Chaos and monsters begin with the red dragon's clone.

"Senior Brother Fan."

The two walked to the side of the platform and bowed to Fan Qi.

Fan Qi was a burly man with a full black beard. He looked rugged, but he was very meticulous. His gaze swept over the two of them, and then he said to Chang Zhiliang, "Junior Brother Chang, congratulations on breaking through to the second stage of Body Tempering. You can come to the front hall to find me when you have time, so I can teach you the breathing technique."

"As expected of Senior Brother Fan, his insight is truly sharp," Chang Zhiliang said. "I was originally planning to go over in the afternoon, but when I saw Senior Brother calling Junior Brother Zhang, I came along. I usually practice with him and we're quite familiar with each other."

"Is that what Senior Brother Fan called me?" Zhang Xun asked casually.

He hadn't figured out where he'd slipped up and the Zhu family had come looking for him, but the fact that they'd come openly from the boxing academy, not secretly, meant the situation wasn't too bad, so he wasn't too panicked.

Fan Qi's smile faded as he sized up Zhang Xun.

"Junior Brother Zhang, your mother works at the Gao family's leather workshop, and your father and brothers went to Gouli Town to work as carpenters building a fort for the Wei family?"

"Yes."

Zhang Xun was taken aback.

When the boxing academy accepts apprentices, it examines their family background and requires a guarantor. Those with unclear origins are generally not accepted. It's not surprising that Fan Qi knows this... It doesn't seem to be because of the Zhu family's Chai Mountain matter? He felt a sense of relief mixed with inexplicable unease.

"News came from the Gouli government office that after the carpenters who built the fort for the Wei family finished their work, they were recruited by an unidentified foreman to do more work. After leaving Gouli town, they disappeared without a trace," Fan Qi sighed.

"What do you mean, Senior Brother Fan?" Chang Zhiliang asked in a low voice.

"..." Zhang Xun's heart sank, and he had a bad feeling.

"There are quite a few carpenters in that group. If an accident happened, it's impossible for them not to leave any traces. So far, nothing has been found, which is at least a good sign... Junior Brother Zhang, you don't need to worry too much. I received the news and thought about your family's situation, so I told you in advance," Fan Qi reassured him.

"Thank you for informing me, Senior Brother Xie Fan."

…………

Time passed slowly, and nothing came of the Zhu family's Chai Mountain affair, but Zhang Xun's thirst for power remained undiminished.

He spent every day practicing diligently at the boxing academy, and his skills gradually improved. Finally, he was about to cross the threshold of beginner and reach proficiency in the Flying Sand Knife Technique.

He's been in the inner courtyard for almost three months without a moment's rest, and now, he's achieved results again…

In the inner courtyard, beside the sand shed, Zhang Xun held a wooden knife, slashing and hacking. His movements were less clumsy and more fluid and effortless.

He swung his wooden knife swiftly, kicking up dust beneath his feet, as if dancing in the sand.

'Flying Stone Fist Technique: 205/300, Proficient'

'Flying Sand Blade Technique: 100/300, Proficient'

With a swishing sound, Zhang Xun finished practicing once, pulled the towel around his neck to wipe his sweat, and looked at the progress of the moves in the Red Dragon's vision.

"My swordsmanship is already quite effective in actual combat, and with the Dragon Might, I have a good chance of winning against a second-realm martial artist in a one-on-one fight. It's a pity that there's no sign of the Red Dragon's passage being completed yet. Otherwise, finding a way to hunt prey and grow faster to strengthen my Dragon Might would be the fastest way to improve my strength."

"My fist technique has advanced to the second level, but the price is that I'm almost out of money. The rest I need to give to my family to cover unexpected needs. Otherwise, at the rate of eating the exotic beast meat, I could have reached the third level and the second realm in another two months."

"Otherwise it would take half a year, by which time the foggy month would have arrived."

Zhang Xun gazed at the leaden-gray, hazy sky, a shadow passing over his eyes.

The Fog Month is a month-long period each year during which gray fog invades the city, allowing ghosts to appear and criminals to cause trouble; it's commonly known as "wintering." During a light Fog Month, the gray fog doesn't reach Dongluo Town, but a medium-sized fog reaches outside the town. In the past, the Zhang family would find a place to hide and spend the winter there.

