Watch the rest of it first?

The man in black, already seething with rage, actually laughed in fury upon hearing this.

"Fine, fine, fine. It seems you really enjoy the show!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the longsword at his waist flew from its sheath.

There was a sharp SWISH.

A wisp of Sword Qi shot across the ground, reaching the shadow puppet screen in a flash.

With a soft tearing sound, the entire screen was sliced in two.

All that remained was the old man, sitting on his stool and holding a shadow puppet, frozen in place with a bewildered expression.

His anger still unvented after slicing the screen, the man in black roared furiously:

"I was wondering why you people from the Lu’an Escort Agency hadn’t shown yourselves yet.

"Turns out you were here watching a shadow puppet show... You made me wait for nothing! The absolute nerve!!"

Lu Guiyan’s expression darkened.

"East Hall Xu Yuqing?"

Fang Shuwen, however, simply looked at the sliced screen, finding it a bit of a shame.

’That story was quite interesting. I wonder how it ends?’

’Did that character, Fang Huai, succeed or fail? What happened to him?’

Murderous intent glittered in Xu Yuqing’s eyes.

"A puny little Lu’an Escort Agency, daring to dream of slipping away right under the Fierce Tiger Gang’s nose... How utterly laughable!

"Tonight, every last one of you will die here—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a chilling killing intent. He whipped his head around just in time to see a small cymbal whistling straight for his throat.

He was shocked. ’I can’t believe this old shadow puppeteer is actually a master!’

The old man’s voice, filled with wrath, rang out:

"He was enjoying the show! What did you have to wreck my stall for?"

Xu Yuqing was at a loss for words. He had no time to explain as the small cymbal reached him. He slashed with his longsword, and a sharp CLANG rang out.

The blade struck the cymbal dead center. It was sent flying, but instead of falling, it used the momentum to ricochet back.

The old puppeteer flicked his wrist, sending the other small cymbal flying. Simultaneously, he stomped his foot, and the booming sound of a gong erupted.

The sound was immense, releasing a sonic wave that instantly radiated in all directions.

It was enough to make one’s head spin and vision blur.

Xu Yuqing felt a pressure in his chest, and his True Qi circulation became sluggish.

Then came a sharp CLINK.

The second cymbal the old man had thrown had just collided with the first one as it returned.

The two small cymbals struck each other, creating a crisp clash that, combined with the gong’s boom, was even more piercing and unbearable.

Xu Yuqing was horrified. He knew he had run into a true monster tonight. ’But the more I think about it, the more unfair it seems!’

’Who could have possibly guessed that some random old man performing a shadow puppet show late at night would be a top-tier master?’

Those two waves of Sound Technique alone were enough to prove the man’s profound skill.

But it wasn’t over yet.

After clashing, the two cymbals rebounded and shot toward him again, separating to attack from two different directions.

Though small, their spinning edges were as sharp as any sword. Xu Yuqing wanted to defend himself, but his True Qi circulation was so disrupted he couldn’t even lift his arms.

He could only watch helplessly as the two cymbals crisscrossed toward him, about to decapitate him on the spot!

In his despair, just as he was about to close his eyes and wait for death, a voice rang out:

"Elder Shixian, you dare kill a man of my Fierce Tiger Gang?!"

The voice was distant at first, but in the blink of an eye, it was right beside him. Following two sharp CLANGS, Xu Yuqing snapped his eyes open.

The two deadly cymbals had been knocked back the way they came.

And someone else now stood before him.

This man had a burly frame, standing six feet tall, his body a mass of knotted muscle that strained against the tight fabric of his clothes.

"Hall Master!"

Xu Yuqing blurted out instinctively upon seeing the man.

Elder Shixian casually retrieved his two small cymbals and sneered.

"I was wondering who was acting like such a thug.

"Daring to trash my stall the moment you arrive... So, it’s the Fierce Tiger Gang’s East Hall Master, Tong Tianba?

"Forget you—even if Qin Xiaosi himself were standing here, I’d still slap his face!"

"So this old man is actually the Elder Shixian!"

Lu Guiyan murmured, her voice tinged with astonishment.

