Jiang Moran left the city that very night, but before departing, he simply told Fengqingzi and Zhang Wuji to kill anyone causing trouble in the city.
The next day, on the streets.
The Young City Lord's face was extremely unsightly. Before him stood five people, all looking at him with teasing, mocking glares.
“I say, Young City Lord, why do you still have so many complaints? Oh, that’s not right, I should say you won't even be the Young City Lord in a few days.”
“Hahaha, you're way too wicked!”
The crowd burst into laughter, completely disregarding the Young City Lord's gloomy expression. Joining forces, the five of them had absolutely no fear of the Young City Lord and his four patrol guards.
The five of them were generally not weak. Once they came to blows, both sides would definitely suffer casualties, which was exactly what he was worried about.
“It is fine. Treat these flatbreads as my treat to these young heroes,” the old woman nearby quickly spoke with a smile, sensing the difficulty in the Young City Lord's eyes.
Hearing this, the crowd laughed even harder.
“Did you hear that? The old woman said it's her treat. What business does a Young City Lord like you have poking your nose in here?”
The old woman gently took hold of the Young City Lord's clenched fist and shook her head slightly at him.
A few flatbreads were not worth starting a conflict over in these last few days, lest some unexpected disaster occur...
“Old Ma'am, one flatbread, please. I heard from Senior that your flatbreads are delicious.”
Just as the two groups confronted each other, a figure in white arrived before the stall, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere as he spoke to the old woman on his own.
“This, this...” The old woman failed to comprehend his words for a moment and froze on the spot.
“Remember to add meat. I'm not paying, though.”
With those words, a longsword whistled out from its sheath. The sparse snowflakes falling from the sky were swept up by a wild wind, turning into a blizzard that rushed toward the five men, completely enveloping them in the blink of an eye.
“Aaaagh!!!” Screams of agony rose one after another as the snowflakes within the blizzard were gradually stained red from the inside out.
The entire process took less than three breaths. As the swirling snow gently settled back onto the ground, five blood-drenched corpses were left lying on the snow, their bodies covered in countless tiny lacerations.
Commanding the wind and playing with snow, converting inner force into blades.
Even as the corpses of the five men lay before him, the Young City Lord still found it hard to believe his eyes, staring at Fengqingzi in sheer disbelief.
The old woman was the same, her face pale, completely terrified into silence.
The longsword slowly slid back into its scabbard. Fengqingzi turned to look at the old woman's slightly trembling hands and sighed helplessly.
It seemed he wouldn't be able to eat any flatbread today.
“Tha—thank you, Your Excellency, for your assistance!” the Young City Lord came to his senses, quickly cupping his hands in gratitude.
Although the scene was a bit brutal, he had still lent them a helping hand after all.
“No need for thanks. This was all Senior's intent,” Fengqingzi said flatly.
“Senior's intent?” The Young City Lord was startled, then quickly pressed further, “What is Senior's intent? Please enlighten me, Your Excellency!”
Looking at his state, Fengqingzi repeated Senior's words from yesterday:
“He said, ‘If Yinhan City is gone, where in this vast northern cold can I find plum blossom wine like this?’”
Saying so, he shrugged at the Young City Lord. “And that is all. It seems you don't need to evacuate the people of Yinhan City anymore.”
Hearing this, a gleam of hope flashed through the Young City Lord's eyes, but it quickly faded. He shook his head weakly. “It is useless. I know Senior is incredibly strong, but this is not a question of strength.
“Yinhan City will ultimately become a contested battlefield. This is unavoidable, and not something a single person can—”
“No.”
Before the Young City Lord could finish, he was cut off. He looked up at Fengqingzi in confusion, only to see an inexplicable determination burning in the other man's eyes.
This determination was not feigned; it stemmed from an absolute, profound confidence. Even the Young City Lord couldn't help but feel shaken by his gaze.
“That will absolutely not happen...” Fengqingzi said with absolute certainty.
All of the Young City Lord's doubts were choked back by that gaze, and he could only nod in silence.
...
On the other side, Hu Mei'er's group had also run into a conflict with Zhang Wuji.
Spurt! One of them was struck in the heart-meridian by Zhang Wuji's inch punch, instantly vomiting blood as he collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.
