This High Martial World is Too Crazy!!!

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: A Clear Setup

In the study of the residence, the doors banged open at Yang Duan’s command.

Four of the Sect Leader’s personal guards rushed in, their grappling hands infused with Heart Images as they struck at the major acupoints on Fang Can’s body.

Fang Can was horrified. His mind couldn’t keep up; he never imagined this was actually a trap.

Then his body reacted instinctively. Seeing their grappling attacks, he used his arms to counter them.

”THUD! THUD! THUD!”

Almost instantaneously, relying on his superb technique, Fang Can barely managed to parry the first five hands. But his strength was exhausted, and he was immediately restrained.

He felt his Heart Image being neutralized and knew his technique was no match for four hulking men who were each more than ten times stronger than him. Resigned, Fang Can stopped struggling.

By now, he was starting to figure things out.

’If Yang Duan really wanted me dead, he could have just eliminated me completely. Why go through all the trouble of locking me up?’

’Besides, my superpower hasn’t reacted at all. This whole thing feels like a setup.’

With this in mind, Fang Can looked at the grim-faced Yang Duan, trying to gauge his true intentions.

Yang Duan, however, avoided his gaze, afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face and would burst out laughing. He could only say in a somber tone,

”I believe the Sect’s dungeons are all full.”

”In that case, lock him in that small building in the North District. It’s just a storage area, and there’s no one around.”

Hearing Yang Duan’s words, the four guards acknowledged the order and hauled Fang Can out of the courtyard.

After the five men had gone, Li Fengtian appeared silently in the courtyard. ”Big Brother,” he said, ”shouldn’t we explain things to the boy?”

”Explain my ass! As long as the kid isn’t an idiot, he’ll understand what we mean,” Yang Duan said with confidence.

”You made some special arrangements, Big Brother?”

”Of course.” Yang Duan folded his arms across his chest.

”There are no guards at that building. There’s a tunnel in the basement that leads right outside the Sect grounds. I left a complete military map of Yanggu County, plenty of food and drink, and the area is deserted for hundreds of meters in every direction. I didn’t leave any cash, but I left a huge stack of IOUs...”

Hearing Yang Duan’s ”arrangements,” even Li Fengtian couldn’t help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch. ’Isn’t this a bit too obvious?’ he thought. ’Even I would know something was up if I were Fang Can.’

Sure enough, when the four guards escorted Fang Can into the small building in the North District and he saw the interior, his eyes went wide. ’Is this what you fucking call a prison?’

Before him, the floor of the small building was paved with white marble, enclosed by red brick walls. The interior was spotless and piled high with all sorts of supplies.

Shelves on both sides were stocked with rice, flour, grains, and oil. The walls were covered with various weapons—sabers, spears, swords, halberds—making it a veritable armory. A detailed map also hung on one wall.

’Weird... This is too weird...’ The corner of Fang Can’s mouth twitched as he surveyed the scene.

The four guards didn’t exchange a single word with Fang Can. Once he was inside, they locked the door and windows tight, making absolutely sure he couldn’t get out through the ”main entrance.”

Alone in the sealed room, he finally had time to leisurely examine his surroundings.

He walked past the supply-laden shelves to a desk at the back of the room. On it sat a thick stack of paper notes.

_As of Year X, Month X, Day X, the Lieyang Martial Arts Hall is under the protection of the Tiger Slaughter Sect. On the Xth day of each month, a Disciple from your esteemed Sect may present this voucher to collect a tribute of 100 silver, thereby obtaining the right to operate._

”Well, I’ll be damned,” Fang Can muttered, looking at the huge stack of vouchers.

These were all fealty pledges from the various powers within the Tiger Slaughter Sect’s hundred-mile territory. They had to pay a monthly tribute of silver to the Sect, or they wouldn’t be able to stay in business.

Fang Can had heard of this system. Disciples graduating from the training halls weren’t paid directly in silver; they were given these vouchers instead.

They were then expected to take the vouchers and collect the debts themselves. How much they actually managed to collect was up to them; the Tiger Slaughter Sect didn’t get involved.

After a quick glance through the vouchers, Fang Can’s gaze shifted to a wooden box on the desk.

He opened it gently and found a suit of golden-thread soft armor inside.

Each scale of the armor was as thin as a cicada’s wing, intricately linked with a fine, detailed texture. To the touch, it felt like python skin.

Fang Can grabbed the armor by its sides and pulled with all his might, only to find he couldn’t tear it with his current strength.

Ample supplies, a full rack of weapons, a suit of armor, a stack of IOUs...

Seeing all this, even an idiot would understand what Yang Duan wanted him to do.

’As expected of an old geezer in his eighties or nineties,’ Fang Can thought. ’He really thinks of everything.’ This whole setup, with all the supplies, left Fang Can with nothing to complain about. He only wished for more.

’Since they locked me in here, there must be a secret passage.’

Fang Can mused, and as he looked up, he saw a conspicuous white arrow pointing directly to the corner on his right.

In the corner the arrow pointed to, a chain was attached to a marble slab in the floor. The message couldn’t be clearer: ’Now get the hell out!’

He went over and lifted the marble slab, revealing a tunnel that descended into darkness. Paired with the map on the wall, Fang Can guessed it must lead to the deserted wilderness outside the Tiger Slaughter Sect’s grounds.

Before he could investigate further, the locked door behind him boomed open. A guard dragged in three unconscious men and unceremoniously dumped them on the floor.

THUD!

As they landed with a dull thud, Fang Can got a clear look at their faces, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

It was Li Qunfan and the two other men who had tried to rob him just this morning.

Seeing Fang Can’s dumbfounded expression, the guard said fiercely, ”The Sect Leader has decreed that the Sect traitor, Fang Can, will be beheaded at high noon tomorrow. Don’t even think about escaping.”

As he spoke, the guard tossed several large bundles toward Fang Can.

Fang Can caught them easily and realized it was his own modern suitcase from his room. Nothing had been touched.

Looking at the guard, Fang Can said with the utmost sincerity, ”Brother, please thank the Sect Leader for me. Tell him I will be sure to repay his kindness one day.”

The guards exchanged cold snorts at Fang Can’s attitude. ”Has this guy lost his mind? He’s about to be executed and he’s thanking us.”

”Who cares? Let’s go get a drink. No need to watch him. To the tavern!”

”Sounds good. This building is as solid as a fortress, anyway. There’s no way the kid can escape...”

...

Fang Can watched with a smile as the four guards locked the door and walked away, arms slung over each other’s shoulders. Then, he turned and picked up a finely crafted longsword from the weapon rack.

Just then, the three thugs on the floor began to stir. They opened their eyes just in time to see Fang Can, sword in hand, looking down at them with a menacing grin.

Li Qunfan scrambled backward in terror. ”Fang... Fang Can, what are you doing?! I’m telling you, killing a fellow Disciple is a capital offense! You’ll get the ’Three Cuts and Six Holes’ punishment!”

”You’re absolutely right.” Fang Can drew the gleaming longsword from its scabbard, his smile dazzling. ”Too bad for you, I’m not a member of the Tiger Slaughter Sect anymore.”