The air froze in that instant.
The black-clad men around them seemed to realize something, too.
Their grips tightened on their blades. Their eyes shifted between Gu Yichuan and Fang Mo, then all fixed on Fang Mo.
This was the jianghu.
And the officialdom.
For the sake of profit, no ally was beyond betrayal, and no achievement beyond erasure.
"Fang Mo."
Gu Yichuan spoke slowly, his voice so gentle it felt uncanny.
"Do you know what this is?"
Fang Mo blinked, his face breaking into that trademark foolish grin.
"My lord, this bright red pill looks awfully festive."
"Is it some kind of powerful tonic?"
"This subordinate is ignorant and doesn't recognize it."
He was playing dumb.
Trying to give Gu Yichuan a reason not to kill him.
Look, I don't know this is a banned drug, and I'm no threat. Take the stuff and leave, and I'll pretend nothing happened. How about it?
Gu Yichuan smiled.
Behind his mask, the corners of his mouth stretched into a cruel curve.
"Good that you don't recognize it."
"If you don't recognize it, you'll have one less bowl of Mengpo Soup to drink when you're reincarnated."
Before his words had even faded—
"Swish!"
A flash of blade!
Without the slightest warning, Gu Yichuan drew his blade and slashed horizontally, straight for Fang Mo's throat!
Fast!
Precise!
Ruthless!
He had been building up to this strike for a long time. He meant to kill with one blow!
He had never planned to spare Fang Mo.
And it wasn't just Fang Mo. Once he killed the kid, the remaining four subordinates...
The corner of Gu Yichuan's eye swept over his men.
Except for his trusted Old West, the other three would have to stay here and join Third Brother.
There were only three Blood Spirit Pills.
That was just right. He and Old West could split them with the lord above...
"Clang!!!"
A deafening clash of metal interrupted Gu Yichuan's daydream.
His blade felt as if it had struck a slab of solid steel.
The tremendous recoil traveled up the hilt, numbing his tiger's mouth. The Horse-Slaying Long Blade in his hand nearly flew free.
How was that possible?!
Gu Yichuan's eyes widened.
Fang Mo was still crouching there, having merely shifted his body slightly to the side.
One of his hands had actually caught Gu Yichuan's blade barehanded!
A faint metallic sheen covered that hand.
The sharp edge had bitten into his palm, yet hadn't even broken the skin. It had left only a faint white mark.
"My lord."
Fang Mo slowly raised his head.
There wasn't the slightest trace of fear left on that face that had once seemed so honest and simple.
The corner of his mouth curled into a wicked smile, and his eyes gleamed with a light even more demonic than the Blood Spirit Pill.
"Even if a deal falls through, we can still part on good terms."
"You're being a little unreasonable, aren't you?"
The Iron Bone talent—fully unleashed!
Gu Yichuan was aghast.
Was this kid's hand made of iron?
Catching a blade barehanded?
That was something a Martial Artist at the peak of the Bone Forging Realm could do at the very least!
Had this kid been pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger all along?
"Kill him! All of you, attack!"
Gu Yichuan roared and tried to wrench his blade free and retreat, only to find it clenched fast in Fang Mo's grip, utterly immovable.
The four black-clad men reacted quickly, too.
Though shocked by Fang Mo's strength, their boss's order was an Imperial Decree.
Four long blades whooshed through the air, hacking toward Fang Mo's vitals from the front, back, left, and right!
It was a killing trap!
Even an expert in the Bone Forging Realm would meet a bitter end when surrounded like this with his weapon pinned down.
But what these four men didn't know was—
They weren't facing a Martial Artist.
They were facing a cheater.
"Get lost!"
Fang Mo growled.
The qi and blood within him surged out like an erupting volcano!
He didn't bother with the four blades.
Instead, he gave a sudden wrench, yanking Gu Yichuan's blade and swinging Gu Yichuan himself like a Meteor Hammer!
"Whoosh—"
A grown man weighing over a hundred pounds felt light as a feather in Fang Mo's hands.
Gu Yichuan felt the world spin. His whole body flew helplessly through the air, becoming Fang Mo's human shield.
"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"
All four long blades struck Gu Yichuan squarely!
"Argh!!!"
Gu Yichuan let out a shrill scream.
He was wearing armor beneath his clothes, but each of those four strikes had been delivered with the full force of his subordinates!
Even if they hadn't killed him, the tremendous impact had still broken several of his ribs.
"Boss!"
The four black-clad men were stunned.
They had never imagined Fang Mo would fight so shamelessly.
In the instant they stood there gaping—
Fang Mo moved.
He released the blade in his grip, stepped forward, and closed in on the nearest black-clad man in a flash—Old West.
No fancy moves.
Just a simple punch.
A straight punch.
"Thud!"
Fang Mo's fist slammed into Old West's chest.
The Cold-Blooded talent left no restraint and no hesitation in that punch.
A bone-cracking sound that set one's teeth on edge rang out.
Old West's chest visibly caved into a deep pit.
He didn't even manage to scream. His body flew three zhang backward and slammed into the wall of the City God Temple, then slid down like a lump of mud.
Dead on the spot.
One punch.
Instant kill.
The entire scene fell deathly silent.
The three remaining black-clad men gripped their blades with trembling hands.
Before you continue