The Step Offered Freely

"Crack—crack—"

The crisp sound of spines breaking was like a death knell, sending chills down the onlookers' spines as it drifted into the ears of the nearby Shuo Gang members. Zhao Changhe's eyes narrowed, and his heart pounded like a war drum.

Luo Bin closed in like a ghost, his movements shadowing his approach. He came to stand beside the two men in the mud, then twisted his mud-spattered shoe against one man's chest.

A huge mouthful of blood mixed with scraps of viscera sprayed from the Shuo Gang thug's nose and mouth. His body convulsed reflexively, his consciousness blurring. Through the slits of his eyes, he glimpsed the expressionless youth in the white shirt standing beside him.

The other fallen thug saw what had happened, spat out a mouthful of blood, and collapsed, never to rise again...

The bloody scene left Zhao Changhe rigid with shock. He turned to look at Shao Yancheng, seated on horseback with one hand on the reins and his brows knitted together.

"Master Shao... Wh-what do we do...?"

Before Shao Yancheng could answer, he turned and sprinted without hesitation toward the black horse.

But he had barely taken two steps.

In the damp, howling wind, a rank stench shot straight to his head. The cracking of grinding bones and the dull thud of shifting viscera hammered at everyone's nerves.

After taking a punch to the back, Zhao Changhe's body was already as good as ruined, with only a thread of fading consciousness left. Just as he was about to be sent flying, a white figure flashed before him. A white sleeve bunched up around a faintly golden arm, which plunged into Zhao Changhe's chest up to the elbow.

Thud!

The heavy corpse bounced twice against the ground, then lay utterly still.

"Phew—"

"You butchered ordinary people. You got what you deserved..."

Faint blood vessels stood out in Luo Bin's eyes as he looked toward Shao Yancheng, still on horseback and yet to make a move.

Everyone along the long street near the scene began to crowd closer. They craned their necks and pushed through the throng, staring at the heroic figure with blood on his hands...

Wei Ang stood there in a daze, Duan Qing's hand still on his shoulder. The white-shirted youth's back seemed so imposing it stretched to the horizon... His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his hands and forearms were smeared with blood, yet not a single drop had touched his shirt.

...He had controlled the force and direction of each killing blow with incredible precision.

This white-shirted youth had done what Wei Ang hadn't dared to do, and he had done it cleanly and decisively. He had instantly killed Zhao Changhe and the other two with overwhelming superiority. Even the Great Martial Master from Jade Bone Pass, sitting astride his horse, had been so stunned that he hadn't managed to intervene in time.

But now, how would this youth bring such an impossible situation to a close?

Wei Ang felt his heart stirred. The Martial Masters of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency were silently praying for the white-shirted youth, too. Bound by their wives, children, and elderly relatives, they hadn't dared to act rashly, but that didn't mean they couldn't tell right from wrong.

Chen Manqing's knitted brows and pounding heart still betrayed her feelings. She held Sun Shuhua's hand, her palm damp with sweat, and fine beads of perspiration had even gathered on her back.

In the space of an instant, Zhao Changhe—a mid-stage Golden Skin Martial Master—had been killed, along with two Shuo Gang members.

Right before the Great Martial Master of Jade Bone Pass, who hadn't had time to stop him.

Thoughts surged through Chen Manqing's mind, tangled like a thousand threads, as she asked herself again and again: could Wu Gou really measure up to him?

Wu Gou was a traitor to begin with. Even compared with 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-stage Golden Skin Martial Master, hadn't even dared to fight back against him...

Sun Shuhua and Su Yu were noblewomen from great lineages. Though neither had practiced martial arts, they had picked up a thing or two about its finer points from their elders.

To kill a mid-stage Golden Skin Martial Master in an instant, right in front of the Great Martial Master of Jade Bone Pass... Sun Shuhua's heart fluttered. She stared at Luo Bin's spotless white shirt, absently tightening her grip on the suit jacket in her hand and secretly rubbing it. Then, as if possessed, she called out:

"Luo Bin!"

Su Yu's throat bobbed with difficulty. She tugged at Sun Shuhua's arm. "Shuhua, this isn't over yet. Don't distract this young master..."

Sun Shuhua came to her senses.

Luo Bin looked back at her and saw her cheeks flush slightly. "Step back a little. Be careful not to get hurt..."

"Mm."

Shao Yancheng kept his gaze fixed on Luo Bin, sizing him up. Wei Ang, Duan Qing, and the others moved to the edge of the street to disperse the onlookers. They heard some people murmuring through tear-filled eyes, "Living Bodhisattva... A living Bodhisattva."

They knew an even more violent clash was about to break out.

Whether it was Zhao Changhe or the Shuo Gang members, they were all insignificant figures. Only Shao Yancheng, who had remained unmoving in the middle of the scene, could decide how this would end.

Luo Bin drove the Pure Yang Body-Forging Technique to its limit. The first layer, the second, and then the third—all opened completely. His body grew even more powerful and muscular than before. His once-fitted white shirt now strained against him, as if it might burst at any moment.

From the start, Luo Bin had judged by the man's details and aura that this man named Shao Yancheng was likely a Martial Master of Jade Bone Pass.

Just then, the black horse suddenly whinnied in agitation.

Shao Yancheng leisurely took off his riding jacket, dismounted, and walked toward Luo Bin. "You dared to kill my men right under my nose?"

Luo Bin scoffed and strode forward without backing down, his qi and blood steaming around him. "So what if I did?"

They met with a hard clash of fists.

Thud—

Mud splattered in every direction, and dust billowed into the air.

From within the haze, Shao Yancheng gave a quiet grunt. A flash of ferocity crossed his face, then vanished.

The two withdrew their fists in unspoken accord.

Luo Bin grew wary. With the Through-Arm Wind Splitting move of the White Ape Through-Arm Fist bolstered by faintly golden Pure Yang Qi and Blood, he hadn't gained much of an advantage against the man before him. Instead, the muscles in his right arm twitched slightly.

It felt as if his strength had been drained... This man was definitely beyond the early Jade Bone stage.

Shao Yancheng's expression was unpleasant, but it was quickly replaced by a smiling, breezy air. Inwardly, he cursed the boy for his monstrous strength.

"Not bad. I didn't know Ping City had produced such a young martial prodigy. At your age, you've already reached the Jade Bone Pass... There's no point in carrying on. Neither of us can take the other down anytime soon. Why don't we call it here? As for Zhao Changhe, let's say he was simply outmatched."

"How does that sound?" Shao Yancheng said with a smile. Before speaking, he had already weighed his options. A full-on fight with this man would cost him more than it was worth. After all, the Chen, Sun, and Su families would owe Luo Bin a debt of gratitude. If he pushed things too far, it would only sour the matter.

Besides, he wasn't confident he could take Luo Bin down here and now.

Luo Bin endured the tremors running through the tendons, bones, and meridians in his right hand, amused. If his guess was right, Shao Yancheng had already reached the mid-stage Jade Bone level, and his cultivation technique was no weak one. To meet his punch without falling behind while at the peak of Golden Skin was already satisfying...

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

But he didn't want things to turn into a fight to the death. Besides, Shao Yancheng had taken one of his punches and couldn't possibly have come away unscathed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have offered him a way out...

Luo Bin now had a clear assessment of his own strength. Deciding to stop while he was ahead, he smiled. "Fine. I'm Luo Bin. If we get the chance, we can spar in private."

Shao Yancheng's smile didn't reach his eyes. The muscles in his jaw shifted faintly as he gave a smile. "Fine... Today, Zhao Changhe was simply outmatched. He picked a fight with someone he shouldn't have..."