Wang Lin had entered the Mei Courtyard at seventeen. After five years of bitter training, he joined the Longxiang Army at the peak of the Mingjin Rank.
Only after entering the military did he truly understand that there was always someone better, and always a higher heaven.
Sparring in martial arts halls was always gentle, with both sides holding back.
No matter how intense the clash, it was ultimately just fellow disciples helping each other practice.
But the military was different.
On the training grounds, every blade drew blood; on the battlefield, every strike was lethal.
A single slip-up meant absolute ruin.
Wang Lin had seen far too many martial arts hall geniuses who couldn't even last ten moves against a Centurion in the army.
He had been no exception.
Therefore, while Wang Lin acknowledged his junior brother Shen Xiuhan's outstanding talent, he had never truly held him in high regard.
No matter how great one's talent, without the tempering of the battlefield, they were ultimately just a greenhouse flower, unable to withstand the harsh elements.
This was especially true recently, as he and Ding Ning had been ordered to hunt down Tian Ping'an, leaving him with no time to worry about anything else.
That Tian Ping'an...
Was as slippery as an eel.
Born of the Tabai Camp, the man excelled at scouting, reconnaissance, and ambushing, and was deeply versed in stealth and tracking.
After defecting, he had even stolen a grand pill from the camp, using it to break through to the Anjin Rank.
Every time Wang Lin and Ding Ning managed to grasp a shred of a clue, the scoundrel would flee a step ahead like a startled, cunning fox, leaving them unable to even catch his tail.
For half a month, they had run ragged across the surrounding counties, sleeping in ruined temples and eating dry flatbread under the open sky. Blisters had flared up in their mouths from the sheer stress, yet they had still failed to capture him.
It had driven Wang Lin to gnash his teeth in fury, wishing he could skin the bastard alive.
But who could have expected...
Taking a brief break to attend this gathering today was supposed to be a chance to catch his breath. Yet, the moment the "greenhouse flower" opened his mouth, Wang Lin's scalp had gone numb.
Tian Ping'an...
Was dead?
Slain by this junior brother who had been with the martial arts hall for less than a year?
Wang Lin rubbed his face, staring at the cultivation manual. No matter how hard it was to believe, he couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
“Junior Brother Shen... you have truly left this senior brother thoroughly impressed!”
He did not ask about any other treasures Tian Ping'an might have carried.
Because they did not matter.
Recovering the 『Dragon-Elephant Golden Body Art』 was the absolute highest priority.
Within the Longxiang Army, countless experts practiced this technique.
Out of the five Colonels, four of them had trained in it.
If this technique were to leak and fall into the hands of the Wu and Yue states, allowing them to devise a countermeasure, the consequences would be catastrophic.
In comparison, the pills, weapons, and precious artifacts Tian Ping'an had stolen from the Tabai Camp Colonel—though highly valuable—were not worth even a fraction of this technique's significance.
At this thought, Wang Lin raised his wine cup and said solemnly:
“Junior Brother, this senior brother offers you his deepest thanks. I owe you a massive favor. If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word.”
Tilting his cup forward slightly, Wang Lin's expression was deeply earnest and sincere.
Shen Xiuhan raised his own cup, clinked it against his senior brother's, and smiled.
“You are too polite, Senior Brother. It is only natural for fellow disciples to look out for one another.”
“Well said!”
Wang Lin praised him, looking at him with growing approval before tossing his head back to drain his cup in one gulp.
Nearby, seeing that everyone had arrived, Xiao Wu caught Xiao Wen's eye and gave him a nod.
Whoosh.
Xiao Wen stood up, drawing the bamboo curtains and shutting the windows tight.
With the window closed, the bustling noise of the street faded. Silence descended upon the private room, leaving only the quiet sound of their breathing.
Xiao Wu reached into his robe and pulled out a rolled-up ledger, spreading it across the center of the table. The pages were densely packed with names and dates written in varying shades of ink.
“My brothers.”
Xiao Wu's voice was low, his tone heavy.
