Fists Collide, A Late-Night Slaughter

Soon, two men in black climbed onto the top of the wall.

"Senior Brother Kang, this is the place."

One of the men lowered his voice and said.

Kang Zhiwen frowned and snorted, "Damn it, what is that foul stench?"

"Perhaps it is the smell of some medicinal concoction."

"So, the owner of this courtyard is taking medicine to practice martial arts? Hu Teng, oh Hu Teng, your cousin really knows how to pick people to provoke!"

So this person is Hu Teng... Shen Han thought to himself.

Hu Teng is the cousin of the local thug Hu Jiao. I never expected that after I killed his two lackeys, Hu Teng would still come knocking, and he even brought a helper.

It looks like both of these men are disciples of the Black Wind Stronghold.

I wonder what their cultivation levels are; can I handle them?

Hu Teng spoke again, "Senior Brother Kang, I found the corpses of Ding San and Mao Si in a dry well in the city."

"They were stuffed into a red sack."

"According to my investigation, someone once saw the people from this small courtyard using that very sack."

So that's where the problem lies... Shen Han thought to himself.

"How many people live in this small courtyard?"

Kang Zhiwen asked.

Hu Teng hurriedly replied, "Just two, a man and a woman. The woman is delicate and weak, so the killer must be that man."

Kang Zhiwen sneered, "Regardless of whether it's a man or a woman, they are both asleep now, so just kill them both!"

Hu Teng responded, "That is only right, but..."

Kang Zhiwen turned his head and said sharply, "But what? Why are you stuttering, Junior Brother Hu?"

"I suspect the killer's cultivation might not be low."

"Why?"

Kang Zhiwen said this while looking toward the two rooms.

Hu Teng hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Kang, I carefully examined the corpses of Ding San and Mao Si. Both of their necks were snapped, and it seems they didn't even have a chance to fight back."

"Oh?"

"My cousin Hu Jiao is one thing; other than being fat, he has no real ability. But Ding San and Mao Si were both half-step Skin Refining experts, yet they were easily killed by that murderer..."

"Heh, what is there to fear?"

Kang Zhiwen laughed, "How high could the cultivation of someone living in a dump like this be?"

"At most, they are just in the Skin Refining Realm."

"Junior Brother Hu, you and I have both broken through the Skin Refining Realm, and I have been in this realm for a full two years. Can the two of us combined not kill him?"

"Senior Brother Kang is right!"

"By the way, enough with the useless talk. Have you prepared the reward I asked for?"

Kang Zhiwen suddenly asked.

Hu Teng patted his chest and said, "Senior Brother Kang, rest assured. The Angry Dragon Divine Fist manual you wanted is here. I stole it for you when I went to visit the Iron Fist Martial Hall with my master."

Kang Zhiwen said, "That is good. Once this is done, the manual will be mine, and you can make a copy for yourself later."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Kang."

"Let's go. We're going down to slaughter this pair of dogs!"

As he spoke, Kang Zhiwen leaped down, jumping off the wall first.

Hu Teng followed closely behind.

He crouched low and landed lightly.

BOOM!

Just then, a heavy fist struck him from his rear side.

Hu Teng had no defense at all. In a flash, his nape was solidly struck by the fist.

CRACK!

It was the sound of a spine shattering!

"Agh..."

Hu Teng let out a miserable scream. His entire body toppled to the ground like a kite with a broken string, writhing incessantly, unable to get back up.

All of this happened too quickly.

When Kang Zhiwen turned his head, Hu Teng had already been crippled, and a dark shadow stood two zhang away.

"Who are you?"

Kang Zhiwen asked in a deep voice.

The dark shadow was none other than Shen Han.

"Old brother, I am the person you are looking for. Aren't you trying to kill me?"

"You killed Hu Jiao, Ding San, and Mao Si?"

"That's right!"

"Good, very good. There is a path to heaven, yet you refuse to take it; there is no door to hell, yet you barge right in. Kid, since that's the case, this time next year will be your death anniversary."

