The mid-July sunlight fiercely beat down on the earth, falling directly overhead, compressing the shade under the trees into a small circle.
The mountains and ravines were devoid of even a hint of a breeze.
The vast forest appeared as waves of green; the leaves shimred, drawing nutrients from the earth, but one could still sense their lackluster energy.
They persevered, waiting for the wind, the clouds, or the sun to shift and lose its fierceness, offering a mont to catch their breath.
But the two people in front of the forest were brimming with energy and high-spirited vigor.
They appeared much sturdier than the languid leaves.
From the looks on their faces and the spark in their eyes, it was as if a gold mountain lay before them, ready for the taking with just an outstretched hand.
More and more martial artists were compelled to watch from a distance.
It seed a highway robbery was underway?
Everyone was curious about how the person inside the carriage would respond.
Rumor had it he was the Righteous Young Master Fang?
...
Fang Che coughed lightly.
Ye ng hurried forward, bowing and lifting the curtain of the carriage door with her soft white hands.
A foot adorned in an exquisitely made black leather boot, embossed with dark gold patterns, stepped out confidently and firmly upon the ground, dispersing the dust around and revealing the beautiful, slender shape of a calf.
Then a head of black hair followed, lush with a circlet of dark gold securing it, which reflected a srizing hue in the sunlight. The thickness of the hair circlet, comparable to a goose egg, testified to the robust volu of the hair. A purple jade hairpin was inserted at an angle, steadying the circlet with a mist of purple light erging from both sides.
The other foot touched down in tandem. Clad in a black cloak with dark gold patterns, the figure slowly stood upright, revealing a handso face. His thick eyebrows were sword-like, naturally exuding a sharpness as if they could slice through the heavens.
Beneath the brow, his eyes were like a vast starry sea, deep and profound. His skin was as flawless as fine jade, his nose straight, and lips thin, slightly pursed, revealing an elegant curve.
His lips were red, his teeth white, his clear eyes earnest. His hair was ticulously tied up, yet a stray lock languidly hung behind his ear, fluttering in the breeze.
His shoulders were wide, his back straight, and his fra slender, the cloak casually open, revealing powerful, long legs and a physique indescribably upright and elegant. Standing thus, he resembled a jade tree facing the breeze – dignified and graceful yet with an air of deep gravity and towering majesty.
Fang Che moved forward three steps. His walk was elegant and leisurely, as if strolling atop clouds. With each step, the dark gold patterns on his cloak undulated like waves, the sunlight casting bright reflections that vanished only to reappear, flickering from countless different positions.
As he moved, he seed to carry the stars of the Milky Way with him.
With just this appearance, it seed as if a light flickered in everyone’s eyes, unable to contain an exclamation of admiration within their hearts: What grace!
Indeed, he truly embodied the phrase "a jade-like stature on the road, unparalleled in this world."
It must be said that even Ye ng couldn’t help but beco montarily enchanted upon seeing him.
For a mont, it felt like being scolded by such a person wasn’t so bad.
Especially since he had every right to scold!
...
The two n opposite were so intimidated by his presence that they found themselves speechless for a mont.
Fang Che spoke indifferently, "Are you two looking for ? May I know why?"
"Uhh..."
The tall, bald man’s forehead began to glimr with sweat as he finally regained his composure. Upon seeing Fang Che’s visage, and comparing it to his own, a fiery resentnt suddenly ignited within him.
He burst out in anger, "Fang Che! Do you know who I am?"
Fang Che extended his hand, and Ye ng deftly passed him a white handkerchief.
He elegantly wiped his hands and asked nonchalantly, "Who are you?"
"I am Su Yue’s uncle by marriage."
The man’s ugly face twisted into a mix of ferocity and greed, "I heard that Mr. Fang is managing my nephew’s assets. After hearing the news, I rushed here as fast as I could, managing to catch you before you left."
"Oh."
Fang Che smiled, revealing his white teeth, "I wonder, what does this uncle intend to do?"
"Do I need to say it? My poor nephew and his whole family are dead, and naturally, as his uncle, I should help guard the inheritance. I have co to see Mr. Fang today for this reason."
Fang Che laughed amusingly, "So, you’ve com for money?"
The bald man declared boldly, "Exactly."
Fang Che stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as his cloak fluttered with no wind, the light dancing around him, "How much do you want?"
"At least one million taels to start!"
Greed was apparent in the bald man’s eyes.
"Heh..."
Fang Che let out a soft laugh.
The Su Family’s wealth was enormous, counting in the billions, not to ntion countless golden bills and various rare treasures—one million taels?
This man likely just wanted to cash in on so good fortune, but because they were too close to Bibo City, he didn’t dare to make a move, and thus had to follow all the way here.
Moreover, he didn’t dare to enter Wan Ling Zhi Forest.
This indicated he was of low power.
Lacked experience, low power—he was probably a pawn sent by soone else to test the waters.
Fang Che felt relieved and spoke lightly, "It’s true that I hold Big Brother Su’s assets, but if you want them, you’ll need his written instruction or a proof from the Guardian Hall that you are of the Su Family bloodline."
"If just anyone could co and take money from , how could I, Fang Che, face Big Brother Su?!"
Fang Che chuckled, his gaze turning ice cold, "Don’t talk nonsense about being an uncle, just co and take it by your own rit!"
"I was just about to rely on..."
The bald man had scarcely begun to speak.
A flash of light appeared before his eyes as Fang Che stepped forward boldly, a gleam of light suddenly shining.
Clang.
The sound of a sword being drawn rang out.
Yet the sword itself was nowhere to be seen.
The light had already reached the bald man’s throat.
His eyes widened with sudden fear.
