Fist Winds Rage in a Narrow Road Encounter, Each Hides Calamity in Their Heart

No one answered.

The alley lay in deathly silence.

Chen Duan waited a moment. Seeing no movement at all, he sneered. "Since Your Excellency is so shy and unwilling to offer instruction first, then Chen shall open proceedings!"

Before his words had faded, the blue bricks beneath his feet cracked faintly. His Tendons and Bones hummed, and he had already assumed the Opening Stance of the Fuhu Fist.

Yet just as his body was about to move.

A blurred black shadow appeared like a ghost three feet behind him.

A fist wrapped in condensed gale-force energy struck soundlessly, swift as lightning, straight at the vital point over Chen Duan's heart.

The timing and angle of this blow were exceptionally vicious. It was clearly long premeditated.

"I've been waiting for you!"

Yet Chen Duan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head as his cold shout exploded.

His waist twisted as he spun around, moving faster than common sense allowed. The fist he had poised was not raised to block, but to meet attack with attack.

He flung out a domineering Tiger Tail Whip in reverse, striking after yet arriving first as it swept straight for the other man's face.

The black shadow had clearly not expected Chen Duan's reaction and speed to be so terrifying, and panic rose in his heart.

But this man was experienced in battle. At the critical instant, he forcibly halted his forward charge, retracted his striking arm, changed his fist into a palm, and raised his forearm upright to shield his head and face, attempting to block the fierce blow from the side.

But he had vastly underestimated the force contained in Chen Duan's swinging punch.

If he chose not to dodge and instead blocked it head-on, then suffering a loss was inevitable.

The back of Chen Duan's fist smashed viciously into his opponent's forearm.

The black shadow felt an immense force surge over him like a flood.

His defensive stance collapsed, and his entire body was lifted off the ground and sent flying backward.

Boom!

His body crashed heavily into the earthen wall at one side of the alley, caving in a large section of it. Bricks, stones, and loose dirt came raining down, burying him beneath them.

A moment later, broken bricks and rubble shifted. The black shadow struggled to his feet and shook the dust from his body.

Yet at the sight of his opponent's miserable state, the contempt on Chen Duan's face vanished instead.

He subconsciously touched the knuckles on the back of the fist that had struck just now.

That punch had landed solidly, yet the feedback from it had been abnormal.

The thunder had been loud, but the rain small. It had not inflicted much damage.

This man's martial arts were hard indeed!

The black shadow shot out again, throwing another Heavy Fist at Chen Duan's face. The Fist Wind tore through the air with a howling roar.

Battle Intent surged in Chen Duan's eyes. He neither dodged nor evaded, meeting it with a Fuhu Straight Punch of his own!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two men fought fast with fast in the narrow alley, meeting hardness with hardness.

Every collision of their fists produced a muffled clang like a hammer striking iron, carrying far through the snowy night.

The sound was silent yet possessed a strange rhythm. It even sounded pleasing to the ear, making Chen Duan more excited with every exchange and increasingly fired up.

He rarely encountered such a tough opponent, one capable of clashing with him head-on in strength. Naturally, he had to "play around" properly.

But at that moment.

"What was that sound?"

"Who's there? Sneaking around like a thief!"

A stern shout came from the mouth of the alley, accompanied by chaotic footsteps.

It was the night patrol officers.

The black shadow reacted swiftly. At the sound, he immediately feinted, forcing Chen Duan back half a step before charging toward the constables at the alley entrance.

At the same time, he flipped his wrist and pulled a wax pellet the size of a longan from his robes, smashing it to the ground without even looking.

With a soft crack, the wax pellet burst apart, releasing a great cloud of choking white smoke that engulfed the entire alley.

"Cough, cough!"

"Is that lime powder?"

"Knockout smoke? Careful! Villains are attacking!"

"Stay alert!"

The alley entrance immediately descended into chaos.

This sudden disturbance was enormous, quickly drawing even more constables on night patrol.

With a tap of his toes, Chen Duan drifted lightly onto a roadside roof and looked down from above.

Amid the falling snow, white mist filled the alley entrance. Shadows of people flickered everywhere in utter pandemonium. There was no trace whatsoever of that black shadow.

"He ran fast enough." Chen Duan narrowed his eyes.

"This man has some skill."

Though their brief exchange had not involved their full strength, it was enough to glimpse the leopard through a tube.

His opponent's attacks had been vicious and decisive, his moves concise and efficient, without the slightest superfluous flourish.

Every move gave off a well-reasoned, highly "standard" feeling. It did not resemble the style used by ordinary Jianghu wanderers or sect disciples.

Chen Duan touched a spot on his arm. Beneath the skin there, something seemed to stir faintly.

Was he after the worm inside my body? The man Lu Zhen brought?

Doubts filled Chen Duan's heart, but when he recalled that man's build, it did not seem likely.

The man just now had been of average height and rather lean, completely unlike the burly man he had encountered at the tavern before...

"There's someone on the roof! What are you doing up there?!"

A constable below spotted Chen Duan on the eaves by the faint light and immediately shouted loudly.

Chen Duan did not linger. His figure flashed, and after several leaps, he vanished beyond the unbroken line of rooftops, merging into the night.

In a secluded dark alley.

A black shadow landed silently.

He swiftly tore off his outer clothes, rolled them into a ball, and casually stuffed them into a corner, revealing a somewhat lean frame beneath.

