Chapter 3: Revenge Upon Senior Brother

Ye Tianlong pulled his sister behind him, ducking into a haystack beside the courtyard wall. Holding their breath, they watched the newcomer.

“Whoa there.”

The sound of hooves stopped.

A man jumped down from his horse and kicked open what was left of the wooden gate.

He was… large. A fleshy face sat atop a bulky frame, draped in a moon-white silk robe edged with gold thread. A jade pendant dangled from his waist, and a gleaming, well-forged longsword hung at his side. It was unmistakably his Senior Brother, You Changfu.

Seeing him, Ye Tianlong actually felt a flicker of relief.

Senior Brother You had always seemed generous, treated him decently enough. Their relationship was usually pretty amicable.

In the escort business, loyalty was supposed to mean something. He thought he could trust You Changfu.

Ye Tianlong was just about to stand up and pull his sister out when You Changfu’s voice drifted over.

“He Jiawei! That poor bastard Ye Tianlong is finally dead. His sister’s gonna be sold off anyway, might as well let me have some fun with her first, hehehe!”

Ye Tianlong’s fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. That son of a bitch! Pretending to be human!

He’d considered You Changfu a brother, and this pig dared to have thoughts about Ye Qing?!

You Changfu, looking annoyingly pleased with himself, stepped into the wrecked shack.

The mess inside startled him. “What happened here? Dammit, was I too late?”

Then, his eyes landed on Ma Rufeng’s mangled corpse.

“Master’s wife?! How?! She’s a Diamond Realm cultivator, first layer at least! How could she die like this… so miserably? Wait, something’s fishy. This has to be a setup! Could it be another escort agencymuscleing in on the deal? No way! We went through all that trouble to get rid of her brother, I can’t let someone else snatch her! Gotta get back to the agency, tell Master right away!”

You Changfu scrambled back onto his horse and galloped off frantically.

Ye Tianlong shot up from the haystack, teeth grinding audibly, feeling like his lungs would burst from sheer fury. “They’ve gone too damn far! Pushing us around like this!”

“Brother, don’t worry… I’m okay,” Ye Qing whispered, her voice still trembling with fear.

Ye Tianlong gently stroked her head.

“Xiao Qing, I swear… I will make them pay for this!”

After making sure Ye Qing was safely hidden and settled somewhere else, Ye Tianlong went straight to You Changfu’s favorite haunt – a brothel – and waited, lurking in the shadows outside the entrance.

He waited until the night was deep and dark.

Finally, You Changfu stumbled out, reeking of cheap perfume and booze, letting out a drunken belch. “Heheh, don’t worry your pretty little heads, I’ll be back to patronize ya ladies again! Next time… save me one of the younger ones… hic…”

He leaned against the wall, muttering to himself. “Ah, such a pity… wonder who snatched that Ye Qing girl? So young, but already got that foxy face that hooks a man. Bet she’d be quite the experience, tsk… If I ever find her, I’m definitely hitting that first… bleuurgh…” He doubled over, vomiting against the wall.

“You alright there?”

Through his drunken haze, the voice sounded muffled, unclear. You Changfu just knew someone was standing in the shadows nearby.

“Who’s there?” You Changfu squinted, trying to focus. His eyes widened, and the booze haze evaporated instantly, replaced by cold fear. He stammered, “T-Tianlong? B-But… you’re dead!”

“Heh! Looks like you’re the one who should be dead!” Ye Tianlong stepped out of the shadows, eyes blazing red, veins bulging on his temples. “I treated you like a brother! And you… you piece of shit… you were planning things with my sister! She’s just a kid!”

Ye Tianlong unleashed his aura. Whoosh! The air stirred around him.

He threw a punch straight at You Changfu’s face.

You Changfu jumped back, dodging instinctively. Then realization dawned, his eyes widening in shock. “Wait… Master’s wife… Did you kill her too?!”

Ptui! Ye Tianlong spat on the ground, his gaze like daggers. “Hmph. Damn right I killed that venomous bitch. And now I’m sending you to join her!”

You Changfu drew his longsword, Zhenqi flaring around him. He sneered, “I started training long before you, brat! You think your pathetic skills are any match for me? Sure, Master’s wife and I were both first layer Diamond Realm, but I’ve got way more real combat experience than she ever did, lounging around the house all day! With your lousy Body Refining cultivation, you think you can—”

“Go to HELL!” Ye Tianlong suddenly flung his hand forward.

