Hengnan County was not large to begin with, and Su Chen and the others moved quickly. Before long, they had arrived beneath the brothel from the Zhao Residence.
"brother Su, do you need me to arrange men to help surround and kill Tian Boguang?" Captain Xing asked.
Su Chen shook his head. "No need. Tian Boguang alone is not worth your assistance. Just wait for me downstairs."
With that, Su Chen entered the brothel alone.
The brothel was filled with song and dance, surrounded by charming beauties. A faintly seductive atmosphere permeated every corner, making one's heart itch.
Seeing a handsome, sturdy young man arrive, quite a few singing girls immediately set their sights on Su Chen and began casting flirtatious glances his way.
Su Chen remained unmoved, his gaze searching the second floor.
Very quickly, he found Tian Boguang by a window on the eastern side of the second floor.
After spotting Tian Boguang, Su Chen did not hesitate. Carrying his blade, he headed straight upstairs.
At the same time, on the second floor.
Tian Boguang was engaged in an unusual "seated duel" with Linghu Chong.
A seated duel meant that both sides agreed to remain seated in their chairs without moving even half a step, fighting each other within that tiny space.
Whoever could no longer endure it and left their chair first would lose.
This seated duel had begun because Linghu Chong wanted to protect Yi Lin's chastity from Tian Boguang.
Unfortunately, his martial arts were lacking, and he was no match for Tian Boguang.
Left with no choice, he could only resort to an unorthodox approach, hoping to win with some unexpected move.
However, he had still overestimated himself and underestimated Tian Boguang.
Seated in his chair, Tian Boguang casually slashed out.
The slash appeared careless, yet it was swift as lightning.
Linghu Chong had not even seen the path of the blade clearly before pain flared in his chest. A bloody wound had already been cut open there.
Seeing Linghu Chong injured, Yi Lin could not help crying out, "Senior Brother Linghu..."
"Shut up!" Linghu Chong snapped impatiently, then raised his sword again and continued fighting Tian Boguang.
The two exchanged blow after blow, blades and swords crossing.
Amid the repeated clangs of blade and sword, more than a dozen bloody wounds appeared on Linghu Chong's body. He was practically about to become a man of blood.
"Brother Linghu, stop now. If we keep fighting, I'm afraid your little life won't be safe," Tian Boguang advised, yet the blade in his hand showed no sign of slowing. Slash after slash, it continued toward Linghu Chong.
"Brother Tian, this has only just begun. How can we stop?" Linghu Chong gritted his teeth and swung his longsword to meet Tian Boguang's swift blade.
"If your Master Yue Buqun were here, he might be able to defeat me. As for you, go home and train for a few more years."
As Tian Boguang spoke, his blade suddenly quickened, like a fierce storm, leaving Linghu Chong struggling to defend himself.
Linghu Chong was greatly alarmed, and even a trace of fear rose within him.
He had originally thought that Tian Boguang's previous speed had already been his limit.
Yet he had never expected his blade to grow faster still, more than twice as fast as before.
Could it be that only experts like Master and the others can defeat Tian Boguang?
As the wounds on his body multiplied, Linghu Chong's mood grew heavier and heavier.
As the Huashan Sect's chief disciple, he had always considered his martial arts formidable. Whenever he roamed the martial world, he had been exceedingly proud.
Yet now, facing a mere lecherous thief, he did not even have the strength to defend himself.
For a moment, deep disappointment and frustration filled Linghu Chong's heart.
Seeing this, Yi Lin could no longer bear it.
Though she cared about her own chastity, she could not bear to watch someone die while protecting her.
"Stop! Don't fight anymore. I'm willing to accompany you... accompany you to bed, as long as you don't hurt Senior Brother Linghu."
After saying those words, Yi Lin's face was already flushed crimson, and all the strength seemed to have been drained from her body.
"No!" Linghu Chong shouted.
"Haha." Tian Boguang laughed loudly. "Brother Linghu, the little nun has agreed. What are you still struggling for?"
As his voice fell, he slashed out again. This slash was even faster and fiercer, sending Linghu Chong flying backwards.
