It's already November, and the rain mixed with snow had completely turned to snow before Xu Guang entered the secret chamber for secluded cultivation.

Snowflakes fluttered down as the two sat under the small pavilion in the courtyard, admiring the snow while casually chatting, with no hint of tension from the impending great enemy.

...

Seven AM.

Daybreak.

The snow fell, and the world was dim and murky. In the chaotic daylight, a faint spectral figure seemed to enshroud the entire land.

The city gate opened slowly, and a middle-aged man with a thin face dressed in a tattered straw raincoat, carrying a bamboo basket filled with vegetables, walked into Qingshuo County at a leisurely pace like an early-morning vegetable farmer.

Currently, the Iron Armor Sect guards at the gate consist of an Eighth Grade disciple as the team leader, with four Ninth Grade disciples as the city guards.

Today's city guard disciples only glanced over the man without any intention of doing a thorough check.

The man seemed to be quite familiar with the rules, taking out two washed carrots from the basket and handing them to the city guard disciples.

The disciples didn't refuse, taking them.

The bamboo basket fell to the ground, and the man had already vanished without a trace.

A moment later, two figures appeared beside the bamboo basket and placed something inside it.

After a while, the man took out a piece of paper from inside.

With the man's actions, the entire Qingshuo County seemed to undergo an imperceptible change.

If someone were to stand a kilometer high and look down, they would clearly see dozens or even hundreds of people crossing through the crowd, converging toward one place.

...

Deep mountains outside Shanping County.

The snow stopped, leaving the earth in silence, with no chirping of birds or beasts, and the plants motionless, all utterly silent.

Suddenly, the sound of somewhat hurried hoof beats echoed in the mountains, like intense drumbeats.

In a short while, nearly a hundred riders surged into this very flat valley, which no strategist would ever choose, nor where it would be easy to set an ambush.

The fallen leaves were startled by the sound of hoofbeats.

Tie Kuang raised his voice and shouted, "Tu Biao, Tie Mou is here, come out and fight!"

No one responded.

Tie Kuang vigilantly scanned the surroundings, then shouted fiercely again.

"Tu Biao, having agreed to battle, why won't you even show yourself? Ghost Horse Sect, all cowards?"

Still, no one answered.

Tie Kuang's expression slightly changed.

"Brother Lou, we've been duped, let's go! Save the young master!"

Just as he was about to turn his horse around, he heard a strange sound.

Lou Kun's voice rang through the air.

"Winter has settled in, and the demon beasts in the deep mountains have been hungry for quite a while, Brother Tie. Why not enjoy the spectacle of countless beasts hunting together?"

With those words, the scene unfolded of all kinds of demon beasts in the distant forest.

Across the white snowy ground, they charged toward them, each beast's eyes being completely crimson.

They appeared deranged.

"Lou Kun, you!!!"

Tie Kuang's face revealed a cold glare as he instantly grasped Lou Kun's intention.

"Brother Tie, unlike you, I have served Song Di for ten years. I finally managed to break into the Innate realm this year. I'm already fifty, almost…

Almost died during the breakthrough — that was my limit.

The rest of my life is but for the sake of my offspring."

Lou Kun's voice drifted through the air.

"Rubbish! When has the Sixth Young Master ever treated you poorly!? We've been friends for ten years. Of the benefits, have there ever been any where you weren't first?"

Tie Kuang was furious, his eyes seemingly ablaze.

Lou Kun just calmly let his horse slowly step back, continuing to speak,

"Tu Biao reached out to me, saying their brothers had already sworn allegiance to the Shen Family. If I'm willing, my son can become a son-in-law of the Shen Family. Song Di is about to fall…

If he falls, what will happen to me and my son? Shall we continue being lapdogs for the Song Family, or leave dejectedly as homeless dogs?"

Tie Kuang understood Lou Kun had betrayed them unknowingly.

The Shen Family, what a substantial chip!

He knew Lou Kun wanted to deepen relations with the Song Family years ago, aiming for his son to marry a Song Family girl — a path for future generations, but the Song Family never agreed.

Not unwillingly, but…

The younger generation of the Song Family simply has too few girls.

They couldn't just pick any woman, claiming she was a Song Family girl, treating Lou Kun as a barbarian — if discovered, it'd lead to a lack of trust and unity.

In Changsong Prefecture, the Shen Family has a stark contrast, with their direct lineage having sixteen branches, resulting in countless offspring, but only two young masters reaching adulthood.

Other male heirs either died young, eliminated emotions and desires, castrated themselves, or were bizarrely fond of boys, extremely peculiar.

And the two young masters naturally became the Shen Family's treasures, with one being a Martial Dao prodigy, focusing on martial arts to inherit the family business. The other, although possessing some talent, became a tool for reproduction due to Shen Family's scarcity of male heirs.

The esteemed Shen Family could never let their line end.

