Chapter 5: A dark, windy night perfect for murder!

Wang Shan's figure was light and nimble; he silently leapt over the Chen Family's high courtyard wall.

His feet had just touched the soft soil inside the wall.

He hadn't even had time to fully hide deeper in the shadows.

At that moment, a sharp, icy chill suddenly came from behind him!

A fierce gust of wind howled past, carrying a sharp sound that tore the air.

That was a completely black dagger.

In the dim moonlight, the dagger hardly reflected any light.

It thrust straight at Wang Shan's vital point on his back.

In that extremely brief moment, all the hairs on Wang Shan's body stood on end.

The body's instinctive reaction was faster than conscious thought.

He almost twisted his body, using a very awkward yet just-right angle, and violently dodged to the side.

"Screech!"

Although he dodged the fatal blow, the sharp dagger still grazed his waist.

The sound of fabric tearing was clear.

Immediately followed was the excruciating pain of flesh being cut.

A burning sensation instantly spread.

A warm liquid quickly soaked his clothes.

It was blood!

He was injured!

Wang Shan hadn't yet steadied his footing.

Two blurry black shadows suddenly appeared, landing silently in front of and behind him in the alley.

One in front, one behind, they perfectly blocked him in this narrow space.

As soon as they appeared, two powerful, suffocating auras surged toward him.

This aura was immensely heavy, pressing down hard on Wang Shan.

Body Refining Eighth Layer!

This is definitely a Body Refining Eighth Layer expert!

That bone-chilling killing intent was extremely intense, permeating the air.

The surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees.

Wang Shan's breathing involuntarily became rapid and difficult.

These two black-robed people were the two who had entered the Chen Family earlier!

They were surprisingly alert!

Alarm bells rang loudly in Wang Shan's heart.

A chill surged from the soles of his feet up to the top of his head.

Head-on clash?

That's courting death!

Body Refining Fifth Layer versus two Body Refining Eighth Layer experts—the gap is too huge; there's basically no chance to win.

He forced himself to calm down.

He quickly glanced around with the corner of his eye.

This is a typical back alley, narrow and cluttered.

On both sides were high courtyard walls, with broken wooden crates, discarded pottery jars, and assorted debris piled on the ground.

The only possible escape seemed to be the fragmented night sky above, divided by the eaves.

At this moment, his brain raced faster than ever before.

He captured and analyzed every detail, hoping to find a sliver of a chance to survive.

He had to find a way to escape!

"Who are you, sir?"

One of the black-robed individuals spoke coldly.

His voice sounded somewhat young, with a hint of impatience and irritation.

He seemed extremely annoyed by Wang Shan's sudden appearance.

"Sneaking around the Chen Family in the dead of night, what are your intentions? Report your name quickly, or perhaps… I could still leave you with a whole corpse!"

His words were filled with undisguised threat and killing intent, clearly not intending to let Wang Shan off easily.

Wang Shan did not answer immediately.

He deliberately hunched his body even lower.

He imitated the frail, elderly demeanor from before, hoping to deceive them.

At the same time, his recently cultivated Duant Body Art began to circulate quietly inside him.

Faint spiritual energy flowed through his meridians, struggling to resist the two powerful pressures.

Although the effect was small, at least it prevented him from collapsing immediately.

The little spiritual energy in his dantian began to gather toward his right palm.

He was ready to unleash his sole mastered attack—the Pishan Palm—at any moment.

He knew that the power of this palm might amount to nothing before them.

But what he needed was an opportunity.

An opportunity to create chaos and disturb the enemy's judgment.

Take a gamble!

He bet that the opponent was uncertain of his own strength.

He bet that the heavy night would provide enough cover.

He bet that they would be wary of the name "Wan Jia"!

A bold plan quickly formed in Wang Shan's mind—pretend to be weak to eat the strong, bluff!

The next moment, Wang Shan's hunched body suddenly straightened!

Although due to his prior injuries and forcing his technique, his face grew even paler and his breath a little unsteady.

But the cloudiness in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a deliberately feigned ferocity.

The spiritual Qi gathered in his right palm was unleashed by him without reservation.

He thrust his palm forward into the open space between the two men in front of him!

"Whoosh!"

Using this move with his Body Refining Fifth Layer cultivation, its power naturally couldn't compare to that of a true expert.

But in such a narrow alley, the vigorous energy stirred by his palm wind still sent the dust and debris on the ground flying.

It also emitted a slight crackling sound.

