One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Wang Ye didn't even lift his eyelids. He simply stretched out a finger, flicked it lightly at the blade that was frozen in mid-air.

"bite--!"

A crisp sound, like jade striking jade, yet carrying a terrifying penetrating force!

The steel machete shattered like fragile glass from the point of impact, fragments flying back and embedding themselves in the arm, chest, and even face of the man wielding it. The man let out a short, piercing scream, his body flying backward as if struck by a shotgun, crashing into two tea tables behind him, before collapsing to the ground, convulsing, his fate unknown.

With a flick of the finger, a steel blade shatters!

Viper and his two remaining henchmen were utterly terrified! This wasn't human! It was a monster!

"Retreat! Retreat now!!" Viper screamed in terror, turning to run away!

However, Wang Ye finally seemed to feel uncomfortable sitting. He slowly stood up, stretched, and his joints made a series of soft cracking sounds.

"You disturbed my peace and quiet, and now you want to run away?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot without warning, like a ghost!

The next moment—

"Bang! Bang!"

Two even deeper, louder thuds! Accompanied by a teeth-grinding "crack" as bones shattered!

Viper's two remaining henchmen collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound, like two felled wooden stakes, their necks twisted at bizarre angles, clearly snapped instantly!

Viper himself felt a blur before his eyes, and a foot wearing a canvas shoe appeared out of thin air, casually stepping on his wrist holding the gun!

"Snap!"

The excruciating pain of his shattered wrist bones caused "Viper" to let out a bloodcurdling scream! The pistol flew out of his hand.

Wang Ye's foot seemed to casually fall, crushing his wrist, and then, with a light touch, stepped on "Viper's" chest.

"puff--!"

Viper was struck dumb, several of his ribs breaking, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs! He collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, only able to exhale and not inhale.

From the moment "Viper" kicked the door open and stormed in, to when Wang Ye got up, stretched, dealt with all his men, and crushed "Viper," the entire process took no more than ten seconds.

Inside the teahouse, everyone except Nie Lingfeng, Chen Duo, and Grandpa Xu was dumbfounded.

Wang Ye stepped on the "Viper," which lay lifeless like a dead dog, as if he had only done a trivial, even slightly troublesome, task. He dusted off non-existent dust from his hands, yawned, and then looked at Nie Lingfeng, saying in a tone that suggested, "I'm so tired now that I've finished this."

"See, done. The fly is dead."

"This 'rotten flesh snake' is still a bit alive. If you want to ask questions, hurry up. Otherwise, I'll deal with it. The smell of blood in this place is strong, which is affecting my... uh, contemplation of life."

After saying that, he actually ignored the "viper" on the ground and the mess, put his hands in his pockets, and sauntered out through the broken doorway that his men had knocked open. He quickly disappeared into the bamboo forest path behind the mountain, as if he really just went out for some fresh air and to "contemplate life".

The teahouse was deathly silent.

Nie Lingfeng looked in the direction where Wang Ye had disappeared, then glanced at the horribly mangled "Viper" and his henchmen on the ground, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly once more.

This guy is still so... infuriatingly lazy, yet infuriatingly powerful.

With him around, the road ahead might be a little... a tiny bit easier?

He turned his head and looked at Chen Duo beside him. Chen Duo was also looking in the direction of the door. Her emerald eyes didn't show much shock, but rather a calm that said, "Brother Wang Ye is still so amazing," and a sense of relief that "the trouble is over." She felt Nie Lingfeng's gaze, turned her head, and nodded gently to him, a faint, relaxed smile appearing on her face.

Nie Lingfeng smiled at her, then turned his cold gaze to the dying "Viper" on the ground.

There are some things that need to be clarified.

The bloodshed and chaos within the "Zen Tea House" did not last long. Old Master Xu was clearly experienced in such "sudden events," and after a brief moment of shock, he quickly regained the composure characteristic of a tea connoisseur. He first comforted the other frightened tea drinkers, explaining in a low voice, "I am truly sorry that this feud has affected you all," and waived everyone's tea fees, even offering some extra refreshments to calm their nerves. Most of the tea drinkers were seasoned veterans of the border regions, and seeing the situation and having received a good deal, although still shaken, they dared not ask further questions and hurriedly departed, fearing further trouble.

After the tea drinkers had all left, Old Master Xu summoned two trusted waiters from the teahouse (who were also skilled in martial arts) and whispered a few instructions. The two understood and quickly dragged the corpses of Viper's henchmen (including the two unfortunate souls whose chests had caved in after being kicked by Wang Ye) to the backyard for temporary placement. They then deftly cleaned up the bloodstains and overturned teaware, their movements as practiced as if they had rehearsed countless times. Within minutes, apart from the lingering, faint smell of blood in the air and the broken bamboo door, the teahouse had largely returned to its previous clean and tidy state. However, the image of Viper, limp and lifeless on the floor behind the screen, and the pervasive chill and murderous intent in the air, still served as reminders of what had just transpired.

