Su Changkong had been outside the temple for a while now, listening to the movements inside, capturing every word of the conversation in his ears.
Mo Tie was threatened by an elderly man surnamed Yan and his cohort, demanding he hand over three thousand taels of silver, or his family would face ruin and death!
Mo Tie and his companions left looking worried, at which point Su Changkong decided to show up and take care of the situation.
"Hmm? Is he also with the Black Iron Manor?"
The three people, including the elderly man surnamed Yan, furrowed their brows, suspecting that Su Changkong might be associated with Black Iron Manor.
In front of them stood Su Changkong with a blade at his waist and wearing a mask. Due to the Bone Shrinking of the Turtle Breath Technique, his stature was neither tall nor short and appeared utterly ordinary. However, the people from Black Iron Manor had just left, and Su Changkong appeared right after — they did not believe there was no connection!
The fat man's eyes twinkled, and he chuckled, "The wind is strong outside, come in and sit down."
The fat man stepped back, opening a path, and Su Changkong didn't hesitate to step into the main hall.
Inside the hall, Su Changkong's gaze swept over the faces of the three elders, his expression slightly focused, "Among the three... this elder should be the strongest. The other two also possess martial skills, they are not ordinary thieves."
Previously, Su Changkong had heard the conversation outside the temple and learned that the elder was surnamed Yan with two disciples. The man in green clothing who restrained and wounded Mo Tie and the others was quite capable, and as their master, Yan Fei must be even stronger.
"Who might you be, sir, to concern yourself with the business of Yan Fei of the Flying Swallow Blade?"
Su Changkong's odd appearance, not resembling an average person, and his presence in a deserted temple in the woods at such a time, obviously could not be a coincidence. The elder stared at Su Changkong and coldly asked while revealing his identity, attempting to intimidate him.
In such a short time, had Black Iron Manor brought in reinforcements? But to Yan Fei, an ordinary martial artist was hardly worth consideration!
Yan Fei of the Flying Swallow Blade was a martial artist with a notorious reputation in Clearwater City's martial world, adept at the Flying Swallow Blade Technique, ruthless, who didn't bat an eyelid at murder, had robbed and extorted many a rich trader, and with his high martial skills, was a formidable opponent for anyone.
Of course, Su Changkong had never heard of Yan Fei before.
Su Changkong came back to his senses, lowered his voice, making it sound a bit hoarse, "Just a nameless commoner, I'm merely a passerby, seeking warmth in this bitter cold, hoping to come in for a cup of wine to warm up."
The fat man and the green-clothed man both showed vigilance, waiting for Yan Fei's direction.
Yan Fei revealed a friendly smile, "Fair enough! Guests are always welcome. Lin Huo, serve our guest some wine, won't you?"
"Yes."
The fat man Lin Huo nodded respectfully, taking a wine pot from beside the fire and filling a cup to the brim, he then brought it over to Su Changkong, offering it with both hands.
"You think you're worthy of offering me a drink? Eat my fist first!"
Su Changkong reached out to take the wine cup, but the moment he took the cup, Lin Huo's respectful look vanished, replaced by a ferocious snarl, his fist clenched tight, as he threw a punch straight at Su Changkong's chest!
The fat man Lin Huo excelled at boxing, himself at the Strength Refinement Realm, his strength surpassing the extreme limits of ordinary people. If his punch struck true at the heart, it could smash someone's heart through their bones while still alive.
Crack!
The fat man pretended to respectably offer wine only to get close enough to launch a surprise attack; Su Changkong had naturally been on guard against such tricks. Faced with Lin Huo's heavy punch, Su Changkong clenched his left fist, his tendons and bones sounding in unison. He harnessed a formidable power without dodging, and threw a punch back.
"Bang!"
Though Su Changkong struck after Lin Huo, it felt as if his punch arrived sooner. The two fists collided fiercely, sending a muffled explosion rippling through the air!
"What?"
The fat man Lin Huo's pupils contracted sharply. At the moment of impact, he felt an overwhelming force bearing down on him, overpowering him in an instant and sending his over two hundred-pound body flying uncontrollably backward.
"Stop!" Yan Fei abruptly stood up, pressing his hand against Lin Huo's back to stop his retreat.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
As he fell back, the fat man Lin Huo's hand bones emitted a crisp sound of breaking, his wrist twisted into a gruesome angle, and a piercing pain surged through his body!
"So weak, equivalent to my level from two or three years ago, probably a martial artist in the Strength Refinement Realm!"
With a casual punch, Su Changkong had easily overpowered Lin Huo as if he were merely a child, causing him to inwardly judge the man's strength to be at the level of the Strength Refinement Realm!
"Divine Strength Realm?"
The fat man's forehead trickled with cold sweat, his complexion greatly changing. The fat man had stepped into the Strength Refinement Realm for many years, with a physical quality that surpassed the limits of an ordinary person. Only a Martial Artist from the Divine Strength Realm could crush him with absolute power in a single punch!
"The Divine Strength Realm? Where did Black Iron Manor find a Martial Artist of the Divine Strength Realm?"
