Chapter 72: Fierce Battle with Fang Heng

The instant that name left the other party's mouth.

Zhang the Butcher blinked, his head still a little dazed.

As he gradually came to his senses, his big-bearded face was swiftly shrouded in terror.

Similar to Lin Baiwei.

On the jianghu, this too was a name that existed only in legend.

A pair of bare palms could suppress Shanhe; the demons and monsters that had died beneath his feet were enough to pile into a mountain of flesh. He had been valued by the Outside Qingzhou Regional Commander, taken in as a closed-door disciple, and learned an unrivaled martial art.

Therefore…

Such a figure actually only carried a few oranges when coming to visit.

Although Zhang the Butcher was confident, he didn't think the man had come for him. He said awkwardly, "Reporting to my lord, I'm only staying here on loan. The master of the house has gone out."

"Where did he go?" Fang Heng forcibly suppressed his agitation.

"He…" Zhang the Butcher smacked his lips, stretched out his hand, and pointed at the courtyard gate. "Look, he's brought food back."

Fang Heng turned to look.

He saw a handsome young man in ink-black robes, a dark blade at his waist, carrying two food boxes, stepping unhurriedly into the courtyard.

Not only was his body completely unscathed, his gaze was clear and deep, and the cloud-pattern on his cuff had conspicuously become two.

"Lord Shen, someone's looking for you!"

Zhang the Butcher suddenly shouted. Whether the visitor was here to call on relatives or to cause trouble, at the very least he had to give the other party time to react.

Still, it probably wasn't to cause trouble…

If it really were, today he himself would probably end up lying here.

Shen Yi paused slightly.

He had actually sensed Fang Heng's presence long ago; he just hadn't expected the man to come carrying things.

He walked unhurriedly into the room.

"Something you need?"

Shen Yi felt he had already made himself perfectly clear last time.

There was no relationship between them, nor could one speak of any grudge.

"…"

Zhang the Butcher worried inwardly. Back in Bai Yunxian, Shen Yi had already worn that look of not caring about anything—how was it that after coming to Outside Qingzhou, he still had that same lukewarm expression?

If there were a chance to curry favor with Fang Heng, wouldn't the matter of the Qingfeng Mountain flood-dragon demon be settled?

With the man's ability, a single transfer order could turn the danger into safety.

"Huu."

Fang Heng steadied his breathing and stuffed the things he'd brought into Zhang the Butcher's hands.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully arranged his words, then cupped his fist and said, "I've made inquiries. You were brought here from Bai Yunxian by Li Xinhan."

"Mm?" Shen Yi didn't quite follow.

"You're not very familiar with Outside Qingzhou, and having him whispering in your ear is not your fault. It was I who was presumptuous."

As he spoke, Fang Heng bent slightly at the waist. "I've come today for two reasons. First, to clear up the misunderstanding and offer my apologies."

Seeing this, the butcher couldn't help opening his mouth wide.

Even his breathing stalled for a moment.

Ap…apologize?

Shen Yi glanced sideways, noticed the other's body gradually tensing and trembling, and couldn't help sighing softly.

Just as he thought.

Fang Heng straightened up again, spread his palms, clenched his fingers, and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Everything Senior Bai had assigned should be done.

A burning heat rose in his eyes. "Second, to make amends for my mistake—I'll take you back. If you still refuse, then I can only resort to force, and once we're back, I'll offer my apologies all over again."

As he spoke, a surging aura rapidly spread, even making the air grow hot and dry.

"Shit."

Zhang the Butcher closed his mouth, his expression strange. Well, well, so he really was here to cause trouble!

His whole body went rigid, yet he still struggled to reach his hand behind his waist.

He also cast a sidelong glance to the side, feeling utterly speechless. Ever since he'd met Shen Yi, the trouble on this fellow had never stopped—and each time it was bigger than the last.

Before, he could still lend a hand on the side; this time… even if he risked his life, he probably couldn't stop the enemy for a single instant.

At last, that familiar voice rang in his ears.

Not only was there none of the panic he'd imagined, it even carried a hint of casualness.

"No need. If you want a fight next time, just say so."

Shen Yi gently set the food box on the table and stood with his hands at his sides.

His completely unguarded bearing put a strange look in Fang Heng's eyes, and he laughed at himself. "A reputation like this—once you lose it, it's truly hard to pick back up."

Before the words had faded, he had already become an afterimage and vanished on the spot.

This time, he would hold nothing back; he was determined to take back with his own hands what he had lost.

The thick, heavy aura of a mid-stage Jade Liquid Realm cultivator swept through the room, pressing down so hard one could barely breathe!

