Chapter 522: Chapter 522

Mie Sheng looked at Lin Fan’s expression.

He wasn’t a fool; he understood what Lin Fan meant. Using his hand to kill the target would also tie him to the matter.

The Young Master of the Tiangang Organization had gotten involved.

If word of this got out, the Tiangang Organization’s reputation would definitely take a hit.

We pay a hefty sum to issue a task, yet someone from the Tiangang Organization kills the target. How would we explain this?

Mie Sheng didn’t want to get involved.

But he had no choice.

Whether he wanted to or not, he had to participate. His thoughts no longer mattered; such is the reality of being forced into a situation.

Xiang family’s territory.

"Brother Xiang, how does it feel to return to a place you’re familiar with?" Qin Yang patted his shoulder and asked, but without waiting for a reply, he added, "But don’t feel too down. There’s no hurdle in life that you can’t get past. On deeper thought, you might even feel relieved—it’s fortunate that this was discovered early, or the consequences would’ve been endless."

Qin Yang appeared to be consoling him, but for some reason, hearing these words only made one feel even worse.

Xiang Fei nodded with difficulty, and with some effort.

As if acknowledging that Qin Yang’s consolation was somewhat effective.

Lin Fan knew Xiang Fei’s origins were extraordinary, but he hadn’t anticipated him being yet another Noble Family Young Master—though his situation was miserable, far worse than Qin Yang’s. No matter what, Qin Yang still had a decent standing within the Qin Family.

The fact that he could steal a valuable treasure from the Qin Family for Lin Fan was evidence of his high position, far surpassing Xiang Fei’s.

"Friend Mie Sheng, I’ll leave this to you next," Lin Fan said.

What they were doing was undeniably risky.

After all, this was within the Noble Family’s domain, and their target was the Clan Leader’s Wife of the future leader of the family—the stakes were high.

Mie Sheng had no way of refusing the task. He’d already been dragged onto the ship, and getting off safely was extremely difficult at this point. If he didn’t fulfill their request, he might face serious consequences.

For example, dying inexplicably right here.

Having cultivated for so many years and crushed countless young prodigies with absolute strength, he, who had the potential to become Immortal Venerable, could not die so easily.

Mie Sheng performed a peculiar hand seal, seemingly initiating some sort of communication.

The Xiang family, a large Noble Family, operated like a giant self-contained system, not unlike a sprawling city.

Li Qinger held a prominent position in the Xiang family.

Her husband was the heir to the family’s leadership, and she was the Clan Leader’s Wife. Who would dare provoke her?

She looked toward the distant horizon, her expression filled with curiosity. The Tiangang Organization had initiated contact with her and arranged a meeting—this puzzled her greatly, as the Tiangang Organization rarely reached out to the gold clients who issued tasks.

Normally, it was the gold clients who proactively reached out to them when requesting specific tasks.

Li Qinger didn’t dwell on the oddity. Find the newest release on novｅlfire.net

Nor did she perceive anything amiss.

Without attracting attention, she left the Xiang family and headed to the agreed-upon meeting point.

Lin Fan and the others had been waiting for some time. She hadn’t arrived yet, which made things a bit nerve-wracking.

Xiang Fei’s expression was deeply uneasy.

The pain in his heart was plain to see. For Lin Fan, it was somewhat regretful; Xiang Fei was a stable and earnest man, diligent in his cultivation, yet now he seemed utterly lost over a woman.

"She’s here." He felt a faint aura approaching from afar.

A foe —he could crush hundreds of them with just a flick of his hand.

The sound of footsteps approached.

Li Qinger scoured her surroundings, searching for traces of the Tiangang Organization.

She stopped, because ahead of her appeared a group of individuals, none of whom she recognized—except one, whom she knew all too well.

Her originally calm expression subtly changed.

She couldn’t believe it. Her heart shouted in denial: impossible—how could he possibly be here?

But the moment had already arrived.

She couldn’t pretend not to know him.

Li Qinger’s expression transformed, filled with surprise and disbelief. "Ah Fei, how are you here? Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? I have so much to tell you; things aren’t as you think."

She hurriedly ran toward Xiang Fei.

At the same time, she pondered several things.

How was Xiang Fei here? Wasn’t the Tiangang Organization supposed to have killed him?

Also... it was the Tiangang Organization that contacted her about this meeting. Among these strangers before her, who was the Tiangang assassin?

Xiang Fei looked at the woman he’d thought about day and night. His heart was filled with rage, and he had countless questions to ask.

Why? Why did you do this?

We grew up together, childhood sweethearts.

Do you even remember the promises we made to each other back then?

All he wanted now was to understand what was on her mind. Why had she treated him this way?

Your actions caused me tremendous pain, to the point that you even issued a Killing Order to the Tiangang Organization against me. Is there truly no feeling left between us?

Li Qinger was far from foolish. Even as she ran, she’d already figured out some things.

The Tiangang Organization hadn’t killed Xiang Fei but had allied with him, which meant her plan had failed and been exposed.

She couldn’t admit that she was behind this.

