"I don't know."
Fang Che frowned, looking troubled. "Isn't Ximen Xuri a seed of the Heavenly God Sect? I killed him, and the Heavenly God Sect's plan was disrupted. Maybe they're seeking revenge? Anyway, these people are not good guys. Let's be careful."
The fact that Huo Churan was from the demonic sect was something he kept to himself for now.
He decided to use the name of the Heavenly God Sect for the time being.
He would expose the Huo family later.
Fang Che carefully reviewed his plan step by step in his mind, then pushed forward step by step.
As long as the Huo family made a move, they wouldn't be able to hide this matter from him!
"Understood."
Yen Meng immediately lowered her head, her eyes gleaming.
Then, she excused herself to boil water and quickly sent the message out.
What if the coming enemies were too powerful for her to handle?
Besides, she couldn't risk exposing herself.
...
On the other side, Fang Che sent a message to Yin Shen Gong: "Reporting to the Sect Leader, subordinate Night Devil reporting, I have been beating Huo Churan for four days straight, and he cried. I estimate the Huo family will come to retaliate, and I want to take them down too!"
Yin Shen Gong received the message, smiled contentedly, and immediately replied, "Understood."
Then he quickly sent a message to Qian Sanjiang: "Ensure the safety of Night Devil."
Clearly, Yin Shen Gong knew that Night Devil wasn't just reporting but asking for help.
But Qian Sanjiang was confused.
What does this mean?
Night Devil is in danger?
Damn, am I, a dignified top enforcer of the One Heart Sect, now reduced to being this kid's personal bodyguard?
So, he immediately set off.
...
That night.
Fang Che didn't allow Yen Meng to sleep in her own room but ordered her to hide with him in the secret compartment.
They both stayed alert.
Tonight, it was likely that a top expert from the One Heart Sect would come. If this girl made a reckless move, she would be exposed.
That couldn't happen.
The secret compartment was small.
It just fit the two of them.
Yen Meng's body was tense, trying her best to minimize her presence. Fang Che's warm, gentle breaths beside her made her feel as if ants were crawling all over her body.
Fortunately, she was well-trained and managed to endure it.
"Don't move, don't speak, don't make a sound. Lives are at stake," Fang Che's whisper came to her ear.
Yen Meng slowly nodded, closed her eyes, and then relaxed her body, waiting quietly...
Fang Che was equally alert.
However, being so close to Yen Meng's youthful, energetic body caused a bit of a reaction in him, a subtle tension building up.
The faint fragrance wafted over, and he had to curl up like a shrimp.
He quickly shifted his thoughts, focusing on how to deal with the Huo family.
For these three families, Fang Che harbored a deep killing intent.
Because he knew that all families affiliated with the demonic sect would ultimately do one thing: before their identities were exposed, they would, based on their capabilities, massacre all the civilians in their city or area.
Then, they would seek refuge with the demonic sect as a whole family.
This demonstrated their absolute loyalty to the demonic sect. Whether in the eyes of the demonic sect or the Guardians, there would be no turning back.
It was similar to a blood oath.
Families like the Ximen family and the Huo family, once they began their actions, especially in small towns where few experts could stop them, could turn a city into a river of blood overnight.
The Ding family of Ding Jieren was no exception.
So, he continuously provoked Huo Churan, first cutting off his path to training in the academy, and then humiliating him as much as possible, pushing Huo Churan to the brink.
It was all for this moment.
As long as the Huo family made a move, Fang Che was confident he could push them step by step into the abyss—he had no qualms or pity about it.
However, the more satisfying it seemed to beat Huo Churan earlier, the more dangerous the retaliation he had to endure.
But there was no other way.
Because of the underlying reasons, the sources of his information, and the channels through which he received the news, he couldn't reveal them.
He had to find a way on his own.
Everyone saw Fang Che as showing off and being arrogant, but only he knew that one misstep could be his own grave.
The night quietly deepened.
...
In the neighboring mansion, people were also stationed, with Fan Tianiao personally hiding there.
But he was troubled: if they made a move, their surveillance on Fang Che would be exposed.
But Fang Che couldn't be allowed to die.
What a mess!
On the other side.
Qian Sanjiang had long since disguised himself and was in position.
This was the Sect Leader's treasure.
He had to take good care of him.
Late at night.
No stars, no moon.
It was already midnight.
Several shadows floated silently in the night.
They quickly locked onto Fang Che's courtyard.
With just a swoosh, several figures seemed to glide through the air, landing on the big tree in the courtyard.
Their approach was blatant and somewhat reckless.
After all, according to the intelligence, Fang Che was only at the seventh or eighth rank of a Martial Artist, just a small fry. Sending a few small Grandmasters seemed like overkill.
He was just a student at the martial academy; no matter how skilled, what could he do?
But this kid was simply too annoying. What had our Huo Churan done to him to deserve such relentless persecution?
Killing him would be good.
Tonight, with the dark moon and high winds, was the perfect time.
The courtyard was quiet.
There wasn't even a guard.
The three figures exchanged smiles and simultaneously leaped down from the tree.
They headed straight for the main house.
Qian Sanjiang, perched on another tree branch, watched with cold, sharp eyes, remaining motionless.
He was observing, seeing if Fang Che could handle it himself.
He had his hidden weapons ready in hand.
No matter what, he would make it in time.
The shadows flashed to the front of the door.
...
Two stood guard.
One approached the door, placed his hand on it, and with a slight twist, the door latch turned to powder silently.
