Chapter 1 ........

Hoo-hoo~~~

The cold wind howled like a knife, and snow drifted down in the mountain forest.

Hundreds of feet away from the edge of the forest, low breathing sounds emanated from a hidden cave concealed by grass and trees.

In the shadows, faintly illuminated by the dim snow, a figure was vaguely visible.

The figure was of medium height and unremarkable appearance. Beneath the black clothing, a body exuding a powerful aura sat on a large, mottled tiger skin.

That was the original master of this cave.

In the corner, several small tigers that had been smoked and hung swayed with the figure's breathing.

Swish~

Upon closer inspection, one could hear the sound of blood flowing within the body, permeating the air.

Internal force rolled within the body like a bursting dam, gradually merging with the blood under his powerful control, and then spreading to every part of the body...

Waves of heat emanated from the body, raising the temperature of the entire cave.

So much so that a bluish snake awoke from its hibernation, gently flicking its tongue.

Hoo!

Hah!

Kong San breathed evenly, and with each breath, his heart beat steadily and powerfully, each beat triggering another surge of internal force within his blood.

The Hundred-Day Blood Exchange was a transformation every single day.

After a hundred days, whether it was his tendons, bones, skin, flesh, or internal force, all would reach a level far beyond what it was before.

"Oooooh~"

In front of Kong San, a pale-faced middle-aged man watched him with intense hatred.

"Blood Exchange is really difficult..."

Kong San opened his eyes slightly, muttering to himself.

As he opened his eyes, his ordinary face seemed to come alive. The pair of deep, cold eyes instantly awakened his entire face.

"What sixty years of internal force, seventy years of internal force, the quality is too poor..."

Kong San shook his head slightly, slowly raising his hand that was hanging by his side.

"Oooooh!!"

Seeing Kong San reach out, the middle-aged man on the ground's face twisted instantly, endless horror almost spilling out of his eyes!

Thud~

As the sound of his fingers opening and closing echoed, a wind suddenly arose in the cave.

As Kong San reached out, the airflow in the entire cave seemed to surround his palm as if it were substantial, and the old man even sent his head between his five fingers.

"Ah!"

A scream that could not be concealed or suppressed even with his mouth blocked echoed in the cave.

Even though he had seen such things happen more than once, the middle-aged man still couldn't help but tremble when it actually happened to him.

He only felt that the internal force he had cultivated throughout his life could no longer be controlled at this moment. It was forcibly extracted from his skin, flesh, and bones, surging up without a single drop left, and being absorbed by that large hand!

Cultivation in the Jiu Fu Realm was actually the fusion of Qi and the body. The middle-aged man had practiced martial arts for many years, and his internal force had long permeated his skin, flesh, and bones, but this time, it was actually forcibly taken away!

Thump~

He tossed the dried, withered middle-aged man, who seemed to have aged several decades in an instant, to the side like trash.

"You..."

The middle-aged man struggled to get up, but only felt that he had lost all his strength. His cloudy eyes narrowed, and then lost all their color.

"This is truly the ultimate enjoyment in the world..."

A trace of intoxicated flush appeared on Kong San's face.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, a hint of scarlet flashing in his sinister eyes:

"Still not enough..."

........

In the wind and snow, a group of people trekked through the snow, heading towards the mountains ahead.

The mountains rose and fell, the snow was thick, the beasts hid, the birds did not sing, and the world was desolate.

Ming Tang and the other Six Doors constables trudged through the snow, their pace extremely fast. Before long, they had crossed several mountain peaks as if walking on flat ground.

At the edge of a forest of giant trees, the group stopped.

Tie Shan recalled the previous clues and pointed to the snow-covered forest in the distance:

"According to the information provided by the Zhao family's servant, they come here every seven days to deliver medicinal herbs and food, which are placed in the tree hole of the seventh old tree from the right in front..."

"How long has it been since the last time?"

Ming Tang stood with his hands behind his back in front of the group, his eyes cold.

