SHLICK—

With a casual swing of his sword, Fang Han lopped off Gong Biao’s remaining left hand, sending blood spraying everywhere.

To him now, there was no difference between a Sixth Grade, Seventh Grade, or Eighth Grade Martial Artist—none could withstand a single strike from his sword.

"AHHH—"

As Gong Biao reeled from the excruciating pain and tried to retreat, a cold blade was already resting against his neck. The bone-chilling coldness froze him in place.

The fight had started suddenly, but it ended even faster.

In just a few dozen breaths, the main road was littered with the bodies of the Gong Family’s Martial Artists.

Only Gong Biao remained, his face pale as a sheet, held at swordpoint by Fang Han, unable to move an inch.

"Where is Gong Xing?"

Fang Han’s voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion.

"Haha, Xing’er isn’t even with us! He left Qingyang County long ago. You’ll never find him!"

Gong Biao’s face was ashen and he was dripping with cold sweat, yet his tone was defiant.

"I’ll ask again. Where is Gong Xing?"

Fang Han didn’t believe a word of Gong Biao’s nonsense. He thrust his sword forward, piercing a bloody hole in Gong Biao’s body as he pressed the question.

’The Sect’s intelligence said Gong Xing was fleeing with the Gong Family. His absence now means he must have sensed the danger and decided to split off from them.’

"AH!" Gong Biao let out a blood-curdling scream, the pain making him wish for death.

However, no matter how Fang Han interrogated him or what methods he used, Gong Biao either insisted that Gong Xing had long since left Qingyang County and vanished without a trace...

...or he would just wail and beg for mercy, claiming ignorance.

Fang Han’s patience ran out. With killing intent flaring in his eyes, he decided that since he couldn’t get any useful information, there was no point in keeping the man alive.

SHLICK!

A flash of sword light, and Gong Biao’s screams stopped abruptly. His head rolled to the ground, his eyes still filled with ultimate terror.

Fang Han sheathed his sword without a second glance at the bloody mess on the ground and began to swiftly search the convoy.

He turned every carriage upside down, pried open hidden compartments, and inspected the cargo. He scavenged all the valuables, including gold, silver, jewels, silver notes, and some portable precious medicinal herbs and ores.

After a quick inventory, the silver notes and physical goods totaled over two million taels. The majority was in silver notes, which were, after all, much easier to carry than other valuables.

’Over two million taels... this can’t be the Gong Family’s entire fortune!’

Fang Han’s eyes were thoughtful as he looked at the silver notes and several parcels full of wealth.

The Gong Family was even larger than the Fang Family, a medium-sized clan. Their accumulated wealth had to be more than this. A large portion must have been taken by Gong Xing.

’Panel.’

With a thought, Fang Han summoned the system panel that only he could see.

[Host: Fang Han]

[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Stepping Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]

[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 64x (Level 7 Amplification requires 10,000,000 silver)]

[Current Wealth: 18,600,000 silver]

’Recharge.’

Aside from the silver notes, Fang Han chose to "recharge" all the other physical goods he had plundered, including the gold, silver, jewels, herbs, and ores.

[Current Wealth: 18,600,000 silver → 19,120,000 silver]

His wealth increased by 520,000.

The remaining silver notes amounted to roughly 2,000,000 taels.

He hadn’t counted them carefully, preoccupied with Gong Xing’s unknown whereabouts.

’Think you can escape just like that?’

After stowing the silver notes away securely, Fang Han’s gaze shifted to the direction the convoy had come from.

Executing a Body Technique, he began to follow the convoy’s trail back the way it came.

’Spirit Smelling Technique!’

He pushed his Mastery Level Spirit Smelling Technique to its absolute limit, and the various scents lingering on the road flooded his nose.

He compared these scents to his memory of Gong Xing’s, searching for his target’s specific aroma.

In this way, he searched for the spot where Gong Xing had separated from the Gong Family.

...

In a desolate mountain forest, ancient trees soared into the sky, their branches tangled with vines. The dense canopy fractured the light, casting mottled, shifting shadows on the ground.

A figure was darting through the woods at great speed, his footsteps making soft, hurried RUSTLING sounds on the years of decaying leaves and exposed roots.

This man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a long, narrow face and eyes that were habitually narrowed. Even while fleeing for his life, he exuded an unshakeable aura of gloominess.

It was Gong Xing, who had separated from the Gong Family convoy.

The aura around him surged; he had reached the Early Stage of Fifth Grade. His strength had grown considerably since his conflict with Fang Han over the Silver Mine in Liangshui City.

Yet, there wasn’t a hint of joy on his face for his improved Cultivation. There was only a thick, suffocating anxiety and a trace of lingering fear.

Fleeing disguised as a merchant caravan was supposed to be the safest plan the family had devised.

Caravans traveled between counties, which would greatly reduce the risk of being scrutinized at checkpoints along the way.

But halfway through their journey, a sudden heart palpitation and a chilling sensation had crept up on him like a cold, venomous snake.

It was as if an invisible crisis was rapidly approaching from behind.

Although his father, Gong Biao, and the other clan elders thought he was being overly suspicious and insisted on sticking to the original plan, he ultimately couldn’t suppress the growing unease.

