The Great Song Dynasty's Soul-Forging in Progress

"This...this is impossible!" His mind was filled with shock.

A few months ago, this Wang family boy was a good-for-nothing. Not long ago, although he had made progress, he was still no match for me!

But at this moment, Wang Zhonghua's eyes were bloodshot, his movements were as lithe as a dragon, and his body was filled with murderous aura. He was no longer a mortal, but a ferocious god who had crawled out of the Asura field!

Wang Zhonghua gave him no chance to breathe. With a light tap of his toes, using that momentum, he caught up like a shadow. The long iron staff in his hands was no longer a staff, but a raging dragon and tiger come alive! Chopping, sweeping, smashing, stabbing—his moves were wide and sweeping, without any fancy tricks, yet every move was deadly, every strike a deadly attack! Each strike carried the sound of wind and thunder, pushing the concept of "power" to its extreme, and infused with the deep-seated hatred and ruthlessness honed over months of life and death!

The shadows of the clubs pressed down like mountains. Under this ferocious onslaught, Qiu Laohu's "Splashing Wind" sword technique suddenly became overwhelmed, his blade flashing like a willow in the wind. He fought with all his might, his blade narrowly grazing Wang Zhonghua's vitals several times, but each time it was deflected at the last moment by the heavier, fiercer, and faster iron club, leaving his arms numb and his internal organs burning.

"Swoosh!" A stick grazed his ribs, taking away a large piece of skin and flesh.

"Thud!" The stick struck the shoulder socket, and the collarbone shattered instantly.

Qiu Laohu was covered in blood, his liver and gallbladder ruptured. He clearly felt that his opponent's strength, speed, and even his relentless will to fight to the death were all increasing with each battle! This was no longer an equal fight, but a one-sided massacre and crushing!

In the instant his mind wavered, a cold glint appeared on his flank! Lü Maoyi appeared like a ghost, his bowstring twanging, and two bandits who were about to fire arrows fell to the ground. The remaining members of the "Dark Arrow" team pounced on the sheep like wolves, and wherever the blade flashed, a spray of blood would erupt. The bandits' screams and the roar of Wang Zhonghua's staff intertwined to create a death symphony.

Qiu Laohu's arrogant and violent nature was gradually replaced by a deep-seated fear, and every scream of his companions deepened his terror.

Qiu Laohu was struck again in the back with a heavy blow, his spine felt like it had been struck by lightning, and he saw stars before his eyes. The instinct for survival overwhelmed everything. He roared and threw the ghost-head knife at Wang Zhonghua's face. At the same time, with his last bit of strength, he rolled into the thicket of thorns and crawled desperately towards the hidden path he remembered, leaving behind only a trail of blood and his terrified panting.

Wang Zhonghua deflected the incoming knife with his staff, watching the fleeing figure without immediately giving chase. He stood leaning on his staff, his chest heaving violently, the rising steam and sweat mixing into a white mist. In his crimson eyes, the flames of anger had not subsided, but a chilling clarity had crept in.

A mountain wind swept through, carrying the heavy stench of blood. This battle was no longer a matter of luck, but a declaration of overwhelming superiority. Qiu Laohu's rout marked the end of an era of hatred and foreshadowed the terrifying rise of powerful figures like Wang Zhonghua.

One team member was about to give chase when Wang Zhonghua's stern shout stopped him in his tracks: "Saving lives is the priority! Let him get away!"

He rushed to the bottom of the valley, to the figure that haunted his dreams. Looking at the horrifying arrow lodged in Qin Tiehua's shoulder and his pale, paper-like face, this boy, cold as iron on the battlefield, found his hands trembling uncontrollably, like a leaf swaying violently. He knelt on one knee, plunging his iron rod deep into the earth to steady himself.

"Tiehua...Tiehua!" He carefully avoided her wounds, gently lifting her up, his voice hoarse and broken, as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, "I'm here, look at me, hold on! Please..."

Perhaps sensing the familiar embrace and call, Qin Tiehua's long eyelashes trembled a few times, and she opened her eyes with difficulty, just a crack. Seeing that it was him, her lips trembled slightly, and a faint light gathered in her unfocused eyes, like a candle flickering in the wind, held protectively in the palm of her hand.