This year, my father and elder brother have disappeared, so we can't do the old way anymore; I'm afraid we'll have to spend the rest of the year in town.

However, Longwei is not someone to be proud of, and without the second realm, he inevitably feels uneasy.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Xun went to find Zhao Shaoting.

With improved self-defense capabilities, it's time to try venturing out to Gouli Town.

The disappearance of my father and elder brother must be investigated no matter what.

Going alone is risky; it's safest to travel with a caravan. While earning some money, it's also good to borrow some from others to buy exotic beast meat for breaking through to the next stage before reaching the Mist Moon realm. It's really hard to ask for money if you don't do any work.

Such jobs generally require a certain level of skill; without connections, it's difficult for someone to find one on their own.

He went to the front yard and found Zhao Shaoting, who agreed without hesitation, and soon received news.

"Jia's company is hiring. The semi-trailer job will last at least three months, with at least three trips per month. They operate on routes that don't go too close to the foggy areas or to the outlying towns, making it relatively safe. Each trip takes about three to five days, and the pay is calculated daily—one hundred coins per day in your area, paid monthly. That's about the pay. Fortunately, there's a job to Gouli Town in five days. What do you think, junior brother?"

"Thanks, senior brother. I'll go."

…………

Five days later, at dawn.

Ten large carts loaded with goods were pulled by horses through the street, with twenty or thirty men wearing gray shirts printed with the words "Jia Ji" on them, half on horseback and half on foot, following on both sides of the caravan.

Zhang Xun walked at the back of the group, wearing a straw hat, with a long knife at his waist and a spear in his hand. The wheels creaked and groaned as they drove out of the town, crushing the red flowers and wild grass on the yellow mud road.

Looking up, one can see that the fields beside the road are neatly divided into plots, and farmers are using ropes to pull plows to cultivate the land.

The fields stretch into the distance, with rolling hills and forests, and farms and workshops surrounded by high walls.

Pedestrians on the street hurried along, their faces showing vigilance and caution.

This was not Zhang Xun's first time traveling far from home. He had previously gone to other towns many times with his father and elder brother to do civil engineering work. Back then, they were a group of people, but they were all carpenters, and they were always a little worried on the road.

Now, following a caravan, with the sounds of men and horses, and the glint of swords, feels quite different.

Perhaps sensing the presence of new recruits in the group, Jia Jinshui, the manager of Jia's company, rode back and forth on horseback, emphasizing the rules.

"First, avoid talking during the journey, concentrate, stay alert, and observe your surroundings."

Second, when encountering situations, one must not act on one's own initiative, but obey orders.

"Third, maintain formation, work in pairs, and don't leave the group's sight."

“…………”

"Fifth, the Wangsheng sect in Gouli Town is becoming more active and must not act alone."

Religion of the dead! ?

Zhang Xun recalled the strange statue of the Holy Child and felt a chill in his heart. Disappearances are often associated with these religious sects... Could his father and elder brother have been kidnapped?

"The Rebirth Sect? I don't know how they came to be here. Aren't the government offices and those nobles in the inner city doing anything about them?"

"Mind your own business! They've probably all been bribed. How could they have grown this powerful without connections?!"

"During the Brumaire period a couple of years ago, many people said that their images of the Holy Child had miraculous effects, but I don't know if it's true or not."

"Gouli Town, I've heard that the Rebirth Sect does indeed have a sizable stronghold there."

Even after Jia Jinshui explained the rules, some people still whispered among themselves, looking relaxed.

That's true. Generally speaking, when merchants travel, they don't go near foggy areas, so accidents are rare; once in ten is considered a lot. Of course, if there aren't many people and the scale isn't impressive enough, then that's a different story.

As Zhang Xun listened to their conversation, his mood grew increasingly uneasy. Logically, the disappearance case was inextricably linked to the Rebirth Sect, but... well, let's just take it one step at a time and do a preliminary investigation first.

In the evening, the caravan successfully arrived at another town and settled down. They set off early the next morning for another day's journey...

We've arrived at Gouli Town...