The man carrying the long-handled great saber on his back stared at him with an unsightly face, roaring, “Just because we accidentally knocked over some vendor's stall, you're going to kill us?!
“Isn't this pushing things way too far?!”
Zhang Wuji swept a dead-fish stare over him, scoffing, “What, if you're not happy about it, come and hit me.”
The veins on the man's forehead throbbed. Two of their group had already been killed on the road, and Boss Hu was currently not here. Of the remaining two of them, one had his heart-meridian shattered and couldn't even stand up...
“Damn you!” The man detached the long-handled great saber from his back, glaring coldly at Zhang Wuji.
Zhang Wuji stood laxly on the spot, looking at him. Fighting minor characters like this, whom Fengqingzi could easily handle, felt below him.
Perhaps because that dead-fish stare was simply too punchable, the man didn't even bother to assume a stance, rushing forward and slashing down with his saber.
Facing this incredibly powerful blow, Zhang Wuji simply used his palms to redirect the incoming force.
Redirecting force with force—deflecting a thousand jin with four liang.
Keeping at a distance where the man couldn't easily swing his long-handled great saber, Zhang Wuji danced around him with ease, constantly exhausting his opponent's stamina.
Though the great saber was powerful, its weakness was obvious: it was difficult to unleash its power in close quarters.
Moreover, it was extremely heavy, and swinging it drained stamina rapidly.
The man understood this as well, and his movements naturally grew a bit frantic as he tried to end the battle as quickly as possible.
However, this only caused him to expose even more openings.
As another slash came down, Zhang Wuji found the opportunity he had been waiting for. The instant he sidestepped the strike, he hooked his ankle behind the man's rear foot.
Ugh! A muffled groan escaped the man's throat as a sharp, sudden pain shot through his chest, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe.
A fierce rise-to-heart elbow strike slammed directly into his chest, sending him flying backward several meters before slamming heavily onto the ground.
He curled into a ball, his mouth wide open in agony, yet even taking a breath was done with extreme caution.
Zhang Wuji walked over unhurriedly, picking up the fallen long-handled great saber and hefting it in his hand.
“It is indeed quite heavy,” he muttered to himself. Then, saber in hand, he walked toward the man. Seeing this, a look of terror finally flashed across the man's face, and he desperately tried to crawl away.
But under his despairing gaze, Zhang Wuji had already arrived before him.
Being killed by his own saber... must be quite a disgrace...
As the man thought this, he closed his eyes in despair. He knew his own saber better than anyone; it would be a quick, painless death.
Zhang Wuji raised the great saber high, its blade reflecting the blinding sunlight.
The very instant before the saber descended, a tremor finally rippled through Zhang Wuji's dead-fish eyes. He violently retreated several zhang, abandoning the long-handled great saber on the ground.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
Nothing happened, yet a solemn gravity filled Zhang Wuji's eyes. Just now, he had sensed a fatal danger.
The sun peeked through a gap in the clouds. Zhang Wuji's eyes flickered as he noticed a silver thread glinting on the ground.
Only then did he realize there was a silver needle embedded in the earth, a fine thread tied to its end. And at the other end of that thread...
“Little Master, isn't it a bit unkind of you to bully my people like this?” A voice like ringing bells chimed, causing one's heart to flutter along with the sound.
Hu Mei'er slowly stepped out from behind a pillar, the thread extending from her wide sleeves.
“I don't think it's unkind at all,” Zhang Wuji shrugged. After all, Jiang Moran's original words were to leave absolutely none of the trouble-making jianghu travelers alive, regardless of status.
Hu Mei'er giggled. “Is that so? Then why don't I play with you myself, Little Master?”
Zhang Wuji's pupils contracted as his body swayed violently.
A warm sensation spread across his face. Zhang Wuji wiped it with his fingers, and his fingertips were instantly stained crimson.
While Hu Mei'er had been speaking, her threads had already been laid out all around them. Now, Zhang Wuji was surrounded on all sides by the glinting reflections of those threads, faint and fleeting, making them incredibly difficult to track.
Right now, a single wrong move would cost him his life!
Hu Mei'er maintained her beaming smile throughout, making it impossible for anyone to guess that she was one of the Five Heroes of the Jianghu, an elite, first-class expert.