With her last ounce of strength, her right hand trembled as she pulled the blood-stained oilcloth bag from her bosom and placed it in his hand. Her fingertips were icy cold, but their touch felt like a branding iron. Her voice was weak and feeble, each word laced with blood:

"Brother Zhonghua... I found... the... stone... you wanted..."

Before she could finish speaking, her head lolled to the side, and she fell into a deep coma once more. Wang Zhonghua's pupils constricted sharply; he felt the person in his arms was as light as a feather, as if she could be swept away by the mountain wind at any moment.

……

Qiu Laohu ran frantically through the dense forest, his lungs throbbing with excruciating pain as if from a broken bellows, each breath carrying the metallic stench of blood. He dared not stop, not even look back, as if the wrath of the crimson-eyed demon behind him still gripped his spine. His former arrogance and ferocity had transformed into a deep-seated fear, leaving only one thought: Back to Chenzhou Prefecture! To find Lord Chen!

As long as he escapes back to that familiar government office and hides under Lord Chen's wing, he will still be the fearsome Master Qiu! Over the years, how many "dirty things" has he dealt with for Lord Chen? Those disobedient merchants, troublesome rivals, huge sums of illicit money... which one wasn't settled by him with his ghost-head knife and ruthless strength? Lord Chen will definitely protect him, he must protect him! They are already in the same boat!

His vision began to blur, his body grew colder and colder, only the will to survive burned within him. When the familiar black-tiled roof of the Chenzhou government office finally came into view through his remaining eye, a surge of ecstatic joy mixed with excruciating pain rushed through him. He could even see the dim yellow lantern at the back corner gate of the government office, just beginning to light up in the twilight—the "safety gate" he had passed through countless times after late-night transactions.

We've arrived... We've finally arrived...

He made a strange "hoarse" sound in his throat, and with his last bit of strength, he crawled out of the filthy bushes where he was hiding, using both hands and feet. If only he could crawl through that alley ahead, if only…

"call out!"

A faint yet piercing sound, sharp enough to cut through the soul, came from a particularly tricky angle on the side.

Qiu Laohu froze, his movements abruptly halting. He slowly and incredulously lowered his head to look at his chest—a blood-stained steel arrowhead protruding from his heart, the cold metal tip still clinging to a trace of warm, his own flesh.

"Uh...ah..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to shout "Lord Chen, save me!" and "Who is it?", but only spat out a mouthful of thick, black, foamy blood. His strength was instantly drained, and he collapsed forward like a rag doll, his gaze fixed on the eaves of the government office, which was so close yet so far away.

In the final moments before consciousness was swallowed by darkness, fragmented images uncontrollably flooded into my mind—

Many years ago, he was a desperate fugitive being hunted by his enemies, huddled in the darkest alley of Chenzhou Prefecture, like a lame dog.

A pair of spotless official boots stopped in front of him, and a gentle yet authoritative voice came from above: "Want to live? Want revenge? From now on, follow me."

He took the brand-new, heavy dagger from the other party and felt for the first time the suffocating feeling of having his fate in someone else's hands, but also for the first time the twisted sense of security of having a "backer".

Countless nights, he would hand over heavy packages through the side gate, receiving only light silver notes and a curt "done cleanly." The more blood stained his hands, the redder Lord Chen's official robes seemed to become.

He had thought it was a transaction, a mutually exploitative "alliance." Only now, this cold arrow, clearly from an elite crossbow fired from behind, was like a final bolt of lightning, shattering all his self-deceptive illusions.

So it turns out... all along, I was just a dog... who flaunted its power when useful, and disposed of without hesitation when it became a burden...

The last glimmer of ferocity in his one eye dissipated completely, solidifying into endless regret and emptiness. His hand, which had been stretched out towards the government office, fell limply, raising a small cloud of dust.

In the shadows deep within the dense forest, a figure almost blending into the twilight silently put away its specially made crossbow, as if merely dusting off a speck of dust. The figure glanced one last time at the rapidly dying corpse, confirming that the special markings on the arrows had been soaked in blood, before vanishing like a true ghost, silently disappearing into the deepening night without leaving a trace.

