Night fell, and snow began to drift down.

Beside a desolate old road, an inn stood in silence.

A cold wind whipped its banner, which read in large characters: Jingyun Inn!

Inside the inn’s main hall, a stove was lit. The tightly shut doors kept the cold wind at bay, but even so, it was still far from warm.

A crowd of guests from all corners of the land gathered in small groups, drinking wine from large bowls, tearing into meat with gusto, and talking boisterously.

The aroma of meat and wine mixed with the smell of the stove, creating a unique scent in the smoky, rowdy hall.

"Tell me, how could the Fierce Tiger Gang, which was doing just fine, be wiped out just like that?

"Their leader died under mysterious circumstances. Of their four Hall Masters—East, West, South, and North—three are dead, leaving only Tang Linfeng, whose whereabouts are unknown.

"The other three died without a trace. Quite a few gang members survived, but none of them could explain what happened. Some even say their killer was a fire-breathing monster..."

"Who can ever say for sure what happens in the Jianghu? We might see the Fierce Tiger Gang as a big deal, but in the eyes of many, they’re nothing."

"In the end, the Fierce Tiger Gang is just a minor affair. Have you all heard?

"Not long ago, something major happened at Qiuyue Nunnery. Flesh King Cao Jiuyin, one of the Four Great Ghost Kings of the Hundred Ghosts Hall, was killed with a single palm strike."

"Who’s Cao Jiuyin? Why have I never heard of him?"

"That just shows how little you know. I have a friend who’s with one of the Seven Great Sects of the Eastern Domain. He said this Cao Jiuyin enjoyed eating human flesh, possessed extremely high Martial Arts, and had countless deaths on his hands!"

"That powerful? Who was the one who did it?"

"His name was Fang... Fang something? I can’t remember..."

"Oh, right. Do you all remember the Hundred-Pound Saber?"

"You mean Hundred-Pound Saber Xu Zeyuan?"

"Yes, yes, that’s the one. The man who was heading to meet an old friend, only to meet a tragic end in the Jianghu.

"After his death, the Xu Family’s fortunes went downhill, and not long ago, they were wiped out, too."

"What... Xu Zeyuan’s death is one thing, but who did the younger generation of the Xu Family offend? How could they end up with their entire family massacred?"

"Who knows? Maybe his children and grandchildren were running amok, banking on Xu Zeyuan’s reputation, and ended up provoking some powerful expert."

"You all are truly out of the loop. The things you’re talking about are nothing.

"Let me tell you something truly major!

"The Seven-String Ancient Chapter has resurfaced in the Jianghu!"

"The Seven-String Ancient Chapter? What’s that?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I’ve never heard of it either..."

"Could it be the legendary treasure of Flying Snow City?

"I heard it was always in the hands of Wu Lingxiao of Flying Snow City. Now that it’s resurfaced in the Jianghu, isn’t Wu Lingxiao going to do anything about it?"

"For some reason, Wu Lingxiao has retired from the Jianghu.

"He gave the Seven-String Ancient Chapter to a young man, but it was later stolen by Ye Feihua, the Pavilion Master of Jinghua Pavilion."

"Is that true!?"

"Why did Wu Lingxiao retire from the Jianghu?"

"Ye Feihua actually stole something from a young man... How shameless.

"If any of you know where she is, tell me. I’ll go have a word with her!"

"I bet ’having a word’ is just an excuse. You really want to take the Seven-String Ancient Chapter for yourself. But I’d advise you to save your breath. You think Jinghua Pavilion is an easy target?"

"So what on earth is the Seven-String Ancient Chapter? What does it do?"

The crowd chatted idly, their conversations filled with laughter, amusement, and curses.

At a square table in the corner sat two people, one old and one young.

The young man held a large bowl, shoveling food into his mouth. From time to time, he would reach out to tear at a chicken leg on the plate, his hands greasy from the meal.

The old man, however, hadn’t taken a single bite. His eyes were slightly closed, as if he were resting.

The young man glanced at him, his eyes darting about. Suddenly, he threw the half-eaten chicken leg in his hand across the room.

"Bland and tasteless. This is disgusting."

The piece of chicken leg smacked right into the back of a burly man’s head.

The burly man had been listening to the others gossip about the recent turmoil in the Jianghu and was completely unprepared for the attack from behind. Stunned, he clutched the back of his head and shot to his feet.

"Who has the nerve to ambush me!?"

As he spoke, he turned to find the culprit, only to see the young man winking and making a face at him.

"That’s right, I hit you. What are you going to do about it?"

The burly man was utterly enraged. He was a notorious outlaw, a man who had killed countless people at the slightest provocation.

But not long ago, his mountain stronghold had been wiped out by a passing master from Taixu Dao, who had been ’exorcising demons’.

He had barely escaped with his life and hadn’t dared to linger. He fled through the night, hoping to find a new mountain to claim as his own and start over.

He never imagined he’d end up like a tiger stranded on the plains, bullied by dogs—mocked by a mere boy.

Without a second thought, he snatched his Golden Back Nine-Ring Saber from the table.

"You’re courting death, kid!"

With that, he lunged forward, ready to hack the boy to pieces.

But as he took his first step, he tripped on something. It was a hard fall; he tumbled headfirst, and the Golden Back Nine-Ring Saber flew from his grasp. THWACK! Half the blade embedded itself in the wall.

A diner sitting near the wall broke out in a cold sweat, terrified.

The burly man scrambled up from the floor, blood streaming from his nose. His eyes, now bloodshot, scanned the ground, only to land on a furry donkey leg.

"Huh?"

Following the leg up, he saw a donkey lying on the floor. The donkey turned its head, and their eyes met.

Leaning against the donkey was another young man. He was sitting on the floor by the stove, holding a book and reading by the firelight with a deeply troubled expression on his face.

As if sensing the burly man’s gaze, the young man looked up at him and said impassively: