The Sky-Splitting Blade Technique really was extraordinary!
Shen Han thought to himself that even the former hall master of the Long Blade Sect had admired it. Yet in Ning Xinxee and her servant's eyes, it was nothing at all. Just how strong were those two?
"Mr. Wen, are we still fighting?"
Shen Han asked deliberately.
"You..."
Wen He forced out a breath and said, "There are few people in Three Rivers County who can fight me to a draw. Let's leave it here for today. Until we meet again!"
His left arm was injured, and he was already at a disadvantage. How could he have any desire to keep fighting?
Poof!
The next moment, he stamped out the fire, sprang up, and flew out through the temple gate.
As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood.
His two useless disciples were dead, so be it. He had to stay alive if he wanted any hope of revenge in the future.
Shen Han certainly wasn't going to let Wen He get away. Letting a tiger return to the mountains wasn't his style. He immediately gathered his strength and chased after him.
After a few leaps, he once again stood in Wen He's path.
"Are you really determined to fight me like a cornered beast?"
Blocked from escaping, Wen He sneered. "If we fight to the death, it's still uncertain who'll come out on top!"
Shen Han smiled. "You've misunderstood, Mr. Wen. To be honest, we're cut from the same cloth. I just want money, too."
"I can give you silver..."
"Really?"
"And Han Zhengming's three thousand taels, which he'll bring over shortly. You can have it all!"
"No, no. Let's split it half and half."
"Hm?"
Wen He froze.
Good. Here was his chance!
Taking advantage of Wen He's momentary distraction, Shen Han struck with another blow of the ferociously powerful Sky-Splitting Blade Technique.
"No..."
Wen He was horrified and hurriedly raised his long saber to block.
Clang!
But it was no use.
At that moment, he hadn't expected Shen Han to attack without warning. On top of that, his injured arm meant he could muster less than two-tenths of his strength.
Crack!
A loud snap rang out.
The Heavy Iron Curved Blade struck with crushing force, cleaving Wen He's long saber cleanly in two.
"Spare me..."
Disarmed, Wen He was so terrified that his guts turned to water.
Shen Han ignored him. The blade moved even faster, slashing without hesitation toward Wen He's head.
Whoosh!
Without the slightest suspense, Wen He's head flew skyward.
Blood spattered across the ground.
The former hall master of the Long Blade Sect met his end just outside Golden Buddha Temple, in the night.
"Good thing that ended without a hitch."
After stowing the curved blade in the Bronze Mirror, Shen Han finally relaxed.
If he'd fought Wen He head-on, he could have won, but he certainly wouldn't have killed him so easily. That was why he'd deliberately said those things just now: to distract Wen He and create a fleeting opportunity to land a fatal blow.
"Let's see what the three of them have on them."
Next, Shen Han searched the bodies with practiced ease. He'd grown used to the routine.
Between the three of them, they had just over ten taels of silver.
"They're not exactly rich. Hm? What's this..."
After searching a little longer, he suddenly pulled a strip of white cloth from a hidden pocket in Wen He's sleeve.
It was covered in densely packed writing.
But the fire had gone out, and he couldn't make out much.
"I'll take a closer look when I get back."
Shen Han tucked the silver and the cloth into his robes, glanced at Huang Tie, then hurried away into the darkness beyond the temple gate.
The abandoned Golden Buddha Temple was finally quiet again.
Huang Tie, however, stood with his mouth hanging open, still shaken. Everything that had happened that day was more eventful than his entire sixty-odd years of life.
An hour later.
Han Zhengming and the others returned to Golden Buddha Temple by carriage.
"Master, the fire's gone out."
As soon as they climbed down from the carriage, Qian Cheng noticed something was wrong.
"Could it be..."
Han Zhengming furrowed his brow. They'd already brought the three thousand taels in banknotes, and he didn't want any more complications.
"What a disgusting stench of blood..."
In an instant, Qian Cheng's toe kicked something round. He hurriedly looked down.
"A head! It's that bastard Wen He's head!"
Qian Cheng was horrified.
Hearing this, Han Zhengming immediately lit a fire starter.
"It really is him!"
In the firelight, Wen He's head looked grotesque. Beside it lay his blood-soaked corpse.
The scene was a chaotic, ghastly mess.
Qian Cheng covered his mouth, disbelief all over his face. "Who... who killed him?"
"Master!"
Huang Tie's voice came from inside the temple.
"Come on, inside!"
Han Zhengming immediately led the others into Golden Buddha Temple.
The four of them were even more stunned when they entered. Dark-red blood covered the surroundings, and the corpses of Zhao Shuang and Yan Feiyun lay before them. Their deaths were no less gruesome than Wen He's.
And with the Sleeping Buddha shattered, the temple was a horrific sight.
"Those two are dead, too?"
Qian Cheng felt as if he were in a daze.
The only survivor was Huang Tie, bound in a corner, his voice hoarse.
"So all three of them were killed!"
Han Zhengming exclaimed. "You two, hurry over and untie Elder Huang!"
The two guards hurried to free Huang Tie.
"Are you all right, Elder Huang?"
"I'm fine... But Li Xunshan..."
Li Xunshan's headless corpse still lay in the straw.
Han Zhengming said solemnly, "The dead are gone. I won't let Li Xunshan's family suffer for it."
The two guards lit their lanterns and searched the area carefully once more. Then they gasped. "What on earth happened here?"
It was understandable. The sudden upheaval at Golden Buddha Temple had left them utterly shaken.
"It was done by an extremely ugly man."
Huang Tie steadied himself and briefly recounted what had happened.
"An ugly man?" Han Zhengming asked, baffled.
"Yes. Before he struck, he also said that he knew you, Master."
Huang Tie remembered Shen Han's words.
Han Zhengming was astonished. "He knows me? Impossible. How would I know a blade expert like that?"
"Could he have just been making it up?"
"That doesn't make sense. If he had nothing to do with the clinic, why would he have helped us?"
"Could someone from the Long Blade Sect have come to clean house?"
After a moment, Qian Cheng offered his guess.
One of the guards nodded. "I think that's very likely."
"But that doesn't add up either," Huang Tie said after thinking it over. "If they really came to clean house, shouldn't they have taken the three heads back as proof?"
Qian Cheng added, "Then... could another sect have come to rob them?"
Han Zhengming slowly shook his head. "Wen He hadn't even received our three thousand taels yet. If they'd come to rob him, what would they have gotten?"
"True. This really is a mystery."
"Forget it. Whatever happened, the three bandits are dead, and our crisis is over."
Han Zhengming let out a relieved breath.
The three thousand taels in banknotes hadn't been lost, and with Wen He and his disciples dead, the clinic wouldn't be extorted by them again. The only regret was Li Xunshan's death.
"Those who commit too many wicked deeds bring ruin upon themselves. Master, it seems even Heaven won't spare those evil bandits."
The two guards spoke in unison.
To be honest, the two of them had been very worried when they came here. Now that all the bandits had been killed, the heavy stone on their hearts had finally been lifted.
Huang Tie, too, silently counted himself lucky. He'd heard everything clearly earlier: even after receiving the money, Wen He and the other two had planned to kill him!
"Well said!"
Han Zhengming said with satisfaction. "This matter is settled. Come on, let's hurry and carry Li Xunshan's body to the carriage. Leave the mess here for the authorities to clean up."
"Right!"
Before leaving, they picked up the broken saber and hacked wildly at the corpses of Wen He and his two disciples, venting their pent-up anger.
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