A gentle push, and the door opened noiselessly.
The figure slipped inside.
He made a 'mission accomplished' gesture behind his back. Quietly, he closed the door again.
Then, there was only a muffled thud.
And nothing more.
The interior remained silent.
The one who entered didn't come out.
Nor was there any other sound.
The two outside, standing guard, were puzzled: ????
What happened?
Give us a sign, brother! What's going on?
Inside.
The intruder lay sprawled on the bed, sleeping soundly.
But his face was turning blue and purple, appearing somewhat abnormal.
On the bedside table, a stick of incense was slowly burning, emitting a colorless smoke with no discernible scent.
The smoke lingered around the bed, not spreading outward.
It was the infamous Soul-Devouring Incense, feared throughout the martial world.
Anyone below the General level who inhaled it would fall unconscious.
Without the antidote, they might sleep until death.
A box of ten sticks of this incense, along with the antidote, had cost Fang Che thirty academic credits!
When Fang Che redeemed this Soul-Devouring Incense, his heart ached with every credit spent.
It was too expensive!
He also had to endure the disdainful look from the old man at the credit exchange, as if he were eyeing a demon.
Expensive or not, looked down upon or not, it was necessary.
Although he had reported it, ensuring that Yin Shen Gong would have made arrangements, having others deal with the trouble and handling it himself would yield different results and different prospects in the eyes of the higher-ups.
It's the difference between having ability and the extent of that ability.
So, Fang Che reported it only to ensure nothing went wrong.
He still intended to handle it himself.
From last night, he had already wasted one stick.
Otherwise, Fang Che wouldn't have been so frustrated.
—If the Huo family doesn't come to assassinate me tonight, I'll lose another precious stick of Soul-Devouring Incense.
Fang Che gently waved his hand, and Yen Meng extended a hook from the compartment, hooked the person, and quietly dragged him over. With a flick of his wrist, a needle silently pierced the person's throat.
The intruder died without a sound.
The hook moved again, pulling the blanket over the corpse on the bed.
"After today, can this bedding still be used?"
In the secret compartment, Fang Che sighed.
Yen Meng silently rolled her eyes.
At a time like this, you're worried about the bedding? We're on the brink of life and death, brother!
Up in the tree, Qian Sanjiang sighed.
This kid is too cunning.
Without anyone making a move, one of the assassins was already dead!
So easily.
He didn't know what method was used, but it was definitely something sneaky. This was quite similar to their Sect Leader from the One Heart Sect.
No wonder the Sect Leader appreciates him.
...
The two remaining assassins waited and waited, finally losing their patience.
With a simultaneous shout, they rushed into the room.
They focused their inner strength, enhancing their night vision.
The bedroom appeared calm, with someone sleeping under the covers.
The companion who had entered earlier was nowhere to be seen. It was as if nothing had happened in the bedroom.
But this was too abnormal!
Where had the large man who just entered gone?
The two assassins simultaneously dashed to the bed like a whirlwind, their blades flashing as they hacked down on the covered figure.
With a muffled thud, blood splattered everywhere.
The person on the bed, seemingly unprepared, was brutally cut into three pieces.
A head rolled out, spinning across the floor.
The two reached out to grab it and were shocked: "Old Du!"
The head belonged to their recently entered companion!
How had he ended up under the blanket?
And without any reaction?
The two were utterly baffled.
But at that moment, their heads suddenly felt dizzy, their bodies went limp.
The two knives slipped from their hands, and they fell forward onto the bed.
They were instantly unconscious.
As their grip loosened, Old Du's head rolled away like a ball.
After a while, two needles flew out from the secret compartment.
They pierced the throats of the two unconscious assassins.
They didn't react at all.
Fang Che then kicked off with both feet, flying out, holding a long knife. As he emerged, the blade flashed twice.
Swoosh, swoosh!
Two heads were cleanly severed.
The smell of blood quickly filled the room.
These two cuts were executed with extreme decisiveness.
Even Qian Sanjiang outside was stunned: No need for interrogation?
Just chopped off like that?
After the beheading, Fang Che, with the incense burning and the antidote in his mouth, sat quietly in the corner of the room, guarding the three corpses.
His expression remained unchanged.
After confirming that no one else was likely to come, Fang Che struck a match, lighting the lantern.
Yen Meng emerged from the compartment, her face a bit pale. "M-Master, what do we do now?"
Though not overly frightened, she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. Half of her expression was genuine.
In contrast, Fang Che was genuinely calm and unruffled.
"What do we do? We cool off."
Fang Che opened the door and placed the three headless corpses on the floor.
Then he began to search them one by one.
Gold and silver notes, identification items, tokens of the Huo family, nothing was missing.
There was even a flame-shaped identification badge, indicating a high status within the Huo family.
Three junior Grandmasters.
Fang Che calmly collected these items. Then he instructed Yen Meng, "Find three boxes. The kind that can hold heads, and put some lime in them."
"Uh... okay."
Yen Meng, appearing a bit flustered, went out.
Shortly, she returned with three boxes.
Fang Che carefully matched each head with its corresponding identification badge and placed them together meticulously.
Then, he grabbed the corpses by their ankles and dragged them outside.
Reaching a corner of the courtyard, he instructed Yen Meng, "Come, dig a hole, make it deep."
........
[ I've noticed that many readers skip chapters or don't read carefully, leading to confusion about why Fang Che beats Huo Churan.
They think it's just about showing off and causing trouble on purpose.
About this, I feel quite... ]
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