He could faintly make out shouts of "Murder!" and "Killer!"

"Hm?" Li Hongyu’s brow furrowed, his mind filled with doubt. ’I haven’t made a move. What’s going on?’

He stared toward the stronghold, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s.

’Could this be a trap set by the River Gang?’

’Are they deliberately causing chaos to lure me in?’

’Or has some real trouble broken out within the River Gang?’

’That’s also a possibility. The entire River Gang is in a state of panic right now, so it would be normal for trouble to erupt. Perhaps someone is trying to rebel against Li Tieyun.’

’That damnable old bastard from the Jiang Family is holding me back. Otherwise, it would only take a few days for me to slaughter every last member of the River Gang to avenge my son.’

Li Hongyu’s thoughts raced. Unable to restrain himself, he decided to sneak over for a look, hoping to find an opportunity to strike.

His figure shot out from the dense woods like a wildcat. Under the cover of night and the shadows of the outer walls, he slipped into the River Gang Stronghold in just a few leaps.

The stronghold was in chaos. The attention of the patrolling gang members was drawn to the commotion in the rear, giving him the perfect opening.

...

Inside a crude wooden hut in the rear of the stronghold, Yang Jing was silently cleaning up the aftermath.

He found a few relatively clean pieces of coarse cloth in the corner of the room and gently draped them over the three women’s cold corpses, covering their mangled bodies.

Then, he bent down and stripped the relatively intact outer shirt from the one-eyed man’s body. He carefully wrapped it around the woman who had recovered slightly, covering her exposed wounds.

After doing all this, he straightened up and looked calmly toward the door.

Footsteps approached, growing louder.

Soon, Li Tieyun arrived with Ma Chaoyun, Xiang Yongfeng, and other members of the River Gang.

When the three men saw the scene inside—and Yang Jing standing encircled by gang members—they were all stunned. ’How can it be him?’

Li Tieyun’s gaze first swept over the corpse and bloodstains on the floor. He then looked at the three female corpses covered by the coarse cloth, and finally at the young woman lying on the ground wrapped in an outer shirt. A suspicion began to form in his mind, and his expression instantly darkened.

He took a deep breath, walked quickly to Yang Jing, and cupped his fist. "Young Hero Yang, it’s been a while. What are you doing here?"

His tone was tinged with confusion but held no hostility.

Yang Jing returned the salute and said frankly, "I heard a vicious assailant was secretly targeting the River Gang, so I came to investigate. My plan was to lie in wait, hoping to find the killer’s trail. I searched the entire stronghold without any luck, only to stumble upon this instead."

He pointed at the one-eyed man’s corpse. "I saw him with my own eyes, torturing these women. Three had already died horribly at his hands. If I hadn’t intervened in time, I fear this young lady wouldn’t have survived either."

Li Tieyun’s gaze slowly swept across the room. His expression darkened with every bloodstain he saw, with every cloth-covered body. He turned to Yang Jing, his face full of guilt and anguish. "Young Hero Yang, this matter... is a disgrace to my River Gang."

"That animal!" Li Tieyun pointed abruptly at the one-eyed man’s corpse, his voice trembling with rage. "I knew he’d done heinous things like this before. Back then, considering he’d followed me for many years and tearfully swore he’d never do it again, I only punished him severely and spared his life. I never thought... I never thought he was incapable of changing. To think he’d dare to be so audacious at a time like this!"

He took a deep breath and solemnly cupped his fist at Yang Jing. "He deserved to die! Thank you, Young Hero Yang, for helping my River Gang clean house today. Otherwise, I, Li Tieyun, would truly have no face to show my peers in the Jianghu!"

Ma Chaoyun and Xiang Yongfeng also hurriedly cupped their fists, their faces filled with shame.

As they looked at the one-eyed man’s corpse, their eyes held not just anger, but a deep sense of humiliation. The River Gang’s reputation was likely ruined by scum like him.

Just then, the sound of steady and rapid footsteps came from outside. The Jiang Family Third Elder entered, followed by several Jiang Family experts.

His gaze swept over the scene. He was startled for a moment by the corpses and blood on the floor, then his brow furrowed. His eyes then fell upon Yang Jing, a flash of surprise in them, and he cupped his fist. "Young Hero Yang? What are you doing here as well?"

Yang Jing recognized the Jiang Family Third Elder.

During the fist-fighting exchange with the Li Family yesterday, this Jiang Family Third Elder had been sitting in the front row of the audience. His master, Sun Yong, had even made a special introduction for the two of them.

Although his hair and beard were streaked with gray, he was a Huajin Powerhouse who had been famous in Yuhe County for many years, and his strength was immense.

"Greetings, Third Elder." Yang Jing also cupped his fist in return, his tone calm.

The Jiang Family Third Elder held Yang Jing in high regard.

He had seen yesterday’s fist-fighting exchange clearly. Yang Jing was young but had already stepped into the Huajin realm. Moreover, his combat prowess was so formidable that he was nearly on par with a veteran Huajin master like himself.

Even more rare was his astonishing potential. Given time, his accomplishments would surely far surpass his own.

The Jiang Family had recently been planning to win over this top prominent figure in Yuhe County, so he naturally wouldn’t treat him lightly.

"This is..."

The Jiang Family Third Elder withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Tieyun, asking quizzically. He was clearly still unaware of what had transpired in the hut.

Yang Jing was about to speak, but Li Tieyun beat him to it, repeating what Yang Jing had just described. His words were filled with shame, and he even seemed to stoop a little more than usual.

After listening, the Jiang Family Third Elder’s brow furrowed slightly. He looked at Li Tieyun with a grave expression. "Gang Leader Li, the River Gang has deep roots now and commands over a thousand members, but you must be cautious in whom you employ. If you allow such vermin to remain in the gang, not only will they be of no benefit, but they will ruin your reputation and shake your very foundations."

"This junior understands." Li Tieyun’s face flushed then paled. He bowed and said, "I hereby promise you, Third Elder, and you, Young Hero Yang, that if the River Gang can survive this crisis, I will personally purge the gang from top to bottom. Anyone of poor character or who has committed evil deeds will not be tolerated!"