Tenglong Town Zhang Clan

Standing in the courtyard, looking over the five-foot-high fence, Qin Fengming saw two figures still fighting not far away.

Qin Fengming reached behind him with his right hand, drawing his precious sword. With a flicker of movement, he dashed towards the two figures in the distance.

Since he had come this far, Qin Fengming had no intention of missing an opportunity to spar with a master.

In just a few blinks of an eye, Qin Fengming had reached the side of the two men locked in combat. After a brief assessment, he unleashed a flurry of sword strikes from his precious sword towards a tall figure.

The two men fighting had certainly noticed Qin Fengming's sudden appearance.

Fifth Senior Brother was overjoyed. Although he couldn't clearly see who had arrived, he recognized the tall figure as his Junior Disciple Brother, Qin Fengming.

He had clearly told Qin Fengming that he would distract everyone while Qin Fengming entered the room to find the Jade Box. Now that his Junior Disciple Brother had appeared, it meant the Jade Box had undoubtedly been secured.

Wang Qi was greatly alarmed by the sudden appearance of a person. His second brother had just led several sect leaders to the mountain gate. Without a doubt, this newcomer must also be one of the attackers. He flickered his body, intending to withdraw from the battle.

After his previous fight with the man in black, he knew that the opponent's martial arts were extremely high. He could only fight to a draw against him alone, and it would be difficult to determine a winner in a short time. Now that another helper had joined, it was disadvantageous to him.

He launched a few rapid attacks and, before Qin Fengming could launch his own offensive, he leaped away.

"Thieves, how dare you sneak into my mountain stronghold! None of you will escape." As he spoke, he raised his hand, and a signal arrow shot into the sky. Instantly, within a radius of about half a mile, shouts of killing erupted. Under the light of the fireballs and torches, more than twenty people appeared.

They had clearly seen Wang Qi's second brother heading towards the mountain gate tens of miles away, yet so many skilled fighters remained here. Qin Fengming and Fifth Senior Brother exchanged glances, both inwardly shocked.

It turned out that Mount Cang Mountain had been prepared.

This was not the time to ponder the matter. Qin Fengming and Fifth Senior Brother exchanged a look and, with a tacit understanding, their bodies flickered. Instead of retreating, they advanced, launching a fierce attack on Wang Qi.

This battle would certainly not adhere to any martial arts conventions. Qin Fengming and Fifth Senior Brother had decided to use their ultimate skills, combining their strength to kill the person before them on the spot in a short time.

Seeing that the two opponents were so ferocious, and could remain so calm even when on the verge of being surrounded, Wang Qi, though shocked, had no choice but to face the attacks of two masters.

From the very first contact, Wang Qi was at a significant disadvantage. Qin Fengming's swordsmanship had improved several times over. With his full effort, even fighting Wang Qi alone, he was not at a disadvantage at all. Coupled with Fifth Senior Brother's skill, Wang Qi was immediately in dire straits.

"Brothers, quickly come forward and capture and kill these two!"

The approaching group was less than fifty yards from the battlefield. Wang Qi, filled with fear, shouted loudly. He intended to disrupt the attacking rhythm of the two opponents.

Although this was Qin Fengming's first real fight against a master, he was not afraid. He knew he couldn't hesitate for a moment. He unleashed his precious sword without any pause. Fifth Senior Brother, with far more experience than Qin Fengming, was even less likely to show any emotional fluctuation.

A storm of sword moves and blade light poured around Wang Qi, making him feel overwhelmed.

"Pfft!" With a muffled sound of a precious sword piercing flesh, a scream of agony erupted. Then, a figure suddenly fell to the ground, rolling rapidly across the ground, a pathetic sight as he rolled several yards away.

As Qin Fengming flickered his body, about to rush towards the fallen figure, he suddenly heard a clicking sound from all around. With rapid movement, he shot upwards into the sky.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!~~" As Qin Fengming sprang up rapidly, several sounds of air being pierced shot past from below his feet.

"The wind is strong, let's go!" As Qin Fengming landed, Fifth Senior Brother's urgent voice came from not far beside him.

Hearing this, Qin Fengming knew that killing Wang Qi was no longer possible because many figures had appeared around them. Seeing Wang Qi fall, those with hidden weapons in hand rapidly shot them out.

Following Fifth Senior Brother's shout, he charged towards the two approaching figures.

For the two of them to escape now, they had to break through quickly before everyone surrounded them. Any hesitation, and by the time the twenty or thirty people arrived, escaping would be harder than climbing to heaven.

Qin Fengming certainly wouldn't joke with his own life. He unleashed his movement technique, moving even faster than Fifth Senior Brother towards a direction where only one person was intercepting them.