As soon as the words fell, Kang Zhiwen let out a roar, lunged forward, and slammed his fist toward Shen Han.

Shen Han did not dare to be careless; he unleashed his perfected Basic Fist Technique to meet him head-on.

Bang!

The two fists collided.

The force of the Skin Refining Realm clashed directly, earth-shattering and stirring up a wave of air that even sent the night birds in the trees screeching in fright.

"You've got some skill!"

Kang Zhiwen took two steps back, feeling a dull ache in his fist.

Shen Han also leaned back against a tree trunk.

This Kang Zhiwen is truly not simple; his strength is not below mine. He is worthy of being an expert who broke through to the Skin Refining Realm two years ago. If it weren't for the fact that my clone took the Qi Condensing Powder tonight, I would surely be dead... Shen Han's hand felt numb, and he gasped for air, quickly circulating his energy to recover.

"Go to hell!"

Kang Zhiwen did not give him a chance and threw another punch.

I can't take this head-on!

Shen Han dodged to the side, barely avoiding the blow.

Thud!

Kang Zhiwen's heavy fist struck the tree trunk, leaving a three-foot-deep crater.

I have to use my wits... A thought flashed through Shen Han's mind, and he grabbed the medicine-brewing stove by the well and hurled it at Kang Zhiwen.

"Is that it?"

Kang Zhiwen delivered a flying kick.

Crack!

The stove shattered into pieces instantly.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, Shen Han lunged forward, seizing the fleeting moment to throw the contents of his hand directly at Kang Zhiwen's face.

It was stove ash!

In an instant, the air was filled with ash, engulfing Kang Zhiwen.

"You son of a—!"

A large amount of ash flew into his eyes.

Now or never!

Shen Han immediately surged forward, channeling his veins and concentrating all the strength in his body into his right fist, hammering it toward Kang Zhiwen.

Although Kang Zhiwen's vision was blurred, he still raised his fist to counter.

Boom!

The two fists collided once again.

However, this time, caught in a panic, Kang Zhiwen's fist strength was far inferior to Shen Han's.

"Pfft..."

After stumbling back several steps, Kang Zhiwen spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Wait!"

Kang Zhiwen reached out to steady himself against the courtyard wall, forcing himself to stand firm. "Kid, I have no grudge against you. Let's call it a day!"

Shen Han was not feeling well either.

A stinging pain spread from his chest to his throat; it was a sign of internal injury.

"Fine, but Hu Teng stays."

Shen Han steadied his mind and said coldly.

Kang Zhiwen didn't even think about it: "No problem, you can do whatever you want with that guy Hu Teng."

The half-dead Hu Teng was scared out of his wits.

He was nearly crippled and had assumed that Senior Brother Kang would slaughter Shen Han, but who would have thought the two would fight to a stalemate, and now, Senior Brother Kang was even willing to abandon him.

"Senior Kang..."

"Shut your damn mouth!"

"Senior Brother Kang, don't leave me behind... ah, Senior Brother Kang, watch out!"

What?

Kang Zhiwen was momentarily dazed.

He saw that the kid had closed the distance before he even realized it, a hard fist descending from above, aiming straight for his forehead.

"Hey, you..."

By the time Kang Zhiwen tried to throw a punch to block, it was already too late.

Boom!

His head was struck squarely by the fist.

All the bones in his face shattered, leaving him teetering.

"Run, run..."

After suffering such a heavy blow, Kang Zhiwen had no intention of fighting back; he only wanted to scramble up the courtyard wall and escape the chaos.

How could Shen Han let him succeed?

Enduring the intense pain radiating from his chest, he didn't hesitate for a second, reaching out with both hands to clamp onto Kang Zhiwen's skull.

"Don't kill..."

Before the words could be finished, a sharp "crack" echoed out as the neck snapped.

Kang Zhiwen's life ended right there.

"Haa..."

Shen Han had used up almost every ounce of energy in his body.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his legs went weak, and he quickly leaned against a tree trunk to steady his breathing.