Linghu Chong crashed to the ground and spat blood. He wanted to rise, but he no longer had the strength.
"Senior Brother Linghu..." Yi Lin cried out and wanted to help him up, but Tian Boguang stopped her.
"Don't worry, little nun. He won't die yet. Let's hurry up. You can come out and bandage him afterward."
As he spoke, Tian Boguang reached out to touch Yi Lin's cheek.
However, just as his right hand extended halfway, it was as though he had touched burning coals. He quickly withdrew it.
A trace of solemnity appeared on his face.
"What fierce killing intent. Which master is this?" Tian Boguang held his blade before his chest and stared warily toward the stairway.
"Step... step... step..."
Amid steady footsteps, a lean man dressed in black fitted clothes, with a ring-pommel saber at his waist, climbed to the second floor.
This man was Su Chen.
"A monk?"
Looking at Su Chen's neatly cropped hair, Tian Boguang muttered to himself.
"Monk, are you here to save this little nun?"
Before Su Chen could respond, Tian Boguang began laughing to himself.
"Of course. A monk saving a nun—that makes perfect sense."
Beside them, the already despairing Yi Lin's eyes brightened when she saw Su Chen arrive.
But they quickly dimmed again.
This senior brother looks about the same age as us. His martial arts likely aren't much better than ours, perhaps only equal to Senior Brother Linghu. How could he be a match for this lecherous thief?
I must not let him be injured because of me as well.
With that thought, Yi Lin said, "Senior brother, please leave quickly. This lecherous thief's martial arts are extremely high. If you are injured because of Yi Lin, then I truly would have committed a sin..."
Su Chen did not respond. He looked at Tian Boguang, his gaze cold and murderous.
The next moment, the ring-pommel saber at his waist slid from its sheath without warning.
He turned into a sharp arrow and charged toward Tian Boguang.
"So fast..." Tian Boguang was startled as well.
Su Chen's speed had exceeded his expectations.
He knew that dodging now would only expose an opening to Su Chen.
Relying on instinct, he raised his short blade above his head to block Su Chen's downward slash.
Crack.
The sound of metal grinding rang out as the short blade in Tian Boguang's hand was forcibly split in two by Su Chen.
Seeing his short blade split in two, Tian Boguang felt a chill run through his heart.
His blade was no ordinary weapon.
It had been forged from hundred-tempered steel and had accompanied him through the martial world for over a decade. It was exceptionally sturdy and sharp.
Yet now, it had been split apart by a single slash from the man before him.
That did not merely require an exceptionally sharp blade. It also proved that the man's martial arts were extremely high.
At the very least, higher than his own.
In an instant, Tian Boguang realized this.
"This man's martial arts are formidable. I cannot fight him. Running is best."
"My lightness skill is unmatched in the martial world. If I truly want to flee, no one can do anything to me."
"Little monk, I'll play with you another day." As Tian Boguang spoke, he casually threw the broken half of his blade at Su Chen.
Then, without looking back, he leaped through the nearby window.
Unfortunately, Tian Boguang had misjudged Su Chen's strength.
Before leaving Fuzhou for Hengyang, Su Chen had already raised Tread Snow Without Trace to the Grand Completion realm.
In terms of lightness skill speed, Su Chen was far faster than Tian Boguang.
Su Chen exerted force beneath his feet and shot forward at extreme speed, too fast for the naked eye to follow.
In the blink of an eye, he had already blocked Tian Boguang's path.
Gripping his ring-pommel saber, he swept it horizontally.
At that moment, Tian Boguang was still looking back toward the brothel window.
Not seeing any trace of Su Chen, he felt somewhat bewildered.
Where did that little monk go? Tian Boguang thought. Then he suddenly sensed a fierce blade intent coming from ahead.
Just as he turned his head forward, Su Chen's saber had already reached his eyes.
"What?" Tian Boguang was shocked, but there was no time to dodge. He could only watch as the ring-pommel saber grew larger and larger before his eyes.
Rip.
The blade swept across his neck, beheading him with a single slash.
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