Ambushed

"Young Master told you to talk, so talk. Don't make things up."

At that moment, Xiang Geng, who had been silent for a long while, barked at him.

Master Black gave an ingratiating smile. "Lord Xiang is right to teach me a lesson." Then he looked thoughtful.

As if remembering something, he added, "Su Wantang isn't a decent woman. Half a year ago, when she came to the city, she sought me out and asked me to introduce her to a young master from the Lin Family.

"That young master from the Lin Family is such a righteous man. How could I set him up?"

Master Black tugged the reins with one hand and gave a derisive snort.

Lin Che, half a year ago?

At those words, Feng Xiu furrowed his brows, then relaxed them.

The Lin Family was also one of the lineages that possessed the River Law Seal. In other words, Su Wantang's original target hadn't been Shou Zhuo, but Lin Che.

Had the Feng Clan taken a knife meant for the Lin Family?

Feng Xiu pondered this, then heard Master Black continue.

"At the time, I thought this woman was up to no good. I remember asking her, 'If you want to hook a rich fool, there are plenty in the city. Even if you want to climb into some wealthy family's bed, it doesn't have to be Young Master Lin, right?'"

Master Black paused, his voice rising and falling dramatically, drawing Feng Xiu right into the story.

"Young Master Feng, take a guess. How do you think she answered?" Master Black answered his own question. "That woman said her husband was locked up in prison, and she wanted the Lin Family to help get him out."

Feng Xiu's expression turned grave.

"Did she really say that?"

Master Black felt a chill under Feng Xiu's gaze. He didn't understand why Feng Xiu was reacting so strongly.

"Yeah. Damn, she gave me a scare. I ignored her, but I heard she later went to Old Liu. Young Master Feng, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Reading people's expressions was Master Black's means of survival. He was an expert at figuring out what his clients were thinking.

Though Feng Xiu was doing his best to hide it, Master Black had still seen his pupils lose focus for an instant.

Master Black kept smiling, but his heart tightened.

After thinking it over, he immediately suppressed the bit of information he had about Su Wantang.

Feng Xiu let out a long breath, his expression growing solemn.

A jumble of thoughts flooded his mind. The conclusion he'd reached from the chain of evidence was exactly what he'd expected.

There really was something in Tang Reservoir.

And Su Wantang was its betrothed wife.

You're already married, so why are you still seducing respectable men? What an unchaste woman!

"Master Black, have you ever met her husband?" Feng Xiu asked in a low voice.

"How would I have met him..."

Master Black was about to continue when the horse beneath him suddenly let out a long whinny and reared up, nearly throwing him off.

"Ow!" Master Black scrambled to steady himself. "What's gotten into this beast?"

Feng Xiu pulled on his reins, his gaze sharpening.

Five people had appeared on the path ahead, though none had been there a moment ago.

The one in front was the burly man who'd caused trouble at the Wild Market earlier.

Four wiry men stood behind him, each holding a blade, their eyes hostile.

Master Black's face went deathly pale.

"Y-Young Master Feng."

The burly man grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Well, what a coincidence."

He glanced at Feng Xiu, then at Master Black, and said sarcastically, "Young Master, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not here for you. I just came to settle a score with this bastard."

Master Black swallowed and muttered, "Y-you already took the money, didn't you?"

"I took the money, sure, but I still can't swallow this grudge." The man chuckled. "Besides, you're so rich. A little more won't hurt, will it?"

Greed flashed briefly in the man's eyes. Then his gaze lingered on Feng Xiu.

Feng Xiu smiled. "Are you here for him, or for me?"

The man grinned. "Both. How about that?"

Feng Xiu turned his head to look at Xiang Geng.

Xiang Geng understood at once. "Young Master, I'll stand by."

He knew what Feng Xiu's look meant. These few highwaymen were perfect for Feng Xiu to hone his fighting skills against.

Feng Xiu nodded. That made things easy. He swung down from his horse.

The five men saw him approach alone, froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Young Master, what are you doing? Taking on the five of us by yourself?"

Feng Xiu didn't answer. He simply kept walking, then rolled his arms, his eyes sharp as blades.

"Exactly!"

The instant the words left his mouth, Feng Xiu planted his foot and shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow!

The burly man's face changed. In his haste, he swung his blade at Feng Xiu.

Feng Xiu didn't even dodge. He thrust his right hand straight at the blade!

"Crunch!"

His five fingers curled like hooks, crushing the fine-steel blade in an instant.

The blade shattered. The burly man's eyes widened, but before he could react, Feng Xiu's left hand had already seized his wrist.

With the broken blade in his right hand, Feng Xiu slashed hard across the man's throat.

The man clutched at his neck with both hands. Blood gushed between his fingers as he wheezed hoarsely, terror filling his eyes.

Feng Xiu stepped back to avoid the spraying blood, then twisted his hip and raised his leg.

His foot slammed into the man's chest. The terrifying force unleashed by combining all five strengths—

The sound of breaking bones rang clear.

The man flew five or six meters before hitting the ground. He was clearly dead.

Feng Xiu had moved so fast that he'd dispatched the man in the blink of an eye. The other four men's faces changed at once.

"Damn, he's tough! Get him together!"

A vicious gleam flashed in their eyes as all four rushed him at once, their broad blades glinting coldly.

"You're not running away right now. You actually want to kill me?"

Feng Xiu's brutal opening attack had been meant to make an example of the man. A living person had died by his hand; how could he feel nothing?

"Those who aren't of our kind must have different hearts." The strange fish man and Fish Mother weren't human.

He could kill them without a qualm, but these were people.

What surprised him was how tough these men's "morale" was.

"Martial artists treat the law like a child's plaything. Armed with strength, they naturally develop a taste for killing. I was overthinking it."

Feng Xiu's gaze turned solemn. His understanding of the martial world deepened.

Then he shifted his footing and charged at the four men.

The four were armed, while Feng Xiu was barehanded. He seemed to be at a disadvantage.

But that wasn't the case. With the Vajra Finger Blade, his hands of iron were no worse than any weapon.

"Clang!"

Feng Xiu used the same trick again, grabbing the broad blade as it came chopping down.

The man understood Feng Xiu's intention. Instead of retreating, he surged forward, and the blade in Feng Xiu's grip struck out a spark.

A sudden lightness passed through the blade. The leader abandoned his weapon outright, stepped in, and slammed into Feng Xiu with a Mountain-Splitting Charge.

Feng Xiu dodged. When the leader's charge missed, he changed moves and punched through the air, a savage grin curling his lips.

"Die, brat!"

Feng Xiu's pupils contracted. A sudden, deadly sense of danger rose within him.

The man's fist was halfway there when it changed into a palm strike. The Funeral Nail he'd kept hidden beneath his sleeve for so long shot toward Feng Xiu's face.

Feng Xiu was about to dodge when the other three men's frenzied blades tore through the air. Their chilling gleam forced him back.

Rip!

At the crucial moment, Feng Xiu threw his body against the leader and shot out his right hand, catching the hidden weapon in midair and driving it hard into the man's chest.

At the same time, he barely dodged the three blades. Their edges sliced through his brocade robe, and a section of his sleeve drifted to the ground.

Elsewhere.

Master Black's eyes bulged. Mouth hanging open, he stared, then rubbed his eyes, his expression disbelieving.

Was this really the rich young master who used to do nothing but listen to his lectures?

He could kill people now!?