022 Come Out and Explain

A man in earth-yellow combat gear fled ahead, his body covered in blood. His injuries were clearly severe, as his running speed was barely faster than a walk. Following him at a leisurely pace were two men, their eyes gleaming with a savage light. One of them was the very man Wang Jian had addressed as Sun Shaochuan.

"Senior Brother Shaochuan, why don't we speed up? He's heavily wounded; we could easily subdue him," asked a youth in green robes. He looked no older than twenty, with a fair, jade-like face and handsome features, his expression currently full of confusion.

"Junior Brother Wu Xuan, the most important thing when walking the jianghu is caution. Even a cornered rabbit will bite. Who knows if he's just putting on a show for us? If we rush in and he suddenly launches a lethal strike, what are we to do?" Sun Shaochuan said in a lecturing tone. He watched the staggering figure ahead, a cold sneer curling his lips. "However, he's been struck by my specially formulated poison. He'll bleed incessantly, so he can't keep up this act for long. We'll just follow slowly; he'll stop on his own eventually. Look, he's already slowing down."

Sure enough, Wang Jian, who had been running ahead, began to lose speed.

"Senior Brother Wang Jian, you'd best hand over your Universe Bag yourself. For the sake of our past friendship, I can grant you a quick end—I promise you won't suffer."

"Bah! You surnamed Sun, would you have dared to speak to me like this when I was at my peak? You animal! If not for me, would you have ever reached the fourth level of the True Martial Realm? I treated you like a brother, yet after I hunted the Cold Flood Dragon, you took advantage of my exhaustion to collude with outsiders and murder me! You are lower than a pig or a dog!"

The wounded middle-aged man glared at Sun Shaochuan with eyes full of monstrous hatred, his right hand clutching his chest tightly as blood continued to seep through his fingers. Although he had been ambushed from behind and severely wounded, he could control his internal energy to constrict the wound. If he could just stop the bleeding, he believed he still had the strength to fight. But his opponent was too despicable; he had coated his blade with a poison that prevented blood from clotting, making it impossible to stop the flow even by sealing his meridians.

Medicine King Valley? Zhang He was startled. He was now a pharmacist of the Pharmacist Association, and Lu Tiao had once said that the Pharmacist Association was backed by Medicine King Valley! Disciples of Medicine King Valley held prestigious status in the jianghu and were looked upon with reverence. He never expected to encounter them under such circumstances, let alone see them committing such acts.

Behind the bushes, Zhang He was only twenty-one zhang away. They never imagined that someone was hiding so close by. Through their conversation, Zhang He had roughly pieced together the events: the three of them had teamed up to hunt the Cold Flood Dragon. Wang Jian was the primary force, but after the kill, Sun Shaochuan and Wu Xuan had ambushed him to claim the prize for themselves.

"Human hearts are truly unpredictable!"

After realizing this, Zhang He's eyes narrowed slightly. No matter the situation, one should never carelessly turn their back on others. Seeing this scene play out before his eyes left him shaken and reinforced the importance of caution.

Just as he was lost in thought, the three men ahead began to clash.

"Junior Brother Wu Xuan, since this fellow refuses to see reason, we don't need to be polite. Get ready." Seeing that Wang Jian still refused to hand over his belongings, a sharp glint flashed in Sun Shaochuan's eyes. He turned to Wu Xuan, his long blade trembling as a fierce, murderous aura radiated from it.

The young man named Wu Xuan looked timid and hesitant, clearly a novice at first glance. Hearing Sun Shaochuan's command, he gritted his teeth and said in a trembling voice, "Senior Brother Wang Jian, since you are so stubborn, don't blame me."

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange light flickered in Wu Xuan's eyes. His hands, which had been resting at his waist, moved like vipers. Three black pellets flew from his grasp, hurtling toward Wang Jian with lightning speed.

Seeing the pellets, Wang Jian's eyes flashed with wariness. He flicked his battle blade, and like a chicken pecking at grain, three streaks of hazy blade energy shot out, intercepting the projectiles.

Bang! Bang!

Two crisp sounds rang out. Two of the pellets were shattered in mid-air by the blade energy, releasing a cloud of earth-yellow smoke. A breeze blew across the hillside, dispersing the smoke. However, Wang Jian was injured; the exertion caused his wounds to flare up, accelerating his blood loss and sapping his strength. The final streak of blade energy missed its mark, causing the third pellet to explode between the three of them.

The wind swirled, carrying the yellow smoke toward Sun Shaochuan and Wu Xuan.

"What are you doing!" Sun Shaochuan's eyes flashed with irritation, but he had been prepared. Seeing the smoke drift toward them, he covered his nose and mouth and dodged to the side. Wu Xuan seemed caught off guard; he scrambled to pull out a pill, swallowing it quickly and tossing one to Sun Shaochuan.

"Hahaha, that's what you call lifting a rock only to drop it on your own feet!" Wang Jian laughed mockingly at the sight. This was a perfect opening. He lunged forward like a leopard, his blade glowing with condensed energy as he slashed toward Sun Shaochuan with enough force to split the earth.

Of the two, Wang Jian considered Sun Shaochuan the greater threat. Wu Xuan's clumsy performance proved he was just a greenhorn, not worth fearing! Thus, Wang Jian was determined to kill Sun Shaochuan first to eliminate the primary danger.

