In fact, back at the Spring Rain Building, Chen Yi had planned to wait for his reward before leaving.

But when everyone else left and he still hadn’t received the Opportunity reward, he knew that either Black Tooth or the Lady Tiger was watching him and Liu Lang.

The same was true after they left the Spring Rain Building.

He appeared to walk at an unhurried pace, but in reality, he was constantly on guard against his surroundings.

At the same time, he had secretly been at work, sprinkling Immortal Drunk and Qingfeng Drunk along their path.

But when they reached Black Tooth’s territory without any sign of movement, how could he not have guessed his pursuers’ intentions?

After weighing his options, he decided to deal with the tail right here.

It was the only way to keep his and Liu Lang’s location from being exposed.

Elder Demon Fang was naturally unaware of his thoughts, but he heard his curses, and his eyes grew even colder.

"You’ve humiliated me three times now. Do you really think you can defeat me with just your Great Success Saber Dao and Fist Dao?"

As he spoke, he slowly closed in. "I’ve roamed the Jianghu for decades, and I’ve never seen scum so eager to be reincarnated."

Seeing this, Liu Lang placed his hand on his blade’s hilt and drew it two inches, revealing a glint of cold light.

"If victory were decided by Cultivation level alone, wouldn’t soldiers just surrender whenever they faced an enemy general?"

"To put it simply, Elder Demon Fang, even if your Cultivation is higher, your Technique is unrefined. You’re still a far cry from a true top-tier expert."

"In a life-or-death battle, why would I fear your clumsy Fist and Foot skills?"

As his voice fell, his Sword Intent took shape.

Like a silvery-white thread, it shot across twenty feet to land right in front of Elder Demon Fang.

Fierce, domineering, and utterly sharp.

Elder Demon Fang also felt that sharp Sword Intent, but he didn’t dodge. He simply protected his body with True Essence Gang Qi.

His robes instantly billowed and surged.

SHIING—

A sound like a blade striking an iron shield rang out. Through the veil of rain, sparks seemed to fly from Elder Demon Fang’s body.

Elder Demon Fang blocked the Sword Intent, but the impact forced him back a step.

Even so, he had blocked it.

Elder Demon Fang stared at the two, a savage sneer twitching at the corner of his eye. "Sword Madman? Heh. Your blade isn’t mad enough, nor is it sharp enough!"

The moment he finished speaking, he stomped forward, his True Essence Gang Qi solidifying into claws around his hands.

He then flicked his hands, sending two Eagle Claw strikes flying out.

A heavy pressure, infused with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and a hint of Fist Intent, repelled the driving rain from the claw-shaped Gang Qi.

In the blink of an eye, it pierced the curtain of rain and arrived before Liu Lang and Chen Yi.

Seeing Liu Lang about to draw his blade to meet the attack head-on, Chen Yi uttered a single word, "Dodge."

The two dodged to the left and right.

Immediately, two deafening roars erupted behind them.

Chen Yi glanced to the side and saw that the house at the end of the alley had completely collapsed, while two millstone-sized claw marks were gouged into a nearby wall.

It was a clear testament to the power of Elder Demon Fang’s move.

Liu Lang also realized that even if they teamed up, they were no match for Elder Demon Fang. The gap in their Cultivation was just too large.

Even though Elder Demon Fang’s Fist Intent was unrefined, at only Minor Success, his Upper Three Grades Cultivation was enough. His protective Gang Qi alone could block their Great Success Dao Realms, putting him in an inherently invincible position.

Keeping his eyes on Elder Demon Fang, Liu Lang turned sideways, drew the long blade from his waist, and gestured to Chen Yi. "Boss?"

Chen Yi’s gaze swept over the long blade. Seeing that the blade’s body was only a palm’s length and utterly useless for fighting, he asked, half amused and half exasperated:

"It’s been a few days. You never thought about getting a new blade?"

"Haven’t found one that feels right."

"So, do we run or fight?"

Chen Yi shook his head and told him there was no rush. Then, he looked at the charging Elder Demon Fang and called out:

"Black Tooth, if you don’t come out now, you can come collect his corpse."

Liu Lang froze, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

’It’s good that the boss is confident, but how are the two of us supposed to kill Elder Demon Fang?’

Hearing this, Elder Demon Fang flew into a greater rage. "Brat, you’re courting death!"

He immediately pushed off the ground, spread his arms to the sides, and dove toward them like a falcon.

Just then, an icy voice rang out. "Stop."

"Black Tooth, this is a grudge between them and me! Even if you’re an Elder of the Bright Moon Building, this is none of your business!"

