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Su Ning drank the wine and put the glass on the table.

Fan Changyu quietly stood up, picked up the wine pot, poured another cup for Su Ning, and then sat back down without even raising his head, his ears turning red.

Meng Lihua saw it, smiled with her lips pursed, and didn't say anything.

Thinking that Suning didn't yet have a household registration or a travel permit, Meng Lihua couldn't help but have some ideas.

Fan Erniu, however, did not notice any of this. He drank a few glasses of wine, his face flushed, and he became more and more talkative.

From the bandits on the western mountain to the wealthy Wang in the town, from the wealthy Wang to the county magistrate, and from the county magistrate to the snow this winter.

It seems that Su Ning's appearance made him very happy and excited, perhaps because he was afraid of something deep down.

However, Su Ning realized that Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua were not simple people; they were clearly not ordinary butchers.

However, Su Ning was too lazy to pry into other people's past and secrets, since he wouldn't be staying in Lin'an Town for long anyway.

Meng Lihua put down her chopsticks. "Alright, stop talking. It'll get cold if we don't eat now."

Fan Erniu turned to Su Ning and said with a forced smile, "Brother Su, don't find me annoying! I talk too much when I've been drinking."

Su Ning shook her head. "It's nothing! I'm usually alone on the mountain, and it's rare for anyone to talk to me."

Fan Erniu nodded, poured himself another glass of wine, and drank it in one gulp. "From now on, we're your family. You can stay as long as you want."

Meng Lihua, who was standing nearby, took the wine pot away, saying, "Don't drink anymore, any more will be too much."

Fan Erniu didn't argue. He leaned back in his chair and stared blankly at the fire in the brazier.

After finishing his meal, Suning put down his chopsticks.

Fan Changyu, the girl with big eyes, stood up and tidied up the dishes. She moved very gently, stacking the bowls together, gathering the chopsticks, and carrying them to the kitchen.

As she reached the kitchen doorway, she turned back to look at Su Ning, who was also looking at her, and their eyes met.

Fan Changyu quickly turned her head away shyly, pushed open the door and went into the kitchen, her heart pounding even harder than before.

Next, Meng Lihua set up a bed for Su Ning in the main room.

She moved a wooden plank and placed it on two long benches, then laid a thick layer of straw on it, and then laid a cotton quilt on top. The quilt was old, but it was washed clean, folded neatly, and smelled of soap.

“Brother Su, the conditions are simple, please make do with it.” Meng Lihua patted the quilt. “If the quilt is too thin, I will add another one for you.”

“That’s enough,” Su Ning said. “This is already very good.”

Meng Lihua nodded, turned to leave, then stopped, looked back at him, and said, "Brother Su, I have something to tell you."

"Sister-in-law, please speak."

Meng Lihua hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and said, "Don't take what Lao Fan said today to heart. That's just how he is; he can't control his mouth when he's drunk."

Su Ning nodded. "I understand."

Meng Lihua sighed, "That's good. You should get some rest."

Then she turned and left, gently closing the door behind her.

Su Ning sat on the bed, took off her cotton shoes, and crossed her legs.

The charcoal in the brazier was still glowing red, its light flickering, making the room warm and cozy.

He closed his eyes and sensed the spiritual energy within his body. It was still there, flowing quietly like an underground river.

The system still did not respond.

I don't know what the mission is this time.

I don't know how long I'll be in this world, or even which instance world this is.

But Suning wasn't in a hurry at all.

Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it; this was the most important lesson he learned in the system space.

Su Ning lay down and pulled the blanket up to her chest.

The blanket was a bit thin, but the room was warm enough.

He closed his eyes, preparing to go to sleep and rest.

However, Su Ning's divine sense detected something amiss...

……

In fact, not long after Su Ning left the mountain path with Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua, the sound of horses' hooves rang out again on the mountain path.

It wasn't just one horse, it was dozens of horses.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the snow was muffled, rapid, and frequent, like someone beating a drum.

At the head of the procession was a large chestnut horse, on which sat a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a black brocade robe with a fox fur cloak over it, and a long sword hanging at his waist.

The man's face was ashen, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, and he stared at the corpses scattered on the ground without uttering a single word.

This man was named He Jingyuan, and he was the governor of Jizhou.

