Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The night wind swirled withered leaves through the woods.

Gu Xiang walked very slowly.

The soil beneath my feet was damp and soft, mixed with the smell of rotting fallen leaves—a unique odor found on the outskirts of Luofengpo.

Three hundred years ago, a phoenix fell. Although the true fire was contained within, this land was still tainted with deathly energy. Ordinary plants grew twisted and distorted, and even the wind in the forest carried a chilling aura.

He didn't rush to make a move.

As the prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the actual controller of the Demon Suppression Division, investigating a group of petty thieves was not a difficult task for him.

Even before leaving the village, several barely perceptible strands of righteous energy had already flowed out along the earth's veins.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he heard all the commotion deep in the woods.

Wild Boar Forest.

Gu Xiang stopped and looked up at the night sky, which was completely obscured by the tree canopy.

He knows this place well.

Back then, he and Su Qing took this road when they left Qingniu Town to avoid inspections on the official road.

At that time, he was carrying a heavy book box on his back, panting heavily, while Su Qing waved a folding fan and laughed at his weak body, saying that she would catch a wild boar for him to nourish himself.

Returning to this place today, I didn't see any wild boars, but instead encountered a bunch of reckless creatures.

Gu Xiang lowered her eyes, concealing the fleeting dark red light in them.

In the ravine not far ahead, a faint light shone through.

A few simple wooden houses were built against the mountain, surrounded by a crooked fence. A tattered flag stood at the door with the three large characters "Black Wind Village" written on it in cheap ink.

The handwriting was messy, and the ink dripped down the fabric, looking like scribbles.

Gu Xiang stood in the shadows, looking at the flag.

My heart was beating a little fast in my chest.

It wasn't fear, it was anger.

Black Wind Village.

That was where he and Su Qing first met, and it was also the beginning of everything.

Even though it was a bandit's den, even though there had been bloodshed and killing there, in Gu Xiang's heart, those three words had long been engraved into his bones, becoming a scar between him and Su Qing.

Now, this scar has been reopened, and salt has been rubbed into it.

"Boss, if we rob someone like this, won't that woman find out? She said she'd tear us apart if we rob someone again."

"What are you afraid of? Don't you know who our boss is? We're bandits, we can rob anyone!"

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and divide this wine. We still need to go to town to scout things out tomorrow."

The cacophony of voices drifted over on the wind.

Gu Xiang stepped out.

He made no attempt to conceal himself, and his foot stepped on the dry branch, making a crisp "crack" sound.

In the stillness of the night, the noise sounded particularly jarring.

"Who?!"

The henchman on lookout suddenly jumped up, holding a rusty dagger, and looked over in this direction, making a lot of noise.

Gu Xiang emerged from the shadows.

He wore a slightly worn blue cloth robe and cloth shoes with multiple layers of soles. He was thin and had a gaunt face.

If it weren't for the lifelessness in his eyes, he would look exactly like a down-on-his-luck scholar walking alone at night.

"Where did this pedant come from? Don't you want to live?" The henchman, recognizing the newcomer, immediately breathed a sigh of relief, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Perfect, I'm still drunk, I'll use you as practice!"

As he spoke, the henchman drew his knife and began to slash.

The wind howled, carrying with it a nauseating stench of blood.

Gu Xiang didn't move.

He simply watched the knife come down without even blinking.

Just as the blade was three inches from his forehead, Gu Xiang raised his hand.

With slender fingers, she gently pinched it.

"bite--"

A crisp sound.

The ghost-head knife, which weighed several dozen kilograms, was held firmly between two fingers and did not move an inch.

The henchman was stunned.

He pulled back with all his might, his face turning red, but the knife seemed to be permanently attached to Gu Xiang's fingers.

"The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits." (I do not speak much about unreasonable people; I use supernatural force and martial arts to drive them insane.)

Gu Xiang read a sentence softly.

The voice wasn't loud, but it echoed through the mountain valley, so clear it sounded as if it were whispering right next to everyone's ear.

Before the henchmen could even process what those words meant, they felt an overwhelming force surge through the blade.

Gu Xiang's fingers trembled slightly.

The demon-headed sword shattered inch by inch, turning into a pile of scrap metal.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Xiang slapped him across the face.

This slap wasn't delivered with spiritual power; it was purely physical strength.

"Snapped!"

