Starting from the Locked Dragon Well, I'll grind my way to becoming the Great Sage of Immortal

Both men were tightly bound by iron chains, their brocade robes were stained, and their faces were bruised, making them look disheveled.

Pang Yun leaned against the stone wall, his hair disheveled, completely lacking the demeanor of his former "Fifth Master". He looked at Pang Wei and gave a bitter smile, his voice hoarse: "Seventh Brother, to be honest, all these years, I've never liked you."

Pang Wei opened his eyes, glanced at the prison coldly, and didn't say anything. His gaze warily scanned the structure of the cell and the guards.

Pang Yun didn't care whether he responded or not, and continued talking to himself, his tone full of resentment that had been building up for many years:

"From a young age, the elders in the clan have said that you are smarter and more talented than me, and that you learn everything faster."

Later, when we were divided up to manage the money shops, the shop on West Street that you went to was originally the worst, but within a few years you managed it to be very successful, and its profits were catching up with my shop on South Street.

The elders' gazes towards you have changed... Later, you started sponsoring martial artists, and your eye for talent became incredibly sharp... Ha, in every minor competition, my people always lose to yours... Why?

"Huh? Seventh Brother, tell me, on what grounds?!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, which aggravated his wound, causing him to cough violently.

It seems that if I don't speak up now, I'll never have the chance again.

Just then, the cell door slammed open, and Ghost Hand Three, carrying a gleaming dagger, walked in with two henchmen.

His gaze swept back and forth between Pang Yun and Pang Wei, finally settling on Pang Wei, and he grinned maliciously:

"My apologies, gentlemen. My elder brother instructed me to send something to the Pang family as a reminder."

Pang Yun's expression changed, and he quickly forced a smile: "My sir, there's no need for that! My Pang family is incredibly wealthy, and while ten thousand taels of silver is no small sum, we would never renege on our debt! Please grant me a little more time, and I will definitely present the ransom!"

"Grace period?" Ghost Hand picked at his nails with the tip of his knife and said in a sinister tone, "Fifth Master Pang, your Pang family hasn't given us a definite answer yet. It's obvious you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."

"We'll cut off an ear today. If we still haven't heard anything by tomorrow, don't blame us brothers for being ruthless—we'll chop off our hands and feet!"

As he spoke, he walked towards Pang Yun, knife in hand.

Pang Yun panicked immediately, his eyes darting around, and suddenly pointed at Pang Wei beside him, saying urgently:

"Good man! Cut him off! He just made a big splash in the clan's small competition yesterday, and now he's trying to embarrass me in front of the clan elders!"

Cut off his ear and send it back; that would be ten times more effective than me!

Upon hearing this, Pang Wei turned to look at Pang Yun, his eyes blazing with fury. He never expected Pang Yun to be so despicable!

Ghost Hand Three was taken aback. He glanced at Pang Wei, whose face was ashen, then at Pang Yun, whose face was full of obsequious eagerness, and laughed:

"Fifth Master is quite sensible! Alright, I'll do as you say!"

Then, the knife tip turned towards Pang Wei, "Seventh Master, I'm sorry, if you have to blame someone, blame your own brother!"

The gleaming blade slashed towards Pang Wei's left ear.

It looked like the knife was about to be raised and the ear cut off.

Behind Ghost Hand Three, Fifth Master Pang Yun suddenly revealed a ruthless glint in his eyes, completely different from his disheveled appearance.

Suddenly, he lunged forward, the chains binding his arms snapped, and his entire body slammed into Ghost Hand Three.

Bang!

Caught off guard, Ghost Hand Three stumbled from the impact, and the dagger in his hand went astray.

"Seventh Brother! Go!" Pang Yun shouted, snatched the dagger, swung it backhand, and cut the iron chains on Pang Wei's body. Then he pounced on Ghost Hand Three again.

"Fifth Brother!" Pang Wei was both surprised and anxious as he was freed from his predicament.

"Run! Don't worry about me!" Pang Yun, like a mad tiger, traded blows for blows, desperately clinging to Ghost Hand Three.

Although he also possessed nine streams of Qi and blood, he was pampered and his combat skills were far inferior to those of a ruthless bandit like Ghost Hand Three, who had tasted blood on the edge of a knife. In the blink of an eye, he had several wounds on his body, but he still held on tightly to his opponent.

