Killing

Upon the desolate road, galloping horses carry two figures, a young man and a veiled woman. The man, handsome and youthful, rides with a sense of pride, while the woman remains veiled, her ethereal aura captivating.

These two are none other than Lin Feng and Meng Qing, riding together as one.

However, Lin Feng's triumph is short-lived. The horse speeds remarkably fast, and the biting wind relentlessly assaults him, causing his long hair to flutter and his clothes to rustle.

Most pitiful is Lin Feng's body, as if it could be blown off by the wind at any moment, falling from the horse. At this moment, he stands atop the horse, continuously facing the cold, biting wind, with only his hand resting on Meng Qing's shoulder, offering him a hint of comfort.

"If my strength had not reached the Martial Spirit Realm and my body technique was not strong enough to stabilize my figure, I'm afraid I would have fallen off long ago."

Poor Lin Feng thought Meng Qing, who emerged from the Black Wind Ridge, was ignorant and easy to deceive, hence the current situation. Although Meng Qing is ignorant of the outside world, she is extremely clever.

Steadily riding atop the horse, Meng Qing turns back and sees Lin Feng's distressed face. A faint smile flickers in her eyes, unobscured by the veil.

Though the smile is faint, it seems to drain the world of its colors, casting a shadow over the surroundings.

"What a monster," Lin Feng mutters to himself. Before meeting Meng Qing, he had never dared to imagine that there could be such a beautiful woman in the world, captivating with every frown and smile.

"Do you want to sit down?" Meng Qing's eyes regain their indifference, as if nothing could stir her emotions.

"Yes." Lin Feng nods decisively, his clear gaze making him look like a simple and honest youth. At this moment, Lin Feng reveals his true nature.

Unfortunately, the world is too murky. The path of the strong is filled with conspiracies and bloodshed. His pure nature can only be deeply buried in some corner.

Not only Lin Feng, but who in this world is not the same? Forced by the cruel reality, gradually eroding their simple and kind nature.

"Tell me about the outside world. If you can move my heart, I might consider it," Meng Qing's gaze flickers, trying to coerce Lin Feng, who can't help but smile.

"The outside world?" Although Lin Feng has experienced several brutal realities, he has not been in this world for long and his experience is lacking. It's not easy to impress Meng Qing, who seems indifferent to everything.

However, at this moment, something stirs in Lin Feng's heart, and he smiles at Meng Qing. "Let me tell you about the stories of my hometown."

"Okay." Meng Qing nods slightly.

"In our hometown, there was once a thousand-year-old monster, powerful and formidable. Her name was Bai Suzhen..."

Lin Feng's voice is ethereal, recalling classic love stories from his past life, intertwined with elements of the Nine Heavens Continent, vividly recounting tales from Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian, to Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai; from the transformation of the Butterfly Lovers, to Meng Jiangnu weeping at the Great Wall, each story full of entanglement and charm in his words.

Without waiting for Meng Qing to speak, Lin Feng sits down halfway through the story.

But Meng Qing, captivated by the tale, seems to have forgotten about it, letting Lin Feng sit behind her, his hands lightly resting on her shoulders. As the horse jolts, their bodies come into contact.

"Enough." Lin Feng finally finishes a story, stopping.

Meng Qing turns her head, almost bumping into Lin Feng, their faces less than a foot apart, staring at each other... two faces, so close.

Looking at the beauty so close at hand, Lin Feng feels an urge to kiss Meng Qing, who is incredibly tempting.

"It seems my heart is not firm enough." Lin Feng sighs inwardly. Faced with Meng Qing up close, he cannot keep his heart calm and still.

But Lin Feng's demands on himself are too high. With a woman like Meng Qing, who can remain indifferent when so close to her? Perhaps only a true martial arts fanatic who seeks only martial arts could do so, but Lin Feng is clearly not at that level of obsession with martial arts.

A strange look flashes in Meng Qing's eyes, then she turns her head and says to Lin Feng, "Is it finished?"

"Yes." Lin Feng nods.

"You finished, so why are you sitting? I didn't tell you to sit," Meng Qing's indifferent eyes carry a hint of provocation.

"Uh..." Lin Feng is stunned, then says, "Then I'll continue."

"Oh." Meng Qing's voice remains indifferent, turning her head without another word.

