When the Road Is Uneven, Someone Will Level It!

Inside the inn, the air between Shen Lun and Long Fei was taut with hostility. Suddenly, Shen Lun chuckled. "Long Fei, death is staring you in the face, yet you're still acting so unyielding. "Still, I hope you're just as unyielding a few days from now when you see your wife and daughter." *Whoosh.* Shen Lun struck. A chilling flurry of sword light erupted, instantly engulfing Long Fei. Forcing himself forward, Long Fei gripped his saber with his left hand. A brilliant arc of saber light flashed, carrying a terrifying baleful aura as it violently collided with Shen Lun's sword. Sword light clashed against saber light. Faintly, the thunderous roar of qi and blood surged alongside the blow. The next instant, the two figures flew apart. *Thud.* Long Fei's saber slammed heavily onto the floor, while Long Fei himself was hurled backward, clutching his chest. *Pfft.* He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning even paler. Shen Lun was completely unharmed. Looking at Long Fei not far away, a smirk tugged at the corner of Shen Lun's lips. "Even the mighty 'Barbarian-Slaying Saber' has a day like this! "Seven years ago, when you killed my younger sister, did you ever imagine this would be your end? "Hahaha! Don't worry, I won't kill you right away. I'll make sure you taste every agony this world has to offer. "Go. Sever the tendons in his limbs first, then cripple his martial arts." The maidservants behind Shen Lun moved at his command, advancing toward Long Fei with sharp swords in hand. Everyone else in the inn trembled in terror; not a single person dared to step forward. After all, the bodies of the martial artists who had dared to speak up just moments ago were still lying cold on the floor. Long Fei tried to stand, but after struggling for a moment, he gave up. Watching the maidservants approach with murderous intent, Long Fei closed his eyes. He understood that this was the jianghu! From the moment he set foot in this world, today's fate had perhaps already been sealed. Yet, as Long Fei looked back on everything he had done... He felt no regret! Back when he had carved a bloody path out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood against the northern barbarians, he had practically died once already. What did it matter if he died once more today? Perhaps his only regret was his daughter. *One's grudges should not touch a man's wife and children.* In the jianghu, that saying was nothing more than empty talk. *Whoosh.* The sharp tips of the maidservants' swords thrust straight toward Long Fei's limbs. Suddenly, a dark silhouette flickered. *Slash.* With a soft sound, the three maidservants froze. Immediately after, thin lines of red appeared across their throats, and blood sprayed outward. *Thump.* The three maidservants collapsed to the floor, twitching violently until their breath faded away. "Hmm?" Shen Lun's pupils constricted slightly in shock. His gaze turned as sharp as a blade, instantly locking onto the unfamiliar figure standing in front of Long Fei. Long Fei opened his eyes as well, confusion flashing across his face. He had no memory of the man before him; he didn't seem to know him at all. Yet this stranger had saved his life. Shen Lun's voice turned frosty, each word heavy and deliberate. "Have you thought this through, sir? Saving Long Fei makes you an enemy of Shen Lun!" Shen Lun tightened his grip on his sword, his aura steadily rising. "If I kill you, won't I be rid of an enemy?" As soon as the words left Lu Changsheng's mouth, his figure blurred, vanishing into thin air in the blink of an eye. Shen Lun reacted as if facing a mortal threat, thrusting his longsword forward almost instantaneously. *Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!* Brilliant flashes of sword light clashed continuously in the air. Lu Changsheng wielded a short sword, while Shen Lun fought with a longsword. Moreover, Shen Lun's swordsmanship was renowned for its speed. As their blades met head-on, dozens of strikes crossed in the span of a single breath. Dozens of blows, yet over in a heartbeat. In just one breath, Shen Lun shuddered violently, staggering back two paces. He raised a trembling hand to touch his throat. A faint, thin line of blood had appeared on his neck. Blood seeped from the wound, flowing faster and faster until it burst into a gushing spray. "What... a fast sword!" With those final words, Shen Lun collapsed backward, stiff as a board. *Thud.* Shen Lun's eyes remained wide open in death, entirely devoid of life. He was dead! The "White-Robed Scholar," Shen Lun, was dead! The scene left everyone in the inn stunned in disbelief. How long had that fight even lasted? A mere instant, and Shen Lun was dead. One had to remember that the White-Robed Scholar was no nobody in the jianghu. "Shen Lun is dead? Slain in an instant by this unknown martial artist?" "Incredible! The White-Robed Scholar was famous for his fast sword—swift as a thunderbolt! To think he would die at the hands of an even faster swordsman!" "Just who is this man? I have no impression of him whatsoever. Could it be he's never roamed the jianghu before?" While the onlookers were still reeling from Lu Changsheng's blistering speed and formidable prowess, Lu Changsheng had already sheathed his short sword. He walked straight over to Shen Lun's corpse and began thoroughly searching it. The sight left everyone momentarily dumbfounded. He didn't even spare the bodies of the maidservants. However, he didn't find much of value—just a few banknotes. After looting the corpses, Lu Changsheng stood back up and walked over to Long Fei. The corner of Long Fei's mouth twitched slightly. This corpse-looting habit was indeed somewhat awkward to witness. Still, that was the jianghu. Though Long Fei was a righteous hero who despised evil, he was not pedantic. He struggled to his feet and bowed deeply to Lu Changsheng. "Many thanks for saving my life, sir. May I ask, do you know me?" Long Fei knew he was famous across the jianghu, so it was only natural to wonder. Lu Changsheng shook his head slightly. "I only learned of Hero Long today. "However, when the road is uneven, someone must level it. Shen Lun crossed the line." In truth, Lu Changsheng had not intended to intervene at first. He had no desire to get tangled in the feuds of the jianghu; he only wanted to practice martial arts in peace. Shen Lun wanting to kill Long Fei was one thing, but dragging in a man's wife and daughter to threaten him over and over again was another. Lu Changsheng was no righteous hero, nor did he consider himself a bleeding heart. Even so, he admired men like Long Fei. And Shen Lun's methods had disgusted him. Long Fei nodded. Shen Lun truly had stopped at nothing in his quest for revenge. "Regardless, I will etch your life-saving grace into my heart. If an opportunity arises in the future, I will repay it without fail!" With that, Long Fei stumbled as he prepared to leave the inn. Lu Changsheng stepped forward and supported him. "You're heavily injured. You shouldn't be moving around right now. "Where are you headed? I'll see you there." Long Fei hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. "I have a safe place in Wushan City. I'll have to trouble you to escort me back." And so, Lu Changsheng led his horse, checked out of his room at the inn, and left while supporting Long Fei. Before long, the two arrived outside a secluded courtyard. "This is the place. I have so many enemies, but none of them know I'm hiding here," Long Fei said with a smile. Lu Changsheng pushed open the courtyard gate and helped Long Fei inside. *Whoosh...* Suddenly, Lu Changsheng caught the faint rush of a fierce wind behind him. Without a second thought, he snapped his short sword from its scabbard. *Clang.* The blade cleared its sheath. Without even turning around, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Lu Changsheng slashed behind him. As he pivoted, the razor-sharp short sword came to a halt right in front of a woman dressed in red. The woman seemed paralyzed with fright, standing frozen like a statue. A pale throat, a razor-sharp blade. It seemed as though a fraction of a second more would have seen the sword slice open her neck. "Hold your blade!" Long Fei's eyes went wide as he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice turning hoarse from the strain.