"I thought my carelessness last time would have taught you a lesson."

Fang Heng appeared behind Shen Yi, his eyes calm as an ancient well, the knotted lines of muscle concealing incomprehensibly terrifying force.

Pulse-Cutting, Dragon-Catching!

"Don't worry, Senior Bai's craftsmanship is excellent—it's just a little painful. Perfect for teaching you a lesson."

In his eyes, the dense network of meridians on Shen Yi's body surged forth in an instant.

Strike with full force!

Fang Heng's twin palms carried a boundless momentum as they slammed out with a thunderous crash!

Shen Yi turned slightly, his movements identical in form yet far more natural and effortless than Fang Heng's.

His speed could hardly be called ferocious — only a hair faster than his opponent's.

In the blink of an eye, his fingertips landed first on Fang Heng's two arms, then shifted from palm to fist, and a plain, unadorned Paiyun Long Fist strike was imprinted squarely on his chest.

Boom!

Amid the dull thud, Fang Heng was sent flying backward, rolling several times across the ground.

Both hands hung limply at his sides, trembling faintly.

Everything happened in a flash of lightning — leaving him no chance to react at all.

Fang Heng lay quietly on the ground, swallowed the metallic sweetness in his mouth, stared blankly at the sky, and fell into thought: "……"

Inside the room.

Shen Yi tidied his collar, then sat down at the table, opened the food box, took out two pairs of chopsticks, and handed one pair to Zhang the Butcher: "Eat."

The big-bearded man looked outside, then looked at Shen Yi, and finally his gaze fell on the chopsticks in his hand.

His features gradually twisted.

He tugged hard at his beard.

He stared wide-eyed, racking his brain for a reasonable explanation for the scene before him.

Either Fang Heng wasn't Fang Heng, or Shen Yi wasn't Shen Yi.

"Get me an orange."

"Oh."

Zhang the Butcher's train of thought was interrupted; he silently handed the thing over.

He suddenly recalled a phrase Chen Ji had once said.

For a man like him, nothing would come as a surprise.

"……"

Shen Yi peeled the orange, casting a sidelong glance at Fang Heng in the courtyard.

Since the other party had said someone could heal him, this strike had been a touch heavier — at the very least, two months of being unable to move.

This kind of martial-arts lunatic — if you don't beat him into submission now, who knows how much trouble he'll cause later.

After being nurtured throughout by Jade Dew, it wasn't merely an increase in qi and foundation, but an all-around enhancement — added to which was the empowerment of the Water Demon's power.

In Shen Yi's current eyes, Fang Heng was slow, weak, and even his moves were the most familiar kind — facing him, there was hardly any chance of victory left.

He'd come to Zhen Mo Si to slay demons.

Why did he always want to lock himself away in that courtyard?

If the Water Demon truly came seeking revenge, by then he wouldn't even know how to cry.

A moment later.

Fang Heng struggled to his feet expressionlessly, spat out the bloody foam in his mouth, and walked into the room with both arms hanging.

He sat down straight by the table: "I can't figure it out."

"I can't figure it out either." Zhang the Butcher looked at him with deep empathy, picked up a chicken leg: "What happened to your hands? Want some?"

Fang Heng opened his mouth, bit into the chicken leg the other offered, and chewed hard.

Shen Yi picked up a chopstickful of greens, along with some rice, and spoke while chewing slowly: "Aren't you going to get your injuries treated?"

"Can't go today."

Fang Heng recalled Bai Xi's parting instructions, rose, and walked toward the room beside: "I'll sleep one night, leave tomorrow."

His back looked somewhat desolate.

Reaching the doorway, he suddenly half-turned, his face flushing red: "Do you think what I said earlier was laughable?"

Shen Yi set down his chopsticks: "No. You lot are geniuses — geniuses have some pride, that's normal."

"Aren't you a genius too? Why do you have no pride?" A flicker of confusion crossed Fang Heng's face.

"Of course I'm not." Shen Yi stretched lazily — where in the world was there a genius who needed thirty years to learn a demon-subduing blade art.

"……"

Hearing this, Fang Heng was silent for a long while, and a touch of reverence gradually crept into his expression.

So in the eyes of those truly gifted and unrivaled, the likes of them were nothing more than arrogant, self-important buffoons making a laughingstock of themselves—lacking humility, how ridiculous.

"Had I not been born a dozen years earlier, and already had a sect, Fang would willingly honor you as my master."

Leaving these words behind, he went to the next room with arms hanging.

All that remained was a somewhat baffled Shen Yi, who pressed his lips together and pondered for a moment before realizing... the other party seemed to have misunderstood his meaning.

(End of chapter)