Chapter 47 A Promise Kept

With an eight-stranded braided leather whip gripped tightly in his hand, every lash he delivered across Gouzi’s face sent three or five drops of dark blood splattering into the air.

In the courtyard, the stubborn mule turned its head away and let out a couple of grunts.

Old Mrs. Feng remained frozen to the spot like a wooden stake, too terrified to move a muscle, completely dumbfounded.

More than just her, even Guan Wei and Gong Baonan now hesitated, not daring to step forward.

It was not as if they had never witnessed bloodier scenes. In the outlaw world, people consumed by blinding rage slaughtering their enemies was commonplace; gouging noses, severing ears, and hanging heads on display were all in a day's work.

Yet when people reached the absolute peak of fury, there was usually a flash of light in their eyes. But in Jiang Xiaodao's eyes, there seemed to be only one thing—complete focus!

It was like the self-oblivion an old master painter displayed while sketching a meticulous fine-line painting: earnest, absorbed, and perhaps even a little obsessed.

This was a congenital cold-bloodedness, a cruelty etched deep into the marrow of his bones.

It was precisely at this moment that Guan Wei and Gong Baonan became certain of one thing: this kid was going to survive!

After lashing him for a good while, until Gouzi’s face was no longer recognizable as human, Jiang Xiaodao finally straightened his back and casually tossed the whip aside.

Turning around, he looked slightly surprised. "Sixth Uncle? Seventh Uncle? Why are you two here?"

Guan Wei and Gong Baonan exchanged glances.

"Uh... We were afraid something might happen to you, so we came to back you up."

Gong Baonan frowned, pointed at the motionless form of Gouzi on the ground, and asked bluntly, "Is this what you came into town to do?"

Jiang Xiaodao shook his head. "I didn't plan to kill him."

Gong Baonan sneered, "Right, we can see that."

"He provoked me! I'm a proud person, I couldn't take it!"

Guan Wei and Gong Baonan were left speechless.

Jiang Xiaodao wiped the blood from his face and asked, "My dad sent you, didn't he? I already told you, this is my business, you don't need to meddle!"

Gong Baonan shrugged. "If we meddle now, the most we can do is help you bury him."

"No need, just leave him out to dry." Jiang Xiaodao ignored them, pivoted, and aimed his gun straight at Old Mrs. Feng. "Money!"

Old Mrs. Feng instantly shuddered, nodding frantically. "Don't shoot! I—I'll go inside and get it right now!"

"Hold on!" Jiang Xiaodao took two steps forward. "I'm going in with you."

Seeing this, Guan Wei wore a look of gratification and muttered under his breath, "Not bad, this kid actually has a careful mind."

Gong Baonan let out a cold snort and said nothing.

Walking into the house, Jiang Xiaodao kept his weapon raised. Sweeping his peripheral vision across the room, he noted it was not large; the elm roof beam was thick with dust, and the air carried the stale, musty odor characteristic of old people.

Old Mrs. Feng knelt on the brick kang, lifted the heavy wooden chest, and reached deep inside.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaodao leaped up instantly, pressing the barrel of his gun against the back of her head. "Don't try anything funny!"

Old Mrs. Feng immediately shrank her neck and spoke in a strained, trembling voice, "I wouldn't dare... truly, I wouldn't dare!"

It turned out there was a false bottom inside the chest, concealing a small lockbox. Fishing a key out from her waistband, she fumbled with it for what felt like ages due to her extreme nervousness until a crisp "click" of the latch sounded, revealing a neat row of gleaming little yellow gold bars.

"Here... little brother, take it all. Will this... buy my life? Is... is that enough?"

Jiang Xiaodao took the box, and suddenly blurted out, "Shopkeeper Feng, you really care more about money than your life, don't you!"

"Ah?"

Jiang Xiaodao demanded harshly, "Do you want your money, or do you want your life?"

Old Mrs. Feng’s face turned ashen, her throat so parched she could barely speak.

"Heaven and earth as my witness! My... my entire coffin fund is right here!"

"Oh." Jiang Xiaodao lowered his gun and grinned broadly. "Don't be scared, I was just messing with you."

Old Mrs. Feng collapsed limply onto the floor.

Jiang Xiaodao looked down and suddenly remembered—"Right, put the jewelry in there too!"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes!"

How could Old Mrs. Feng dare to refuse? She obediently ripped off all the gold and silver ornaments she wore, her hair coming undone in a messy mess. In her panic, she found that a gold ring she had worn for years simply wouldn't slip off her finger.

Growing impatient, Jiang Xiaodao said, "Forget it, forget it, I'll let you keep one! Get outside!"

Without demanding any severed fingers, Old Mrs. Feng was moved to tears of gratitude, bowing and expressing profuse thanks as she stumbled back out into the courtyard to look at Guan Wei and Gong Baonan.

