Inside the dimly lit gambling den.
Their gazes met.
A suffocating atmosphere seemed to fill the air.
Looking at Xu Hu, Fang Xing's face remained utterly calm, betraying not the slightest hint of anything unusual.
But in Xu Hu's eyes, Fang Xing caught a fleeting glimmer of something different.
It vanished in an instant, but he had still noticed it.
Fang Xing was certain this was the first time he had ever met the leader of the Black Tiger Gang.
What he couldn't understand was why the man had tried to kill him.
Could someone else be pulling the strings behind him?
"May I ask your name, brother?" Xu Hu was the first to break the silence, asking with a cheerful smile.
"Oh? Leader Xu, you don't know me?" Fang Xing idly turned the teacup beside him and spoke coolly.
At this, Xu Hu's pupils contracted slightly, and ripples stirred in his heart. Yet he remained composed, smiling as he replied, "Perhaps my eyes failed me. I don't believe I know you, sir."
"Are you sure you don't know me, Leader Xu?" Fang Xing lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingertips. His tone remained calm, but his eyes were fixed on Xu Hu.
Meeting Fang Xing's gaze, Xu Hu forced a smile. The scar on his face seemed to come alive as he said, "Sir, my eyesight isn't good, and my memory is poor. Please, tell me what brings you here."
Fang Xing slowly rose to his feet and looked at Xu Hu. "Do you know why I came, Leader Xu?"
At this, Xu Hu pretended to ponder for a moment before looking at Fang Xing and replying, "On the way here, I heard it concerned two people's lives."
"Then you must know who those two people are, Leader Xu?" Fang Xing said blandly.
Looking at Fang Xing, who seemed utterly unconcerned, Xu Hu gave a slight nod. "I know a little about them, but I don't know the specifics."
"Oh?"
Fang Xing looked at Xu Hu and smiled. "How do you think those two died, Leader Xu?"
"This..." Xu Hu paused to think, then said, "Sir, the Wild Wolf Gang and our gang have long had a history of friction. I suspect their deaths were likely connected to the Wild Wolf Gang."
"But the information I have doesn't seem to support that. This matter appears to have something to do with you, Leader Xu."
Fang Xing looked at Xu Hu and spoke coolly.
At this, Xu Hu's expression tightened, and he fixed his eyes on Fang Xing.
"May I ask what evidence you have, sir?"
"Those two were both members of your Black Tiger Gang. From what I've heard, they got into trouble because you sent them out."
"How do you intend to explain that, Leader Xu?"
Fang Xing changed tack and demanded sharply.
Xu Hu's expression shifted. He hurriedly said, "Sir, this must be slander."
Fang Xing narrowed his eyes at Xu Hu. "Leader Xu, whether it's slander or not, we'll find out if you come with me to the County Yamen."
At this, Xu Hu's face darkened. He looked at Fang Xing, took a deep breath, then pulled a purse from his waist and placed it on the gambling table.
"Sir, there must be some misunderstanding. Please accept this as a little something for your tea."
"What, Leader Xu? You don't intend to cooperate with the investigation?" Fang Xing stared at Xu Hu, his gaze icy.
Xu Hu's face stiffened. He looked at Fang Xing and forced a smile. "Sir, if there's something you need to ask, can't you ask me here?"
"Leader Xu, I'll ask you one more time. Are you coming or not?"
Fang Xing's face was cold.
"Sir, I really do have things to take care of."
"So you don't intend to cooperate?" Fang Xing said calmly.
"Sir, I only hope we can make this matter smaller and let it pass. If the Black Tiger Gang can help you in the future, we'll certainly cooperate," Xu Hu said, maintaining his smile.
At this, Fang Xing suddenly smiled. "Leader Xu makes a good point. How about this, then? I'll accept the money. Perhaps I'll need your help one day."
With that, Fang Xing picked up the purse from the table.
Xu Hu was slightly taken aback, then immediately nodded. "If you need anything in the future, the Black Tiger Gang will certainly cooperate."
Fang Xing smiled brightly and gave a slight nod, then turned to leave.
But at the instant they brushed past each other, a flash of cold light erupted. Fang Xing spun around.
