"Who goes there!"
In the narrow alley, Chen An roared angrily, his eyes scanning every corner tightly.
He wasn't sure if someone was following him.
But since he had this feeling, he decided to give it a try.
After all, he had nothing to lose if there was no one following him.
But if there was a surprise waiting for him, then it would be a different story.
Standing still, Chen An's tall figure gazed around the corners, looking as if he was ready to draw his knife at any moment.
His demeanor seemed to indicate that he was certain someone was following him.
For a moment, there was silence, with no sound coming from any direction.
After a few breaths, there was still no sign of anyone around.
Just as Chen An began to doubt if he was mistaken, a voice finally sounded.
"How did you find out?"
In the dim alley, a long and hoarse voice could be heard, sounding like a woman.
Chen An's body stiffened instantly.
The voice seemed to be coming from all directions, giving the impression of being very close yet elusive.
Chen An tried to determine the woman's position from her voice, but found it impossible.
So, he spoke again, trying to figure out her location. "Who are you, and why are you following me?"
"Who am I?"
The ethereal voice continued to echo around, clear and with a hint of mystery. "You should ask your leader."
"Ask our leader?"
Chen An furrowed his brow, still trying to make sense of her words.
A fierce gust of wind suddenly swept towards him.
In that moment, the woman made her move, her hand coming down lightly but with incredible speed that caught Chen An off guard.
Bang!
The hand landed on Chen An's chest in an instant.
Chen An felt a sharp pain in his chest, a force he couldn't resist surged through his body, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
As he landed, he steadied himself, drew his long knife, and faced the figure in front of him.
In his previous position, a young woman stood silently.
The woman looked young, around sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a blue robe. She had a delicate appearance, not particularly beautiful but exuding a unique charm.
"Indeed, the Five Tiger Blade Technique."
Standing in place, the woman's face showed a hint of surprise as she looked at Chen An. "Who are you exactly?"
Facing the woman in front of him, Chen An struggled to maintain his composure, staring at her with a hint of horror.
On his chest, a faint mark was visible, slowly appearing.
Until now, his chest still throbbed slightly, and most of his strength had vanished in an instant.
More importantly, at his chest, there was a strange force that was eroding his body, leaving Chen An unable to recover.
What is this? Inner energy?
Various thoughts flashed through Chen An's mind.
He only understood the level of martial artists through body refinement.
But in this world, martial artists with internal energy seemed to be normal as well.
However, from the attack just now, it was clear that the woman's strength was definitely beyond the body refinement level.
He was no match for her!
Chen An's expression gradually turned grim.
"I am."
Facing Chen An's gaze, the woman chuckled softly, about to speak but suddenly stopped.
Because a long knife came down in front of her.
Seizing the opportunity when the woman was speaking, Chen An decisively struck, putting all his strength into the blow. However, the woman effortlessly caught his strike, rendering it useless.
In front of him, the woman smiled, looking at Chen An as if appreciating his efforts.
In the next moment, Chen An was sent flying again, crashing into the wall.
He spat out blood, his face turning pale.
"Enough, put away your knife."
After sending Chen An flying, the woman did not continue to attack. She just smiled at him. "A mere body refinement realm cannot harm me."
"You should recognize this."
She thought for a moment and threw something towards him.
Chen An looked down and was dumbfounded.
It was a specially-made token with the mark of the Three Rivers Gang, a symbol of identity within the gang.
A similar token had been seen by Chen An in Meian's possession, but that one was made of iron. The token in front of him was golden and looked luxurious.
Such tokens were usually symbols of status, often held only by high-ranking members within the Three Rivers Gang.
Was this person in front of him a master within the Three Rivers Gang?
The thought crossed Chen An's mind, and he felt relieved.
Of course, tokens could be forged, so it could be fake.
But with the woman's strength, there seemed to be no need to deceive him.
"Get up."
The woman's voice rang out again.
Facing her, Chen An hesitated for a moment, then took the token and knelt down. "How should I address you, Elder?"
"Just now, I heard news at our base that the main hall of the Three Rivers Gang is under attack. Please allow me to assist in the battle."
"You are a loyal person."
The woman looked at Chen An and showed a hint of appreciation. "But with your current condition, what can you do if you go?"
As Chen An was about to respond, the woman spoke again.
"Don't worry."
The woman spoke again, with a faint smile on her face. "I have already sent someone to deal with Meian. It should be over soon."
"As for you, follow me now."
She spoke softly and then turned to walk away without saying more.
Chen An got up from where he was standing, looked at the woman's back, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to follow her.
Following the woman, he soon arrived at a familiar place.
It was another base of the Three Rivers Gang.
Chen An had been there before for a couple of tasks, so he had some impression of the place.
Upon entering, he saw the place was in chaos, with blood stains everywhere.
It seemed that the people from the Haisha Gang had also been there.
There were bodies lying around, some of them familiar faces to Chen An.
But the fighting here had already ended, and it was quiet, with gang members occasionally coming to clean up the bodies.
