A Man Must Kill!

In early March, all things stirred back to life, yet a chill still lingered in the mountain forest.

The sun rose, the beasts returned to their dens, and the entire forest fell silent. Only unknown birds chirped from the branches.

Whoosh!

A black shadow raced through the woods like an agile leopard—it was Facai!

Facai nimbly darted through the forest, sometimes stopping to climb a tree and sniff around, sometimes abruptly changing direction and speeding away.

Behind him, Chen Yan chased at a furious pace, his face flushed red as the blood throughout his body boiled hot and sweat steamed from him.

Yet Chen Yan's expression remained calm, neither sorrowful nor pleased.

Thus, one man and one cat, one behind and one ahead, raced from the blazing midday sun until sunset beyond the western hills.

Under the night curtain, even the insects seemed silent in the forest, making it feel cold and deathly still.

Suddenly!

Facai, leading the way ahead, came to an abrupt halt. He then lowered himself and crouched in the grass before turning back to look at Chen Yan.

Seeing this, Chen Yan's gaze sharpened. His footsteps halted as well, and he narrowed his eyes at the distance ahead.

At the very edge of his vision, faint points of firelight flickered.

The moment he saw the firelight, Chen Yan knew that after tracking them for an entire day, he had finally caught up with Ding Feihu and his group.

A cold gleam flashed through his eyes. Chen Yan held his breath and quietly approached the firelight, then silently crouched down fifty meters away to recover his strength.

Chen Yan was in no hurry.

He had thought long and hard before deciding to pursue them alone.

Though the enemy seemed numerous, the only ones who could threaten him were a few Qi and Blood Martial Artists, Ding Feihu among them. The rest were nothing more than a pack of clay chickens and pottery dogs.

Strictly speaking, the only true threats were Ding Feihu and Lu Qing, both in the Third Blood Qi Realm.

But even within the Third Blood Qi Realm, there were differences in strength.

With the Blood Fiend Saber Technique at the peak of perfection, coupled with Dragon Step at the level of mastery, Chen Yan was confident that even veteran Third Blood Qi Realm Martial Masters might not be his match, let alone when he still had Old Daoist Liu's talismans as his trump card.

Of course, if things proved impossible, he would not act rashly. At worst, he could wait for Old Daoist Liu's support.

Chen Yan desperately wanted to slaughter these beasts, but he would not be so impulsive as to pay for it with his life.

He waited.

He waited for the right moment to strike.

Meanwhile, beside the campfire, a lean, tall, muscular man with a sinister face and a saber scar at the corner of his eye gulped down a mouthful of wine. At his waist, a Tiger Head Saber glinted coldly in the firelight.

His face flushed with drink, the man threw back his head and laughed. "Refreshing! We've been holding it in for over half a month. Today, we finally killed to our hearts' content!"

The moment he spoke, several mountain bandits around him chimed in.

"Ha ha ha! Second Boss is right! We hid in the mountains for half a month, damn near rotting our birds off. That little chick yesterday wasn't bad, though she was a little too skinny. I nearly crushed my balls when I shoved it in!"

"Ha ha ha ha! Mountain Dog, you useless bastard. Widows are better—round and plump. She even dared resist at first, but the moment I put a blade to her son's neck, she immediately gave in. I took her right in front of her son, then chopped her son to pieces right in front of her. You should've seen that widow's eyes before she died! Ha ha ha ha!"

By the campfire, Ma Wenfeng, the Fourth Boss, who looked like an old farmer, gazed worriedly at the burly man seated in the place of honor. "Big Brother, isn't this a little inappropriate? What if we provoke the authorities and the Heavenly Supervision Department sends the Flying Fish Guard after us?"

"Fourth Brother, you worry too much."

Before Ding Feihu could reply, the lean, scar-faced Lu Qing waved a hand dismissively. "How could there be such a coincidence? Besides, even if we do happen to run into them, so what? The Flying Fish Guard are men, not gods. With so many of us here, are we supposed to fear them?"

Lu Qing's words immediately won the agreement of the other mountain bandits.

"Exactly! So what if they're the Flying Fish Guard? If they dare come, I'll kill one for every one that comes, and a pair for every two! I'd like to see just how impressive these famed Flying Fish Guards are. Do they have two heads? Can't one swing of my saber chop apart the heads of these Imperial Court lapdogs? Ha ha ha!"

"Right! Kill them! Kill them all! Ha ha ha!"

At the head of the gathering, Ding Feihu—burly as an iron tower—looked at Ma Wenfeng and said, "Fourth Brother, Second Brother's words may be exaggerated, but they are not without reason. According to the news I received, the Flying Fish Guard are short on manpower. Their experts are all busy dealing with those evil cultivators and ghosts. As for ordinary Flying Fish Guards, there's no need for us to fear them if they come."

Seeing that worry still lingered in Ma Wenfeng's eyes, Ding Feihu added, "Don't worry. Once we reach Xiangxi Commandery, the Mount Lao Daoist Sect will be there. The Heavenly Supervision Department won't dare act rashly."

"All right, then."

Though concern still filled his heart, since Ding Feihu had said so, Ma Wenfeng could only force down his unease.

"Enough, Fourth Brother! Did last night's woman fail to satisfy you, or have you simply killed too few people? How about this—once we get to Xiangxi Commandery, we'll pull another job. You get first go at the prettiest woman. How's that?"

Lu Qing laughed loudly, slung an arm around Ma Wenfeng's shoulders, and handed him the wine in his hand.

Ma Wenfeng forced a smile, accepted the wine, and drank it, but it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Time flew by. After midnight came the darkest hour of the night, when people were most likely to grow drowsy.

By then, the campfire had gone out, and snores rose and fell all around. Even the sentry on watch had curled into a ball and nodded off.

In the darkness, Chen Yan, who had been hiding for a long time, stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips.

He knew that the opportunity he had waited so long for...

Had finally arrived.

Chen Yan crouched low and quietly approached Ding Feihu and the others like a tabby cat.

He secretly employed Dragon Step. His feet made not the slightest sound against the ground, and he moved like a ghost.

Meanwhile.

Lu Qing, deep in sleep, was awoken by the pressure of urine. Drunk and bleary-eyed, he kicked aside a sleeping bandit blocking his way, staggered to the edge of the camp, undid his belt, and prepared to relieve himself.

Just then!

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure in the darkness sweeping out a streak of snow-white saber light, slashing toward him with ferocious savagery!

The Sha Qi was sharp, the killing intent overwhelming.

With only one glance, Lu Qing could almost feel the incomparably intense, utterly pure will of the saber wielder:

Die!

"Who goes there?!"

Lu Qing was shocked and enraged. Urine splashed down his trouser leg, but in the face of mortal danger, how could he care about that?

In his haste, Lu Qing only had time to draw his saber and block sideways.

But what answered him was the sound of a freezing saber light tearing through the air!

Ultimate strength combined with ultimate speed, unleashing ultimate destructive power!

Clang!

The Fish Dragon Saber struck directly at the Tiger Head Saber's weak point of leverage. A crisp clash of metal rang out, followed by a sharp crack as Lu Qing's Tiger Head Saber snapped in half at the middle.

The Fish Dragon Saber, gleaming coldly in the darkness, cleaved through the Tiger Head Saber and swept onward without losing momentum.

Splat!

A head as large as a measure bucket soared into the sky, its eyes still filled with shock, fury, and unwillingness. Blood gushed from the severed neck.

It soaked Chen Yan's lapels and dyed his eyes red.

Lu Qing, dead!!!

Thanks to boss Qie Yin Qingfeng for the 500 coin reward~