Seeing that Elder Demon Fang had no intention of stopping, Black Tooth appeared before Chen Yi and Liu Lang like a phantom.

Then, he flicked a finger at Elder Demon Fang.

Instantly, with a rustle like a light breeze through willow branches, Elder Demon Fang’s forward momentum halted, and he was sent flying backward.

He didn’t manage to stop himself until he was back at the alley’s entrance, bracing himself on his hands and feet.

He raised his head and glared furiously at Black Tooth. "You?!"

Black Tooth, still wearing his mask, looked at him coldly. "What?"

Elder Demon Fang looked at him, then at Chen Yi and Liu Lang behind him, and gritted his teeth.

"...Black Tooth, today, I’ll spare them out of respect for you."

"But this doesn’t mean I’ll let them off in the future. This isn’t over!"

With that, Elder Demon Fang turned to leave.

But before he could take three steps, his vision suddenly went black, and his limbs grew weak and numb, forcing him to lean against a wall for support.

"What’s happening to me..."

Elder Demon Fang shook his head, but he couldn’t stay conscious any longer and collapsed to the ground.

SPLASH.

"Hm?"

Black Tooth froze at the sight, then immediately understood. He turned his head to look at Chen Yi behind him, an inscrutable light flickering in his eyes.

"Brother Liu, what a fine move."

Chen Yi met his gaze, glanced at Elder Demon Fang out of the corner of his eye, and said with feigned displeasure:

"This is the man you found?"

"With a mind like that, forget about accomplishing anything great. I’d say he even lacks the ability to provide support from the outside."

"If not for the respect I have for your Bright Moon Building, he would already be a corpse."

Black Tooth was silent.

After a moment, he finally sighed. "My apologies, Brother Liu. I will be sure to give you a satisfactory explanation for this matter."

"That would be best."

"Otherwise, how can we conspire to achieve great things if some fool without eyes keeps jumping out?"

"Brother Liu is right."

After a few more pleasantries, Chen Yi chuckled as he watched Elder Demon Fang struggling to get up in the distance.

"I’ll leave *them* to you."

With that, he and Liu Lang headed straight for the West Market.

Black Tooth watched them walk away and stood silently for a moment before turning to look at Elder Demon Fang.

"’Them?’"

’There are others?’

「Not long after.」

When Black Tooth reached Elder Demon Fang’s side and glanced at the scene in Yanhua Lane, he suddenly started laughing.

His laughter was a mixture of astonishment, pleasant surprise, and a trace of confusion.

From the Spring Rain Building to where he stood, a distance of just a few hundred feet, more than a dozen men in black lay scattered about.

Among them were his own men from the Bright Moon Building, as well as some Jianghu People who had come for the deal.

Even the petite Lou Yuxue seemed to have fallen for it. She was leaning against a corner wall, her head tilted up at the sky, using the cold rain to force herself to stay awake.

As he laughed, Black Tooth’s eyes swept over Elder Demon Fang, who had managed to get back on his feet, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"I can tolerate your lack of strength and your simple mind. I can even overlook your impulsiveness."

"But you should never, ever have brought such disgrace upon the Bright Moon Building."

Hearing this, Elder Demon Fang looked at him dazedly. "What?"

Before he could figure it out, he saw a black shadow flash before his eyes, and the world began to spin.

THWACK.

RUMBLE RUMBLE.

Elder Demon Fang’s head flew through the air, hit the wall, then bounced to the ground and rolled a few times. His eyes suddenly widened, staring blankly at Black Tooth.

"You, you..."

"Hmph!"

As if too lazy to waste any more words on him, Black Tooth flicked out a finger.

BANG.

A spray of red and white exploded in the rain.

Black Tooth spared it a glance before heading toward the Spring Rain Building.

As he passed by Lou Yuxue, he spoke coldly, "Clean this up."

Before his voice had even faded, his figure had already vanished into the curtain of rain.

「A good while later.」

Lou Yuxue shook her head. When she came to her senses and saw the figures lying all over the ground, a flash of anger crossed her eyes.

"Liu Wu!"

...

Chen Yi led Liu Lang on a long, deliberate detour. Soon, a screen of light appeared before his eyes—

[Witnessed the Bright Moon Building gathering a host of Evil Demons to discuss a major affair. Reward: Mountain Shattering Fist tier upgraded to Earth Tier, Opportunity +100.]

