Fang Yun let out a heavy sigh."Those two tigers came to help me. If it weren't for them, I would’ve been dead," he replied."What…!" Ho Chen was stunned, his mouth agape. He remembered that the Black Panther Sect was located far from where he first encountered the two tigers."Then where are the tigers now?""They just left after finishing off the men who attacked me," said Fang Yun."Forget it. No need to think about it anymore. How are you now?" asked Ho Chen, studying Fang Yun’s body closely.Fang Yun instinctively stepped back the moment Ho Chen’s gaze sharpened.Ho Chen looked at him, puzzled."What’s wrong with you?""You're staring at me like you have some weird urges. I’d better stay away before I become a victim of your perversion," Fang Yun replied, his face twisted in disgust."You lunatic! I told you I’m a normal man who’s into what’s in front, not the back. And you keep accusing me of the opposite." Ho Chen grumbled in frustration."But the way you looked at me said othe

All eyes turned toward a small group in the distance. There was a sense of admiration among the onlookers. So young, yet already skilled in martial arts—especially considering that the sect they had just destroyed was one of the more feared black arts sects.Unknowingly, Ho Chen and the others’ journey had brought them to the edge of noon. At the same time, they arrived at the village of Luyin.The small village suddenly burst into a commotion with the arrival of a dozen children, who had been forcefully taken from their parents. The villagers—especially the parents—had already lost all hope of ever seeing their children again.The village men grew suspicious, thinking Ho Chen and Fang Yun were part of the group that had abducted their children. With weapons in hand, they prepared for revenge. But after one of the children explained that it was those two who had helped free them, the suspicion melted away on its own. Gratitude replaced it, and they could not stop thanking the two warr

From the inspection they conducted in several houses, it became clear that a large-scale massacre had taken place in the village. In every house, they found human bones believed to belong to the former residents."Who could have carried out this massacre in the village?" Fang Yun’s jaw clenched. He couldn’t contain his emotions upon seeing that none of the villagers had survived—only skeletons remained.In truth, Fang Yun had lost the will to continue the journey with Ho Chen. He was exhausted and just wanted to go home. But after witnessing the silent testimony of the village massacre, his spirit reignited, and he was once again determined to dedicate his life to the path of righteousness."I can’t say for sure who did it. But one thing is certain—the number of attackers was greater than the number of villagers," Ho Chen replied, his gaze fixed on the road."Should we continue our journey or stay the night in this village?""It’s already late. If we keep going, we might not find anot

 The member of the Red Bat Sect could no longer utter a word. The result of years of training in the black sect had vanished in mere seconds.For a warrior who hadn’t even reached the beginner dueling level, the loss of inner power might not be too devastating. But it was a different story for someone at the elite duelist level—losing one’s inner energy and martial skills was as good as losing one’s life.A sense of awe arose within the man toward the young man standing before him. So young, yet already capable of stripping others of their power. At the very least, he must have reached the final stage of elite duelist, he thought.Meanwhile, Fang Yun had already knelt beside the unconscious girl. He channeled his energy into her body, hoping to awaken her.Judging by her clothes, she was likely the daughter of someone wealthy. As the son of a Duke accustomed to luxury, Fang Yun could recognize it easily enough.

---After passing through two villages, each separated by about a day's journey, they finally arrived at the last village before reaching the foot of Mount Huangshan the next day. They reached the village just as day was turning into night.According to the story given by Prince Wang Wei, this final village was mostly inhabited by former members of the Red Bat Sect. "Former" in the sense that those nearing fifty years of age were forced to leave the sect to allow for regeneration. Though they were expelled, their lives were not left adrift by Wayward Fang. The leader of the Red Bat Sect continued to provide them with daily allowances.Although not overly crowded, the village was considered economically developed. This was understandable since the village was directly governed by Wayward Fang himself. In other words, he was both the head of the sect and the village chief.According, his village wasn’t the only one paying tribute. Four or five other villages did the same. For this reaso