Blocking Lin Fan's path were naturally Yang Zhi and Yu Bin.
"Who are you?"
Lin Fan dismounted, his five fingers resting on the hilt of his blade, squinting at the two blocking his way. The fate of these two was already sealed; this could end here and now.
Yang Zhi: Second-class expert.
Possible drops: Thirty years of cultivation, Vajra Tornado Hammer (Second-class), Bull Trampling Mountain Power (First-class), silver note worth one hundred taels, Refined Iron Hammer (a pair), Small Recovery Pill (one), Willow Silhouette Movement Technique (Third-class).
Yu Bin: Second-class expert.
Possible drops: Thirty-one years of cultivation, Water Spirit Root (fragment), Dark Weapon Treasure (First-class), Softbone Inner Armor, Ghost Traceless (Second-class), silver note worth one hundred thirty taels, Fine Steel Needle, Softbone Paper Fan, Blood Hand Claw (Second-class).
Lin Fan didn't expect these two guys could drop such an abundance of items, and their cultivation base was nothing to sniff at either.
What he desired the most, however, was their cultivation.
Yang Zhi's potential drops were all pretty good, especially that Bull Trampling Mountain Power—it seemed like a decent cultivation technique. As for the other guy, Yu Bin, forget it. What kind of trashy techniques were those?
One glance and it was clear they were the shady, unpresentable type.
As an upright and dignified man, how could Lin Fan stoop to cultivating such things?
"Brat, you're at death's door and still want to know who we are? Don't you think it's a little late for that?" Yang Zhi said, wielding a pair of hammers. He smashed them into the ground, creating two deep pits. "Blame yourself for offending people you shouldn't have and killing someone you had no business killing."
"You're talking about Sun Tao and Lu Nian?" Lin Fan laughed. "What was so wrong about killing those two? And as for you blocking my way here, do you really think you can end me on this spot?"
"Heh! You've got some nerve, kid. Even now, you're still so cocky—kind of amusing, actually," Yang Zhi remarked, raising his hammers and casually smashing them together. With a deafening crash, sparks flew everywhere.
Yu Bin unfolded his paper fan, gently swaying it back and forth as he spoke calmly, "Your movements have been entirely within my grasp. Remember, in your next life, try being a smarter person."
The moment his words fell—
Yang Zhi charged towards Lin Fan, ready to kill.
"Wait." Lin Fan raised his hand to stop him. "I want to know which faction is backing you. You two sneaky types—does this mean your faction is too insignificant to reveal openly?"
"Hmph, brat, even in the face of death, you're running your mouth. Let me tell you, the Serpent Gang is no force for you to trifle with," Yang Zhi roared angrily, revealing their faction's name. To him, it didn't matter one bit—this kid was already dead meat anyway, so what if he knew?
Yu Bin tried to stop him, but it was too late. Upon reflection, it didn't matter much; since the other guy's fate was sealed, so what if he knew?
Still, Yang Zhi shouldn't have been so impulsive.
"The Serpent Gang." Lin Fan's brows furrowed. He was aware of the Serpent Gang's existence—it was a major force in Jiangdu City's port, controlling nearly eighty percent of the territory there. The remaining twenty percent was occupied by the city's wealthy merchant families.
It seemed things were indeed getting complicated.
"Brat, prepare to die!" Yang Zhi roared, ready to strike.
"Look behind you," Lin Fan said.
"Hmph, such a petty trick won't fool us. 'Look behind' so you can escape? Dream on," Yang Zhi scoffed. Under the influence of Yu Bin's 'intellect,' he began to develop a shred of wisdom himself. Perhaps it was an overflow of Yu Bin's intelligence, seeping into his own brain.
Yu Bin didn't believe Lin Fan either and watched him mockingly.
"You should seriously look behind you. What's the point of lying about this?" Lin Fan scratched his head. Could he, in his current demeanor, really look like a liar?
Obviously not!
"Hahaha, how ridiculous!" Yang Zhi laughed heartily, casually glancing over his shoulder, then turning back. "What a—"
Suddenly.
His expression changed, his gaze growing unsettled. His pupils dilated.
He turned his head to look again.
He saw it.
There was indeed someone—standing silently in the distance, watching the two of them.
"Brother Yu…" Yang Zhi whispered weakly. "There's… there's someone."
"What?" Yu Bin frowned, puzzled as he looked at Yang Zhi. Why was he acting so jittery?
"There's someone behind us!" Yang Zhi shouted, adjusting his stance suddenly, gripping his hammers tightly in both hands. He became extremely vigilant. "Wang Zhou! Why are you here?"
Yu Bin's hand holding the fan trembled slightly when he heard the name. He exclaimed in shock.
"Impossible."
Wang Zhou said, "Didn't you send the message yourselves?"
He was also stunned by Lin Fan's foresight; everything Lin Fan had said was coming true without the slightest deviation.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible," Yu Bin said in denial. He had calculated everything perfectly—how could this happen? To confirm Wang Zhou wouldn't show up, they had waited for a long time before making their move.
What was going on now?
"Honestly, I have to give it to you guys—smart, certainly, but also incredibly stupid. When you had that child deliver the message to me, I'd already mapped out your entire plan, just waiting for you to take the bait."
"You killed Wei Xiong and tried framing me with it—quite ruthless. Wei Xiong, to protect the secret in the dried well, even set it on fire, yet he still couldn't escape your assassination."
Lin Fan had already seen through their schemes completely.
What a joke.
Everything that happened followed predictable patterns.
It was only natural they couldn't understand.
But after watching hundreds of TV dramas, Lin Fan felt as if he possessed the ultimate secret book of tactics. In everything that happened, he could find a corresponding plotline. Maybe there were branching subplots, but the core truths were always the same. The most crucial detail he had figured out.
What good were all their schemes?
All he needed to do was clarify the situation to Wang Zhou, and all problems would be resolved.
"You…" Yu Bin's eyes widened, his once-composed demeanor now panicked. "How could you know what I'm thinking? You…"
This was a heavy blow to Yu Bin.
To think that all the painstaking plans he had devised were seen through so clearly—it was a humiliation he couldn't bear.
Yang Zhi was terrified, visibly nervous. Wang Zhou's sudden appearance was an immense pressure—they had almost no chance of escaping from him.
"Wang Zhou, you know who we are. You must understand the consequence of killing us," Yu Bin said grimly. At this point, his only hope was that Wang Zhou feared their faction; otherwise, they were as good as dead.
Clang!
Wang Zhou drew his blade in response to Yu Bin. "Even if your corpses were laid at the gates of the Serpent Gang, no one would dare claim them."
"Sir, leave this sneaky one to you. I'll handle the other," Lin Fan said eagerly. He'd been itching to take Yang Zhi down.
Preferably to the point where not even his underwear would remain.
PS: This is a Xianxia novel, not a low-martial one.