Steel Blade

Willow Leaf Town.

Inside a weapon shop.

Fang Yuan was selecting weapons.

"Hmm, this blade will do."

Fang Yuan reached out to touch the steel blade in his hand and nodded in approval.

After that, he took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and handed them to the shop assistant.

That was the last bit of money he had left.

"Safe travels, sir."

In the enthusiastic voice of the shop assistant, Fang Yuan turned and left the weapon shop.

In this world where martial arts flourished, with warriors everywhere, any town would have swords and knives for sale.

With the long blade in hand, Fang Yuan turned back to his rented room, quietly waiting for nightfall.

"With this blade in hand, tonight's operation will be more convenient."

Fang Yuan sat on a stool in his room, examining the steel blade in his hand with a slight smile.

Although the quality of the blade was poor, it was barely usable for him. Tonight's actions would be more than enough with this steel knife.

After all, there were no martial artists in the Wang Family; they were just ordinary people. Dealing with them didn't require any extraordinary weapons.

"Kill Wang Shou, and then eliminate those evildoers in the Wang Family. After that, take the money and go elsewhere."

"Once in another place, officially start secretly recruiting talents and use martial arts to build my own power."

To build influence, all he needed was money and the power of life and death.

With these thoughts in mind, Fang Yuan put down the steel blade and sat on the bed, cross-legged, entering a deep state of meditation.

He began a new round of cultivation.

Night fell, and silver frost covered the ground.

After some time, Fang Yuan felt a moment of trance, and he awakened from his meditation.

Checking the abundant inner breath within him, Fang Yuan nodded silently.

The effect produced by the interaction of these two different martial arts systems was indeed unimaginable, simply astonishing.

Under the influence of these two different martial arts systems interacting, his cultivation speed had increased several times or even dozens of times! Even though he had only practiced for a few hours, the effect was better than others who had practiced for ten days or even months.

His inner breath was now much richer, and his strength had increased somewhat.

"It's night; I can start now."

At this moment, the sky was completely dark, and only sparse moonlight illuminated the world faintly.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Yuan put on a large cloak, hiding the newly bought steel blade inside.

Patting the hidden steel blade in his cloak, Fang Yuan nodded with a smile.

This time, he had prepared everything. With that, he set out.

Fang Yuan opened the door and stepped onto the street.

The street was pitch black, with only scattered lights shining.

Recalling the location of the Wang Family he learned during his time in Willow Leaf Town, Fang Yuan headed towards the Wang Family.

During his time in Willow Leaf Town, Fang Yuan had already gathered information about everything in the town. The location of the Wang Family naturally couldn't escape his notice.

Soon, Fang Yuan arrived at the wall of the Wang Family's mansion.

"This is it!"

Looking at the tall wall about two to three meters high, Fang Yuan nodded.

Standing under the wall, Fang Yuan took a deep breath. The inner breath stationed in his dantian suddenly erupted, turning into a warm stream that spread throughout Fang Yuan's body in an instant.

Boosted by inner breath, Fang Yuan's muscles swelled slightly. The clothes that once fit him snugly now felt a bit tight around his expanded muscles.

Feeling the increased strength in his body under the influence of inner breath, Fang Yuan nodded silently.

His gaze shifted, and Fang Yuan looked at the tall wall. Taking a deep breath, his entire body bounced up in an instant.

In mid-air, Fang Yuan used his hands to push off, leveraging the wall to flip over to the other side, and entered the Wang Family's compound.

"Bang!"

As his body landed on the ground, Fang Yuan made a nearly silent sound. He looked at the pitch-black night inside the Wang Family and thought to himself, "It seems the people of the Wang Family were also resting at this time; this made things much easier."

Fang Yuan patted the soil off his hands, then chose a direction and walked toward it.

The Wang Family's mansion was large, but it didn't pose a challenge for Fang Yuan.

Since these mansions were designed similarly, there was a pattern to them. Wang Cheng's memory included the layout of the Zhao Family's mansion, which Fang Yuan was now using to trace Wang Shou's whereabouts.

"Although there were differences in the construction of the two mansions, the layout was generally the same, except that the Wang Family's mansion was a bit smaller."

Walking in the Wang Family's mansion, Fang Yuan strolled casually and appeared exceptionally calm.

On the way, Fang Yuan encountered some maids and servants, but he managed to avoid them. His sensitivity to sight and hearing was beyond the reach of these household servants, which allowed him to detect their traces in advance and made it easy for him to hide his figure and avoid from them.

Not long after, Fang Yuan arrived outside Wang Shou's room, near the wall. As for the two household servants guarding the door, they had already been swiftly knocked unconscious by Fang Yuan. Due to his quick and forceful techniques, coupled with precise strikes, the two household servants were instantly knocked out, unaware of what had transpired.

"No lights inside; are they asleep?"

Observing the dark room behind the door and windows, Fang Yuan sneered slightly. It would only make his actions easier if they were asleep.

With this thought, Fang Yuan looked around and then slowly pushed open the door without making a sound. Watching the door slightly open, Fang Yuan stepped inside with light footsteps.

As Fang Yuan walked, he withdrew the steel blade hidden in his cloak. Silently stepping forward, he held the long blade and looked at the fat man and a middle-aged woman sleeping soundly on the bed.

"This woman must be Wang Shou's wife. She once ruined the appearance of a young and beautiful maid, throwing her into the river in the dead of winter, causing her to freeze to death."

With this thought, a cold smile appeared on Fang Yuan's lips.

"Killing this person will not only satisfy my needs but also eliminate evil. It can be considered killing two birds with one stone. Why not do it?"

In the next moment, a cold light flashed, cutting across Madam Wang's neck. Blood gushed out from the wound on her neck, instantly staining the entire bed with a rush of blood.

"U-g-h."

Awakened by the intense pain, Madam Wang instinctively covered her neck. She opened eyes in fear and confusion. She tried to say something, but no sound came out. Only the sound of blood gushing into the trachea and lungs echoed.

"What's happening?"

Disturbed by his wife’s voice and feeling warm sensations on his face, Wang Shou instinctively wiped his face, only to see Fang Yuan standing by the bed with a steel blade in hand. The blade was now against his neck, ready to cut his throat at the slightest movement.

Witnessing this scene, Wang Shou's back instantly broke into a cold sweat.

"Hero, spare me, spare my life, I beg you!"