85: Chapter 85 We've Been Set Up!

The young man in white said nothing, merely watching the flushed Li He quietly.

He had clearly done nothing, not even emitting a trace of Internal Energy, yet the noisy atmosphere on the second floor was instantly stifled, as if gripped by an invisible hand, plunging it into dead silence.

The air stagnated, heavy enough to make it hard to breathe.

Emboldened by the alcohol, Li He had yet to realize the danger descending upon him and continued to point at the other man's nose, cursing.

"What are you looking at? I'm talking about you! Hurry up and apologize to my beauty!"

The young woman in his arms was already pale with terror, struggling desperately to break free, but Li He held onto her tightly.

Chen Fan cursed him as an idiot in his heart.

A place like the Inn was a gathering of dragons and snakes; anyone who could stand there so calmly was no pushover.

He had already recognized the newcomer.

Soul-Severing Sword, Nie Shu.

The ruthless character who had just been discussed at the neighboring table, the one who killed the seventh-rank expert Liu Xiong with a single sword strike.

This was big trouble.

At that moment, Nie Shu moved.

His movements were not fast; he simply raised his hand slowly, reaching toward Li He.

Li He was still clamoring: "What? You want to fight? Do you know who I am..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

Nie Shu's hand had already clamped around his throat, lifting him from his seat as if he were a chick.

Li He's feet left the ground, and his face instantly turned liver-colored. His drunkenness vanished in an instant, and his eyes were filled with terror.

"Get out."

Nie Shu's voice was calm, devoid of any anger, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

The onlookers on the second floor were not alarmed; instead, they each wore expressions of anticipation for a good show.

"It's Soul-Severing Sword Nie Shu!"

"We're in for a show. These greenhorns from out of town have kicked an iron plate."

"Tsk tsk, people from the Longxing Sect? They're used to throwing their weight around in Yanzhou, but in Jian Prefecture, nobody is going to coddle them."

Choked to the point of near-suffocation, Li He thrashed with his hands and feet, struggling desperately, but he couldn't shake that iron-clamp-like hand.

In despair, he saw Chen Fan still sitting calmly in his seat and used his last bit of strength to squeeze out a few words.

"Chen... Senior Brother Chen... save me..."

The few accompanying Disciples were already pale with fright and dared not step forward.

All the pressure converged upon Chen Fan.

Chen Fan slowly exhaled.

He stood up and cupped his hands toward Nie Shu.

"I am Chen Jinzhong of the Longxing Sect. My Junior Brother has had too much to drink and has offended you. I hope you can be magnanimous and let him go."

His posture was humble, and his words were sufficiently polite.

Nie Shu's gaze finally shifted from Li He to Chen Fan's face.

He looked Chen Fan up and down, then suddenly smiled.

The smile was handsome, yet it offered no warmth.

"Longxing Sect?" He repeated softly, with undisguised contempt. "Never heard of it."

"Jian Prefecture has its own rules."

He released his hand and tossed Li He to the ground like trash.

Li He was dazed by the fall, clutching his neck and coughing violently.

"Fight me." Nie Shu looked at Chen Fan, concise and to the point. "If you win, he can leave. If you lose, both of you will get out of here."

Arrogant.

Extremely presumptuous.

The onlookers around them burst into laughter, and the atmosphere was instantly ignited.

Chen Fan knew that this battle was unavoidable.

If he refused, he would lose face for the entire Longxing Sect.

"Fine." He replied calmly.

In the center of the Inn's main hall, there was already an empty space specifically for these energetic Jianghu Martial Artists to spar for entertainment.

The two walked down the stairs, one after the other, and arrived in the center of the area.

The onlookers automatically formed a circle, surrounding the two, each stretching their necks, afraid of missing a single detail.

Nie Shu slowly drew the long sword from his back.

It was a very ordinary iron sword, with a long, narrow blade and no decorations.

Yet in his hands, it seemed to come alive.

"Make your move." Nie Shu casually twirled the sword, the tip pointing obliquely at the ground.