“I have gathered you all here today to discuss a matter of grave importance.”
He tapped his finger against the ledger.
“This was retrieved from Bai Jixia, the head of the Changyun Bai family's Outer Affairs Hall.”
The room stirred as everyone's expressions shifted.
Bai Jixia.
As the head of the Bai family's Outer Affairs Hall, he was at the Minor Accomplishment of the Anjin Rank and had already opened two acupoints. He was a recognized expert within the Bai family.
Since Xiao Wu used the word "retrieved," it was clear that the outer hall master's fate had been far from pleasant.
Xiao Wu offered no explanation. His gaze slowly swept over the room as he spoke in a flat voice.
“What is recorded in this ledger is not transactions of silver, but... living people.”
Living people?
The room fell into a bewildered silence as everyone exchanged confused glances.
“A-Wen.”
Xiao Wu called out.
Xiao Wen stood up, took a deep breath, and began in a hushed tone.
“It goes like this.”
“About a month ago, my brother accidentally came across Bai Jing and Bai Xiuan escorting a group of young children toward Chenjian Dock's territory on Cloudwater Lake.”
“Suspicious, he quietly investigated and discovered that the Bai family was colluding with Chenjian Dock to kidnap children from all over. They were being secretly shipped to Fish Island... and none of them ever came back.”
Xiao Wen paused, his Adam's apple bobbing as his voice dropped to a whisper.
“Those children... were refined into human pills.”
Human pills!
The moment those two words left his lips, the air in the room seemed to freeze solid.
A sudden, invisible chill descended upon the room, causing the flickering candlelight to dim.
A freezing glare flashed in Song Huatang's single eye as his fists clenched tightly.
Ji Ning's expression remained unchanged, but his hand instinctively dropped to his sword hilt.
Han Li narrowed his eyes, his gaze locking onto the ledger with an unreadable, deep intensity.
Luo Tangyin lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes casting a dark shadow over her cheeks, her thoughts hidden.
Shen Xiuhan raised his cup and took a slow sip, letting the burning liquid slide down his throat. He had already known this, so he kept his expression perfectly calm.
Wang Lin, however, stared with wide, furious eyes, his thick brows furrowing deeply. He growled,
“Chenjian Dock colluding with the Bai family to refine human pills... Brother Xiao, this is a matter of gravity. Are you absolutely certain?”
Xiao Wu nodded. “I witnessed it with my own eyes.”
Wang Lin fell silent. His expression grew increasingly grim, dark as a leaden thundercloud. He raised his wine cup but didn't drink, slowly spinning it between his fingers instead.
“Six months ago, I noticed rumors of child-snatchers spreading through the various wards of the Changyun Outer City.”
Xiao Wu stood up and paced to the front of the table, clasping his hands behind his back. He looked at the grim faces around him and spoke in a low, heavy voice:
“At the time, I didn't think much of it, assuming it was just the work of ordinary scum. But looking back, the Bai family must have used those child-snatchers as a cover to abduct those poor children.”
“They kidnapped children to refine them, draining their blood and bones alive to fuel their demonic arts... To date, there are four hundred and thirty-one names recorded in this ledger alone.”
Four hundred and thirty-one children!
A heavy silence fell over the room. Everyone was shaken to their core by the sheer scale of the horror.
Xiao Wu paused, his eyes turning ice-cold as he continued.
“According to Bai Jixia's confession, they have been operating in secret across the neighboring counties as well. The total number of victims... likely exceeds a thousand.”
Over a thousand children!
Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath, keeping a tight lid on the cold fury rising within him.
Over a thousand innocent lives. Over a thousand devastated families.
This was no mere dispute between martial factions. This was a purely monstrous, inhumane act of pure evil!
“I have sworn an oath to the heavens that I will slaughter every last member of the Bai clan to bring justice to those innocent souls. Therefore...”
Xiao Wu looked at each of them, his voice ringing with absolute resolve. “I have gathered you all here today for one purpose: to champion the righteous path and destroy these monsters!”
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