Fu Juemin reacted with lightning speed. The moment the man in colorful clothes threw the golden jar and yellow smoke filled the air, he had already leaped back from the window, simultaneously pulling out a handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth.

He realized the man in colorful clothes was after him specifically. He had a sense about the man, and it was likely the man had a similar awareness of him.

The recent events rapidly connected in his mind...

BOOM!

From downstairs came the massive crash of a splintering door, mixed with the loud shouts of the grocery store owner and a woman’s terrified shriek.

But Fu Juemin had no time to worry about that. He scanned his surroundings and, before the yellow smoke outside could pour in through the window, grabbed Cao Tian and dashed toward a window on the other side of the second floor.

CRACK—

The shattered window lattice clattered to the ground as the two of them landed steadily on their feet.

To the side of the shop was a narrow alley. Fu Juemin’s first instinct was to run toward the back of it.

He hadn’t expected to look up and find a high, solid wall of gray brick.

It was a dead end.

To get out, they would have to go back through the main street.

Fu Juemin’s expression darkened. He turned back with Cao Tian and hurried toward the street.

But before they could even fully exit the alley, they saw that sheets of red cloth had been raised over the street, like two red walls, completely blocking the view of the crowd and the road beyond.

Through the billowing red cloth, they could see silhouettes milling about. It was impossible to tell what was happening outside, but it was a chaotic scene.

Cao Tian said nothing. He quickly drew his twin blades from his waist, walked up to the red cloth barrier, and slashed down with both blades—

SCREEECH—

His short blades dragged across the red cloth with a harsh, scraping sound, revealing a wire mesh woven from fine threads hidden behind it.

Cao Tian’s brow furrowed. He reached out, grabbed the wire mesh, and gave it a hard shove.

The entire red wall rippled like a wave before quickly pulling taut again, as if people on the other side were holding the wire mesh tight.

Tap— tap—

Just then, footsteps rang out. A tall, slender figure draped in colorful clothes appeared at the end of the red-draped alley. His head was still covered by red silk as he slowly walked toward them.

"Young Master Fu~"

A delicate, wispy voice emerged from beneath the red cloth.

It sounded like a burly man deliberately speaking in a strained, high-pitched voice—unsettling and bizarre to the ear.

Fu Juemin’s eyes flickered as he watched the man in colorful clothes, whose speech and gait were strikingly feminine.

Cao Tian gave up trying to break through the wall. He moved to block Fu Juemin and, without a word, stomped his foot and charged, blades raised to strike the man.

As a top Red Stick of the Black Shark Gang, he had faced countless similar do-or-die situations.

But as they clashed, Fu Juemin heard a dull THUD, and Cao Tian’s figure was sent flying backward.

The moment he landed, Cao Tian slapped a hand on the ground, his body coiling like a spring, and launched himself back at the man in colorful clothes with even greater speed...

Unexpectedly, his defeat was even quicker this time.

The man in colorful clothes merely lifted a hand with an air of casual indifference. His strike seemed to float forward, yet it landed on Cao Tian’s chest before Cao Tian’s own attack could connect.

From Fu Juemin’s perspective, it looked as if Cao Tian had voluntarily run into the palm strike.

POW!

Cao Tian let out a muffled grunt. He was thrown like a broken sack, landing at the base of the red cloth wall. He instinctively curled up, his face deathly pale, and blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth.

"A Blood Gate Martial Artist?!"

Cao Tian’s eyes were fixed on the composed man in colorful clothes as he forced the words out through gritted teeth.

He struggled to push himself up and turned to look at Fu Juemin. He had just managed to shout the words "Young Master" when seven or eight large hands abruptly shot out from under the red cloth wall behind him and swiftly dragged him away.

"Young Master Fu~"

The man in colorful clothes called out again.

From the very beginning, it seemed his eyes were only for Fu Juemin; he hadn’t paid Cao Tian any mind at all.

The preceding series of clashes hadn’t even disrupted his stride. It was as if he had merely waved his hand to brush away an annoying fly.