Chen Fan did not draw his sword; he simply assumed the starting stance of the Longxing Sect.

The next moment, Nie Shu moved.

No testing, no flashy moves.

He thrust his sword out, fast as lightning, aiming straight for Chen Fan's throat.

The sword wind was fierce, stinging the skin.

Chen Fan tapped his feet, unleashing the Longxing movement technique, his figure sliding half a foot to the side like a phantom, narrowly dodging the sword strike.

Having missed his first strike, Nie Shu's momentum did not stop; with a flick of his wrist, the blade swept horizontally, slicing toward Chen Fan's waist and abdomen.

Fast!

Too fast!

Chen Fan could only rely on his movement technique to dodge and maneuver constantly.

For a time, one could only see a white shadow in the arena, sword light flickering, clinging like a maggot to a bone, closely pursuing a blue figure.

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen rounds passed.

Nie Shu's sword hadn't even touched the corner of Chen Fan's clothes.

The crowd of onlookers let out sounds of surprise.

"This kid's movement technique is so bizarre!"

"Indeed, slippery as a loach."

A trace of impatience appeared on Nie Shu's face.

He halted his offensive and sheathed his long sword.

"Is that all you can do, hide?" His words were full of mockery. "Are everyone from Yanzhou cowards like you?"

"Or perhaps, the Longxing Sect only teaches disreputable rats?"

He not only insulted Chen Fan but also humiliated the entire Longxing Sect.

The last trace of warmth on Chen Fan's previously calm face vanished.

He slowly straightened up.

"Since you want to see, I will let you see enough."

As the words fell, he stomped hard on the ground and charged toward Nie Shu.

This time, he did not dodge.

He threw a punch, fierce and domineering, carrying a whistling wind as it struck directly at Nie Shu's face.

Nie Shu sneered, neither dodging nor evading, and met the punch with one of his own.

Bang!

The fists collided with a dull thud.

A powerful force transmitted, and both men retreated three steps.

A draw.

A trace of seriousness finally appeared in Nie Shu's eyes.

"Interesting."

He drew his sword again; this time, the sword momentum was even more ferocious and tricky than before.

Chen Fan also held nothing back, pushing the Longxing Sect's movement technique to its limit.

The two instantly engaged in a fierce battle.

Sword light and fist shadows intertwined, Qi energy overflowing, causing the clothes of the surrounding onlookers to rustle.

Another dozen rounds passed in a blink.

Both of them were wounded.

Chen Fan's left arm was sliced open by the blade, dripping with blood.

And Nie Shu's chest took a punch from Chen Fan; his clothes were torn, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

It was actually a tie!

At this moment, Chen Fan seized an opening, delivering a hand-blade strike, ignoring his own vulnerability as he ruthlessly hacked toward Nie Shu's neck.

Trading injury for injury!

Nie Shu seemed not to have expected Chen Fan to be so fearless of death, and in his haste, he could only dodge to the side.

Even so, the hand-blade strike landed solidly on his shoulder.

At the same time, Nie Shu's sword pierced Chen Fan's right shoulder.

Both men groaned simultaneously and separated once more.

Chen Fan clutched his bleeding shoulder, his breathing somewhat ragged.

Nie Shu rubbed his numb left shoulder, looking at Chen Fan, but there was no anger on his face; instead, he revealed an eerie sneer.

"Ten days from now, at the Sword Testing Conference, you won't be able to compete."

Chen Fan was stunned.

He heard Nie Shu continue: "Do you think the collision just now was an accident?"

"From the moment you stepped into this Inn, your identities were already laid out on my table."

"Longxing Sect, Chen Jinzhong, newly promoted seventh-rank."

His words were like a thunderbolt, causing realization to dawn on Chen Fan.

Everything had been planned!

He had intentionally let that girl bump into them, intentionally provoked Li He, and intentionally escalated the matter—his goal was to cripple a potential competitor before the Sword Testing Conference began!

A chill surged from the soles of Chen Fan's feet straight to his scalp.

He looked at Nie Shu's handsome yet icy face, his heart turning cold.