In the outskirts of Qinghe County, dozens of torches illuminated the woods, bathing them in a crimson glow.

"Are these people from the Soul-Chasing Tower slippery as eels or what?"

A lean man grumbled in frustration.

"Shut up!"

Han Tie, the Vice Gang Leader of the Iron Saber Gang, barked angrily, and the lean man obediently shut his mouth.

This group of several dozen men consisted of Martial Artists from the Iron Saber Gang and the Liu Family. They were acting on orders from the Divine Mansion Sect to eliminate the Soul-Chasing Tower Assassins outside the city. They had been led on a wild goose chase by the Assassins in the outskirts of Qinghe City for two hours, yet hadn’t so much as touched the hem of their clothes. It was no surprise their patience was wearing thin.

Han Tie glanced at Elder Liu Hanshan of the Liu Family beside him, who looked perfectly calm and composed.

He took a deep breath. ’The Iron Saber Gang can’t show any weakness in front of the Liu Family.’

But these bastards from the Soul-Chasing Tower were truly a pain to deal with. They had been searching for a whole day and found nothing.

"Elder Liu, do you have any good ideas?"

Han Tie turned to Liu Hanshan, wanting to hear his opinion.

Liu Hanshan was about forty, the prime of a Martial Artist’s life. He spoke with a robust and resonant voice.

"Vice Leader Han, you must be joking. If we had a plan, why would we be out here in the middle of nowhere, braving the biting wind?"

Han Tie’s eyes narrowed slightly.

There was nothing wrong with his words, but Han Tie couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Before they knew it, the group had arrived at the foot of a mountain.

Han Tie frowned at the pitch-black mountain forest before them. ’If the Soul-Chasing Tower people have fled into the mountains, this will be trouble.’

Searching for someone in these vast mountains was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Elder Liu, let’s let the scoundrels go for today. What do you think?"

Liu Hanshan nodded slowly. "The feng shui here is excellent."

Han Tie’s frown deepened. He didn’t understand what Liu Hanshan meant by such a cryptic remark.

Suddenly!

A silver needle, as fine as a silk thread, pierced into Han Tie’s thick neck.

"You!"

Han Tie’s eyes widened, staring at the smirking Liu Hanshan in disbelief.

’He actually dared to ambush me!’

Although he had been on guard, the needle strike was too bizarre, making it impossible to defend against.

The Liu Family used swords; he had never heard of them using such insidious methods. It was more like... the Soul-Chasing Tower!

At this thought, Han Tie was horrified.

’A Liu Family Elder is an Assassin from the Soul-Chasing Tower! The entire Liu Family must have already pledged allegiance to them!’

As Liu Hanshan made his move, the other Liu Family disciples acted as if a switch had been flipped. In almost the same instant, they revealed hidden weapons and cut down the unprepared Iron Saber Gang Martial Artists. Even the few who reacted quickly couldn’t withstand the coordinated assault and fell silent moments later.

These were all methods of the Soul-Chasing Tower.

Han Tie stared at the bodies of his Iron Saber Gang disciples littering the ground, his eyes bloodshot.

"Isn’t the Liu Family afraid of retribution from the Divine Mansion Sect?"

Liu Hanshan chuckled mockingly.

"So what if it is the Divine Mansion Sect?"

"Besides, the official story will be that the Vice Gang Leader of the Iron Saber Gang died in a sneak attack by Soul-Chasing Tower villains, and it was a Liu Family Elder who avenged him."

Han Tie glared at Liu Hanshan, his heart sinking to the depths of despair.

’The Liu Family really has defected to the Soul-Chasing Tower.’

In his current state, escaping from Liu Hanshan would be nearly impossible.

’I’ll go down fighting!’

Han Tie forced a breath, and a powerful, intimidating aura exploded from him. His previously ashen face gradually regained its color.

This was the Iron Saber Gang’s unique and ultimate art in Qinghe—the Iron Saber Horizontal Training!