"My good brothers..." the old woman pleaded pathetically, "I’ve returned all the money from the 'Sea Owl', Gouzi is dead, and all my money went to him... Now, are our accounts settled?"

Gong Baonan quickly distanced himself, saying, "Don't ask me about this, the two of us are just here to watch the show."

Hearing this, Old Mrs. Feng had no choice but to turn her gaze back to Jiang Xiaodao.

"Little Brother Jiang, I really didn't know you were the son of the 'Sea Owl' before... Blame it on my poor eyesight for causing all these misunderstandings... You don't have to push things to the bitter end, do you? Spare me this once, and I'll remember your kindness. Out here in the martial world, there's always room for human decency and favors!"

Killing a man didn't require more than severing his head.

In Old Mrs. Feng's eyes, matters had gone far enough; what more could he possibly want?

To her surprise, Jiang Xiaodao didn't buy into that logic at all. He strode forward and delivered a resounding slap across her face, cursing, "To hell with your human decency! When you had me strung up and beaten, why didn't you talk about human decency?"

Old Mrs. Feng was left speechless.

The martial world wasn't just about endless bloodshed; it was about human relationships and favors.

Jiang Xiaodao had once heard Old Cui say those words. Like all high-sounding grand principles, when he first heard them, he had assumed they made a lot of sense.

Not long ago, when he went hunting roe deer in the mountains with his father, he had mentioned the exact same thing, but Jiang Chenghai had remained noncommittal.

Thinking about it now, Jiang Xiaodao finally understood—martial arts codes were nine-tenths a facade.

The outlaw world was all about killing and violence!

So-called human decency and favors were nothing more than compromises made out of a balance of terror, or self-consolation after committing countless atrocities.

No matter how noble the public face appeared, the internal reality was always utterly despicable.

All that talk of righteousness and rules was pure nonsense!

External martial artists setting up grounds in local territory without a powerful backing were destined to be bullied and have their arenas smashed—there were never any exceptions.

"The Sea Owl" was Zhou Yunfu's blade, and Jiang Xiaodao, spending his days mixed up with his father, had naturally learned to think like a "blade."

He had killed Gouzi and seized the money; that was enough.

Guan Wei suggested, "Xiaodao, shouldn't we go rescue Old Cui now?"

"That won't do!" Jiang Xiaodao refused flatly. "I haven't finished what I promised someone else yet!"

The two uncles were startled. "What else is there?"

Jiang Xiaodao walked unconcernedly toward the east wing room, flipped the wooden latch up with the barrel of his box cannon, and ordered Old Mrs. Feng, "Open the door!"

Only then did the three of them realize that the business Jiang Xiaodao spoke of was still that lingering knot of conscience regarding the human sacrifice room.

Guan Wei wore an incredulous expression as he asked, "Xiaodao, why are you still hung up on this?"

Gong Baonan shook his head repeatedly, muttering, "He's sick! Purely out of his mind!"

"What do you guys know!" Jiang Xiaodao stiffened his neck and shouted at Old Mrs. Feng once more, "Open the door!"

With trembling hands, Old Mrs. Feng had no choice but to step forward and pull the bolt. The foul stench of urine and feces immediately rushed out to meet them.

Just like last time, the children inside the room instantly shrank back into a tight huddle, piling on top of one another in the corner with terror-stricken faces.

Jiang Xiaodao kicked Old Mrs. Feng stumbling into the room, strode in right behind her, and bellowed, "Hey! Do you recognize me?"

Seeing Old Mrs. Feng in such a pathetic and battered state, several of the younger boys burst into loud tears.

"Mom! Mom! What happened to you! Bad man! Bad man!"

"Shut up!" Jiang Xiaodao immediately cursed fiercely, "A bunch of little bastards, cry again and I'll finish you off!"

Hearing the commotion outside, Guan Wei and Gong Baonan exchanged glances.

"So aggressive, what is this kid up to? I thought he was here to save people!"

"How would I know? Let's go in and take a look!"

As the two of them walked up to the threshold, they heard Jiang Xiaodao say, "Hey! I said I'd get you out of here, are you coming with me or not?"

A bunch of the children instantly wept and wailed, shaking their heads frantically. "No! I want to stay with my mom! Go away! I want to stay with my mom!"

"Stop the howling! Who the hell asked you?"

Jiang Xiaodao angrily cut them off with an impatient roar, then walked over to a corner of the room, squatting down in front of an older girl whose legs were missing.

The young girl trembled violently with fright.

Looking into her face, Jiang Xiaodao clearly remembered that on that night, he had intended to rescue all the children here, but these little brats had scratched, cursed, and bitten him—only this young girl had retained a faint spark of light in her eyes.

In a rough, almost overbearing tone, Jiang Xiaodao raised his chin slightly toward her.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! I said I'd carry you out on my back—are you coming with me or not?"