Bang—

The two of them fell to the ground, a dull thud echoing through the dilapidated house.

Ryan Bennett took advantage of the momentum, pressing down with his longsword, the blade resting against the woman's neck.

The clash of blades and shadows in the rainy night came to an abrupt halt in that instant!

In the quiet room, only the sound of two people breathing remained.

Ryan Bennett's gaze was calm as he looked down at the shadowy woman beneath him like a lamb awaiting slaughter, the corner of his mouth curling up:

"Brother, you lost."

Now that they were so close, with no umbrella between them, Ryan Bennett finally noticed that this woman was actually quite attractive.

Almond-shaped eyes, delicate brows, lips like lacquered vermilion, her face as smooth as mutton-fat jade—clearly someone pampered and well cared for, who rarely saw the sun.

Even lying flat now, the grandeur of her chest was undiminished, only slightly spread out, becoming a flattened mound—proof that there was nothing artificial inside, all genuine.

However, the woman's expression was anything but pleasant.

The woman in black was firmly pinned beneath Ryan Bennett, a sword at her throat, yet she showed no sign of conceding. Instead, her face flushed with anger, her eyes blazing, and she didn't even bother disguising her voice as she rebuked:

"You’re despicable, using sneak attacks and dirty tricks!"

Hearing this, Ryan Bennett naturally didn’t let go. His victory came from overwhelming intelligence and experience in the martial world—these were all part of personal strength, so how could it be called despicable? He chuckled and said:

"In a life-and-death struggle, that’s just how it is. Or did you expect me to shout out the name of my move, hit you once, then you shout out the name of your move and hit me back?"

"You are despicable! A dishonorable victory!"

The woman in black was nearly beside herself with rage.

But her anger wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Her status was far too exalted; in the past, anyone who sparred with her always followed the rules to the letter. Who would dare, like Ryan Bennett, to play tricks and use cunning when brute force failed?

Let alone have the audacity to pin her to the ground and mock her!

When had she ever suffered such humiliation in her life?

It was her first time encountering such a devious opponent, and she hadn’t even had a chance to show her true skills. Of course she felt stifled. Even pinned to the ground by Ryan Bennett, she still refused to admit defeat. Bracing her left hand on the ground and raising her sword with her right, she actually forced herself up, pushing Ryan Bennett off.

Ryan Bennett had tempered his body for over a decade and was indeed incredibly strong, but when pressing down, no matter how great his strength, it couldn’t exceed his own body weight—he really couldn’t hold her down.

"Scoundrel, prepare to die!"

The woman in black, face full of fury, forced herself up from the ground and immediately slashed at Ryan Bennett with her sword.

This strike was much more powerful than before, the blade even singing through the air.

Seeing that she was truly enraged, Ryan Bennett's smile faded. As he raised his sword to block, he complained:

"Brother, a spar is a spar—don’t be so shameless as to refuse to admit defeat."

Clang—

Before he finished speaking, the blades clashed, and Ryan Bennett was sent flying again, crashing through the wooden wall and landing in the alley on the other side.

"Who’s refusing to admit defeat? If you have the guts, fight me fair and square!"

The woman in black had never suffered such a loss in her life. Like a furious mother leopard, she charged out of the house, sword thrusting repeatedly.

Clang, clang, clang—

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the alley.

Ryan Bennett was forced to retreat again and again by the aggressive woman. She had clearly lost her composure, and since he couldn’t use lethal force, he found it hard to fend her off for the moment.

Seeing her swinging her sword wildly like a shrew, Ryan Bennett lost interest in dragging things out. After forcing her back with a single strike, he turned and vaulted over the alley wall.

"Scoundrel, don’t you run!"

The woman in black was both indignant at Ryan Bennett's dishonorable victory and humiliated at being pinned to the ground—how could she let Ryan Bennett escape?

Seeing Ryan Bennett vault over the wall in an attempt to flee, she shouted sharply and, without thinking, leapt over the wall in pursuit.

But as she cleared the wall and looked out over the uneven rooftops, she found no sign of Ryan Bennett.

?!

Damn...

The woman in black instantly regained her senses, realizing something was wrong—but it was too late.

Waiting below the wall, Ryan Bennett saw her leap over and look into the distance. Without hesitation, he grabbed her ankle and yanked hard, while his right hand seized her sword-wielding wrist.

"Ah—"

Caught off guard and unable to maneuver in midair, the woman in black lost her balance and fell, her sword clattering to the ground.

To prevent her from struggling, Ryan Bennett twisted her right arm behind her back, locked her legs with his left leg, and pinned her directly over his right leg, his elbow pressing against the back of her neck.

In this way, as soon as she hit the ground, the woman in black was securely restrained—only her left hand could move, and she couldn’t even lift her head.

Leaning against the courtyard wall, Ryan Bennett used all his strength to subdue the woman, who was as strong as a tigress, and said coldly:

"That’s twice now. Do you yield or not?"

Rain poured down from the sky. The woman in black lay sprawled over Ryan Bennett's leg, her bulging robes flattened, hair ribbon undone, long black hair plastered to her face, her whole body soaked by the rain. She looked utterly bedraggled, her posture even more undignified.

Her eyes were bloodshot as she struggled with all her might, nearly grinding her teeth to pieces, but she couldn’t break free. All she could do was shout angrily:

"Bastard! How dare you! Let me go!"