The jade-like finger hidden within her sleeve gently twitched, and a thread suddenly tightened, slicing through a hanging tree branch.
That thread instantly shot out like an arrow from a fully drawn bow!
Zhang Wuji's eyes narrowed. Relying entirely on his instinct for mortal danger, he dodged just in time, barely escaping the strike.
The subsequent battle was like a cat playing with a mouse. Zhang Wuji dodged in a state of distress, completely unable to strike back.
Meanwhile, Hu Mei'er leaned lazily against the pillar, her fingers continuously plucking the threads, watching his clumsy, desperate struggles with great amusement.
After yet another round of dodging, Zhang Wuji simply plopped down on the ground, refusing to move.
This sudden move actually caught Hu Mei'er by surprise.
“Why did you stop dodging? Giving up means death, you know~” she giggled, covering her mouth.
Zhang Wuji shrugged and said helplessly:
“I am tired of dodging, so I won't. If I die, so be it.”
Hu Mei'er's brows furrowed. “Aren't you afraid of death?”
Afraid of death? Zhang Wuji chuckled. Of course he was afraid of death, who wasn't?
“I am definitely afraid of dying. But when I think about how I can wait for you to join me after I die, it doesn't seem so scary anymore.”
“Oh?” Hu Mei'er's interest was piqued. “Then you'll have to wait down there for sixty or seventy years, since I am still quite young.”
Hearing her words, Zhang Wuji smiled. It was a deeply meaningful smile, one that erased even the last trace of fear of death from his face.
Looking at his smile, Hu Mei'er couldn't help but feel a chill creep up her spine.
“What are you laughing at!” Hu Mei'er snapped in annoyance, frustrated that she was actually being unnerved by a dying man.
“Three days... no, two days.” Zhang Wuji looked at her, his eyes carrying an emotion she could not decipher:
“In two days, you will die... My life is the wager.”
She stared blankly at Zhang Wuji. There was no pretense on his face, only the absolute resolve to take her down with him.
At this moment, Hu Mei'er truly felt his death-resolve. What on earth could drive a dying man to say such things? She did not know, but confronted with this wager... she backed down.
Hu Mei'er loosened her hand, and the shimmering specks of light around them scattered, as brilliant as falling stars.
“You have succeeded in unnerving me. But you had better not be lying,” Hu Mei'er said coldly.
“Otherwise, you will find out that there are things far worse than death.”
Oh? He didn't have to die after all.
Zhang Wuji stood up and brushed the snow from his backside, smiling. “Since you aren't going to kill me, I'll give you a word of advice as well.”
“Behave yourself in the city over the next two days. Do not actively provoke the locals. Otherwise, when he returns, he will settle the accounts with you one by one.”
Hu Mei'er's footsteps paused, and she turned back to look at him.
“Who is he?”
“Shh...”
Zhang Wuji raised a finger to his lips, making a silencing gesture.
...
A rumor gradually spread throughout Yinhan City: two terrifying figures, far more frightening than the patrol squads, had appeared. The moment anyone caused trouble, they would immediately be targeted.
Several corpses hung from the city walls. All of them were figures of some renown in the jianghu, including the Scythesman.
His death was even more gruesome, with all four of his limbs severed before he was hung upon the city wall.
In an instant, all the jianghu travelers in the city behaved themselves. From then on, the price of causing trouble was simply too high.
Inside the small courtyard, Old Chen was already preparing tonight's dinner. Fengqingzi had returned long ago, sitting in the yard wiping the blood off his longsword.
The moment Zhang Wuji walked through the gate, Fengqingzi noticed him.
Seeing Zhang Wuji's messy hair, dotted with a few leaves, and his clothes torn with several tiny cuts, Fengqingzi's lips curled into a wide grin.
“Did you go catch chickens in the fields?”
Zhang Wuji rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Shut up. I almost died, you know.”
Hmm? Fengqingzi's expression froze. Was it really that dangerous?
Zhang Wuji plopped down on the steps, sighing as he straightened his hair. “Talk about bad luck. I ran into that woman we met on the road here, and she almost killed me.”
“That woman plays her threads so stealthily; one careless mistake and you fall right into her trap.”
