Sword, Come!

"Though the Azure Cloud Sword Art is powerful, I don't have a handy treasured sword, and with my status as a waiter, carrying a sword around would be far too high-profile."

"Rumor has it that Tiger Chicken leg bones are extremely sturdy. I wonder if that's true?"

Casually picking up a Tiger Chicken leg bone, Yang Xiao felt a mix of unease and anticipation as his palm instantly turned into iron skin.

He pressed down with force, but the Tiger Chicken leg bone did not budge in the slightest. Not even the faintest crack appeared.

Putting down the Tiger Chicken leg bone, Yang Xiao picked up the copper wine cup beside him and gave it a light squeeze.

Crack!

In an instant, the wine cup shattered, turning into fine powder.

After repeating this three times, a rare smile finally appeared on Yang Xiao's face.

"As expected of something that cost four hundred taels. Worth it!"

Casually hiding two Tiger Chicken leg bones in his sleeves, Yang Xiao tidied up briefly, then turned and left Vermilion Bird Tower.

A moment later.

A clever young servant dressed as a menial worker arrived behind Vermilion Bird Tower, in an extremely remote alley.

"Brother Zhao, that brat Yang Xiao has already arrived at the Drunken Immortal Inn. He reserved a private room by the window on the second floor. The room number is Ding Five-Three."

The young servant wore a fawning smile.

"Good. Your reward."

With a wave of "Zhao Hu's" large hand, a heavy silver ingot immediately fell at the young servant's feet.

"Thank you, Brother Zhao! Thank you, Brother Zhao!"

The young servant bobbed his head and bowed at the waist, excitedly bending down to pick up the silver ingot, when suddenly his vision blurred. He instantly felt an enormous black shadow abruptly envelop him.

"No, no!"

The young servant did not even have time to let out his terrified cry before his entire body was swallowed in one bite by the black shadow.

"Though that brat Yang Xiao is a sickly weakling and has no martial cultivation, he has been soaking in medicine jars since he was young. His flesh and blood contain surging medicinal power, so he's quite suitable for me to snack on."

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, "Zhao Hu" acted as though he had done something utterly trivial and walked all the way toward the Drunken Immortal Inn.

However, just as he reached the East District, not far from the Drunken Immortal Inn, at an extremely secluded alley—

An extremely dangerous feeling abruptly rose in "Zhao Hu's" mind.

"Who's there!"

"Zhao Hu" flew into a rage and suddenly smashed a fist toward the rear.

Whoosh—

A sack descended from the sky. No one knew what it held, but it was heavy, and "Zhao Hu" shattered it to pieces with one punch.

"Not good!"

"Zhao Hu" instantly sensed something was wrong. Before he could react, his entire body was submerged in quicklime that filled the sky.

"How dare you!"

In the face of danger, "Zhao Hu" did not panic. Ignoring the burning pain of lime scorching his eyes, he abruptly shut them and viciously hammered a fist down to his left.

"Boom!"

A large stone thrown through the air was instantly smashed apart by "Zhao Hu's" punch, turning into fragments that filled the sky.

"What skill is there in hiding your head and showing your tail, sir? I am—"

With an angry roar, "Zhao Hu" had just opened his mouth when warning bells suddenly rang in his heart. He only felt that some heavy object overhead was plummeting down rapidly.

"You're courting death!"

"Zhao Hu" was both startled and furious. He suddenly leapt up and punched toward the space above his head.

Crack!

Along with the sound of a wooden bucket shattering, a large amount of sticky liquid—no one knew exactly what it was—instantly drenched "Zhao Hu" from head to toe like a dog splashed with blood.

"Despicable rat, shameless wretch! If you've got the guts, roll out here and fight me one-on-one!"

"Zhao Hu" roared in fury, wildly swinging both fists, his entire body sealed up so tightly not even wind could pass through.

Wherever he went, walls collapsed and the ground split apart!

This Zhao Hu is terrifyingly strong. He's definitely not at the ordinary iron skin realm!

In the dark corner, Yang Xiao was too lazy to waste words. He swiftly took out a fire striker and, without the slightest hesitation, threw it straight at "Zhao Hu."

