Blazing Fire Brew

He kowtowed like pounding garlic.

Zhang Kuangfeng no longer had any of the majesty of a desert overlord; he was merely a cowardly beggar.

"This humble one had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended a senior!"

"I am willing to offer all the treasures of the Gale Bandit Group, I only beg the senior to spare my dog's life!"

Shen Che extended his hands and placed them on either side of Zhang Kuangfeng's head.

Zhang Kuangfeng felt the terrifying force transmitted from those two hands, and the shadow of death enveloped him.

"No..."

He only managed to utter a single, desperate syllable.

Squelch!

A sound of flesh and blood tearing that made one's scalp tingle.

A fine head, along with a section of the spinal column, was forcefully ripped from Shen Che's neck.

Warm blood spurted from the headless torso like a fountain, dyeing the yellow sand red.

[Absorbed Time Value +1000]

Shen Che casually tossed aside Zhang Kuangfeng's corpse and, with one hand, raised the head that had died with its eyes wide open.

He faced the thousands of stunned bandits.

"Zhang Kuangfeng is dead."

"Those who surrender will not be killed. Within three breaths, get out of my sight."

"Run!"

Someone reacted first, turning their horse and desperately fleeing into the distance.

One person's escape triggered a chain reaction.

Thousands of bandits scattered like headless flies, abandoning their armor and weapons, scrambling and crawling, wishing they had been born with faster legs.

They no longer dared to look back at the demon god.

The iron torrent that had been so imposing moments ago scattered like birds and beasts, disappearing at the end of the sand dunes.

Elder Bai and Bai Fengling remained in their crouched positions, staring blankly at everything before them.

One man, to drive away an army.

What divine might was this.

Elder Bai trembled as he stood up. He looked at the young man in black, who was holding a head and was completely spotless, his throat bobbed.

This level of strength, he feared, had already touched that legendary realm.

This Young Master Shen might truly be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with figures like the Prince in the future.

The three did not linger at the spot.

From the horses abandoned by the bandits, they selected three with the best stamina, replacing their exhausted packhorses.

They traveled east and encountered no further obstacles.

Two days later, they finally emerged from the despair-inducing Forgotten Sand Sea.

When their horses' hooves touched solid ground and they saw the continuous green in the distance, Bai Fengling was so excited he almost cried.

"We're out! Grandpa, we're out!"

The scene before them was clearly distinct from the world of yellow sand behind them.

The air was no longer scorching; it carried the fragrance of soil and vegetation.

The trees were lush, and the flowers and grass were abundant.

"This is within the borders of my Great Sun Kingdom."

Elder Bai also breathed a sigh of relief, a long-lost smile appearing on his face.

"At our current pace, in another three to five days, we will reach Dolin County, where the Prince's mansion is located."

Shen Che observed the unfamiliar country as he traveled.

The customs of the Great Sun Kingdom seemed more open than those of the Great Jing Dynasty. Occasionally, they saw lightly dressed women by the roadside, chatting and laughing, not avoiding the gaze of passersby.

The architectural style was also more rugged and grand, lacking some of the refinement of the Great Jing.

The group spurred their horses on, moving closer to their destination.

As evening approached, the setting sun dyed the sky a fiery orange.

A town of considerable size appeared at the end of the official road.

Elder Bai reined in his horse.

"Young Master Shen, Fuyue Inn is ahead. It's the largest and best inn within a hundred miles."

"How about we rest here for a night?"

"We'll reach Dolin County tomorrow. That will be a good time to tidy ourselves up and wash off this travel dust."

Shen Che had no objections and nodded.

If you can't find the book by searching the title, you can try searching for the author. Perhaps they just changed their name!

The three entered the inn, and a lively atmosphere immediately greeted them.

The main hall was filled with guests of all sorts.

"Did you hear? The Barren Mountain Range has been restless lately. A Black Bear Demon that had achieved sentience wiped out an entire mercenary group!"

"That's nothing. Black Wind Mountain is even more sinister. Several villages had their inhabitants' blood drained overnight. It must be the work of demonic beasts."

"Tsk, tsk. This world is truly becoming more chaotic."

The boisterous talk of martial artists mingled with the aroma of food and drink, filling the air with a sense of everyday life.

A waiter with a white towel draped over his shoulder, sharp-eyed, hurried over.

"Three esteemed guests, are you here for a meal or a room?"

"Three superior rooms. Prepare hot water and serve all your specialty dishes."

Shen Che spoke directly.

The waiter's smile widened.

"Right away! Please follow me upstairs, sirs!"

After settling in, the three returned to a private seating area in the main hall to dine.

The dishes were soon served, exuding appealing color, aroma, and taste.

Bai Fengling, already starving, grabbed his chopsticks and was about to start eating.

"Wait."

Shen Che stopped him.

Elder Bai and Bai Fengling both looked at him.

"The closer we get to our destination, the less we can afford to let our guard down."

Shen Che picked up a clean pair of chopsticks.

"I'll try first."

As he spoke, he tasted a bit of each dish.

The taste was good, with no abnormalities.

Elder Bai and Bai Fengling also relaxed.

Shen Che picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

The tea was fragrant and refreshing.

But the moment the tea slid down his throat...

A burning sensation erupted violently in his lower abdomen, like a raging fire.

This heat was incredibly potent, threatening to turn his internal organs to ash.

Shen Che's expression remained unchanged as the Horizontal Training True Qi within him circulated automatically.

The crimson-gold True Qi, like a cool stream, instantly enveloped the ball of fire, forcibly dissolving it and making it vanish without a trace.

He put down his teacup and said calmly, "The food is poisoned."

"What?"

Bai Fengling's chopsticks clattered onto the table.

Elder Bai's expression also changed drastically. He suddenly looked up, scanning their surroundings.

"Is it... the Eldest Young Master's men?"

Elder Bai's voice was a little hoarse.

As they were speaking...

The noisy chatter in the entire inn hall abruptly ceased.

All the guests froze in their actions.

A host of unfriendly gazes converged on their table.

The previously enthusiastic martial artists had now become expressionless killers.

This was no inn; it was clearly a meticulously set dragon's den.

"Blazing Fire Brew..."

From a corner, someone whispered, their voice filled with disbelief.

"He ingested 'Blazing Fire Brew', how can he be perfectly fine?"

Shen Che's knuckles tapped lightly on the tabletop.

He swept his gaze over the frozen "martial artists" around him.

"Just you lot of misfits?"

Shen Che picked up his teacup and downed the remaining Blazing Fire Brew.

"Have the people behind you come out."

"Sending a bunch of trash like you over, are you looking down on me, or looking down on yourself?"

As soon as he said this, the assassins in the room exchanged uneasy glances.