The Only Flaw

"Brother He, I'm done!"

An hour later.

Fan Xingwei wiped the sweat from his forehead and tiptoed into the room.

With just a glance, he saw He An sitting where he had been.

He An opened his eyes and said indifferently, "If you're done, then sit down and rest."

"When Brother Sun and the others return, keep this matter buried deep in your heart."

"Even if others ask about it, don't say a single word."

Before the threat could even leave his lips, Fan Xingwei hurriedly promised, "Don't worry, Brother He, I have a very tight lip."

"Other than the two of us, it is absolutely impossible for anyone else to know about this."

He An nodded, then took out some broken silver and tossed it over.

"Take this silver."

"This..."

Fan Xingwei hesitated.

Once he took He An's silver, he would officially be his accomplice.

If one day, the matter were to come to light, he would absolutely be unable to escape his share of the blame.

But if he didn't take it, he might not even survive today.

Having realized this, he steeled his heart, bent down, and picked up all the silver.

Better to take it than not.

This silver was enough to support his family for a long time.

"Thank you!"

Afterward, he didn't forget to thank He An.

He An chuckled softly and stopped speaking.

Fan Xingwei didn't dare to stay in the room; he walked outside and found a quiet spot to rest.

Another half an hour passed.

Footsteps echoed from the forest.

Immediately after.

An angry voice rang out.

"Son of a bitch, he actually managed to escape!"

Stepping out of the house.

He saw Sun Wangxian and the others returning while cursing and swearing.

Two of them were still nursing injuries.

In an instant, He An realized that they hadn't caught the person who had fled.

If that was the case, he was in danger.

"Brother Sun, you're back!" Suppressing the worry in his heart, He An called out.

Sun Wangxian nodded.

At this moment, he suddenly noticed a corpse lying on the ground not far away.

Lü Jiang!

"How could this be? How did he die?"

In an instant.

The eyes of the men who had just returned were all drawn to it.

Sun Wangxian's expression turned incredibly grim.

With so many of them, and knowing the location where the target was hiding.

Not only had they failed to kill or capture everyone.

They had actually let one person escape.

On top of that, their own side had lost a man.

As the leader, he would have to bear heavy responsibility for this.

"Who killed him?" Sun Wangxian looked toward He An, his tone blunt.

"I don't know, but we suspect it was the thief who escaped."

He An explained, "After you left, Brother Sun, Brother Fan and I wanted to help, so after informing Brother Lü, we gave chase."

"As it turned out, because our strength was too weak, no matter how hard we chased, we couldn't catch up to you, so we had no choice but to return."

"As soon as we got back, we saw Brother Lü's corpse."

Sun Wangxian looked skeptical, frowning as he asked, "Then why do you suspect it was those fleeing bandits who did this?"

"We saw it," He An replied, his expression unchanging.

"When we returned, we happened to see the figure of the bandit as he was fleeing."

"The clothes he was wearing were exactly the same as the person who ran away just now."

"If you don't believe me, Brother Sun, you can ask Brother Fan. He saw it too at the time."

Sun Wangxian looked toward Fan Xingwei.

Fan Xingwei chimed in, "Brother He is right. When we returned, we did indeed see the figure of that bandit."

Sun Wangxian did not respond.

He crouched down and carefully examined Lü Jiang's corpse, discovering that there was indeed only a single fist mark on his body, with all his internal organs shattered.

As expected.

The person who struck the blow was indeed a Martial Artist.

He An and Fan Xingwei had both only just come into contact with the martial path; it was impossible for them to have become Martial Artists in such a short time.

It seems it really wasn't them who did it!

He thought to himself.

Just as Sun Wangxian was about to stand up, he suddenly noticed a dagger pinned beneath Lü Jiang's body.

The tip of the blade was blackened, clearly coated in poison.

In an instant.

It was as if he had realized something, and he stood up without changing his expression.

"I believe you. Lü Jiang was indeed not killed by you, and you don't have the strength to do so."

With that said.

He scanned the rest of the people present.

"Everyone, let's disperse. If we wait here a little longer, Captain Wang and his men should be back soon."

"When they return, we can ask them if they managed to catch the few who ran out the back."

As the voice faded, the crowd dispersed.

He An breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness they didn't suspect anything!

Not long after.

Captain Wang and his men hurried back.

Accompanying them was one person who was still alive.

Seeing this.

Sun Wangxian's eyes lit up.

"Did you catch them all?"

"No."

"There were three people on our end. We killed one, captured one, and let the other get away."

Captain Wang looked at the captive with indignation, his face full of fury.

"It's all because of this bastard. If he hadn't fought so desperately to block us, the last one definitely wouldn't have escaped."

"In that case, that person's status must not be low."

"Indeed!"

Captain Wang was filled with regret.

Capturing that young man would have been a great achievement for him.

But now.

The credit had flown away!

Anyone in his position would find it hard to accept.

"How about your side?" After suppressing his inner frustration, Captain Wang looked at Sun Wangxian and asked.

Sun Wangxian shrugged.

"They got away!"

Captain Wang felt a sense of helplessness.

"Two people got away, so this mission is effectively ruined. Forget about credit—if I don't get punished by the County Governor, I'll be thanking my lucky stars."

"Enough talk, let's just head back," Sun Wangxian sighed as well.

On the way down the mountain.

The group was dejected, completely lacking the vigor they had when they first ascended.

"What rotten luck. Two escaped, and we lost a man. We're going to be mocked when we get back."

"Heh, mocked? We'll be lucky if we aren't punished."

He An walked at the back, trying his best to minimize his presence.

Furthermore, he took this opportunity.

In his mind, he carefully recalled every detail of what happened today, checking to see if he had revealed any flaws.

He kept feeling that after examining Lv Hao's corpse, Sun Wangxian's reaction had been a bit too indifferent.

Could I be overthinking it?

Suddenly.

An object flashed through his mind.

When he was being assassinated, Lv Hao had a dagger in his hand.

Because it was his first time killing someone, he had been too nervous at the time, and afterward, he had been so preoccupied with how to dispose of Fan Xingwei that he had completely forgotten about that item!

He slapped his forehead, a trace of regret flashing across his face.

"Brother He, what are you thinking about?"

While he was lost in thought.

A voice suddenly came from beside his ear.

He An was startled.

He turned to the side.

He saw that Sun Wangxian had appeared beside him at some point.

In his hand, he was currently toying with an object.

Lv Hao's dagger!!