The fire striker, however, did not land on "Zhao Hu." Instead, it was knocked down to the ground by the fierce wind from "Zhao Hu's" fists.

"A mere petty trick!"

Though "Zhao Hu" could not see, his martial arts were not weak, and he could roughly tell what Yang Xiao was doing. He was immediately disdainful.

Yet in the next moment, "Zhao Hu" sensed something was wrong.

After the fire striker hit the ground, it actually turned the little alley into a sea of flames in an instant!

The flames crossed and spread like snakes!

"Zhao Hu" had yet to realize what was going on before his whole body was already burning hot.

"You vile, shameless bastard! What the hell did you splash on me? I'll kill you, kill you!"

"Zhao Hu" felt searing pain all over his body, agony so unbearable he wished for death. Grief and fury surged through him at once, and he swung his fists like a madman.

Yang Xiao watched coldly, not saying a word.

Only when "Zhao Hu's" screams gradually weakened did Yang Xiao, worried that delay would breed disaster, hesitate no longer.

Time waits for no one. Kill!

Hunching low, Yang Xiao silently circled behind "Zhao Hu," then suddenly threw a punch.

Yet "Zhao Hu," who had seemed on his last breath, stopped screaming in an instant and smashed a fist over with perfect precision.

Boom!

Yang Xiao instantly felt his blood and qi boil throughout his body, as if he had been smashed hard by a meteor hammer. A tremendous force sent him flying backward, his back slamming into the wall and collapsing a large section of it.

"This... this is impossible!"

"Though my first blood exchange failed, my body still contains a vast amount of Tiger Chicken blood and qi."

"Now I'm risking mutual destruction to forcibly stir up this Tiger Chicken blood and qi, raising myself to the realm of First Blood for a short time. And this man still didn't die?"

"Zhao Hu's" ears twitched slightly. Hearing Yang Xiao climb out of the wall's rubble, his breathing unexpectedly steady and his footsteps not at all disordered, "Zhao Hu" was instantly shocked out of his wits.

"So this impostor had already undergone a blood exchange long ago. It just failed. No wonder when I observed his aura at Vermilion Bird Tower, I found the gray mist over his head flickering in and out."

Looking at "Zhao Hu," whose blood and qi had surged by no less than tenfold in a single instant, Yang Xiao's expression couldn't help turning somewhat ugly.

Yang Xiao knew someone was following him. After he arrived at the Drunken Immortal Inn, he immediately pretended to go to the latrine downstairs, then vaulted over the wall and left with practiced ease.

This little alley had been carefully chosen by Yang Xiao, and he had set up traps and contingencies in advance. It was originally meant to preserve his life.

Now that he had used it on "Zhao Hu," striking with preparation against the unprepared, plus a sneak attack, "Zhao Hu" was actually still able to heavily injure him despite being badly wounded?

"It seems a First Blood martial artist who has undergone a blood exchange, and a martial practitioner who hasn't, are heaven and earth apart. There's simply no possibility of comparison."

"Even with Zhao Hu's Iron Skin realm after a failed blood exchange, if I'm not careful and cautious, I'm afraid I could still capsize in the gutter!"

Panting in great mouthfuls, Yang Xiao watched "Zhao Hu" stride over rapidly, and a trace of ruthlessness instantly flashed through his eyes.

Yang Xiao had no combat martial skill that suited his hand. Since trading fists and feet wouldn't work, then—there was only this!

"I don't care who you are. You've made me suffer so miserably. Today, I'm going to tear you—into! ten! thousand! pieces!"

Boom!

"Zhao Hu's" voice still lingered in the distance, but his terrifying punch, mixed with waves of air-splitting sound, had already appeared a dozen steps from Yang Xiao with the speed of lightning and thunder.

A crisis of death suddenly surfaced in Yang Xiao's heart.

Yet between life and death, Yang Xiao did not panic. Instead, he calmly calculated the distance between them.

Twelve steps!

Eleven steps!

Ten steps!

The instant "Zhao Hu" was neither more nor less than exactly ten steps away from Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao suddenly flicked his sleeve and coldly spat out two icy words—"Sword, come!"