It had to be said...
Bang's arrival couldn't have been more perfectly timed.
Had he been even '0.01 seconds' later, Sweet Mask might once again have collapsed into a pool of blood, bisected at the waist and left hovering on the brink of death.
Perhaps only a martial arts grandmaster like Bang possessed the ability to seize such a tiny opening and stop what was about to happen.
In any case...
The natural, tranquil aura surrounding him seemed to dispel all the tension and killing intent that had filled the air.
The oppressive atmosphere vanished almost instantly.
Fang Li's brows furrowed slightly.
Sweet Mask's tightly wound body also relaxed involuntarily, leaving only his ragged breathing behind.
Bang turned toward Fang Li and spoke gently.
"Won't you at least do this old man the favor of giving me some face?"
Hearing that...
Fang Li glanced at Sweet Mask.
Seeing him staring back while drenched in sweat and struggling just to steady his breathing, Fang Li slowly closed his eyes.
"Fine."
"I was getting tired of this anyway."
As he spoke, Fang Li removed his hand from 'Bo Xie's' hilt.
The pure white nodachi shimmered briefly...
Then disappeared without a trace.
"Oh?"
Bang let out an interested sound.
Even Sweet Mask couldn't help carefully examining Fang Li again.
This wasn't the first time either of them had witnessed this mysterious ability.
Sweet Mask had seen it during his duel with Fang Li.
Bang had witnessed it during the battle against the meteor.
Neither of them could understand how Fang Li could make a weapon over two meters long appear and disappear as though performing magic.
Could it actually be some kind of magical technique?
That was the conclusion both men reached.
In reality...
Fang Li had simply withdrawn 'Bo Xie' from the 'Fairy Bag' at incredible speed.
Because the Fairy Bag wasn't equipped as one of his official pieces of equipment but was merely carried as a personal item, he couldn't summon its contents with a mere thought, nor could he instantly store whatever he touched inside it.
Everything had to be placed into or taken out of the bag manually.
Therefore...
This was the method Fang Li used.
Given the incredible speed of his hands, and the fact that the Fairy Bag was carried on his person, it naturally looked as though the weapon had appeared out of thin air.
Bang hadn't seen through the trick.
Not because his eyesight was lacking.
Nor because he couldn't keep up with Fang Li's movements.
Rather...
Fang Li deliberately used deceptive motions to conceal the Fairy Bag's existence.
Even so...
That did nothing to diminish the impression Fang Li had left on the two men.
After all...
One of them had once been instantly cut down by a single strike.
The other had personally witnessed Fang Li slicing an enormous meteor into countless pieces.
Naturally, they regarded this mysterious feat as yet another sign of how unfathomable Fang Li truly was, never imagining that it was merely a clever sleight of hand.
"All right."
"Enough small talk."
Fang Li looked at Bang.
"You sent me a text asking me to come here."
"So what exactly did you want?"
Before Bang could answer...
Sweet Mask reacted.
"A text message?"
He also looked toward Bang.
"So... the reason he came here was because you invited him as well?"
Even that question wasn't answered directly.
Instead...
Fang Li seemed to realize something.
"So that's it."
He looked at Bang in understanding.
"You invited both of us here."
If that was the case...
Fang Li already had a good idea of what Bang intended.
"You're trying to reconcile the conflict between us, aren't you?"
He spoke bluntly.
"The Hero Association asked you to do this?"
It wasn't a difficult conclusion to reach.
After all...
Fang Li had nearly killed Sweet Mask.
In the eyes of the Hero Association's executives, it was only natural to assume that the relationship between the two had become irreparably hostile.
Now that Sweet Mask had recovered from his injuries and was preparing to return to the public eye...
What would happen if he crossed paths with Fang Li again?
A conflict between them would be almost unavoidable.
If that happened...
Not only might Sweet Mask truly be killed the next time...
The incident could also become public knowledge.
People would discover that the Hero Association itself was plagued by internal conflict rather than unity.
Once something like that came to light...
It would inevitably become troublesome.
The severity of that trouble could vary.
At best...
It would merely become another hot topic for public discussion.
At worst...
Others might seize upon it as ammunition to undermine public confidence in the Hero Association.
The Association had only recently managed to improve its reputation thanks to the successful resolution of the meteor crisis.
Naturally...
It wanted to avoid such an outcome.
However...
It had no effective way to control either Fang Li or Sweet Mask.
That was why they had asked Bang to act as a mediator and reconcile the conflict between them.
"We're all professional heroes," Bang said, lifting his head to address the two of them.
"Competition between colleagues is perfectly natural."
"But turning those disagreements into personal hostility is simply foolish."
"You are both indispensable talents."
"There are still countless disasters threatening humanity that require your strength."
"Internal conflict is the last thing we need."
"Don't you agree?"
This time...
Fang Li answered.
"Don't misunderstand."
"I don't have enough free time to go around making enemies."
His voice was completely indifferent.
"But..."
"I'm also not someone who'll quietly endure it when someone comes looking for trouble."
"Looking for trouble?"
Sweet Mask immediately turned to him.
His expression grew solemn.
"You actually think what I did was simply picking a fight?"
"Oh?"
Fang Li smiled faintly.
"Don't tell me it wasn't."
"What?"
"You intend to say that targeting me was an act of justice?"
"You...!"
The veins at Sweet Mask's temples bulged once more.
Fang Li noticed that every time those veins surfaced...
Sweet Mask's aura noticeably grew stronger.
'(Is that another effect of his unusual constitution?)'
"Enough, enough."
Bang cleared his throat before speaking again.
"According to the latest information from the Hero Association..."
"...that person should be returning soon."
He looked first at Fang Li, then at Sweet Mask.
"Rakshasa may not care..."
"But Sweet Mask, you should know who I'm referring to."
"She may not be particularly enthusiastic..."
"But every assignment the Association gives her is completed without fail."
"If the two of you refuse to listen to this old man..."
"Then next time..."
"The one who comes to mediate will probably be her."
"And unlike me..."
"Her methods are far from gentle."
Bang's words caused Sweet Mask to freeze.
"...Her?"
Even Fang Li looked slightly surprised.
A moment later...
Sweet Mask fell silent.
Then...
The bulging veins gradually disappeared from his body.
Without another word...
He turned around.
Seeing that...
Bang understood.
Sweet Mask had yielded.
Then he turned toward Fang Li.
"And you?"
"Do you have any objections?"
Hearing that...
Fang Li merely left behind a single sentence.
"I'm not interested..."
"...in dragging out pointless grudges forever."
With those words...
He simply walked away.
Ignoring the two pairs of eyes watching his departing back...
Fang Li sank into thought.
"'Her', huh..."
Murmuring those words softly to himself...
He left Bang's dojo.
'(End Of This Chapter)'
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