As soon as Sun Bowei entered the dense forest, he sniffed the air a few times like a hound, then darted off in one direction. Before long, he picked up a blood-soaked garment from a patch of grass.
He lifted the garment and glanced at it, then sneered.
"This kid's pretty clever. He figured out how he gave himself away so quickly. But if he thinks this alone will let him escape my hunt, he's far too naive."
With that, he slowly closed his eyes, and his pair of prominent ears began to twitch again.
The reason the Sun Brothers were renowned hunters in Black Water Town and throughout Ping'an County was their extraordinary sense of smell and hearing.
The dense forest was a natural barrier to his archery, but when it came to hunting, he was right at home.
Even the slightest sound made by anyone in these woods would never escape his ears.
But after listening intently for a moment, Sun Bowei opened his eyes again.
Fan Qingyang hurried over and asked, "Boss Sun, how is it? Have you found Jiang Feng's trail?"
Sun Bowei shook his head and said gravely,
"Other than the wind and the rustle of leaves, I can't hear anything.
"But that proves something else: that kid hasn't gone far at all. He's still lurking nearby. For all we know, he's hiding in some corner, secretly watching us."
He paused, then gave a cold snort. His tone held a trace of incredulous mockery.
"That kid's got some nerve. Does he think he can kill us instead? What a joke."
He reached out and patted Fan Qingyang's shoulder.
"Brother Fan, you and that kid have quite a grudge, don't you? Go on, find a way to rile him up and make him show himself."
Fan Qingyang's beady eyes widened. He pointed at himself, his face full of terror, and took a step back.
"M-me? Boss Sun, you think far too highly of me. I can't beat a sixth-level Blood-Moving Realm cultivator. Jiang Feng will kill me!
"Besides, didn't I pay you? Killing Jiang Feng is your job."
Sun Bowei glanced sideways at him, his gaze as cold as if he were looking at an idiot. "Are you stupid? If I show myself, will he still come out?"
"But..."
Fan Qingyang tried to argue, but his words abruptly stopped.
A sharp curved blade pressed silently against his neck. The cold edge kept his Adam's apple so still he didn't dare move.
Sun Bowei leaned down and spoke into his ear, each word clear and deliberate.
"My two brothers died indirectly because of your stupidity. Today, you're going whether you want to or not. If you don't listen, I'll kill you right now."
Fan Qingyang's legs shook like a sieve, and even the voice forced out of his throat trembled.
"B-Boss Sun, calm down. I-I understand... Don't worry, I'll definitely draw him out..."
Only then did Sun Bowei nod in satisfaction. He moved the curved blade away from Fan Qingyang's neck and tapped his pudgy face with the flat of the blade, neither gently nor hard.
"You don't need to be too afraid. With me here, your life won't be in danger. The moment he shows himself, I'll send him on his way."
Fan Qingyang forced a smile onto his face, uglier than a grimace. Under Sun Bowei's watchful eye, he trembled as he walked alone into the depths of the forest.
"Jiang Feng! I know you're here! You coward, what are you running for? Don't you hate me? I'm standing right here. If you've got the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one!"
Fan Qingyang stumbled forward, one step deep and the next shallow, shouting at the top of his lungs.
His words were brazen, but the faint tremor in his voice betrayed the fear in his heart.
High among the dense branches of a nearby tree, Jiang Feng lay hidden, taking in the entire scene.
His upper body was bare now, with only a few scattered strips of cloth bound around the wounds that were still bleeding.
Seeing Fan Qingyang all bluster and no backbone, he instead felt relieved.
So the man earlier had been tracking me by the smell of blood. If I take off my clothes, he won't be able to pinpoint my location for a while.
He looked up at the night sky.
The bright moon hung high, but great swathes of dark clouds had quietly gathered, slowly swallowing its light. The world grew darker by the moment.
It was a sign that rain was coming, and for Jiang Feng, there couldn't have been better news. The enemy was in the open, and he was in the shadows. The more chaotic the surroundings became, the greater his advantage.
It's about time. It should be just about midnight.
His gaze swept the woods like a hawk's as he searched for the tall, burly figure, while rapidly calculating the best moment to strike.
Just then, Fan Qingyang's nauseating voice rang in his ears again.
"Jiang Feng! I'm telling you, don't dream of ever going back to the Medicine Hall.
"You must have figured it out by now, right? This whole trip was a trap set specifically for you! If you know what's good for you, get out here now. Maybe I'll be merciful enough to leave your corpse intact!"
The more Fan Qingyang spoke, the more worked up he became. At some point, the fear in his heart had completely vanished, leaving only the heady pleasure of deep-seated resentment.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, his pudgy face flushed red and spittle flying everywhere.
"Jiang Feng, do you know how Li Yue caught Young Master Wu Han's eye?
"I'll tell you plainly today.
"It was me! I was the one who told him about her! I even led them there myself to capture her!"
Fan Qingyang was no longer merely trying to rile Jiang Feng. He was pouring out all the words he had kept bottled up for who knew how long.
"I just don't get it. How am I not better than you? I'm a smooth talker, I know how to charm women. So what if I'm a little fat? What's wrong with me?
"But Li Yue had to choose you, a dull, stupid piece of trash! If I couldn't have her, then I'd destroy her with my own hands!
"Seeing your woman become another man's plaything, how does that feel, Jiang Feng? Huh? Hahahahaha!"
He laughed wildly and viciously, becoming more and more reckless with his words.
"I'm telling you, once Young Master Wu Han gets tired of her, maybe I'll get to have a taste of Li Yue too!"
Those words were truly monstrous.
Even Sun Bowei, hidden in the shadows, furrowed his brow, open disgust flashing across his face.
He didn't consider himself a good person, but he really couldn't sink to such a bestial level.
If he didn't still need that fat pig as bait, he would have loved to shoot an arrow through that revolting head.
But after hearing those words, Jiang Feng's expression didn't change in the slightest. His heart, too, remained utterly calm.
He was an outsider, after all, and had no affection whatsoever for the woman called Li Yue. Fan Qingyang's words were no more than a passing breeze to him.
But the hand gripping his blade trembled violently of its own accord, as though someone else were using his body to express their rage.
Jiang Feng raised his other hand and firmly steadied the trembling one, murmuring,
"Don't worry. That fat bastard won't live through tonight. Since I've taken over your body, I won't let a single one of your old enemies get away."
As soon as he finished speaking, the trembling in his hand abruptly stopped.
Just then, midnight passed, and the panel refreshed.
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