Conflict

"Stop!"

Fang Han frowned tightly, stepped forward, and blocked the blue-clad youth's path, his voice edged with coldness.

"I've already severely wounded this man and left him unable to resist. Striking now to seize my mission target is rather dishonorable, isn't it?"

The blue-clad youth was forced to halt.

He stood half a head taller than Fang Han, his face arrogant. Hearing this, he sneered and shook the corpse in his hand.

"Whoever finishes him last gets the credit. Don't you know the rules? Move aside!"

Fang Han's gaze darkened.

There was indeed such an unwritten rule in the martial world, but it usually applied when the target still had the strength to resist.

Right now, he had clearly beaten the enemy until he could no longer resist. This was nothing but stealing his spoils.

"Put down the corpse." Fang Han's voice turned several degrees colder. "Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite."

As though he had heard a joke, that Lin Family disciple burst into loud laughter. Then his smile vanished, replaced by naked contempt.

"Impolite? You? My name is Lin Bao. Remember it, then—get lost!"

As he spoke, his free hand suddenly swept forward, his palm shooting straight at Fang Han's face in an attempt to force him back and clear the way.

Fang Han had long been prepared. He shifted slightly to the side and easily avoided the palm strike, the chill in his eyes deepening.

"Looks like there's no room for negotiation."

Seeing that Fang Han refused to yield and instead assumed a fighting stance, Lin Bao's face flashed with hostility. "Don't know when you're being shown respect!"

He violently hurled Liu Mang's corpse onto the ground and drew his blade with a backhand motion.

The blade gleamed like snow, carrying a piercing whistle as it cleaved directly toward Fang Han.

"Clang—"

Fang Han was ready. The Azure Edge Sword instantly left its sheath.

"Clang!"

Blade and sword collided with an ear-splitting boom, sparks scattering in all directions.

Fang Han felt his arm tremble slightly, and his heart tightened.

Not only was Lin Bao in the Bone Refining Realm, he was close to the Bone Refining Mid-Stage. In terms of strength, he was far stronger than Fang Han, who had only recently entered the Bone Refining Realm.

Lin Bao was also slightly startled. He had thought this Fang Clan brat, who looked even younger than himself, was at most Tendon Refining Late-Stage. He had not expected Fang Han to take his blade head-on without retreating a single step.

"You've got some skill, but with your strength, you're still no match for me!"

Cold light filled Lin Bao's eyes as his blade technique unfolded in an instant, attacking Fang Han like a raging storm.

"Don't be too confident!"

Fang Han snorted coldly.

In terms of cultivation, he was indeed inferior to Lin Bao, but that did not mean he had no advantage. His Sword Art, which had reached Greater Accomplishment, was precisely that advantage.

Lin Bao's blade technique, on the other hand, was already quite good among those of his age and had reached the Proficiency Realm.

Yet compared to a Sword Art at Greater Accomplishment, there was still a gap.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

One wielded a blade technique while the other wielded swordsmanship, exchanging blows at high speed.

For a time, blade light and sword shadows crisscrossed through the secluded back street, while the clash of metal rang without end.

Lin Bao's blade technique followed a fierce and domineering path. Every strike was powerful and heavy, carrying the savage ruthlessness to tear apart everything in its way.

Coupled with his cultivation nearing the Bone Refining Mid-Stage, his strength surged like a tide, and the wind from his blade whipped dust from the ground into the air.

Fang Han, meanwhile, moved like willow catkins in the wind, elusive and unpredictable.

The Azure Edge Sword in his hand transformed into streaks of azure light. Rather than contesting Lin Bao's strength head-on, he used skill to break force and speed to overcome slowness.

The sword tip always struck precisely at the weakest point of Lin Bao's Blade Intent, or in the gaps between his changing moves, repeatedly stalling Lin Bao's attacks. His strength had nowhere to go, leaving him utterly stifled.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged more than twenty moves.

The more Lin Bao fought, the more alarmed he became. He discovered that despite being stronger and having a higher cultivation, he was completely restrained by his opponent's rounded, nimble, exquisitely precise swordsmanship. It was as though every slash struck empty air, making him feel so miserable he nearly coughed blood.