"Click! Ah~" With the sound of a mechanism exploding, a flying dart struck the left shoulder of the intercepting figure. With a flash, Qin Fengming leaped out of the encirclement and, with another rapid movement, disappeared into the vast night.

When Qin Fengming, cautiously and carefully, bypassed numerous checkpoints and returned to where he had hidden his horse, a person in black was already sitting cross-legged in the mountain hollow.

"Fifth Senior Brother?" Upon seeing him, Qin Fengming was greatly surprised, and a soft exclamation escaped his lips.

"Heh heh, not bad. Your first mission, and such performance, is truly remarkable. Wang Qi is indeed famous, and his skills are formidable. If it weren't for the combined efforts of you and I, it would have been difficult to even injure him. The Jade Box, I presume, has been secured."

"Of course, this is the Jade Box. Fifth Senior Brother, please take a look." Seeing that it was indeed his senior brother, Qin Fengming, though inwardly surprised, did not hesitate. With a wave of his hand, he took out the Jade Box he had obtained from Wang Qi's room and handed it to his senior brother.

"Hmm, good. This is indeed our target for this mission. Junior Brother, I will take this Jade Box back to the sect first. You can return at your own pace."

After examining it, Fifth Senior Brother said with joy in his eyes. He then wasted no more time, clasped his fists in greeting to Qin Fengming, and with a flicker of his body, disappeared into the dark, deep mountains.

Seeing his senior brother leave, Qin Fengming dared not linger. He led his horse and, following the path he had memorized during the day, quietly moved away from the Mount Cang Mountain range under the cover of the dense night.

This mission had been of great help to Qin Fengming. His gains were also considerable and would be extremely important for his future growth.

As for how Mount Cang Mountain and Wang Qi would react to the discovery of the lost Jade Box and their subsequent actions, Qin Fengming no longer cared. Since Fifth Senior Brother had said everything was arranged, he wouldn't have any further thoughts. As for the two traitors from the Luoxia Valley Branch Hall, Fifth Senior Brother was aware of them and would handle them appropriately.

By the time daylight broke, Qin Fengming was already forty to fifty miles away from Mount Cang Mountain.

Since he wasn't in a hurry to return to the sect this time, Qin Fengming decided to use this free time to return home and visit his parents and family to satisfy his longing.

Haobai City was adjacent to Qijia City, where Qin Family Village was located. It would take five days to get there by fast horse. However, with the urgency of returning home, Qin Fengming pushed his horse to its full speed. By the evening of the fourth day, he had reached Tenglong Town, thirty miles from Qin Family Village. He planned to stay there for the night and return home the next morning.

Qin Fengming was familiar with Tenglong Town. Upon entering the town, he went straight to the largest inn in Tenglong Town: the Fulai Inn.

After handing his horse to a servant, Qin Fengming went alone to the second floor of the restaurant and found a table near the window.

He ordered a few dishes from the waiter and ate while watching the street scene. He felt a multitude of emotions.

He remembered coming here five or six years ago as an ignorant youth. Now, he was a martial artist capable of undertaking missions alone. Such events were truly unpredictable.

Suddenly, a clamor and commotion came from the street in the distance. Amidst the noisy sounds, there were male curses and female cries.

Just as Qin Fengming was puzzled, he saw a group of people bustling towards them from afar. The two people at the front were pushing aside pedestrians on the street, causing the street to become incredibly noisy.

Sitting on the second floor, Qin Fengming had a clear view of the crowd below. He saw seven or eight burly men, with their chests bared, hats askew. The two in front led the way, while the two in the middle escorted a young girl, her hair disheveled, crying and making a fuss as she walked.

These people were noisily heading towards the east side of Tenglong Town. The pedestrians behind pointed and gestured, but no one stepped forward to stop them.

Qin Fengming was completely baffled, not understanding what was happening. At this moment, the diners upstairs began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Look, the Zhang Clan is up to no good again. I wonder which poor girl is going to suffer this time?"

"I heard it's a mother and daughter from out of town. They came here to visit relatives, but the eldest young master of the Zhang Clan happened upon them. He was instantly smitten, declaring his intention to marry the daughter on the spot. They refused, of course. So, the young master, enraged, sent men to snatch the girl away to the Zhang manor. Another life lost."

"Shh, be careful, don't let anyone from their family hear you. It'll just cause trouble."

Hearing this, Qin Fengming immediately understood. So, it was the young master of the local bully, the Zhang Clan, causing trouble again.

Five years ago, when Qin Fengming and his father came to Tenglong Town to get medicine for his grandfather's leg injury, they were inexplicably beaten by the young master of the Zhang Clan. The scene felt as if it were happening right before his eyes. Hearing about this injustice now, Qin Fengming couldn't help but let out a cold, silent chuckle.