"One-armed and dressed in white... It’s really him." Song Qingluo was practically beside himself, his eyes gleaming with admiration as he gazed at Xu Yunhe.

"You little brat, you’re never this excited to see me," Song Changsheng chided with a laugh. He then turned to Song Xiantu and said, "Clan Elder, please have a table of fine food and wine sent to my room. Brother Yunhe and I haven’t seen each other in many years and would like to catch up."

「Liuyun Mountain Range, Earth Fire Sect Headquarters.」

Li Tiancheng kept his head down, his steps hurried. When disciples greeted him along the path, he failed to offer his usual nod in return.

He strode quickly to a sealed stone chamber and announced in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Reporting to the Sect Leader! Just a moment ago, the Steward in charge of the Soul Lamps came to report that Senior Brother Cheng’s Soul Lamp... has gone out."

"What? Who did this!"

Chang Wudao’s voice was so full of fury that it sent loose stones tumbling down.

Li Tiancheng lowered his gaze. "We have no definitive news yet, but I suspect the Song Clan is involved."

"Damn it all! Junior Brother Cheng’s movements were top secret! Who leaked them? Find out! I don’t care who it is, I’ll make them wish they were dead!" Chang Wudao roared. It had been a long time since he had lost his composure like this—not since the death of his only son.

"Yes, sir!" A chill ran through Li Tiancheng. He knew a storm of blood was about to sweep through the sect.

Cheng Yufei’s death was a massive blow to the sect. He wasn’t just the second-in-command; he had been sent to Luoxia City on Chang Wudao’s orders to bid on a Cultivation Method. This method was the key to Chang Wudao’s hopes of breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm.

And now, he was gone, and the Heart Method acquired at such great cost was gone with him. That represented the entire savings the Earth Fire Sect had accumulated over many years!

After Li Tiancheng withdrew, Chang Wudao, sitting cross-legged inside the stone chamber, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His aura instantly withered.

The blow was simply too much for him to bear.

He had achieved Foundation Establishment Great Perfection many years ago, but for want of a Tier Three Fire Element Heart Method, he had been unable to take the next step and dominate Ling Province.

And now, just when hope was finally within reach, it had been shattered once more—and the sect’s entire savings had gone down with it.

He was filled with hatred, with rage, with resentment! He cursed the Celestial Dao for being so unjust!

"So what if I don’t have that Heart Method? I can still break through to Purple Mansion! Song Xianming, this time, I *will* win!" Chang Wudao’s face was a mask of insanity. He rose and walked toward a nearby bookshelf where a dark green Jade Scroll rested silently.

Many times before he had picked it up, only to set it aside again. This time, however, he didn’t hesitate. He snatched up the Jade Scroll...

Inside the room, Song Changsheng and Xu Yunhe sat facing each other. Song Changsheng had already tended to his injuries and changed his clothes. The table between them was laden with fragrant, exquisite delicacies.

Song Changsheng rose and personally poured Xu Yunhe a cup of Spirit Wine. "Fellow Daoist Zhu once told me," he said with a smile, "that by the next time we saw you, you would surely have become a renowned Swordsman."

"I agreed with him completely at the time. I just never expected we would meet again so soon, or that you would have already become the renowned Swordsman he spoke of."

"I’ve heard tales in Ling Province of the reputation you’ve carved out for yourself in the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

Xu Yunhe raised his cup, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "For all this, I have you to thank, Fellow Daoist Song. If not for your harsh words that day, I wouldn’t be where I am today."

His thoughts drifted back several years, to that time in the ancient grotto. His right arm had been severed, and his heart was like dead embers—he had lost all hope for the future.

But at that moment, Song Changsheng had told him, "A Swordsman would rather snap than yield, rather be severed than bend. No matter the hardships or dangers ahead, you must be indomitable and press bravely forward."

"To give up so easily at the first setback, to speak so readily of death... are you worthy of the Three-foot Cyan Blade in your hand? Are you worthy of the title ’Swordsman’?"

"Even if you must die, you should die on the path forward, not pathetically in this desolate place!"

Every word had struck him like thunder, and he remembered them to this day. It was because of that speech that he was able to achieve a form of Nirvana with his broken body, successfully breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

Song Changsheng, however, did not take credit. His words may have played a part, but the key was Xu Yunhe himself. It was his own unyielding will that had carried him to where he stood today.

