Slaying Two Bandits in a Row, Standing Against Wen He

Yan Feiyun and Zhao Shuang turned around and looked at Wen He, silently asking what to do.

Wen He remained impassive and raised a withered hand. "Everyone who comes is a guest. You're too polite, sir. It's just that this place is filthy and stinks, and there are corpses lying around. You don't mind?"

Shen Han smiled. "I'm only stopping to rest my feet. Whatever corpses there are have nothing to do with me."

"Very well. Please, come in."

Wen He spoke slowly.

"Thank you."

Shen Han stepped through the temple gate.

In the firelight, his ugly face showed no expression at all.

He knew this place far too well. That night, it was here that he had obtained the Dark Iron Brick and the silk cloth. But everything had changed. The two beggars were now corpses, and Elder Huang had been kidnapped here as well.

"Shuang'er, pour our honored guest a bowl of wine."

Wen He gave the order.

"Yes, Master."

Zhao Shuang immediately fetched an earthen bowl, filled it to the brim with wine, and gracefully walked toward Shen Han at the entrance.

"Thank you for the trouble, miss."

"Hehe!"

Just then, the situation abruptly took a turn.

Zhao Shuang shouted and suddenly hurled the bowl at Shen Han.

Shen Han had been ready for it.

He turned his head and dodged the bowl.

"You ugly bastard, you're asking to die!"

In a flash, Zhao Shuang's lithe right leg shot up, kicking toward Shen Han's face with blinding speed.

This move, Phoenix Residual Leg, was her signature technique.

"Miss, is this how you welcome your guests?"

Shen Han moved too.

He swiftly circulated the force within his body, refined in the Flesh Refining Realm, and clenched his fist until it was hard as iron. He neither dodged nor retreated, meeting Zhao Shuang's flying kick head-on.

Thud!

Fist and foot collided with a dull impact.

But there was no contest between them; it was a crushing, one-sided defeat.

"Ah..."

It was Zhao Shuang's cry, and it was pitiful.

In an instant, her whole body seemed to have slammed into an iron wall. She toppled backward, unable to stop herself.

"Junior Sister!"

Seeing this, Yan Feiyun hurriedly caught her.

"My leg... It's broken..."

Zhao Shuang was drenched in sweat in an instant. Her entire right leg twisted to one side, apparently numb.

Yan Feiyun was horrified. "How could this happen?"

Huang Tie stared, dumbstruck.

It was obvious that this ugly man had come to help him, but he had never seen him before. Could he be a patient he had once treated?

Shen Han stood perfectly still and gave a cold laugh. "I only asked for a bowl of wine. You actually tried to kill me?"

"I'll kill you!"

Yan Feiyun flew into a rage, drew his long saber, and was about to charge.

"Stop!"

At the critical moment, Wen He ordered him to halt.

Yan Feiyun gritted his teeth. "Master, Junior Sister was..."

Wen He gestured for Yan Feiyun to be quiet, then turned to face Shen Han, his expression dark. "Who exactly are you?"

"I've already said. Just a passerby."

Wen He tightened his grip on his saber. "Could you be an ally Han Zhengming brought in?"

"Ally is too strong a word. I've met Master Han once."

"If so, then this old man doesn't want to fall out with you. I apologize on Shuang'er's behalf. Also, I'll give up on the three thousand taels of silver from Han Zhengming. Leave."

That was right: Wen He was also gauging Shen Han's strength.

Zhao Shuang was, after all, a Skin Refining Realm martial artist. Anyone who could grievously wound her with a single, effortless move was certainly no weakling.

It wasn't worth provoking someone like that over three thousand taels.

He could always find somewhere else to extort people.

"I'd like a drink."

Shen Han showed no intention of leaving.

"Of course!" Wen He said. "Shuang'er, why haven't you poured this hero a drink and apologized?"

Zhao Shuang had no choice but to struggle to her feet.

She endured the pain, dragged her broken leg, and awkwardly hopped toward Shen Han on one foot.

Shen Han thought to himself, So this is what strength feels like! These three had acted with impunity in front of Master Han, but they clearly feared me.

"P-please... have some wine."

Trembling, Zhao Shuang offered him a bowl of strong liquor.

