Supreme Sword Exalt

Inside the black market, everyone still stared intently at the bounties and rankings on the jade tokens. Only this time, they waited even longer. Yet, those bounties and assassin rankings remained the same.

“Is it over?”

“It should be.”

“There aren’t many bounty tasks left for the Yang family.”

“It’s already incredible. In less than a day, he rushed to twenty-first place on the assassin leaderboard. Truly unheard of!”

Everyone discussed animatedly, mostly in admiration. Even attaining only twenty-first place proved he was a fierce existence, one they could not hope to measure up to.

The only one feeling unsatisfied was the cultivator who had bet a hundred thousand essence crystals. Twenty-first place? It’s not enough! It’s far from enough! Remove the ’two’, it has to be first place!

The person who had wagered ten thousand essence crystals to him stretched out a hand, saying smugly, “Hand it over! You know the rules of the black market. A bet’s a bet!”

“Right, right, right! Hurry up and take it out!”

“Although the profit isn’t much, it’s still a bit of fun!”

“I’m just about to go to the Wild Forest and I’m short on pills. These essence crystals will come in handy!”

The people beside them joined in the casual heckling.

The bettor’s eyes turned red from the pain. Who knows how long he had saved a hundred thousand?! That was his entire family fortune! Fu Fatty Was just unreliable!

Of course, pain aside. He didn’t plan on reneging. Those who frequented the black market knew reputation mattered more than essence crystals. Moreover, with so many witnesses here, he couldn’t possibly leave.

He said stiffly, “A bet is a bet.”

Just as he prepared to take out the essence crystals, someone suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Wait! Fu Fatty rose again to twentieth!”

The bettor froze before retrieving the essence crystals. “What?! Let me see! Hahaha, indeed! Fu Fatty doesn’t disappoint! Forget about the essence crystals, I haven’t lost yet, I still have a chance! Fu Fatty, hang in there!”

Everyone looked at each other. Fu Fatty is such a wild card!

“But that’s odd, the Yang family’s remaining two bounties are still there.”

“Then he must have accepted some other bounty?”

“Quick, look! See which bounty got—”

Suddenly, one person’s expression turned strange. “There’s no need to look. Take a look at the Meng family’s bounties.”

Everyone subconsciously glanced over and collectively sucked in a cold breath. Without them noticing, several of the Meng family’s bounties had already disappeared!

Just finished with the Yangs, now onto the Mengs. It became obvious to everyone that Fu Fatty was deliberately targeting both families. Fierce was wholly inadequate to describe him—he was peerless, vicious beyond comparison! The kind who would use both families as stepping stones to claim first place on the assassin leaderboard.

The bettor wore an excited expression. “He can! He definitely can! I have complete confidence in Fu Fatty!”

***

In contrast to the bettor’s excitement, Yang Xiong’s mood was down the drain.

An elder was reporting to him, “Family Head, we’ve found their corpses! I’ve looked into it. The attacker has an unfathomable strength and is deeply versed in the essence of assassination!

“Almost everyone was killed in one hit. He struck and withdrew immediately, leaving no trace whatsoever. We know the assassins in the black market to some extent, but there don’t seem to be any sword dao experts. Even their origin is obscure.”

Yang Xiong was expressionless. “Investigate! Get to the bottom of this before it reaches Old Ancestor!”

Of the dead, half were from the main family. If he didn’t get to the bottom of this, he would inevitably leave an impression of incompetence in front of Yang Tong.

The elder hesitated for a moment. “Family Head, there’s something else.”

“Speak.”

“Yang Feng is also dead. The Yang family’s losses aren’t twenty-six people, but twenty-seven.”

Yang Xiong completely lost it. He smashed the newly replaced white jade chair to pieces. “What are you standing around for?! Investigate! Investigate for me! Even if you have to turn the entire place upside down, find Fu Fatty for me! I’ll grind his bones to dust!”

***

On the outskirts of the Meng family estate, Gu Han and Yang Ying concealed their aura. Their next target was Meng Jie, eight stage of Spirit Profound, bounty nine hundred thousand essence crystals.

The two moved as swiftly as lightning. In less than fifteen minutes, they arrived near an exquisitely styled courtyard and temporarily hid.

Gu Han glanced at Yang Ying. “Are you sure he’s inside?”

Yang Ying hesitated for a moment. “Fifty percent sure. According to the information I obtained, this is his residence. I can’t guarantee whether he’s actually inside or not though.”

Gu Han narrowed his eyes. “Fifty percent, huh. That’s enough.”

Yang Ying had his own considerations. “It’s time for us to stop.”

Years of frequenting the black market had given him extensive knowledge, and he was fairly familiar with the Meng family, but it couldn’t compare to his knowledge of the Yang family. Naturally, he couldn’t devise the perfect plan Gu Han requested.

Compared to before, their operations within the Meng family weren’t going as smoothly. On several occasions, they would have been discovered if not for their exceptional alertness and skill.

Gu Han shot him a sidelong glance. “Stop? Are you scared?”

Yang Ying looked at him, speechless. This isn’t a matter of being scared or not!

Gu Han waved a hand. “Alright. I’m just joking. We really should stop. If we continue—hey, someone’s coming!

Yang Ying was startled, swiftly concealing himself. From the previous battles, he had already realized Gu Han’s spirit perception was much sharper than his.

