Fang Shuwen's movements were lightning-fast and unbelievably swift.
This was mainly thanks to the footwork from the Great Black Heaven God Palm. He struck with a move, Vajra Tower Throwing, that was like crashing thunder, its momentum unstoppable.
He moved so quickly that even if the other man had wanted to help, there was simply no time.
By the time he snapped back to his senses, his companion had already been captured by Fang Shuwen.
In that instant, the question he had been about to ask no longer needed asking.
Granny Hei had died at this young man's hands.
They hadn't dared to believe it before because Fang Shuwen was so young. Granny Hei's Black Death Demon Technique had reached an extremely profound level; how could she have died at the hands of a young man like him?
But now, seeing Fang Shuwen in action, they had no more doubts.
The man holding the young boy sneered.
"You'd better let him go. Otherwise, I'll kill this little brat."
"Then kill him."
Fang Shuwen said, his face a mask of impatience.
"You've been saying that over and over, but you haven't done it.
"I'm telling you, if you don't kill him soon, I'm going to kill this one."
"I don't believe you..."
Before the man could finish his sentence, a sickening CRACK echoed.
Without waiting for him to finish, Fang Shuwen twisted the head of the man in his grasp a full 360 degrees.
The sound of shattering bone was as grating as grinding metal, piercing the ears!
Zhou Qingmei recalled the sound from when this man had traded a palm strike with Fang Shuwen earlier and guessed that both men must practice some form of Horizontal Training Martial Arts.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have made such a noise.
The man opposite them was completely dumbfounded.
"...You... you actually killed him?"
Fang Shuwen declared righteously:
"As the saying goes, a gentleman's word is his bond. I am a man of my word and I never lie.
"Unlike you... a vile heretic, untrustworthy and faithless. You say you'll kill someone but then you don't. Just dithering around, it's baffling."
For a moment, the man's eyes went blank.
'His mind couldn't quite process it.'
'Their plan before coming here had been a good one.'
'Zhou Qingmei was staying at a woodcutter's house. The two of them would break in, capture the family, and force Zhou Qingmei to submit.'
'After all, people of the righteous path were all supposed to be honorable gentlemen.'
'Even if some were despicable, shameless, sinister, and vicious behind the scenes, they still had to maintain a facade of respectability.'
'Threatening such people with the lives of commoners was often surprisingly effective.'
'So why wasn't it working now?'
'Judging by Fang Shuwen's expression, he seemed even more eager for the boy to die than he was.'
'He'd been a little slow to act, and not only was Fang Shuwen unhappy, he even gave him a harsh scolding?!'
'How on earth did things turn out like this?'
'He was at a complete loss.'
Fang Shuwen's performance made this Black Death Cult Member—who had grown up in the Black Death Sect, long since becoming cold-blooded and emotionless, viewing human life as worthless—begin to wonder which of them was actually from the Demon Sect.
'And if Fang Shuwen was just bluffing... it certainly didn't look like it.'
This Black Death Cult Member was in a bind.
'Judging by the Martial Arts Fang Shuwen just displayed, he was no match for him.'
'If the bargaining chip in his hands was meaningless, then wasn't this so-called hunt just a lamb walking into a tiger's den?'
At this thought, he suddenly struck the young boy's back with his left palm.
The force was applied cleverly—it was more of a push, not meant to be lethal.
As he released his left hand, he flung out a Hooked Claw that latched onto a large tree beyond the courtyard wall. With a hard pull, he was launched into the air.
He had decided to retreat and was using the boy as a distraction, taking a gamble.
'If Fang Shuwen truly didn't care about the boy's life, then he was probably doomed.'
'But if he did, he might have a chance to escape.'
But he had barely reached mid-air when he heard an ominous whoosh.
He whipped his head around and saw the same young boy he had just thrown, somehow coming right back at him!
And now, the force propelling the boy was far greater than the force he had used to throw him.
To make matters worse, he was in mid-air, unable to dodge.
He instinctively released the line, wanting to execute a Thousand-Pound Weight technique, but it was too late.
With a loud THUD...
...the boy's head slammed squarely into his chest.
The Martial Arts he practiced were different from other Black Death Cult Members; like his companion, he possessed Copper Skin and Iron Bones.
This Copper Skin and Iron Bones was a passive ability, cultivated from a young age through immense suffering, and it worked without him having to actively channel his power.
A head slamming into his chest was no different from crashing into a wall of bronze and iron.
The boy was killed instantly by the impact. The tremendous force sent the cultist crashing into the stone wall behind him, creating a large crater.
The two figures tumbled across the ground, rolling for dozens of feet before they finally came to a stop.
The Black Death Cult Member pushed himself up, feeling as if his internal organs had been pulverized.
The horror in his heart was boundless.
Just as he tried to get up and flee, a figure flickered before him.
"I could tell your Horizontal Training was impressive, but I didn't expect you to be able to get up after a hit like that."
Fang Shuwen's voice sounded like a demon's whisper in his ear.
A look of terror appeared on the Black Death Cult Member's face. With a furious roar, he raised his hand to strike.
But Fang Shuwen just swept his fingers, unleashing the Plum Blossom Scattering Hand. He not only deflected the force of the palm strike but also twisted back, producing a series of sharp CRACKS.
The sound was grating, as if it wasn't an arm being broken, but a rod of solid iron.
It showed that the man's Horizontal Training Kungfu was truly extraordinary. Unfortunately for him, he had run into Fang Shuwen, who had mastered a Divine Technique.
In the next moment, Fang Shuwen threw a series of punches.
First, he punched him in the mouth, knocking out all his teeth.
Then, he landed a punch on both his Danzhong Acupoint and Dantian Qi Sea, shattering his Inner Strength.
Finally, he flipped the man over. His five fingers became like hooks, clamping down on the man's collarbones. Excruciating pain shot through the cultist as Fang Shuwen's power pierced straight through his Copper Skin and Iron Bones, crushing his collarbones to pieces.
After all this was done, Fang Shuwen dragged the Black Death Cult Member, who was now like a dead dog, back into the small courtyard.
He tossed him to Zhou Qingmei.
Zhou Qingmei was already accustomed to Fang Shuwen's prowess. She let out a soft sigh and was about to ask a question.
Just then, she heard footsteps coming from inside the house.
It was Mrs. Sun.
Her expression was vacant. She looked at the body of her old husband, then at the body of her son.
Finally, she walked out of the courtyard, picked up her grandson's corpse, and tried to wipe the blood from his face.
But no matter how much she wiped, she couldn't get it clean.
"Retribution! This is retribution!!"
The Sun family's daughter-in-law came out as well. There was no trace of grief on her already twisted face, only more ferocity.
"Your Sun family... deserves... to have its bloodline end!!"
Mrs. Sun said nothing. She slowly laid her grandson's body down, then suddenly charged toward the stone wall.
She smashed her head against it, killing herself on the spot.