Nie Lingfeng didn't rush into interrogation. He left Chen Duo at the tea table while he walked over to "Viper," crouched down, and coldly scrutinized the dying, vicious man from northern Myanmar. "Viper's" single eye was filled with pain, fear, and a hint of dying madness. Seeing Nie Lingfeng approach, he made a hissing, gurgling sound, as if trying to say something, but was choked by the gushing blood.

"I ask, you answer. Answer well, and I'll give you a quick death. Trying to play tricks, or spouting nonsense..." Nie Lingfeng's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold blade scraping against "Viper's" eardrums. "I don't mind letting you taste ten times more pain than you are now. You should know that I have no patience for scum like you, and I have no... bottom line."

He didn't resort to torture, nor did he even touch "Viper." But when those eyes uttered "I have no bottom line," a fleeting, cold, and sacred glint flashed deep within them—a blend of the majesty of a Qilin and the purification of a phoenix—causing "Viper," this ruthless and merciless killer, to feel a chill run down his spine! It was a despair and destructive will against "filth" that transcended ordinary cruelty, belonging to a higher level of existence! He had no doubt that this seemingly young man could truly inflict pain far worse than death upon him!

"You... what do you want to know..." "Viper" managed to utter a few words, the fierce light in its single eye completely replaced by fear.

"Who sent you? What are the details of the bounty? Besides you, who else took this job? Where is your base, or contact point, in northern Myanmar? Where is the 'Parliament' located? What strongholds does it have, or what major operations is it planning?" Nie Lingfeng's questions came one after another, his pace calm but carrying an undeniable pressure.

"Viper" coughed violently a few times, spitting out another mouthful of bloody foam, and began to explain intermittently. Under the fear of death and the invisible mental pressure from Nie Lingfeng, he dared not hide too much, but what he knew was also limited.

The bounty, codenamed "Blood Buddha," comes from a high-ranking leader of the "Kachin New Dawn Army," a rapidly expanding but emerging armed group in Kachin State, northern Myanmar. The bounty is a whopping five million US dollars, with a clear objective: capture the green-eyed girl (Chen Duo) alive, dead or alive, regardless of the man (Nie Lingfeng). A substantial reward is also offered for concrete clues. The bounty was posted through the black market and several well-known brokers along the border, and within just a few days, it had spread throughout the underworld of the Yunnan-Myanmar border, attracting the covetous eyes of countless shady characters. "Viper" is just one of the stronger and fastest-moving groups. As far as he knows, at least three or four other powerful caravans, mercenaries, and lone travelers have also taken on the job and are currently searching Jinghong and the surrounding area.

The relationship between "Blood Buddha" and the "Council" was unclear to a desperado of "Viper's" caliber. He only knew that "Blood Buddha" was backed by powerful figures, possessed excellent funding and equipment, operated with ruthless and unpredictable methods, and seemed particularly interested in people and things with "special abilities." Their stronghold was in northern Kachin State, near the Hukawng Valley and the Golden Triangle, in a chaotic region called "Hpakant." This area was rich in jade, but also rife with warlords, drug lords, and lawless outlaws. "Blood Buddha's" base was located in a heavily guarded abandoned jade mine near Hpakant, a strategically advantageous position.

As for the specific locations or major actions of the "Parliament" in northern Myanmar, "Viper" knew nothing. He only vaguely heard that "Blood Buddha" seemed to be secretly mobilizing manpower and resources recently, as if to "welcome" some "big shot" or "important goods". It may be related to the "Kandi" area further north, which is close to the undetermined border between China, India and Myanmar, and the situation there is more complicated.

Nie Lingfeng listened carefully, extracting useful information from "Viper's" fragmented and fear-filled narration. "Blood Buddha," "Kachin New Dawn Army," abandoned mines in Hpakant, welcoming "big shots" or "goods," the Kandy region... these fragmented pieces of information vaguely matched the clues mentioned earlier by Azan Ki and the mountain guardian. The "parliament" indeed had an important stronghold or activity in northern Myanmar, and it seemed to be brewing something.

"One last question," Nie Lingfeng stared at "Viper's" last remaining, fear-filled eye, "How did you find this place, and how did you find the lead to 'Ancient Tree Tea House' owner Yan Wen?"

"Viper" panted, a hint of resentment and regret flashing in his eyes: "It was...it was a broker from Jinghong named 'Fat Dragon'...He specializes in...border intelligence and...matchmaking...He told us...the rock temperature at 'Ancient Tree Tea House'...might be connected to some 'strange people' in the mountains...You came out of the mountains...and might...go to find him...We've been watching the tea house for two days...We saw you go in...and then come out changing clothes...so we followed you here..."