Fang Shuwen asked with curiosity,

"You know this old man, Young Chief of the Escort?"

His knowledge of the Jianghu was limited, so he didn’t recognize many people.

Lu Guiyan nodded.

"He made a name for himself in the Jianghu long ago. His Martial Arts are in a class of their own. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Though he isn’t ranked among the ’Three Immortals, Two Kings, and One City Madman,’ he’s still a renowned veteran of the Eastern Domain Martial World.

"No one knows his real name anymore. For the last ten years, people in the Jianghu have simply called him ’Elder Shixian’.

"He hasn’t been active in the Jianghu for five years, though... I never would have imagined he’d be here, performing a shadow puppet show."

At this, Lu Guiyan couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

’I must have some incredible prestige...’

Elder Shixian was a big name, an undisputed senior of the Jianghu.

And yet, she had brought the members of the Lu’an Escort Agency to sit here and watch him perform.

And according to Fang Shuwen, they didn’t even have to pay for it.

’If word of this got out, everyone would just think we were bragging.’

Fang Shuwen just nodded, completely unfazed.

’The Jianghu is full of masters. It’s not that surprising to run into one or two in some random nook or cranny.’

While Fang Shuwen and Lu Guiyan were talking, Tong Tianba burst into laughter.

"You old coot, you think you can just run your mouth because you’re old!

"So what if I trashed your stall?

"Today, I’m going to break your old bones so you can’t go around pulling the age card anymore!"

Tong Tianba was clearly a hothead. With a furious roar, he pushed off the ground and shot toward Elder Shixian.

He swung a massive fist, and a phantom tiger’s roar seemed to shake the heavens as the force of the punch tore through the air, aimed straight for Elder Shixian!

Though it looked like a simple punch, its power swept out in all directions, completely sealing off Elder Shixian’s escape routes.

Elder Shixian’s expression darkened.

"Insolent whelp, you’re truly courting death!"

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeves, and two iron rods shot out from his cuffs.

The rods were long and slender, with crimson tips.

With a single sweep, the tips of the rods instantly targeted all the vital points on Tong Tianba’s chest.

His rods had a longer reach; before the fist could land, the tips had already struck Tong Tianba’s body.

But before Elder Shixian could celebrate, he heard two CLINKING sounds.

When the iron rods met flesh, they produced the sound of metal striking metal.

Tong Tianba roared with laughter.

"You think you can hurt me with a couple of pathetic rods?

"Eat my fist!"

The punch landed with a deafening BOOM. Elder Shixian managed to raise his arms to block, but the force of the blow was far greater than he had anticipated.

He was sent flying by the sheer force of the strike!

Tong Tianba, however, frowned slightly. Elder Shixian was, after all, a master who had made his name in the Jianghu years ago.

’My punch was incredibly powerful, yet it didn’t seem to cause him any real harm.’

’Instead, it just knocked him out of my attack range.’

With a light step and a twist of his body, Elder Shixian landed amidst the crowd of Fierce Tiger Gang disciples.

He let out a sinister chuckle.

"Come and see the puppet show!"

As he spoke, he flicked his iron rods. Before a Fierce Tiger Gang disciple could even react, he was impaled.

With a gentle flick of Elder Shixian’s wrists, the disciple’s body, controlled by the two iron rods like a marionette, charged toward Tong Tianba!

Lu Guiyan couldn’t help but look at Fang Shuwen.

"Did you know about the Fierce Tiger Gang’s ambush all along?"

Fang Shuwen smiled.

"It’s better for them to come to us than for us to go to them.

"Wouldn’t you say this is more entertaining than the shadow puppet show, Young Chief of the Escort?"

Lu Guiyan drew in a sharp breath. She had asked the question, but she hadn’t actually expected an answer, assuming their current situation was just a coincidence.

After all, judging by the situation, the main body of the Fierce Tiger Gang must have been at least a few miles away. Otherwise, they would have heard the commotion Elder Shixian was making.

’But for Fang Shuwen to have heard them from that far away... Just how high is his level of Martial Arts?’

’Just what kind of expert have I brought into the Lu’an Escort Agency?’

...

...