Chapter Two: Killing at a Moment's Notice

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The sunlight of midsummer beat mercilessly upon the earth, blazing straight down from overhead and compressing the shadows of the trees into tiny circles.

Across the endless mountains and valleys, not even the slightest breeze stirred.

The forest spread over the land like green waves. Its leaves shimmered as they drew nourishment from the earth, yet one could still sense their listlessness.

They were enduring—holding on until the wind came, until the clouds arrived, or until the sun shifted and lost some of its cruel intensity, granting them a moment to breathe.

Yet the two people standing before the woods were full of energy and high spirits.

They looked far more resilient than the leaves.

Judging by their expressions and eyes, it was as though a mountain of gold had already been placed before them, merely waiting for them to reach out and claim it.

More and more martial candidates found themselves watching from a distance.

Had someone encountered highway robbers?

Everyone was curious to see how the person inside the carriage would respond.

Could he truly be the celebrated Young Master Fang, renowned for his righteous conduct?

…

Fang Che coughed once.

Night Dream hurried forward, bowed, and lifted the carriage curtain with both of her fair, delicate hands.

One foot stepped out first, clad in an exquisitely crafted black leather boot patterned with dark gold.

It landed firmly and steadily, sending a faint cloud of dust scattering and revealing the graceful, long, well-proportioned shape of a calf.

Then a head of black hair emerged from the carriage. Thick and luxuriant, it was bound by a dark-gold hair clasp that reflected bewildering hues beneath the sunlight.

The clasp was as thick as a goose egg, a clear testament to the abundance of his hair.

A purple-jade hairpin slanted through his hair, securing the clasp in place. On either side, a hazy violet radiance seemed to linger.

His other foot touched the ground at the same time.

Clad in a black cloak embroidered with dark-gold patterns, he slowly straightened.

A handsome face was revealed.

His brows were thick as swords, naturally sharp enough to seem capable of cleaving through the heavens.

Beneath them, his gaze resembled the vast sea beneath a field of stars—deep, solemn, and still.

His face was as flawless as fine jade.

His nose was straight, his lips slightly thin and pressed together in an elegant curve.

His lips were red, his teeth white, his eyes clear and upright.

His black hair had been arranged with impeccable care, save for a single lock that drooped diagonally behind his ear, stirring faintly in the breeze.

Broad-shouldered and straight-backed, with a slightly lean build, he left his cloak casually open, revealing long, powerful arms and a narrow waist, along with a pair of long, vigorous legs. He was indescribably graceful and handsome.

Simply standing there, he resembled a jade tree facing the wind—imposing in bearing, yet grave and composed, like an abyssal pool or a towering mountain.

Fang Che took three steps forward.

He moved with elegant ease, as though strolling among the clouds.

As he walked, the dark-gold patterns on his cloak rose and fell like waves. Beneath the sun, streaks of brilliance flashed across them before vanishing, only for countless other points in different places to glitter in turn.

With every step, it was as though he carried a river of stars upon him.

That single appearance was enough.

Light seemed to kindle in everyone’s eyes, and they could not help exclaiming inwardly:

What bearing!

He truly deserved the words: “A gentleman like jade upon the road, peerless beneath the heavens.”

Even Night Dream, upon seeing him, could not help letting her gaze grow hazy for an instant.

For a moment, she felt that being scolded a few times by such a man would not be so bad after all.

Especially since he had been right to scold her.

…

The two men opposite him were so intimidated by his presence that, for a time, they could not utter a word.

Fang Che said calmly, “Are the two of you looking for me? What can I do for you?”

“Uh…”

A sheen of sweat appeared on the tall, bald man’s head as he finally recovered himself. Seeing Fang Che’s features—and then comparing them with his own—he suddenly felt an evil fire flare within him.

He roared furiously, “Fang Che! Do you know who I am?”

Fang Che extended a hand. Night Dream obediently placed a snow-white handkerchief into it with both hands.

He wiped his hand with exquisite grace and said indifferently, “Who are you?”

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“I am Su Yue’s maternal uncle.”

