One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng raised his right hand, a thought forming in his mind.

A wisp of crimson flame popped out of his palm with a "poof".

The flame was small, only the size of a candle flame, dancing quietly in his palm. But its color was peculiar—not ordinary orange-red, but a crimson with flowing golden veins, like molten lava, or the blood of some living creature. The core of the flame was almost pure white, radiating terrifying heat. The surrounding air was slightly distorted by the heat, and light filtered through the distorted air, casting flickering shadows on the ground.

This was his biggest gain in these three months, besides healing Chen Duo's injuries—complete control over "fire".

The fire-based abilities granted by the Qilin blood were fully activated in the final stage of Nie Feng's inheritance. Now, he doesn't need to consciously manipulate them; with a mere thought, he can summon flames, and he can control their temperature, shape, and size at will. Even more peculiar is that these flames seem to possess their own "consciousness," recognizing his will and only burning what he desires.

"Let's test its power," Nie Lingfeng said softly, bringing the flame closer to the corpse.

"laugh--!!!"

The moment the flames touched the corpse, they burst into flames as if gasoline had been poured on it!

Crimson flames instantly engulfed the entire corpse, emitting a sizzling sound. The sound was unlike ordinary flames; it was more like something being rapidly decomposed and annihilated. The flames leaped wildly, golden patterns flowing within them, enveloping the corpse in a fireball.

Strangely, the flames only burned the corpse, not the clothes, the ground, or even raised the temperature of the surrounding air. The edges of the flames seemed to be bound by an invisible force, precisely controlled within half an inch of the corpse's surface, without leaking out in the slightest.

three seconds.

The fireball went out in just three seconds.

The corpse of an adult male, along with his clothes, blood, bones, and poisoned fingernails, was burned completely, leaving not even ashes. Only a small, charred mark remained on the ground, roughly the size of a human figure, but it was very shallow, as if it had been instantly scorched by high temperatures. The wind blowing through the alley quickly faded and disappeared the charred mark, as if it had never existed.

Nie Lingfeng: "..."

He froze, staring at the empty ground, then looking down at the quiet, flickering flame in his palm.

He knew his flames were very hot—during experiments deep in the mountains, he had instantly turned a boulder into lava. But he never expected them to be this hot, or to be controlled with this level of precision.

This isn't "fire" anymore, this is "annihilation"! It can completely destroy even the basic structure of matter, leaving no trace.

"This..." He swallowed, his palms slightly sweaty, "It seems a bit...too intense?"

With a thought, the flames went out.

The alleyway returned to silence, with only a faint, lingering smell of burning in the air, proving that what had just happened was not an illusion. The smell quickly dissipated, carried away by the wind.

Nie Lingfeng stood still, silent for a moment. Since Wang Bing had already made his move, it meant the Wang family's pursuit had officially begun. From now on, he and Chen Duo would face relentless tracking and attacks.

He shook his head, turned and walked away quickly.

We need to find Chen Duo quickly, and then... find a place to hide and wait for news from Xu Si.

It's not that I'm afraid of the Wang family.

He was afraid that if he didn't control his flames well during the battle, he might accidentally burn the entire street down.

That would truly become a "large-scale riot," and Xu Si would definitely curse him to death.

---

Nie Lingfeng strode out of the alley and blended into the crowd. The sun had completely set, and a magnificent sunset spread across the sky, a tapestry of orange-red, crimson, and golden-red, painting the small town in warm hues. Streetlights began to illuminate the area, neon signs of shops flickered, and the night market began to bustle.

He walked towards the convenience store as agreed. From afar, he saw Chen Duo standing at the store entrance, holding a panda plush toy, her figure appearing somewhat lonely in the deepening twilight. She stood motionless, her eyes fixed on the direction Nie Lingfeng had left, like a waiting statue.

Upon seeing Nie Lingfeng appear, her eyes visibly brightened, and she quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice slightly tense.