Fu Juemin stood staring fixedly at the man in colorful clothes, seemingly scared stiff.

The man in colorful clothes took two more steps forward before Fu Juemin "awoke from his stupor," turned with a panicked expression, and ran.

But his path was soon blocked by the high wall at the end of the alley. He tried to climb it, but his foot slipped on the moss as soon as he found a hold. Finally, he began to "desperately" punch the wall...

Watching the man before him struggle, the smile beneath the red cloth on the colorful-clothed man’s face grew wider and more bewitching, yet his eyes flashed with a glint of cruelty.

"Young Master Fu."

The man in colorful clothes continued his unhurried advance as he spoke. "I went to all this trouble to put on such a grand show just for you. I’d say I’ve given you plenty of face.

If you’d just be a dear and hand over your life, I might... just might... be able to give you a nice, dignified death..."

The man’s words were as soft as a coquettish woman’s whisper, yet their meaning was so cold it was chilling to the bone.

Fu Juemin, his back still to the man, stopped punching the wall. His head was bowed, and his shoulders were shuddering slightly, as if he were trembling uncontrollably with fear.

The man in colorful clothes walked over with a broad smile. When he was right in front of Fu Juemin, he reached out a hand, its nails painted crimson, and slowly moved to pat Fu Juemin’s shoulder.

"Young Master Fu, are you... ready?"

Just then, Fu Juemin, who had been facing the wall, whipped around.

The silvery barrel of a revolver was pointed directly at the forehead of the man in colorful clothes.

The man’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. The red cloth that had been covering his face slipped silently away, revealing a man’s face caked in thick white powder.

The brilliant smile he had been wearing was now completely frozen on his face.

And looking at Fu Juemin now—his face was expressionless, his gaze calm. There wasn’t the slightest trace of panic or fear.

"You look..."

Fu Juemin narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the man from head to toe, before shaking his head and remarking, "Truly hideous."

And with that, he pulled the trigger of the revolver in his hand!

BANG!

The ear-piercing gunshot abruptly tore through the air above the street.

The clamor and chaos filling the street instantly went silent for a moment.

Countless people looked up, staring dumbly in the direction of the gunshot.

But soon...

BANG! BANG! BANG!...

The successive gunshots that followed pushed the ongoing turmoil to a new, uncontrolled peak.

BOOM—

The two crowded streets erupted in an instant.

...

BANG! BANG! BANG—

Fu Juemin’s eyes were icy as he fired six shots at the man in colorful clothes, who was now fluttering back and forth against the red cloth wall like a broken kite. He emptied the cylinder in one go.

’A Blood Gate Martial Artist...’

He took a sharp breath, his brow gradually furrowing.

’Whether it’s because he’s a Blood Gate Martial Artist or because of some power boost from being a Demon Minion, that man’s reflexes are far faster than I anticipated. Even at a distance of less than ten centimeters, a shot aimed right at his forehead, and I still couldn’t kill him in one hit. He managed to dodge.’

He was certain he had hit his target, but he wasn’t sure how many of the six shots had actually landed on the man in colorful clothes.

Of course, now wasn’t the time to obsess over that question.

The crisis was far from over. The man in colorful clothes was now on guard against the gun. The next phase would be a battle of fists and feet.

Thinking this, Fu Juemin directly called up his character panel.

After a quick glance, he unhesitatingly spent his remaining 1 Skill Point on the [Eight Extremes Bone Forging Skill].

He had originally been saving that Skill Point for the "Pharmacist Buddha’s Glazed Body", but facing a Demon Minion from a Martial Family who had broken through the Blood Barrier—even a potentially injured one—was not the time for holding back.

As the 1 Skill Point was added, the word "Mastery" after [Eight Extremes Bone Forging Skill] immediately vanished, replaced by "Great Success."

At the same time, a massive torrent of memories instantly flooded Fu Juemin’s mind.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—

He involuntarily bent over slightly, and then his entire body—flesh, muscle, and bone—began to emit a fine, strange, humming vibration, like a clockwork mechanism being wound tight...