The inner sanctum of the Bifeng Merchant Guild.
The place where only the guild master and his wife originally resided was completely devastated.
Corpses strewn across the floor.
Entrails and blood splattered across the walls and floor.
With its formerly bright and splendid appearance vanished without a trace, the inner sanctum was filled only with a pungent scent of blood and dead silence.
"Husband..."
The couple, forced to watch the carnage unfolding in the inner sanctum, held each other tightly and trembled.
"...My lady."
Gao Jiying, the master of the Bifeng Merchant Guild, held his trembling, terror-stricken wife tightly and looked at the one responsible for this carnage.
The middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his forties, had such an ordinary face that one would forget it shortly after a single glance.
However, he knew just how terrifying this ordinary-looking middle-aged man truly was.
Lengmian Daogui.
Bearing a moniker earned for wielding his blade with ghostly proficiency while wearing a cold expression, he was one of the top blade experts in Shaanxi.
'I heard he was recently recruited by Baiguicheng, so why is he with Bawangmen? Don't tell me...!'
Just as Gao Jiying's blood ran cold at the hypothesis surfacing in his mind—
"Looks like you managed to avoid the fatal blow."
Covered in blood from head to toe, Lengmian Daogui drove his blade into the stomach of the wandering martial artist he had just struck down as the man twitched.
Squelch!
"Keuk!"
The wanderer, who had been clinging to a sliver of life, gushed out blood, trembled violently, and then stopped moving, going completely limp.
Confirming the wanderer was dead, Lengmian Daogui stomped on the corpse with his foot and swiftly pulled out the embedded blade.
Shlk—
In an instant, blood spurted like a fountain, and a thick rain of blood fell upon the inner sanctum.
"As expected of a merchant guild that rules Shaanxi, you've gathered quite the experts."
Lengmian Daogui swept back his blood-soaked hair and locked eyes with Gao Jiying, who stood across from him with a rigid expression.
Flinch!
Meeting Lengmian Daogui's killing intent-filled eyes, Gao Jiying's breath caught in his throat.
'The experts I've worked so hard to recruit over the past two years...'
Gao Jiying's vision went dark.
The five martial artists who had fallen to his hand were all renowned wanderers within Shaanxi Province.
But Lengmian Daogui's infamy was not unfounded; they had all met their end in less than a quarter of an hour.
Trickle—
A stream of cold sweat ran down his forehead as he witnessed the unbelievable sight.
"...Husband."
Regaining his senses at the voice of his wife, Yan Shuran, he met her gaze with a look meant to reassure her.
Then, releasing his embrace around Yan Shuran, he stepped forward to shield her and spoke.
"...Do you really think you can get away with committing such an act in broad daylight?"
At his question, Lengmian Daogui laughed coldly.
"And what if I can't?"
"Do you even know who backs this merchant guild?"
"I know very well. Isn't it the Huashan Sect?"
"...!"
Watching Lengmian Daogui reply so dismissively, Gao Jiying clamped his mouth shut, his face turning pale with shock.
To commit such an act despite knowing the Huashan Sect was behind them meant he was ready to risk an all-out war.
Or else...
"...You intend to kill everyone inside the Bifeng Merchant Guild."
Instead of answering, Lengmian Daogui simply smiled.
Seeing the pearly whites revealed between his lips, Gao Jiying frowned and spoke.
"I heard the rumor that you recently joined Baiguicheng."
"The news spreads fast."
Gao Jiying chewed his lip as he watched Lengmian Daogui admit it so casually.
His fears had become reality.
In the worst possible way.
"...Has Bawangmen joined hands with Baiguicheng?"
"Join hands?"
Lengmian Daogui smiled chillingly.
"Do you think Bawangmen can stand on equal footing with Baiguicheng?"
"Then that means...!"
Gao Jiying's face turned ashen.
'Bawangmen is a subordinate of Baiguicheng!'
In an instant, the countless pieces of information in his mind began to click into place.
"Is the reason the emerging sect, Bawangmen, has risen to prominence because of Baiguicheng's support...?"
"Impressive."
Lengmian Daogui let out a remark of admiration.
Despite it being merely a few words of conversation, Gao Jiying had grasped the underlying meaning.
"If that's the case, the reason you attacked this merchant guild is to corner the Huashan Sect..."
"They say you built the Bifeng Merchant Guild from nothing into the massive merchant guild it is today all on your own. You're quite sharp."
Looking at Gao Jiying, who was still trying to extract information despite the current situation, Lengmian Daogui wore an expression of regret.
"What a pity. Truly a pity. If only you had severed ties with the Huashan Sect and accepted Bawangmen's proposal, you could have avoided this fate."
"That would never have happened."
Gao Jiying declared firmly.
Lengmian Daogui nodded slightly, as if he had expected that answer.
He had already confirmed before the attack that their eldest son had joined the Huashan Sect.
Lengmian Daogui approached Gao Jiying.
He had humored him out of appreciation for his wits, but it was all over now.
He could not afford to delay any longer.
Thud— Thud—
Glaring at the approaching Lengmian Daogui, Gao Jiying forced the words out.
"...The Huashan Sect will never let this go."
"Contrary to your hopes, they won't."
Lengmian Daogui's smile vanished as he spoke.
"Because, just as you said, the Bifeng Merchant Guild will disappear without a trace today."
