Do I have it Why don’t I know

"A merchant?"

Young Master Wu acted as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. With a sharp snap, he folded the fan in his hand, his knuckles turning white from his grip.

"I originally only wanted to teach that ignorant wild boy a lesson. Since you, a crooked merchant, insist on throwing yourself into the line of fire, then don't blame me for not showing you any face."

He tapped his toes on the ground, his figure floating up into the air as he unfurled his folding fan once more.

Only this time, it was no longer used to fan a cooling breeze.

On the surface of the fan, the ink wash landscape seemed to come alive. A piercing astral wind, carrying several visible wind blades, swept out to shred Li Fan from all directions.

Watching the sky full of wind blades, Li Fan's eyelids twitched violently.

This move was not simple at all...

Yet he had never even heard of this person's name?

"Oh my! What is Young Master Wu trying to do? Even if we can't strike a deal, we can still be friends. Why resort to weapons?"

Li Fan shouted words of surrender, but the movements of his hands were faster than anyone else's.

His left hand gripped the frame of the abacus, while the five fingers of his right hand flew like the wind, fiercely flicking the gleaming golden beads.

Clack clack clack!

A burst of crisp, melodious abacus sounds exploded.

The golden abacus, which had been a dead object, now seemed to be infused with a soul.

Dozens of golden abacus beads broke free from the frame, drawing bizarre and tricky arcs in the air.

How was this calculating accounts?

This was clearly controlling swords!

Applying the principles of one art to another!

Although they had no sword edges, every single abacus bead carried an indomitable sharpness.

Cling clang cling clang!

Dense collision sounds merged into one in midair.

Those seemingly fierce wind blades crashed against the thumb-sized abacus beads, yet it was like eggs striking rocks, instantly shattering into a sky full of spiritual light.

And those abacus beads did not lose their momentum. They spun rapidly in the air, faintly forming a small sword array that trapped Young Master Wu in the middle.

"This...?"

Young Master Wu turned pale with fright.

The astral wind he fanned out was enough to cut gold and break jade, easily slaying ordinary Golden Core cultivators. How could it be blocked by a few broken abacus beads?

Li Fan chuckled.

He flicked his fingers once more.

The offensive of the abacus beads in the air became even more ferocious.

"Bastard!!"

Young Master Wu yelled in anger, wildly dancing his folding fan in an attempt to break through this damned abacus bead array.

"Get away from me!"

His Golden Core rotated frantically within his body, and a torrent of blue spiritual power erupted, forcefully knocking the surrounding abacus beads back three feet.

"Now is the time!"

A sharp light flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

He did not choose to clash head-on. Instead, his figure flickered, and he closed in like a ghost.

The empty golden abacus frame in his hand was used like a heavy sword. He swung his arm in a full circle and ruthlessly smashed it right at Young Master Wu's forehead!

Bang!

A muffled thud.

The golden abacus solidly smashed against Young Master Wu's protective spiritual light.

Although it failed to break his defense, the massive concussive force made Young Master Wu's head ring, and he saw stars.

"You..."

Young Master Wu was just about to curse.

But he suddenly felt a bone-piercing chill come from behind him.

This chill came too fast, too fiercely, even three degrees colder than the wind and snow of Beimang.

There was no nonsense.

Nor was there any warning.

Several crystal-clear ice chains, like ghost hands reaching out from the void, instantly wrapped around his limbs, waist, and abdomen, even tightly strangling his neck.

Crack crack crack.

The ice spread, instantly freezing him into a translucent ice sculpture, leaving only his head outside to gasp for air.

A white figure landed silently behind him.

It was Lin Shuangxue, who had returned from her overseas investigation.

She looked at the frozen Young Master Wu, her eyes completely devoid of emotion.

"Article Twenty-Three of the Beimang Law: Cultivators engaging in private fights within the city that affect mortals shall be apprehended without exception, regardless of the reason, to await judgment."

Lin Shuangxue's voice was freezing cold.

"You... you..."

Young Master Wu's teeth chattered from the cold, his face full of humiliation. "You dare arrest me? I am from the Wu family of Zhongtang Province..."