"Pfft!!"
His saber at his waist came free with blinding speed, and he slashed Xu Hu.
At such close range, even a Bright Force martial artist couldn't react in time.
The sharp blade plunged into Xu Hu's waist.
A stabbing pain shot through his side, and Xu Hu's eyes flew wide open.
"You..."
The sudden slash and the searing pain drained the color from Xu Hu's face in an instant.
He reacted at once.
But it was already too late. One of Fang Xing's hands clamped around his shoulder like an iron vise, and a vicious elbow strike crashed into his head.
He had been building up power for this blow for a long time.
"Crack—!"
Xu Hu's body slammed onto the gambling table. The powerful force penetrated it, and the table collapsed on the spot.
"Pfft—!"
Before he could react, pain flared in his chest.
The tip of the saber drove straight into his heart, and blood spilled out, filling the air.
Fang Xing's gaze was frosty as he looked at the dying Xu Hu and murmured, "Leader Xu, go down and keep those two company."
Those words made Xu Hu's body stiffen.
He already knew...
So he had been toying with him the whole time!
The thought flashed through Xu Hu's mind, and a thread of fury burst into flame within him. But before he could do anything, the saber thrust forward, sinking deeper into his heart.
A wave of weakness washed over him.
Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He stared at Fang Xing, his consciousness fading.
"The... emissary... will... will... avenge... me..."
Xu Hu struggled to force out those few words, then his expression froze in place.
With his heart pierced, even a Bright Force martial artist would die.
But those final words made Fang Xing's gaze sharpen.
The emissary...
Was this the person hidden behind the Black Tiger Gang?!
Before Fang Xing could make sense of it, a wisp of crimson suddenly rose from Xu Hu's body and vanished into Fang Xing.
?
What was that?
Fang Xing froze, but the Crimson Panel soon appeared before him.
Name: Fang Xing
Cultivation: Bright Force
Enhancement Level: One Star (3%)
Enhancement Points: 68
"Sixty-eight..."
Looking at the Enhancement Points, Fang Xing's pupils contracted.
Had that wisp of crimson increased his Enhancement Points?!
It had given him a full fifty points at once.
Could this be another way to obtain Enhancement Points?!
But that didn't make sense.
Why hadn't he gotten any from the two people he killed yesterday?
Fang Xing frowned as he looked at Xu Hu's corpse.
Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed his mind.
Martial artists!
The two people yesterday had been ordinary folk, but Xu Hu was different.
He was a martial artist who had entered the ranks of the force-wielders.
"Killing one Bright Force martial artist gives you fifty Enhancement Points..."
Looking at the corpse on the ground, Fang Xing felt his blood catch fire.
It seemed this second method worked much faster!
One Bright Force martial artist gave him fifty Enhancement Points.
If he killed a few more, wouldn't he pass a hundred with ease?!
And if he killed a stronger Dark Force martial artist, how many Enhancement Points would that be...?!
Fang Xing's heart burned.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to butcher a few more martial artists.
He struggled all day to earn just two Enhancement Points. Perhaps he'd earn more after breaking through in cultivation, but compared with this, how could it possibly be so fast?
The path of a crooked cultivator really was fast!
A thought flashed through his mind.
But soon, Fang Xing regained his composure.
This crooked method of gaining power was indeed fast, but the risks were enormous.
He had killed Xu Hu this time by catching him off guard and striking before he could prepare.
In a true head-on fight, the outcome might have been very different.
After all, he had only practiced basic martial arts.
He could deal with ordinary people as easily as turning over his hand, but fighting martial artists was not so simple.
"But at least I've learned another way to obtain Enhancement Points. Once I grow stronger, this method can help me advance quickly..."
Fang Xing's eyes shone.
With enough Enhancement Points, improving his strength would be as easy as turning over his hand.
With enough points, he would have resources beyond anyone else's wildest imagination.
Breaking through the Three Foundation Establishment Realms, borrowing the false to cultivate the true, reaching the divine through martial arts—none of it would be a problem.
The essentials of cultivation were heaven, earth, companions, and wealth!
And wealth meant resources!
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