Matters Concluded, Vengeance Served

The Sky-Splitting Blade Technique is truly miraculous!

Shen Han pondered to himself; even the former hall master of the Long Blade Sect admired it, yet in the eyes of Ning Xinxee and her servant, this blade technique was nothing at all. Just how strong had those two become?

"Mr. Wen, shall we continue?"

Shen Han said deliberately.

"You..."

Wen He forced himself to hold onto his internal energy and said, "There are few people in Three Rivers County who can fight me to a draw. Let's end it here for today; we shall meet again!"

His left arm was injured and he was already at a disadvantage, so he had no intention of continuing the fight.

Pfft!

The next moment, he violently stomped out the campfire, took a step, and leaped out of the temple gate.

As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood.

His two useless disciples were dead, and that was that; he had to survive so that he would have a chance to take revenge in the future.

Shen Han certainly wouldn't let Wen He get his way; letting a tiger return to the mountains was not in his nature, so he immediately gathered his breath and gave chase.

With a few flips, he stood before Wen He once again.

"Does your Excellency really want to fight me like a cornered beast?"

Blocked and unable to escape, Wen He snorted, "If we fight to the death, it is unknown who will emerge victorious!"

Shen Han smiled: "Mr. Wen, you misunderstand. To tell you the truth, I am the same kind of person as you; I only want money."

"I can give you silver..."

"Is that so?"

"And Han Zhengming—the three thousand taels he is bringing shortly will all be yours!"

"No, no, let's just split it fifty-fifty."

"Hmm?"

Wen He was stunned.

Good, the opportunity is here!

Taking advantage of the moment Wen He was dazed, Shen Han struck, unleashing another fierce and powerful Sky-Splitting Blade Technique.

"No..."

Wen He was terrified and hurriedly raised his long blade to block.

Clang!

Unfortunately, it was to no avail.

In that instant, he never expected Shen Han to launch a surprise attack, and with his arm already injured, he couldn't even muster twenty percent of his strength.

Crack!

A loud sound rang out.

The Heavy Iron Curved Blade was heavy and powerful, slicing Wen He's long blade clean in half.

"Spare me..."

Without his weapon, Wen He was scared out of his wits.

Shen Han ignored him, and the blade edge, moving with even greater speed, slashed toward Wen He's head without hesitation.

Swish!

Without any suspense, Wen He's head flew into the air.

Fresh blood splattered all over the ground.

This former hall master of the Long Blade Sect thus met his end outside the Golden Buddha Temple in the dead of night.

"Fortunately, it was a narrow escape."

Putting the curved blade back into the Bronze Mirror, Shen Han felt relieved.

If he had fought Wen He head-on, he could have won, but it would have been impossible to kill him so easily. Therefore, he had deliberately said those words to distract Wen He, creating a fleeting opportunity for a fatal strike.

"Let's see what the three of them have on them."

Next, Shen Han began to loot the corpses with practiced ease; this was an action he had become accustomed to.

The three of them had only a little over ten taels of silver in total.

"Not very rich, are they? Huh? What is this..."

After searching for a while longer, he suddenly pulled a piece of white cloth from a hidden lining in Wen He's sleeve.

It was covered in dense writing.

However, the campfire had gone out, and it was difficult to see clearly.

"I'll examine it more closely when I get back."

Shen Han tucked the silver and the white cloth into his robes, glanced at Huang Tie, and without further delay, vanished into the darkness outside the temple gate.

The dilapidated Golden Buddha Temple finally returned to silence.

Huang Tie, however, stood with his mouth agape, still shaken; everything that had happened today was more eventful than his entire sixty-plus years of life.

An hour later.

Han Zhengming and his three companions returned to the Golden Buddha Temple by carriage.

"Master, the campfire has gone out."

As soon as he stepped off the carriage, Qian Cheng noticed something amiss.

"Could it be..."

Han Zhengming's brows furrowed tightly; he had brought the three thousand taels in banknotes and did not want any further complications.