Having declared their complete annihilation, he raised his blade high.
Drip. Drip.
Staring at the blood dripping from the blade, Gao Jiying glared and swore.
"It won't go as you wish."
"Dying with foolish dreams isn't so bad."
Lengmian Daogui half-closed his eyes as he spoke.
Whoosh!
The intense killing intent he radiated instantly filled the inner sanctum.
"Keuk!"
Just as Gao Jiying's face turned pale from taking the killing intent head-on, the blade fell.
Swoosh!
"Husband!"
The moment Yan Shuran, standing behind Gao Jiying, screamed and squeezed her eyes shut—
Clang!
Sparks suddenly flew.
Along with the sparks, Lengmian Daogui was sent flying backward by the impact and crashed into the blood-stained wall.
"Keugh!"
Vomiting a mouthful of dark blood, Lengmian Daogui collapsed to the floor powerlessly, falling to his knees.
A scene realized in a fleeting moment.
"What in the world..."
"Husband?"
Belatedly grasping what had just transpired, Gao Jiying and Yan Shuran stared with dumbfounded expressions at the person who had suddenly appeared.
Pale white skin and sharp, distinct features.
The handsome young man, wearing a black martial robe that sharply contrasted with his complexion, surveyed his surroundings and opened his mouth.
"For a merchant guild, why is this place so damn big?"
Flustered by the tone that completely contradicted his appearance, Gao Jiying asked cautiously.
"D-did you come from the Huashan Sect?"
"Hmm?"
The handsome young man, Tian Hui, turned his head.
That face...
The middle-aged man, whose face displayed sheer bewilderment, looked inexplicably familiar.
'Hmm? Chi Jian?'
The middle-aged man looked exactly like Chi Jian.
The only differences were the wrinkles on his face and the weathered look of a man who had endured the passage of time.
Tian Hui looked down at him and asked.
"You're the master of the Bifeng Merchant Guild, right?"
"Y-yes, I am."
"Then that guy must be the enemy."
"Huashan Sect?"
It was then that Lengmian Daogui regained his senses.
Using his blade as a cane to pull himself up, he glared at Tian Hui and swallowed his tension.
"How did you get in here? My men were stationed outside."
"Outside? Ah! Those guys?"
Recalling someone, Tian Hui added casually,
"They were being annoying, so I took care of them."
"...!"
Lengmian Daogui's face hardened.
If his words were true, it meant this man had eliminated his subordinates so stealthily that he hadn't even noticed while standing right here.
'They were subordinates hastily assigned by Bawangmen, but every one of them was a first-rate expert.'
Sweat formed on the hand gripping his blade.
Tensing up, Lengmian Daogui adjusted his grip on his blade and quickly scanned Tian Hui from head to toe.
'He's not a Meihua Sword Guard.'
Moving his eyes to examine the Bailian Sword at his side, he noted the absence of the Meihua emblem that a Meihua Sword Guard would inevitably possess.
Which meant he was merely a lone Daoist.
However, he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
'His skill is definitely not something to be underestimated.'
He recalled the surprise attack he had just suffered.
The moment he thought he saw something blurry, his abdomen had already been struck.
He chewed his lip hard.
He tried to piece together the previous situation in his mind, but he couldn't even fathom how the attack had been delivered.
'What on earth hit me? A fist? A palm? A kick? Or a sweep?'
The more he pondered over what had struck him, the more anxiety crept in.
Failing to even see the opponent's attack meant the gap in their skill was substantial.
He was undeniably a superior martial artist.
'Damn it! But I can't just run away, either.'
Lengmian Daogui's face contorted.
He wanted to flee right now, but his feet simply wouldn't move.
No, he was in no position to.
'If I fail this mission, he will kill me.'
Lengmian Daogui shuddered.
The world knew that Baiguicheng had recruited him, but the truth was entirely different.
He had submitted to the Lord of Baiguicheng, and in return, he was forced to obey his orders unconditionally.
Even if it meant risking his life.
Recalling the middle-aged man who had crushed him with overwhelming power, he shivered and adjusted his grip on his blade.
'Rather than fleeing and facing him, it's better to face this man.'
Having made his decision, he raised his blade.
Then, drawing up every ounce of internal energy from his lower dantian, he fired a cold, piercing glare.
Boom!
The floorboards exploded.
Instantly executing a movement technique, he lunged at Tian Hui.
Closing the distance to a single zhang in an instant, Lengmian Daogui poured his internal energy into his blade, and a chilling aura instantly enveloped it.
Immediately after, the blade shot forth like an arrow from a bow.
Swooooosh!
It was the manifestation of his lifelong ultimate technique, the Lenghun Dao.
With the Lenghun Dao swung in the blink of an eye on the verge of piercing his abdomen, Lengmian Daogui smiled in victory.
However, that smile did not last long.
Snatch—
Tian Hui grabbed the Lenghun Dao.
Horrified, Lengmian Daogui looked at his halted blade, then raised his head.
"...!"
And his face turned deathly pale.
Tian Hui's eyes were far colder than the freezing aura emanating from the blade.
"You must have a death wish."
As he spoke, Tian Hui extended his index finger.
In that moment, Lengmian Daogui was met with a plum blossom in full bloom.
Red as blood, and terrifyingly beautiful.
And that plum blossom was the last sight Lengmian Daogui would ever see in his life.