Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 9 Thunder and Rain, Black-Clad Men Arrive at the Door (4000-word long chapter)
Time slipped by on a taut string. Three months had passed since Meng Xihong's confrontation with the man in black.

In the past three months, the constables in Wufeng County have been much more active than usual.

On the various paths leading to Black Wind Pass, skilled sentries, like lurking cheetahs, silently blend into the withered grass and forests every day, monitoring every unusual movement.

With Meng Xihong in charge of the county government office, intelligence reports, like a fine spider web, continuously flowed into his hands, and were then transformed into precise instructions for issuance.

Like a seasoned hunter, he patiently analyzed every subtle movement, waiting for the deadly viper to lose its composure and reveal a weakness.

On this morning, Meng Xihong, who usually performs a daily divination, narrowed his eyes slightly.

[Daily Divination, Today's Hexagram: Extremely Inauspicious. Bloodshed is imminent, and a malevolent star is at the door. It is advisable to remain calm and act decisively. The overall fortune is excellent; avoid distractions.]

The words "extremely unlucky" are glaringly bright red! However, with excellent fortune, perhaps it's not so bad.

Meng Xihong tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, recalling the moment three months ago when the man in black struck him on the back of the shoulder, staining his blood with his own blood, and the strange reaction he had at that instant.

It wasn't pure joy; instead, it was mixed with an undisguised greed and a sense of relief, like the pain being relieved.

Combined with his constant attacks on civilians and caravans in Black Wind Pass, a guess about evil arts devouring the body and requiring special essence blood to replenish the foundation suddenly became clear in his mind.

"His efforts will surely backfire, and my blood is his greatest medicine!" A cold glint flashed in Meng Xihong's eyes.

"Somebody come!"

Two trusted constables immediately rushed in from outside the door, bowing and waiting for orders.

"Immediately issue an order to summon all brothers of the rank of squad leader and above to the council hall. They must all be present within a quarter of an hour!"

"Yes!"

The constables accepted the order and left without the slightest delay.

Fifteen minutes later, the atmosphere in the council chamber was heavy.

Meng Xihong stood in front of a huge sand table, which displayed a topographical map of the entire Wufeng County.

"Gentlemen," he said bluntly, his voice low but decisive, "that venomous snake is about to emerge from its hole."

A senior constable couldn't help but speak up first: "Sir, things have been peaceful for the past three months. Could the thief have already fled Wufeng County?"

"Escape?" Meng Xihong sneered. He walked up to the constable and stared at him sharply. "Would a desperate fugitive, severely injured, suffering from the backlash of his martial arts, and in dire need of the 'antidote,' easily leave the 'medicine field' he has chosen?"

He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "When we fought three months ago, I noticed a detail. After that thief got my blood on him, his reaction was extremely abnormal; it was a kind of morbid craving."

I concluded that his evil cultivation technique had reached a critical point, requiring special essence and blood to repair. And I, or rather, we martial artists with vigorous blood and energy, were his targets!

"He waited three months, not to recover from his injury, but to endure and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike! And today, with the sky darkening and a storm brewing, people are most prone to complacency, which is exactly the kind of opportunistic rat that he is!"

His words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

They then realized that the seemingly calm deployment by the yamen chief over the past three months was actually based on a deep analysis of the enemy.

"Then...should we take the initiative and search the mountain?" someone suggested.

“No,” Meng Xihong categorically denied. “That would only alert him. Since he’s convinced I’m his ‘medicine,’ he’ll definitely come looking for me. If we make any rash moves, it might just make him change his mind and harm innocent people in the city.”

He slammed his fist on the sand table, making a dull thud.

"Therefore, I've decided to use myself as bait!"

"Pass on my orders!" Meng Xihong's voice suddenly rose, filled with a chilling aura.

"From this moment forward, the county government will be placed under the highest level of security! All dispatched sentries will be converted to pure surveillance, and are not allowed to have any contact with any suspicious persons. They only need to transmit intelligence back!"
All patrol forces within the city were immediately consolidated, focusing their defenses on the county government office, the treasury, and the county magistrate's residence!

"I want you to turn this county government office into an impenetrable fortress! A deadly trap where the prey just walks right in!"

"Sir, this..." A squad leader looked worried, "You're personally acting as bait, what if..."

“There’s no room for ‘what ifs’!” Meng Xihong interrupted him, his eyes calm yet frantic. “This is an order! I want him to believe that I, Meng Xihong, have been forced into a corner and can only hold out for reinforcements. The more he underestimates me, the greater our chances of winning!”

Looking into Meng Xihong's unwavering gaze, the last trace of doubt in everyone's hearts was completely dispelled.

"Yes, sir!" the crowd responded in unison, their eyes blazing with bloodthirsty fighting spirit.

