Wrathful Vajra, Crushing Everything in Its Path!

There were people outside!

And more than one!

Just as Su Haoran was immersed in the joy of attaining Major Accomplishment in Arhat Fist, faint sounds came from beyond the window through the drizzling night rain.

It was neither rain striking banana leaves nor the night wind passing through treetops.

It was an exceedingly faint sound: cloth shoes stepping on slick mud. Perfectly concealed by the rain, it would have been impossible to detect if not for his Arhat Fist reaching Major Accomplishment, his Qi and Blood flowing freely, and the support of the Meditation Scripture, which had made his five senses and six perceptions far surpass those of ordinary people.

The wild elation in Su Haoran's heart instantly cooled as he opened his eyes with a grave expression.

Who was it?

This place was some distance from the Labor Courtyard. He could not think of anyone who would brave the rain in the dead of night to sneak over to his remote woodshed.

Those who came with goodwill did not come; those who came were not kind!

Su Haoran made no sound. Even his breathing became lighter and longer.

Without a sound beneath his feet, he moved like a civet cat, silently retreating behind the door. His entire body pressed against the icy wall, merging into the darkness.

Since they dared come, they must have something to rely on.

Though his strength had greatly improved, he would not underestimate them in the slightest.

Outside the woodshed, Scarface gestured to One-Eyed Dragon and Li Gui. The three formed a triangular formation and slowly closed in on the wooden door that leaked a faint glow.

At the door, Scarface and One-Eyed Dragon exchanged a glance and drew their blades in perfect understanding.

"Move!"

With a low shout, Scarface stopped concealing himself. He raised one foot and, using all his strength, viciously kicked at the thin wooden door!

"Bang!"

The door flew open at once, sending wood splinters everywhere!

Their figures flashed like lightning, yet neither rushed in directly. Instead, they stood to the left and right of the doorway, warily peering inside.

By the sparse moonlight filtering through the window, they immediately saw the crude bed—its bedding was in disarray, but it was empty!

Not good!

Scarface and One-Eyed Dragon's hearts both clenched as they simultaneously thought, It's a trap!

That brat was actually this alert!

Almost instinctively, as they sprang backward, their right hands abruptly swept out from their robes!

Whoosh—!

A huge cloud of white powder, like thick fog, instantly billowed through the doorway, completely engulfing the only blind spot behind the door!

"Heh, little bastard, did you think hiding behind the door would keep you safe?" Li Gui froze for a moment, then sneered. "These two big brothers are heroes who have been on the battlefield. You dare show off your petty tricks before an expert? Once you've been hit by this Soul-Confusing Powder, even an immortal has to close his eyes! You're dead for sure!"

Before his words had faded, a muffled groan came from behind the door.

"Hiss!"

A figure staggered and spun in circles behind the door as though he had lost all sense of direction. It was Su Haoran.

"Hahaha! It worked!"

Seeing this, One-Eyed Dragon let out a vicious laugh. "My lime powder has specially prepared chili powder mixed in it. Forget the eyes—even a little on the skin will strip off a layer! Kid, this trick has never failed us against tough bastards in the army. You're still too green!"

A cruel thrill also flashed through Scarface's eyes. What they had feared most was that their target would be prepared and shout loudly enough to summon others from the temple.

Now that they had succeeded in one move and their opponent had become blind, he was no different from fish on a chopping block. Even if the brat cried for help immediately, no reinforcements would arrive in time!

"End this quickly! Take the goods and leave!" Scarface growled, no longer hesitating.

He and One-Eyed Dragon stood to either side, simultaneously drawing the standard-issue military sabers at their waists.

The cold blade edges flashed with a glint of frost beneath the dim moonlight as they swung at Su Haoran!

"Little bastard, in your next life, keep your eyes open!" One-Eyed Dragon was faster. With a single slash, he chopped straight for Su Haoran's neck, determined to kill him in one blow!

Li Gui stood at the doorway, his face brimming with vengeful delight. He could practically see Su Haoran's head hitting the ground.

Yet at the instant the blade was about to touch Su Haoran's skin, a sudden change occurred!

Su Haoran, who had been clutching his eyes and wailing, abruptly stopped moving.

The twisted agony on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by the calm of an ancient well without a ripple. He did not even open his tightly shut eyes.

Playing along with their scheme?

No, he had never been hit at all!

The moment he sensed them drawing close, he had used the methods of the Meditation Scripture to hold his breath.

When they kicked open the door, Su Haoran had already shut his eyes in advance.

At this moment, One-Eyed Dragon's blade had arrived!

Su Haoran neither dodged nor retreated. His body suddenly sank as he assumed the opening stance of Arhat Fist—"Arhat Carries Mountain!"

With his left foot as an axis, his right foot stomped fiercely backward, and his center of gravity became as steady as Mount Tai.

The hot current that had fused with Qi and Blood within his body erupted with a roar!

He did not look. Instead, relying on the instinct of a Major Accomplishment-level fist art and his keen perception of changes in the airflow, his right fist shot upward like a cannonball leaving the barrel, striking without deviation at One-Eyed Dragon's sword-wielding wrist!

This punch was fast, precise, and ruthless!