"Who goes there!"
In the narrow alley, Chen An roared angrily, his eyes scanning every corner tightly.
He wasn't sure if someone was following him.
But since he had this feeling, he decided to give it a try.
After all, he had nothing to lose if there was no one following him.
But if there was a surprise waiting for him, then it would be a different story.
Standing still, Chen An's tall figure gazed around the corners, looking as if he was ready to draw his knife at any moment.
His demeanor seemed to indicate that he was certain someone was following him.
For a moment, there was silence, with no sound coming from any direction.
After a few breaths, there was still no sign of anyone around.
Just as Chen An began to doubt if he was mistaken, a voice finally sounded.
"How did you find out?"
In the dim alley, a long and hoarse voice could be heard, sounding like a woman.
Chen An's body stiffened instantly.
The voice seemed to be coming from all directions, giving the impression of being very close yet elusive.
Chen An tried to determine the woman's position from her voice, but found it impossible.
So, he spoke again, trying to figure out her location. "Who are you, and why are you following me?"
"Who am I?"
The ethereal voice continued to echo around, clear and with a hint of mystery. "You should ask your leader."
"Ask our leader?"
Chen An furrowed his brow, still trying to make sense of her words.
A fierce gust of wind suddenly swept towards him.
In that moment, the woman made her move, her hand coming down lightly but with incredible speed that caught Chen An off guard.
Bang!
The hand landed on Chen An's chest in an instant.
Chen An felt a sharp pain in his chest, a force he couldn't resist surged through his body, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
As he landed, he steadied himself, drew his long knife, and faced the figure in front of him.
In his previous position, a young woman stood silently.
The woman looked young, around sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a blue robe. She had a delicate appearance, not particularly beautiful but exuding a unique charm.
"Indeed, the Five Tiger Blade Technique."
Standing in place, the woman's face showed a hint of surprise as she looked at Chen An. "Who are you exactly?"
Facing the woman in front of him, Chen An struggled to maintain his composure, staring at her with a hint of horror.
On his chest, a faint mark was visible, slowly appearing.
Until now, his chest still throbbed slightly, and most of his strength had vanished in an instant.
More importantly, at his chest, there was a strange force that was eroding his body, leaving Chen An unable to recover.
What is this? Inner energy?
Various thoughts flashed through Chen An's mind.
He only understood the level of martial artists through body refinement.
But in this world, martial artists with internal energy seemed to be normal as well.
However, from the attack just now, it was clear that the woman's strength was definitely beyond the body refinement level.
He was no match for her!
Chen An's expression gradually turned grim.
"I am."
Facing Chen An's gaze, the woman chuckled softly, about to speak but suddenly stopped.
Because a long knife came down in front of her.
Seizing the opportunity when the woman was speaking, Chen An decisively struck, putting all his strength into the blow. However, the woman effortlessly caught his strike, rendering it useless.
In front of him, the woman smiled, looking at Chen An as if appreciating his efforts.
In the next moment, Chen An was sent flying again, crashing into the wall.
He spat out blood, his face turning pale.
"Enough, put away your knife."
After sending Chen An flying, the woman did not continue to attack. She just smiled at him. "A mere body refinement realm cannot harm me."
"You should recognize this."
She thought for a moment and threw something towards him.
Chen An looked down and was dumbfounded.
It was a specially-made token with the mark of the Three Rivers Gang, a symbol of identity within the gang.
A similar token had been seen by Chen An in Meian's possession, but that one was made of iron. The token in front of him was golden and looked luxurious.
Such tokens were usually symbols of status, often held only by high-ranking members within the Three Rivers Gang.
Was this person in front of him a master within the Three Rivers Gang?
The thought crossed Chen An's mind, and he felt relieved.
Of course, tokens could be forged, so it could be fake.
But with the woman's strength, there seemed to be no need to deceive him.
"Get up."
The woman's voice rang out again.
Facing her, Chen An hesitated for a moment, then took the token and knelt down. "How should I address you, Elder?"
"Just now, I heard news at our base that the main hall of the Three Rivers Gang is under attack. Please allow me to assist in the battle."
"You are a loyal person."
The woman looked at Chen An and showed a hint of appreciation. "But with your current condition, what can you do if you go?"
As Chen An was about to respond, the woman spoke again.
"Don't worry."
The woman spoke again, with a faint smile on her face. "I have already sent someone to deal with Meian. It should be over soon."
"As for you, follow me now."
She spoke softly and then turned to walk away without saying more.
Chen An got up from where he was standing, looked at the woman's back, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to follow her.
Following the woman, he soon arrived at a familiar place.
It was another base of the Three Rivers Gang.
Chen An had been there before for a couple of tasks, so he had some impression of the place.
Upon entering, he saw the place was in chaos, with blood stains everywhere.
It seemed that the people from the Haisha Gang had also been there.
There were bodies lying around, some of them familiar faces to Chen An.
But the fighting here had already ended, and it was quiet, with gang members occasionally coming to clean up the bodies.
