Starting with photographic memory, I've worked my way up to become a martial arts immortal.

Jiang Yuan looked intently at the unexpected reward in his hand, but after reading only twenty-odd words, a notification popped up on the panel.

[Study experience points +1]

His eyes flickered, and he knew that this technique must be genuine.

"Did you sense it beforehand?"

The woman suddenly spoke.

"You smell off." Jiang Yuan didn't even look up.

"The taste?" the woman asked, puzzled.

Jiang Yuan looked away and glanced at her. "Poor people can only take a bath a few times a year, but you smell very nice."

"So that's how it is. I thought I was hiding it well." The woman gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Then what did you mean by 'what a pity'?"

"You have quite a few questions."

Jiang Yuan laughed, "Such a beautiful wife is about to die, don't you think it's a pity?"

"What?" The woman gasped in surprise.

Jiang Yuan squatted down and casually snapped the woman's neck.

The woman died in shock, resentment, and anger, her eyes unclosed, as if questioning why Jiang Yuan had not kept his promise.

"To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself. I'm not that pedantic," Jiang Yuan said in a low voice.

Looking around, the dirt road was covered with blood splattered from the fight, a scene of utter carnage.

Even though he was on guard, he didn't expect so many people to come.

He carefully put away the leather in his hands, and then checked it carefully again to make sure that no valuables or survivors were missed.

They then quickly cleaned up any obvious traces at the scene, ignoring the bloodstains on the ground.

Finally, he dragged the bodies to a wooden shed by the roadside, found a tinderbox, and lit it.

The blazing firelight was particularly conspicuous in the night, but Jiang Yuan was no longer there.

······

Anrenfang.

The backyard of the Black Tiger Gang's stronghold.

Jiang Yuan peeked out from behind the courtyard wall and saw that there was no one in the courtyard, only the clear moonlight.

The other rooms in the courtyard were all dark, except for the window paper of the main room, which let in light, so I knew I had found the right person.

He learned from the two men that the mastermind behind it all was Hou An, a minor leader of the Black Tiger Gang, who lived and worked here.

Hou An had been plotting for several days, even hiring martial arts masters, and was confident that everything was foolproof. Before Hou An received any information, Jiang Yuan felt this was the best time to eliminate any potential threats.

He carefully slid down the courtyard wall, landing on the ground like a large raccoon without making a sound.

As Shi Zhanxingsha approached the window, he vaguely heard gurgling sounds coming from inside.

Jiang Yuan looked puzzled, his heart pounding as he pulled out a dagger and slowly inserted it into the gap between the two windows.

But to his surprise, a suppressed growl came from the other side very soon.

Without further hesitation, Jiang Yuan used a little force to pry open the window bolt and silently leaped into the room.

Meat and fruit were laid out on the octagonal table, and two red candles burned on the candlesticks beside it, bathing the whole room in soft light.

Jiang Yuan's gaze swept across the area, and he quickly found his target.

The two people on the bed were still breathing heavily, seemingly oblivious to the slight sound of the window opening and closing.

Jiang Yuan frowned slightly, walked over, and held a dagger to the prone man. "Don't make a sound, or you'll die!"

The woman beneath him opened her eyes in terror, her previous confusion vanishing. The scream she was about to let out was swallowed back down by Jiang Yuan's sharp gaze.

"That's clever of you. Madam, please get dressed and stay in bed."

"well."

The woman nodded vigorously, obediently agreeing.

Jiang Yuan turned her gaze to the man. "You're Hou An?"

"It is I."

The woman beneath him had already pulled away, and Hou An, his hands braced against the bed frame, stood frozen, too terrified to move.

"Brother, let's talk this out, please don't resort to violence."

"I don't want to take action, but I'm worried you'll kill me," Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

"Impossible, I would never do that!" Hou An said confidently.

"Is that so? Then let's have a good talk. If you have any other thoughts, I won't let you off the hook."

Jiang Yuan slowly sheathed his dagger, sat down at the octagonal table with an air of authority, picked up a pear from the table, and took a bite.

Hou An, lying on the bed, breathed a sigh of relief, stretched his sore arms, and sat up. He looked up and saw a handsome young man sitting comfortably on a stool, eating and drinking as he pleased.

"Come and sit down." Jiang Yuan gestured with his lips, as if he were the master of the house.

Hou Anqiang sat down, trying to appear calm. "Brother, what brings you here?"

"Liu Sandu knows me, but you don't?" Jiang Yuan asked in confusion. "Then why did you send people to kill me?"

"It's you?!" he exclaimed incredulously.

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow. "What, you thought I was dead?"

Hou An was indeed startled. He had hired several skilled men to assassinate this kid, but how come the guy was still standing in front of him?

Was the assassination attempt a failure, or did they simply fail to ambush the target? Could it be that Zhao Hui has betrayed them?

Many thoughts surfaced in his mind, causing his expression to change several times. Finally, he smiled bitterly and said, "How could I dare to think like that?"

"Not only did you dare to think about it, you also sent several people to kill me." Jiang Yuan's tone turned cold.

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding." Hou An's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Jiang Yuan ignored him and looked at the woman on the bed. "Madam, do you recognize me?"

The woman shook her head repeatedly, "This is the first time I've met you, young master."

"I'm not some young master," Jiang Yuan said with a half-smile. "Madam may not recognize me, but I remember you. The last time we met was outside Xue's Dyehouse."

The woman's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered a laborer she had seen that day who looked remarkably like the man before her.

"Could you be the laborer from that day?" she asked hesitantly.

Jiang Yuan nodded. "Exactly."

How is that possible!

The woman looked at the handsome man with an extraordinary air sitting at the octagonal table, but she could not reconcile the image of the lowly laborer in her mind with the man she had just imagined.

She forced a smile. "Young master has changed so much. I was too blind to recognize you."

Jiang Yuan waved his hand, "It doesn't matter if Madam doesn't recognize me, the important thing is that I know you are Liu San's woman."

Upon hearing this, the woman felt a sudden darkness engulf her vision.

Hou An, who had been sitting at the table with a forced smile, suddenly sprang to his feet, pulled a dagger from under the table, and stabbed Jiang Yuan.

With a half-eaten pear in his left hand, Jiang Yuan swung his right hand and knocked Hou An's dagger away. He then stood up and grabbed Hou An by the throat.

"You just ignored what I said?" Jiang Yuan said coldly.

"ginger……"

Hou An opened his eyes wide in horror as a half-eaten pear was stuffed into his mouth.

Jiang Yuan grabbed the other man's forearm and twisted it hard, causing Hou An to writhe on the ground in pain.

After a while, he shakily sat down on the stool, his whole body covered in cold sweat.

"It would have been better if you had just behaved yourself. You forced me to take action. I came here today to have a proper talk with you," Jiang Yuan said calmly.

"Yes, yes, Master Jiang, I will never dare to do it again."

Jiang Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the woman. "Madam, I'm sure you wouldn't want Liu San to know about this, would you?"

The woman was terrified. She crawled forward two steps and said in a tearful voice, "Whatever my lord needs me to do, I will do it."