A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

But he was a genuine Skin Refining Realm martial artist!

Although it is only in its early stages, its skin is tough and its strength and speed far exceed those of ordinary people. Dealing with a half-grown boy is a piece of cake.

In his eyes, this operation was a sure thing, with no chance of failure.

There were no unnecessary words, not even a single threat.

This masked man was clearly a seasoned veteran, well aware of the adage "villains die from talking too much," and also understood the ancient proverb that even a lion needs to go all out to hunt a rabbit.

A murderous intent suddenly surged forth in the silence!

His right hand swiftly reached for his waist, and with a flash of cold light, a sharp dagger about a foot long with a dark, blood-grooved blade was already in his hand.

The cold metallic touch made him feel more secure, and his eyes flashed with a fierce determination and the joy of impending success.

With a sudden stomp of his foot, he stirred up a small patch of accumulated dust.

His burly figure leaped out like a cheetah, rushing straight at Su Bai, who was a few steps away!

The speed was so fast that it left a blurry afterimage in the moonlight. The dagger cut through the air with a sharp whistling sound. The gleaming blade, like a viper's tongue, went straight for Su Bai's unsuspecting back!

This stab was ruthless, decisive, and swift.

The goal is to kill with a single blow!

However......

Just as the tip of the dagger was about to touch Su Bai's robe,

A sudden change has occurred!

Su Bai, who appeared terrified and stiff, with his back to the enemy, suddenly shifted to the left with the slightest difference in his movements, like a ghost!

The movements were swift as lightning, yet possessed an indescribable fluidity and precision, as if they had been rehearsed a thousand times.

At the same time, a colder glint silently slid down from Su Bai's right sleeve, which had been hanging down naturally, and was firmly grasped in his palm.

That was also a dagger, of ordinary design, yet it reflected his cold and calm eyes in the moonlight.

There were no shouts, no angry yells.

Only when the dagger pierces the flesh and cuts open the throat, there is a slight but chilling "hiss" sound, followed by the spurting of warm liquid.

The burly man's massive body stiffened abruptly, and his eyes, which had been filled with greed and murderous intent, widened suddenly, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints in an instant.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, as if he wanted to roar, to question, to let out a dying howl or curse.

But all sound was mercilessly choked deep within the neck by that precisely cut trachea and blood vessels.

It turned into a series of rapid and terrifying "hoarse" sounds, accompanied by gushing dark red blood.

The dagger slipped from his hand with a clang and fell to the ground, striking the bluestone slab with a crisp sound.

Its massive body swayed, and the light in its eyes dimmed rapidly, like a candle that had burned out.

Finally, filled with disbelief, astonishment, and resentment, it crashed backward, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Everything happens in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, life and death are decided.

Having landed a successful blow, Su Bai showed no sign of relaxation or excitement after defeating a powerful enemy; instead, his face displayed an almost indifferent calmness.

He knew the importance of finishing off the opponent, especially since the opponent was a martial artist at the same level as him, whose vitality was far stronger than that of ordinary people.

Without the slightest hesitation, he gripped the blood-soaked dagger, bent down, and swiftly stabbed the burly man several times in vital areas such as his heart and throat.

Until it is confirmed that there is no chance of the other person surviving, and their breathing and heartbeat have completely stopped.

He then stopped moving and slowly straightened up.

This burly man, in terms of actual cultivation level, was at the same level as him, the Skin Refining Realm.

But this encounter ended so quickly that the other side barely put up any decent resistance.

"It was purely due to carelessness."

Su Bai calmly assessed the situation in his mind.

No matter how much the other party had warned her to be careful, she was bound to underestimate him, who looked young and seemingly flustered.

In a martial arts contest, life and death often do not depend on the number of rounds of attacks exchanged.

It's about who is calmer, who seizes that fleeting opening, and who... is more ruthless and knows how to kill.

A night breeze carried a hint of blood.

Su Bai quickly glanced around and confirmed that no one was there.

He crouched down and reached inside the still-warm chest of the burly man, groping around for a while.

His fingertips touched a hard object, which he pulled out. It was a small package made of coarse black cloth, and it felt quite heavy.

By the dim moonlight, Su Bai glanced at the several obvious sharp blade wounds on the corpse.

The Great Qian Dynasty has been established for over a thousand years, but the world is no longer as peaceful and prosperous as it was at the founding of the nation. It is said that wars break out frequently outside the country, and rebellions are endless.

Fortunately, their small county town of Fenjiang is relatively peaceful and maintains a semblance of tranquility.

Murder is a serious crime, and if the officials in the Zhenfu Division, whose noses are sharper than dogs, were to investigate, it would be a real problem.

To avoid trouble, Su Bai got up and found a sharp-edged stone in the corner of the alley.

He returned to the body, took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes, then picked up a stone and smashed it down hard on the wounds caused by the daggers.

With skin torn open and bones shattered, the once clear blade wound quickly became a bloody mess, making it difficult to identify the original characteristics of the murder weapon.

After doing all this, Su Bai tossed aside the blood-stained stone, picked up the black cloth wrapping, and without giving the corpse on the ground another glance, turned and left quickly.

This time, the journey home was uneventful.

……

Inside the house, the oil lamp burned dimly.

Su Bai skillfully lit the chipped old oil lamp with a tinderbox, and the dim, flickering light barely dispelled the darkness in the room.

He sat down at the only broken wooden table and opened the black cloth bundle stained with a few dark red spots.

The package contained few items: some loose silver coins, a small string of copper coins, and nothing else.

Su Bai poured the silver coins onto the table and carefully counted them by the lamplight.

The total amount of broken silver was about five taels, and there were forty copper coins.

"Only this much?" Su Bai sighed inwardly, somewhat disappointed.

It seems that the robbers weren't exactly wealthy.

This amount of money is far from his goal.

Could it be... that I'm going to borrow money from Sun Hou again?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he suppressed it.

I asked to borrow money before because I felt a crisis was approaching and that I was not yet skilled enough.

Now that I've at least entered the Skin Refining Realm, I have the strength to fight back, and the situation is different.

Furthermore, one should only ask for money once, not repeatedly. Asking too often not only makes one lose face but also easily annoys others and damages relationships.

Although Lord Sun was righteous, no one's money comes from thin air.

"Fine, it's just another month anyway."

Su Bai carefully put the money away and hid it in a secret place.

Once the government pays the wages next month, plus this windfall, we'll be able to make up the difference.

He still has that much patience.