The Great Song Dynasty's Soul-Forging in Progress

At 3:45 PM, the night was as dark as ink, with low-hanging leaden clouds and a north wind beginning to blow.

First, fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky, rustling softly against the eaves. Then the wind picked up, and large snowflakes, as big as goose feathers, were whipped and danced wildly in the gale, like countless white moths drawn to the lamplight. Hibiscus Lane in the southeast of Chenzhou City, usually bustling with pedestrians even at night, was now as quiet as a cemetery, with only the wind and snow howling through the lane.

Wang Zhonghua bid farewell to Li Jingniang and stepped out of the warm and cozy "Listening to Snow Pavilion." A biting wind, mixed with snowflakes, rushed towards him, scraping his face like a knife. He subconsciously tightened his fur cloak, his breath instantly torn apart by the wind and snow.

The "Snow Chant" sword hung silently at his waist.

The scabbard was slightly cool at that moment, as if sensing the chill in its master's heart.

The two sheepskin lanterns in front of Lixiangyuan Garden swayed wildly in the blizzard, their dim and weak light illuminating only a small area underfoot, while further away lay an impenetrable darkness.

A deep, powerful snort came from the alley entrance.

It is "treading on snow".

This jet-black steed with snow-white hooves stood quietly in the snowstorm, its body covered in a thin layer of snow, yet it remained motionless, like a sculpture. Upon seeing Wang Zhonghua emerge, it snorted, its large eyes surprisingly showing a hint of human concern—as if to say: I've been waiting for you for a long time.

Du Ziteng had originally been waiting at the alley entrance with his carriage, but Wang Zhonghua waved his hand and said, "The wind and snow are heavy tonight, so a carriage won't be convenient. I'll ride back on horseback, and you can ride in the carriage with me."

He mounted his horse, took two light steps on the snow, and stood firmly, his muscles tense, ready to pounce.

The two lanterns in front of Lixiangyuan swayed in the wind, their light dim and weak. Wang Zhonghua reined in his horse and stopped, glancing back in the direction of Tingxue Xiaozhu. The silhouette of Li Jingniang playing the zither was still reflected on the window paper, and the faint sound of the zither drifted through the wind and snow.

A warm feeling rose in his heart, but he was also vaguely uneasy—Jingniang's words about the "victory celebration banquet" were quite meaningful, as if she knew something.

"drive."

With each step, he strode through the snow, moving at a steady pace.

Du Ziteng followed behind in his small, green-covered cart, the wheels crunching over the snow with a dull "crunch." He had deliberately chosen an unassuming cart today, pulled by two seemingly ordinary dwarf horses. But upon closer inspection, one could see that the horses had piercing eyes, strong hooves, and the wooden carriage was far more sturdy than that of ordinary vehicles.

Upon reaching the eastern shore of Xiange Lake, Du Ziteng suddenly reined in his horse, his face appearing somewhat pale in the snowy light: "Young Master Wang, something's not right. This snowy night is too quiet, eerily quiet."

Wang Zhonghua reined in his snow-covered clothes and scanned his surroundings.

On the eastern shore of Xiange Lake, lush trees provide a tranquil retreat favored by scholars and literati, but at night it is deserted. Now, a blizzard rages, and the bare branches of the roadside trees sway wildly in the gale, casting eerie shadows that seem poised to pounce and devour. A thin layer of ice has formed on the lake's surface, and the snow pelts it with a fine, teeth-grinding crackling sound.

It's too quiet.

It was so quiet that not even a single night bird could be seen.

Wang Zhonghua took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring slightly. He smelled it—a faint, almost imperceptible rust scent that the wind and snow couldn't mask. It was the smell of blood, and it was still very fresh.

"Ziteng, be careful," he whispered, his right hand subtly pressing down on the hilt of his knife.

As if sensing its master's wariness, Ta Xue gently pawed at the ground with its four hooves, its muscles tense, ready to explode at any moment.

As the carriage approached the pavilion in the middle of the lake, the road narrowed, with a frozen lake on one side and a dense forest on the other.

At that very moment—

"hiss--!"

Suddenly, Ta Xue stood upright, letting out a thunderous screech! The sound pierced through the wind and snow, causing the snow on the branches to fall in a rustling sound!

Almost simultaneously, Wang Zhonghua noticed something unusual in the snow on his left out of the corner of his eye—the snow was too white, unnaturally white, as if it had been compacted by someone, forming a very shallow, almost invisible bump.

That's a tripwire!

"Jump!" Wang Zhonghua roared, squeezing the horse's belly with his legs.

As if it understood his command, Ta Xue exerted force on all four hooves and leaped over the tripwire in mid-air! The steed landed as steadily as a rock, without even slipping!

