Time flew by.
Two days passed.
Jiang Dao had remained behind closed doors, sitting cross-legged at home as he carefully worked through deductions in his mind.
The reason he had fused the blade arts so quickly last time was because both were blade arts and had many points in common.
But now, one was a staff art and the other a blade art, as unrelated as wind and horses. Trying to preserve the strengths of both was no different from climbing to the heavens, so even after all these days, he had still failed to fuse them successfully.
Inside the room.
Jiang Dao opened his eyes, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
"If I can't preserve all their strengths, then preserving just one will do..."
If the fourth-layer Baleful Intent of the Mad Demon Staff Art could be incorporated into the Blood Shadow Soulchaser Blade, it would also become an extremely powerful killing move.
As for the first three realms, it made no difference to him whether he kept them or not.
With that thought, Jiang Dao closed his eyes once more and resumed his deductions in his mind.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.
Then Pang Lin's voice rang out.
"Young Master, I've obtained the blade you wanted. Take a look and see if it suits you."
Jiang Dao opened his eyes again, rose from the bed, put on his boots, and opened the door from within.
"I searched all over Fengzhou City and found this blade in a shop in the western part of the city. They say it was forged from black iron and can cut through iron like mud. I tested it myself, and it really is stronger than an ordinary steel blade!"
Pang Lin handed Jiang Dao a long blade wrapped in animal hide.
Jiang Dao took hold of the blade and lightly weighed it. It was actually more than thirty jin.
He gripped the hilt and pulled hard. With a clang, the entire blade came free from its sheath.
Its spine was thick and heavy, while its edge was razor-sharp.
The blade was over half a meter long. Rather than the usual pale color, it was black, giving it an extremely ancient feel.
"Fine blade!"
Jiang Dao praised it, then asked, "Can it withstand the corrosion of potent poison?"
"This... I haven't tested that."
Pang Lin gave a bitter smile.
Jiang Dao examined it closely, then suddenly walked into the courtyard and casually swept it out.
With a pfft, the blade struck a stone table hard, cleaving off one corner on the spot.
The cut was perfectly even, smooth as water.
It met no resistance whatsoever.
He raised the blade and inspected it carefully.
After cleaving open the stone table with a single strike, the edge showed no sign of curling at all.
An ordinary steel blade could also split a stone table, but its edge would certainly become curled and blunt.
This showed how extraordinary this long blade was.
"Not bad. Thank you for your trouble, Master Pang."
Jiang Dao said.
"Young Master is too polite!"
Pang Lin cupped his hands.
His attitude toward Jiang Dao was no longer ordinary respect, but awe that came from the depths of his heart.
Having watched Jiang Dao act repeatedly, only he knew what kind of strength this was.
It was no exaggeration to say that even if he trained for a hundred years, he could never reach Jiang Dao's level.
Jiang Dao's strength could only be described as inhuman.
Suddenly, a burst of commotion came from outside the courtyard.
Jiang Dao frowned and asked, "What's happening outside?"
"I don't know either. It sounds like... someone is causing trouble?"
Pang Lin looked puzzled.
Jiang Dao grabbed the long blade and immediately strode outside.
Pang Lin hurried after him.
From far away, they could already hear someone shouting.
"Does the grand Jiang Family not even have a few taels of silver? We brothers aren't here to rob you or anything. We just came to borrow a few taels for an emergency. What, you aren't even willing to lend us a few taels of silver? Isn't that looking down on us brothers a little too much?"
A booming voice was hollering in the front courtyard.
"Hehe, the Jiang Family invited so many people to dinner, yet they didn't invite us. Are you looking down on us? Now that we've come to your door ourselves to ask for a few taels to spend, why should the Jiang Family be so stingy?"
Another sinister laugh rang out.
Inside the front courtyard.
Jiang Dalong wore an ugly expression, shaking all over with rage.
Fang Biao and Wang Xing, standing beside him, had both been injured. Their faces were deathly pale as they were supported by others, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.
The other guards were all furious as well, gripping their sword hilts tightly.
"Quick, go call Dao'er here!"
Jiang Dalong gritted his teeth.
He had never imagined that some blind fool from the martial world would dare set his sights on the Jiang Family.
This was outrageous!
