Chapter Six: The Theater

The night was like ink, his eyes like stars.

Ding Xie stared at the figure he had been waiting for, his wrist thrusting forward slightly.

Thin clothes naturally could not stop the sharpness of the dagger.

The chill of the metal made the other person tremble all over.

The moment scarlet appeared, the other person quickly raised his hands.

“Spare my life!”

Facing the plea for mercy, Ding Xie sneered.

“Where did this petty thief come from?”

“Do you know where this is?”

“To dare to steal from Lord Jia!”

The bodies of Jia Ren and the other two were brought back to the ‘Dog Farm’ by Ding Xie.

Along with the bodies of the others in the courtyard, they were thrown into the empty underground boxing arena.

Afterward, Ding Xie even cleaned the entire courtyard once.

Except for finding another 10 silver dollars in the east wing room of A Da and the other two, the whole process went without a hitch.

Therefore, no one knew that Jia Ren was already dead.

And this was something that could be exploited.

Interrogation was one way.

Inducement was another.

And Ding Xie?

He chose the most suitable one.

Just like now, with Ding Xie’s contemptuous words, the newcomer held at dagger-point let out a sigh of relief.

“Brother, don’t be nervous!”

“I’m one of you!”

“I’m from the Sand River Gang!”

The newcomer did not recklessly turn around, but directly stated his identity.

Then—

Bang!

Ding Xie kicked the other person in the lower back.

The other person fell flat on his face.

Before the other person could get up, Ding Xie grabbed his hair from behind and pressed the dagger tightly against his neck.

“What Sand River Gang?”

“Someone came this afternoon claiming to be from the Sand River Gang to visit Lord Jia!”

“If it weren’t for Third Brother’s alertness, Lord Jia would be dead!”

Ding Xie spoke harshly, pressing the dagger in his hand once more.

Pain spread.

“Brother! Brother!”

“I really am from the Sand River Gang!”

“We don’t know anything about what happened this afternoon!”

“Take me to see Lord Jia!”

“He can prove it!”

The newcomer’s voice went out of tune, his high-pitched words filled with panic.

This allowed Ding Xie to initially confirm that the other person was not lying; he likely was from the Sand River Gang, and the unexpected person from the afternoon had nothing to do with them.

As for the Sand River Gang?

It was also in the memories of the former martial arts champion.

There were nine major docks in Hong Kong, and the Sand River Gang occupied one of them.

Not only did passing ships have to pay a certain ‘management fee’, but even the coolies working on the docks had to give a portion of their daily income to the Sand River Gang’s managers.

Furthermore, every coolie working on the docks was required to join the Sand River Gang.

This made the number of people in the Sand River Gang exceed a thousand.

Within the gang, there were also ten experts who called themselves the Ten Fiends.

Moreover, that gang leader was rumored to even know the Iron Cloth Shirt!

Therefore, ordinary people would absolutely avoid the Sand River Gang at all costs.

But for Ding Xie, who had already made up his mind.

It made no difference.

Killing one is killing.

Killing ten is still killing.

It’s all the same.

Besides… the more he killed, the stronger he became!

“Lord Jia is not seeing anyone right now!”

As Ding Xie said this, scarlet quickly spread beneath the dagger’s blade.

The newcomer began to tremble, inwardly cursing Jia Ren for his cowardice; not only was he scared by an assassin of unknown origin, but he also made the one sent to investigate suffer.

However, he repeatedly said.

“If Lord Jia won’t see anyone, I’ll take you to see the Gang Leader!”

“The Gang Leader is at the Gaosheng Theater listening to a play…”

“Nonsense!”

“The Gang Leader clearly went to the City Hall!”

Before the other person could finish, he was interrupted by Ding Xie’s low shout, and the dagger in his hand pressed down once more.

Unlike before, this time, the newcomer clearly felt the flesh on his neck being sliced.

Immediately, he was so frightened that he hurriedly defended himself.