However, the moment he leaped into the snow, the snow on both sides of the road suddenly exploded!

More than a dozen dark figures, like demons bursting from hell, pounced out with lightning speed! They were dressed entirely in black, their faces veiled with black cloth, revealing only pairs of emotionless eyes. The steel blades in their hands gleamed with a chilling light in the snow. There were no wasted words, no hesitation, only the purest killing intent!

A steel knife slashed towards Wang Zhonghua's back with lightning speed!

"Young Master Wang!" Du Ziteng roared, tumbling off the carriage shaft. His short stick barely deflected the blade, sparks flying. But the blade's momentum hadn't subsided, and it still slashed a deep gash across Du Ziteng's shoulder, instantly staining his cotton robe crimson with blood.

Another assassin rolled in from the other side, his blade flashing like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for Ta Xue's hind hooves—they actually wanted to kill the horse first!

"court death!"

A cold glint flashed in Wang Zhonghua's eyes, and he suddenly exerted force with his right hand!

"Clang!"

The snow-like melody was drawn from its sheath.

That dragon-like cry of the blade actually drowned out the howling of the wind and snow!

A flash of light appeared, like a thunderbolt splitting the darkness! Wang Zhonghua bent down, swung his sword, and executed the move in one fluid motion—the sword strike was fast and ruthless, carrying the fierce power he had honed through days of hard training, and he slashed at the spine of the assassin's blade!

"clang!"

With a crisp sound, the assassin's steel blade was cleaved in two! The force of the blow had not yet subsided when the blade sliced ​​across the assassin's throat, splattering a line of blood that was particularly glaring in the snowy light.

The assassin stared wide-eyed at Wang Zhonghua in disbelief before collapsing limply into the snow.

Wang Zhonghua sheathed his sword, mounted his horse, and stood ready, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent.

As if in sync with his will, Ta Xue lightly treaded on its four hooves, nimbly dodging two slashing blades. At the same time, it suddenly spun around, its hind hooves flying up and striking one of the assassins squarely in the chest! The assassin screamed and flew more than ten feet into the air, crashing onto the ice. The thin ice shattered, and he plunged into the icy lake water, only to bubble a few times before disappearing without a trace.

Du Ziteng was stunned.

He knew Wang Zhonghua was practicing his sword, but he never expected him to have reached this level! The force, angle, and timing of that strike just now could not have been achieved without half a year of arduous training!

"What are you standing there for!" Wang Zhonghua roared, spurring his horse toward Du Ziteng's side. He parried a knife aimed at Du's back with his sword, and at the same time, with a backhand slash, he sliced ​​off half of the assassin's ear.

Du Ziteng snapped out of his daze, gritted his teeth, sealed the acupoints on his shoulder to stop the bleeding, and wielded his short stick with great force, back to back with Wang Zhonghua, protecting each other.

However, the number of assassins was simply too great, and they were fearless, launching wave after wave of attacks that seemed endless. Three more men burst from the woods, heading straight for the carriage—they were actually after Du Ziteng's carriage!

Wang Zhonghua felt a chill run down his spine; he understood.

Was the other party not trying to kill him, but to capture him alive? Or... to destroy something?

Just then—

"call out--!"

A sharp whistle pierced through the howling wind and snow, and broke the silence of death!

Immediately afterward, a white figure, like a blazing flame, a startled swan, or a goddess descending from the heavens, swept down from the snow-covered eaves of the pavilion in the middle of the lake at an incredible angle! Her long sword was not yet drawn, but the chilling killing intent she exuded made three or four assassins involuntarily stop in their tracks.

It's Qin Tiehua!

She swiftly moved through the air, her longsword flashing as it was drawn from its sheath with a clang. The gleaming blade trailed a silver arc, slicing through the falling snowflakes! The instant she landed, her toes lightly touching the snow, her figure gliding like a ghost for over ten feet. Her longsword swept across—this move, "Wind Sweeps Away Clouds," was so fast that the blade was almost invisible. With two soft "plop" sounds, blood spurted from the throats of two assassins simultaneously!

Before the corpse even fell, she had already spun around and slashed at the third person!

Since recovering, she humbly sought guidance from Liu Xinyi and Liu Jueming on methods for regulating her internal energy. Now, her movements are even faster than they were half a month ago, and her swordsmanship has reached a higher level. The leader of the assassins' pupils shrank suddenly, and he exclaimed in shock, "Retreat! It's the 'Surprising Step'!"—This was clearly a long-lost lightness skill in the martial arts world, and she had already mastered it to a minor level!

Meanwhile, from deep within the woods on the other side of the road, came a few barely audible groans.

The two assassins who were about to surround the carriage froze, as if their bones had been removed, and collapsed silently to the ground.