Encountering an Enemy

The Luo Mansion's guards had always been generous toward others. If these had been guards from some other powerful faction, they would probably have already beaten the troublemaker away with clubs.

"Hmph, who do you think you are? I'm related to your eldest young master, you believe me or not?" The woman shouted angrily, not backing down an inch.

"Enough. Aren't you Widow Tian from Xiulan Street? Don't think I don't know you. What kind of relation could you possibly have with our young master? No matter how debauched he is, you think he'd take a fancy to you? If you didn't have a bit of charm, I, Old Zhang, would've brought my iron club down on you already."

One guard's reply set the crowd laughing, and the atmosphere eased a little.

Widow Tian was clearly a woman who'd seen plenty of the world. Unbothered by the crowd's mockery, she wantonly swayed her somewhat plump, shapely bottom and said in a coquettish voice, "Of course I've got a bit of charm. Are all the masters of the Luo Clan deaf? If no one in charge comes out soon, I'm going to start shouting."

"Bah! What shrew is this, making a scene at the Luo Mansion? Get out of here!"

At the crucial moment, the person involved hadn't shown up, but the second young master, Luo Caiguang, had arrived. The guards parted, revealing two figures: the Luo Mansion's masters, Sanbao and Caiguang.

Widow Tian froze for a moment. The eldest hadn't come, but two younger ones had.

"Oh, so it's the second young master. It's been a year, and you've grown even more handsome. But you're not the one I'm looking for today. I want your older brother. Have the eldest young master come see me. If he can't, then your father, your uncle, even your family head will do. Anyone with authority will do. Today, you must give me justice." Widow Tian wasn't the least bit intimidated. She laughed as she spoke.

"Stubborn and unreasonable. Have you even looked at yourself in a mirror? Get her out of here!" Caiguang found her completely incomprehensible. What nonsense was this? He hurriedly gave the guards beside him an order.

"Hold on, Second Young Master. This woman has a daughter who's on good terms with the eldest young master. If we really provoke her, she might start shouting. That wouldn't matter in itself, but it could damage the eldest young master's reputation..." The captain of the guards suddenly whispered in Caiguang's ear.

No wonder the many Luo Mansion guards had let her make a scene at the gates. There was a reason for it.

"Third Uncle, what do you think we should do? Big Brother's still at the Copper Mine. There's no way he can get back right now." Only then did Caiguang understand the situation. He scratched his head and quietly asked Sanbao beside him.

"Don't worry. I'll handle it." Sanbao stepped forward and turned to Widow Tian, who was striking one coquettish pose after another. "You're Widow Tian, right? Come over here. I have something to say to you."

Widow Tian saw an unfamiliar young man appear out of nowhere. He looked like someone of no ordinary status, which surprised her a little. But she quickly guessed who Sanbao was and walked over to him at an unhurried pace.

"What might Third Master Luo have to say?"

Sanbao smiled without answering. He leaned close to Widow Tian's ear and spoke softly. "I'll send someone to give you a sum of money tomorrow. For today, you'll leave. But if you dare make another scene and tarnish the Luo Clan's reputation, I guarantee you won't see the sun rise tomorrow."

Widow Tian first looked pleased, then froze. She studied Sanbao for a few moments before finally sensing the murderous intent in his words.

Looking left and right, she saw more than a dozen pairs of eyes from the Luo Clan glaring at her. At last, she didn't dare carry on too wildly, and said with a smile, "Fine, fine. In that case, I'll be going. I just hope you'll keep your word, young master."

The onlookers saw Widow Tian put in her place by just a few words from Sanbao and found the whole thing rather dull. They dispersed in all directions.

Sanbao seemed to sense something. He exchanged a quick word with Caiguang beside him, then soon vanished into the crowd.

A man in black caught Sanbao's attention. While agreeing to Sanbao's demands, Widow Tian had kept glancing around. She hadn't agreed to leave until she saw the man in black nod. Their exchange had been extremely discreet, but it hadn't escaped Sanbao's notice. That was why he'd followed the flow of the crowd out.

The man in black seemed unaware that he was being followed. He strolled along with the crowd, but after passing two intersections, he suddenly picked up his pace. After turning a few corners, he disappeared into an inn.

Sanbao didn't dare act recklessly, so he waited at a street corner.

He waited a full two hours. An ordinary person would've charged inside long ago, but Sanbao had excellent patience and didn't dare make a rash move.

By nightfall, the man in black finally emerged from the inn. Sanbao's spirits lifted, and he followed him again.

The man in black seemed especially cautious. He went around nearly half of Lushan Town before suddenly turning and dashing off in another direction.

Half an hour later, the man in black had reached the woods behind the town, where he soon vanished from sight. Sanbao hesitated briefly, gritted his teeth, and followed him in.

