Encountering the Enemy

This was only because the guards of the Luo Mansion were always lenient; had it been the guards of any other major power, a troublemaker like this would have long since been beaten away with clubs.

"Hmph, who are you calling a nobody! I am actually related to your young master, do you believe that?" The woman didn't show any weakness, shouting indignantly.

"Forget it, aren't you just 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? Even if he is a playboy, do you really think he'd take a fancy to you? If it weren't for the fact that you still have a bit of charm, my iron club would have already come crashing down, Old Zhang here."

One guard's retort caused the crowd to burst into laughter, and the atmosphere eased up slightly.

Widow Tian was truly someone who had seen the world. Seeing everyone mocking her, she didn't mind at all, simply swaying her slightly plump hips wantonly and saying in a coquettish voice, "Of course I have a bit of charm. Are all the masters of your Luo Clan deaf? If no one in charge comes out, I'm going to start screaming."

"Pah, where did this shrew come from, causing trouble at my Luo Mansion? Get lost!"

At the critical moment, while the person involved didn't show, the second young master, Luo Caiguang, arrived. The guards stepped aside, immediately revealing the two figures: the two masters of the Luo Mansion, Sanbao and Caiguang.

Widow Tian was slightly stunned; the big one didn't come, but two little ones did.

"Oh, so it's the second young master. Haven't seen you in a year, you've grown even more handsome. But today, I'm not looking for you, but your big brother. Let the young master come out and see me. If that won't do, your father, uncle, or even your clan head will work. Regardless, someone in charge must give me justice today." Widow Tian didn't flinch at all, saying with a giggle.

"Stubborn and unreasonable. Go look in a mirror, and get out of here!" Caiguang felt this person was simply incomprehensible, spouting nonsense, and hurriedly ordered the guards beside him.

"Wait, Second Young Master. This woman has a daughter who has a decent relationship with the young master. If we really provoke her and she starts screaming, it doesn't matter, but I fear it might be detrimental to the young master's reputation..." the captain of the guards suddenly whispered in Caiguang's ear.

No wonder the many guards of the Luo Mansion had let this woman make a scene at the gate; it turned out there was such a reason.

"Third Uncle, what do you think we should do? Big Brother is still at the Copper Mine and definitely can't return right now." Only then did Caiguang understand the situation, scratching his head and asking Sanbao beside him in a low voice.

"No matter, I'll handle it." Sanbao stepped forward and turned to the posturing Widow Tian, saying, "Widow Tian, right? Come here, I have something to say to you."

Seeing a strange youth step out, who clearly held a significant status, Widow Tian was slightly surprised, but she quickly guessed Sanbao's identity. She walked over slowly and stood before him.

"I wonder what advice the Third Master of the Luo Clan has?"

Sanbao smiled without answering, leaning in close to Widow Tian's ear to whisper, "I will send someone to give you a sum of money tomorrow; you should withdraw for today. But if you dare to cause trouble again and damage the reputation of my Luo Clan, I guarantee you won't live to see tomorrow's sun."

Widow Tian was first delighted, then stunned. After looking at Sanbao a few times, she finally felt the "killing intent" in his words.

Looking left and right, she noticed the dozen pairs of eyes from the Luo Clan staring fiercely at her. Finally, not daring to be too presumptuous, she said with a smile, "Fine, fine. Since that's the case, I'll leave first. I only hope the young master keeps his word."

Seeing Widow Tian handled by Sanbao in just a few words, the onlookers felt it was boring and dispersed one after another.

Sanbao seemed to sense something. He greeted Caiguang beside him and quickly disappeared into the flow of people.

A man in black in the crowd had caught Sanbao's attention. When Widow Tian agreed to Sanbao's request, she kept looking around until she saw the man in black nod, only then agreeing to leave. Although their exchange was extremely subtle, it didn't escape Sanbao's eyes, which was why he followed them into the crowd.

The man in black likely didn't know he was being followed, just strolling through the streets. But after passing two intersections, his speed suddenly increased, and after a few turns, he disappeared into an inn.

Sanbao didn't dare to act rashly, so he had to hide at a street corner and wait.

This wait lasted a full two hours. An ordinary person would have rushed in long ago, but Sanbao had excellent patience and didn't dare to act impulsively.

When night fell, the man in black finally walked out of the inn, and Sanbao's spirits lifted as he followed him again.

The man in black seemed particularly cautious, circling Lushan Town for a long time before suddenly turning and heading toward a certain location.

Half an hour later, the man in black actually arrived at the mountain forest behind the town and quickly disappeared from sight. Sanbao hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed him in.

At first, Sanbao just wanted to see who was behind Widow Tian. Later, as the man in black's behavior became increasingly strange, Sanbao had other suspicions. It seemed they weren't after money; what exactly were they trying to do?

