On the table sat an oil lamp.

Though it was only a small flame, it was enough to illuminate the guest room, which wasn't very large.

This cold night was destined to be sleepless.

Therefore, Duan Keyi had no intention of going to bed at all.

He sat at the table, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.

For a master of his level, this kind of rest was enough to recover the physical and mental energy he had expended during the day.

"Why make such a fuss over an old man like me..."

Suddenly, he spoke these words.

Before the words had even faded, he opened his eyes and reached for the sword on the table.

Almost at the same time as his hand grasped the scabbard, a burst of rapid "pu-pu-dong-dong" sounds erupted around him.

That… was the sound of hidden weapons piercing through the window paper and wooden boards.

Not only the doors and windows, but even the walls, ceiling, and floor were pierced by hidden weapons…

Faced with such an attack, evasion was utterly impossible; even if the person being attacked held a massive shield, they might not be able to guarantee being unscathed, let alone Duan Keyi, who only had a sword in his hand.

Fortunately, it was no ordinary sword.

This sword was named "Ban Xuan" (Half Mysterious), only because a portion of "Xuan Tie" (Mysterious Iron) was added during its forging.

Here, I quote Mr. Jin Yong’s description in *The Return of the Condor Heroes*—"This Xuan Tie is the ultimate treasure in the world, even obtaining an ounce or two is extremely difficult. If even half an ounce, a few coins’ worth, is added to ordinary knives, spears, swords, and halberds, ordinary iron will instantly become a sharp weapon."

Clearly, the amount of Xuan Tie added to Headmaster Duan's "Ban Xuan" was far more than "half an ounce, a few coins’ worth"; although it was still far from Yang Guo’s Xuan Tie Heavy Sword, which was made of one hundred percent Xuan Tie and weighed sixty-four jins (about 77 pounds), it was more than enough to deal with the situation at hand.

Duan Keyi stamped his foot on the ground, sprang up, and swiftly wielded his right wrist, the sword light lightly following.

Relying on the magnetic properties of Xuan Tie, he used a seemingly simple rotating motion to block the hundreds of hidden weapons that were shooting from all directions.

Tap—

A moment later, Duan Keyi fell from mid-air, his single foot touching the ground.

That soft landing sound had already told the people outside… that the target was still standing.

This was naturally not the result they wanted; their purpose in coming today was to make Duan Keyi lie down forever.

Therefore, their offensive would not end.

Crash-crash—

Immediately afterward came a series of sounds as wooden boards shattered, instantly revealing two lithe figures.

These two people shot out directly from under the floor, appearing on either side of Duan Keyi, instantly forming a pincer attack against him.

And this… was entirely within Duan Keyi's expectations.

He knew very well that the sound he made when he landed would determine the direction and manner in which the enemy would break in.

So, he drew his sword almost without thinking.

The first sword strike, aimed straight at the top of the head of the person in front of him… That person jumped up from downstairs, thinking he could catch Duan Keyi off guard, never expecting that he would be the one killed.

Although Ban Xuan could not compare to the "Four Great Divine Weapons", it was by no means an ordinary object. Before the attacker could even let out a scream, his skull had been cleaved in two by the sword, his entire head split in half from top to bottom.

Blood splattered on Duan Keyi's face, but he didn't even blink. His hand was still steady, still strong…

Driven by this hand, Ban Xuan turned its blade and drew a semicircle beside him, slashing horizontally at the attacker behind Duan Keyi.

Even before the blade touched the person's body, Duan Keyi knew that the opponent was doomed.

Based on years of experience and excellent hearing, Headmaster Duan only needed to hear the sound of the other party breaking through the floor to know the opponent’s approximate build, age, and internal energy cultivation; therefore, he was certain that this person could never withstand this sword strike.

And the truth was, as he expected…

The second attacker did react to Duan Keyi’s sword move, raising his blade to block it. Then, his blade broke, his arm broke, and his torso broke.

The internal energy gained from more than fifty years of hard training in the virgin boy skill, coupled with sword moves honed through countless battles, would have such a result against a second-rate swordsman’s blade technique.

In the martial world, which doesn't care much about fairness, only the four words "diligent study and hard practice" are the fairest.

Duan Keyi's talent couldn't be called high, and he had never had any ridiculous martial arts adventures (such as falling off a cliff and eating strange things that greatly increased his internal energy, meeting a reclusive master who taught him divine skills and passed on all his power, or being forced to sleep with a beautiful master for some reason and obtaining all her power, etc.), but he still became the head of Dian Cang, and his name "Explorer Cloud Knight" looked down on the martial world.

In fact, what he did, many people have done, but nothing more than the two words "hard practice."

But not everyone can add the prerequisite "persistence" in front of these two words, nor can everyone maintain this kind of hard work for fifty years, even after becoming famous, even after becoming the head of the sect.