“The Gang Leader really is at the Gaosheng Theater!”

“Right in the main official seat on the second floor!”

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you there!”

As the words fell, the newcomer suddenly froze, sensing something was wrong, but before he could react, the dagger had already swept across his throat.

【Dagger throat-slitting of a Sand River Gang elite member, Experience +20】

【Judged as combat, talent ‘Martial Star’ takes effect, experience increased by 100%!】

【Judged as rookie instance, experience increased by 100%】

【Experience +60】

…The experience points weren’t much, but the information was extremely important.

Ding Xie picked up the body and threw it directly into the underground boxing arena to keep Jia Ren and the others company.

Then, he checked himself again, confirming no bloodstains were on him and that his dagger and gun were secure, before turning to walk out.

Again, he didn’t use the door.

Ding Xie also climbed over the wall.

But unlike that Sand River Gang elite member, Ding Xie didn’t need a running start; he listened carefully before climbing the wall, and only leaped over after confirming no one was outside.

After landing silently, Ding Xie tapped his toes and merged into the nearby darkness.

Unlike during the day when he used shadows, under the cover of night, Ding Xie seemed to have truly become like a ghost.

Coming without a shadow, leaving without a trace.

Even the lights of the Gaosheng Theater could not allow anyone to glimpse Ding Xie’s movements.

It wasn’t just the talent 【Gloomy Shade】 flickering.

It was also because the performance on stage had reached a climax—

“The lad is in my heart, while I am broken-hearted…”

Water sleeves rising and falling, the melody moving, twisting steps and turning waist, full of charm.

Yet for some reason, the audience in the theater felt a bit uneasy listening to this new play; there was always a sense of eerie Yin Qi and endless resentment.

Suddenly, the tea at hand no longer smelled fragrant, and the pastries were no longer sweet.

But their eyes simply could not look away.

Though it wasn’t as light as a startled swan nor as graceful as a swimming Dragon, it still captivated people’s eyes.

Except for… Ding Xie!

He paid attention to everything around him at all times, yet was not influenced by the outside world.

He passed behind the crowd, casually took a towel from a waiter, picked up a teapot from the counter, climbed the stairs, and arrived at the second floor.

The entire process was completed in a few breaths; the waiter stationed at the top of the stairs, exclusive to the second floor, was staring at the stage and didn’t notice a thing.

The second floor was different from the long benches and low tables of the first floor.

It consisted of small private booths separated by screens, furnished with Eight Immortals tables and Grandmaster chairs.

Only the position right in the center was a truly enclosed room.

This was the official seat.

It was more private and had a better view.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of the official seat directly faced the stage; once pushed open, everything below was visible at a glance.

To enter the official seat booth, one had to go through the back door.

The door was at the very back, with a separate staircase five steps away, allowing guests in the main official seat to avoid meeting those in other booths when going up or down.

At this moment, a guard was standing outside the door.

There were also several figures at the bottom of the stairs.

Obviously, that Sand River Gang leader would not be traveling alone.

Carrying the teapot with a towel over his shoulder, Ding Xie wandered around several booths and figured out the situation.

Then, Ding Xie put down the teapot and trotted over with a terrified expression.

Just as he reached the guard, he lowered his voice and said—

“Sir, Lord Jia has brought people outside the courtyard and wants to see the Gang Leader.”

“Lord Jia’s head is split open, and the bandages can’t stop the bleeding.”

“The manager doesn’t dare let them in.”

As Ding Xie spoke, he shrunk his neck and looked at the stairs behind him.

“Jia Ren brought people?”

“What does that guy want?”

The guard frowned, dissatisfaction appearing in his eyes.

Then, he walked toward the top of the stairs.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Just as he took the fourth step and was about to lean out to call the gang members downstairs to see what was happening, a palm covered his mouth and nose, dragging him back.

The next moment—

A cold light flashed, and blood splattered.