Although the Iron Saber Gang was named for its saber techniques, its true strength lay in its Horizontal Training.

Liu Hanshan seemed prepared. He showed no panic at Han Tie’s actions and even stepped aside, intentionally leaving a gap for Han Tie to break through.

Han Tie was an extremely experienced fighter. How could he miss this chance? Like a tiger descending the mountain, he sent a Liu Family disciple flying with a single palm strike and escaped.

’When you surround an army, leave an outlet...’

They were both veterans of the Jianghu; how could he not see through Liu Hanshan’s plan?

The only reason he was allowed to escape so easily was to minimize casualties. The needle was coated in a potent poison; he wouldn’t get far. But if they had tried to trap him and fight to the death, the Liu Family would have suffered a heavy price.

Han Tie’s choice to break out was simply a gamble for that last, faint glimmer of hope.

He sprinted up the mountain at full speed, with no laughable ideas about returning to the city to expose the Liu Family’s secret.

He just wanted to live!

Because of the poison, even though he was using his Horizontal Training to suppress it, his steps were still unsteady.

Like a venomous snake, Liu Hanshan led the Liu Family disciples, following Han Tie at a leisurely pace, just waiting for the tiger to exhaust itself before striking.

...

「Meanwhile, in another part of the forest.」

"Xiaoqing, good job."

Bai Yuan affectionately patted Xiaoqing’s head.

After his Beast Taming skill was raised to the Adept level, he and Xiaoqing shared a mental link, allowing them to sense each other even from a kilometer away.

He had been improving their rapport by directing Xiaoqing to hunt wild beasts, which would be a huge advantage in battle.

Xiaoqing had not disappointed, cooperating with him in perfect sync.

Suddenly, Xiaoqing coiled its long body and flicked its tongue at Bai Yuan.

"Someone’s here?"

Bai Yuan frowned. He could now understand Xiaoqing’s thoughts.

A snake’s entire body lies flat on the ground, so its perception of vibrations from footsteps is far superior to that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

’All Martial Artists... nine people hunting one person.’

Bai Yuan frowned. This was clearly no simple matter.

It was the middle of the night; even Martial Artists would be unlikely to come up the mountain at this hour.

One person being hunted by nine... considering the recent campaign by the major powers in the city to wipe out the Soul-Chasing Tower, this was very likely related.

After a moment of thought, he tapped his feet lightly and darted into the woods, melting perfectly into the darkness.

This was another benefit of the Beast Seeking skill.

To seek beasts in the mountain forests, one must also know how to conceal oneself. With the cover of night, he would be hard to find even if someone were actively searching for him, let alone a group that didn’t even know he was there.

Fleeing now might just beat the grass and startle the snake. It was better to lie low right where he was.

Before long, several torches lit up the forest.

A figure was fleeing desperately in the torchlight.

When Bai Yuan got a clear look at the person, he raised an eyebrow.

It was completely different from what he had expected. The one being hunted was the Iron Saber Gang’s Vice Gang Leader, Han Tie, and his pursuers were from the Liu Family!

By now, Han Tie was a spent force. His body was trembling uncontrollably; if not for his sheer willpower, he would have already succumbed to the poison and died.

’Poisoned?’

Bai Yuan could tell something was wrong with Han Tie at a glance.

Although he didn’t know why the Liu Family was after Han Tie, it clearly wasn’t a personal grudge; otherwise, the Liu Family members wouldn’t look so calm.

He hadn’t planned on getting involved.

He and Han Tie already had a feud. If Han Tie died tonight, the matter of the Tiger-Crane Form would surely be dropped for some time.

He stared intently at Liu Hanshan’s face, a feeling of vague familiarity washing over him.

Anyone who’s played hack-and-slash games knows they’re mostly about mowing down enemies with little plot. That, combined with the huge difference between the game characters and their real-life counterparts, was why he hadn’t recognized him at first.

’So it’s him!’

Bai Yuan slowly drew his Firewood Cutting Saber...