"What a sickening smell of blood..."

In an instant, the tip of Qian Cheng's boot kicked something round, and he hurriedly looked down.

"A head! It's that scoundrel Wen He's head!"

Qian Cheng was shocked.

Upon hearing this, Han Zhengming immediately lit a tinderstick.

"It really is him!"

Under the glow of the tinderstick, Wen He's head looked incredibly gruesome, with his blood-soaked corpse lying right beside it.

The scene was a chaotic, tragic mess.

Qian Cheng covered his mouth, his face full of disbelief: "Who... who killed him?"

"Master!"

Huang Tie's voice drifted out from the temple.

"Let's go, inside!"

Han Zhengming immediately led his team into the Golden Buddha Temple.

Upon entering, the four men were instantly dumbfounded; dark red blood was splattered everywhere, and the corpses of Zhao Shuang and Yan Feiyun lay before them, their states of death no less horrific than Wen He's.

Coupled with the shattered Sleeping Buddha, the temple was a sight too ghastly to behold.

"These two are dead as well?"

Qian Cheng felt completely bewildered.

The only living person was Huang Tie, who was tied up in the corner, his voice raspy.

"So, all three of them were killed!"

Han Zhengming exclaimed, "You two, hurry over and untie Elder Huang!"

The two guards rushed to free Huang Tie.

"Are you alright, Elder Huang?"

"I'm fine... but Li Xunshan is..."

Li Xunshan's headless corpse still lay in the hay.

Han Zhengming said solemnly: "The dead are gone; I will not treat Li Xunshan's family poorly."

The two guards lit lanterns and carefully inspected the area again, gasping for air: "What on earth is going on here?"

It was understandable; the sudden turn of events at the Golden Buddha Temple was far too shocking for them.

"It was done by an extremely ugly man."

And so, Huang Tie calmed his nerves and recounted everything that had just happened.

"An ugly man?" Han Zhengming listened, puzzled.

"Yes, before he struck, he even said he knew you, Master."

Huang Tie recalled those words from Shen Han.

Han Zhengming was greatly surprised: "He knows me? Impossible, where would I have met such a master of the blade?"

"Could he have been lying on purpose?"

"That makes no sense; if he had no connection to the medical clinic, why would he have stepped in to help?"

"Could it be someone from the Long Blade Sect coming to clean house?"

After a moment, Qian Cheng analyzed.

One of the guards nodded: "I think that is highly likely."

"But that doesn't add up either."

Huang Tie thought for a moment and said, "If they were really cleaning house, shouldn't they have taken the three heads back to report the mission?"

Qian Cheng added, "Then... what about other sects coming to rob us?"

Han Zhengming slowly shook his head. "Wen He hasn't received our three thousand taels of silver yet. If they really wanted to rob us, what would they even get?"

"That's true, this matter is indeed intriguing."

"Forget it, forget it. Regardless, those three thieves are dead, and our crisis has been resolved."

Han Zhengming let out a sigh of relief.

The three thousand taels in silver notes were not lost, and at the same time, the deaths of Wen He and his disciples meant the clinic would no longer be extorted by them in the future. The only regret was the death of Li Xunshan.

"Those who commit many injustices are doomed to destruction. Clinic Master, it seems even the heavens will not spare those wicked thieves."

The two guards spoke in unison.

To be honest, they had been very worried when they came this time, but now that all the thieves had died suddenly, the heavy stone in their hearts could finally be set down.

Huang Tie also secretly felt lucky; he had heard clearly before that Wen He and his two companions intended to kill him even after they got the money!

"Well said!"

Han Zhengming said cheerfully, "The matter is settled. Let's go, hurry and lift Li Xunshan's body onto the carriage. We'll leave the mess here for the yamen to clean up."

"Understood!"

Before leaving, the group picked up the broken blades and slashed wildly at the corpses of Wen He and his companions, venting their pent-up anger.