One of his attendants dismounted, kicked the nearest corpse, and then squatted down to examine the wounds closely.

When he stood up, his face was pale and his voice was trembling. "Sir, they're all dead. Seventeen of them, not a single one survived."

He Jingyuan's expression turned even uglier.

He pulled on the reins, his gaze sweeping over the corpses one by one.

Some were chopped in the neck, some were stabbed in the chest, and some had their throats slit.

The wounds were all clean and swift, a single, fatal cut, leaving no unnecessary scars.

He looked again at the overturned carriages, the scattered trunks, and the snow that was stained red with blood.

"Who did it?" He Jingyuan's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, sending chills down one's spine.

The attendant shook his head, swallowed hard, and said, "Judging from this technique, he's a trained professional. He's not an ordinary person; his moves are precise and ruthless, without a single unnecessary movement."

"Could it be those two who did it?"

The attendant hesitated for a moment, then looked at the corpse again. "Judging from the method, it doesn't seem like it. I've met those two people before, and they don't have this skill. Moreover, their methods come from military families; the method is too clean, like an unknown entity annihilating a tiny ant."

He Jingyuan remained silent, still mounted on his horse, staring at the corpses, lost in thought.

These "bandits" were actually sent by him; they weren't real bandits, but rather his men in disguise.

The reason he had these people disguise themselves as bandits and rob merchants on this mountain road was ostensibly to steal their goods, but in reality, it was to ambush and kill Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua.

Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua's true identities are not simple; both of them are carrying a big secret, and he is ordered to kill them both.

Now look what's happened, all seventeen people are dead, and Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua have also run away.

"Search." He Jingyuan finally spoke, his voice icy. "See if there are any survivors. Also, see if there are any clues. Search carefully, don't miss anything."

"Yes, my lord."

The soldiers dismounted and began searching through the pile of corpses.

Someone picked up a knife and looked at it; the blade was chipped and the handle was covered in blood.

Someone opened an overturned chest, and the cloth inside was soaked in blood, turning bright red.

Someone found a series of footprints in the snow beside the mountain path, stretching from the path all the way into the depths of the pine forest, winding and not very clear.

"Sir, there are footprints here!" a soldier shouted.

He Jingyuan dismounted and went over to look.

There was a series of deep, messy footprints in the snow. The steps were hurried and the spacing was wide; it didn't look like walking, but more like running.

He followed the footprints into the pine forest, but it was pitch black inside, and he couldn't see anything except the flickering shadows of the pine trees.

These footprints were naturally left by the survivors, but now they have become clues for He Jingyuan to pursue them.

"Chase," He Jingyuan said, uttering a single word.

As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible force descended from the sky.

It wasn't wind, it wasn't snow, it was hard to tell what it was.

It felt like a mountain suddenly pressing down on my shoulders, or like a hand squeezing my heart tightly.

Everyone froze, unable to move.

The horse neighed and backed away, its hooves kicking wildly and white breath coming out of its mouth; it was impossible to rein it in.

The soldiers were pale, their legs were weak, and they couldn't even lift their knives. Some of them let go and dropped their knives into the snow with a thud.

He Jingyuan was also frozen in place, unable to move.

He tried to move, but found he couldn't.

I wanted to speak, but I couldn't open my mouth; my lips felt like they were sewn shut.

He Jingyuan sensed that something was watching them, neither human nor wild animal, and he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

It is invisible and intangible, yet it is there, everywhere, and there is no escaping it.

Soon, He Jingyuan saw it.

A golden light shone in mid-air.

It wasn't light leaking through the clouds, but light that appeared out of nowhere, seemingly out of nowhere.

The golden light grew brighter and brighter, slowly transforming into a gigantic human figure, terrifyingly large, standing in mid-air with its head touching the sky and its feet firmly planted on the ground.

The giant was covered in golden light, making it impossible to see its appearance or what clothes it was wearing; only a general outline could be seen.

But the imposing aura emanating from that silhouette made everyone want to kneel down; they had no choice but to.

He Jingyuan's legs went weak first.

He immediately dismounted and knelt down in the snow with a thud, his knees sinking into the cold, damp snow.

But he couldn't feel the cold at all; he only felt fear.

That kind of fear that seeps from the very bones and surges up from the heart is impossible to stop.