"It's alright." Nie Lingfeng smiled and naturally took the bags from her hands. "They're all taken care of. Let's find a place to stay and wait for Fourth Brother's news."

Chen Duo nodded without asking any further questions, but Nie Lingfeng could sense that she had quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The couple found a clean-looking family-run guesthouse and booked a double room. The landlady, a kind middle-aged woman, saw their large bags and a big plush toy and jokingly said with a smile, "Young couple, out on vacation? The scenery here is beautiful; you can go for a walk by the river tomorrow."

Nie Lingfeng gave a vague reply, paid the deposit, and took the key.

The room was on the second floor, small but clean. It had two single beds, a desk, an old-fashioned television, and a window facing the backyard, offering a quiet and private space.

Closing the door and putting down his things, Nie Lingfeng let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the bed. Shopping is more tiring than fighting; that's the truth.

Chen Duo placed the panda plush toy on the bed and then began organizing the things she had bought that day. She folded her clothes one by one and put them in the closet; she placed the hair clips on the bedside table; she took the items out of her new backpack and put them back in, repeating this several times, as if confirming the authenticity of this bag that "belonged to her."

Nie Lingfeng turned his head to look at her and suddenly asked, "Chen Duo, are you happy today?"

Chen Duo paused for a moment, thought for a second, and nodded: "Happy."

"That's good." Nie Lingfeng smiled, closed his eyes, and said, "Remember this feeling. In the future, we'll have many days like this. Shopping, eating, traveling, just like ordinary people."

Chen Duo was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "Is it okay?"

"Yes," Nie Lingfeng said decisively. "I guarantee it."

The room fell silent, save for the faint chirping of insects outside the window. Night had completely fallen, and the stars twinkled in the sky.

---

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in the capital city.

Deep within the Wang family mansion, in a dimly lit ancestral hall.

Portraits of the Wang family's ancestors hung on the wall, and an ever-burning lamp burned on the incense table. The flickering candlelight cast long, distorted shadows on the wall, like some kind of eerie dance. In the center of the incense table were dozens of wooden name tablets, each engraved with a name and painted in gold.

The old servant on night watch was dozing, his head nodding. Suddenly, he heard a strange vibration.

The old servant awoke with a start, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the life tablets. By the candlelight, he saw one of the tablets, bearing the characters "Wang Bing," trembling violently on the incense table, emitting a low buzzing sound. An unstable, dark red light flowed across the tablet, flickering as if it were about to explode at any moment.

The old servant's eyes widened instantly, his pupils contracting. He scrambled towards the back room, not even bothering to pick up the shoe he'd lost.

"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"

In the study in the back hall, Wang Ai sat in a grand chair, resting with his eyes closed. He was dressed in a dark purple Tang suit, twirling two jade balls in his hands, which clinked together with a crisp sound. Hearing the old servant's panicked voice, he frowned and opened his eyes.

Those eyes were cloudy, yet they shone with a sharp light, like an old fish in a deep pool.

"What's the panic?" Wang Ai's voice was low and displeased. "Is the sky falling?"

"Master..." The old servant collapsed at the study door, his voice trembling, "Young Master's life tablet... is shaking violently, flashing red light, as if... as if it has encountered a powerful enemy!"

"What?!"

Wang Ai suddenly stood up, the jade ball in his hand falling to the ground with a "crack" and shattering into pieces. The relaxed muscles on his face twitched, and a terrifying fierce light burst from his eyes.

"Has something happened to Bing'er?"

He shoved the old servant aside and strode towards the ancestral hall. His steps were heavy, as if he wanted to crush the ground.

Inside the ancestral hall, the candlelight still flickered. Wang Ai rushed to the incense table, staring intently at the violently shaking life tablet. The two characters "Wang Bing" on the tablet appeared and disappeared in the dark red light.

The vibration of the life tablet indicates that the host is experiencing a life-or-death crisis, but has not yet perished.