While passing a certain stretch of road, after agreeing with his father Gong Biao to meet up outside the county, he broke away from the convoy and ducked into the dense, hard-to-navigate mountain forest.

He had chosen a longer but more secluded path.

’My intuition was right... It was the right call to separate.’

Gong Xing pushed his Body Technique to its limit while mulling over this feeling of unease.

He couldn’t describe where the danger was coming from, but the name "Fang Han" swirled in his mind like a nightmare.

Ascending the Celestial Pride List, his rank continuously rising... every piece of news about Fang Han made him unable to rest easy.

Hiring Gou the Third had been a desperate gamble. Now that he had lost, his only path to survival was to flee Qingyang County.

...

Back on the main road, Fang Han followed the convoy’s trail in reverse, searching for Gong Xing.

With his Mastery Level Spirit Smelling Technique at full power, the world around him transformed into an incredibly clear map of scents.

The smell of dust, the faint scent of tung oil and livestock from the wheel ruts, the mixed body odor and sweat of the numerous Gong Clan Members...

After several hours, he found it: a scent that was extremely faint and masked by a somewhat pungent medicinal powder, but was nonetheless familiar.

It was Gong Xing’s scent!

’Found it!’

Fang Han’s eyes narrowed.

He sensed carefully and found that about a hundred zhang ahead, the scent trail abruptly turned, veering off the main road and into the vast mountain forest beside it.

’So he did split off. Cautious, aren’t we.’

With a flicker of his body, Fang Han executed the Wind and Cloud Escape, transforming into a barely perceptible wisp of green smoke.

He shot across the main road and plunged directly into the deep, dark mountain range.

Once inside the forest, the environment became several times more complex. All sorts of scents mixed with Gong Xing’s, drastically increasing the difficulty of the search.

But before his Mastery Level Spirit Smelling Technique, nothing could hide.

Fang Han followed the trail in hot pursuit. His speed far surpassed that of Gong Xing, who was fumbling his way through the forest. The distance between them was rapidly closing.

...

The Yangquan Mountain Range, with its rolling hills and overlapping peaks, lay like a colossal ancient beast sprawling across the land, connecting Qingyang County and Songquan County.

This was the edge of Qingyang County. Just by crossing the highest ridge ahead, one would officially enter the territory of Songquan County.

The mountain range was perennially deserted, teeming with tigers, leopards, insects, and snakes. However, to a Fifth Grade Martial Artist like Gong Xing, these threats were nothing.

He paused briefly on a giant, moss-covered boulder and glanced back at the deep, silent forest behind him, which seemed to devour all light.

He saw nothing out of the ordinary for now, but the string of tension in his heart remained taut.

He didn’t dare to linger. He swallowed an Elixir to restore his Inner Qi, gathered his spirits, and pushed off again, leaping deeper into the mountains.

’Just have to get over that ridge ahead...’

However, just as this thought arose, the color instantly drained from his face!

A powerful, sharp, and chillingly familiar aura was closing in from the forest behind him at a terrifying speed!

The aura was like an unsheathed sword, tearing through the air with undisguised killing intent.

’He’s caught up?!’

Gong Xing’s pupils contracted violently. Boundless terror instantly seized his heart, nearly suffocating him.

Flee!

At this life-or-death moment, Gong Xing unleashed his full potential, no longer bothering to conserve Inner Qi or conceal his tracks.

SWOOSH!

The Inner Qi of an Early Stage of Fifth Grade erupted, pouring into his legs and pushing the rather impressive Body Technique he had mastered to its absolute limit.

He no longer cared for light and stealthy steps. Like a startled wild fox, he desperately bounded between the trees and rocks, seeking only speed.

But the pursuing aura was even faster than him!

The distance between them was shrinking at a rate visible to the naked eye.

In just a dozen breaths, Gong Xing could even hear the distinct SWISHING sound of branches being brushed past at high speed behind him. The frigid killing intent was practically touching his back.

SWOOSH—!

A green shadow flashed out like a phantom from the shadows of a treetop to Gong Xing’s side and front.

Arriving first despite starting later, it landed lightly on a flat rock three zhang ahead of him, perfectly blocking his path forward.

He wore a dust-free green robe with a longsword at his waist. His expression was calm and placid, but his eyes were like two bottomless, frigid pools, reflecting Gong Xing’s terrified face.

It was Fang Han.

A mountain breeze swept through the treetops, creating a mournful whistling sound that added to the grim atmosphere.

The forest clearing seemed to be instantly cut off from the rest of the world, leaving only the two of them in a standoff.

"Fang... Han..."

Gong Xing’s charging figure screeched to a halt, his feet carving two shallow furrows in the ground.

His chest heaved violently as he stared intently at Fang Han, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

His chance at survival was shattered. Despair washed over him like an icy tide, completely submerging him.

"Gong Xing, why did you hire someone to kill me? Was anyone else behind it?"

Fang Han’s gaze lingered for a moment on Gong Xing’s pale, twisted face before he spoke slowly.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut clearly through the wind with an icy quality.

According to his intelligence, Gong Xing was the one who hired the assassin, but he couldn’t rule out a hidden mastermind behind him. This was a point that had to be clarified.