Fengqingzi nodded. That made sense. After all, Zhang Wuji's Taiji technique required close-quarters combat; once he was forced into a ranged battle, he would be at a massive disadvantage.
“Wait, that's not right. How did you make it back alive?” Fengqingzi suddenly realized. By all accounts, shouldn't he be dead by now?
“Could you say something auspicious for once?” Zhang Wuji was speechless, replying grumpily, “I was lucky. Although I didn't explicitly mention Senior, I've listened to so many storytellers with Uncle Chen that I described him so vividly that I managed to bluff her.”
Hinges widened in Fengqingzi's eyes. “That actually worked?”
“Hey, dinner's ready!”
Ning Qingzhu's voice echoed from the backyard, cutting off their conversation.
It was accompanied by the enticing aroma of cooked food.
Zhang Wuji didn't bother chatting further, heading straight toward the backyard. Surviving a brush with death made this meal smell incredibly delicious.
The four of them gathered around the table to eat. Though Xu Qing and Qiu Zhiya were missing, the atmosphere was still lively. As for Li Lu, since entering the city with them, he hadn't even stayed for a meal, leaving directly through another gate to head toward the North.
As they ate and chatted, Ning Qingzhu suddenly asked out of curiosity,
“How much longer until Young Master returns? He just left last night without even saying goodbye to me.”
Fengqingzi set down his chopsticks and smiled. “It won't be long. He said he went to retrieve something and would be back very soon.”
“Alright.” Ning Qingzhu nodded, not asking any further.
This brief interlude did not affect the speed of their eating. Old Chen's cooking was as superb as ever.
“Um...”
Just then, a somewhat soft, sweet voice resounded from the entrance of the courtyard.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a little girl standing there holding a massive wine jar. The jar was so large it practically hid her entire face, leaving only the top of her head wobbling behind it.
Fengqingzi set down his chopsticks, walked over, and took the heavy wine jar from her hands.
Only then did everyone get a clear look at the little girl. Because the jar had been so heavy, her small, adorable face was flushed completely red, looking so cute that one couldn't help but want to pinch her cheeks.
“Little girl, did you bring this to the wrong place? We didn't buy any wine,” Fengqingzi asked, puzzled.
The little girl shook her head, saying earnestly, “No, this is indeed for you.
“My mother says that we must return kindness. I asked the old woman who sells flatbreads, and she said that big brother lives around here.
“My mother and I are preparing to evacuate the city. I know that big brother likes to drink this plum blossom wine, so I brought it over for him to drink.
“Please say thank you to the big brother for me!”
After saying her piece, the little girl bowed deeply and immediately turned to run off. She was young, but she was not stupid; she knew the big brother came every day and only ever drank plum blossom wine, never anything else.
Yet, on that particular day, he had purchased a jar of the most expensive sorghum wine.
The few of them watched the tiny figure run further and further away. For a time, no one spoke.
“Zhang Wuji, tail her secretly and make sure she gets back safely,” Fengqingzi suddenly said.
Zhang Wuji nodded; he was full anyway.
Old Chen sat in his chair and smiled. From beginning to end, he had never felt that his master had done anything wrong. For a man legendary enough to be hailed as the God of Slaughter to receive the most sincere gratitude from a mere child—how incredibly rare and precious such an emotion was.
Fengqingzi was still staring in the direction the little girl had disappeared, his expression shifting through several emotions.
Once upon a time, he had believed these people were nothing but ignorant, foolish commoners. Under his sword, there would only be the wails of the weak and spineless pleas for mercy.
But now, Senior had taught him yet another lesson...
...
Night turned into day. As the endless darkness was sliced open by the first ray of dawn, a sharp, fierce aura of slaughter swept over from the distant horizon, heading straight toward the morning light!
Chilly snow drifted onto iron armor, adding an extra layer of frost to the massive army, intertwining the aura of slaughter with the freezing cold.
This grand, majestic army abruptly shattered the silence of dawn!
Panic flooded Yinhan City. Those still fast asleep in the courtyard were awakened in shock and rushed up to the city walls. Gazing out, they saw a black ocean of steel blanketed by a layer of cold snow, with countless spear tips glinting with the morning frost.
The drifting wind and snow could not obscure the character 'Ye' emblazoned upon the military banners.