This momentum was actually quite intimidating.

At the same time, Wang Shan deliberately lowered his voice.

He imitated a hoarse, somewhat sinister tone and barked: "Wan Jia business, idle persons, retreat quickly!"

"Otherwise..." he paused, the killing intent in his tone suddenly rising, "Die!"

He placed his hope in the two words "Wan Jia".

Since these two black-robed persons came to help Chen Tianfeng, they surely had a deep connection with Wan Jia, possibly even being members of Wan Jia.

Using the Wan Jia name to intimidate them might secure a slim chance of survival.

He was betting that they couldn't gauge his true strength and wouldn't dare act rashly.

Sure enough!

The black-robed person who had spoken earlier, appearing somewhat impatient (Heipao Yi), was startled by Wang Shan's sudden counterattack and harsh words.

Sensing the spiritual Qi fluctuations from Wang Shan's body, although he was only at Body Refining Fifth Layer, the darkness and disguise made it hard for Heipao Yi to determine his strength for a moment; plus, hearing Wang Shan say "Wan Jia business," Heipao Yi hesitated.

Could he be an ancient hermit of Wan Jia who never shows himself? Or a special figure on a secret mission?

Heipao Yi, for a moment, feared to act lest he harm something else, and his movement slowed a bit.

But Heipao Jia beside him was more experienced.

Heipao Jia's eyes were sharp like an eagle's; he instantly judged that Wang Shan was strong outside but weak inside.

Wang Shan's palm strike looked fierce, but actually his spiritual Qi was insubstantial, lacking follow-through.

He tried to appear calm, but his breathing was erratic and his body slightly trembled, which could not be concealed.

"Hmph!" Heipao Jia snorted coldly, immediately exposing Wang Shan's pretense. "Stop playing ghosts and gods! Seize him!"

Before his words even finished, his figure suddenly burst forth!

Without extra motion, he shot toward Wang Shan like an arrow from a bow; his withered claws made a sharp sound, aiming straight for Wang Shan's throat vital point!

His speed was so fast that even in the night he left an afterimage!

Wang Shan's pupils contracted!

He realized he had been seen through!

The opponent's attack was too fast; he barely had time to dodge.

He couldn't dodge it!

In the critical moment, Wang Shan instead aroused his ruthless determination.

He did not retreat; instead he stepped forward, his body strangely shifting sideways, barely avoiding the deadly claw.

At the same time, he poured his full strength and remaining spiritual Qi into his right arm, stiffened his arm, and raised it to block!

He intended to use his arm to directly receive a strike from Body Refining Eighth Layer!

"Thud!" A dull sound, like a drum, reverberated in the alley!

Wang Shan felt a huge force, like a mountain flood bursting forth, surge along the opponent's claws into his arm!

"Crack!" The excruciating pain of broken bones instantly spread throughout his body!

He even felt his right arm bones groaning; the intense pain almost numbed his arm.

This force not only destroyed his block, but also passed through his arm to strike his chest!

"Pfft!" Wang Shan's throat felt sweet, his viscera seemed to shift, and a mouthful of blood spurted out, drawing an arc.

He flew backward like a kite with its string cut!

His body tumbled, the intense pain almost made him pass out.

But the will to survive kept him conscious.

He saw a pile of disordered wooden crates and earthen jars right before he would hit the wall.

A thought occurred!

Enduring the pain, as he landed he twisted his body with all his strength, using the momentum to crash into the debris!

"Clang! Crackle-pop!" The wooden crates shattered, the earthen jars rolled, the sound was loud, dust flew everywhere, utter chaos.

Taking advantage of the chaos and the opponent's obstructed view, Wang Shan fled immediately after landing. He darted toward a dark corner like an injured wildcat.

He endured the pain, exerting his movement technique to leap across the ground and walls; his figure flickered a few times, disappearing into the depths of the residential area, leaving only a mess behind.

Heipao Jia succeeded with his strike, thinking he could easily capture the spy, but he didn't expect the opponent to be so cunning, using force to escape.

He landed where he stood, his face grim, almost dripping water.

The air still smelled of blood.

"Big brother, this person……" Heipao Yi came to his senses, staring at the direction Wang Shan had vanished, regret and unwillingness written on his face.

If he hadn't hesitated just now, perhaps he wouldn't have let Wang Shan escape.

Heipao Jia snorted coldly, cutting him off. "Hmph, just a Body Refining mid-stage mouse; after taking one of my blows, he won't get far."