Chapter 54: The Gate Assembly

After planting three sticks of incense before us, Chen Jiansheng crouched down and gently smoothed back Sister Hong's hair.

"Wait!" Sister Hong bit her lip and said sharply, "I want to know one thing."

Chen Jiansheng smiled as he touched her forehead. "Didn't the master already say that you no longer need to know? Chen, logistics personnel, you and this kid leave first. As for those Sun brothers, they'll follow shortly."

"After all, we've known each other for a while, and to be honest, I rather liked you. But there's nothing we can do—you're from the North and I'm from the South; those who walk different paths cannot make plans together." As he spoke, Chen Jiansheng violently tore open the upper garment of Sister Hong's clothes, revealing the black lingerie she wore underneath.

Drawing a sharp little dagger, Chen Jiansheng lightly dragged the blade across her skin.

Blood welled up, and Sister Hong let out a muffled groan.

The dwarf old man and the two middle-aged men stood coldly to the side, saying nothing, just watching.

"Don't kill Sister Hong! Come at me instead!" I struggled forward with all my might.

"Hehe," Chen Jiansheng withdrew the dagger and glanced at me. "You kid are quite loyal and affectionate. What? Have you slept with this woman?"

"Slept with your mother!"

"Slap!"

"Let's see if you dare run your mouth again!" He heavily slapped me across the face.

"Spit!" I spat out a mouthful of blood and glared at Chen Jiansheng with a fierce look.

At this moment, Sister Hong sneered, "To think that a descendant of Bai Chun dian from the Eight Minor Sects would resort to such petty, villainous acts. And furthermore," she turned her gaze to the short, dwarfish elder, speaking each word distinctly, "if I, Chen Hong, am not mistaken, you are the 'Su Qin Carries the Sword' Little Thief-Head. Your Excellency belongs to the Changchun Society, do you not? How is it that you've mixed in with tomb raiders from the Southern School? Aren't you afraid of losing your standing, Your Excellency?"

The dwarf elder narrowed his eyes at Sister Hong, whose hands and feet were bound, and shook his head. "The young girl has sharp eyes to actually recognize the Changchun Society and even know this old man's moniker from his youth—'Su Qin Carries the Sword' Little Thief-Head... It's been thirty years; I had almost forgotten that name myself." The little old man raised his head and muttered to himself, as if sinking into memories.

Sister Hong continued, "In the third year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty, the Changchun Society was founded. Its members were well-versed in geomancy, grave-robbing, confidence games, medicine, and martial arts, numbering over a thousand. In the twenty-seventh year of the Republic, Elder Chang Baba of the Earthly Branch Cannon Boxing succeeded as the Grand Master, commanding the Four Major Sects and Eight Minor Sects. At that time, the underworld figures within the faction had already infiltrated every walk of life, and the society's strength surpassed even the White Lotus Society and the Heaven and Earth Society. After the 1970s, rumors circulated in the martial underworld that the Changchun Society had dissolved. Ha," Sister Hong sneered, "I knew it—such a colossal behemoth only went into hiding. How could it possibly disband!"

Hearing Sister Hong speak of the Changchun Society, the dwarf old man wore a very surprised expression. He exclaimed in astonishment, "I wouldn't have expected a young girl like you to know quite so much."

"More than just know!"

"My father's death is inextricably linked to the Changchun Society!"

"Even if I, Chen Hong, die here today, I swear to the heavens! As long as that person is still alive, I, Chen Hong, will surely avenge my father!" Sister Hong roared with wide-open, ferocious eyes and a contorted expression.

"Master, stop wasting breath on her. Let's get it over with," Chen Jiansheng urged.

The dwarf old man waved a hand to stop Chen Jiansheng. Unhurriedly, he looked at Sister Hong and asked, "Young girl, tell me, who is your father? From the sound of it, are you implying that the Changchun Society deliberately sheltered the murderer of your father?"

Seeing the old man's casual, nonchalant attitude, Sister Hong ground her teeth until they creaked.

"Chen Xiaohei! My father is Chen Xiaohei!"

"Chen Xiaohei?" The old man frowned, pondering for a long time before saying, "One of the Eight Oddities of Tianqiao... Your father is Chen Xiaohei, and your grandfather must be 'Spectacles Chen the Coal Horse' of Yangqiao in Beiping?"