Even Yan Fei, the old man with white hair, couldn't help but be moved.
The Strength Refinement Realm, even with mediocre talent, generally provides the chance to step into through arduous cultivation. Ninety percent of Body Refinement Success martial artists are in this realm!
The Internal Strength Realm requires a certain talent combined with diligent and hard training to possibly strengthen the internal organs. Among Martial Artists, they're considered elite. Those at this level have astounding endurance and can commonly cross tens of miles on foot in a short amount of time.
Whereas in the Divine Strength Realm, in the region of Clearwater City, they belong to the experts who can make a big name for themselves. Chen Zhuang of the Black Cavalry Gang is at the standard of the Divine Strength Realm, commanding over a hundred men, terrifying to all who hear his name!
Such high-level experts have the strength to lift heavy cauldrons. If clad in heavy armor, they possess boundless strength, are impervious to swords and spears, and can truly be called killing machines!
The man of unknown identity before them was a terrifying Martial Artist of the Divine Strength Realm!
"They... are very wary of me!"
Su Changkong saw the changes in expressions and the wariness in the eyes of Yan Fei and the other two clearly, which slightly settled his heart.
Su Changkong didn't know the actual strength level of Yan Fei and his companions. If the three of them were too strong, beyond what he could cope with, Su Changkong would definitely turn and leave. But their wariness was like showing weakness in front of him, indicating that his own strength was enough to deal with them!
The fat man's wrists were shattered, his forehead sweating with pain and rage, but also filled with wariness and fear towards Su Changkong.
Beneath the mask, Su Changkong's face was ice-cold.
Li Erlang, a member of Black Iron Manor, was diligent and kind-hearted in his daily dealings and was considered a good person. Yet these three people, in their quest to extort Black Iron Manor, had killed Li Erlang as if he were no more than a pig or a dog. Su Changkong likewise felt a faint anger in his heart.
"Impressive skills! My Disciple was rude and offended you, sir, I apologize on his behalf! Are you here for the affair of Black Iron Manor? Had we known Black Iron Manor was related to you, the three of us would not have been a disturbance! Let's call off today's incident, shall we?"
Yan Fei's expression changed, and in the end, he revealed a smile, bowing towards Su Changkong.
Not wanting to make an enemy of a Divine Strength Realm Martial Artist, Yan Fei knew that if a fight broke out, even if they could win, they would likely suffer severe casualties. Since the other party was here for Black Iron Manor, it wasn't necessary for them to rob Black Iron Manor—better to just give up the operation and find another target!
Yan Fei, having traveled the Martial World for many years, knew all too well to prioritize his own safety above all.
"Fair enough, peace is precious," Su Changkong said soothingly. The wine cup in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, shattering and spilling the wine.
"My apologies, I wasn't holding the cup steady. Can I have another pour?" Su Changkong asked, full of apology in his voice as he looked at the fat man.
This made the fat man's body tremble slightly. Previously, he had pretended to offer a drink, taking the opportunity to make a sneak attack, which turned out badly for him. Now Su Changkong was asking him to pour again?
"Go, pour a drink for this esteemed guest," the fat man pleaded with a look towards Yan Fei, who hesitated slightly and then spoke to the fat man. He didn't want to fight to the death with Su Changkong, so he tried to satisfy the requests of the suspected Divine Strength Realm Martial Artist as much as possible.
Having no choice, the fat man, with a shattered bone in one arm, held the cup with one hand as a man in green clothes cooperated in pouring another drink.
"Great sir, just now, I was only joking. Consider this drink as my apology."
The fat man held the wine cup up before Su Changkong respectfully, speaking in a low and servile tone.
Where the trio, including the Disciple, had been pompous and aggressive before Mo Tie and the others, they now appeared somewhat lowly before Su Changkong.
"Power! This is power!" Su Changkong secretly sighed. Mo Tie and the others weren't as strong as them, so they were at their mercy, whereas Su Changkong was stronger than all of them, leading Yan Fei and his companions to fawn over him!
Having suffered a great loss at Su Changkong's hand and now having to apologise humbly, the fat man was undoubtedly filled with humiliation. Still, he knew this masked man's strength was unfathomable, and meekly bowing his head to apologize was the right course of action to resolve the conflict!
Su Changkong delayed in taking the wine cup, causing the fat man to anxiously lift his head, only to see Su Changkong reaching out as if to take the cup. The fat man breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then his heart seized with violent palpitations as he saw Su Changkong's eyes beneath the mask flashing a captivating cold light!
Suddenly, Su Changkong's outstretched right hand clenched into a fist and smashed out fiercely like a tiger pouncing on a rabbit, aimed straight at the fat man's heart.
The fat man had no chance to dodge and was struck solidly by the punch!
"Boom!"
The dull sound of impact accompanied by the noise of collapsing bones sent the fat man's nearly two-hundred-pound body flying off the ground like a sandbag, hurtling two or three meters away. Blood spurted from his mouth as he crashed to the ground, eyes bulging, his heart shattered by the tremendous force of the punch, his breath rapidly fading, dead on the spot!