In the fields after noon, farmers sweated profusely, while hunters in the mountains ventured forth, bows slung on their backs.

"Listen, everyone, let me tell you of the bloody battle of Changfeng City... That hero Li Yu, his spear like a Red Thread, striking like a crimson python overturning rivers. His iron fists swung so swiftly that even the Changfeng City Wall crumbled, forcing even the Black Mountain Celestial King, with his overwhelming demonic power, to retreat thirty miles..."

Beside the old locust tree at the village entrance, in a small tavern, Jianghu Wanderers exchanged drinks, while the storyteller tirelessly recounted the embellished saga of the Battle of Changfeng, earning the applause of the warriors, who generously offered their money. Yet, in the story, that legendary figure of the Three Counties was renamed Li Yu and no longer called a great hero.

In Changfeng County, bordered to the north by the thousand-mile Qifeng Mountain Range and surrounded by mountains on three sides, the Rice Hat Wanderer took out a sheepskin map, surveying the extraordinary mountains in the distance.

A month after the great battle, many houses and streets in Changfeng City were still under enthusiastic repair, but the crowds on Changfeng Avenue were bustling, faintly exceeding the former prosperity.

The original plaque of the Hongmen Martial Arts Hall had been destroyed by the Rebel Army. Now, a new plaque was hung, its characters bold and vigorous like flying dragons and dancing snakes, though it lacked the charm of the old plaque, let alone the Secret Technique mentioned.

As the Rice Hat Wanderer passed by, the Hongmen Martial Arts Hall was lively. He paused to look; the hall’s entrance displayed a notice for recruiting new disciples, drawing a crowd three layers deep.

Although many strong members of the Hongmen Martial Arts Hall were lost in the battle and it did not hold its past glory, the scene where the old hall master led the disciples of the martial hall in bravely resisting the enemy during the Rebels’ siege was widely witnessed. Moreover, the Hongmen Martial Arts Hall, once the Changfeng First Martial Arts Hall and one of the four major powers, still had a good reputation and prestige throughout Changfeng County.

Even though the hall has declined, the current recruitment of new disciples has drawn many Changfeng residents. It remains the martial training choice for many in Changfeng. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

With his extraordinary eyesight, Su Mu’s gaze swept over the crowd and quickly found a familiar figure in the martial hall. Zhang Jin was still alive, though a scar now ran down from above his left eye, marking him with a bit more steady ferocity and less youthful exuberance than before.

Seeing Zhang Jin busy on his feet in the martial hall, Su Mu nodded silently. In such a world, finding a familiar face before leaving the Three Counties was a fortune. He then stepped away.

Exiting Changfeng Avenue, after traveling more than ten miles north, Su Mu began his ascent from a steep cliff that even local Elder Hunters of Changfeng would avoid.

Rustle!

As the mountain wind blew, small pebbles rolled down the cliff. Any ordinary Martial Artist would be struck with fear at such a sight, yet a figure agilely maneuvered along the cliff face, leaping several meters upward with ease, as if riding the wind.

Employing his newly fused self-created technique, Spring Breeze Crossing Cicada, Su Mu effortlessly ascended the precipitous cliff, heading deeper into the Qifeng Mountain Range. As dusk began to fall, a sudden startled flutter of mountain birds broke the silence.

"Ah... help!"

Interspersed with the terrified cries, a low growl reached the ears, and a strong, rank stench flowed through the air.

In an unknown part of the deep mountains, a twelve or thirteen-year-old Medicinal Herb-Gathering Girl, with a basket on her back, found herself in an extraordinary state of fear. In her eyes, a horrifying scene was reflected.

Tzzzaa.

Thick thorns were trampled and crushed beneath a massive paw, foliage ground into the mud. The forest parted like green waves, revealing the outline of a gigantic creature.

The Demon Wolf, with its blue fur as thick as armor, stood taller than an eight-foot-tall man. Its dark silver mane on its chest heaved like waves with each breath. Its blood-red eyes glinted with violence, closing in step by step, sharp fangs dripping with a few drops of ghostly green saliva, which sizzled smoke as they hit the ground.

Seeing the Demon Wolf fully reveal itself and approach, the girl was terrified, her legs trembling independently, causing her to fall to the ground. In her desperate crawl back, she suddenly cried out in pain from the piercing sensation in her palm.

Thorns had scraped her palms, and behind her lay a pathless dense forest. The woods were so thick they almost blocked out light and rain was hard to penetrate. Even the Changfeng Elder Hunter, with his expertise in these mountains, would have to proceed with extreme caution, using a Mountain-Cutting Saber to slowly clear a path.

Otherwise, the shrub branches would become thorn-laden iron whips, at worst scoring open flesh, at worst piercing deeply, possibly injuring bones and tendons. She had nowhere to retreat to; there was no way back.

As the Demon Wolf took another step, the Medicinal Herb-Gathering Girl curled up, burying her trembling head between her legs. Her last sight was of the Demon Wolf growing impatient, opening its gaping maw.

Thud thud!

As the Demon Wolf charged, the ground trembled, and the girl was struck with extreme terror. She could feel its rank breath on her and could not suppress the gruesome image in her mind of being shredded and swallowed by the Demon Wolf.

"Awooo——"

Suddenly, a Demon Wolf’s anguished wail cut through the forest, followed by a sound as if flesh was being sliced. The Medicinal Herb-Gathering Girl, startled into a scream by the ominous cry, witnessed an unforgettable sight.

From the wall of trees behind her, a dazzling burst of condensed Sword Light erupted. The Sword Qi, like Cold Pool Water, sliced through the dense forest, arresting the Demon Wolf’s advance.

In an instant, a line of blood rapidly spread across the Demon Wolf’s neck, a fountain of blood gushing forth. Yet the shower of blood in the air suddenly froze, as if halted by an Invisible Power, turning into droplets that fell to form a bloody stream.