"Huh, where is he?"

When he chased into a valley, the man in black suddenly lost his trail. Just as Sanbao was at a loss, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.

"As expected of the illegitimate son of the Luo Clan, to actually be able to follow me here! Since that's the case, there's no need to go back today."

The one speaking was the man in black who had disappeared not long ago.

"You are acting sneakily, I'm afraid you're doing something shameful, aren't you?" Sanbao turned slowly, and seeing the man in black reveal himself, he felt at ease instead.

"Hmph, that's none of your business. But I know your Luo Clan won't be able to jump around for much longer. Today, I'll kill you, a member of the Luo Clan, as a first merit."

The man in black drew his steel saber and approached Sanbao unhurriedly. In his eyes, Sanbao had at most the strength of a beginner Spirit Scholar, and being young, he was definitely no match for him.

Sanbao felt no fear. He rapidly circulated his spirit power throughout his body, his hands forming claws, and a faint golden light emerged from his fingertips—this was the starting stance of the spirit skill Nine-Fold Claw.

"Die!"

The man in black shouted, and the steel saber slashed down fiercely. The blade sealed off Sanbao's entire body, clearly intending to split him in two. Sanbao naturally wouldn't sit and wait for death; he moved his feet slightly, dodging the blade at close range, and countered with a claw.

With a tearing sound, the man in black staggered; he had actually been clawed by Sanbao, tearing the clothing on his right arm and revealing several bloody gashes.

Facing an opponent stronger than himself, Sanbao didn't dare to hold back. He used the Nine-Turn Golden Body from the start, and his speed was naturally extremely fast. The man in black, caught off guard, left an opening and was wounded by Sanbao's strike.

"You brat, I underestimated you. Take this!"

The man in black was quite surprised. He had been a four-star Spirit Scholar for many years, yet today he was wounded by a wet-behind-the-ears kid. It was truly carelessness. He didn't dare to be negligent and slashed out with his steel saber again.

However, this time the man in black had learned his lesson. He didn't dare to attack too aggressively, only slashing horizontally with eighty percent of his strength.

He thought to himself: Let's see how you fight my steel saber with your bare hands.

The cultivation of the Luo Clan members was mostly focused on their hands. When trained to the extreme, their hands could shatter stone and break metal. However, with Sanbao's current strength, he didn't dare to use his hands to collide head-on with the weapon, so he had to rely on his footwork again, ducking low to avoid it while attacking the opponent's lower body with both claws.

The man in black's momentum hadn't faded, and he retracted his hand extremely quickly, his body flipping over as the steel saber slashed downward fiercely. Sanbao had to retract his hands and jump into the air, kicking out with both legs, intending to knock the opponent down.

The man in black blocked with his saber, and with a bang, both sides retreated a few steps, appearing to be evenly matched.

"Again."

Sanbao was enjoying the fight, and relying on the advantage of his movement technique, he had no reservations as he swung his claws to attack once more. The man in black naturally refused to show weakness, brandishing his blade to strike back as the two became locked in a fierce struggle.

As the battle progressed, the man in black grew increasingly alarmed. He truly is worthy of being of the Luo Clan bloodline, he thought. At such a young age, he is already a three-star Spirit Scholar. Furthermore, the few spirit skills he is using are incredibly powerful and impossible to guard against. Most lethal of all is his agile and graceful movement technique; I cannot land a single solid blow. If this continues, I will surely die at his hands sooner or later.

Sure enough, the man in black suffered a lapse in concentration, and his back took a hit from Sanbao's Golden Sand Palm. Just as he turned to sweep his blade horizontally, he lost all trace of Sanbao on the ground.

"Oh no!"

The man in black cried out inwardly, his steel blade transforming into a circle of light to guard himself firmly in the center. "I'm here," Sanbao sneered, plummeting straight down from the sky with his five fingers aimed directly at the crown of the man in black's head.

"Special Envoy, save me!"

The man in black had no time to dodge and could only let out a desperate shout, thinking to himself: My life is at an end.

Just as Sanbao thought he could finish off the man in black, a black streak suddenly arrived through the air, piercing rapidly toward Sanbao's heart. Sanbao was startled and performed a mid-air flip, the black streak narrowly grazing past his waist. With a soft thud, Sanbao landed on the ground. He touched his side with one hand, his fingers coming away stained bright red, while a small bamboo tube appeared in his hand.

He had actually been wounded by a small piece of bamboo; this was definitely an expert. Sanbao did not hesitate and turned to flee, but he had barely taken a step before a youth in purple robes blocked his path.

He tried changing direction, but the youth in purple remained standing firmly in front of Sanbao.