Double Kill!

"Second Brother, did you get him?"

Sun Zhongheng wore an extremely confident smile.

"When has your second brother ever missed? Come on, we can go in now. That kid's as good as dead."

The two of them pushed open the door and swaggered inside.

But the moment Sun Zhongheng reached the bed, the smug look on his face froze. The thing lying there wasn't a person at all—it was a wooden bench wrapped tightly in rags!

His pupils contracted sharply as he realized what had happened. His face changed at once.

"Third Brother! Grab your weapon! That kid set us up!"

His roar exploded through the cramped wooden hut, but the only answer was silence.

Sun Zhongheng's heart sank. He spun around to look behind him, his pupils shrinking in alarm. Third Brother had collapsed on the ground, both hands clamped over his throat, his body twitching uncontrollably.

His weapon was nowhere to be seen. A gleaming dagger had sunk all the way into his neck, and bright-red blood gushed between his fingers. He was clearly done for.

Sun Zhongheng's eyes nearly split with rage, and instinctively he lunged forward to save his younger brother.

But as soon as he met Third Brother's terror-stricken gaze, a deadly warning shot up his spine. Relying on a hunter's instincts, he rolled sharply to the side in the blink of an eye.

Crack!

At almost that exact moment, a thick-backed, broad-bladed Ghost-Head Blade slammed down where he'd been standing.

Wood chips and shattered stone flew everywhere. The ground had been cleaved open, leaving a jagged gash.

Sun Zhongheng had barely regained his footing when he saw the horrifying sight. A cold sweat broke out across his back.

He thought to himself, Lucky I dodged fast enough. If that blow had landed, I'd have capsized in the gutter tonight.

Before the thought had even finished, a flash of silver blade-light flickered before his eyes. With a fierce whoosh, it came straight down toward his face.

This time, he didn't dodge. With a roar, he swung his hand axe and met the blow head-on.

Clang—!

The clash of metal rang through the dark hut, and bright sparks burst from where the axe edge struck the blade.

Jiang Feng was knocked back two steps, while Sun Zhongheng staggered several paces before crashing hard into the wall and finally steadying himself.

The hand gripping his axe trembled uncontrollably. His palm was numb, and he could barely hold on to the handle.

He stared in horror at the thin figure in the shadows, his voice trembling.

"N-no... Wasn't he supposed to be a good-for-nothing who hadn't even reached the second layer of the Blood-Moving Realm?

Th-this kind of strength... It's not much worse than my big brother's!"

After all, he'd come from a rough-and-tumble background. His cultivation technique was crude, and he'd never had a master to guide him, so naturally he hadn't learned anything profound.

Jiang Feng's cultivation realm might not have been very high, but his Iron Stake Technique had reached the Great Accomplishment stage, and it was no joke. Never mind that his opponent was only at the fifth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm—even if they were both at the sixth layer, Sun Zhongheng still wouldn't be a match for him.

The fierce blade-light tore through the darkness again, chopping down with terrifying force.

Sun Zhongheng's pupils contracted sharply. He hurriedly raised his hand axe to block, but this time, luck no longer favored him.

The blade passed, and his arm was severed at the root. A crimson mist of blood gushed from the wound like a fountain.

"Aaaah!"

A piercing scream cut through the night. Not only could the people in the neighboring hut hear it clearly, but Sun Bowei and Fan Qingyang, by the forest's edge in the distance, both changed expressions at the same time.

Fan Qingyang clutched his stomach and roared with laughter, tears nearly spilling from his eyes. "Hahaha, Jiang Feng really is a coward. He's already screaming in terror?"

He could practically picture Jiang Feng's miserable state, and the thought filled him with satisfaction.

Sun Bowei, however, didn't laugh.

His brows furrowed, and his expression gradually darkened. For no clear reason, a vague unease welled up inside him.

"Something's not right... This wasn't part of our plan. And why does that voice sound so familiar?"

He clenched his fists and barked, "Come on. Let's go see what's happening over there."

Fan Qingyang looked thoroughly unwilling, still muttering under his breath.

"What could've happened? Two men at the fifth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm—how could they not handle one good-for-nothing?"

"Enough talk! Move!"

Sun Bowei glared at him, and a fierce Killing Intent abruptly burst from his body.

The force of that aura hit Fan Qingyang head-on, and he swallowed the rest of his words. He didn't dare make another sound, obediently hurrying after Sun Bowei toward the little wooden hut.

Inside the little wooden hut, fierce flashes of blade-light flickered, and all four of Sun Zhongheng's limbs were hacked off.

He'd been carved into a living human stump, lying on the cold ground and twitching and wailing without pause.

The thick stench of blood filling the air made Jiang Feng's breathing quicken despite himself, but his gaze remained steady. Gripping the Ghost-Head Blade firmly, he shouted, "Tell me, who are you? Who sent you to attack me? Do you have any accomplices outside?"

The blade rested against Sun Zhongheng's neck. With every breath, he felt its icy edge.

Sun Zhongheng was already scared out of his wits. How could he possibly dare hide anything? His voice shook uncontrollably.

"We... We're just hunters from Black Water Town.

A-a fat man named Fan Qingyang paid us to come... He told us to take you out.

We were just doing a job for money. We had no grudge against you...

I... I know I was wrong. Please spare my life..."

Jiang Feng's gaze remained cold. The blade pressed down slightly, and a thin line of blood appeared on Sun Zhongheng's neck.

"I haven't finished asking you. Do you have any accomplices outside?"

Meeting those eyes, cold enough to freeze, Sun Zhongheng felt his scalp prickle.

He could tell clearly that this young man wasn't trying to scare him. He really would cut him down.

How could someone so young be so decisive and ruthless?

He completely broke down, screaming hoarsely, "Kid, I'm warning you! If you kill me, my big brother will never let you go! He's at the eighth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm, just one step away from the ninth. You can't possibly beat him!"

The eighth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm? Jiang Feng's brows furrowed sharply.

"Fan Qingyang really thinks highly of me. He actually hired someone at the eighth layer of the Blood-Moving Realm to deal with me."

Seeing his expression change, a desperate gleam of hope suddenly welled in Sun Zhongheng's eyes, as if he'd grabbed a lifeline.

"Kid, as long as you let me go, we can pretend nothing happened today. We can even—"

A flash of blade-light, and his words cut off.

A massive head rolled to the ground, bumping along like a deflated ball before wobbling to a stop in the pool of blood.

"What a joke. You already tried to kill me, and now you expect me to pretend nothing happened?"

Jiang Feng stood in the shadows, his voice cold and calm, though the hand gripping his blade trembled uncontrollably.

But what surged in his eyes wasn't so much fear as an excitement rising from the depths of his heart.

"You're going to die—and so is that big brother of yours..."