Fang Che had already retrieved his sword and stepped back.
The first form of the Blood Spirit Seven Swords, Yi Dian Hong!
"The Soul-searching Sword is shadowless, its ergence shocks gods and specters; it kills without shedding blood, leaving but a single red dot."[Tribute to my favorite book]
Both n opposite him fell backward, kicking up a cloud of dust.
At their throats, a red dot slowly spread. Yet no fresh blood flowed out.
The mont the sword’s tip touched the throat, it shattered the adam’s apple, severed the windpipe, one wave of Sword Qi surged upwards shredding the brain’s Divine Soul, while another wave plunged downward, piercing through the five viscera and six bowels, shattering the Dantian!
This was the aftermath of that one sword strike.
The Divine Soul was utterly annihilated!
In other words, when Fang Che sheathed his sword and retreated, the two waves of Sword Qi were still wreaking havoc inside the bodies of his enemies.
Silence reigned!
The onlookers, both near and far, all wore faces of shock.
Fang Che’s face bore a faint smile as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back in the shade of a tree, tilting his head slightly and squinting at the fierce sunlight in the sky, which, in his eyes, looked like a series of sword lights descending from the heavens.
Then his gaze made a round over the faces of the crowd and he said, "What a farce, I wonder which mastermind set up this clumsy scenario. After all, everyone is poor. Everyone in this world, in this Jianghu, wants to make money and get ahead. I get it!"
"So I can understand what happened today. But I have a word of advice for the person behind this."
Fang Che spoke indifferently, "So money has to be paid for with your life. Or rather, one must have their life to be able to get it!"
His words were heavily laden with implied aning.
Seven or eight onlookers were already present, so of them martial artists from Bibo City, others not.
There was a palpable sense of disturbance in everyone’s eyes.
They were shocked by Fang Che’s ruthlessness and decisiveness.
To kill as soon as he said the word, taking imdiate action without leaving the slightest chance for the enemy. They were also shocked by the sharpness of Fang Che’s cultivation and killing thod.
What swordsmanship was that?
Several people exchanged glances, but no one spoke. All were expressionless.
At least on the surface, no one could tell who had been the mastermind behind those two fools.
"Actually, I’m well aware that these two fools have jumped out so recklessly because soone is behind them. And that person is one of you."
"I’m not interested in investigating."
Fang Che said indifferently, "Soone who operates like this just for such a small amount of money doesn’t deserve my attention or concern."
"Especially soone in Bibo City who didn’t dare to make a move. Heh."
Fang Che flicked his robe sleeves and gave a toothy smile, "rely rats!"
A young man in white opposite him smiled and said, "Mr. Fang is right, I also look down on such people."
He smiled, cupped his hands in a polite gesture, his smile genuine, "I am Kang Zijian, and I hope to see and work alongside Mr. Fang at the Martial Arts Academy in the future."
Fang Che smiled and returned the gesture, "Brother Kang."
Next to Kang Zijian stood another young man, his eyes flickering slightly, he took a step forward and said, "I am Wei Zihao from Bibo City, I have seen Brother Fang. Brother, do not be angry, there are countless buffoons in this world. If such troubles arise in the future, I would be willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with Brother Fang in battle!"
Wei Zihao.
The genius martial artist of the Wei Family from Bibo City.
Also one of this batch of martial arts examinees.
The Wei Family, like the Fang Family, is one of the four great Ninth level Families of Bibo City.
Fang Che examined Wei Zihao for a mont and smiled, "Mr. Wei’s words are true, such clowns are indeed not worth concerning oneself with."
Several young n stepped forward one after the other, introducing themselves and making acquaintances. Their impressions of Fang Che were all very favorable.
Decisive in killing, swift as the wind, impeccable in his interactions, charming and thoroughly courteous.
Everyone felt refreshed in his presence.
Who wouldn’t want to make friends with such a character?
Thus, Fang Che made a bunch of friends.
Then together, they dug a hole and buried the bodies of the two bandits before setting off in different directions.
Because the Martial Arts Academy did not allow martial artists to travel together, each person had to make their way to the Martial Arts School alone to be counted.
...
Ye ng was sowhat puzzled.
In her view, one of these fellows had to be the hidden mastermind. But why did Fang Che just let the matter pass?
Did he really settle for just killing those two?
The guy didn’t usually seem to be so magnanimous.
In a dense forest to the left of the road, one person blended in perfectly with the lush foliage, practically invisible even up close.
It was Fan Tiantiao.
He too was confounded: This guy just left like that?
Based on his experience, Wei Zihao among these people seed very suspicious, very likely to be the hidden mastermind.
Even though the two assailants were killed in an instant, their cultivation should not be low; even if they were not martial masters, they were at least high-level samurai.
Such cultivation was naturally as insignificant as ants in Fan Tiantiao’s eyes, but it should have been enough to deal with Fang Che.
At least that must have been what the mastermind thought.
But he hadn’t expected them to be so easily killed off by Fang Che.
"Why not send a higher-level master?"
"Is this just a test of strength?"
"Why just let it go like that?"
Fan Tiantiao’s mind was filled with constant calculations.
And on the right side of the road.
Similarly hidden among the distant trees, one person watched intently.
It was Qian Sanjiang.
Qian Sanjiang was also frowning, utterly baffled.
"The killing was really satisfying, but why, after killing them, did he say a few nonchalant words and let it go? That Wei Zihao clearly has issues, why not continue to pursue the matter?"
"What’s the use of only killing those two? With the mastermind still at large, won’t that just lead to endless trouble? And it also exposed his own cultivation, allowing the other side to send more inford people next ti, which is truly unwise."
"Is it because of youth and lack of thorough consideration, or is there another reason?"
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