Slap!

Lin Shuangxue delivered a backhand slap right across Young Master Wu's face, forcing the rest of his words back into his stomach.

"Shut up."

Lin Shuangxue shook her hand, looking disgusted. "Once you enter the prison of the Beimang Immortal Bureau, whether you belong to the Wu family or the Li family, you will sit there and behave."

After speaking, she waved her hand.

The two rows of soldiers behind her, who had been watching in a daze, finally reacted. They rushed forward with special shackles and dragged Young Master Wu and his equally frozen old servant away like dead dogs.

The surrounding commoners were stunned for a moment, and then a deafening cheer erupted.

"Good! Well caught!"

"These young masters from out of town just need to be taught a lesson!"

"Thank you, Master Lin! Thank you, Boss Li!"

Listening to the cheers around him, Li Fan wore a modest smile on his face, continuously cupping his hands in return.

"Not at all, not at all. Seeing injustice on the road, it was the right thing to do, the right thing to do."

While dealing with the enthusiastic commoners, he quietly picked up the golden abacus beads from the ground one by one and reattached them to the abacus.

It is just not as handy when it is not your own magical treasure...

However.

Just as he picked up the last bead.

A cold gaze locked firmly onto his back.

Li Fan's body stiffened.

He slowly turned around, meeting Lin Shuangxue's scrutinizing eyes.

"Boss Li."

Lin Shuangxue crossed her arms, looking him up and down.

"That move just now was quite well played."

Lin Shuangxue took a step forward, forcing Li Fan to step back.

"Golden Core stage cultivation, ghostly movement techniques, and the trajectory of those abacus beads implicitly matched the supreme principles of the Sword Dao..."

She stopped three feet in front of Li Fan.

"Are you telling me you are just an ordinary businessman?"

"What businessman would have this kind of skill?"

"Or could it be..."

Lin Shuangxue's hand slowly rested on the magical artifact at her waist.

"You are the real big fish hiding here?"

Cold sweat instantly poured down Li Fan's forehead.

Was this woman a bloodhound?

Why was she so difficult to deal with?

"Well... Master Lin, listen to my sophistry... I mean, listen to my explanation!"

Li Fan wiped his sweat, his mind spinning rapidly, trying to make up a reasonable excuse.

Lin Shuangxue clearly did not believe this nonsense, and the suspicion in her eyes grew stronger.

"It seems Boss Li won't shed tears until he sees the coffin."

"Since you refuse to tell the truth, then please come back to the Immortal Bureau with me for a cup of tea, and we can chat slowly."

Saying that, she was about to make a move to arrest him.

Li Fan felt incredibly bitter in his heart.

If he went into the Immortal Bureau, it would truly be like yellow mud dropping into his pants; even if it wasn't crap, it would be considered crap.

Right at this critical moment.

A cold and clear voice suddenly interjected from the side.

"Why must Master Lin be so aggressive?"

Jiang Yu had walked over at some point.

She was still holding a piece of hot cake she had just bought from a street stall, taking small bites while speaking casually.

"My boss indeed has some unspeakable difficulties, which is why he had to hide his identity."

Lin Shuangxue paused her movements and turned to look at Jiang Yu.

"Unspeakable difficulties?"

"Why don't you tell us, miss, what kind of unspeakable secret would make a Golden Core expert willing to hide his strength and pretend to be a money-grubbing merchant?"

Jiang Yu swallowed the pastry in her mouth and brushed the crumbs off her hands.

She walked over to Li Fan and shot him an incredibly complex look.

Within that gaze lay regret, admiration, and perhaps a touch of... sympathy?

Li Fan felt his hair stand on end under her stare.

What kind of stunt was this girl trying to pull now?

Jiang Yu let out a long sigh and slowly began to speak:

"My boss was once a renowned prodigy sword cultivator in the Central Tang Province."

"Back then, his white robes were purer than snow, and the gleam of his sword could chill nineteen provinces. He was the very picture of glory and boundless spirit."

Li Fan: "???"

I was? How come I didn't know about this?