Kill!

Lu Jie, the Steward of the casino, walked quickly, eager to reach the Yihong Courtesan House.

He soon arrived at a narrow alley. Passing through it meant he wasn't far from the Yihong Courtesan House.

Lu Jie patted the money in his arms, his mind already conjuring pleasant images of the night ahead.

The moonlight was bright, illuminating the road clearly.

Suddenly, Lu Jie felt the path beneath his feet darken abruptly, a shadow appearing.

The shadow even grew larger and larger!

Lu Jie instinctively retreated, and a flash of blade light suddenly appeared before his eyes, slashing down ferociously!

The hair on his forehead was directly cut off, fluttering down.

A cold sweat broke out on Lu Jie's back.

If not for his rich experience and quick evasion, that long saber might have severed his nose bridge!

Fang Chen didn't speak, his long saber lifting upwards in a bizarre posture, and slashing violently at Lu Jie!

Lu Jie drew the saber at his waist and clashed fiercely with Fang Chen's long saber!

"Clang!"

A piercing metallic screech exploded!

Lu Jie felt a force far exceeding his own surge from the blade, his arm jolted violently, and the saber almost flew from his grasp!

He grunted, staggering back from the impact.

"Damn it! How can his strength be so great!"

What Lu Jie didn't know was that

Fang Chen had cultivated both martial arts to the minor accomplishment level, which had provided him with two boosts to his physical strength.

Therefore, even though Fang Chen had only recently broken through, his strength was still much greater than Lu Jie's!

Fang Chen wasted no words, giving Lu Jie no chance to breathe!

His wrist flipped strangely, and the long saber, as if alive, slid down along the spine of Lu Jie's blade, its tip like a venomous snake stabbing directly at Lu Jie's lower abdomen!

This change of move was at a tricky angle, its trajectory erratic, completely defying logic!

Lu Jie's pupils contracted, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He desperately twisted his body, his saber chopping down to block.

"Screech—"

The tip of the blade grazed the clothing at his waist, tearing a piece of cloth and drawing a line of blood!

A burning pain shot through him.

Lu Jie, still shaken, found Fang Chen's third strike already upon him!

This time it was from top to bottom, a fierce chop accompanied by a whistling wind!

Its power was even heavier than the first strike!

Lu Jie hastily raised his saber to block.

"Clang—Crack!"

A deafening bang was followed by a piercing cracking sound!

Lu Jie's saber, unable to withstand the combined immense force and bizarre energy, snapped in two!

The broken blade flew into the air, reflecting the cold moonlight.

Fang Chen felt a silent sense of relief.

Force is reciprocal; fortunately, Zhou Hai had helped him switch to a precious saber earlier, otherwise his own blade would have broken.

Lu Jie retreated repeatedly, the clothing in front of him tearing open, leaving a fresh red bloodline.

He exclaimed in shock, "Why does this blade technique feel so familiar! Did Zhao San die by your hand?!"

Fang Chen's heart tightened.

He and Zhao San were both in the Shiping Alley area. Could it be that this person was responsible for investigating Zhao San's death before?

If so, I can't let him live any longer!

Fang Chen pushed off the ground, instantly closing the distance!

His long saber, using the momentum of his charge, suddenly became erratic in its trajectory, as if carried by an invisible wind. It was no longer a direct thrust but traced a chillingly bizarre arc, the tip trembling, emitting a faint yet piercing hiss as it cut through the air, like a viper's tongue flicking, aiming straight for Lu Jie's throat!

The blade technique seemed slow, but its chaotic trajectory and tricky angles made it impossible to predict!

Lu Jie instinctively tried to block with the broken saber in his hand, but he couldn't track the elusive tip of the blade at all!

He could only watch helplessly as a glint of cold light flashed eerily under the moonlight!

"Pfft!"

The saber tip pierced Lu Jie's throat with pinpoint accuracy!

A faint stream of air gushed in with the blade, causing a short, strange "gurgle" from his throat.

Can't find the book by searching the title? Try searching for the author, maybe the name has changed!

Blood poured from the blade!

Lu Jie's body trembled violently, his eyes filled with extreme fear and disbelief.

He stared intently at Fang Chen, as if wanting to say something, but only bloody foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The broken saber in his hand clattered to the ground, and his body slumped down limply.

The silver in his embrace spilled out, stained a glaring red.

Fang Chen flicked his wrist, withdrawing the long saber, which brought with it a string of blood beads.

Without further thought, Fang Chen quickly searched him.

He soon found two banknotes, one for a hundred taels and another for three hundred, and over ten taels of loose silver.

"Damn it, he's carrying this much silver on him. Who knows how many people he's harmed."

Fang Chen held a position as a Steward in the Three Rivers Gang, with a monthly salary of only twenty taels.

There was no way he could have saved this much without exploiting others!

Lu Jie ran a casino and must have pocketed a lot.

Without dwelling on it, Fang Chen hid in the shadows and quickly departed.

The next day, Lu Jie's body was discovered.

When the Green Robe Gang learned of it, they couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious.

As for the killer, the most likely culprit would be someone from the Three Rivers Gang!

However, the Three Rivers Gang had been relatively quiet lately, and the two gangs had been in a temporary truce for a while.

The Three Rivers Gang shouldn't suddenly kill one of their Stewards!

A Steward's position was already quite important within a gang, with only Hall Masters and the Gang Leader above them.

Therefore, the Green Robe Gang didn't take it lightly and immediately dispatched a Hall Master to investigate the true killer.

But Lu Jie had run a casino and had offended countless people, both openly and secretly. There was no immediate lead.

However, the Hall Master was unwilling to give up.

He instructed the gang members under him:

"Hmph, they really don't respect our Green Robe Gang if they can just kill a Steward like that. Investigate thoroughly, and don't slack off!"

"Yes, sir!"

The gang members responded respectfully.

Inside the martial arts school, Zhou Hai, with a look of lingering fear, said to Fang Chen:

"This morning, those guys from the Green Robe Gang went crazy at the Yihong Courtesan House, asking this and that, saying they were looking for some killer."

"I thought the Green Robe Gang and the Three Rivers Gang had already broken ties, and a large group of them were coming to kill me!"

"I was so scared that I jumped straight out of Miss Shishi's bed and quickly fled through the window."

Fang Chen chuckled and said:

"Didn't you say yesterday that you were going to abstain from women?"

Zhou Hai coughed twice.

"Well... it's about balancing work and rest... How about I take my senior brother to the Yihong Courtesan House another day? Maybe you'll find it hard to leave!"

Fang Chen shook his head and asked nonchalantly:

"Who was leading the search for the killer? Was he very strong?"

Zhou Hai thought for a moment and said, "I believe it was a Hall Master from the Green Robe Gang named Shen Tian."

"He was recently promoted. He's quite protective of his own, so he likely won't let Lu Jie's death slide."

"As for his strength, he just recently entered the Sinew and Bone Realm and was promoted immediately after breaking through."

Fang Chen nodded and said with a smile, "You should go to the Yihong Courtesan House less often from now on. If that Shen Tian were to find you, he might actually kill you."

Hearing this, Zhou Hai felt a pang of guilt and nodded, "What my senior brother says makes sense. I should focus on practicing martial arts."

Fang Chen spoke aloud, but his mind was racing with thoughts.

"They shouldn't be able to trace it back to me anytime soon."

"No matter what, I need to break through to the Sinew and Bone Realm quickly, then strike first and kill that Shen Tian too!"

"Otherwise, both my family and I will be in danger!"