Courage

Fan Lang and Li Yunyan reacted quickly, immediately reining in their mounts and forcibly bringing them to a halt.

A Xuanzong's senses were extremely sharp. Since that expert had sensed something amiss, there had to be a problem.

Fan Lang frowned slightly and activated the Eye of the Dragon, sweeping his gaze over the surroundings.

At the Xuanling realm, the higher one's level, the stronger the Spirit Eye's effect became. One could see farther and more clearly. After scanning the area, Fan Lang spotted four figures. These four unknown individuals stood in four different directions, forming an encirclement around them. Clearly, they meant no good.

The expert sent by the City Lord's Mansion was named Huang Wenzhong. He was responsible for protecting Fan Lang and stepped forward to address them. "Four friends, we are from the City Lord's Mansion and are merely passing through. We have no intention of causing trouble. How about we each go our separate ways along Yangguan Road?"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The four figures darted swiftly through the forest, moving as fast as ghosts. In the blink of an eye, they arrived nearby and openly revealed themselves atop four trees.

The four were shrouded in mystery. All of them wore black robes and masks, their faces hidden and identities impossible to discern.

The only thing certain was their strength. Judging from the way they had rushed over, every one of them was at the Xuanzong realm!

Four Xuanzongs!

Xuanzongs were immensely powerful and far beyond reach. There were fewer than ten Xuanzongs in all of Wind Cloud City, yet four had appeared at once, their blades pointed directly at Fan Lang and his group.

Fan Lang's expression changed slightly as he felt enormous pressure.

With his strength, dealing with one Xuanzong was no problem. He could fight two as well, but three or more would be dangerous. After all, even cheating had its limits.

There was already a vast difference between Xuanlings and Xuanzongs, let alone four Xuanzongs appearing at once.

If these four wanted his life, it would be extremely troublesome.

Huang Wenzhong was even more nervous than Fan Lang. He placed a hand on his weapon and asked in a low voice, "What do you four mean by this?"

One of the Black-Clothed Men replied, "We came to kill someone."

"Who?"

"Fan Lang!"

"A genius has just emerged from the City Lord's Mansion, and you people immediately came to assassinate him. The only ones capable of doing such a thing are the Murong Family and the Silver Moon Merchant Guild."

The Black-Clothed Man neither confirmed nor denied it.

The next moment, the auras of all four Black-Clothed Men erupted as they prepared for battle, startling the birds and beasts in the forest. Sensing the threat of death, they scattered and fled.

A bead of cold sweat formed on Huang Wenzhong's forehead. With only himself and two Xuanlings, they had no chance of winning.

He was a bodyguard, but that did not mean he intended to be buried alongside Fan Lang. The reason he had survived until today was because he knew how to adapt.

"Please do as you wish, gentlemen. Huang will not accompany you."

Huang Wenzhong used a protective secret art, creating a glittering golden phantom around himself to shield his body. Then he rushed forward, abandoning Fan Lang and Li Yunyan without a second thought.

None of the four Black-Clothed Men moved. Their only target was Fan Lang, so Huang Wenzhong's escape benefited them. As for information being leaked, they did not care. Even if no one leaked anything, the City Lord's Mansion would guess who had struck. It was even more impossible to call for reinforcements in time; they were still far from Wind Cloud City. By the time the City Lord's Mansion sent anyone, Fan Lang's corpse would already be cold.

Fan Lang watched Huang Wenzhong flee and cursed, "Damn it, you betrayed me the moment you turned around? What kind of bullshit is this!"

They had already been at a disadvantage, and with Huang Wenzhong gone, things became even worse. If the four Xuanzongs attacked together, he and Li Yunyan would undoubtedly die.

Faced with such danger, Fan Lang did not want to drag Li Yunyan down with him. "Yan'er, he has already left. You should go too. These people only want me; this has nothing to do with you."

If Li Yunyan wanted to leave, she truly had a chance of escaping. Her eyes flickered as she hesitated again and again. Yet her feet did not move. Instead, as if possessed, she drew her twin blades.

"I'm not leaving."

Three words declared her resolve.

A resolve to live and die together.

"Do you have a thing for me?" Fan Lang asked.