A trace of ferocity and greed appeared on the ugly man’s face.

“I heard that Young Master Fang is managing my nephew’s assets. Once I received the news, I hurried here as quickly as I could. In the end, I still arrived before you departed.”

“Oh.”

Fang Che smiled, revealing a row of immaculate teeth.

“And what does this uncle of his wish to do?”

“What else would I want? My poor nephew and his entire family are dead. As his uncle, I naturally have to help him safeguard his property. That is why I have come to see Young Master Fang today.”

Fang Che laughed with interest.

“So you have come to ask for money?”

The bald man replied righteously, “Precisely.”

Fang Che smiled and stood with his hands behind his back. His cloak stirred though there was no wind, its patterns reflecting the sunlight.

“How much do you want?”

“At the very least, you must first give me one million taels!”

Greed gleamed in the bald man’s eyes.

“Heh…”

Fang Che gave a faint laugh.

The Su family’s assets amounted to hundreds of millions, not to mention countless banknotes, rare treasures, and valuables. One million taels?

This man was probably hoping to take advantage of the situation. However, being so close to Azure Wave City, he had not dared make a move. Thus, he had merely followed them all the way here.

And he still had not dared enter the Myriad Spirits Forest.

That showed how weak he was.

Ignorant, weak, and lacking in experience—he was most likely nothing more than someone else’s pawn sent to test the waters.

Fang Che immediately felt at ease. He said calmly, “It is true that Brother Su’s property is in my hands. But if you want any of it, you will need Brother Su’s handwritten authorization, or a document from the Guardian Hall proving that you are of the Su family bloodline.”

“If every stray cat or dog could come here and take money from me, how could I ever answer to Brother Su?”

Fang Che smiled, his gaze turning cold.

“Do not keep talking about being his uncle or anything of the sort. If you want it, come and take it with your own ability!”

“Then I shall take it with—”

The bald man had only just begun to speak.

A flash of light streaked before his eyes. Fang Che had already taken a great step forward, and brilliance suddenly flared.

Clang!

The sound of a sword leaving its sheath rang out.

Yet the sword itself could not be seen.

The flash had already reached the bald man’s throat.

Terror suddenly filled his eyes.

Fang Che had already sheathed his sword and stepped back.

The first form of the Bloodspirit Seven Swords: A Single Point of Red!

The Soul-Seizing Sword leaves no shadow; when it emerges, gods and ghosts are startled. It kills without bloodshed, leaving only a single point of red beneath the blade.
—A tribute to my favorite book.

The two men opposite him fell backward, raising a cloud of dust.

At their throats, a spot of red slowly spread. Yet no blood flowed.

At the instant the sword tip touched their throats, it shattered their larynxes and severed their windpipes. One strand of sword energy surged upward, twisting apart their minds and souls; another plunged downward, pierced through their internal organs, and smashed their dantians to pieces.

That was the result of the single sword strike just now.

Their bodies and souls had been utterly destroyed.

In other words, when Fang Che sheathed his sword and retreated, the two streams of sword energy were still wreaking havoc inside his enemies’ bodies.

Silence descended.

The onlookers, whether near or far, all wore expressions of shock.

A faint smile rested on Fang Che’s face as he stood beneath the shade with his hands behind his back. He raised his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at the scorching sunlight overhead. In his gaze, it looked like countless sword rays descending from the heavens.

His eyes swept across the faces of those watching.

“It was nothing more than a farce. I do not know which expert arranged such a clumsy little drama. People are poor, after all. Everyone living in this world, wandering this martial realm, dreams of earning money and making a name for themselves. I understand.”

“So I can understand what happened today. But I have one piece of advice for the person behind it.”

Fang Che said calmly, “Some money must be taken with one’s life. Or rather, one must be alive in order to take it.”

His words carried an unmistakable hidden meaning.

There were now seven or eight people watching nearby. Some were martial candidates from Azure Wave City, while a few were not.

Every one of them was visibly shaken.

They were stunned by Fang Che’s ruthlessness and decisiveness.