Fortunately, the second young master rather enjoyed the life of waking up to a new bride every day, finding immense joy in it.

A while ago, in Fenglin County, the destruction of Baihua Palace occurred because the second young master of the Shen Family, being used as a reproduction tool, took a liking to Baihua Palace's Palace Master.

Unable to win the marriage proposal, the Shen Family made their move.

The reason is utterly absurd and laughable.

Born into a noble family, even if just a tool for procreation, one word can overthrow a sect in a county.

That is the background.

It is also what Lou Kun seeks.

Tie Kuang gave a bitter smile, slowly reaching for the long knife on his horse's back, drawing it out, his face grave.

"I've always wanted to spar with you, Brother Lou, to see who's stronger between us. Let's take today as the chance."

He knew he couldn't leave.

In other words, the one who assassinated Song Di wasn't just one innate expert, but... three people, including the Tujia Brothers!

A dead end!

Tie Kuang's mind raced, thinking too much.

The Shen Family got involved in this, with ample motivation, since there has always been enmity between the Shen and Song Families.

But...

Was there anyone else from the Song Family fueling the flames?

The struggle between direct and collateral lineage is always cruel...

Shaking his head, dispelling all distracting thoughts from his mind, Tie Kuang gripped his knife, facing Lou Kun.

Having embarked on the Martial Dao, death is all that awaits!

Blade lights clashed, Qi force burst out, and the accumulated snow fell like curtains.

Two innate experts, fighting with abandon in the deep mountains.

The remaining disciples of the Iron Armor Sect, after the initial stupor, were slaughtered by the Blazing Fire Gang disciples, with several killed.

They faced off against their former companions in battle.

Tie Kuang let out a long roar; amidst the fight, he felt a joy he hadn't felt in ages, reminiscent of when he first practiced martial arts.

The feeling of not thinking of anything, not calculating anything, just focusing on killing the opponent in front of him had not appeared in many years.

Once, he was just a martial fool obsessed with martial arts, until that year.

The former Sect Leader of the Iron Armor Sect, his father, told him that his sister was to marry into the Song Clan, and he was to assist his sister and nephew well in the future.

He then changed.

Everything changed.

Today, it seemed like his past self had returned.

"Traitors, die!!!"

...

Qingshuo County.

"Mr. Yu has entered the city; the message has been sent out, hasn't it?"

Tu Biao's voice echoed faintly.

Tu Hu nodded heavily, with a hint of frenzy in his eyes.

"Who would have thought Song Di would actually hide here, but the Sect Leader of the Iron Armor Sect is his maternal uncle, so it's not unreasonable for him to hide here."

Tu Biao said nothing, only silently looking at the several not very large metal boxes behind him, which had several small ventilation holes on top. Through these holes, pairs of eyes with a faint crimson glow could be vaguely seen.

"Have Ah Da and the others prepare to act."

...

Today's Iron Workshop was especially lively, with many more vegetable farmers.

The Iron Workshop is somewhat secluded; these people did not enter, but set up stalls on the streets surrounding the Iron Workshop.

A firework shot into the sky, its brilliance temporarily dispelling the gloom from the heavens.

The light illuminated the world.

Kill!

The accumulated snow on the roadside exploded instantly, and the vegetable farmers drew cold weapons from the snow piles and charged towards the Iron Workshop.

At the same time, from all around, came the continuous roars of beasts and the cries of insects.

The blacksmith shop in the Iron Workshop is currently run by Wu Fengqin, and her husband, Xiong Kui, is the best blacksmith in Qingshuo County.

"What's happening?"

Xiong Kui, burly and taller than Wu Fengqin by half a head, asked upon hearing the disturbance outside.

Wu Fengqin frowned, taking out her short hammer and donning a cloak.

"I'm going to see."

Xiong Kui looked worried.

Snowflakes filled the sky, and a blurry figure charged out first. Wu Fengqin is talented, but she is only a talent in Qingshuo County.

The Iron Armor Sect is mighty in Qingshuo County, and Tie Kuang gave Wu Fengqin many resources, but a year was not enough for her to break through to Seventh Grade.

But her Eighth Grade Great Cultivation already outshined all disciples.

The short hammer, like a drum, struck a vegetable farmer disguised as an assassin, his body stalling, and a plume of blood mist burst from his chest.

But the next moment, Wu Fengqin's body abruptly retreated, as a blurry, small demon beast silhouette drew out multiple afterimages, launching a rapid attack on her.

A series of sharp, crisp sounds echoed ceaselessly.

Accompanied by a booming sound, Wu Fengqin fell several meters, and the demon beast that attacked her disappeared.

'That's... Xue Mingzi...'

The Zhou You Record, Volume Three: Underground are beasts called Xue Mingzi, which are violent, feed on carrion, have a cat-like shape with bird beaks, inhabit burrows a hundred feet deep, and chirp incessantly, known as Xue Mingzi.

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