Li Yunyan sheathed her blades and turned to leave.

"Hey, don't go, don't go. I won't ask nonsense anymore," Fan Lang hurriedly said.

Only then did Li Yunyan return.

The four Black-Clothed Men could no longer stand watching this farce. They exchanged glances, and killing intent surged from them.

Were they really going to fight four against two, with two Xuanlings facing four Xuanzongs?

Of course not. There was no need for that.

"Don't attack yet. I have something to say! What I'm about to say concerns the lives of all of you!" Fan Lang shouted.

The four Black-Clothed Men froze. They did not attack for the moment, but they tightened their encirclement.

"You're at death's door. What could you possibly have to say?" one Black-Clothed Man coldly asked.

"Relax, I won't say much. I'll be done in a few sentences. I only want to say that after you kill me, someone will avenge me. You, your families, your friends, your masters, the forces behind you—even your nine generations—will all be slaughtered. My talent and strength are obvious to all. Could someone like me possibly have no backing? This tiny City Lord's Mansion is nothing more than a stepping stone for me. The power backing me is far beyond the City Lord's Mansion, and not something you can afford to offend." Fan Lang spoke unhurriedly, utterly calm.

"Heh, you think you can scare us off with words like that? No chance!"

"A seventeen-year-old Xuanling with strength comparable to a Xuanzong. If you think this tiny City Lord's Mansion could cultivate a genius like that, there's nothing I can do about it. If I've run into a bunch of idiots, then I'll have to accept my fate. My death alone will drag your nine generations down with me. That's worth it. Don't think hiding your faces will conceal your identities. Finding out who you are would be ridiculously easy."

Fan Lang remained as calm as ever, without the slightest hint of fear. Even his heartbeat was steady, as though he had nothing to fear.

The more he acted that way, the more believable he seemed.

His words were not baseless. Fan Lang's strength was indeed monstrous, enough to make both the Silver Moon Merchant Guild and the Murong Family uneasy. It was entirely reasonable for such a genius to have a powerful master or a great faction supporting him.

The four Black-Clothed Men could no longer laugh. They exchanged glances, clearly wavering.

Fan Lang struck while the iron was hot and continued, "Kill me, and we all die together. Let me go, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened. You can sleep soundly, and the forces behind you can continue developing as usual. That benefits everyone. I guarantee that I will not settle accounts after the harvest. We'll mind our own business and leave each other alone. I'm a magnanimous man; I won't take such a minor matter to heart. You can rest assured."

"I've said all there is to say. More words are pointless. Whether you kill me or let me go is up to you."

Fan Lang swept his gaze over them, locking eyes with each of the four Black-Clothed Men. Though he was at a disadvantage, his gaze was sharper than theirs.

A difficult problem now lay before the four Black-Clothed Men.

If they attacked together, they could certainly kill Fan Lang. But the risks and consequences were simply too great. Each of them had family and friends, and none wanted to drag those people into this.

Would killing this youth truly bring about a catastrophe that wiped out their nine generations?

"Who is backing you?" one Black-Clothed Man sharply asked.

The fact that he could ask such a question proved that he already believed Fan Lang's words, at least more than half of them.

Fan Lang gained a little more confidence and said mysteriously, "My master is a wandering recluse who likes to travel alone. I also have some connections with a force in the east, but it would not be convenient to say exactly which one. Knowing too much will not benefit you."

"If you don't give us details, how are we supposed to know who is backing you?" the Black-Clothed Man pressed.

"My master uses twin swords. He likes earning bounty money and specializes in killing valuable people." Fan Lang still kept things vague, refusing to speak plainly.

That information was enough. It happened to match a Dual Sword Style expert, a true god of slaughter.

The four Black-Clothed Men guessed the answer and looked at one another.

That expert was someone they truly could not afford to provoke.

"Do we gamble?" one Black-Clothed Man asked.

Another Black-Clothed Man answered with a question, asking Fan Lang, "Can you swear a poisonous oath to the heavens about what you said? If you guarantee that you will let bygones be bygones, then we will spare your life."

The Black-Clothed Man had caved.

Fan Lang smiled.