He had killed the moment he decided to kill, leaving his opponent not the slightest room to maneuver. They were equally shocked by the sharpness of his cultivation and killing technique.

What kind of swordsmanship was that?

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Several people exchanged glances, but none spoke. Their faces were expressionless. At least on the surface, no one could tell who had been behind the two fools just now.

“Actually, I know perfectly well that those two fools would never have stepped forward so recklessly without someone behind them. And that person is one of you.”

“I have no interest in investigating.”

Fang Che said calmly, “Someone who would go to such lengths for so little money is not worthy of my notice, much less my concern.”

“And this was someone who did not even dare make a move in Azure Wave City. Heh.”

Fang Che flicked his sleeve and smiled, baring his teeth.

“Nothing but a cowardly rat.”

A white-robed youth opposite him smiled.

“Young Master Fang is right. I look down on such people as well.”

He smiled, clasped his hands, and said with sincere warmth, “My name is Kang Zijian. I hope to meet Young Master Fang again and travel alongside you at the Martial Academy in the future.”

Fang Che returned the gesture with a faint smile.

“Brother Kang.”

Beside Kang Zijian stood another young man. His eyes flickered uncertainly, but he still stepped forward.

“My name is Wei Zihao of Azure Wave City. Greetings, Brother Fang. Please do not take offense. There are countless clowns like these in the world. If anything like this happens again, I, Wei, would be honored to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in battle.”

Wei Zihao.

The genius martial artist of the Wei family of Azure Wave City.

He was also one of the martial candidates traveling to take the entrance examination.

The Wei family and the Fang family were both among Azure Wave City’s four ninth-grade clans.

Fang Che studied Wei Zihao intently for a moment, then smiled.

“Brother Wei is right. Clowns like these are indeed not worth worrying about.”

Several other youths came forward one after another, introducing themselves and making friends. Their impressions of Fang Che were excellent.

He was decisive and ruthless, swift and forceful, flawless in his dealings with others, graceful in manner, and impeccable in courtesy.

Being around him felt like bathing in a spring breeze.

Who would not want to befriend such a person?

Fang Che thus gained an entire group of friends.

Afterward, everyone worked together to dig a pit and bury the bodies of the two bandits before continuing on their separate paths.

The Martial Academy did not permit martial candidates to travel together. Each person had to reach the academy by his own strength for the journey to count.

…

Night Dream was somewhat puzzled.

In her view, one of these men had to be the mastermind behind everything. Why had Fang Che simply let the matter pass?

Could it be that killing only those two men was truly enough for him?

That fellow did not usually seem so magnanimous.

Within the dense forest on the left side of the road, a man had merged completely with the thick foliage. Even if someone walked right up to him, they would not have noticed.

It was Fan Tiantiao.

He was equally bewildered.

Had that fellow really just left?

Based on his experience, Wei Zihao was highly suspicious and was very likely the mastermind behind the incident.

Although the two men who had attacked had been killed in an instant, their cultivation should not have been low. Even if they had not yet reached the Martial Master realm, they ought to have been high-level Martial Warriors.

To Fan Tiantiao, such cultivation was naturally no more than an ant’s. But against Fang Che, it should have been sufficient.

At the very least, that was what the mastermind must have thought.

He had simply never expected them to be dispatched so easily by Fang Che.

“Why not send stronger experts?”

“Was it merely to test his strength?”

“Why did Fang Che just let it go?”

Fan Tiantiao pondered incessantly.

On the right side of the road, another man concealed himself high in a distant tree, watching everything below.

It was Qian Sanjiang.

At this moment, Qian Sanjiang was also frowning, utterly unable to understand.

“That killing just now was truly satisfying. But why, after killing them, did he say a few meaningless words and then drop the matter? Wei Zihao was obviously involved. Why did he not continue investigating?”

“What use is there in killing only those two? The mastermind is still out there. Would that not lead to endless trouble later? And he exposed his cultivation, allowing the other side to send people against him with even greater certainty. That was truly unwise.”

“Was it simply youthful carelessness and a failure to think things through—or does he have some other consideration?”