SWOOSH!

Fang Han’s figure moved like a lightning bolt, hot on the heels of the wretched black shadow fleeing before him. The distance between them was rapidly closing.

BANG—

Seeing that he couldn’t shake his pursuer, a vicious glint flashed in the fleeing Huang Kui’s eyes. He viciously kicked a pile of bamboo crates stacked by the side of the alley.

With a CRASH, the crates overturned. Their contents spilled out like a torrent, instantly blocking the already narrow passage.

Fang Han’s advance faltered for a moment. With a series of quick flicks, his longsword batted away the flying debris.

Though he was delayed for only an instant, by the time he looked up again, the black shadow had used the opportunity to take several quick steps. Like a night crow, he vanished into the deeper shadows of the alley, disappearing completely.

’He got away.’

Having completely lost the man’s trail, Fang Han’s brow furrowed. After a moment of silence, he slowly sheathed his sword and turned to head back the way he came.

’With my current strength, defeating the assassin wouldn’t have been difficult,’ he thought. ’But capturing a Martial Artist of the same realm who is determined to escape... I’m still not strong enough for that.’

"Xiaohan, are you hurt?"

When he met up with his still-shaken parents and younger sister, his parents rushed forward, their voices thick with lingering worry.

"I’m fine. The assassin just got away," Fang Han said, his expression calm as he soothed them with a gentle voice.

"As long as you’re okay! It doesn’t matter if the assassin escaped!"

His parents let out a long sigh of relief.

His younger sister, Fang Ying, gripped the corner of his sleeve tightly, her little face pale. She still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

After this incident, the family was in no mood to linger at their grandfather’s home. After a brief farewell, they boarded their carriage and returned to the Fang Mansion.

The lingering, oppressive feeling didn’t begin to fade until the carriage passed through the high walls of the Fang Family estate.

’Who could have sent that assassin?’

Fang Han’s nerves began to settle, but the chill in his eyes remained. Several possible masterminds flashed through his mind.

He had been too prominent this past year, and it had finally drawn the murderous intent of those in the shadows.

But he didn’t regret it.

’You have to give something to get something,’ he mused. ’If I hadn’t been so high-profile, I never would have received such large rewards of silver coins, and I couldn’t have raised the multipliers for my Root Bone, Swordsmanship, and Step Technique all to Eightfold.’

’Moreover, I never would have broken through to the Inner Qi Realm so quickly, nor would I have qualified to participate in the selection for the Qingxuan Sect, one of the Seven Sects.’

...

「In a deep alleyway.」

Huang Kui gasped for breath, his cloak covered in dust, looking utterly wretched.

After confirming there were no pursuers behind him, he slowly exhaled a turbid breath, his taut nerves relaxing slightly.

’That Fang Family brat... he’s already entered the Inner Qi Realm! The family’s intel screwed me over!’

He cursed under his breath. Worried that the Fang Family would launch a large-scale search, he planned to sneak out of the city immediately.

However, in the instant his guard dropped, an indescribably cold aura suddenly enveloped him!

It was as if he had been plunged into a cavern of ice, and even his blood seemed to freeze solid.

Horrified, Huang Kui looked up to see that an old man in linen clothes had silently appeared at the mouth of the alley at some unknown point.

The old man’s face was rugged and ancient, his eyes as placid as an old well, and he was blocking Huang Kui’s escape route.

"Who are you?!"

Huang Kui’s heart pounded wildly as he barked out the question.

The Inner Qi in his body instinctively began to circulate at a frantic pace. He held his short saber horizontally before him, his entire body tensing as if facing a great enemy.

’For him to get so close without me noticing... his strength must be far beyond mine!’

"Who sent you?"

The linen-clothed elder, Fang Tu, swept a cold, indifferent gaze over Huang Kui, his eyes like those of someone examining a dead object.

His voice was hoarse and low, devoid of any emotion.

Huang Kui’s pupils contracted. Driven by a powerful survival instinct, he took the initiative and attacked.

With a low growl, he poured all his Inner Qi into his short saber. The blade began to glow with a sinister cold light as man and saber became one, transforming into a sharp black streak that shot straight for Fang Tu’s heart.

It was a desperate, all-or-nothing strike—fast, ruthless, and deadly!

Faced with this ferocious attack, Fang Tu merely lifted his eyelids slightly.

Without any perceptible movement, a dark, heavy flash of saber light—seemingly slow but actually incredibly fast—struck first despite starting second. It landed with pinpoint precision on the weakest point of Huang Kui’s short saber.

CLANG—THWUMP!

The piercing sound of metal on metal and the dull thud of a blade cutting through flesh rang out almost simultaneously.

Huang Kui’s forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, and he staggered backward.

A horrifying wound, deep enough to expose bone, split open from his chest to his shoulder blade. Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly soaking his robes.

"A saber user... an Eighth Grade Martial Artist... You, you’re... Fang Tu?!"