She had to play the victim, to tell him she’d been forced, that it was his elder brother who coerced her, that she truly couldn’t bear to leave him. She recalled their promises atop the cliff, watching the sunset together and vowing never to be apart.

She believed that as long as she seemed pitiful, Xiang Fei would undoubtedly forgive her.

Just as Li Qinger stopped running, Lin Fan’s arm swung, sending a sharp blade slicing through the air—it cleanly severed Li Qinger’s head.

The movement was swift.

The act was practiced.

A large human head rolled to the ground.

Li Qinger’s wide-open eyes stared as her death came—unable to rest easy, not understanding even in death why this had happened or what the reason was.

Even the cold-hearted Mie Sheng was shocked.

He was rendered speechless by Lin Fan’s resolute action. Damn it, wasn’t this a bit too ruthless? She hadn’t even had the chance to speak before being cut down.

At least give someone a moment to say a few words.

Besides, your brother seemed eager to reconcile with the woman. Did you even ask him whether he wanted to? You could’ve at least acted while the emotions were high...

Xiang Fei stood there, wide-eyed, staring at the severed head—lost for words, uncertain of himself or what to do next.

Lin Fan patted Xiang Fei’s shoulder, saying, "You can hate me if you want. I don’t intend to explain myself. As my brother, I won’t allow you to be played by a woman. Your heart is too soft; it makes you an easy target for deception."

"I killed her to sever the weakness in your heart. From now on, you will become stronger."

Xiang Fei looked at the lifeless body, then closed his eyes, took a brief moment of contemplation, and slowly reopened them. His gaze seemed transformed, reminiscent of the enlightened state often spoken of in Buddhist teachings.

"Brother Lin, I don’t hate you. I know you’re doing this for my own good. You were right; the moment I saw her, I wavered. If you hadn’t intervened, I might not have been able to resist."

"Now that she’s dead, she has vanished from my heart."

Xiang Fei was someone who could see the bigger picture. He understood that some situations needed a swift and decisive resolution. When he couldn’t act himself, someone else needed to step in.

Lin Fan patted Xiang Fei’s shoulder. "Mm, I’m glad you can think so clearly."

Qin Yang glanced at the corpse.

He was truly stunned.

To be honest, this woman was rather beautiful, quite attractive even, but Lin Fan didn’t utter a word before chopping her down—now that’s some tyrannical flair.

Qin Yang squatted down, observing the rolling head with some helplessness. Brother Xiang was such an excellent man, yet you wasted your big eyes misjudging him—disappointing.

"Friend Mie Sheng, could you help bury this?" Lin Fan asked. Xiang Fei originally wanted to bury Li Qinger himself. Regardless of the situation, she was someone he had a history with, and burying her seemed appropriate.

But Lin Fan stopped him.

She was already forgotten; why bother with her burial?

"Me, bury her?" Mie Sheng found it hard to accept such manual labor. Was he not the Young Master of the Tiangang Organization?

A man of his status—how could he do such a menial task?

But he had no choice.

He begrudgingly dug a pit and buried Li Qinger.

Since he had boarded this metaphorical pirate ship, he had to see it through. Once he was back, he’d have to revoke the Killing Order—even though he hadn’t committed the murder, he’d still bear the primary responsibility.

This was unavoidable.

Just his bad luck to have encountered something .

"Friend Lin, is there anything else you need from me now?" Mie Sheng asked. He wanted to leave and never be around them again.

The ever-untouchable Mie Sheng had suffered a significant setback in Lin Fan’s presence—a blow he couldn’t bear, a face he never wanted to see again.

Having grown to this level, intelligence naturally went hand in hand.

If you can’t beat someone, you simply can’t beat them.

Even if you gave it your all—you couldn’t win.

Lin Fan said, "Friend Mie Sheng, once you’re back, please withdraw the task. Since the matter has been resolved, there’s no need for anyone to pursue it further anymore. Don’t you agree?"

"Yes, absolutely right," Mie Sheng replied.

Had this happened to anyone else, they would have long ago drawn their sword to strike Lin Fan down. But unfortunately, how could anyone make such a ridiculous request to Mie Sheng?

But now, it was such a pity.

This fellow before him was overwhelmingly strong; Mie Sheng couldn’t win.

He had no choice but to bear it.

"Thank you, Friend Mie Sheng. If you ever need assistance in the future, don’t hesitate to ask. I will surely help whenever I can. After all, in the Immortal Realm, it’s either you helping me or me helping you—we support one another to weather challenges," Lin Fan remarked.

Mie Sheng smiled, clasping his hands together as he left.

Lin Fan watched Mie Sheng’s retreating figure, feeling a tinge of regret for not holding him back. Mie Sheng’s talent was undoubtedly incredible—surely he would’ve yielded valuable items.

But a true Immortal cultivator would never stoop to such thoughts.

After all, they were somewhat like friends.

"This is not a place to stay long. Let’s leave now. Brother Xiang, stop staring—there’s nothing worth seeing. For now, returning to the Xiang family is out of the question," Lin Fan said.

He understood he couldn’t go back.