Sister Hong lowered her head in silence, falling into a brief quiet.

The dwarf old man paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, as if deliberating something.

Three minutes later, he turned and instructed, "Jiansheng, this girl cannot be killed. Confine her for now; once we finish our business and head out, we'll let her go."

"Let her go!" Chen Jiansheng said anxiously. "Old Master! What do you mean! This woman is known as 'A Single Mole' and has quite a reputation in the Northern underworld. To let her go! If she spreads the word, won't that invite trouble for us in the Southern School!"

The old man turned to look at Chen Jiansheng, his tone ice-cold.

"That's your own affair. Remember this, Jiansheng: our cooperation this time is merely each taking what they need, but that doesn't mean we are cut from the same cloth. I said she cannot be killed, which means she cannot be killed. Do you need me to repeat myself, Jiansheng?"

Though he was clearly a dwarf old man standing less than a meter and a half tall, hearing his words made Chen Jiansheng turn pale and break out in a sweat on his forehead.

With a thud, Chen Jiansheng dropped to both knees.

"Jiansheng was rash; Master, please do not be angry."

"Once we finish our business, I will let this woman leave."

"Hmph..." The little old man nodded with satisfaction.

"Master, what about this kid?" Chen Jiansheng pointed at me.

The old man said impatiently, "Didn't you say earlier that the echo-worm reacted to this kid?"

Chen Jiansheng cupped his fists. "Indeed."

"Then dislocate his arms and throw him over there to see."

"Understood."

As soon as the words fell, the two middle-aged men who had remained silent all this time stepped forward in two strides and hauled me up from the ground.

"What are you doing! What are you going to do!"

No matter how I struggled, it was futile; these two middle-aged men hoisted me up as easily as catching a chick.

Sister Hong said urgently, "No! Not only must you let me go, you must let him go too!"

The old man shook his head. "Young girl, I am sparing your life solely for the sake of 'Spectacles Chen the Coal Horse.' Back then in the Changchun Society, Spectacles Chen went to the gathering alone and single-handedly slaughtered the puppet army regiment commanders. Your father, Chen Xiaohei, failed to inherit Spectacles Chen's skills, and by your generation," the old man looked at Sister Hong and shook his head, "you are even more feeble and frail."

"Do it," the old man said indifferently.

The two middle-aged men pinched my arms, applying increasing pressure, and I cried out in agony.

"Crack." The sound of bones dislocating was painfully clear.

Sister Hong closed her eyes with a pale face.

The moment they let go, I collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, completely losing control of both arms.

My left arm was already injured, and now it was even worse—both arms were dislocated.

Having received their orders, the two men hoisted me up and dragged me along, paying no heed to Sister Hong's desperate pleas behind us.

The journey took no more than five minutes before the pair brought me to the edge of a large pit.

A stone sacrificial table was laid horizontally in front of the pit, completely bare with nothing on it.

They pulled out a rope and bound me tightly to the stone table, winding it round and round.

After checking to make sure I couldn't break free, one of them pulled out a small pouch from his pocket.

Opening the pouch, he stood at the edge of the pit and poured a small amount of powdery substance into it. Afterward, the two of them quickly departed.

Seeing them leave, I tried to endure the pain and save myself, but to no avail. With my arms useless and tightly bound, I tried several times in succession to no success.

The Sun brothers had fallen unconscious and vanished without a trace, leaving me feeling cold at heart and not knowing what to do. Ached all over and starving with hunger, I gradually sank into despair.

After about twenty minutes or so, I suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the pit.

Since I was bound to the stone table facing upward, I couldn't see what was in the pit; I could only see the ground on either side of my body.

Then, I witnessed a horrifying sight.

Whether crawling up from the pit or not, numerous skinks and wall lizards suddenly crept over the ground on the left and right sides of the stone table.

Some of these lizards were large, others small—the large ones over half a meter long, the small ones only a dozen centimeters.

Within the span of a few breaths, a chilly sensation crept up my legs. Terrified, I lowered my gaze to look.

Two yellowish-brown lizards were crawling up my legs along the stone platform.

These two lizards flicked their forked tongues, their eyes so tiny they were virtually invisible. Their bodies were glossy and slick, as if smeared with oil.

They were now crawling toward my upper body.