"Hall Master Kong, wait!"
Seeing Kong Xuan about to draw his blade, Shen Han hurriedly called out.
"What, do you have any last words?"
Beneath the dim lantern light, Kong Xuan actually stopped. He stared into Shen Han's eyes, his expression amused. Killing Shen Han would take only a single move, so he didn't mind playing a little game of cat and mouse.
"Hall Master Kong, is there any room to resolve this?"
Shen Han knew that with his current cultivation, he was no match for Kong Xuan. All he could do was buy as much time as possible.
Kong Xuan sneered. "When you killed my disciple, did you ever think about this moment?"
"It's true that I acted without thinking things through. Why not give me a chance to make amends, Hall Master Kong?"
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"I'm willing to join the Long Blade Sect and follow your every order, Hall Master Kong!"
"Hahahaha!"
Kong Xuan laughed uproariously. "I have to say, your will to survive is impressive. But that trick won't work on me!"
With that, he raised his long saber once more.
Clang!
In the blink of an eye, a crisp sound rang out, as if something had struck the back of the blade.
The long saber shuddered violently.
Kong Xuan felt his palm go slightly numb.
He immediately lowered his saber and turned sideways, shouting into the dark woods, "Which friend is out there? Why not show yourself?"
Shen Han was stunned.
He had been ready to fight Kong Xuan to the death, but then this unexpected turn of events had occurred. It seemed something had flown out of the woods and knocked Kong Xuan's saber aside.
Clatter!
A carriage slowly emerged.
A faint, sweet fragrance seemed to surround it.
A young woman in a floral skirt was driving. After bringing the carriage to a stop, she walked over to them.
It was her!
Shen Han recognized her at once.
This young woman was the maid who had arrived late, just as the auction was ending.
Clearly, the girl in the white dress with the otherworldly beauty was sitting inside the carriage!
"Was that pebble you threw just now?"
Kong Xuan glared at the uninvited guest and asked coldly.
The girl in the floral skirt giggled. "That's right."
"What's your relationship with this brat?"
"We've never met."
"If so, why did you save him?"
Kong Xuan did his best to suppress his anger. He knew perfectly well that the girl before him wouldn't be easy to deal with.
The girl in the floral skirt rolled her eyes at him. "Because my young lady has something important to discuss with this young master."
"Your young lady?"
At that, Kong Xuan looked toward the carriage ten zhang away. It sat motionless, which was rather eerie.
Still forcing down his anger, he asked coolly, "May I know your young lady's name?"
The girl in the floral skirt replied, "Sorry, that's none of your business."
There wasn't the slightest trace of regard for Kong Xuan in her words.
Even the most patient man had his limits.
"Heh. I've rarely come down the mountain over the years. It seems the martial world no longer gives a damn about my reputation!"
After being slighted again and again, Kong Xuan finally lost his temper.
He drew his saber once more and pointed it at the girl in the floral skirt.
The next moment, he roared and lunged forward, slashing straight at her face.
Whoosh!
The girl in the floral skirt didn't panic. Her steps shifted, her movements as elusive as a ghost, and in the blink of an eye she had slipped behind Kong Xuan.
"You still dare to run?"
Kong Xuan's first strike had missed, and he was about to unleash a second.
The girl patted her skirt and paid him no further attention, turning instead toward the carriage.
"Go to hell!"
Kong Xuan tried to raise his saber again, only to find that his arm had gone limp.
Drip!
The next instant, blood began dripping steadily from his chest.
"What?"
He hurriedly looked down. Somehow, a fist-sized hole had appeared over his heart.
"You, you, you..."
Kong Xuan's eyes were filled with terror.
He stared at the girl in the floral skirt and strained with all his might, but he couldn't force out a fourth word.
Crash!
The next moment, Kong Xuan's body hit the ground. Blood stained the surrounding weeds, and he died with his eyes wide open.
Shen Han stared, dumbstruck.
He hadn't even seen how the girl in the floral skirt had struck before Kong Xuan was dead on the spot.
What level of cultivation did this maid have?
He was deeply shaken. If even the maid was this formidable, how terrifying must the young lady in the carriage be?
"So noisy. You've wasted the young lady's time."
The maid in the floral skirt didn't even glance at Kong Xuan's corpse. She spat out the words with a look of disdain.
Shen Han didn't dare delay. He immediately cupped his hands. "Thank you, young lady, for saving my life."
"Don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank my young lady."
As she spoke, the maid in the floral skirt opened the carriage curtain and helped someone out. It was indeed the girl in the white dress who had arrived late at the auction.
"Thank you, miss."
Shen Han hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed.
Although Kong Xuan was dead, he had no idea what these two young women wanted.
But one thing was certain: his life was safe for now.
"Young master, there's no need to be so polite. I know very well that his two disciples deserved to die, and that you had no choice but to act."
The girl in the white dress smiled and spoke calmly.
So she'd been watching me from the shadows all along... Shen Han wondered. I didn't notice her at all.
"Miss, are you from one of the One Hall and Two Gangs?"
Shen Han asked.
At this level of cultivation, it seemed that in Three Rivers County, she could only have come from one of those three top forces.
"Giggling."
The maid in the floral skirt covered her mouth as she laughed. "What One Hall and Two Gangs? We were just passing through Stone Snake Town to attend the auction."
And you still showed up late... Shen Han could only grumble to himself.
At that moment, the girl in the white dress spoke again. "My surname is Ning. My name is Ning Xinxee, and this is my maid, Yang Liu."
"So you're Miss Ning."
"Young master, did you buy a copy of the Ancient Sun Technique manual at the Stone Snake Chamber of Commerce auction?"
Shen Han nodded. "I did, but it's incomplete."
Ning Xinxee said calmly, "Would you let me take a look?"
Do I even have a choice? Shen Han immediately took out the Ancient Sun Technique manual and handed it to the maid, Yang Liu.
Yang Liu passed the manual to Ning Xinxee and brought the lantern a little closer.
By the lantern light, Ning Xinxee leafed through it for a while. "That's right. Quite a few parts of this manual are missing."
Shen Han didn't understand what she was after, but in his current situation, all he could do was wait patiently.
"Young master, I have an impertinent request."
Ning Xinxee spoke softly.
Shen Han hurriedly replied, "Miss Ning, you saved my life. Whatever you ask, I'll gladly do."
Ning Xinxee's expression turned serious. "I'd like to borrow this Ancient Sun Technique manual for five days. Would you agree?"
Can I really say no? Shen Han smiled. "If you want to read it, Miss Ning, you may as well take it."
"Thank you."
Ning Xinxee gave Yang Liu a meaningful glance, then added, "To make it up to you, I'll give you a saber technique."
As she spoke, Yang Liu took a scroll from the carriage.
Ning Xinxee personally placed the scroll in Shen Han's hands. "Please tell me your name and where you live."
"I'm Shen Han, a physician at the Hanging Pot Medical Hall."
"Very well. We'll take our leave for now. In five days, I'll be sure to return the Ancient Sun Technique manual in person!"
Soon, the two women climbed into the carriage and disappeared into the night.
Holding the scroll, Shen Han took quite a while to come back to his senses.
Everything that had just happened was simply unbelievable.
"Forget it. I'll worry about what kind of person Ning Xinxee is later. I haven't searched Kong Xuan and the other two bodies yet."
Shen Han put away the scroll and began searching the bodies.
Before you continue