After everyone had left to carry out their orders, Meng Xihong sat alone in the empty yamen hall, his hand on his sword, eyes closed and mind focused.

He pushed the perception granted by his martial arts foundation to its limit, and the entire county government office seemed to become an extension of his body.

He is waiting.

It's not just about waiting for that familiar killing intent, but also about capturing that morbid desire that originates from the depths of life itself.

The atmosphere in the Meng family courtyard was completely different from the somber atmosphere of the government office.

Bai sat on a rattan chair in the courtyard, making clothes for her unborn child. The warm sunlight shone on her, but it couldn't dispel the worry between her brows.

These past few days, the baby in her womb has been moving unusually frequently and forcefully, and the subtle feeling of pressure and swelling has made her somewhat uneasy.

She looked up at the sky. The sky, which had been clear just moments before, was now covered with heavy, dark clouds. The wind was picking up, carrying the earthy smell of an impending mountain rain.

"My husband...I wonder what's wrong with him today..." she murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the soft fabric.

at this time!

"Boom!"

A deafening thunderclap suddenly ripped through the oppressive sky!
The pale lightning, like a ferocious giant claw, instantly turned the dim world into a ghastly white!
Startled by the sudden clap of thunder, Bai trembled, dropping her needle and thread. Immediately afterward, a powerful, uncontrollable spasm surged from her lower abdomen!
"Ah!" she cried out in pain, her face turning deathly pale instantly, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead, and her hands instinctively covering her swollen belly.

Meng Yanqing was terrified by her mother's cries of pain and the thunderous roar. Her little mouth trembled, and she burst into tears.

"Husband... Husband..." Intense contractions surged like a tidal wave, and Bai Shi was in so much pain she could barely breathe.

She struggled to stand up, but her legs were too weak. She could only lean helplessly against the wicker chair and call out with difficulty toward the kitchen, but her voice was drowned out by the rolling thunder and her son's cries.

Outside, large raindrops pounded down, instantly turning into a torrential downpour! The world was shrouded in chaos!
Almost at the same instant the thunder roared!

A black shadow, moving with ghostly speed and carrying an even stronger, almost manic killing intent than at Black Wind Pass, rushed straight towards Meng Xihong in the center of the yamen!

The man in black, he really came!
And they chose this crucial moment, amidst darkness and thunderstorms, to deliver the decisive blow!

His left arm was still wrapped in a cloth strip, but the strip was soaked with dark red blood, and you could even see the muscles underneath twitching and spasming abnormally, as if something was trying to crawl out.

The long, narrow blade in his right hand was wielded with a ferocity and madness even more intense than it had been at Black Wind Pass! His eyes, in particular, were bloodshot.
A kind of beastly greed and pain burned deep in his pupils, fixed on Meng Xihong as if he were not a person, but a human-shaped savior herb!

"Meng Xihong! It's all your fault! You injected that strange dark energy into my meridians, causing the essence and blood I had painstakingly absorbed and transformed to flow backward and backfire, damaging my Dao foundation. I suffer from the torment of ten thousand ants gnawing at my heart and the burning of Yin fire every day!" The blade tore through the rain curtain, carrying a piercing shriek and his venomous roar, aiming straight for Meng Xihong's throat!

"Today, only your precious blood, imbued with spiritual energy, can heal my Dao wounds, help me perfect my cultivation, and make me an immortal. It will be your honor. Offer me your blood and soul!"

The hoarse, distorted roar drowned out the thunder and rain, filled with unbearable pain and naked desire!
"I've been waiting for you! You evil heretic, how dare you covet my essence blood!" Meng Xihong's eyes snapped open, flashing with a sharp light! He understood immediately and hesitated no longer!
[Martial Arts Foundation] resonates within the body, and Qi and blood flow like mercury!

Faced with this long-planned, deadly attack, he remained as calm as a mountain.

“Clang!”

The goose-feather saber at his waist was drawn from its sheath in an instant, as if it were alive, and its clear, melodious sound was like the roar of a dragon!

The cold glint of the blade drew a piercing arc in the dimly lit courtroom, meeting the deadly black blade with perfect precision!
Dang~
The deafening clang of metal against metal drowned out the thunder outside! Blinding sparks flew from the point where the blades met!

A tremendous force came from the blade, and Meng Xihong steadied himself by slightly lowering his arm.

Instead, a slight cracking sound came from the strange wound on the left arm of the man in black, and a spurt of black blood seeped out, causing him to let out a muffled groan mixed with pain and anger, and his sword strike paused for a moment.

It's now!

A cold glint flashed in Meng Xihong's eyes! He had been waiting for this moment when the other party's old strength had dissipated and new strength had not yet arisen!

Instead of fighting head-on, he used the force of the recoil to twist his waist like a snake, sliding off the ground at an incredible angle and instantly escaping the core of the black-clad man's blade attack.