A cloud of white powder flew towards You Changfu.

Caught completely off guard, You Changfu got a face full. His eyes instantly burned with searing pain. “AAARGH— Lime powder! You sneaky bastard! So dirty!”

WHAM!

While You Changfu was blinded and reeling, Ye Tianlong delivered a vicious kick straight to his groin.

“AAAAAAIIIIEEEEE—!” You Changfu shrieked, collapsing to the ground, clutching himself.

Ye Tianlong pounced on him, raining down heavy right-handed punches onto You Changfu’s chest!

BANG!

Ribs cracked!

His chest caved inwards!

“Puh!” You Changfu coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Thinking about my sister, huh?!” Ye Tianlong roared, slamming another fist into You Changfu’s already crushed chest.

You Changfu almost passed out from the pain. He started whimpering, begging, “Tianlong! I… I was wrong! We’re fellow disciples! Please, don’t kill me…!”

Ye Tianlong’s voice was ice cold. “You dared to eye my sister? I’ll take your life for that!”

Suddenly, You Changfu thrust a knee upwards, slamming it into Ye Tianlong’s stomach.

Oof! Ye Tianlong grunted, the force sending him stumbling back.

SHINK! The gleam of cold steel! You Changfu, despite his injuries, had somehow grabbed his fallen sword and slashed wildly at Ye Tianlong’s neck!

Ye Tianlong leaned back sharply, the blade whistling past his throat. As he dodged, he lashed out with his right foot, kicking You Changfu’s wrist hard.

The sword clattered away. You Changfu gasped, scrambling backward.

Ye Tianlong surged forward. Right fist feinting like a hammer, his left fist shot through the opening, slamming hard into You Changfu’s gut.

“PUUHH—!”

You Changfu sprayed blood, his eyes rolling back in his head as consciousness faded. He crumpled heavily to the ground.

Ye Tianlong snatched up the fallen longsword. He plunged it deep into You Changfu’s abdomen and twisted savagely.

Blood erupted like a fountain. You Changfu screamed and writhed in agony.

With another flash of steel, Ye Tianlong swung the sword down hard across You Changfu’s neck.

Thump.

A head rolled across the dirty alley floor.

The night was dark, the street deserted.

Ye Tianlong took both Ma Rufeng’s and You Changfu’s severed heads back to the Ping Tong Escort Agency. Using their blood, he wrote a single, large character on the main gate: 債 (Debt)!

Just as he was about to melt back into the shadows, a young woman’s voice called down from the rooftop above.

“Hey, escort boy! Looks like you’ve got some serious beef with this agency, huh? Killed the boss’s wife and his top disciple. Don’t tell me the boss himself is next on your list?”

Ye Tianlong froze, startled. He hadn’t sensed anyone watching!

Whoosh!

A black blur flashed before his eyes, and suddenly, a young woman dressed in tight-fitting black clothes, her face veiled, stood before him.

“How do you know all this?” Ye Tianlong asked warily, eyeing her.

The woman let out a light chuckle. “None of my business, really. Doesn’t stop me from enjoying the show, though. Still… your cultivation is only at the Body Refining Realm. The head of this agency, your former master, is at the third layer of the Diamond Realm. You sure you can beat him? Don’t just go throwing your life away, okay?”

“That’s my problem, not yours! What do you really want?”

“Hehe.”

Suddenly, the woman vanished from his sight.

In the exact same instant, he felt a light touch on his back – her fingers! She’d moved behind him faster than he could even register!

Ye Tianlong’s mind reeled in shock. Her speed… It’s unbelievable!

“I just hate to see wasted potential go off to die needlessly,” the woman’s voice came again. Her toes tapped the ground lightly, and in another blur, she was back on the rooftop. “Escort boy, go get your revenge. If you survive, come find me at the City God Temple outside the city walls. I have an escort job I might want to hire you for. I’ll wait ten days. Only ten.”

“Who the hell are you?!” Ye Tianlong yelled up at the rooftop.

Whoosh!

The woman vanished completely, as if into thin air.

Ye Tianlong stood there stunned for a moment, then he too disappeared into the darkness of the night.