Tu Mansion! Icy Slaughter!

The bright moon hung high.

Its silvery light fell quietly, draping everything in a coat of silver.

Inside a room at Xuan Yue Inn, a veiled figure suddenly climbed out the window and landed in a nearby alley.

Fang Hong looked up at the moon in the night sky and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"With a moon this bright, aside from being a bit inconvenient, it's still a fine night for killing."

He had spent the last two days quietly investigating the situation at Scholar He's Residence.

Mostly, he was feeling out the strength of the guards there, which had taken some time.

The guards at Scholar He's Residence numbered six in total—a master and his disciples.

The leader was a man in his forties named Deng Changliu.

The rest were his apprentices, who had some martial skill.

But they were only a bit tougher than ordinary people, with very limited strength.

As for Deng Changliu, his skill wasn't weak.

Still, Fang Hong had taken a close look at him during the day, when he followed Scholar He out of the house.

Since Fang Hong had no perception-type techniques, he couldn't be entirely sure of Deng Changliu's exact level.

But it definitely wouldn't exceed Flesh Refinement Mastery.

Because Fang Hong didn't sense much danger from him.

In fact, the feeling Deng Changliu gave him wasn't even as threatening as the White Wolf King he'd encountered in the mountains back then.

Before long, Fang Hong slipped through the night to a medical clinic.

Hui Chun Tang!

"The weather's dry, beware of fire!"

After the patrolling Night Watchman passed by, Fang Hong vaulted straight into Hui Chun Tang.

Inside the back courtyard of Hui Chun Tang, an old man and a young boy were talking.

The old man was naturally Qian Chunsheng, the owner and attending physician of Hui Chun Tang.

The young boy was his apprentice, currently grinding medicinal herbs.

Just then, the boy frowned, picked out one herb from the pile, and set it aside.

Seeing this, Qian Chunsheng questioned him with displeasure. "What are you doing? Why are you picking out that piece of Yellow Gall Wood?"

"Master, this Yellow Gall Wood has expired. It has no medicinal effect anymore," the apprentice replied.

"Just because you say it has no effect doesn't mean it doesn't. Put it back!" Qian Chunsheng scolded with a frown.

The apprentice hesitated. "But Master, didn't you teach me before that even if Yellow Gall Wood has no effect, mixing it with certain other herbs can produce bad results?"

Qian Chunsheng cursed him in frustration. "You blockhead!"

"Why can you only remember one thing and not the other?!"

"These herbs are all money! This piece of Yellow Gall Wood isn't valuable, but do you know how much it adds up to over time?!"

"But selling such herbs to patients..."

"Shut up! I told you to put it back, so put it back."

"What do those patients know?"

"What illness they have, how to treat it, what medicine to use, what effects it'll have—the final say is mine!"

"Whatever I say goes!"

Seeing that his apprentice wanted to argue further, Qian Chunsheng immediately rebuked him with great dissatisfaction.

Clap, clap, clap~~

Just then, Fang Hong walked out, clapping, with the new knife he'd bought in town the day before slung over his shoulder.

You've got a whole spiel ready—are you gonna learn a foreign language next?

"Brilliant, Doctor Qian! Not only are your medical skills superb, but you've also got a knack for making money!"

"Who are you?!"

Seeing Fang Hong appear out of nowhere, Qian Chunsheng demanded angrily.

"Someone here to kill you, of course."

Fang Hong chuckled lightly. "Half a month ago, thanks to your excellent medical skills, Doctor Qian, my mother's condition worsened at an extraordinary pace."

Hearing this, Doctor Qian was startled and instinctively stepped back, opening his mouth wide.

But before he could let out a cry for help, Fang Hong had already rushed in front of him.

A cold gleam of steel flashed through the candlelight.

Then Qian Chunsheng's entire head tumbled from his neck with a dull thud.

"Good sir, spare—"

On the other side, Qian Chunsheng's apprentice was nearly struck mute by the sight before him.

He started to beg for mercy, but barely got the words out before Fang Hong rushed over and severed his neck.

Blood sprayed!

After a quick search through Hui Chun Tang, he found over a hundred taels of silver.

Fang Hong left the clinic directly and headed for Scholar He's Residence.

Behind him, only two headless corpses and two severed heads remained in Hui Chun Tang, blood still flowing steadily.

By the time Fang Hong reached Scholar He's Residence, his technique of beheading had grown even more practiced.

Starting from the back courtyard of the He Mansion, especially the rooms where Scholar He and his family were.

He crept from room to room.

Cover mouth, strike with the blade. Cover mouth, strike with the blade...

Fang Hong was like a merciless killing machine, slaughtering without much emotional fluctuation.

Except when killing Scholar He, he wasted a bit of time asking where the money was hidden.

Otherwise, he didn't squander a single moment.

The number of dead at his hands kept climbing.

The entire He Mansion grew quieter and more desolate.

Soon, Fang Hong had fought his way to the servants' quarters where the guards slept.

Since he didn't know which room Deng Changliu was in, Fang Hong simply picked the nearest one.

That room housed two of Deng Changliu's apprentices.

When Fang Hong entered, both were still fast asleep.

Though these two weren't strong—just rough with basic martial arts—

their training made them more robust, sharp-eared, clear-eyed, and quicker to react than ordinary men.

Even though Fang Hong's killing stroke was swift enough, when he severed the first man's neck, the other was roused.

Still groggy and not fully awake, he instinctively raised his hand and shrank back as Fang Hong's blade came down.

The strike was heavy and the blade sharp, cleaving through the raised hand and neck in one go.

But the man still managed to let out a scream.

In the next room, Deng Changliu jolted awake with a start.

"Damn, something's wrong!"

Fully alert now, Deng Changliu didn't even bother dressing—he rushed out of the room in only his white undershirt.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw a figure emerging from the neighboring room.

A tall, sturdy masked man, holding a long blade dripping with blood.

In the night and moonlight, the blood-streaked white of the blade seemed like a third kind of beauty.

"I've long heard of Master Deng's reputation. Tonight, I've come specially to send you to your death."

Fang Hong slowly raised his blade.

Seeing Fang Hong's movement and sensing the intense danger radiating from him, Deng Changliu felt his scalp crawl.

Do I even know you, that you come to send me to my death?

So having a bit of fame is a crime now?

"Wait—who exactly are you, sir?"

"Everything can be discussed. Why must it come to this?"

Deng Changliu tried to reason, but his peripheral vision was fixed on the Moon Gate leading to the central courtyard.

He was an old hand at this.

Sensing the overwhelming danger from Fang Hong, he instantly knew he was no match.

Besides, he was a hand-to-hand fighter, while the other had a blade.

Only an idiot would fight barehanded against someone stronger who also carried a weapon.

So the priority was clear: run for his life!