Chapter 3

The moon hung high in the sky.

The stars filled the heavens, shining brilliantly.

It was August, and in a few days, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival. The full moon illuminated the night like daylight. Despite the heat that made it hard to sleep, a light rain had just fallen, sweeping away the scorching heat and making the night air particularly fresh.

Frogs croaked in the pond, and cicadas chirped in the night. The fragrance of osmanthus filled the old street, and after the rain, the scent of the flowers mixed with the earth, creating an intoxicating aroma.

Unfortunately, the fragrant air was also tinged with a pungent smell.

It was the smell of blood, the scent of fresh blood.

The dogs on the street barked fiercely, as if warning people of the unusual events.

Such a beautiful night seemed impossible to be associated with murder. A dark and stormy night would be more fitting for a killing. But the night was so still, so beautiful.

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Corpses lay scattered throughout the courtyard.

The blood pooled in the low-lying areas of the courtyard, mingling with the recent rain to form a small pond.

Many people had died. From their attire, some were just ordinary villagers, while others, dressed more lavishly, were the owners of the courtyard.

On a flight of stairs, a young woman lay in a pool of blood, long dead. The fatal wound was on her back, a sharp weapon piercing her heart as she tried to escape, causing her to die instantly.

In her arms was a baby, still in swaddling clothes, its gender indistinguishable.

The attacker clearly had no mercy, as a bloodstain on the baby's chest gradually spread... There, at the heart, the baby had been pierced through, just like its mother.

Strangely, the fatally wounded baby was still alive.

The baby had large, clear, and bright eyes, but at that moment, these beautiful eyes were filled with deep despair and confusion.

These were eyes that could break anyone's heart, so bright, so lovely, so captivating. If not for the deep despair in those eyes, no one would dislike a child with such eyes.

But no one could believe that an innocent baby could have such expressive eyes. They conveyed too much emotion, far beyond what a baby could possess.

But that was how it was, evident on the baby's face.

To have eyes filled with such rich emotions, the baby could not be a baby. His name was Ye Feng, from another world.

Ye Feng clutched the sword wound on his chest with his small, tender hands, but his strength was too weak. The bright red blood still stubbornly flowed out, and the feeling of his life gradually slipping away was terrifying.

Ye Feng was savoring this fear in detail.

If he were really a child, how much better it would be. Dying slowly, at most, would cause some discomfort. He might feel pain, but not such intense fear... How could a newborn understand fear, or feel regret and longing for a world they had never experienced?

The dog on the street barked even more wildly.

The desire to live had gradually faded. Just a few minutes ago, Ye Feng still hoped that the noisy dog would bark and attract someone...

Even a night watchman would do.

However, after a few minutes, Ye Feng, feeling his life slipping away, realized that the time spent waiting for death was so long, so long that he had already given up hope of survival.

Fate always likes to play a small joke when people start to ignore it.

Just as Ye Feng had given up hope and was preparing to accept death again, a faint red light slowly appeared on his injured, tender chest. This light was so weak that it was barely visible through his clothes... It was a line of text, and at the top, the words "Lanhuan Lingmiao Pavilion" were always there. Below it, a line of text, like a computer game loading, kept flashing:

"Detecting unknown life energy, absorbing..."

"Linking with host complete, loading Jin Yong martial arts data..."

"Martial arts data loaded, functions activated..."

"Host's life energy decreasing rapidly, life support system activated, energy consumption ongoing..."

Then, the wound that had pierced through his lungs began to slowly heal, and the rate of blood loss decreased... However, all of this happened without Ye Feng's knowledge.

But this silent healing only lasted a moment before the faint red light began to flash rapidly: "Lanhuan Lingmiao Pavilion system energy critically low, entering sleep mode..."

One, two, three. After three silent flashes, the red light suddenly disappeared, as if it had never been there, and everything returned to its original state. Ye Feng's wound, which had almost healed, began to bleed again...

Hope, when you need it most, comes late; when you are about to give up, it arrives unexpectedly.

