That figure was none other than the night watchman who had spotted him four nights ago and tipped off Liu Yuan!
At that moment, the watchman was hurrying along.
Shen Han immediately kept his composure and followed him from a distance.
Soon, the watchman reached an unremarkable wooden hut, opened the door, and slipped inside.
"What did you find?"
Inside the hut, Peng Hanshan, dressed in fine clothes, wore a grim expression.
"Reporting to Senior Brother, he seems to have vanished..."
The watchman replied with a tremble.
"Vanished?"
Peng Hanshan stamped his foot and snapped in exasperation, "It's broad daylight! How can a living person just vanish?"
The watchman hurriedly said, "Could he have fled the city?"
Peng Hanshan replied coldly, "Absolutely not! I asked the guards at the city gates. They haven't seen any ugly man leave the city these past few days. That fellow must still be somewhere in Three Rivers County!"
"But..."
"That ugly man killed Steward Liu. It's obvious he knows the secret of the Black Brick. He must not be allowed to live!"
"Senior Brother, how about... notifying the martial hall and having them help search?"
"No!"
Peng Hanshan slammed his hand on the table and said harshly, "I overheard the secret of the Black Brick from Master and Mistress. If it gets out, I'll be in deep trouble too! Listen carefully: Steward Liu was killed in a vendetta by an out-of-town sect. Don't mention the ugly man to anyone. Understood?"
The watchman nodded hastily. "I understand."
Peng Hanshan continued, "It's been four days. No matter how much that ugly man keeps to himself, he'll have to go out to buy supplies. Keep a close eye out, especially around East City. Don't miss the slightest clue!"
"I'll make sure it's done!"
"Take these five taels of silver."
Peng Hanshan took out a lump of silver and tossed it to the watchman.
The watchman was delighted. "Thank you for the reward, Senior Brother! I'll go through fire and water for you!"
Peng Hanshan gave a snort.
With that, he didn't linger. He left the hut and disappeared into the streets outside in the blink of an eye.
The watchman hurriedly put away the silver.
"Ah, how strange. Where on earth is that fellow..."
He sighed to himself.
Creak!
Just then, the door of the hut slowly opened.
"Hm? There wasn't any wind..."
The watchman stood up, intending to go close the door, but spotted a young man standing in the doorway.
"Who are you?"
The watchman stared intently at the newcomer.
"Heh, brother, weren't you looking for me?"
The newcomer was, of course, Shen Han.
Just now, outside the hut, he had heard every word of their conversation.
He hadn't expected the whole thing to have been done behind the Iron Fist Martial Hall's back by that Senior Brother. But the Senior Brother's cultivation was unknown, so he had to be cautious. The watchman was different, though. He was just an ordinary person. With Shen Han's Flesh Refining cultivation and strength of a thousand jin, crushing the watchman would be easier than crushing an ant.
"You've got the wrong person. I've never seen you."
The watchman looked hostile. He didn't want to say more, and reached out with his right hand to shove Shen Han away.
Shen Han didn't budge.
"You!"
The watchman froze. The young man before him looked so frail, yet he couldn't push him at all!
"Brother, we met just four nights ago," Shen Han said calmly. "Really forgotten?"
The watchman gritted his teeth. "Kid, are you deliberately picking a fight?"
Shen Han smiled. "Looks like you really do have a bad memory. Back then, I was carrying a bundle with a brick inside."
"Could it be..."
Suddenly, the watchman realized what was happening. His face turned pale with shock. "You're that ugly man?"
Shen Han sneered. "You're not completely stupid."
The watchman began to tremble all over. "Did you kill Steward Liu that night?"
"Of course!"
Shen Han stepped forward.
His imposing presence made the watchman's legs go weak. He dropped onto his backside.
"Liu Yuan wanted to take my things. He deserved to die."
As he spoke, Shen Han took the Heavy Iron Curved Blade out of the Bronze Mirror.
The watchman gaped. Where had he taken such a huge blade from?
"You... what are you going to do..."
"Pull up the weeds by the roots! I've always hated cowards who stab me in the back!"
Shen Han didn't hesitate. He swung the curved blade.
It was his first time using the Heavy Iron Curved Blade.
"No..."
The watchman was so terrified that he lost control of his bowels.
But his consciousness didn't linger for long.
Slash!
A flash of cold light, and the hundred-jin Heavy Iron Curved Blade swept across the watchman's neck. His head separated from his body, clean and swift, as blood sprayed into the air.
"What a fine blade!"
Shen Han glanced at the Heavy Iron Curved Blade.
A sinister aura seemed to shimmer across the blade, yet not a single trace of blood marked its surface.
Shopkeeper Lei at the Blacksmith Shop truly hadn't been lying. No one in Three Rivers County could surpass his sword-forging skills.
Shen Han put away the curved blade, tucked the watchman's five taels of silver into his clothes, and strode off.
The mess on the ground had nothing to do with him.
Now that the watchman was dead, no one else had seen him wearing a mask. For the time being, he was safe.
As Shen Han returned to the streets, he showed no sign that anything was amiss.
The people coming and going on the street could never have imagined that this ordinary-looking passerby had just killed someone with a single slash!
Mirror Master: Shen Han Cultivation: Flesh Refining Technique: Ancient Sun Technique (Great Mastery) Martial Arts: Angry Dragon Divine Fist (Perfection), Sky-Splitting Blade Technique (Perfection) Skills: Medicine (Perfection)
As he walked, he brought up the panel.
After several days of hard training, his clone had already brought the Sky-Splitting Blade Technique to perfection!
Shen Han was secretly delighted.
No wonder that as soon as he picked up the blade, every technique and trick of the blade arts had already reached the pinnacle in his mind. The technique had only five moves, but it felt as if it had become part of his body, flowing effortlessly.
The Ancient Sun Technique was still at Great Mastery.
But that didn't matter. Every time his clone circulated its energy through a cycle, his physical strength increased, bringing his cultivation along with it.
"My strength is now over eleven hundred jin,"
Shen Han muttered. "Buying this incomplete Ancient Sun Technique was absolutely worth it.
"At the very least, my clone can use it to reach the Tendon Refining Realm.
"With my current strength and blade technique, I'm confident I can kill Kong Xuan in one strike if I fight him again!
"However, the Qi Condensing Powder Yun Yi left behind has stopped working."
That was a fact. During the four days since he had broken through to Flesh Refining, he had continued to decoct Qi Condensing Powder for his clone every day. Yesterday, he had finally used up the remaining medicinal ingredients, but the effect was gone. The powder no longer had any effect on his cultivation.
With his experience with Blood-Qi Soup, Shen Han naturally drew a conclusion: Qi Condensing Powder was only suitable for use before reaching the Flesh Refining Realm. From now on, he would have to find new medicinal dishes or pills.
"Clone, focus on cultivating the Ancient Sun Technique with all your strength!"
Shen Han gave his clone an order.
The Sky-Splitting Blade Technique was already at its peak. Like the Angry Dragon Divine Fist and medicine, it no longer needed practice. Until he found a new martial arts manual, he could have his clone cultivate the Ancient Sun Technique around the clock and focus on improving its cultivation.
Once the Ancient Sun Technique reached perfection too, his cultivation would improve even faster each day!
"Senior Brother Shen, you're finally back!"
As soon as he reached the entrance of the Hanging Pot Medical Hall, he saw Feng Hao looking deeply worried.
"What happened?"
Shen Han glanced around.
Everyone at the medical hall looked frightened, as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
"Something's happened. Li Xunshan is dead..."
Feng Hao's voice trembled as he spoke.
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