The faces of Fengqingzi and the other three changed drastically. Only by standing atop the walls could they truly appreciate the terrifying aura radiating from this army.
The oncoming wave of killing intent was chilling. This was a battle-hardened military; every single soldier was overflowing with murderous aura!
“We cannot block this army,” a voice drifted over quietly, carrying a bitter tone of resignation that showed it had long been expected.
The four turned their heads. The speaker was none other than the City Lord of Yinhan City. Although they did not know him personally, the Young City Lord standing beside him was a familiar face.
The City Lord was exhausted. Ever since Yinhan City's location had been compromised, he had not slept a single peaceful night.
Now, with the forces of the Tianwu Kingdom pressing down, perhaps this was a form of release for him.
None of them spoke further.
Because this steel tide was indeed something they could not hold back...
The only thing they could do now was silently wait as the army approached the gates.
The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy. The Zhenbei Army had already advanced to within five hundred meters. At this range, the suffocating pressure of their murderous aura was almost tangible, making it difficult to breathe.
Four hundred meters...
Ning Qingzhu's hands gripped the city wall tightly. She was not intimidated by this pressure.
Her gaze was filled with determination. Just like the others, she had absolute faith in Jiang Moran, even with the enemy army at their doorstep, and even as the situation grew incredibly dire!
Three hundred meters...
But so what? She believed that her young master would definitely make it back in time. As long as he was here, no obstacle was insurmountable.
Two hundred meters...
Because her young master was the Number One in the World!
Boom! The ground between the Zhenbei Army and Yinhan City suddenly ruptured. A column of dust shot straight up into the sky, extending far into the distance, almost blotting out the sun and obscuring everyone's vision.
The earth shook violently, shaking off the snow accumulated on the soldiers' armor, only to replace it with a fresh layer of dust.
“What happened?!”
The Prince of Zhenbei roared from the very front. He hadn't even been able to see what had just happened!
Yet no one in the army could answer him. Only the clattering of armor echoed through the ranks as everyone strained their nerves, staring ahead.
The towering dust slowly cleared, revealing a terrifying, massive fissure gouged into the earth, cleanly separating the Zhenbei Army from Yinhan City.
And right in front of this fissure, a long saber was embedded in the ground.
The horses of the cavalry began to grow highly agitated, desperately trying to back away, refusing to take another step forward no matter what.
“Who dares block our path!” the Prince of Zhenbei bellowed. His voice rolled across the entire northern plains, echoing for a long time, but no one replied.
His brows furrowed deeply as the Prince of Zhenbei leaped down from his warhorse, raising his crescent halberd as he prepared to go forward to investigate.
Suddenly, his movements paused.
Looking down, he saw that the vice commander of the army had appeared beside him at some point, holding him back.
“Do not go.”
The vice commander's tone carried a weight he had never heard before, even laced with a trace of raw terror.
Even as he held him back, his eyes were locked onto the long saber embedded in the ground, as though he were staring at some horrifying entity.
Following his gaze, he saw the long saber standing upright, driven halfway into the hard earth.
The spine of the blade was as steady as a mountain, its edge thin enough to slice through iron, and its entire body radiated a cold, ink-dark light. No ostentatious designs adorned its surface, yet its quiet presence alone exuded an aura that could dominate the Eight Wilds.
“This saber... is his.”
“His?” the Prince of Zhenbei stared at the blade. “Who is he?”
“Ghost-Mask, the former Number One in the World.”
“This saber is his. It is named... Zhen Shan He.”
The former Number One in the World?
The Prince of Zhenbei swung his crescent halberd, his aura surging into the sky like a rainbow.
“Since he is a relic of the past, he should stop showing off.”
Pointing his crescent halberd straight at Yinhan City, he roared like thunder, “Hear my command! Advance!!!”
The soldiers of the Zhenbei Army slammed the butts of their spears against the ground, their fierce aura soaring skyward. Staring at Yinhan City before them, a tide of killing intent erupted from every single man!
Buzz! A sharp hum resonated.
The long saber trembled violently. A terrifying, monumental killing intent surged into the heavens, instantly shredding the collective aura of the Zhenbei Army and completely enveloping them in its grasp.
The moment they were enveloped by this chilling intent, the icy cold of the Northern Desert paled in comparison to the dread freezing their hearts.
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