Chi—

Just as Duan Keyi solved the second attacker, a sudden change occurred!

At that moment, a sharp steel nail suddenly protruded from under the floor, piercing right through the sole of Duan Keyi's supporting foot.

He immediately cursed inwardly, it seemed… that the opponent’s intelligence and viciousness exceeded his expectations.

When he was hit, Duan Keyi belatedly realized that not only the previous volley of hidden weapons, but even the lives of the two attackers… were also feints.

The truly fatal blow was this steel nail.

"I advise you not to move anymore." After this blow landed, a rough voice sounded from outside the door, "That will only make the poison take effect faster."

These words did not cause much emotional fluctuation in Duan Keyi; the slightly numb pain in his foot had already told him the fact that this steel nail was poisonous.

Squeak—

Soon, the speaker pushed open the door, which had already been riddled with holes by the hidden weapons.

He was holding a lantern in his hand, and the light from the lantern illuminated the dark room (the oil lamp in the room had been extinguished in the previous volley of hidden weapons), and also illuminated his face.

That was a burly middle-aged man, like a human-shaped iron tower; his chiseled features and figure were perfectly matched with his voice.

"Tu Ji…" Duan Keyi looked at the man and said coldly, "Duan did not know… that the Mad Tiger Gang’s skills in attacking from the shadows were so outstanding."

Duan Keyi obviously recognized the other party; the one who came was the leader of the Mad Tiger Gang, Tu Ji, known as the "Tiger-Faced Arhat."

"Heh…" Tu Ji sneered, "That's right, precisely because it's outstanding… no one knows about it."

This made a lot of sense; dead men can’t go around talking nonsense.

"What a pity…" Duan Keyi said, "Compared to this kind of death, I would rather die under the 'Arhat Subdues Tiger Palm'."

"You don't need to use this method to provoke me." The smile on Tu Ji's face remained, "I know what you're planning… I won't fall for it." He paused and continued, "Headmaster Duan, you and I both know very well… Since I chose this method to deal with you, it means that I have already acknowledged that your martial arts are higher than mine; I can even tell you frankly that even if I practice for another ten or eight years, I wouldn't be confident that I could beat you as you are now."

Hearing these words, Duan Keyi’s heart sank; he knew… that the plan to lure the other party in front of him was impossible to achieve: "Humph… you are indeed very self-aware."

"That's right… if I didn't have this bit of self-awareness, I would have died countless times already." Tu Ji's tone was somewhat shamelessly proud.

Moreover… when he said these words, he was also standing motionless at the door, not taking even half a step forward, making it clear that he wouldn’t give the other party any chance for a desperate counterattack.

"Duan Keyi, you are a master, and also a righteous hero.

"So, you have the right to be arrogant.

"But… you also have the obligation to pay the price for this arrogance.

"Tonight is the time for you to pay the price."

As he spoke, the smile on Tu Ji's face disappeared, and his voice became colder and colder: "Don't worry about the Dian Cang disciples you brought, they are all already waiting for you on the road to the Yellow Springs."

Duan Keyi's face was livid; anger accelerated his heartbeat and pulse, also speeding up the rate at which the poison took effect in his body.

"You… Tu… one day…" Headmaster Duan wanted to leave a final word.

But Tu Ji interrupted him with a cold expression: "I know… a terrible death, I've heard these words many times, but the people who said these words are all dead, and I'm still alive, living better than all of them."

Having said that, he slowly retreated a few steps, until this final moment, he did not turn his back to his opponent, nor did he reveal the slightest flaw.

"Brothers, send Headmaster Duan on his way!"

Following Tu Ji's order, another round of focused fire from hidden weapons arrived, and this time… Duan Keyi didn't even have the strength to raise his sword.

…………

At the same time, inside Wang Qiong's mansion.

In this darkest moment before dawn, a figure silently walked out of his room and stood in the empty courtyard.

He just stood there, standing in the darkness where he couldn't see his fingers, without saying a word.

After a moment, a little light suddenly appeared less than ten meters away from him.

At the light, there were two people, a man and a woman.

The man was looking at him with a smile on his face, while the woman was expressionlessly carrying a bizarrely shaped lantern.

"Heh… this gentleman, you're up early." Feng Bujue greeted the other party with a smile.

Cheng Wei stood there, his cold eyes fixed on the two people in front of him, without responding.

"We are here to pay a visit to Wang Qiong, Boss Wang. I wonder… if you could go and inform him?" Brother Jue said nonchalantly, and impolitely made a request.

After another five or six seconds of silence, Cheng Wei finally spoke, "Who are you?"

He asked this question not because he was really preparing to inform these two people; Cheng Wei just wanted to know… what was the origin of these two people who had taken down all the sentries around the mansion and successfully stepped into the courtyard?