Ten days later, Songquan Prefecture.
The morning mist shrouded the fields on both sides of the official road like a gauze, and the mountains in the distance were only a pale blue silhouette in the hazy sky.
Fang Han was wearing a moon-white gown with Cloudsplitter Sword hanging around her waist, walking calmly on the official road.
After leaving Westview Prefecture, he went all the way west, traveling day and night, and finally entered the territory of Songquan Prefecture.
Walking in the Songquan Prefecture realm, Fang Han's mind was filled with thoughts.
Has the death of Meng Zhao alerted Crimson Flame Sect?
Although he had burned the bodies of the four Meng Zhao people, he also deliberately destroyed the traces of the battle at the scene.
But there is no guarantee that there will be no omissions.
If Crimson Flame Sect follows the clues and finds out about him, there will inevitably be another trouble.
And where Meng Zhao, First Grade Elder, traveled thousands of miles to sneak into Songquan Prefecture to search secretly, has Grandmaster's Tomb been found by the Crimson Flame Sect?
After a master-level powerhouse dies, he is often buried with extremely rich things. It would be a lie to say that he is not moved.
Now that he <Black Tortoise True Art> has broken through Minor Accomplishment, his strength has greatly increased. Even if he faces the best among First Grade warriors, he may not be incapable of fighting.
If Grandmaster's Tomb hasn't been discovered yet, he doesn't mind fighting for it.
Ahead, the outline of a city gradually emerged from the morning mist.
The city wall is not high, about seven to eight feet, and is built with blue-gray stone strips. The banners on the city head droop lazily in the morning breeze.
Fang Han stopped outside the city gate, took out a piece of Human Skin Mask from Storage Ring, and placed it carefully on his face.
This mask was exchanged for 3,000 contribution points at the sect supplies department a long time ago. It can change the face, so it comes in handy this time.
He took a photo of the water by the river and confirmed that he was completely different from his usual self. Then he wrapped Cloudsplitter Sword casually in a strip of cloth, carried it behind him, and walked towards the city gate.
The soldiers guarding the city were leaning against the doorway and yawning. When they saw him approaching, they just glanced at him lazily and waved to let him go.
After entering the city, Fang Han asked passers-by and headed to the largest restaurant in the city.
To find out more information, teahouses and restaurants are undoubtedly the best places to go.
Those traveling merchants and charlatans who lick blood with their swords dare to pour out whatever they say after drinking several cups of yellow soup.
Gueststay Tower is the largest restaurant in the city. It is located in the middle of the main street. It has cornices and brackets, and a string of red lanterns hangs in front of the door.
Even though it was already afternoon, there were still many guests in the building. Noisy chatter and laughter floated out from the open windows, mixed with the aroma of wine and food, and spread on the street.
"Please come in, sir!" The waiter greeted him enthusiastically.
Fang Han did not stop in the lobby on the first floor and went straight to the second floor.
He chose a seat by the window and sat down, leaning Cloudsplitter Sword wrapped in a cloth strip against the side of the chair, and casually ordered a few dishes.
The dishes arrived quickly, including a plate of beef with soy sauce, a steamed sea bass, and a plate of green vegetables with garlic sauce.
He picked up his chopsticks and ate slowly, but his ears absorbed all the conversations of the drinkers at the tables around him.
What first came to my ears were mostly insignificant gossip.
Which shop has new goods, which gang has taken in a few new people, whose daughter has married into which family, who has hunted a rare monster outside the city, all here and there, nothing worth noting.
He remained calm, just eating the food slowly and waiting patiently.
At this moment, the voices of several drinkers at the next table floated over.
"You said that Crimson Flame Sect's First Grade Elder named Meng Zhao was killed by the Dragon Spring Manor?"
The speaker was a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a hoarse voice, as if his throat had been burned by bad alcohol.
"Dragon Spring Manor doesn't admit it, but if it were me, I would definitely not admit it even if I did it. It's hard to say whether Dragon Spring Manor did it or not."
Another thin old man held the wine bowl, took a swig and said.
Fang Han paused slightly while picking up the food.
Crimson Flame Sect blamed Dragon Spring Manor for Meng Zhao's death?
He calmly put the piece of soy beef into his mouth and chewed it slowly.
"I think it's most likely that Dragon Spring Manor did it. After all, this is related to Grandmaster's Tomb."
A man next to him who looked like a wealthy businessman took over and lowered his voice.
"Indeed, one Grandmaster's Tomb is enough Dragon Spring Manor, and we don't hesitate to turn against the Crimson Flame Sect."
The dark-skinned middle-aged man said.
"It's a pity that the one who got Grandmaster's Tomb in the end was neither Crimson Flame Sect nor Dragon Spring Manor."
The thin old man smiled.
Fang Han was still eating the food slowly, but his thoughts changed in his mind.
That Grandmaster's Tomb was found, but it was neither Crimson Flame Sect nor Dragon Spring Manor, but another force.
What force will it be?
"But there is no benefit from discovering Grandmaster's Tomb's forces."
The wealthy businessman shook his head, with a bit of gloating and a bit of sadness in his tone.
"They were wiped out that night, hundreds of people from top to bottom, and no one was left alive."
Fang Han's hand holding the wine glass paused slightly.
A force with hundreds of people will be gone at the last word.
This is the cruelty of the martial arts world. Without enough strength, getting "wealth" beyond one's control is not Opportunity, but a life-threatening talisman.
"Which force took action?"
The thin old man asked, with a hint of fear in his voice.
"I can't tell. That night, several people acted together."
The wealthy businessman shook his head.
"What about the things in Grandmaster's Tomb?"
"It was divided up by the forces that took action, and then was competed by other forces. No one can tell which forces it is now scattered in, but there are fights from time to time."