He had recognized the man from that fleeting glimpse of his Saber Technique. The color drained from his face, and his eyes filled with incredulous horror and despair. His voice trembled violently with extreme fear.

’An expert at the Eighth Grade of the Inner Qi Realm! There can only be a handful of people like that in the Fang Family, yet one was sent to secretly protect a junior!’

He understood instantly. The only reason his earlier sneak attack on Fang Han had "succeeded"—and the only reason he’d been able to "escape" so smoothly—was likely because this man had tacitly allowed it, watching coldly from the sidelines.

’It was just a live combat test for Fang Han!’

"Speak." Fang Tu stood with his saber, its tip angled toward the ground as thick beads of blood slid down the edge. "Who sent you?"

The short question carried a suffocating pressure.

The Fang Family had naturally anticipated that Fang Han’s growing fame might lead to assassination attempts, but they hadn’t hidden him away.

A lesser family might need to hide their prodigies, but the Fang Family did not.

As one of the five great families of Liangshui City, the Fang Family had the power and confidence to protect Fang Han.

"No one sent me! I was just greedy and thought I’d kidnap that Fang Family kid for a ransom!"

Huang Kui’s face was ashen, his eyes darting about nervously as he hissed through clenched teeth.

He flatly denied it, knowing full well that if he implicated the Lin Family as the masterminds, not only would he certainly die, but his own family would also suffer.

If he took all the blame, his family might still be looked after.

A cold glint flashed in Fang Tu’s cloudy eyes. Without asking any more questions, he stepped forward to capture him.

Seeing this, a look of grim finality crossed Huang Kui’s face. He suddenly bit down hard on his back molars!

The poison capsule hidden under his tongue instantly broke, and a deadly toxin spread throughout his body in an instant.

His body shuddered violently, and black blood trickled from his mouth and nose. His gaze quickly went vacant, and he fell backward, stiff as a board, his breathing ceasing abruptly.

’Took poison?’

Fang Tu stopped in his tracks. He frowned slightly as he looked at Huang Kui, who had died in an instant.

Although he was an Eighth Grade Martial Artist, his opponent was, after all, also an Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist. Faced with capture, the man had decisively taken poison, and Fang Tu hadn’t been able to stop him in time.

He stepped forward and inspected the body for a moment, confirming that the assassin was dead.

After a moment of silence, he sheathed his saber. With a flicker of his body, he vanished like a phantom into the depths of the narrow alley.

...

「Fang Mansion, Songtao Pavilion.」

BAM!

After hearing Fang Tu’s report, Fang Lingyuan’s expression was as dark as storm clouds. A menacing, cold light shone in his eyes as he slammed his palm heavily on the rosewood table beside him.

The solid wooden table groaned as if unable to bear the force, and cracks spread out from beneath his palm.

"Good! Very good! They actually dare to attempt an assassination on the Fang Family’s own doorstep!"

The words were squeezed through his teeth, filled with boundless rage.

"Did you find any clues?"

Fang Tu stood below with his hands at his sides, his voice steady but tinged with coldness.

"The killer committed suicide by poison. He was extremely decisive. There were no obvious identifying marks on his body, but from his face, I could identify him as Huang Kui, the leader of the Blood Wolf Thieves. His Cultivation Technique was a vicious and eclectic mix, deliberately concealing its origin."

He paused briefly before continuing, "However, looking at the situation in Liangshui City, if Fang Han were to die, the ones who would benefit most would be the Lin Family, whose younger generation’s Talent is second only to our Fang Family’s. Therefore, the Lin Family is the prime suspect."

Fang Lingyuan’s gaze was as sharp as a blade. "Are you saying the Lin Family was behind this?"

"Although the Lin Family is the most likely suspect, it’s also possible they were deliberately framed," Fang Tu said, shaking his head slightly. "The Yue, He, and Sun Families might also try to frame them, hoping to provoke a conflict between us and the Lin Family so they can reap the rewards."

Hearing this, Fang Lingyuan’s gaze grew even colder. He unconsciously tapped his fingers on the back of his chair, creating a dull, rhythmic sound.

The atmosphere in the pavilion became so heavy it was almost suffocating.

After a long moment, a harsh glint flashed in his eyes, and he said in a frigid voice:

"No matter who it was, if they dare to make a move like this, they will pay the price! Elder Tu, you will conceal your identity and go ’visit’ the precious seedlings of those four families."

"Give the Lin Family, our prime suspect, some ’special attention.’ There’s no need to take their lives, but you must ensure they have to ’recuperate’ for a good while. I want everyone to know the consequences of messing with the future of my Fang Family!"

"Yes."

Fang Tu bowed to accept the order and silently withdrew from Songtao Pavilion.

Fang Lingyuan sat alone in the pavilion, his expression icy, his entire being radiating a terrifying pressure.

’It seems some people have forgotten just how sharp the Fang Family’s blade is!’