Chapter 61: Who Says the Xu Family Has No Leader

Zhu Jianshen paused. He didn't understand Jiang Fan's meaning. Staring at the slightly bloodstained bundle, he couldn't help but chuckle, "You're not saying this is the branch leader's head, are you? Hahaha!"

He had personally witnessed Shadow Guard Number One decapitate the branch leader. Unless Jiang Fan was Shadow Guard Number One himself, where would he have gotten the head?

Jiang Fan calmly sat down, picked up a bowl of tea, and remained expressionless. His posture seemed to suggest, "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Zhu Jianshen's smile deepened. He laughed heartily, "Alright, since you won't believe it until you see it with your own eyes, I'll humor you."

"Come on, take the head out and let's see it. Let's see what kind of head our Young Master Jiang plans to fool us with. It's not made of mud, is it?" Hahaha!

His attendants couldn't help but burst into laughter. A trusted aide immediately stepped forward and untied the bundle, then exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master, it really is a human head."

Zhu Jianshen continued to laugh loudly, "Not bad, at least it's a real head! But do you think this will fool us? Unfortunately, I've fought with the branch leader before; I recognize his face!"

Upon hearing this, the hearts of the Xu family members sank. They had also assumed Jiang Fan was trying to pass off a fake as real, to deceive them and get through the day's events. But they hadn't expected Zhu Jianshen to be so formidable, having personally fought the branch leader. Now they were doomed. Not only had they failed to pull off their deception, but they would also be accused of deceiving the Azure Cloud Sect. The penalty would only be more severe.

Zhu Jianshen was in high spirits. He grabbed the head by its hair, lifted it, and said mockingly, "Let me see if this is really the branch leader's head. If it's not, your punishment will be even greater..."

However, when the swaying head finally stilled and was fully revealed to Zhu Jianshen, its ferocious, cruel face and wide, unseeing eyes terrified Zhu Jianshen to his core! The opponent's man-eating expression from their previous fight immediately flashed in his mind.

"Ah!" He screamed in fright and dropped the head he was holding. His sudden action stunned everyone present, both the Xu family and Zhu Jianshen's men. What was wrong with him? Hadn't he seen a human head before? To be so scared?

Jiang Fan calmly took a sip of tea, then, with a faint, almost imperceptible smile, raised his brush to write, "It seems Young Master Zhu has recognized it."

Zhu Jianshen was still shaken. He looked at the head again in disbelief, but no matter how he looked, he could immediately confirm it was indeed the branch leader's head. Seeing Jiang Fan's taunting words, he looked annoyed and said, "This is impossible! I saw with my own eyes that Shadow Guard Number One cut off this head! Why is it in your hands?"

Everyone else was shocked too! The head was actually real! But if Shadow Guard Number One killed him, why did the head end up with Jiang Fan?

Jiang Fan smiled, raised his brush, and wrote, "That's none of your business. The task you gave the Xu family was simply to obtain the branch leader's head. How it was obtained is irrelevant to you."

Hearing this, the Xu family members suddenly felt a surge of hope. Xu Zhengyan exclaimed in delight, "Exactly! As long as the task is completed! The Azure Cloud Sect has always operated this way when assigning tasks; they don't care about the process, only the result! Even if we hired Shadow Guard Number One, you have no right to question it! Aren't you going to release my family members? Be careful, or I'll report you to the Azure Cloud Sect!"

Zhu Jianshen's attendants, feeling guilty, immediately released the Xu family members, no longer daring to make trouble for them. This had indeed been the case in the past. Some tasks were extremely difficult, and families assigned them had to spend huge sums to hire experts for assistance. The Azure Cloud Sect had never voiced any objection to this. It was tacitly accepted.

However, Zhu Jianshen could not accept this. He had tried repeatedly, yet he still couldn't overcome the small Xu family?

"Who told you to release them?" Zhu Jianshen raised his hand and slapped an attendant nearby, sending him flying. His eyes slightly red, he glared fiercely at Jiang Fan, "I don't care about the Azure Cloud Sect's rules! My rules are the only rules! I demand the head be retrieved personally by *your* Xu family! I won't accept it if anyone else obtained it! Come on! Seize all the Xu family members! Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"

The Xu family members were a mix of shock and anger. Xu Zhengyan roared, "Zhu Jianshen! How dare you!" He truly hadn't expected Zhu Jianshen to be so brazen, to disregard even the rules of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Zhu Jianshen kicked away the stool he was sitting on. His hair bristling with rage, he shouted, "What if I am presumptuous? This is Lone Boat City, and I, Zhu Jianshen, call the shots here! Even the King of Heaven won't make a difference here!" With that, he lunged forward, launching a fierce attack at Xu Zhengyan.

Xu Zhengyan was enraged and would no longer back down; he fought back. However, Zhu Jianshen was, after all, a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, and Xu Zhengyan had an old injury. In just three rounds, Xu Zhengyan was sent flying several meters by a palm strike, spitting blood continuously.

Zhu Jianshen glared around, his killing intent surging, "Is there anyone else who wants to resist? Step forward!!!"

The Xu family members were frozen in fear. Even Xu Zhengyan, their strongest member, had been injured, let alone them? The attendants, now free of doubt, pounced on the Xu family members like wolves and tigers.

Suddenly, an attendant lunging at Xu Youran was sent flying back with a crisp sound of breaking bones and a scream of agony.

Zhu Jianshen turned his head. He saw that Jiang Fan had acted, and instead of getting angry, he smiled, a grim, menacing expression on his face. "Good! Very good! Openly defying the Azure Cloud Sect's orders! Today, I, Zhu Jianshen, will enforce the sect's rules and grant you death!" He had been hoping Jiang Fan would make a move. Only then could he legitimately kill him!

Jiang Fan put down his teacup, slowly rose to his feet, looked at Zhu Jianshen with an indifferent gaze, and casually wrote something on a piece of paper. "You?"

Zhu Jianshen scoffed, "Since when does a mere waste dare to question me, a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect? Alright, today, I'll let you witness my true strength, Zhu Jianshen's power!" With that, his fist, carrying a powerful gust of wind, violently smashed towards Jiang Fan.

Xu Zhengyan watched with a pounding heart and cried out, "Xiao Fan, run!" Xu Youran's face also turned pale, and she cried out anxiously, "Don't be reckless, get out of the way quickly!" How could Jiang Fan possibly withstand a blow from a Foundation Establishment Realm expert?

Zhu Jianshen sneered, "Trying to run? Too late! Who told you to be so foolish as to challenge me, Zhu Jianshen? Die!"

Jiang Fan stood his ground. He did not move a muscle. Not until Zhu Jianshen's fist was three feet from his chest, did Jiang Fan calmly raise his hand and slowly extend it, firmly catching the punch.

Zhu Jianshen sneered inwardly. How inexperienced. To try and block such a punch with an open palm? That would shatter his fingers! He grimly smiled and suddenly exerted more force, intending to make Jiang Fan experience the pain of broken fingers!

However, the next moment, his smile vanished. A surge of spiritual energy, purer than his own, flowed from Jiang Fan's palm and into his five fingers. As Jiang Fan's fingers closed, they gripped his fist like an iron clamp. He couldn't exert even a trace of strength.

At the same time, Jiang Fan finally looked him directly in the eyes, his indifferent gaze carrying a hint of coldness. His expression seemed to say: "Surprised?"