Fang Han drank the remaining wine in the cup, feeling both funny and emotional in his heart.
Crimson Flame Sect sent Meng Zhao, First Grade Elder, to sneak into Songquan Prefecture secretly, with every intention of monopolizing Grandmaster's Tomb, but in the end it was all in vain.
Meng Zhao died, Crimson Flame Sect gained nothing, but instead became enemies with the Dragon Spring Manor.
This is the so-called stealing the chicken but losing the rice.
It's a pity that he was a step late.
If Grandmaster's Tomb is still here, with his current strength, he wouldn't mind competing.
He put down his chopsticks, paid and went downstairs, joining the crowd in the streets and heading towards the city gate.
Now that Grandmaster's Tomb has been found, it would be useless to stay in Songquan Prefecture any longer. It is better to set off back to the sect as soon as possible.
After leaving the city gate, Fang Han walked forward along the official road.
After walking for about half an hour, the official road gradually narrowed and the trees on both sides became denser.
The ancient trees are towering, and the vines are hanging down. The afternoon sunlight is filtered by the layers of branches and leaves into fine spots, and falls on the ground covered with rotten leaves.
Occasionally, a few birds chirping could be heard in the distance, adding to the tranquility of the mountains.
"Well, someone is fighting!"
Fang Han's footsteps paused slightly, and he sensed that there were two groups of forces fighting in front of him.
There was a faint sound of weapons clashing.
"Whoosh!"
He ducked into the dense forest beside the road, gathered his breath, and silently dived in the direction from which the sound came.
After a moment, he stopped behind an ancient tree that required several people to hug him, and looked forward through the gaps in the branches and leaves.
Ahead is a relatively open forest land, surrounded by ancient trees. The ground is covered with thick rotten leaves, which are soft and silent when stepped on.
At this moment, two groups of people were fighting fiercely in the forest.
The sword flashed and the sword flew with great force, destroying the surrounding shrubs and low vegetation into a mess.
Several small trees as thick as a bowl were cut in half, and the stubble at the break was brand new, so it was obvious that they had just been cut down.
There was a group of about seven or eight people wearing uniform dark gray uniforms with a silver water ripple pattern embroidered on the cuffs.
The leader was a burly, bald man, with his upper body bare, revealing strong bronze muscles, and two black dragons with teeth and claws tattooed on his arms.
He used a pair of short-handled iron hammers, and each hammer blow had the potential to crack the monument and crack the stone.
Another group of people were wearing black attire and were slightly larger, with more than ten people.
The leader was a lean man in his late fifties, with a sallow complexion, high cheekbones, and a pair of narrow, sharp eyes.
He held a thick-backed Ghost Head Blade in his hand, and his sword skills were fierce and domineering, with every blow of the sword making a whirring sound.
Fang Han's eyes swept over these people. Judging from the aura emanating from them, the lean man's cultivation level was slightly higher, around the middle stage of Fourth Grade. The bald man's cultivation level was slightly weaker, at the early stage of Fourth Grade.
With Fang Han's current strength, he can wipe out these two groups with his backhand.
He didn't show up, he just hid behind the ancient trees and watched quietly.
"Hand over your things and I'll spare your life."
The lean man said while fighting each other.
"Don't even think about it, even if it's destroyed, I won't give it to you."
The bald man forced his opponent back with a hammer and shouted sternly, his voice rough and hoarse, filled with irrepressible anger.
"Then you die."
The lean man didn't say any more nonsense. With a flash of his body, Ghost Head Blade turned into a jet-black bolt and struck directly at the bald man's face.
The two fought together again.
The light of the sword and the shadow of the hammer intertwined, and the roar of the powerful explosion was heard endlessly. The surrounding trees were damaged, and the branches and leaves were scattered by the escaping Blade Qi and the hammer wind.
Fang Han watched this scene quietly, a little curious as to what these people were fighting for.
Could it be something unearthed in Grandmaster's Tomb?
The battle situation gradually became clearer, and the group of lean men gradually gained the upper hand, while the group of bald and strong men fell one after another.
The screams and roars were mixed together, and were swallowed up by the muffled sound of the sword entering the flesh and the crisp sound of the bones breaking.
In less than a stick of incense, only the bald man was left struggling to support himself.
There were seven or eight wounds of various sizes on his body. The most serious one was on his left shoulder. The scars were deep enough to show the bone. His left arm was hanging weakly, and blood was dripping from his fingertips.
Only one of the pair of short-handled hammers was left, and the other flew out at some point, hit the trunk of an ancient tree, and became embedded in it.
The lean man didn't give the bald man any chance to breathe.
Ghost Head Blade slashed out like the wind and lightning, each strike faster than the other, and each strike harder than the last. The bald man could not avoid it, so he had to raise his remaining hammer to block.
"Dang--!"
The sound of gold and iron clashing exploded in the forest, and sparks flew everywhere.
The hammer in the bald man's hand was shaken by the knife and flew out of his hand. He staggered back and hit the trunk of an ancient tree hard. Blood spurted from his mouth and he slowly slid to the ground along the trunk.
The lean man stepped forward quickly and killed the bald man with one blow.
Searching the bald man's body, he took out a book with a dark brown animal skin cover from his inner pocket.
The book was about two fingers thick, and there was no writing on the cover, only a few blurry lines that were difficult to read.
The lean man held the animal skin booklet in his hands and turned a few pages. A strange flush suddenly appeared on his face, which was fatigued from the fierce battle.
His hands began to tremble and his knuckles cracked.
"Zong... Grandmaster Kung Fu!"
He raised his head suddenly, his voice changing the tone with ecstasy.
"It's really the master's technique from Grandmaster's Tomb!"