A Step Offered Willingly

"Crack—crack—"

The crisp sound of spinal bones splitting echoed like a death knell, sending chills down the spines of the nearby Shuo Gang members. Zhao Changhe's eyes narrowed, his heartbeat thundering like a drum.

Luo Bin closed in like a phantom, appearing beside the two men sprawled in the mud. His leather shoes, barely stained with dirt, twisted atop one man's chest.

The Shuo Gang thug coughed up a torrent of blood mixed with shredded internal organ fragments, his consciousness fading as his blurry vision caught sight of the white-shirted youth standing beside him, his face utterly expressionless.

The other fallen man, after witnessing the scene before him, spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the spot without another sound...

Zhao Changhe, paralyzed by the gruesome bloodshed, stiffly turned his head toward Shao Yancheng, who sat upright on his horse, one hand gripping the reins, his brows knitted together.

"Shao... Shao-daren... what... what do we do...?"

Without waiting for Shao Yancheng's reply, he spun around and bolted without hesitation toward the black horse.

But the moment he took two steps, before he could even leave the spot—

A foul stench, mixed with the howling damp wind, pierced straight to his crown. The grinding of bones, the dull thud of organs shifting—each sound hammered into the hearts of everyone present.

After taking a punch to the back, Zhao Changhe's body was essentially finished. Only a thread of hazy consciousness remained. As his body was about to fly backward, a white figure flashed before him. An arm glowing with faint golden light, its white sleeve rolled up, plunged elbow-deep into Zhao Changhe's chest.

Bam!

A heavy corpse bounced twice on the ground, then fell silent.

"Phew—"

"Killing an ordinary person... you die without injustice..."

Luo Bin's eyes were tinged with faint red veins as he fixed his gaze on Shao Yancheng, who had yet to make a move from atop his horse.

The entire street—everyone near the scene—slowly surged forward, craning their necks to push through the crowd, staring at the heroic, bloodstained back...

Wei Ang stood frozen in place, Duan Qing's hand still pressing on his shoulder. He felt that the back of the white-shirted youth in the distance was boundless and towering... The shirt's sleeves were rolled to the elbows, his large hands and forearms drenched in blood, yet not a single drop stained the shirt itself.

...That was the ultimate precision in controlling the force and direction of a killing blow.

This white-shirted youth had done what he dared not do, and done it so cleanly, overwhelming Zhao Changhe and his three men in an instant. Even the Jade Bone Pass Martial Master sitting on the horse was momentarily stunned, too slow to intervene.

But now, how would this youth end such an unmanageable situation?

Wei Ang's heart was pulled taut. At the same time, the martial masters of Zhenyuan Escort Agency silently prayed for the white-shirted youth. Bound by their wives and children, they dared not act recklessly, but they were not ignorant of right and wrong.

Chen Manqing's furrowed brows and pounding heart still betrayed her emotions. Her palm, holding Sun Shuhua's hand, was slightly sweaty, and even her back was dotted with fine beads of sweat.

In an instant, Zhao Changhe—a Martial Master at the mid Golden Skin stage—plus two Shuo Gang thugs...

Under the watchful eye of the Jade Bone Pass Martial Master, who was too late to stop it, they were killed in a flash.

A thousand tangled thoughts surged through Chen Manqing's mind. She questioned herself over and over: Could Wu Gou really compare to him?

Wu Gou was nothing but a traitor. Even if compared to Luo Bin, he fell far short.

After all, the former was only at the early Golden Skin stage now, while Luo Bin... Zhao Changhe, a mid Golden Skin Martial Master, hadn't even dared to fight back against him...

Sun Shuhua and Su Yu were both noble daughters from prominent families. Though they themselves had never practiced martial arts, they had picked up some details of the martial path from listening to their elders at home.