Sure enough, not long after, two figures walked over from a distance. Gu Han recognized one of them as Meng You, whom he had encountered that day. As for the other, judging from his appearance, he was most likely Meng Jie. Of course, with Meng You and Meng Jie’s cultivation level, they couldn’t detect Gu Han and Yang Ying not far away.

Meng Jie wore a fawning expression. “Young Master, you’re still injured, why bother coming here in person?”

Meng You waved a hand. “It’s fine. I’ve recovered after taking the pills. I came to ask you, how’s the matter I asked you to investigate?”

Meng Jie looked excited. “I found out that kid is from Great Qi’s imperial capital, a martial academy graduate. For some reason, instead of going to the Yuqing Sect, he went to Fengwu Court instead.

“When he was in the capital, he stayed at the Murong family’s inn the whole time, so he probably has some connection with them. I also heard that the great battle that erupted in Great Qi’s capital and Seat Elder Zheng’s death are related to him.”

Meng You sneered repeatedly. “Is that so? So he does have some background.”

Meng Jie seemed to remember something. “Oh, right. He seems to have a silly little maidservant with him, and they’re very close.”

A cold light flashed in Meng You’s eyes. “Little maidservant? Very close? Tell me, how close exactly?”

“She—”

Just as Meng Jie was about to speak, Gu Han’s icy voice interrupted them. “Why don’t you ask me yourself?”

The two were startled. “Who’s there?!”

They looked back just in time to see Gu Han appear before them.

Sighing inwardly, Yang Ying had no choice but to follow Gu Han out. “You’re not calm right now.”

Gu Han took a deep breath. “Brother Yang, if someone wanted to use your sister and mother against you, could you stay calm?”

Yang Ying fell silent for a moment. “My bad, you’re right.”

“Assassins? You have some nerve! Don’t you know this is the Meng family?! How dare you act recklessly here?” Upon seeing their attire, Meng Jie instantly understood. As if to show his loyalty, he immediately stood in front of Meng You. “Young Master, with me here, no one can—”

Abruptly, another cold shout rang out, brimming with killing intent, as though it rose from the icy depths of an abyss. “Kill!”

Meng Jie froze for an instant, as though he had been plunged into an ice cellar. A flash of light followed, and a thin sword mark appeared on his forehead. His corpse toppled to the ground, his face still bearing a trace of ingratiation.

In truth, as a ninth-stage Spirit Profound cultivator, he would’ve survived had he been careful and cautious. Unfortunately, to show his loyalty, his guard dropped drastically. Before he could bring even half of his strength to bear, he had already become a soul under Gu Han’s sword.

Feeling the familiarity of that sword technique, Meng You’s pupils constricted violently. “I-it’s you?”

Gu Han slowly removed his mask, revealing his face “It is. Are you surprised?”

Meng You’s face turned deathly pale. “You’re actually here...”

Gu Han slowly raised his sword, a thread of killing intent locking onto him firmly. “What a coincidence, right?”

Terror filled Meng You’s heart, a shroud of death enveloping him. “Y-you want to kill me?”

“Wrong. I’m here to answer your question. Weren’t you just asking how close I am with Ah Sha?” Gu Han shook his head. He stared at Meng You, enunciating each word. “She is my life.”

Meng You’s heart instantly sank to the bottom and he started trembling. “T-there will be severe consequences if you kill me!”

As he spoke, he flipped his palm, secretly taking out a communication jade talisman. However, before he could take any action, a powerful surge of spirit power suddenly swept past, shattering the talisman. Yang Ying!

He glanced at Gu Han, clearly remembering the incident in the jungle before. “Even you... Don’t kill me... we can talk, discuss this properly! Actually, between us, there’s no grudge that can’t be resolved, right?

“Let me go, I can swear I definitely won’t hold you responsible. Yeah! I’ll also go find my father, have him remove the bounty on you. If you’re still not satisfied, whatever you want, just name it. The Meng family has plenty of pills, essence crystals, dao artifacts...”

Gu Han thought for a moment. “Brother Yang, if someone threatened your life, what would you do?”

Yang Ying answered with absolute decisiveness. “Kill them.”

Gu Han nodded. “Correct. Daring to scheme against Ah Sha is the same as threatening my life, so you must die.”

Sword light suddenly flashed.

“No—”

Meng You only managed to say that one word before his head separated from his body.

***

At the same time in Fengwu Court, the desolate area at the foot of the mountain had now undergone a drastic change. The greenstone path buried deep beneath the weeds had been cleared clean, extending all the way to the mountainside.

From top to bottom, spirit flowers and exotic grass of all colors were transplanted on both sides of the path. Swaying gently in the breeze, they emitted fragrance and vitality, no longer looking as dilapidated as before. All of this was because of Ah Sha’s hard work.

Even now, she was still bent over, busy at work.

“Young Master said that this is home. We have to make this place nice and beautiful! When he comes back, he’ll definitely be very happy! Oh dear!” she muttered to herself, then seemed to recall something.

Then, she ran all the way to the foot of the mountain again. Carefully, she cleaned the half-missing stone stele and set it upright.

Looking at the two large words “Fengwu Court”, she put her hands on her hips and nodded with satisfaction. “That’s better!”

Her little face was smudged with dust and dirt, adding a touch of charming innocence. Unbeknownst to her, an elegant and alluring figure had already arrived not far behind her.