Chapter 59: The Leaf-Plucking Murder—Skeleton Fist

At this moment, Zuo Tianlang in the living room heard the commotion from upstairs and immediately furrowed his brows.
"You few—go upstairs and see what's going on!" Zuo Tianlang ordered his men.
Three or four of his henchmen drew their long knives and headed up the stairs.
But as soon as they reached the upper floor, a thunderous crash resounded, and the group was blasted from the second story by a tremendous force, crashing down onto the floor before Zuo Tianlang.
At the same time, a slender figure appeared on the second floor—it was Lin Le.
"It's you!" Zuo Tianlang instantly recognized him as the one who had broken his Drunken Life Gu.
"It's Master Mu!" Uncle Kang, enduring the pain, struggled to stand upright.
"Master Mu?" Tang Baisheng's face brightened with joy.
After waking, Tang Baisheng had heard from Tang Nianchen and Uncle Kang about this Master Mu’s extraordinary skills, who had saved him and his wife’s lives. Tang Baisheng had thought that falling into the hands of these ruthless criminals meant certain death, yet Master Mu had descended like a godsend, filling him with hope and relief.
"You brat. I was just about to look for you, and here you are, walking right into my hands!" Zuo Tianlang's voice was sinister and cold.
"If you don't want to die, get out now," Lin Le said with icy contempt.
"Hah! You brat. You still don't understand your situation, do you? The Tang couple are in my hands now—if you dare move, do you believe I won't end their lives this instant?" A murderous glint flashed in Zuo Tianlang’s eyes.
"Did I ever say I came here to save them?" Lin Le replied calmly.
"Hmm?" Zuo Tianlang sounded perplexed.
"Master Mu…" Tang Baisheng’s heart sank; he had thought Lin Le came purposely to rescue him, yet now Lin Le’s words were cold and indifferent.
"Very well, then I’ll kill them now. Let’s see what you do!"
"Do it!" Zuo Tianlang ordered, and two henchmen raised their long knives, about to slash at Tang Baisheng and Madam Tang’s throats.
"Courting death!" Lin Le shouted, and at the same time, unleashed a hidden weapon from his hand.
It was merely two leaves, plucked casually from the potted plants at Tang Nianchen’s door moments ago.
A master whose internal energy has reached its peak can project his force outward—fallen leaves and flowers alike can become instruments of death.
As the leaves were released, a fierce surge of true energy enveloped their entire surface. Like flying daggers, they sliced through the air, striking at the wrists of the would-be executioners.
"Thud! Thud!" Two dull sounds, blood spurted, and the wrists of the two henchmen were severed cleanly by the leaves!
"Ah!" The two men stared in terror at their inexplicably severed limbs, screaming in agony.
Even Tang Baisheng, a veteran of decades in business and accustomed to the grandest scenes, was shocked, his eyes wide as he saw the bloody hands fall to the floor.
Madam Tang, witnessing the carnage, shrieked in terror and promptly fainted.
"What!" Zuo Tianlang had not expected such swift and ruthless action from his opponent.

As he severed the two men's wrists, Lin Le leapt from above like a great ape plunging into the valley, landing instantly before Tang Baisheng.
The surrounding killers raised their knives, ready to strike at Lin Le.
Lin Le’s expression tightened, true energy gathering in his palm.
"Explode!"
With a mighty shout, the dozen leaves in Lin Le’s hand burst forth, wrapped in powerful energy, flying toward the surrounding killers like a violent storm.
Seven or eight of them were struck. Each was sent flying as if hit head-on by a giant hammer.
"Plucking leaves to harm men? An internal energy martial master?!" Zuo Tianlang exclaimed in disbelief at Lin Le’s technique.
He had not expected that a mere youth’s power would have reached such heights.
"Hurry upstairs!" Lin Le said coldly to Tang Baisheng and the others behind him.
Tang Baisheng dared not hesitate; together with Uncle Kang, he supported Madam Tang and hurried upstairs.
By now, Tang Nianchen was fully dressed and rushed to meet them. The group huddled upstairs, anxiously watching the scene below.
At this moment, Lin Le stood alone, facing over a dozen enemies. Tang Nianchen’s heart was filled with nervousness.
Though she deeply disliked this rude Mu, who had just seen her naked and even made her want to kill him, now the one she despised most had become their only hope.
"You brat, what’s your relationship with the Tang family? Why are you so determined to protect them?" Zuo Tianlang asked coldly.
"And what grudge do you have against the Tang family that you’ve tried again and again to kill them?" Lin Le retorted.
"Hmph, that’s none of your business! Let me give you a word of advice: don’t think that just because you have some skill you can meddle in everything. You have no idea who you’re up against!" Zuo Tianlang threatened.
"Neither do you," Lin Le replied coldly.
A murderous gleam appeared in Zuo Tianlang’s eyes.
"Fine! Since you’re seeking death, I’ll oblige you!" A chilling look flashed across his face.
So what if he was an internal energy martial master? Zuo Tianlang was ranked among the top fifty assassins on the Shadow List—he had nothing to fear! With the Gu techniques he’d learned from Granny Gu, martial prowess meant nothing.
Not only was Lin Le merely a peak internal energy master—even if he were a supreme expert who had entered the transformation realm, Zuo Tianlang’s sinister arts could still claim his life.
Zuo Tianlang swung his fist toward Lin Le.
A cloud of black smoke erupted from his fist, taking the shape of a giant skull.
Lin Le frowned, sensing clearly the sinister aura within the black smoke.
He dared not take it head-on, dodging swiftly aside.
The skull-shaped smoke bit into the rosewood sofa behind Lin Le.

A sizzle was heard; the center of the rosewood sofa was corroded into a gaping hole by the skull!
Upstairs, Tang Nianchen and the others drew a sharp breath—if Zuo Tianlang’s punch struck a person, they would be reduced to pulp!
Lin Le gazed at the rapidly decomposing sofa, frowning at the poisonous methods of his opponent.
Before he could think further, Zuo Tianlang launched consecutive punches at Lin Le.
Each punch released a skull-shaped blast of black smoke with overwhelming force. Even the cement walls and stone floors struck by the skull fists were instantly corroded to dust.
"How about it, brat? Now you know my power!" Zuo Tianlang grew bolder, shouting arrogantly.
"I thought you’d be more formidable—this is nothing," Lin Le scoffed.
"What? Fine, I’ll kill them now and see if you can keep up your bravado!"
As he spoke, Zuo Tianlang gathered even stronger sinister energy.
With a thunderous roar, a fiercer skull fist shot from his hand, aimed straight at Tang Nianchen and the others on the second floor.
"Watch out!" Lin Le shouted.
Without hesitation, Lin Le flashed forward, directly intercepting the skull fist.
"Courting death!" Zuo Tianlang sneered.
This punch contained powerful evil energy; its destructive force was immense. Even a high-level peak internal energy master wouldn’t survive it!
Seeing the giant skull fist approaching, Lin Le summoned all his strength and struck out with his palm.
A surge of true energy transformed into a ribbon of white light, like a mountain-splitting axe, tearing through the air and slashing down.
With a deafening crash, the skull fist was split in two by Lin Le’s palm.
Moreover, the residual force of his strike pressed onward, slicing through the air toward Zuo Tianlang.
"What?!" Zuo Tianlang cried out, unable to dodge as the white ribbon of energy reached him.
He hastily pulled a henchman in front of him; with a sickening splatter, the man was cut in half, blood and flesh flying, without even time to scream.
Though Zuo Tianlang escaped death, he was hurled backward by the force of the true energy.
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