Zhang Hu's Death

"Zhang Hu?" Chen Huai'an was startled by the sudden shout as well.

This Zhang Hu really was like a lingering ghost.

His arrival had been several days later than Chen Huai'an had expected.

Chen Huai'an had thought the other man would come looking for trouble soon, but this fellow had delayed for several days before showing up.

It was not that Zhang Hu did not want to trouble him immediately. He had been waiting because he needed to consolidate his cultivation. That way, he would have a better chance against Chen Huai'an.

It was precisely this cautious nature that had allowed him to thrive on Servant Peak.

Even when picking fights, he chose people weaker than himself. He never provoked anyone whose cultivation was higher than his.

Although the Zhang Family was a cultivation clan, there were many forces within Qingyun Sect's territory stronger than the Zhang Family.

"Chen Huai'an, you piece of trash, did you take my words as the wind?" Zhang Hu's expression twisted viciously.

Today, he had to force Chen Huai'an to reveal the location of the Spirit Spring Water.

"Zhang Hu, this is Qingyun Sect. Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the senior brothers of the Discipline Hall?" Chen Huai'an quickly considered his options.

He was now at the peak of the late first level of the Body Tempering Realm, while the other party was at the second level. The gap between them was not great, and he was not without the strength to fight.

What worried Chen Huai'an was that this fellow might not have come alone and could have helpers.

He was confident in a one-on-one fight, but if he had to face several opponents, he would not have much confidence.

Still, it was not as if Chen Huai'an had no options at all.

At worst, he could ask his companions for help.

The water carriers were not just the four new disciples. There were also three older men who had been carrying water for several years. Their strength was not weak; they were only stronger than Chen Huai'an, though none was as strong as Old Li.

But for the sake of secrecy, it was best if he could handle this himself. The more people involved, the greater the risk of exposing himself.

"Report me to the Discipline Hall? Do you think you'll get the chance?" Zhang Hu roared, then swung a dagger at Chen Huai'an.

Chen Huai'an had been on guard all along. Seeing the sudden attack, he swung the shoulder pole in his hand at Zhang Hu.

Smack!

With a crisp crack, the shoulder pole in Chen Huai'an's hand snapped when he smashed it into the other man's arm.

Zhang Hu's head spun, which showed just how powerful that blow from Chen Huai'an had been.

"You want me dead? Then I'll kill you first." Before Zhang Hu could react, a dagger appeared out of nowhere in Chen Huai'an's hand, and he stabbed it toward Zhang Hu's chest.

Before Zhang Hu could react at all, Chen Huai'an's dagger plunged viciously into his chest.

"How dare you?" Zhang Hu's eyes widened. He was an expert at the second level of the Body Tempering Realm, yet he had no ability to fight back against Chen Huai'an.

At that moment, Zhang Hu felt the threat of death. He had already been severely wounded and had to leave immediately.

"What wouldn't I dare do? You were trying to kill me. Go to hell!" Chen Huai'an ignored his threat. He had to end this quickly.

Today, one of them had to die.

If this dragged on too long and the other water-carrying companions nearby came over, he would be in trouble as well.

Though they were all servant disciples, killing a fellow disciple without cause in Qingyun Sect was a capital offense. Even if one escaped death, their cultivation would be crippled and they would be expelled from the sect.

Sensing the almost tangible killing intent radiating from Chen Huai'an, Zhang Hu turned and ran.

But Chen Huai'an gave him no chance. Like a tiger pouncing down a mountain, he lunged at Zhang Hu and drove his dagger viciously into the man's back.

In just a few strikes, several bloody holes appeared in Zhang Hu's back.

Zhang Hu's eyes widened. Until his death, he had never imagined he would die at the hands of a trash like Chen Huai'an, who had entered the sect less than half a month ago.

"He's dead. Take him in." Chen Huai'an controlled the Purple-Skinned Gourd with his mind and directly stored Zhang Hu's corpse inside its space.