As Wang Jian lunged, Sun Shaochuan noticed. Instead of meeting the attack head-on, he retreated, his long sword trembling as it shimmered to protect his front. "Senior Brother Wang Jian, before you die, I'll tell you one thing so you can go to your grave with clarity. The child in Shao Ying's womb is actually mine. Hahaha."

"What?" Wang Jian's face changed instantly, and he went berserk. "So that's it! That child really wasn't mine! You animal, I'll tear you to pieces!"

Wang Jian's eyes turned bloodshot, his blade energy surging. He went mad, lunging forward as if he had nothing left to lose. His strikes became wild and unrefined, driven only by the desire to kill Sun Shaochuan.

Swish, swish, swish!

Sun Shaochuan's sword suddenly hissed like a viper. With a violent tremor, the blade flew from his hand, transforming into a streak of light that shot toward Wang Jian's chest like lightning.

When Wang Jian saw that streak of light, an expression of disbelief crossed his face. Seeing the mockery on Sun Shaochuan's lips, he suddenly understood: the man had only said those things to enrage him and rob him of his reason! Alas, it was too late.

Puff!

A cold force pierced straight through his chest. A hole the size of a human head was blasted through Wang Jian's torso, destroying his internal organs and snuffing out his life instantly. His body collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open, filled with lingering resentment.

"Sigh, you actually believed it." Sun Shaochuan looked at the fallen Wang Jian with a dismissive smile. He walked over, kicked the body to ensure it was truly dead, and unhooked a delicate cloth bag from Wang Jian's waist.

So, everything he had said was a lie. Sun Shaochuan had simply exploited Wang Jian's insecurities to goad him into a rage and create an opening.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Sun." Wu Xuan approached, his face full of humble flattery.

"Hmm, your combat experience still needs work. Now that Wang Jian is dead, this Cold Flood Dragon belongs to us. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly. Let's go, clean this up; we don't want to leave any traces." Sun Shaochuan glanced at Wu Xuan and said indifferently.

Wu Xuan nodded. As he turned, his fingernails flicked toward Sun Shaochuan. The movement was incredibly subtle; Sun Shaochuan didn't notice, but Zhang He, who happened to be on Wu Xuan's side, saw it clearly.

"Poisoning him?" A glint flashed in Zhang He's eyes. He suddenly realized that Wu Xuan's performance earlier had deceived everyone.

A few steps later, Sun Shaochuan suddenly cried out in alarm, "What's happening? Why am I so dizzy? Isn't this the Soul-Bewildering Guide used for the Cold Flood Dragon? Wu Xuan, what is this?"

Wu Xuan turned back, his face a mask of confusion. "Senior Brother Sun, what's wrong?"

Seeing that bewildered look, Sun Shaochuan didn't suspect him, immediately assuming the dying Wang Jian had set a trap. He cursed, "Damn it! I've been poisoned by the Soul-Bewildering Guide! Wang Jian was so despicable. Thank goodness he's dead; if he were still alive, I'd be at his mercy! Quick, Junior Brother Wu Xuan, give me the antidote! I'm dizzy!"

"Oh." Wu Xuan replied, but he stood rooted to the spot.

Seeing this, Sun Shaochuan suddenly understood. His face turned ghastly pale. "I never thought that a hunter of geese would be blinded by the geese themselves! Fine, Junior Brother Wu Xuan, you have quite the methods. The Cold Flood Dragon is all yours; I won't fight you for it. Just give me the antidote, and we'll go our separate ways."

He never expected to be outmaneuvered by a greenhorn! Sun Shaochuan's heart bled with regret.

"Do you really think I can trust you?" The confusion on Wu Xuan's face faded, replaced by cold indifference. "If I give you the antidote, the first thing you'd do upon recovering is kill me. I don't want to leave such a dangerous enemy alive. Only the dead are truly safe. Senior Brother Sun, just go. No one knows I was with you anyway; if you both die, people will just assume you were killed by the Cold Flood Dragon."

Sun Shaochuan, now completely limp, collapsed to the ground. Seeing Wu Xuan approach, fear finally flickered in his eyes. "I can swear an oath—I won't seek revenge. Junior Brother Wu Xuan, I can swear on my parents."

"Your oath is worthless." Wu Xuan gave a cold smile. He calculated the time, knowing Sun Shaochuan should be powerless by now. He walked over, picked up Wang Jian's battle blade, and with a swift motion, pierced Sun Shaochuan's heart, pinning him to the ground.

Sun Shaochuan's eyes remained wide with unwillingness. He never imagined he would meet the same end as Wang Jian...

Hiss...

Zhang He couldn't help but gasp at such ruthless methods. His gaze toward Wu Xuan grew even heavier. He could see that Wu Xuan had been playing the fool to catch his prey from the very beginning. The fact that he hadn't even blinked while killing Sun Shaochuan proved he was a cold-blooded, vicious character.

"You've been watching for a long time—don't you think it's time to come out and explain yourself?"

Wu Xuan pulled a cloth from his lapel to wipe the blood from his hands. He suddenly looked up, his cold eyes locked onto the bushes where Zhang He was hiding, and spoke in a chilling tone.