even affecting the common people.

...Clearly, many were taking advantage of the chaos.

Upon hearing Qin Fang’s words, Monkey agreed without the slightest hesitation. "You got it, Master Qin!"

He was well aware of his own capabilities. Gathering information and running errands were no problem.

But getting involved in a direct fight... that would be another story.

Especially since what was coming was likely total chaos. If he ran in there without Qin Fang’s protection, he’d just be throwing his life away.

Since Qin Fang had spoken, he naturally agreed, not wanting to cause him any trouble.

That said, the fact that Qin Fang was so considerate of him made Monkey trust him even more; he was even a little flattered.

Qin Fang nodded and said no more. He took a scrap of cloth from his pack and covered his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. After a look around, he headed directly for Wang Hu’s residence.

Wang Hu’s residence was a large courtyard, located not in the market itself but at the foot of a mountain just outside it. It was surrounded by dense woods, with a main road leading straight to the marketplace—a prime location.

As he drew near, Qin Fang heard shouts and cries of battle coming from within Wang Hu’s large courtyard.

Narrowing his eyes, he saw that a great battle was underway.

Men were fighting outside the gate, and through the open entrance, shadowy figures could be seen, clearly fighting as well.

Qin Fang reached into his robes, grabbed a handful of Iron Nails, and crept closer.

"You traitors! We don’t know if Master Hu is alive or dead, but that doesn’t mean he’s gone for good! Aren’t you afraid he’ll come back and settle the score with you for this?!"

Just as Qin Fang approached, he heard a hysterical roar.

"Fan the Third, cut the fucking bullshit! We’re the traitors? Then what the hell are you all doing here? Wang Hu is most likely dead, and so what if he isn’t? As long as we kill you all, who’s going to know what we did? Brothers! You heard me? Leave no one alive! Kill!"

"Damn you!"

"Motherfucker, I’ll kill you!"

The shouts were incessant.

Just from listening, Qin Fang raised his eyebrows. ’Infighting?’

’As expected. Gangs are nothing but a disorganized mob.’

’How long has it been? And they’re already killing each other.’

Since they were already killing each other, Qin Fang was in no hurry. He glanced at Wang Hu’s courtyard. ’Hmm, no towering flames. Apparently, no one has set it on fire.’

’Then there’s even less reason to rush.’

From the woods, he watched coldly as the group fought amongst themselves.

There were quite a few of them, at least several dozen. Qin Fang had already learned that the Iron Tiger Gang had about two to three hundred members. Aside from the hundred or so running gambling dens in True Martial County, the rest were almost all in Pingze City.

But four months ago, the Iron Tiger Gang and the Four Seas Gang had suddenly started fighting, and both sides had suffered losses. So, he’d heard that Wang Hu had transferred most of the members from True Martial County over.

This time, when Wang Hu went down the river, he took thirty or forty men. Though few in number, they were the gang’s elite. Most of the Mingjin Martial Artists had gone with him, and not a single one had returned.

’But there must be some Mingjin Martial Artists who stayed behind...’

’This is a good chance to observe them,’ Qin Fang thought.

The battle grew more and more intense.

These men were truly ruthless, even to their own gang brothers. Every slash was aimed to kill.

One side clearly had more people and held the advantage in numbers. They would cut a man down and then frantically finish him off on the ground, acting as if they wouldn’t stop until every last one was dead.

For a moment, screams of agony were endless.

In just a short while, the ground outside the gate was soaked in blood, littered with bodies.

Seeing things were going badly, someone finally panicked and tried to flee, but he was quickly caught and hacked to death.

"Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I surrender!"

Unable to take the pressure, one man begged for mercy, raising his hands high as he knelt on the ground.

"Too late! Go to hell!"

The man in front of him sneered, swinging his blade at the other’s neck with no intention of stopping.

SLICE! The blade nearly severed the man’s neck. Blood gushed out as he fell to the ground, his eyes wide.

"Hahahaha! Kill them all! These bastards! They always looked down on us brothers just because they were closer to Wang Hu. Today, we’ll send them on the same road as him!"

The killer, spattered with blood, only grew more frenzied, shouting loudly as he laughed.

...Clearly, although they were all part of the Iron Tiger Gang, they were far from a unified group.

In just a few moments, the people outside were all cleaned up, leaving behind dozens of corpses. The victors then charged into the courtyard.

The sounds of killing grew even louder.

Qin Fang didn’t linger. With a flicker of movement, he rushed to the side of the courtyard, then with a push of his legs, leaped onto the wall.

Looking into the courtyard, he saw that the battle there was also reaching its end.

But another major fight was unfolding...

Two figures were clashing in the center.

The wind whistled with their movements, each blow powerful and heavy.

...It was two Mingjin Powerhouses fighting each other!

The group that had just come in stood at the entrance, watching coldly.

Of the two dueling Mingjin Martial Artists, one had a steady presence, pressing forward step by step. The long blade in his hand was like the wind, each strike aimed at a vital point.

The other man’s face was clearly pale as he retreated again and again. He grew especially anxious after seeing the situation at the entrance, and his long blade was used more for defense as he was forced onto the back foot.