Before the henchman could even scream, he was sent flying like a rag doll, crashing through three thick wooden stakes and finally hanging from the tattered "Black Wind Stronghold" flag. His fate was unknown.

The noisy mountain valley fell silent instantly.

The bandits who had been drinking and playing drinking games inside rushed out, each carrying a weapon, looking at the scholar in blue standing in the center of the open space with suspicion.

The leader was a bald, burly man with a face full of scars, and a string of beads made of some kind of bone hanging around his neck.

He squinted, looking Gu Xiang up and down.

I can't see through it.

The scholar showed no signs of spiritual energy; he was just like an ordinary person.

But that move just now was something no ordinary person could do.

"Friend, which gang are you from?" The bald, burly man gripped his spiked club tightly and asked in a deep voice, "If you want money, we can talk. If you're looking for trouble..."

"Looking for trouble?"

Gu Xiang interrupted him.

He took a step forward.

With each step, a crack silently appeared in the ground beneath his feet, extending all the way to the bald, burly man's feet.

"I'm here to teach you principles."

Gu Xiang raised his head and glanced at the mob.

There were twelve people in total.

The strongest one is this bald guy, who has barely managed to gather a breath of turbid energy in his body and hasn't even touched the threshold of the Opening Mansion Realm.

The rest were all novices who had just begun their cultivation journey, and there were even a few who were simply strong and healthy mortals.

This bunch of scum dares to call themselves Black Wind Stronghold?

How dare they run wild at Luofengpo?

The fire in Gu Xiang's heart burned even brighter.

"Reason?" The bald, burly man paused for a moment, then flew into a rage. "Reason my ass! Brothers, charge! Chop him up and feed him to the dogs!"

A group of bandits charged forward, howling.

Various weapons were wielded haphazardly, without any order or strategy.

Gu Xiang sighed.

He remembered how Su Qing taught him "Lunyu" back then. At that time, she held a folding fan, tapped him on the head, and said, "Gu idiot, there are some people in this world who don't understand human language. To deal with these kinds of people, you have to use your fists to reason with them."

At that time, he felt it was an insult to his civility.

In retrospect, this is indeed a profound truth.

"Since we're here, let's make the best of it."

Gu Xiang read it softly.

With a swift movement, he transformed into a blur and plunged into the crowd.

There were no fancy moves, nor any earth-shattering supernatural powers.

It's just the simplest form of punches and kicks.

A punch landed squarely on a robber's chest. The robber's sternum caved in, and he was smashed into the ground, truly "buried" there.

"If a friend comes from afar to challenge me, how can I not fight him to the death?"

Gu Xiang dodged a long spear by sidestepping it, grabbed the man's wrist with his other hand, and twisted it forcefully.

"Click."

The sound of bones cracking was crisp and pleasant.

The man screamed and fell to his knees. Gu Xiang then kicked him in the chin, sending him spinning three times in the air before crashing to the ground, where he fell silent.

This was a one-sided massacre.

No, it didn't even qualify as a massacre.

It's like an adult disciplining a group of disobedient children.

This lesson was just a little too harsh.

In less than ten breaths.

A group of people were lying on the ground.

Those with broken arms and legs, those who had fainted, those who were wailing and rolling around.

Only the bald, burly man remained standing.

The spiked club in his hand had long since fallen to the ground, his legs were trembling like leaves, and his crotch was soaked, emitting a strong smell of urine.

He was a cultivator at the half-step Foundation Establishment Realm, a god-like figure in the eyes of mortals.

But in front of this scholar, he felt like an ant.

Gu Xiang stopped what she was doing and straightened her slightly disheveled cuffs.

There wasn't a single wrinkle on his body, let alone any bloodstains.

"Now, can you listen to my reasoning properly?" Gu Xiang looked at the bald, burly man and spoke gently.

"Yes! Yes! Whatever you say, sir!" The bald, burly man knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing loudly.

Gu Xiang walked up to him and looked down at him.

"Who gave you permission to call yourself Black Wind Stronghold?"

The bald, burly man shuddered and quickly said, "It's...it's to scare people! We heard there used to be a very powerful Black Wind Stronghold here, one that dared to kill even gods, so we thought we'd borrow their name..."

"Using a name?"

Gu Xiang sneered.

A terrifying pressure instantly erupted from his body.

That was a malevolent aura formed by the intertwining of righteous energy and phoenix fire.