Having disposed of a corpse once before, Chen Huai'an had become increasingly practiced at destroying evidence.

"I need to erase the traces of this fight as soon as possible." The danger had not yet passed, and Chen Huai'an immediately began cleaning up the battlefield. He scraped up all the bloodstained dirt and sent it into the space.

Even after doing all that, Chen Huai'an still did not feel assured, so he washed the area again with the Spirit Spring Water from inside the space.

This battle had come without warning, but it had ended just as quickly. Calling it lightning-fast would not be an exaggeration.

It was not that Zhang Hu was too weak, nor that he had been careless or underestimated his opponent. It was because Chen Huai'an had broken through and his strength had greatly increased.

Without anything to compare himself against, Chen Huai'an did not even know how strong he was now.

The Body Tempering Pills he took were all high-grade, leaving little pill toxin in his body. The meridians he had opened were genuine, without any shortcuts. In a few more days, he would be able to open the tiny collateral channels in his body as well, making him even stronger. This was something many senior servant disciples could not accomplish.

Yet Chen Huai'an had done it. It would not be an exaggeration to call him invincible among those of the same realm.

After this period of tempering and two life-and-death battles, he had come to understand one thing: no matter what he did, he had to go all out. When it was time to act, he had to act. He could not fear wolves ahead and tigers behind, forever hesitating.

"This shoulder pole is ruined. The Zhang Family definitely won't let this go. I need to find a suitable weapon as soon as possible. Otherwise, if Zhang Hu had been just a little stronger, I would have been the one to die." After leaving the space, Chen Huai'an conducted a post-battle assessment.

Originally, he could have ended this battle faster and left behind fewer traces.

But because he lacked combat experience, he had failed to make full use of his advantages and kill with a single strike. Now, he had to spend time erasing the traces of the battle.

With the shoulder pole broken, Chen Huai'an did not fetch more water. Instead, he carried the bucket, with more than half its water spilled, back to the rear courtyard of the dining hall.

"Boy Chen, what happened to you?" Old Li looked at the bedraggled Chen Huai'an, who had fallen behind, with a teasing expression.

"Uncle Li, when someone's unlucky, even cold water gets stuck between their teeth. I was already halfway up the mountain when the shoulder pole broke." Chen Huai'an complained bitterly.

"The shoulder pole broke? How many times have I told you not to rely on brute strength just because you're strong? Carrying water requires skill and rhythm. That way, you won't tire yourself out. You're like a block of dead wood, unable to use any finesse. No matter how sturdy a shoulder pole is, it can't withstand you lot abusing it like this." Old Li spoke irritably.

Chen Huai'an claimed that the broken shoulder pole had snapped and simply threw it away. Because it was stained with Zhang Hu's blood, he did not dare bring it back. He directly stored it in the Purple-Skinned Gourd's space.

Chen Huai'an went to Steward Wu to collect a new shoulder pole before continuing to carry water.

Once the work was done, Chen Huai'an pretended to be exhausted and lay down to sleep. Only after seeing that no one was watching did he enter the space.

The great enemy he had inadvertently provoked after entering Qingyun Sect had already been dealt with. Now, he needed to quickly figure out how to handle the aftermath.

The aftermath could wait for now, but that did not stop him from examining his spoils.

Zhang Hu had been one of the dominant figures among the servant disciples who had entered the sect within the past year. His background was even better than that of the dead Wang Tong, so he had to be carrying quite a few good things.

After entering the space, Chen Huai'an began searching the corpse. He found a small cloth bundle and an ancient, yellowed book in Zhang Hu's robes.

"Elephant Armor Technique!" Seeing the three ancient, weathered characters on the cover, his face filled with excitement.

That trash Zhang Hu actually had something this good on him.

Thinking back, Zhang Hu's body really had been tough. Chen Huai'an's shoulder pole had snapped after a single blow. Besides Chen Huai'an's great strength, a large part of the reason was that the fellow had cultivated the Elephant Armor Technique, giving him thick skin and tough flesh.