"Greater Accomplishment Sword Art?!"

Lin Bao could not help crying out in shock.

The ease and arrogance on his face had vanished, replaced by shock and a faint, barely perceptible panic.

Fang Han said nothing, focusing entirely on the battle. The flaws in Lin Bao's blade technique were crystal clear in his eyes.

Once thirty moves had passed, Lin Bao's breathing had already become disordered, and his blade technique no longer possessed its initial ferocity.

Fang Han, in contrast, grew ever smoother in his Sword Intent, like a clear breeze brushing past, slipping through every opening.

"Squelch!"

On the forty-first move, Fang Han seized a tiny opening as Lin Bao withdrew his blade. The Azure Edge Sword shot forth like a venomous snake leaving its hole, instantly slicing across Lin Bao's blade-wielding wrist.

"Aah!" Lin Bao screamed. Blood streamed from his wrist, and he could no longer grip his long blade. With a clang, it fell to the ground.

He clutched his wound and staggered back, his face deathly pale. His eyes as he looked at Fang Han were filled with disbelief, shock, and rage.

"Defeated?!"

The searing pain and immense humiliation nearly drove Lin Bao mad.

"They're fighting!"

"Those are... disciples of the Fang Clan and Lin Family?"

"Gods... that Fang Clan disciple is incredible. He actually defeated that Lin Family man!"

"Looks like the Fang Clan disciple is a cut above him after all..."

The commotion from the battle had long alerted the people nearby.

Some bolder passersby and residents from the alleyways watched from afar, whispering among themselves as their eyes shifted back and forth between Fang Han's and Lin Bao's clothing.

Disciples of the Fang Clan and Lin Family, two of Liangshui City's Five Great Families, clashing and fighting in the street—such excitement was rarely seen.

When those discussions reached Lin Bao's ears, his shame and fury intensified until he wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl inside.

He stared fixedly at Fang Han, his eyes venomous, as if he wanted to swallow Fang Han alive.

"Looks like your strength isn't enough to support your arrogance!"

Fang Han stood with his sword in hand, his breathing steady. He glanced coldly at Lin Bao, then swept his gaze over the growing crowd of onlookers.

Before so many eyes, he could not kill Lin Bao unless he wanted the Fang Clan and Lin Family to go to war.

No longer paying attention to the venomous-eyed Lin Bao, he sheathed his sword, stepped forward, and bent down to pick up Niu Mang's corpse from the ground.

He parted the crowd and strode away.

Behind him, only Lin Bao remained, blood dripping from his wrist and his face livid, surrounded by meaningful looks and hushed whispers.

Carrying the corpse, Fang Han headed straight for the Liangshui City Yamen.

He had already searched the body. There were only a few taels of silver on it—better than nothing. Clearly, he had not encountered the sort of good fortune where someone carried vast wealth or martial arts manuals on them.

When the yamen runners at the entrance saw Fang Han carrying over a burly man covered in blood, they were initially startled. Once they recognized the Fang Clan robes he wore and the face of the corpse, their attitude immediately became respectful.

"Young Master Fang, this is...?"

"Blood Blade Niu Mang has been slain by me. I've come to report the completion of the task."

Fang Han was concise.

Very soon, the constable in charge of the case verified the identity. After confirming there was no mistake, he became even more courteous toward Fang Han.

"Young Master Fang, your skills are remarkable! This Niu Mang committed evil for a long time and was cunning and vicious. The authorities have offered a reward of eighty taels of silver for his capture for quite some time. Today, he has finally been brought to justice! Here is the reward money. Please accept it."

The constable personally presented him with a heavy money pouch.

Fang Han accepted it and weighed it in his hand. It felt satisfyingly heavy, containing eighty taels of silver.

"Much obliged." He nodded, put away the pouch, said no more, and turned to leave the yamen.

The sun had completely set, darkness gradually falling as the lanterns of Liangshui City began to glow.

With the newly acquired eighty-tael reward in his robes, Fang Han headed back toward the Fang Clan.

The mission had been completed perfectly, but he had clashed with a Lin Family disciple and injured one of them.

Would there be trouble afterward? When I report to Elder Fang Yuan later, I must mention this to him.