Wang Ai stretched out his hand, placing his palm over the life tablet, and infused it with a stream of pure Qi. After a moment, the vibrations of the life tablet gradually subsided, and the red light slowly dissipated, but a fine crack appeared on the tablet.

"Southwest direction..." Wang Ai murmured to himself, his eyes closed as he sensed something. "Bing'er encountered danger in the southwest... Was it that Nie Lingfeng?"

He opened his eyes, and there was no longer any anxiety in them, only overwhelming killing intent and coldness.

"Who did it?" he asked, his voice eerily calm.

Behind him, a middle-aged man in a black suit appeared silently, bowed and said, "Grandpa, the young master took the Dark Raven Third Team to the southwest three days ago, saying he wanted to personally deal with that kid named Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo. Judging from the time, they should have arrived there by now."

"Nie, Ling, Feng." Wang Ai pronounced the name slowly and deliberately, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

He turned to the middle-aged man and said, "Pass down the order."

"First, recall all Wang family members who are currently outside the area and cancel all unrelated missions."

"Second, activate the full power of 'Dark Raven.' I need to know the exact location of Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo within 24 hours, and confirm Bing'er's safety."

"Third, notify the 'Ghost Hand,' 'Blood Blade,' and 'Shadow Assassin' divisions to immediately proceed to the southwest and be on standby at any time."

"Fourth," Wang Ai paused, a cold glint in his eyes, "In my name, Wang Ai, I hereby issue the 'Wang Family Kill Order'—Anyone who takes Nie Lingfeng's head will be rewarded with a bounty of one billion, granted the position of guest elder of the Wang family, and enjoy ten years of patronage from the Wang family's resources! Anyone who provides valid clues will be rewarded with a bounty of ten million!"

The middle-aged man stiffened, bowed his head, and replied, "Yes!"

"And another thing," Wang Ai added, her voice chillingly cold, "tell the people below that I want Chen Duo alive. That little bitch... I want to skin her alive, extract her Gu poison, and make her wish she were dead! As for Bing'er... tell him to withdraw immediately and not to make any further moves!"

"clear!"

The middle-aged man withdrew, leaving Wang Ai alone in the ancestral hall. He slowly walked back to the incense table, looked at Wang Bing's life tablet, and reached out to gently stroke the cracks on it.

"Bing'er, you were too impulsive," he said in a low voice, his tone a mix of reproach and fierce protectiveness. "But it's alright... Grandpa will make him... pay the price. Everyone involved in this will pay the price."

Outside the window, dark clouds gathered in the night sky, obscuring the starlight.

A storm is coming.

At that moment, in a family-run inn in a small southwestern town, Nie Lingfeng suddenly opened his eyes.

He sat up and looked out the window. The night was dark, and distant thunder rumbled faintly.

"It's going to rain," he said softly.

Chen Duo also woke up, sat up while hugging her panda plushie, her emerald green eyes shining faintly in the darkness.

"Is someone coming?" she asked.

"Not yet," Nie Lingfeng shook his head, "but soon."

He got out of bed, walked to the window, and opened it. The night breeze blew in, carrying the scent of damp earth.

"Chen Duo, remember," he said without turning around, his voice calm and firm, "no matter what happens, stay close to me. I will take you away to a safe place."

Chen Duo was silent for a moment, then asked, "And then?"

"Then," Nie Lingfeng smiled, turning to look at her, "we'll continue shopping, eat delicious food, and buy whatever you like. Just like today."

Chen Duo looked at him and slowly nodded.

"it is good."

Outside the window, the first raindrop fell, hitting the windowsill and splashing up tiny droplets.

The night is still long.

The hunt has only just begun.

In this game, it remains to be seen who the hunter and who the prey are.

Nie Lingfeng clenched his fist, and a faint crimson-gold light flashed across his palm.

The fire of the Qilin has been rekindled.

Wang family, are you ready?