Chapter 324: Chapter 168: Hu Yue’e (2)
Then it charged straight toward the man holding the iron hammer.
The man had an endearingly simple face, much like Fang Dabao, and his physical strength was a match for him too.
With a swing of his arm, he brutally smashed his iron hammer forward.
A loud BANG rang out!!
The hammer clashed hard against Fang Dabao’s claws, but surprisingly, neither could overpower the other!
The man twirled the iron hammer and raised it to strike again.
Another thunderous crash.
They were still evenly matched.
For a time, the man and the beast fought, their blows ringing out with loud bangs. Sand and stones flew from the ground, and snow swirled through the air.
Suddenly, a voice rang out:
"Dabao, don’t meet him head-on. Use Wind Calming and Madness Stopping from the Sea-Shaking Divine Fist."
The attacker heard the voice and immediately recognized it as the person who had spoken earlier.
He turned his head and, sure enough, saw a young man standing in front of the woman.
’This Exotic Beast belongs to this pretty boy?’
At this thought, an idea struck him. He instantly drew two scimitars from his back and leaped into the air:
"Die!!"
Fang Shuwen didn’t even spare him a glance, casually unleashing a palm strike.
BANG!
Before the man could even get close, the Palm Power of Knocking the Mountain and Shaking the Demon struck him.
It blasted him into a cloud of fine dust.
The woman who had been behind him watched, her pupils shrinking violently.
"AHHHHH!!!!"
The man with the iron hammer saw this too and flew into a furious rage.
In the blink of an eye, all his companions were dead. He abandoned his fight with Fang Dabao, rushed toward Fang Shuwen, raised his iron hammer high, and brought it crashing down.
KRANG!!!!!
The violent impact sent tremors in all directions.
The burly man was suspended in midair, his face turning a deep, purplish red as he strained to press the hammer down.
But the other end of the hammer was caught in Fang Shuwen’s hand. No matter how much strength the man exerted, he couldn’t force it down.
The next moment, a series of CRACKS rang out.
The incredibly heavy hammer in the burly man’s hands was crushed to pieces by Fang Shuwen.
He followed up with a kick. BANG!
The kick landed on the burly man’s chin, but the force behind it traveled through his entire skull.
His head didn’t shatter, but its contents were turned to pulp. The massive corpse collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Fang Shuwen turned back to the woman and suddenly smiled.
"Why don’t you get up, miss?"
Though the six simple words reached her ears, they filled the woman’s eyes with endless terror.
She immediately dropped to her knees with a thud and began kowtowing repeatedly.
"Hero, spare me! Hero, spare me!!"
"What’s wrong with her?"
Long Qingzhi, who had been placed in the tree for safety, couldn’t help but ask:
"Is she just frightened?"
Fang Dabao padded closer, his clear eyes, framed by their dark rings, also filled with confusion.
Fang Shuwen narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, miss. What’s wrong?
"If you have something to say, you can just say it. There’s no need for this."
The woman looked up, her eyes filled with utter despair.
"Hero, your Martial Arts are unparalleled. I... I assume you saw through my act long ago. I... I meant you harm."
"What?"
Long Qingzhi was stunned.
’She hadn’t noticed a thing...’
What’s more, she noticed that Fang Shuwen’s expression also held a hint of surprise.
Just as she was thinking that Fang Shuwen, like herself, hadn’t seen through the ruse, she heard him speak with a chuckle:
"Well, this is a surprise. You actually confessed on your own?
"In that case, I have to ask: why didn’t you use the dagger hidden at your waist to kill me just now?"
A moment ago, when he caught the giant hammer, he had made it seem like his back was completely exposed.
In reality, it was an opening Fang Shuwen had intentionally created.
The whole "hero happening upon injustice and saving a beauty" trope... Fang Shuwen had been suspicious of the entire affair from the moment he heard the woman’s first scream.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have put Long Qingzhi up in the tree.
And he certainly wouldn’t have left his back exposed to a strange woman for no reason.
Indeed, the woman had considered taking the opportunity but had ultimately given up on the idea.
And now, she was proactively begging for mercy, which was what truly surprised Fang Shuwen.
Logically, since her cover wasn’t blown, it would have made more sense to continue the act and wait for another opportunity to strike. Only then could she have achieved her goal.
But now, with her confession, any advantage she might have had was gone... not that she ever really had one, of course.
Hearing Fang Shuwen’s words, the woman did indeed draw a dagger from her waist and toss it to the ground.
"Hero Fang, I was forced to do all of this.
"They... they’re using my husband and son as hostages. They forced me to put on this act for the sole purpose of killing you.
"But... but I know that in Anyue City, you’re a ruthless killer with extraordinary abilities.
"I knew I could never succeed with my abilities. The moment I actually tried, it would have been a death sentence for me.
"Besides... the kind of people who would force me to do this wouldn’t care if I lived or died anyway.
"Rather than pinning my hopes on them keeping their promise, I thought it would be better to ask for your help before I did something I couldn’t take back!"
Fang Shuwen still didn’t know the full story,
but he had to admit, the woman’s thinking was clear, and she was quite bold.
Fang Shuwen smiled, then suddenly jabbed a finger to seal the woman’s acupressure points. He leaped up and brought Long Qingzhi down from the tree.
Long Qingzhi was still in a state of utter shock.
"So, this was all an act?"
Fang Shuwen subconsciously reached out, wanting to pat Long Qingzhi’s head.
’This girl really is a bit naive.’
’She’s actually a lot like Fang Lingxin in some ways.’ But since she wasn’t his actual sister, Fang Shuwen resisted the impulse to pat her on the head.
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