A cold smile touched Shen Han's lips.

But he didn't take the wine.

Instead, under the eyes of Wen He and Yan Feiyun, he suddenly pulled out the Heavy Iron Curved Blade and slashed through the air from the side.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Shuang had no time to react. She hadn't even seen how the curved blade, weighing over a hundred catties, had appeared. Before she could utter a single word, her body had been cut in two.

Blood sprayed wildly, and her organs flew through the air.

"Junior Sister!"

Yan Feiyun couldn't believe his eyes. His junior sister had been alive just moments ago, but in the blink of an eye she had been cut in half, reduced to a mangled corpse.

"You've gone too far, sir."

Wen He glared fixedly at Shen Han.

Shen Han said blandly, "Sorry. She insulted me, so this is what she got."

"Bastard, pay for my junior sister's life!"

Yan Feiyun could no longer contain himself. His long saber came howling toward Shen Han, his fury driving him to cut Shen Han down.

"Hehe, too slow."

Shen Han merely slipped to the side and dodged Yan Feiyun's attack. The physical reflexes granted by the Flesh Refining Realm were a whole level beyond those of the Skin Refining Realm.

"You dare dodge!"

Yan Feiyun missed with his first strike and charged again.

Shen Han didn't want to waste time tangling with him. His real target was Wen He, the former hall master of the Long Blade Sect.

Sky-Splitting Blade Technique · Bone-Crushing!

In the next instant, the Heavy Iron Curved Blade, bearing over a thousand catties of force, surged forward like a colossal python. To Yan Feiyun's astonishment, it plunged straight into his chest.

Crack!

The sound of bones shattering one after another rang out.

"You... you..."

Yan Feiyun stood frozen in place, the long saber slipping from his hand and clattering to the ground.

Thud!

In the blink of an eye, he stopped breathing. His eyes were wide with terror as he fell stiffly onto his back, dying with his eyes open.

It had all happened far too quickly.

In just a few blinks, two people had been killed.

The pungent stench of blood spread through the ruined Golden Buddha Temple.

The fire continued to burn.

In the corner, Huang Tie's head spun. He had practiced medicine at a clinic for decades, but when had he ever witnessed a scene like this?

Wen He drew a deep breath. "Did you come here today just to kill people?"

"If you say so," Shen Han replied noncommittally.

Now that he had struck, he had to wipe them all out.

And Wen He absolutely couldn't be allowed to escape!

Wen He said coldly, "But I've never seen you before. With your ability, Han Zhengming could never afford to hire you. Who are you, really?"

"Enough talk. Let's fight!"

As soon as Shen Han finished speaking, he used the Heavy Iron Curved Blade to flick up a piece of broken stone from the ground and sent it flying toward Wen He.

Clang!

Wen He barely managed to block the stone with his long saber.

Then he leapt up.

He charged at Shen Han with his saber raised. "Fine. I'll kill you with my own hands and avenge my two disciples!"

Shen Han didn't dare be careless. He clashed with Wen He.

Clang, clang, clang!

The two blades struck again and again, sparks flying.

In the blink of an eye, they traded blows across the Golden Buddha Temple, locked in a fierce struggle for more than ten rounds.

The old man was no pushover!

Clearly, the two were at the same level, and Shen Han wasn't confident he could take Wen He down quickly.

Fortunately, Shen Han's blade technique had reached perfection, and Wen He was getting on in years. Compared to him, Shen Han was just a little faster. At last, thanks to this tiny advantage, after another dozen moves, Shen Han spotted the slightest opening in Wen He's defense.

He began with a feint, then spun halfway around like a ghost. The fierce Heavy Iron Curved Blade took an uncanny turn and swept toward Wen He's neck.

Sky-Splitting Blade Technique · Oblique Slash!

"Not good!"

Facing this attack, Wen He had nowhere to dodge. He could only sacrifice one part to save the whole, thrusting out an arm. He could barely save his life by taking the blow on his arm.

Slash!

The Heavy Iron Curved Blade left a deep, bloody gash in his left arm.

"You... what..."

Wen He quickly retreated several steps, clutching his wound. Still shaken, he asked, "What kind of blade technique is that?"