[Evaluation: You arrived, you heard, you saw the scene. As an infiltrator, you participated in the Bright Moon Building’s major affair, gaining the trust of the Bright Moon Building and the Hidden Guard. You engineered the murder of Fang Zhengtai. You intimidated a host of Evil Demons. Performance: Satisfactory.]

Only after the Profound Mysteries of the Earth Tier Mountain Shattering Fist Technique flooded his mind did Chen Yi let out a long breath and signal for Liu Lang to return to their lodging.

「Not long after.」

The two entered their courtyard and woke up Zhang Dabao to fetch them some towels.

Chen Yi wiped the rain from his body and handed the towel to Liu Lang.

Liu Lang took it and began to dry his long hair, asking in confusion:

"Boss, when did you use the sedative? Even I didn’t notice a thing."

"If even you could detect it, how would Elder Demon Fang, who is so much stronger than you, have fallen for it?"

"...Give me a good blade, and I’ll chop him to death!"

At his words, a thought stirred in Chen Yi’s mind. He smiled and said, "In a couple of days, I’ll find a good blade for you."

"How good?"

"It’s a treasure from the Xiao Family’s vault. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Liu Lang grinned. "I knew you had a deep connection with the Xiao Family, Boss. The cat’s out of the bag now, huh?"

’The cat’s out of the bag?’

Chen Yi shook his head inwardly.

He had simply been observing Liu Lang’s recent performance and had come to trust him a little.

Besides, he now understood the situation with Black Tooth and had a clearer idea of his subsequent plans.

So, there were some things he no longer intended to hide from Liu Lang.

They chatted for a bit.

After drying himself off, Liu Lang thought for a moment and asked, "There’s one more thing I don’t understand."

"Since we had the chance just now, why did you call Black Tooth over? Wouldn’t killing Elder Demon Fang ourselves have solved the problem once and for all?"

Chen Yi leaned back in his chair, mulling over his next steps as he replied:

"It was unnecessary, and it would have caused more trouble."

"Our goal this time is just to participate in that deal, not to get into a pissing contest with those Evil Demons."

"If we had killed Elder Demon Fang ourselves, it would have only made Black Tooth suspicious, which would have been bad for us."

After a pause, Chen Yi looked out the window, a smile playing on his lips. "But I don’t think Elder Demon Fang will meet a good end anyway."

Liu Lang shook his head and sighed. "I really don’t know how your brain works."

Once again, he felt that people who used their heads were too much trouble. A straightforward, life-or-death fight was much more satisfying.

Chen Yi just smiled, not bothering with his thoughts.

’If I were strong enough right now, I wouldn’t need to use my brain. I would’ve just gone to the Spring Rain Building and slaughtered them all.’

After a moment of thought, Chen Yi spoke up. "Next, there are two things I need you to do."

Liu Lang raised an eyebrow. "Is this in exchange for that good blade? Or does it count toward the thirty tasks I promised you?"

"Up to you."

Chen Yi said nonchalantly, continuing, "First, tomorrow, I need you to find out where the people from the Jing State Liu Family are staying. You and I will need to meet with that Second Young Master Liu later."

"Meet them? Why?"

"With a brain like yours, do you think it would do any good if I told you?"

"...You’re the boss. Whatever you say."

Chen Yi ignored the resentful look in his eyes and continued with his instructions. "I remember you said before that you wanted to thank Xiao Jinghong for sparing your life?"

"Now’s your chance."

"I need to write a letter to her in your name."

This time, Liu Lang understood and said cheerfully, "You want to leak this matter to General Jinghong?"

Chen Yi nodded and asked him to get a brush and paper and write a few characters.

Although Liu Lang was confused, remembering how he had just been mocked, he obediently took the brush and wrote a few characters.

The strokes were all there—horizontals, verticals, slants, and hooks—but they looked as if they were about to fall apart.

Seemingly sensing Chen Yi’s gaze, Liu Lang scratched his head and said with some embarrassment:

"My master never let me study or write..."

Chen Yi shook his head, chalking it up to the obsessive-compulsive tendencies that came with his Perfection in the Calligraphy Dao.

Then, suppressing the intense, visceral revulsion, he forced himself to start writing in Liu Lang’s handwriting.

[For General Jinghong’s eyes only:

Black Tooth of the Bright Moon Building has gathered a host of the Evil Demonic Dao. They intend to burn the summer grain supply of the Three Towns. I urge you to prepare in advance.

Additionally, the ones carrying out the act may be inside men from the Three Towns’ garrison.

—The Sword Madman.]

After finishing, Chen Yi read it over, an expression of disgust appearing on his face.

"This handwriting is so f***ing ugly."

Liu Lang: "..."