Su Hao scaled the back wall of the County Office and slipped into the courtyard. After a brief exploration, he found himself utterly lost. The Qingyuan County Office was far larger than he'd anticipated, and with no knowledge of its layout, locating Magistrate Li Nantian's quarters proved impossible.
"A rookie mistake. I should have acquired a map beforehand." Su Hao mentally chastised himself.
"The main hall is brightly lit. Perhaps they're there."
Spotting the illuminated hall from his vantage point atop a roof, he swiftly navigated the rooftops towards his target.
Inside the hall, Fang Heng sat alone, downing a cup of tea in frustration. Hours had passed, and the search for the escaped ninja had yielded nothing.
Su Hao peered into the hall from beneath the eaves, spotting Fang Heng seated at the head table.
"That must be Fang Heng, Li Nantian's advisor. But where is the Magistrate himself?"
"Did something happen to him? But judging by the ninja's injuries, Li Nantian must be quite strong. It wouldn't be easy to take him down."
Su Hao scanned the hall again, but there was no sign of Li Nantian.
"Perhaps this Fang Heng is also a member of the Blood Cult? It's worth a try." A plan began to form in Su Hao's mind.
Inside the hall, Fang Heng froze mid-sip, his ears twitching. He sensed a presence outside.
In a flash, his folding fan materialized in his hand, snapping open with a flick of his wrist. The fan spun like a deadly razor, shooting towards Su Hao, who was still hidden in the shadows beneath the eaves.
Su Hao barely had time to react.
He leaped back from the eaves as the bladed fan whizzed past, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. He landed lightly on the ground, immediately retaliating with a punch aimed at the returning fan.
As Su Hao struck, Fang Heng moved with blurring speed. He caught the spinning fan in one hand, snapping it open, and unleashed a wave of razor-sharp Qi towards the spot where Su Hao had landed.
The attack was swift and deadly.
Su Hao leaped back, narrowly dodging the barrage. He channeled his internal energy and soared into the air, putting distance between himself and his attacker.
"Earth Realm, First Stage!" Fang Heng exclaimed, his eyes widening as he sensed Su Hao's cultivation level.
A surge of Qi erupted from Fang Heng's body. Tendrils of energy coiled around his fan, crackling with power.
With a single step, he shot forward, his movements mirroring the arc of his fan, appearing before Su Hao in an instant.
Su Hao had barely regained his balance when he felt a surge of icy energy aimed at his chest.
Golden light enveloped his hands as he brought them up to block the deadly fan.
"Golden Bell Shield!" Fang Heng recognized the defensive technique.
He didn't hesitate. Black Qi surged from his body, pouring into the fan.
The fan and palm collided.
Su Hao gasped, his face flushed as he staggered backward. He tasted blood, but he had successfully blocked the attack.
Fang Heng, however, felt a surge of force travel up his arm, nearly wrenching the fan from his grasp.
"Monument Splitting Palm!" Fang Heng recognized the technique.
He frowned. His opponent was utilizing simple, common martial arts, making it difficult to discern his background.
"Earth Realm First Stage, yet you can withstand my attack. Impressive. But that's as far as you go. Show yourself!"
Fang Heng pressed his attack, giving Su Hao no time to breathe. The bladed fan danced around him, a whirlwind of lethal steel.
Su Hao cursed inwardly. He'd been overconfident. His previous encounters with Earth Realm experts had all been handled by the Blood Shadow Demon Vine.
The vine had dispatched them with such ease that he'd underestimated the strength of a true Earth Realm cultivator. Now, facing one head-on, he found himself outmatched.
"He's at least at the Fifth Stage of the Earth Realm," Su Hao estimated, his hands moving frantically to deflect the relentless attacks.
Each strike from the fan sent vibrations coursing through his meridians, threatening to shatter them from within.
Fortunately, Su Hao had not only mastered the Golden Bell Shield, but also the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic. His meridians were far more resilient than those of a typical Earth Realm First Stage cultivator.
He circulated his Qi, rapidly dispersing the disruptive energy, maintaining a stalemate for the moment.
But Fang Heng was no pushover either. He could feel the immense force behind each of Su Hao's palms, his arm growing numb with each block.
"This can't go on!"
With a burst of speed, Fang Heng retreated, snapping his fan shut. A wave of crimson Qi erupted from his body, flowing into the fan, dying it blood red. He swung the fan in a wide arc, unleashing a wave of crimson Qi towards Su Hao.
The crimson Qi crackled with power.
Su Hao felt a chill as he watched it approach. This attack could cut through steel.
His expression hardened. He hadn't expected Fang Heng to be this powerful. He knew he couldn't block it head-on.
Without hesitation, Su Hao channeled the Phantom Yin Finger.
His fingertips glowed with an eerie, icy light as waves of frigid air emanated from them, converging into a single, concentrated beam of frost that shot towards the incoming crimson Qi.
"What chilling Qi!" Fang Heng exclaimed, watching in astonishment as wave after wave of frigid air erupted from Su Hao's fingertips, each one colder than the last. The temperature in the courtyard plummeted.
The two opposing forces clashed.
Su Hao was sent flying, crashing into a wall.
Fang Heng staggered back a few steps, his attack repelled. As he moved to finish off his opponent, he felt a wave of icy energy flow into his meridians.
The icy Qi began to freeze his meridians from within, his movements slowing to a crawl.
He desperately tried to purge the invading energy from his body, but it was too late.
Su Hao, who had crashed into the wall moments earlier, stumbled to his feet, blood trickling down his chin. His meridians throbbed with pain. He quickly circulated his Qi, repairing the damage.
Within moments, his meridians were stable.
He didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, appearing beside the paralyzed Fang Heng.
Fang Heng, his attention focused entirely on the invading icy Qi, never saw him coming.
Su Hao slammed his palm against Fang Heng's back. Fang Heng crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Scooping up Fang Heng's limp body, Su Hao leaped onto the roof, ready to flee.
But just then, a wave of crimson energy slammed into his back.
In a flash of red light, the Blood Shadow Demon Vine erupted from Su Hao's body, enveloping him in a protective layer of crimson vines just as the attack hit. The force of the blow propelled Su Hao into the air, carrying him over the wall and out of the County Office.