At first, Sanbao had only wanted to find out who was pulling the strings behind Widow Tian. But as the man in black behaved more and more strangely, Sanbao began to suspect something else. Their target didn't seem to be money. What exactly were they after?

"Eh? Where'd he go?"

When he reached a valley, the man in black suddenly vanished. Just as Sanbao was at a loss, a cold voice came from behind him.

"As expected of a bastard son of the Luo Clan. You actually managed to follow me here! Since you've come this far, you won't be going back today."

It was the man in black, who had disappeared only moments earlier.

"Anyone sneaking around like you must be up to something they don't want others to see, right?" Sanbao slowly turned around. When he saw the man in black emerge, he felt a little more at ease.

"Hmph, that's none of your business. But I know the Luo Clan won't be able to strut around for much longer. I'll kill one of your people today and claim the credit."

The man in black drew the steel saber at his side and advanced toward Sanbao without haste. In his eyes, Sanbao was at most a Spirit Scholar who had just entered the ranks. Add his young age, and he was certainly no match.

Sanbao showed no fear. His Spirit Technique surged through his body, and the fingers of both hands curled into claws. Faint golden light rose from his fingertips. It was the opening stance of the Nine-Fold Claw.

"Prepare to die!"

With a loud shout, the man in black brought his steel saber down in a savage slash, its Blade Edge sealing off every avenue of escape. He clearly meant to cleave Sanbao in two. Sanbao wasn't going to sit around waiting to die. He shifted two steps to the side, slipped inside the saber's reach, and countered with a claw strike.

With a ripping sound, the man in black stumbled. Sanbao had torn through the sleeve on his right arm, exposing several bloody gashes.

Facing an opponent stronger than himself, Sanbao didn't dare hold anything back. He had used the Nine-Turn Golden Body right from the start, making his movements exceptionally fast. The man in black had been caught off guard and left an opening, allowing Sanbao to wound him with a single strike.

"Brat, I underestimated you. Take this!"

The man in black was also quite surprised. He'd been a four-star Spirit Scholar for years, yet today a wet-behind-the-ears brat had managed to wound him. He'd really been careless. Now he didn't dare let his guard down, and brought his steel saber down again.

This time, however, the man in black had learned his lesson. He didn't dare press the attack too hard, instead sweeping the saber horizontally with only eighty percent of his strength.

Let's see how you fight my steel saber with your bare hands.

The Luo Clan's people mostly cultivated their hands. When trained to the limit, their hands could shatter stone and cleave metal. But with Sanbao's current strength, he didn't dare meet his opponent's weapon head-on. He could only rely on his footwork again, ducking low to evade the strike while his claws raked toward the man's legs.

The man in black's momentum hadn't yet faded, and he pulled back quickly. Twisting around, he brought his steel saber down in a vicious sweep. Sanbao had no choice but to withdraw his hands and leap into the air, kicking both legs out in an attempt to knock his opponent down.

The man in black raised his saber to block. With a bang, they both staggered back several steps, evenly matched.

"Again!"

Caught up in the fight, Sanbao relied on his superior footwork and threw himself into the next attack without hesitation. The man in black naturally refused to back down and charged in with his saber. The two fought fiercely.

As the battle wore on, the man in black grew more and more alarmed. As expected of a son of the Luo Clan. At such a young age, he's already a three-star Spirit Scholar. Add in those powerful Spirit Skills of his, and he's impossible to guard against. Worst of all, his footwork is light and graceful. I can't land a solid blow. By now, I'm dancing to his tune. If this keeps up, I'll die at his hands sooner or later.

Sure enough, the man in black let his guard down for an instant, and Sanbao struck him in the back with a Golden Sand Palm. Just as he turned and swept his saber sideways, Sanbao had vanished from the ground.

"Not good!"

The man in black cried out in alarm. His steel saber became a ring of light, shielding him completely. "Up here!" Sanbao said with a cold laugh, plunging straight down from the sky with all five fingers aimed at the man's crown.

"Envoy, save me!"

The man in black had no time to dodge and could only cry out. I'm done for!

Just as Sanbao thought he was about to finish the man in black, a streak of black light suddenly shot through the air and sped toward his heart. Sanbao was shocked. He twisted in midair, and the black light barely missed his waist. With a thud, Sanbao landed on the ground. He touched his side with one hand and saw blood on his fingertips. At the same time, he found a short piece of bamboo in his hand.

He'd been wounded by a little piece of bamboo. His opponent was definitely a master. Without hesitation, Sanbao turned and fled, but after taking only a step, he was blocked by a young man in a purple robe.

He tried another direction, but the purple-robed youth was still standing right in front of him.