Almost simultaneously, Lü Maoyi and two team members stealthily arrived like cheetahs. They cautiously surveyed their surroundings, their gaze finally settling on the deadly crossbow bolt on Qiu Laohu's back. Lü Maoyi crouched down, carefully examining the arrow shaft, then pried open Qiu Laohu's tightly clenched hand, feeling the remaining items in his arms, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

"A single arrow piercing the heart, precise and ruthless—a master. The arrow's design... it's been altered, but the craftsmanship is far beyond what ordinary people could achieve." Lü Maoyi's voice was low and chilling. "Instructor Wang guessed correctly. We heard the crossbows firing as soon as we got close. Someone has been secretly watching him, not to protect him, but to ensure he's silenced forever. It seems... this Lord Chen's 'waters' are deeper and more murky than we thought."

As dusk settled, it completely swallowed the outline of Chenzhou Prefecture, and also the body of this once infamous villain who ultimately met his end like a stray dog ​​in front of his master's door.

In the distance, towards Laoya Mountain, the mountain mist is thick, and the moonlight is just beginning to appear, as if they are two completely different worlds. The twilight is as dark as ink, dyeing Laoya Mountain into a long scroll of pale blue and light green ink painting. Deep in the forest, the mist rises quietly, like smoke and gauze, making the ancient and towering mountain forest even more mysterious and unfathomable.

Wang Zhonghua carried Qin Tiehua as he ran wildly along the mountain path, each step firm and powerful, yet unable to conceal the anxiety in his eyes. The arrow shaft on the woman's shoulder trembled slightly with each run, each sway feeling like a dull knife cutting into his heart. Her breathing was as weak as a whisper, her pale face devoid of color, only the wrinkles between her brows, furrowed in agony, held a sliver of stubborn vitality.

"Hold on, Tiehua..." he murmured, his arms tightening around her, his voice filled with a vulnerability he had never shown before, "You said you'd help me forge the best steel, and I promised... I'd protect you for the rest of my life, don't fall asleep..."

Wang Zhonghua sobbed softly, realizing for the first time how intimately connected his life was with that of Qin Tiehua, the girl next door.

Just as everyone was anxiously waiting, a song drifted out without warning from the depths of the thick twilight and mountain mist ahead.

The song drifted through the mountains and forests, its ethereal quality unlike anything found in the mortal world.

At first listen, it seemed to come from the clouds, like the lingering sound of a jade chime falling from a celestial being's sleeve, ethereal and far-reaching, washing away the blood and carnage of the mountains and forests. Listening more closely, it was like a moonlit spring gushing from between rocks, its gentle murmur carrying the spirit of nature in every turn, pure and untouched by dust, yet containing an indescribable rhythm of life.

"Returning from gathering herbs deep in the clouds,"

The moon rises late over the Huanxi River.

The meaning of "silver needle hanging pot"

When the green bag was used to help the world.

Heavy dew dampened my clothes.

Smoke drifts lightly behind the bamboo fence.

I heard a dog barking at the thatched gate.

The stove fire boils ginseng and sesame seeds.

When the sick bones are warmed by spring,

Even a poor eaves can be nourished by rain.

Adjust the medicine cup at midnight.

I heard the cuckoo's cry at dawn.

Regardless of the value of gold and silver,

I only wish to know the suffering.

Apricot blossoms line the road.

The fragrance of the orange well spring lingers.

Looking back on the road we have traveled,

The clouds are deep and the moon shines late.

Only the gentle breeze remains.

"A long-time follower of the herbalist..."

As the melodious song lingered, a wondrous breeze suddenly arose in the mountains and forests. This breeze seemed to possess a spirit; it did not blow horizontally, but rather gently swirled upwards, dispersing the thick, curtain-like mist layer by layer. Where the mist dispersed, a slender crescent moon quietly appeared, its clear light, like a ribbon, pouring down from the gaps in the treetops.

The moonlight revealed a hidden stream that the group had previously overlooked. The water murmured gently, shimmering like scattered silver in the moonlight, while a thick layer of strange, emerald-green moss covered the damp stones along the banks, among the fallen logs, and even along the winding muddy path. At this moment, the moss emitted a soft yet clear fluorescent glow, its dappled light creating a scene like a flowing galaxy fallen into the mountains, adorning the dim forest with a dreamlike quality.

And the singer came gracefully, stepping on the starlight that filled the ground.