At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning, not to attack the man in black, but to slam down on a huge pillar supporting the government building next to him!

boom!
A highly concentrated burst of internal energy pierced through his palm and plunged into the hard wooden pillar, causing the entire courtroom to tremble! A teeth-grinding cracking sound emanated from inside the wooden pillar.

"Release the arrows!!!" Meng Xihong's roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding after the sound of the swords!
With that slap, the signal was sent!

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

The dozen or so elite constables who had been lying in ambush in the side rooms and on the roof of the yamen did not hesitate to pull the triggers of their crossbows.

Crossbow bolts coated with potent anesthetic tore through the rain, swarming towards the men in black from all directions like venomous bees.

As the saying goes, even the best kung fu master is afraid of a kitchen knife.

This is Meng Xihong's true "waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump" strategy!
He used himself as bait to set a deadly trap!

The man in black's pupils suddenly contracted!
He never expected Meng Xihong to react so quickly, and he never expected that after taking his full-force blow, the other party would be able to break free instantly and issue a fatal command.

In particular, the backlash from the internal energy cultivation technique intensified abruptly due to the head-on collision and the haste, as if thousands of poisonous insects were gnawing at his meridians!
"You're blocking my path! Damn it!" he roared in resentment, his swift blade flashing as it formed a dense black curtain of light, but his movements were already tinged with stiffness caused by the intense internal pain.

The clanging and clattering sounds were like popping beans, and most of the crossbow bolts were deflected and knocked away by him!
However, he was still injured, and the backlash from his body and the effects of the torrential rain greatly affected his vision and movements. What he had initially thought would be advantageous to him turned into a stumbling block.

*Thud! Thud!* Two muffled thuds! Two cunning crossbow bolts pierced through his net of blades, one embedding itself deeply into his already aggravated left shoulder, the other grazing his thigh, leaving a trail of blood! The potent anesthetic instantly spread along the wound!

"Ugh!" The effects of the anesthetic seemed to conflict with the backlash from the evil power within his body, bringing a strange sensation that doubled the pain. The man in black froze abruptly, and his sword strikes became chaotic!
He even subconsciously wanted to scratch the wound on his left shoulder, as if the pain there was far greater than any other.

"Now!" How could Meng Xihong let go of this fleeting opportunity? Like a tiger pouncing on its prey, he pounced again!

This time, he held nothing back! The hidden energy within his body surged forth like a river bursting its banks, pouring entirely into the goose-feather saber in his hand!

The blade emitted a deep hum, and the blade light surged, carrying a resolute momentum to cut through everything. With the simplest yet most domineering move, "Splitting Mount Hua," it fiercely cleaved down towards the back of the neck of the man in black, which was slightly hunched due to the pain and anesthesia!
This strike is not only meant to eradicate evil completely, but also to sever all evil thoughts that might covet the very source of his life.

The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, faster than a flash of thunder! Ruthless and merciless!

The man in black sensed the destructive killing intent and the approaching pure blood energy behind him. Greed and fear intertwined in his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot!
He tried to parry with his knife, but the pain and numbness inside and outside slowed his movements by a fatal moment! He could only twist his body to the side with all his might!
"Tsk-!"

The chilling sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out! Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly staining the bluestone floor of the yamen red, only to be quickly washed away and diluted by the torrential rain.

A severed arm, clad in black and still gripping a sharp knife, flew high into the air before crashing heavily into the muddy water with a "thud".

"No—! My blood…my path to immortality…" The man in black let out a shrill, desperate scream, not just from the excruciating physical pain, but also from the madness of having his path severed and his dream of immortality shattered.

“That person…that person clearly told me…this cultivation method…that by devouring the essence and blood of all living beings, one can build an unparalleled foundation for the Dao…to become an immortal through martial arts…Why…why is this happening…I, Zuo Feng…am unwilling to accept this…How can I die at the hands of such ants…”

All that remained on his right shoulder was a horrific wound the size of a bowl, with blood gushing out and his aura rapidly fading away like a deflated balloon!
He staggered backward, his eyes filled with extreme resentment at his failed efforts, fear of the backlash from the demonic power, and... the despair and confusion that ultimately turned him to ashes!
Meng Xihong stood holding a knife, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. Crimson blood meandered down the groove of the knife, dripping into the puddles and spreading into dazzling red plum blossoms.

The cold rain soaked his hair and official robes, but it could not extinguish the palpable killing intent and majesty in his eyes.

He walked step by step toward Zuo Feng, who was on the verge of death from severe injuries and whose mind was gradually deteriorating and collapsing. His voice was as cold as the chilling winds of the underworld, carrying a judgmental tone:

"The blood debt of Black Wind Pass must be repaid. Your evil skills that harm others and yourself, and your illusory dream of immortality, will all come to an end today."

(End of this chapter)