The Great Song Dynasty's Soul-Forging in Progress

"Yes, I understand." Qiu Banxian felt a chill in his heart. This kind of hypocrite would kill someone under the pretext of being drunk, trying to cover it up. He wanted to be a prostitute and also have a virtuous image.

That night, two short screams and the sound of splashing water echoed from the back garden of the Chenzhou government office, quickly drowned by the howling wind and snow. The next day, the "horrible news" spread that two of Lord Chen's old friends had tragically fallen and drowned in the icy lake after drinking. Chen Shimei beat his chest and stamped his feet in the mourning hall, overwhelmed with grief, shedding a few crocodile tears on the spot. He gave the two men a grand funeral, earning praise for his "loyalty and righteousness." Standing before their new graves, he sneered inwardly: Two poor scoundrels, worthy of being my "old friends"? They deserved to die!

Having dealt with the immediate threat, Chen Shimei's wicked plan became increasingly clear. He absolutely could not allow Qin Xianglian and those two children to arrive in Chenzhou alive, becoming an indelible stain on his illustrious resume! Even more importantly, he couldn't let the Prince of Xiangyang or that delicate Princess Yaoji know about this! He had to make everything vanish completely.

He summoned his trusted retainer, Han Qi, who was highly skilled in martial arts.

Footsteps approached, and a tall figure strode into the study, bringing with him a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes. The man was in his early thirties, broad-shouldered and with a broad waist. His angular face was roughened by the elements, his thick eyebrows like knives, his nose high and straight, and his lips pressed into a hard line. He wore a worn-out black outfit, and a broadsword hung at his waist, the hemp rope binding the hilt blackened by sweat. Most striking were his eyes—eyes that had seen blood, sharp as a hawk's, yet when they looked at Chen Shimei, they quickly lowered their gaze, concealing all their sharpness, leaving only submissiveness and loyalty.

He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a salute, and moved with clean, crisp movements, making not a sound when his knee touched the ground. This is the control that only a trained martial artist possesses.

"Han Qi, how have I treated you?" Chen Shimei asked in a deep voice, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Han Qi's Adam's apple bobbed, her voice trembling slightly, yet each word was clear: "Your Excellency's kindness to Han Qi is as heavy as a mountain, like that of my second parents!"

He was telling the truth. Three years ago, he was a down-on-his-luck martial arts performer on the streets of Chenzhou. He had offended a local ruffian and was falsely imprisoned. It was Chen Shimei who happened to pass by the execution ground. Seeing his extraordinary talent, Chen Shimei took a liking to him and rescued him from the execution, taking him into his household. From then on, Han Qi entrusted his life to this man.

"Alright." Chen Shimei's face showed a look of "gratification." He walked up to Han Qi, bent down, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "There is an important matter that I cannot leave without you. Back in my hometown of Junzhou, there is still... a peasant woman with two illegitimate children. If they live, they will be the greatest threat to my career. You must set off immediately, taking this letter and travel expenses, to Chen Family Village in Junzhou." He took out a pre-written letter from his sleeve. The letter was naturally a "family letter" filled with concern and care, but tucked inside the envelope was a heart more venomous than a snake or scorpion—the heart of Chen Shimei.

He stared into Han Qi's eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately, each word like the spitting of a venomous snake: "I want them to disappear forever on their way to Chenzhou. Do you understand what I mean?" He emphasized the words "disappear forever," and the smile on his lips sent chills down one's spine.

Han Qi's pupils suddenly contracted.

He had followed Chen Shimei for many years and knew the man's nature well—outwardly gentle and refined, but inwardly ruthless and merciless. He had killed people for Chen Shimei, dealt with disobedient merchants, and even secretly dealt with two "underground emperors" who dared to threaten the adults. But those were all "people who deserved to die."

And this time...

The words "disappear forever" exploded in his mind. He seemed to see a peasant woman in coarse clothes, leading two thin children, struggling through the wind and snow. He couldn't see the children's faces clearly, but he inexplicably thought of his younger brother who had died young.

He knelt on the ground, his back stiff as iron. The blue bricks beneath his knees were icy cold, and the chill crept up his leg bones, all the way to his heart, freezing his once burning loyalty until it trembled.

When it comes to assassinating enemies, Han Qi never hesitates. A blade piercing flesh, blood splattering everywhere—that's how a man dies. But to lay a hand on women and children—especially an adult's wife and own flesh and blood…

His hands unconsciously clenched the fabric around his knees, his knuckles turning white. His Adam's apple bobbed as if he wanted to say something, but his lips seemed frozen.

Chen Shimei looked down at him, a barely perceptible glint of coldness in his eyes. This Han Qi was highly skilled in martial arts and utterly loyal; his only flaw was that sometimes… he was too soft-hearted. But that didn't matter; he had plenty of ways to harden that heart.

"Han Qi," his voice suddenly softened, like a rare warm sun in winter, yet colder than the wind and snow, "I know you are kind-hearted. But that peasant woman is no good person. Back then, she took advantage of my misfortune, forcing me to marry her, and then used her children to blackmail me, causing me to be trapped in a quagmire for many years. Now that I have finally achieved what I have today, she actually wants to bring those two bastard children to Chenzhou to extort money and ruin my reputation. Such a vicious woman cannot be allowed to live."