Then a series of fine, crisp cracks sounded from within his body. His previously average, lean build swelled as though inflated, becoming broad and imposing.

He reached up again, pinched the point where his jaw connected to his sideburns, and tore hard.

With a ripping sound, a human-skin mask was pulled away, revealing the face of a weathered middle-aged man covered in stubble. Only, his complexion was slightly pale at the moment.

"Puh—"

A sweetness rose in his throat, and he could not help coughing up a small mouthful of clotted blood. Only then did his breathing ease.

"Damn it, he really has some ability!" His voice was hoarse.

"Hmph, and you can't hold up already? That man hasn't even put any strength into it yet."

A teasing woman's voice came from the shadows around the corner ahead.

Zhuang Yu's face darkened as he looked up. He saw a woman in neat, fitted martial attire that outlined her graceful curves. She leaned lazily against the wall with her arms folded, watching him at leisure with an ambiguous half-smile.

"Qu Meng, the Imperial Court sent you to work this case with me, not to stand around and make sarcastic remarks!" Zhuang Yu's tone was unfriendly, carrying suppressed anger.

Qu Meng shrugged unconcernedly, her tone still flippant.

"If you'd let me join you in attacking him just now, perhaps we would have captured him already. Then I wouldn't have needed to make sarcastic remarks here, would I, Lord Zhuang?"

"Hmph! Reckless! At present, we only suspect that he is connected to Iron Blood Hand's disappearance. We still don't know whether that thing is truly on him."

As he spoke, he took a bronze compass from his robes.

The needle on the compass had been shaking violently, but it was now gradually calming down. Its direction, however, remained chaotic and unclear.

This was also the first time Zhuang Yu had encountered such a situation, and he had no idea what was going on.

They had been ordered to track Iron Blood Hand, yet a man named Chen Duan had appeared out of nowhere.

The strange movement of this bronze compass seemed connected to Chen Duan, so Zhuang Yu reasonably suspected that Chen Duan had a problem. But he did not know what exactly that problem was, and could only probe him first.

What infuriated him now was that Chen Duan's strength had exceeded expectations. He was not someone who could be easily handled.

Under such circumstances, Zhuang Yu could not act rashly again. He feared that Chen Duan might also have some formidable backing.

When Qu Meng saw the compass in Zhuang Yu's hand, the mockery on her face faded somewhat as well.

Zhuang Yu was her equal in rank, but all along the way he had treated her like a subordinate. Thus, she had merely spoken in anger earlier, dissatisfied with Zhuang Yu's attitude.

She had drawn over the constables just now. While Chen Duan and Zhuang Yu fought, she had lurked in the shadows and observed. Naturally, she had noticed Chen Duan's exceptional qualities. Seeing Zhuang Yu unable to take him down for so long, she had taken action.

With how effortlessly Chen Duan had handled himself, even if she and Zhuang Yu joined forces, they might not be able to capture him easily.

After pondering for a moment, she asked, "What do we do now? Should we report this matter immediately?"

"Report it?" Zhuang Yu frowned deeply.

"Iron Blood Hand has vanished without a trace, yet the clues point to a Chen Duan of unknown background. If we report it now, would that not make us look incompetent? One was stripped of his position only last time. Do you want to follow in his footsteps too?"

After a pause, he said in a low voice, "First, find out Chen Duan's background. I'll go see Liu Commander. He is closely connected to That Lord behind us and knows the inside story. He may be able to offer us some assistance."

Chen Duan returned to the residence, entered his room, and took off the outer garment speckled with snowflakes.

The snowfall outside grew heavier, so he simply began practicing several quieter Cultivation Technique moves indoors.

[Shadow Chasing Eyes (Mastery)]

[Wind Listening Ears (100%, Second Refinement) {Can Break Through}]

"This Wind Listening Ears has finally reached another threshold."

Chen Duan sensed the subtle changes within his ear aperture.

Each breakthrough of this auxiliary cultivation technique required piercing the old eardrums and nourishing them with Inner Force to reshape them. The process was cumbersome and time-consuming, and he needed to find a good time when no one would disturb him.

Afterward, he gathered his thoughts, took out the Fuhu Fist Visualization Diagram, and focused on comprehending it.

His consciousness gradually sank into that distant artistic conception of mountains and waters, his mind empty and clear.

Yet just as his mind immersed itself.

Beneath the skin of his Right Arm, the two Blood Worms twitched faintly. Two black threads even finer than hair extended from the worms' tails, slowly retracting upward along the tendons and veins before finally sinking into the body of a Black Sphere Sprite.

Feng Qu Xian's single eye suddenly opened into a narrow slit.

Hah... as expected, they've been watching him.

Though he could not leave Chen Duan's body, his perception of the outside world had not been completely cut off.

He had vaguely sensed the battle and pursuit in the alley just now.

Just a little more. In a few more days, I'll be able to completely sever this worm's final connection...

He calculated inwardly. For now, he could only slightly interfere with the worm's tracking; it could not provide any fundamental protection.

I only hope this Junior's life is tough enough. That fellow's level of strength shouldn't be a match for this Junior~

As his thoughts turned, his single eye closed once more, and he sank into slumber.

Chen Duan, who had seemed to be fully immersed in meditation, slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was utterly clear.

He lowered his head, his eyes falling upon his Right Arm as the corner of his mouth slowly curved into a meaningful smile.

This was his body.

How could a few little tricks possibly deceive heaven and cross the sea?