86: Chapter 86 Wounded, a sinister scheme!

A trace of an eerie, cold smirk played across that handsome yet frigid face.

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

Nie Shu's words were like steel needles quenched in ice, piercing into the hearts of everyone from the Longxing Sect, word by word.

So, this was not a chance encounter.

This was a calculated trap.

From the moment they stepped into the Inn, they had already fallen into a web meticulously woven by the other party.

Li He slumped to the ground, his face ashen.

He finally understood that his own drunken arrogance had become the sharpest blade in the opponent's hand, ruthlessly stabbing his Senior Brother.

"I..." He opened his mouth, but only a ragged, wheezing sound escaped his throat; he couldn't utter a single word.

The entire second floor fell into a deathly silence, followed by an explosion of buzzing discussions.

"What a move! Truly a brilliant move! Soul-Severing Sword Nie Shu is not only fast with his sword, but his heart is also ruthless!"

"All is fair in war; these outsiders are just stupid, who else can they blame? Daring to be so arrogant upon arriving in Jian Prefecture—it would be strange if they didn't suffer for it."

"Pah! What a piece of trash! Resorting to such low-handed tricks because they can't win—do they even deserve to be called swordsmen? It's simply a disgrace to our Jian Prefecture Martial Forest!"

A burly, bearded man slammed his hand onto the table, his face full of disdain.

"A disgrace? Brother, you can't say it like that." A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar beside him waved his fan and spoke slowly, "The Sword Testing Conference and the hero ranking list are about fame, and even more so about profit. With one less strong enemy, one gains a greater chance of victory. Young Master Nie's actions are a display of wit."

Praise, scorn, and the jeers of onlookers who loved chaos—all sorts of voices mingled together, sounding incredibly grating.

Nie Shu thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of being the center of attention.

He looked at the grim-faced Chen Fan, and the smile on his lips deepened.

A newly promoted Seventh Grade, with strange movement techniques and fierce fist techniques—if he were allowed to enter the competition unscathed, he would truly be a significant problem.

Now, this problem had been eliminated in advance.

His place in the top ten of the hero ranking list was now even more secure.

Chen Fan ignored the surrounding clamor. He only looked calmly at Nie Shu; those originally gentle eyes were now nothing but cold, deep pools.

He had marked this face.

"Senior Brother Chen... I have failed you..." Li He finally regained his composure, crawled to Chen Fan's side, hugged his leg, and wept uncontrollably. "Kill me! It was I who harmed you!"

The fellow Disciples who had come with them were all pale, filled with both shame and anger, yet they couldn't say a word.

In the face of absolute strength and calculation, they appeared so powerless.

Chen Fan lowered his head and glanced at Li He.

"Get up."

His voice was very calm.

"After we return, go to Uncle Song and accept your punishment."

After speaking, he no longer looked at Li He and instead cast his gaze back toward Nie Shu.

"Ten days later, at the Sword Testing Conference, we will meet again."

He did not make any threats; he was merely stating a fact.

With that, he turned and walked toward the stairs.

"Let's go."

Several Longxing Sect Disciples hurriedly helped up the distraught Li He and followed Chen Fan in a sorry state, leaving the Inn amidst jeers and discussions.

Nie Shu watched Chen Fan's retreating back, the smile on his face fading slightly.

For some reason, the other party's calm reaction stirred an inexplicable sense of irritation in his heart.

...

Returning to the Inn, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like it could drip water.

Uncle Song was sitting in the main hall drinking tea. When he saw Chen Fan and the others return, especially when he noticed the blood on Chen Fan's shoulder and his pale complexion, the hand holding the teacup suddenly paused.

"What happened?"

His voice was not loud, but it carried the heaviness of an impending storm.

Thump!

Li He could no longer hold himself up; his knees went weak, and he knelt heavily on the ground.

"Junior Martial Uncle! This Disciple deserves to die! It was I who harmed Senior Brother Chen!"

He cried out, recounting everything that had happened at the Inn, point by point.

The main hall was deathly silent.

Uncle Song's face showed no joy or anger, but a storm was brewing in his sharp, tough eyes.

After a long while.

He slowly set down his teacup.

Clack!

A crisp sound rang out.

A clear palm print was struck into the thick wooden table by his hand.

"Useless trash!"

Uncle Song stood up abruptly, pointing at Li He's nose, furious.

"What did I tell you all before we left? Curb your Heart-Nature and do not stir up trouble! Did you treat my words as wind passing your ears?"

"Because of your cup of liquor, you've made the Longxing Sect the laughingstock of the entire Jian Prefecture City! You've caused Chen Jinzhong to suffer such a grievous injury for nothing!"

"Who are you worthy of?!"

Li He slammed his head heavily against the floor, his forehead becoming a bloody mess, only repeating through tears: "This Disciple knows he was wrong! This Disciple knows he was wrong!"

"Know you were wrong?" Uncle Song laughed in extreme anger. "What use is it to know you were wrong now!"

He stepped forward and kicked Li He in the chest, sending him flying backward, knocking over a row of tables and chairs.

"Get out to the stable in the backyard! Without my permission, you are not allowed to come out!"

Li He struggled to get up, spat out a mouthful of blood, and not daring to harbor any resentment, scrambled toward the backyard.

After dealing with Li He, Uncle Song's anger subsided slightly.

He walked quickly to Chen Fan, his expression softening significantly, but the worry and frustration mixed within could not be hidden.

"How bad is the injury? Let me see."

He helped Chen Fan sit down and carefully tore open the clothing on his right shoulder.

That sword wound was deep enough to see the bone, with the flesh turned outward; it looked shocking.

Uncle Song's expression grew even uglier.

He took a porcelain bottle from his bosom, poured out two emerald-green Medicinal Pills, and stuffed them into Chen Fan's mouth without a word.

"This is the sect's best healing medicine, the 'Muscle-Regenerating Bone-Knitting Pill.' Hurry and circulate your Internal Energy to dissolve it."

"This Nie Shu, his strikes are too venomous!"

Chen Fan nodded, said nothing more, sat down cross-legged, and began to circulate his Internal Energy.

The Medicinal Pill dissolved upon entering his mouth, turning into a cool, warm current that surged toward his limbs and bones, nourishing his injured Meridians.

However, when that medicinal power flowed through the wound on his right shoulder, Chen Fan's heart sank abruptly.

Something was wrong.

He clearly felt that deep within the wound, a strand of extremely cold, alien Internal Energy was entrenched.

That Internal Energy was like a lurking venomous snake, tightly coiled around his Meridians.

As soon as the medicinal power of the "Muscle-Regenerating Bone-Knitting Pill" approached, it was swallowed and dissolved by that cold Internal Energy, unable to play any role in repairing the injury.

Not only that, but that cold Internal Energy was also constantly eroding his own Internal Energy and destroying his Meridians.

This was not an ordinary sword wound at all.

This was a vicious method specifically designed to cripple someone's martial arts.

To purge this cold Internal Energy would require at least half a month.

If he tried to force his Internal Energy within that half month, it might even leave permanent hidden injuries, affecting his future prospects in the Dao of martial arts.

What a Soul-Severing Sword!

What a Nie Shu!

Arriving in Jian Prefecture, without even seeing his opponent on the competition stage, he had suffered such a massive, silent loss.

A long-suppressed rage suddenly and without warning erupted from the bottom of Chen Fan's heart.