After a flurry of footsteps, the door creaked open.

With a clatter, something fell to the ground.

"Oh my God..." It seemed that the person had also fallen.

A moment later, a piercing scream broke the night.

"Murder—murder—help, help—murder—"

The shrill cry drowned out the frogs and cicadas, and even the barking dog on the street was scared into hiding.

Hearing the footsteps approaching, Ye Feng felt a sense of relief and almost fainted.

But fainting now would probably mean he was close to death.

Struggling to resist the drowsiness—death's breath—he felt people approaching the courtyard. Ye Feng raised his small hand and shouted loudly: "Help, help, I don't want to die, I just crossed over—"

But what came out of his throat was only a series of wails.

The constable Huang, along with several county officers, cautiously searched the bodies in the courtyard. Amidst the baby's cries, they found a severely injured infant.

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Outside the city, at Fifty Mile Slope.

A dark, old forest.

Two people stood on the grass outside the forest, not far apart.

One was a fierce-looking man, and the other was a mysterious figure in a black cloak.

The man weighed the money bag in his hand, a look of disdain on his face.

This money bag had just been in the hands of the person opposite, thrown over by the cloaked figure.

The one who paid was obviously not the one being robbed, nor was it an act of charity.

This was a transaction, and in a transaction, someone has to pay. The item being traded was the lives of the Ye family in Qingyang Town.

The job was done well—annihilated without a trace.

The entire process was closely monitored. When confirming each victim, the cloaked figure coldly delivered the final blow to a baby in swaddling clothes... a ruthless and merciless strike.

Liu with the scar was a notorious and ruthless figure in Yunzhou, no stranger to robbery and murder. Yunzhou was a remote area, and the government's control was lax, so there were many people like Liu who lived by the sword, leading a life of danger and freedom.

This job was commissioned by the cloaked figure, who hired Liu and his gang.

It was said to be revenge, but the method of wiping out the entire family was undoubtedly cruel and ruthless.

There was no point in overthinking it; he was just doing a job for money.

However, the employer only wanted them to kill, not to take any of the victims' possessions, which made it difficult for Liu to justify to his gang, who were used to taking whatever they could.

I kill for you, and my brothers get a little extra, why not?

Liu, full of resentment, even after receiving the silver, was not entirely satisfied and his words were not clean.

"Damn it, my hands are covered in blood, and the pretty girls were all stabbed through... I was seething with anger, and in the end, I got this much money? Not even enough to visit a brothel twice..."

"The price was agreed upon beforehand, and the remaining amount has been paid... You shouldn't have too many thoughts..." The cloaked figure's voice was hoarse, like a crow being strangled, the raspy sound grating on the ears.

"I can have no thoughts, but my brothers have thoughts... You didn't let us touch the girls, fine... But why can't we touch the family's wealth? They're all dead, so who will enjoy it?"

"The money can't be touched... If it is, it will leave a trail..."

"Trail my ass! I've done this job many times, and spending money won't leave a trail..."

Liu chuckled, "Talking about a trail, are you worried about us? We're already infamous in Yunxian County, and even if we didn't do it, the authorities might still blame us... I suspect... you're the one worried about leaving a trail? The Ye family is more than just your enemy, isn't it?"

Liu paused, lightly rubbing his chin, and looked at the cloaked figure with a sinister smile, "When the old man from the Ye family was dying, he mentioned something about the Kunwu Sect... or some demon cult... I have a poor memory, so I can't remember the details..."

Liu proudly shared his suspicions, watching the cloaked figure's reaction with a greedy smile.

"You are very smart..."

The man smiled smugly.

"But, you shouldn't be so smart..."

Liu's face darkened, sensing a hint of unease. He tried to remain calm and said, "If you agree to give us another 20,000 taels of silver, I guarantee not a word will be said... I swear..."

"Hmph, greedy." The hoarse voice of the cloaked figure sent a chill down Liu's spine. Then the cloaked figure coldly added, "But... it doesn't matter..."