"Have you been in Bian Province all these years?" Song Changsheng asked, drinking the wine in his cup and changing the subject.

Xu Yunhe nodded. "I parted ways with Fellow Daoist Zhu on the road back then. I returned to my dwelling to inspect what I’d gained from the grotto and, to my surprise, found a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"I felt it was a chance given to me by the heavens themselves. So, I wandered, contemplating the Sword Dao, and eventually came to Bian Province. After several years of arduous cultivation, I finally used the Foundation Establishment Pill to break through. I’ve been here gaining experience ever since."

Though Xu Yunhe described it in just a few casual sentences, Song Changsheng could imagine the immense hardships he must have endured. ’Compared to him,’ he thought, ’I’ve been far too lucky.’

"By the way, where is Fellow Daoist Zhu now?" Xu Yunhe asked, unaware of Song Changsheng’s thoughts. He was asking about Little Fatty’s whereabouts; he had known Zhu Yiqun even longer than Song Changsheng had. "With his talent, he must have broken through to Foundation Establishment by now, right?"

"I haven’t seen him in several years, either. Back then..." He went on to explain the full story of Little Fatty’s visit.

Xu Yunhe’s brow furrowed. "If he guessed that the One-armed Swordsman was me, why wouldn’t he come looking for me after arriving in Bian Province?"

"That’s exactly what I’ve been wondering. Since arriving here, I’ve contacted a couple of fellow Daoists who know him, but none of them have any news. I’m afraid he’s run into some kind of trouble."

A hint of worry appeared in Song Changsheng’s eyes. ’Knowing Zhu Yiqun’s personality, it’s impossible that he’d get to Bian Province and not contact Xu Yunhe. Either he never came to Bian Province in the first place, or he’s in major trouble and doesn’t want to drag Xu Yunhe into it.’

’If it’s the former, so be it. But if it’s the latter...’

The same thought occurred to both of them. For a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy, the only sound being the gulping of wine.

After a long silence, Song Changsheng finally spoke. "The good die young, but a scourge lasts a thousand years. That damned fatty is definitely still alive and kicking. He’s probably even fatter now—after all, the man can eat."

Xu Yunhe broke into a knowing smile. ’He’s right. How could a menace like that die so easily? He’s probably off living his best life somewhere right now.’

The atmosphere returned to normal. The two drank and talked, sharing their experiences from the past few years, and a whole night passed before they knew it.

Early the next morning, Song Qingluo came knocking at his door in a hurry.

"What is it?" Song Changsheng asked, puzzled.

Song Qingluo held up a yellowed sheet of paper, announcing excitedly, "Young Clan Leader, the City Lord’s Mansion and the Luoxia Auction House just jointly issued a warrant!"

"A warrant?" Song Changsheng and Xu Yunhe exchanged a look, and Song Changsheng quickly took the paper from his hands.

The top of the notice gave a brief description of yesterday’s events:

"An Evil Cultivator abducted Xia Wanyun from the auction house. Though heavily wounded by an auction house Tributor, he successfully escaped the city."

"Two Blood Demons and their subordinates infiltrated the city, used the chaos to snatch a valuable treasure, and incited infighting among the city’s Cultivators, wreaking havoc in Luoxia City. After a pursuit, one of the two Purple Mansion Blood Demons was killed and the other was wounded."

"A Living Puppet that had gained Spiritual Wisdom injured three of the city’s Foundation Establishment Cultivator guards and escaped into the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

In short: aside from the one that died, they hadn’t caught a single one.

Song Changsheng had his doubts. ’The greatest reason Luoxia City has been able to defend against the Demon Beasts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains for so many years is its powerful city defense array. Once activated, not even a Demon King can breach it.’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

’If they had just activated the Grand Array yesterday, those culprits would have been trapped like fish in a barrel, with no hope of escape. It was that simple.’

’But from start to finish yesterday, the City Defense Array was never activated. It was highly unusual—and deeply suspicious.’

Pushing down his suspicions, he read on. Below the summary of events were the details of the "Warrant" and its rewards. One glance was all it took for Song Changsheng’s breath to catch in his throat...