BAM!!!

The instant the palm and sword connected, a deafening crash echoed, but... the swordsman didn’t move.

Instead, the clothes on his back disintegrated the moment the force erupted, and plumes of blood burst from his wounds.

Disbelief and unwillingness filled the swordsman’s eyes, but soon, all the light within them faded, vanishing completely.

His head drooped, and he died on the spot.

At that moment, the entire courtyard fell silent.

Whether it was Grand Commander Liang or the other three survivors, they all stared at Fang Shuwen with a mixture of disbelief and dawning comprehension.

They couldn’t believe that this master, who had nearly slain them all so casually, had been killed by Fang Shuwen in just three palm strikes.

Throughout the entire exchange, the man hadn’t even managed a single effective counterattack.

He was forced entirely onto the defensive... and ultimately, he defended himself to death.

The dawning comprehension came from finally understanding why the Book Immortal, Murong Qingchen, had shown Fang Shuwen so much deference.

With that level of martial arts, who wouldn’t show him some respect?

Fang Shuwen’s gaze fell upon the sword in the dead man’s hand. It shimmered with a faint red glow and, despite having taken three of his palm strikes, showed not even a scratch.

’This is a truly fine sword!’

He took the sword from the man’s hand, but then Grand Commander Liang spoke up.

"Be careful!"

"Hm?"

Fang Shuwen paused.

"Does this sword bite people?"

"..."

Grand Commander Liang stared, dumbfounded, as Fang Shuwen held the sword in his hand with no ill effect.

"Well... no, not exactly... But it’s a Demon Sword."

"A Demon Sword!?"

Fang Shuwen’s interest was piqued.

"What do you mean?"

Grand Commander Liang was at a loss for words. Something felt off... but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He could only explain to Fang Shuwen.

"This sword is called ’Sinking Blood.’ It is one of seven Demon Swords forged by the master swordsmith, Wind-Fire Lan Shan.

"When this sword first appeared in the Jianghu, it caused a river of blood to flow.

"The Sword Qi and killing intent within it are so overwhelming that they corrupt the wielder’s mind, driving them mad with bloodlust.

"It passed through the hands of three owners, each of whom caused a great uproar in the Jianghu, until Shangguan Ying obtained it. He managed to subdue the blade with his own Sword Intent and bring it under his complete control."

"I see."

Fang Shuwen nodded as he listened.

"Then what about this Shangguan Ying?"

Grand Commander Liang faltered, then pointed at the corpse in front of Fang Shuwen.

"He’s right in front of you..."

"..."

Fang Shuwen blinked, feeling a bit dazed.

From the way Grand Commander Liang spoke, it sounded like a story from the distant past. He never imagined the main character of that tale was right here before him.

’And I killed him with three palm strikes...’

’So, is this all there is to the so-called legends of the Jianghu?’

Fang Shuwen casually fiddled with the sword but didn’t sense any killing intent from it.

’It’s certainly sharp, though.’

He took the scabbard from Shangguan Ying’s body, sheathed the Blood-Sinking Sword, and was about to head deeper inside when his gaze fell on the monk.

"Where did you escape from?"

"From Wu Lingxiao’s residence..."

The Great Monk didn’t dare hide anything. When he’d seen Fang Shuwen fight Gu Yuxian earlier, he had already tried to rate him as highly as possible. But after witnessing this last fight, he knew he had still underestimated the man.

The swordsman he and three other experts couldn’t defeat together had been struck down and killed by this man in just three palm strikes.

’Now that he’s asking a question, how could I dare not answer?’

Fang Shuwen nodded, then turned to Grand Commander Liang.

"Grand Commander Liang, how about you lead the way?"

"Young Master, you wish to..."

"Go to Wu Lingxiao’s residence."

Fang Shuwen had a feeling this matter wasn’t so simple.

The situation was now developing toward another possibility, one Lu Guiyan hadn’t mentioned.

’And in this version of events... Wu Lingxiao definitely wouldn’t die so easily.’

Grand Commander Liang was taken aback for a moment, but considering the chaos that had engulfed Flying Snow City tonight, he ultimately nodded.

"Alright."

The two remaining Commanders also followed, but the Great Monk merely bowed to Fang Shuwen before turning and leaving.

The chaos in Flying Snow City tonight was too great, too deadly.

’If I stay here any longer,’ the monk thought, ’I might never get to leave at all.’

As they walked further in, Fang Shuwen suddenly asked:

"Grand Commander Liang, who exactly was the person who injured Wu Lingxiao?"

’Everything happening in Flying Snow City right now stems from one root cause: Wu Lingxiao is grievously injured and on the brink of death.’

’That’s why Wu Lingxiao made a deal with Jinghua Pavilion, trading the Seven-String Ancient Chapter for two divine physicians to save his life.’

’Now, those so-called divine physicians have been branded as assassins by that Commander named Fei Yan.’

’And as a result, Wu Lingxiao lost his life.’

’Without Wu Lingxiao’s protection, and with so many experts from the Jianghu gathered here today, a bloodbath over the Seven-String Ancient Chapter is inevitable.’

And yet, Fang Shuwen still felt that Wu Lingxiao wouldn’t have died so easily.

Fang Shuwen’s question plunged Grand Commander Liang into silence, but he quickly spoke.

"We don’t know the specific details of that matter either.

"We don’t know who that person was, what his name was, or even what he looked like.

"All we know is that he was incredibly arrogant and held no one in regard except for the City Lord."

"...So you’ve met him before. Why don’t you know what he looks like?"

"Because he wore a mask..."

Grand Commander Liang’s answer was plain and simple.

"When that person visited Flying Snow City, he requested an audience with the City Lord and demonstrated extraordinary Martial Arts.

"The City Lord, seeing his skill, treated him as an honored guest and invited him to stay in the City Lord’s Mansion.

"The two of them often drank tea, played chess, and discussed martial arts in their free time. It was all very pleasant...

"But then, one day, for reasons unknown, a conflict suddenly broke out between them.

"What started as a simple sparring match escalated into a battle to the death.

"The City Lord fought him for three days and three nights, ultimately losing by a single move. But that one move left the City Lord gravely injured, on the verge of death.

"The man, however, said nothing, simply turning and leaving.

"We tried to stop him, but we were no match for him. He fought his way out of Flying Snow City."