"You're asking for death!" Ghost Hand Three roared in fury, slashing at Pang Yun with his chain sword.

The commotion inside the prison had already alerted those outside.

Flipping River Dragon, along with One-Eyed Demon and a group of ruthless bandits, charged over with murderous intent.

"Damn it! You dare to misbehave on my turf!" Fan Jiangjiao snorted angrily and clapped his hands in the air.

The violent energy was like a giant hammer, sending Pang Yun flying in one blow.

Then, he stepped forward and stomped on Pang Yun's right leg as he struggled to get up.

Click!

The sound of bones cracking rang out.

"Ah—!" Pang Yun let out a shrill scream as his right leg shattered.

"Fifth Brother!" Pang Wei's eyes were bloodshot as he was about to rush forward.

Flipping River Dragon struck again with his palm, causing Pang Wei to cough up blood and stagger backward, where he was held down by One-Eyed Kui.

"They're really courting death."

Fan Jiangjiao stepped on Pang Yun's broken leg, bent down to pick up the sharp knife on the ground, and swiftly brought it down.

puff!

A bloody ear flew off.

Pang Yun groaned, writhing in pain, but gritted his teeth and glared at the Flipping River Dragon.

"My lords, this is just a small lesson." The River-Turning Dragon threw the bloodstained dagger in front of Pang Wei and said coldly, "Next time, it won't just be ears that are sent!"

After saying that, he led One-Eyed Kui and his men away, cursing and swearing.

The prison returned to a stifling, deathly silence, broken only by Pang Yun's heavy, painful breathing.

"Fifth brother..." Pang Wei looked at Pang Yun's miserable state, his heart filled with grief and a surge of indescribable complex emotions.

This brother, who had always been his adversary and even betrayed him at crucial moments, had just risked his life to create a chance for him to survive.

Pang Yun leaned against the wall, his face ashen from blood loss and excruciating pain, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He looked at Pang Wei, forcing an ugly smile, his voice weak: "Seventh Brother... don't look like that... I, Pang Yun... am greedy, I'm jealous, I can't stand to see you doing well... but I... am not stupid..."

"You are more capable than me, and you also have more... vision and magnanimity. The Pang family... it doesn't matter much whether I'm here or not... but with you... the Pang family might... go further and climb higher... Just now... I only made... the choice that a member of the Pang family should make..."

......

Outside the village, the night was as dark as ink, and the sound of the Li River could be faintly heard.

Ke Jinglan led his troops to dismount a mile from the river bend. He made a series of hand gestures, and the bandit army, as usual, dispersed and, with the help of the terrain and vegetation, slowly surrounded the water village.

"Sir, it's confirmed. There are three visible sentry posts and two hidden stakeouts in the bay. There are about ten houses in the stockade, and there's a commotion. The number of people should be over thirty," a scout reported in a low voice.

Ke Jinglan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and slowly uttered two words: "Make your move."

"kill--!"

The enemy soldiers, poised and ready, pounced like cheetahs in the dark, simultaneously attacking the water fortress from several directions.

The bowstring twanged, and the crossbow bolt pierced the air, instantly eliminating both visible and hidden sentries on the perimeter.

Immediately afterwards, the armored soldiers smashed down the gate, and the silence of the river bend was broken by the flashing of swords, roars, and screams.

......

Deep within the village, in the main house, Fan Jiangjiao had just torn open a woman's thin clothes, his eyes burning with lust.

"It's terrible! Boss! The bandit army is coming!" A henchman covered in blood tumbled in, shouting in terror.

Fan Jiangjiao froze, his lust instantly replaced by shock and rage: "How did those bastards from the bandit army find this place?!"

He shoved the woman aside, grabbed the Nine-Ringed Ghost Head Blade, and his blood and qi erupted, unleashing an incomparably fierce pressure that spread outwards, revealing that he already possessed ten streams of blood and qi!

Flames were already raging in the village, and shouts of battle filled the air.

"Ke Jinglan!!" Fan Jiangjiao roared, his eyes wide with rage as he saw Ke Jinglan, whose sword light was like a tornado reaping the lives of bandits. He drew his sword and charged forward.