The soldiers behind He Jingyuan also knelt down, one after another, their knees thumping on the snow. No one dared to raise their heads; some lay on the ground, their faces pressed against the snow, trembling all over.

The giant spoke, his voice booming like thunder, each word like a heavy hammer pounding on He Jingyuan's heart, making his chest feel heavy.

"Are these bandits your men?"

He Jingyuan lay prostrate on the ground, his face pressed against the snow, trembling like a leaf, his teeth chattering. "Immortal, spare me! Immortal, spare me... I didn't know you were cultivating here... If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have dared to disturb you even if I had a hundred lives..."

The giant ignored him, his voice still loud and cold, "Remember! If your men show up around here again..."

The giant's voice paused for a moment, then became light and airy, as if he had just casually uttered, "Die."

Just one word, but when that word hit him, He Jingyuan felt like his head was about to explode.

With a "pfft," He Jingyuan, unable to withstand the oppressive force any longer, spat out blood, staining a large patch of snow in front of him red.

Ignoring his internal injuries, He Jingyuan frantically kowtowed, his forehead slamming into the snow, creating a crater. Snowflakes mixed with blood splattered all over his face. "I dare not do it again! I will leave now, far away, and never come back. Immortal, have mercy! Immortal, have mercy!"

The golden light gradually faded.

The figure faded away, disappearing little by little into the air like a mountain in a painting.

As the last glimmer of golden light faded, the sky darkened again, turning a hazy gray, just like before.

The snow was still falling, densely packed, snowflakes falling one after another, covering the corpses, the bloodstains, and the footprints layer by layer.

He Jingyuan lay on the ground, not daring to move for a long time.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head, his neck stiff and unable to turn.

There was nothing in the air except for the heavy snow falling everywhere; you couldn't see anything at all.

He stood up shakily, only to find his legs were still weak and he could barely stand. He had to hold onto the horse beside him to keep himself upright, and his hands were shaking.

"Retreat. Retreat quickly."

The soldiers had wanted to run away for a long time.

Upon hearing the order, they immediately scrambled away, some even failing to climb up after two attempts, their legs too weak to support them.

Once on horseback, they charged down the mountain without looking back; some even dropped their whips but didn't bother to pick them up.

He Jingyuan was helped onto his horse by his attendants and glanced back at the pine forest.

You can't see anything, just snow, a vast expanse of white, without a single shadow.

He couldn't help but shudder, cracked his whip, and spurred his horse toward Jizhou.

The sound of horses' hooves on the mountain road grew farther and farther away, and soon it disappeared from sight, leaving only the sound of wind and snow howling.

When Su Ning's soul returned to her body, Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua's family were still fast asleep.

He lay on the bed for a while, then opened his eyes and looked at the roof beams above him.

The roof beams were made of dark wood, with several spider webs hanging from them, swaying back and forth.

Those bandits were indeed acting under someone's orders.

Actually, I realized something was wrong when I killed those seventeen people and searched their belongings.

Ordinary mountain bandits don't have that many standard knives, nor do they have that kind of decisive and efficient fighting skills.

Especially the Tang-style horizontal sword in the hands of the bandit leader, its forging craftsmanship is extremely exquisite, and it is definitely not something that can be obtained on the market.

To everyone's surprise, those seventeen men turned out to be soldiers, sent by someone to impersonate bandits.

These people, who went to great lengths to impersonate bandits, were obviously not just after robbery; they were clearly after Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua.

It seems that Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua's background is definitely not simple, otherwise they wouldn't have attracted these people's schemes and plots.

Suning doesn't want to cause trouble or create problems in this world.

But he had to let that person know that someone was in charge of things on this path.

The golden body of the Taiyi Immortal is enough to give him a hard time.

If that person has any sense, he won't dare to come back anytime soon.

As for what happens in the future, we'll talk about that later. Perhaps I'll leave this place soon.

The snow was still falling outside, and he could hear the sound of snowflakes falling on the roof, a soft, dense rustling sound.

Fan Erniu's snoring came from the inner room, one snoring sound after another; he was sleeping soundly.

There was a sound of someone turning over in the next room; it was probably Fan Changyu. He turned over and then fell silent again.

Su Ning closed her eyes, listened to the sounds, and slowly fell asleep.

...(End of this chapter)