Before the fist arrived, its fierce Fist Wind had already compressed the air until it exploded with a boom!

"What?!"

The vicious grin on One-Eyed Dragon's face instantly froze, replaced by boundless horror.

He felt an overwhelming, irresistible force surge from the other man's fist. That imposing presence felt less like a man than a Wrathful Vajra subduing dragons and tigers!

He wanted to change moves, wanted to retreat, but it was all too late!

Crack!!!

A crisp, teeth-aching sound of shattering bone rang out!

One-Eyed Dragon's right wrist was smashed to pieces by Su Haoran's punch!

Unable to hold it any longer, the military saber in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

But it was not over yet.

Su Haoran's punch had landed, but its force had not dissipated. The momentum surged up along his opponent's arm, crushing everything in its path as it slammed heavily into One-Eyed Dragon's chest!

Bang!

One-Eyed Dragon's chest caved inward in a visibly deep arc. His eyes bulged and his mouth hung open, yet he could not even cry out. Like a kite with its string cut, he flew backward, crashed heavily into the woodshed wall, slid down, and made no sound again.

One punch!

Just one punch, and a battle-hardened soldier died on the spot!

This sudden scene left Scarface, who had been about to rush forward, and Li Gui, standing in the doorway, both thunderstruck and frozen in place!

"Second Brother!"

Scarface's eyes nearly split apart. He could not believe what he was seeing.

In a single exchange, the brother he had worked with for years was dead just like that?

What the hell kind of monster was this?!

Li Gui was even more terrified. His legs gave way, and he collapsed butt-first into the mud.

"You... weren't you blind?!" Scarface roared in shock and fury.

Su Haoran slowly opened his eyes. A sharp gleam burst from them, making Scarface's heart turn cold.

"Against trash like you, keeping my eyes closed is more than enough."

His voice was calm, yet it carried a killing intent that made hearts quail.

"I'll kill you!" Thoroughly enraged by such contempt, Scarface roared. Gripping his saber with both hands, he poured all his strength into the blade. Using the distinctive footwork of the military, his body swayed, and the saber light became a streak of white silk, chopping directly at Su Haoran's head from an exceptionally tricky angle!

This slash contained all the killing techniques he had honed in his life. It was as swift as lightning!

Faced with this killing blow, Su Haoran advanced instead of retreating!

He drew in a deep breath. Qi and Blood surged through his body like a tide as he unleashed his Major Accomplishment Arhat Fist without reserve.

"Wrathful Vajra!"

With a thunderous shout, a faint blood-red glow seemed to shroud his right fist. The vast hot current gathered entirely at its peak as he threw a punch at the descending blade light!

Using flesh and blood to meet hundred-forged steel head-on!

What arrogance! What confidence!

A flash of delight appeared in Scarface's eyes. To him, his opponent was courting death!

His saber was enough to split both the man and his fist in two!

Clang!

Fist and blade collided thunderously in midair!

The expected scene of spraying flesh and blood did not appear. Instead, a deafening sound like metal striking metal rang out!

Scarface felt an indescribable force transmit through the back of his blade, splitting open the web between his thumb and forefinger and nearly knocking the military saber from his hand!

As for Su Haoran's fist, aside from a shallow streak of blood, it was completely unharmed!

With Arhat Fist at Major Accomplishment, his skin and flesh had become tough, beginning to display the might of the Skin Tempering Realm!

"That's impossible!" Scarface's face was filled with incredulous terror.

He had never imagined that a mere laborer could possess such terrifying physical strength and power!

It was nearly comparable to a Martial Artist of the Skin Tempering Realm!

Li Gui! Damn your ancestors! What kind of shitty intelligence did you give me?!

That was the final thought that flashed through Scarface's mind.

Because Su Haoran's second punch had arrived.

This punch was plain and unadorned, yet fast beyond measure, striking him squarely in the heart.

Bang!

Scarface's body flew backward as though struck by a savage bull, his feet leaving the ground. He followed One-Eyed Dragon's fate, his life extinguished.

Silence.

Deathly silence.

Inside the woodshed, only Su Haoran's steady breathing remained, along with Li Gui's heavy, ox-like panting outside the door.

Su Haoran slowly withdrew his fist, then turned his gaze toward the mud-soaked figure at the doorway and walked over step by step.

With every step he took, Li Gui's heart convulsed violently.

Rainwater and muddy water mixed together, leaving Li Gui in a bedraggled mess. Watching Su Haoran approach like a god of slaughter, he finally broke down completely.

"Don't... don't kill me! Su Haoran, no, Big Brother Su! Grandfather Su!"

Tears and snot streamed down Li Gui's face as he desperately kowtowed, smashing his forehead until it was covered in blood. "It was all my fault! Lard blinded my heart! I'll never dare again! Please spare my life!"

As he wailed, he hurriedly added, "I... I'm not an ordinary laborer! My father is Steward Li, a wealthy man from Clear River Town Down the Mountain! My family has plenty of money, plenty of grain! If you let me go, I'll give you half our family fortune! No, all of it! I'll give you everything! Please spare this dog's life!"

Su Haoran walked up before him and looked down at him from above, without the slightest ripple in his eyes.

"Spare your life?"

"In your next life, be a good man!"