To kill a mid Golden Skin Martial Master right before the eyes of a Jade Bone Pass Martial Master... Sun Shuhua's mind wavered. She stared at Luo Bin's pristine white shirt, her hand unconsciously gripping the suit jacket in her grasp, secretly rubbing it. Then, as if possessed, she called out:

"Luo Bin!"

Su Yu's throat tightened as she tugged at Sun Shuhua's arm. "Shuhua, it's not over yet. Don't distract this young master..."

Sun Shuhua snapped back to reality.

Luo Bin turned to look at her. Seeing her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, he said, "Step back a little. Be careful not to get hurt..."

"Mm."

Shao Yancheng's gaze locked onto Luo Bin, sizing him up. Wei Ang, Duan Qing, and the others ran to the roadside, dispersing the onlooking crowd. Some people, their eyes wet, muttered under their breath, "Living Buddha... living Buddha..."

They knew a fiercer clash was about to erupt.

Whether it was Zhao Changhe or the Shuo Gang thugs, they were ultimately insignificant figures. Only Shao Yancheng, who had remained unmoved throughout, could decide the outcome of this affair.

Luo Bin pushed [Pure Yang Body-Forging Technique] to its limit—first layer, second layer, until the third layer fully opened. At this point, his physique became even more robust and imposing. His once well-fitted white shirt now seemed tight and strained, as if it might burst at any moment.

From the start, through subtle observation and aura judgment, he had concluded that the man before him, named Shao Yancheng, should be a Jade Bone Pass Martial Master.

Suddenly, the black horse neighed in agitation.

Shao Yancheng slowly took off his vest, dismounted, and walked toward Luo Bin. "You dare kill my men right under my nose?"

Luo Bin let out a scornful laugh, stepping forward without flinching, his qi and blood surging. "So what if I did?"

The two raised their fists and clashed head-on.

Boom—

Mud splattered everywhere, dust flying.

In the haze, Shao Yancheng let out a soft grunt, a flicker of ferocity flashing across his face.

Then, with unspoken mutual understanding, they both withdrew their fists.

Luo Bin grew cautious. [White Ape Through-Arm Fist]'s "Through-Arm Wind Splitting," empowered by faint golden Pure Yang Qi and Blood, had clashed with this man's fist, but the advantage gained was not great. Instead, the muscles in his right arm twitched slightly.

There was a feeling of weakness... This man was definitely not just at the early Jade Bone stage.

Shao Yancheng's expression soured, but it was quickly replaced by a smile as gentle as the wind, while inwardly he cursed the freakish strength of the young man before him.

"Not bad. I didn't know Ping City had produced such a young martial talent, already cultivating to the Jade Bone Pass at this age... There's really no point in fighting further. Neither of us can take the other down anytime soon, so let's call it here. As for Zhao Changhe, let's just say his skill was lacking for now."

"What do you say?" Shao Yancheng asked with a smile. Before speaking, he had already calculated—fighting this man openly wasn't worth it. After all, the Chen, Sun, and Su families owed him a favor, and pressing too hard would only sour things.

Not to mention he wasn't confident he could take down Luo Bin on the spot right now.

Luo Bin endured the tremor in his right hand's tendons and bones, laughing inwardly. If his guess was right, Shao Yancheng was already at mid-stage Jade Bone Pass, and his cultivation technique was no weak one. To trade a punch evenly with him while at the peak of Golden Skin was already satisfying enough...

If he mastered a few more powerful martial arts and had more tricks up his sleeve, Luo Bin was confident he could kill this man on the spot.

But a fight to the death wasn't what he wanted. Besides, that punch he'd landed on the man had definitely hurt—otherwise, he wouldn't have been the first to offer a way out...

Luo Bin had already made a clear assessment of his own strength. Deciding to quit while he was ahead, he smiled and said, "Fine. My name is Luo Bin. If the chance arises, we can spar again in private."

Shao Yancheng smiled a cold, tight-lipped smile, his jaw muscles faintly twitching. "Good... Today, Zhao Changhe's skill was lacking, and he provoked someone he shouldn't have..."