...

As they approach, the ground trembles slightly, and the sound of hooves grows louder.

Lin Feng's gaze sharpens, looking into the distance, where dust clouds rise and the sound of galloping hooves becomes increasingly loud.

Before long, a group of iron riders appears in Lin Feng's sight, raising dust as they approach.

Meng Qing steers her horse to the side of the road to avoid the dust, and the iron riders pass by without paying them any attention, roaring past.

"Horse thieves?" Lin Feng furrows his brows, showing a hint of doubt. This group of riders is well-trained, maintaining order even as they gallop on the road, and they seem to be in formation.

Moreover, they exude a fierce aura. Even as they pass by, Lin Feng feels a strong sense of danger coming from them.

However, their attire is extremely disheveled, their clothes ragged, and their hair unkempt, much like the horse thieves from earlier.

"Why do I feel like they're very similar to the group from earlier?" Meng Qing also furrows her brows, saying lightly.

Lin Feng's eyes flicker, his brows seeming to lock together. After a moment, a sharp light flashes in his eyes, as if he has understood something.

"They are the same kind of people."

Lin Feng's expression is cold as he speaks, "Meng Qing, let's go back. Quickly."

"Okay."

Without asking for more details, Meng Qing turns the horse around, trembling slightly, the spirited horse neighing as they gallop back the way they came.

...

The carriage of the Duan family moves swiftly, leaving a long trail on the ground as its wheels roll.

The imperial city is too far from Yunyang Town, so the Duan family travels quickly, not wanting to waste too much time on the journey.

"Stop."

Old Wang waves his hand, and the caravan stops.

In the Duan family, although Old Wang is weak, he has been following along since the time of Grandfather Duan, so everyone in the family respects him greatly. Especially after Grandfather Duan's father passed away due to illness, Old Wang took care of everything in the Duan family and holds a high position.

Therefore, despite Grandfather Duan's opposition, Old Wang insisted on driving Lin Feng away. Except for Grandfather Duan and Jingyun, no one else had any objections.

At this moment, Old Wang looks into the distance, where dust rises into the air, creating a yellow storm,

 shaking the earth.

Others also feel it, their hearts tightening, their gazes fixed on the distance.

Before long, a group of figures appears in their sight, causing everyone's pupils to slightly contract.

Bandits, they actually encountered bandits...

Their luck seems to be too bad!

"I hope these bandits aren't as strong as the ones before," the crowd prays silently. The strength of the bandits encountered earlier was very strong, especially the leader of the bandits, who was even at the Martial Spirit Realm. If it weren't for Lin Feng, they might have been slaughtered by the bandits.

Thinking of Lin Feng, everyone's hearts tremble. Old Wang said Lin Feng might be a spy, a member of the Sky Wolf Gang, but now that Lin Feng is gone and the bandits have appeared, they are unsure who is right or wrong.

But one thing is certain: they all hope Lin Feng is still here. Even if he is a spy, he is trying to gain the young master's trust, which means he would protect them. Now, they don't know the intentions of these bandits.

The leader of the bandits spins his palm, raising his long knife high, a chilling light radiating from it.

"Kill them all, leave none alive."

The icy words echo from the bandit leader's mouth, and everyone feels a cold wind sweeping over them, chilling to the bone.

"Boom!"

The ground begins to tremble, and the bandits brandish their long knives, rushing towards the caravan. A fierce aura envelops them, overwhelming everyone.

"Protect the young master."

Old Wang shouts, and the young guards step forward, releasing their martial souls.

"Kill!"

A loud shout, the flash of blades, and blood splatters in an instant. Heads fly into the air, and many people's blood sprays from the severed necks.

The brutal scene quiets the space instantly, the sound of blood dripping from the knives of the bandits audible on the ground.

With just one charge, more than ten guards are instantly killed, and it's a very cruel massacre.

The surviving crowd trembles violently, the boundless fear invading their hearts. This group of bandits is much stronger than the previous one. They are completely defenseless and can only be slaughtered.

Are they going to have their heads severed like those who died?

"Lin Feng!"

The surviving crowd thinks of that unrestrained figure at the same moment.

Unfortunately, Lin Feng has already been driven away by Old Wang, and they regret not persuading him to stay!