But he also knew that it must have been because he had flaunted his wealth yesterday, inviting all the wealthy gentry in the city to dine at Yan Yang Restaurant, which had drawn the covetous eyes of certain martial wanderers.
After all, the Jiang Family had not lived in Fengzhou City for many years. Now that they had arrived and ostentatiously invited guests to a feast, spending a huge sum of silver, they would naturally attract attention.
Reporting it to the authorities would be useless at a time like this. These were desperate outlaws. Never mind whether the authorities could capture them; if they provoked them, the men might very well be driven into a desperate gamble, murdering people and taking lives.
So Jiang Dalong immediately decided to summon his son.
With Jiang Dao here, dealing with these petty scoundrels would be easier than turning over his hand.
"Young Master, someone has come to extort us! Guard Wang and Guard Fang have both been injured!"
Before Jiang Dao could arrive, he encountered a servant rushing over in alarm.
"What? They're courting death!"
Pang Lin flew into a rage and was the first to rush ahead.
Jiang Dao's face darkened as well, and he sneered inwardly.
They had come to extort his family?
How interesting!
The two quickly arrived at the front courtyard.
There, six masked men stood in the front courtyard, dressed in black night clothes and holding sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and other weapons. Their gazes were sharp, and faint sneers hung on their faces.
The six men varied in height, build, and appearance.
But their eyes alone revealed that they were all vicious and ruthless men.
One of them was even a one-eyed man. A scar slashed from above his left eyelid down below it, leaving his entire left eye blind.
"Outrageous! You dare come to the Jiang Family begging for handouts without opening your dog eyes to see what kind of place this is?"
Pang Lin roared. Holding an iron staff, he leaped into the air and smashed it down toward one of the black-clothed men.
Brilliance burst from that man's eyes as he shouted, "Good timing!"
Clang!
The long blade at his waist instantly left its sheath. He leaped up and collided directly with Pang Lin.
Clang!
Blade and staff struck each other, sending sparks flying.
Both men were jolted numb in the palms by a tremendous force, their entire arms losing feeling.
Pang Lin was startled and hurriedly tried to change his move, but at that moment, another black-clothed man leaped into the air. Moving with extreme speed and wearing a sinister smile, he struck Pang Lin in the back with his palm.
Pang Lin's expression changed. Unable to respond in time, he was hit squarely by the palm strike. With a bang, he spat out blood and was sent flying sideways, smashing heavily into the distance.
"Hehe, is this your son? He's nothing special, is he? Hahahaha..."
After severely injuring Pang Lin with one palm strike, the black-clothed man landed on both feet and burst into laughter.
The other black-clothed men also all let out strange laughs.
Especially the one who had wielded the long blade just now. With a sinister grin, he said, "It seems the Jiang Family truly looks down on us. We only wanted to borrow a little travel money, yet you keep attacking us. Do you think we don't dare kill? Since that's the case, I'll kill someone for you to see!"
Whoosh!
His body became an afterimage as he pounced straight at Pang Lin. The long blade in his hand swept up a flash of cold light, slashing directly toward Pang Lin's neck to behead him with one stroke.
But just then!
A sudden change erupted.
A violent gust of wind flashed past, carrying an indescribably terrifying pressure. Like a wall of air, it suddenly crushed down upon him, making the martial wanderer's expression change as he instantly found it difficult to breathe.
Before he could react, a burly figure suddenly appeared before him. His eyes were icy and terrifying as five fingers casually reached out.
Crack!
The iron long blade in his hand was like rotten wood, shattering into dozens of pieces beneath that grasp. The five fingers did not slow, instantly landing on the black-clothed man's forehead.
The black-clothed man's heart skipped a beat as he inwardly cried out that things were bad. The next moment, with a pfft, Jiang Dao gouged out a chunk of his forehead, exposing the ghastly white fluid within.
Jiang Dao casually tossed him aside. Like a piece of trash, the black-clothed man's corpse was flung seven or eight meters away, smashing heavily into a corner, dead beyond all doubt.
Jiang Dao's face was cold and expressionless. He casually shook the blood and brain matter from his fingers, his gaze like lightning as he looked at the remaining five black-clothed men.
"Who wanted to borrow money to spend?"
The five black-clothed men changed color at once, utterly unable to believe it.
"Third Brother!"
"Third!"
They cried out in shock.
"You brat, you..."
The leader was both shocked and enraged.
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