A hush fell over the courtyard.

The rain pattered down, drumming against the roof tiles. The air was damp and cold.

At that moment, Xu Meng finally understood why Qin Fang had come.

’...He’s here to kill me!’

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words caught in his throat.

’...If everything Qin Fang said is true, then my existence is indeed the greatest threat to Qin Fang and Zhou Xing.’

As the thought crossed his mind, his heart leaped with fear. The intense palpitation left him with a sudden, overwhelming thirst.

His face ashen, he walked over to the water vat, scooped out a large ladleful of water, and gulped it down.

But one ladleful did nothing to relieve his parched throat. His hands trembling slightly, he scooped out another large ladleful and continued to gulp it down.

Qin Fang watched him, a slight frown on his face.

’At a time like this, all he can think about is drinking water?’

As doubt crept into his mind, his gaze swept over the medicine box on the table and suddenly froze.

He saw the medicine box on the table. Inside were several identical Porcelain Bottles. A label was stuck to one of them, and on it were written the three words... Qi Blood Pill.

’...Xu Meng took a Qi Blood Pill.’

Qin Fang was still frowning when Xu Meng finally set down the ladle. The large amount of water seemed to have helped him calm down.

His voice was hoarse and bitter. "Brother Qin, do you... still not trust me?"

Qin Fang returned to his senses and looked at Xu Meng.

Xu Meng was now looking at Qin Fang as well.

Their eyes met, and Qin Fang looked away...

It was true. He didn’t really trust Xu Meng.

If he trusted him, he wouldn’t have come here and said those things.

Qin Fang’s silence spoke volumes.

A bitter expression on his face, Xu Meng stood stunned for a moment before suddenly scooping up another ladleful of water and gulping it down. Finally, he tossed the ladle aside, a look of grim resolve in his eyes.

He looked at Qin Fang and said solemnly, "Brother Qin, this life of mine was given to me by you and Master Zhou. If you want it, you can take it at any time. But I, Xu Meng, am no traitor! Please, Brother Qin, give me a chance... a chance to prove myself."

Qin Fang calmly looked at him. "How will you prove it?"

"Isn’t there a problem with Ganlu Hall?"

His eyes turned bloodshot as he said savagely, "I’ll be your vanguard. I’ll use my life to help you get to the bottom of Ganlu Hall, Brother Qin!"

Qin Fang was silent for a moment, then asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"I’ll go to Ganlu Hall right now and kill that Shopkeeper Lin with my own hands! ...Let’s see if he’s also a monster in human skin!"

Killing intent poured off Xu Meng.

Qin Fang remained silent.

But after a moment, he just shook his head without a word.

Xu Meng froze. Then, as if his spine had been ripped out, he seemed to deflate completely.

"You won’t even give me this chance?"

He asked bitterly.

Qin Fang closed his eyes. A long time later, he opened them again and said calmly, "Brother Xu, I’m sorry."

Xu Meng looked up at him, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, his face stiff. After a long moment, he let out a dejected sigh, his gaze darkening. "If that’s how it is... fine. I’ll prove myself another way."

He looked at Qin Fang and said with sincere earnestness, "I, Xu Meng, am not a man who would betray his friends!"

After saying this, before Qin Fang could react, he raised his hand and slammed it toward his own head!

...He was a Mingjin Martial Artist. This strike packed more than enough force.

He was actually choosing to kill himself to prove his innocence!

Qin Fang’s eyelids twitched, and his hand even moved slightly, but in the end, it remained still.

Just as the palm was about to land on his head, it suddenly stopped, no more than an inch from the top of Xu Meng’s head.

In the next instant, Xu Meng shot into motion, whirling around to flee!

Qin Fang let out a long breath.

Just as Xu Meng was about to rush out of the courtyard, a glint of dark light pierced through his throat.

His entire body went rigid. With great difficulty, he turned his head to look at Qin Fang under the eaves, an expression of utter disbelief on his face...

He seemed unable to believe that Qin Fang had really attacked him.

His mouth worked twice. Blood slowly trickled from the hole in his throat and the corners of his mouth. Finally, he collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay still...

In the end, Xu Meng was dead.

Qin Fang gazed at Xu Meng’s body on the ground, his eyes complex.

In truth, Xu Meng’s performance had moved Qin Fang.

For a moment, he had truly begun to waver. He’d even been on the verge of stopping the suicide attempt...

It wasn’t that Xu Meng’s performance hadn’t been flawless.

It was just that...

To Qin Fang, the safety of his senior brother and master came first.

He had to eliminate even the slightest possibility of them being exposed.

Therefore, he would rather bear the self-reproach, even the guilt, and still choose to watch Xu Meng die.

’Even if that palm strike had truly landed, I wouldn’t have moved.’

But in the end, at the final moment, Xu Meng ultimately couldn’t withstand the test of life and death. He gave up on suicide and chose to flee for his life.

But this choice also made Qin Fang let out a long sigh of relief...

...If that palm strike had truly connected, Qin Fang would likely have been tormented by it for a long time.

But now...

He looked at Xu Meng and sighed softly.

His feelings were still a complicated mess.

Even though Xu Meng had ultimately abandoned suicide, Qin Fang didn’t feel he had done anything wrong.

At least while he was alive, their interactions had always been pleasant.

And Xu Meng had never truly wronged him.

It’s just that...

There is a great terror that lies between life and death.

To fear death and cling to life... it’s the instinct of all living creatures.

’Take me, for example... My entire journey, from a refugee to where I am now... hasn’t it all been driven by that same powerful instinct to fear death and cling to life?’