The surrounding air instantly became scorching hot, and the dry grass on the ground spontaneously combusted without fire.

The bald, burly man felt as if he had been thrown into a vat of boiling oil; his skin was stinging all over, and his soul was trembling.

"To be honest," Gu Xiang's voice was icy cold, "you bunch of good-for-nothings dare to rule Luofeng Slope like kings? The monsters in this forest haven't eaten you yet—is it luck? Or are you being protected?"

Although Gu Xiang hadn't been to the depths of Luofengpo much, he knew that the place was dangerous.

Although there are few monsters in the outer area, they are not non-existent.

It's illogical that this group of people, without even a proper formation, could have set up camp here so brazenly and survived until now.

The bald, burly man was soaked in sweat. He looked at Gu Xiang in terror, his lips trembling, as if he was hesitating whether to speak.

"Not going to tell?"

Gu Xiang raised his hand, and a cluster of crimson flames appeared at his fingertips.

The flame was only the size of a bean, yet it emitted a chillingly high temperature.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

The bald, burly man completely broke down; he lay on the ground, snot and tears streaming down his face.

"It was...it was a woman! A woman made us do this!"

Gu Xiang's fingers trembled suddenly.

The flame flickered and almost went out.

"A woman?" Gu Xiang's voice was tense. "What woman? What does she look like?"

"I...I didn't see clearly." The bald, burly man cried. "She was wearing a straw hat, covering her face. I only know she was wearing a red dress and was barefoot...and her strength was terrifying! She captured us and made us set up a stronghold here, calling it Black Wind Stronghold, saying...saying she was waiting for someone."

Red coat.

barefoot.

And others.

These words exploded in Gu Xiang's mind like a series of thunderclaps.

He was first shocked, then utterly incredulous.

He felt like he was about to stop breathing.

The heart in his chest suddenly began to pound violently, striking his ribs with a dull thud.

That familiar, deep-seated thrill flowed through my veins and throughout my body.

Gu Xiang grabbed the bald man by the collar and lifted him up.

A frenzied fire suddenly ignited in his lifeless eyes.

Whether or not it was as he thought, he had to find out the truth.

"Where is she?!" Gu Xiang roared.

This roar, imbued with spiritual power, caused the surrounding leaves to rustle and fall.

The bald, burly man, his eyes rolling back in his head from being choked, struggled to raise his hand and pointed deep into Falling Phoenix Slope.

"Over there... under the sycamore tree..."

Before he could finish speaking, the bald, burly man fainted.

Gu Xiang let go, allowing him to fall to the ground.

He stood there, looking in that direction.

Deep in Luofengpo.

The Chinese parasol tree.

That's where, according to legend, the phoenix fell.

Gu Xiang's hands were trembling slightly.

He couldn't believe it.

Reason told him that Su Qing was dead, completely dead, even her heart was inside his body.

But that description...

Red clothes, bare feet.

Besides her, who else in this world would dress like this? Who else would allow someone to set up Black Wind Stronghold here just to wait for someone?

Who are we waiting for?

Should we wait for him?

Gu Xiang felt her throat was dry and her eyes were burning.

He wanted to laugh, but he also wanted to cry.

For the past three years, he has searched the world thoroughly, but he has not been able to find even a trace of her remnant soul.

Now, in this desolate wilderness of her hometown, she has been heard from the mouths of these petty thieves.

Even if it's a trap.

Even if it's a scam.

Even if what lies ahead is a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, or a bottomless abyss.

He has to go and take a look too.

Gu Xiang took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.

He ignored the mud on the ground and turned to walk deeper into Luofeng Slope.

His steps were somewhat hurried and disorderly.

The composure they had when they arrived was gone.

The night wind grew stronger.

The wind made his robes flutter loudly.

That silhouette was like a moth drawn to a flame, resolute and unwavering.

"Linjiangxian: Questioning the Bandits"

The wind howls through the desolate forest, and crows are startled into flight from the withered branches.

The strong and powerful gathered, roaring as they lowered the flag.

The scholar lightly broke a willow branch, breaking through the encirclement with laughter and conversation.

Suddenly, I heard a woman in red makeup waiting deep inside, her bare feet having trod the spring mud.

My heart trembles with fear as I ask when I will return.

The courtyard is locked deep within the sycamore trees; where can I find my longing?