He leaned down and patted Han Qi's stiff shoulder, his tone becoming increasingly gentle: "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to kill someone in the street. You just need to... create some accidents on the road. The mountains are high and the roads are dangerous, and the wind and snow are fierce. It's common for women and children to fall off cliffs or accidentally fall into rivers. You just need to watch from the sidelines and do nothing, and that will be considered fulfilling what I've entrusted to you."

He straightened up, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze passing through the window and landing on the swirling snow. His tone was as casual as if he were discussing the day's weather: "It's all taken care of. I'll certainly reward you handsomely in front of His Highness the Prince of Xiangyang. And I might as well give you the maidservants from Princess Yaoji's side."

Han Qi kept his head down, so his expression couldn't be seen. Only his hands, hanging limply at his sides, were visible, his knuckles white from clenching, veins bulging. After a long while, he took a deep breath, the chill seemingly suppressed by something hotter. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the struggle in them had been replaced by a deathly stillness.

"Your subordinate... obeys!" He kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud. "I will certainly not fail in your trust, sir!"

His voice was hoarse, as if it were being forced out from deep in his throat.

Chen Shimei nodded in satisfaction: "Go ahead. Come back soon."

Han Qi stood up, took three steps back, and then turned to leave. His steps remained steady, and his back remained upright, but the knuckles of his hand gripping the hilt of the knife never loosened.

Stepping out of the government office, the wind and snow assaulted his face, cutting like knives. Han Qi stood on the steps, letting the snowflakes cover his shoulders, motionless for a long time. He looked down at his hands—hands that had held knives, killed, and been stained with blood. But that blood was the blood of enemies, the blood of those who deserved to die.

now……

Han Qi closed his eyes, letting the wind and snow lash his face. After a long while, he opened his eyes and looked south—towards Junzhou.

After dealing with these "family matters," Chen Shimei returned to the warm pavilion, where his daughter Nianyao greeted him with a smile.

Chen Shimei, however, was plotting something much bigger: Liu Xinyi's ethereal, orchid-like figure lingered in his mind. There was also the "Hidden Arrow" blueprint in Wang Zhonghua's possession, and the Lü family's immense wealth… all of this would be his sooner or later. Chen Shimei always aimed to kill multiple birds with one stone. He gazed lovingly at Nianyao's beautiful face, but his eyes, peering through the window, seemed to see another celestial figure gracefully approaching him.

"Soon..." he muttered to himself. "Once Fire Fox and Lu Lao Jiu clear away the obstacles, Chenzhou and the Song Dynasty will be the domain of me and the Prince of Xiangyang. As for the Three Righteous Villages and the so-called Protecting the Border and Safeguarding the People... Hmph, they're nothing but the self-entertainment of lowly commoners."

Outside the window, the wind and snow intensified, making the vermilion gates of the government office even darker, like a gaping maw waiting to devour everything.

Meanwhile, Chen Shimei's "old acquaintances" on another front were also making intensive moves.

Deep in the mountains of Lu, in the bandit's lair, the notorious bandit Lu Lao Jiu was caressing the secret letter and deposit sent by Chen Shimei, his fleshy face twitching.

"That hypocrite Chen Shimei, his heart is truly black! He doesn't even spare his own fellow villagers, wife, and children, heh heh." He spat. "However, the price he offered was indeed tempting!"

He looked at a shrewd bandit to his left: "Seventh Brother, has the brother we sent to Wangjiagang to scout things out returned? Is that Wang Zhonghua really that difficult to deal with?"

The bandit known as Seventh Brother replied, "Ninth Master, our scouts report that Wang Zhonghua keeps a low profile and is heavily guarded, especially by Qin Tiedan, who stays by his side constantly. His 'Sanyi Village' is almost finished with its foundations, and its defenses are tight; forcing our way in would be too costly. We've tried several times to sneak in or kidnap his family members who are alone, but we haven't found an opportunity."

A fierce glint flashed in Lu Laojiu's eyes: "Damn it, he's got a tough nut to crack! Since underhanded tactics won't work, let's follow Lord Chen's plan. On the first night of the twelfth lunar month, under a dark and windy sky, before Sanyi Village is fully repaired, we'll lead the brothers to strike and eliminate Wang Zhonghua in one fell swoop! Send the word down, tell the brothers to get ready, I'm going to massacre Sanyi Village on the first day of the twelfth lunar month! I'm going to take Wang Zhonghua's head and the Lü family's mountains of gold and silver!"

"That Di Qing..."

"Di Qing?" Lu Lao Jiu sneered. "Lord Chen has a brilliant plan. With thousands of brothers like us, we can rise up in the chaos. What are we afraid of, a tiger with its teeth pulled? If we can kill this war god of the Song Dynasty, my name, Lu Lao Jiu, will surely resound throughout the world!"

A wild, sinister laugh echoed from the bandit's lair. Outside the snowstorm, two evil currents, instigated by Chen Shimei himself—one aimed at the innocent women and children of Junzhou, and the other at Wang Zhonghua and Di Qing of Chenzhou—were quietly converging, about to unleash a monstrous wave of bloodshed.

Chen Shimei sat in the government office, listening to the wind and snow outside the window, sipping fine wine, a cold and cruel smile on his face, as if he had everything under control. All those who stood in his way, all those who knew of his stain, would be reduced to ashes by his schemes.

Qin Xianglian and her son are on the verge of death!

Wang Zhonghua's life hangs by a thread!