I Want to Wipe Out the Whole Family!

The Big Ring Blade hummed as it cleaved through the rain and came crashing down on his head.

A fierce gust of wind slapped his face, the blow threatening to split him clean in two.

He Song dropped the hand crossbow. Instead of drawing a weapon, he raised his bare hands to block the strike.

Clang!

The blade struck He Song's forearm, sending sparks flying.

Zhao An caught sight of metal beneath the man's black clothes.

A pair of thick metal bracers covered his forearms, and his hands were sheathed in metal guards as well.

When his palm smacked against the blade, it rang with the clash of metal.

Zhao An was knocked back two steps by the blow.

"Fist techniques?" He had never seen a martial artist use bare-handed combat before.

With Internal Breath behind them, bare palms could withstand blades, swords, axes, and other sharp weapons without injury. It was truly extraordinary.

There was no doubt about it: like Zhao An, his opponent was a Martial Master who had cultivated Internal Breath.

Zhao An had sensed as much the moment they first clashed, and his opponent's Internal Breath was no weak thing!

Otherwise, he could never have blocked Zhao An's strike.

Once he planted his foot firmly, Zhao An surged forward again, closing the distance in a single bound as he unleashed the Fierce Tiger Blade Art.

He Song showed no fear. He rushed in to meet him, both palms flashing as he unleashed a graded fist-and-foot technique of his own.

The two fought in the rain. Only then did Li Gou'er and Zhao Chunzi hear the commotion. Their faces turned pale with shock.

They had no idea where the man in black had come from, but anyone could see that he and Zhao An were locked in a deadly fight!

Zhao Chunzi panicked at once. He snatched up the broom leaning against the wall and charged at the man in black with a roar.

He Song kicked him straight back. Clutching his stomach, Zhao Chunzi was in too much pain to cry out.

"You blockhead! He's holding his own against Brother Zhao, and you think you can help by charging in?" Li Gou'er said helplessly, supporting Zhao Chunzi.

He was anxious too. If anything happened to Brother Zhao, they'd be in trouble as well.

But he wasn't Zhao Chunzi. He knew that rushing in like that would do no good and wouldn't help Zhao An at all.

Then he spotted the hand crossbow on the ground, along with the bolt stuck in the doorpost.

"This thing can kill!"

Li Gou'er covered the ground in three quick strides and scooped up the crossbow. Before he could figure out how to use it, a cry of pain rang out from the rain-soaked courtyard.

When he looked over, the man in black was stumbling, his expression thoroughly rattled.

Zhao An, on the other hand, had grown more formidable with every exchange. His blade swept wherever he willed, unstoppable!

Catching the opening at his opponent's center, Zhao An stepped in with tiger-footed strides and sent his blade writhing like a dragon. He nearly gutted the man.

Blood seeped out, only to be quickly washed to the ground by the downpour.

He Song felt a burning pain across his chest and stomach. He had no time to check his wound; Zhao An's blade was already bearing down on him again.

He could tell that their Internal Breath was about the same level, but Zhao An's blade work was simply too exquisite. After only a few exchanges, He Song already felt he couldn't match him.

"Damn it!"

He cursed Xu Donglai for setting him up. Wounded, he began to think of retreating.

It was only thirty taels of silver. It wasn't worth risking his life over.

He yanked a small cloth pouch from his robes and flung its contents at the relentless Zhao An. A cloud of lime burst into the air, blocking Zhao An's blade.

A man who went out to kill had to be well prepared, and He Song certainly was.

First the crossbow bolts, now the lime.

But Zhao An had no intention of letting him go.

He circulated his energy, gathering a hundred strands of Internal Breath into his palm.

With a flourish, he whipped his blade around and hurled it. A streak of silver pierced the curtain of lime in an instant.

He Song had just turned to flee when the silver light sank into his back.

His face ashen, He Song lowered his eyes to see the blade tip protruding from his chest, the blood mingling with the rain an ugly scarlet.

His strength soon gave out, and he toppled to the ground.

The Fierce Tiger Blade Art included a technique called the Flying Dagger Art. But one had to reach the third realm of the blade art to learn and master it, then make it one's own.

This Flying Dagger was a killing move in its own right!

Zhao An walked over and studied the man's face, then glanced at the big red name above his head. No memories of this man surfaced in his mind.

He was certain he didn't know him.

"Brother Zhao, who is he?" Li Gou'er hurried over with the hand crossbow, aiming its bolt at the black-clad man, who had only a few breaths left.

Zhao An shook his head and asked in a low voice, "Why did you try to kill me?"

He Song didn't answer. His eyes had already begun to glaze over.

He knew he wouldn't survive the day. There was no point saying anything.

"You bastard! Answer him! Who sent you to kill my big brother?" Li Gou'er kicked the man in black twice, shouting furiously.

He Song glanced at Li Gou'er. Once, he could have killed a man like him with a single slap. Now, all he could do was close his eyes and wait to die.

Zhao An had already guessed the truth. A thought crossed his mind, and he suddenly said, "He Song, you really are obedient. Xu Donglai wants you dead, and you just come here and let me kill you."

"Aren't you angry?"

At those words, He Song's closed eyes flew open. Even the light in his fading gaze flared to life as he glared at Zhao An, who had drawn close.

He no longer had the strength to speak, but that reaction was enough to confirm Zhao An's suspicion.

"So the Python Gang's chief really sent you..."

"Old bastard, you really... want to die that badly?" Zhao An bared his teeth, a fierce look on his face.

He Song finally breathed his last, his eyes still open in death.

His final expression was a mixture of shock and confusion.

It seemed the man had only been trying to draw the truth out of him at the end. But how had Zhao An known his name?

[You have committed countless evils. Your sinful soul has been captured!]

Zhao An collected He Song's soul and tossed it into the Soul Pool.

It was like throwing him into a pot of boiling oil. Even in death, his soul would endure endless torment until everything was cleansed away and he became another of Zhao An's Soul Slaves.

And this would be Zhao An's first Martial Master Soul Slave!

"Brother Zhao, it really was the Python Gang's chief who ordered this!" Li Gou'er said through gritted teeth.

"Almost certainly." Zhao An looked up at the sky.

The rain poured down harder and harder, as if it meant to drown the whole city.

Zhao An didn't go back inside. With a calm expression, he simply picked up the hat He Song had dropped and put it on.

"Dispose of the body."

With that, Zhao An took his blade and walked out of the courtyard.

Seeing him go, Li Gou'er knew what he intended to do. His heart tightened, and he hurried after him.

"Brother Zhao, please don't act rashly. You're all alone, while Xu Donglai has men everywhere. Going there just like that is too dangerous!"

He was afraid the anger would cloud Zhao An's judgment and drive him to do something foolish.

But when he met Zhao An's eyes, he saw that they were cold and clear, without a trace of anger. If anything, Zhao An looked perfectly rational.

Zhao An knew exactly what he was going to do.

He just wanted to wipe out the whole family!