When the third stroke of the midnight watch sounded, Ye Fan's boot sole crushed the last piece of incense ash. He could clearly hear the faint cracking sound of the Spirit Seed within his Inner World, where the sword-like stream of golden light circulated within the vortex of spiritual energy, bringing a warm sensation even to his fingertips.
Zhao Wuji and the dark shadow behind him remained wrapped in the night, like a pool of unyielding ink, yet that familiar aura grew increasingly distinct—when he was back-stabbed in his past life, he had first caught this fishy, sweet scent tinged with rust, before a poisoned dagger pierced his back.
"Young Master Ye is certainly candid." Zhao Wuji loosened his grip on the teacup, a drop of blood seeping from his palm onto the remaining pages of the *Break-Jade Formula*, blooming into a dark red stain. He stared at the bulging outline at Ye Fan's waist, where the main instrument of the Jiuxiao Huanpei was hidden. "However, what this general wants has never been a few pages of paper."
Chapter 76