"Reporting, sir, according to the servant, it was delivered three days ago, before the heavy snow..."

"If we want him to appear voluntarily, we have to wait four days?"

Ming Tang glanced around.

The snow within dozens of feet was flat, and apart from some small animal footprints, there were no traces of human walking.

The heavy snow was enough to erase all clues.

This was also why they had searched for so long but had not found Kong San.

"That should be the case."

Tie Shan nodded.

"Since Kong San has an agreement with the Zhao family here, his hiding place won't be too far away. There can't be too many caves in the nearby mountains where he could hide."

Ming Tang withdrew his gaze and said lightly:

"Everyone spread out and, with this forest as the center, search the nearby caves in groups of four!"

The Hua Yan Mountains were extremely large, with dozens of mountain peaks just on the edge. Searching them one by one would be impossible even with ten times more manpower.

But if the search area was narrowed down to one or two mountain peaks, then it would naturally not be a problem.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Then they scattered in twos and threes, in groups of four, drawing their swords and carefully guarding as they spread out around the forest.

"Sir."

After the crowd dispersed, Tie Shan stayed where he was.

"What else is there?"

Ming Tang's eyes turned.

"Sir, I have some doubts in my heart."

Tie Shan's expression was calm as he recounted the events of Nan Liang County today:

"Sir, even a wild Taoist priest could see the problem. Can't the officials in the court see it? Our Da Feng's national strength is the greatest among all the countries. Is it really impossible to change these things?"

Tie Shan's heart was complex.

For decades, he had witnessed Da Feng's rise step by step, but the stronger Da Feng's national strength became, the more difficult life became for the common people. The military was already so powerful, so why did the local magnates still impose excessive taxes and levies without the slightest restraint?

"Tie Shan, your thoughts are dangerous."

Ming Tang turned around, his cold eyes falling on Tie Shan:

"Do you remember that six years ago, you clashed with the carriage of the Minister of Justice for the sake of a down-and-out orphan girl? If it weren't for this official pleading for you, you would already be dead."

"This subordinate remembers..."

Tie Shan sighed with a complex expression:

"This subordinate still doesn't understand. The Minister's son enjoys endless wealth and glory. There are plenty of women in the world who love money. Why did he have to harm a poor, orphaned girl?"

"The Minister's three sons, two of them are serving in the army on the border, and they have made contributions to expanding the territory. His youngest brother is young and inexperienced, so it's inevitable that he will be a little impulsive."

Ming Tang's expression was indifferent, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it:

"We protect the people and fight for the country, so naturally we should be treated preferentially. This has been the case for thousands of years, and there's nothing wrong with it."

"This has been the case for thousands of years..."

Tie Shan sighed and turned to disappear into the forest. The cold wind dispersed his last doubts:

"Is it right?"

"Still too naive... The officials in the court, including this official, which one of them isn't a powerful clan or gentry? How could we sanction ourselves?

Tie Shan, if you were in this old man's position, with dozens of family members, all of whom want to wear fine clothes and eat good food, and all of whom want to learn martial arts and literature, what would you do?"

Ripples appeared in Ming Tang's eyes as he muttered to himself:

"You once asked this old man why he protected you...

It's just because this old man was once as naive as you."

After a sigh, Ming Tang's body moved and disappeared on the edge of the forest.

Behind him, the snow was flat, and there wasn't even a footprint left where he had passed.

Treading on snow without a trace.

.......

Sasha~

Boots stepped on the snow, making a slight sound.

The deep mountains were unlike the city. Many shady places hadn't seen sunlight for a long time. The temperature was low, and the accumulated snow was extremely thick, requiring more effort to walk.

The four Six Doors constables stood back to back, their eyes scanning the surroundings like hawks, and their swords were tightly gripped.

After tracking this person for several months, they naturally knew what kind of ferocious criminal they were facing.

The experts who died in the various counties were not without those who were more skilled than them. How could they dare to be careless?

"Brother Yan, look, there's a cave over there."

One of the constables seemed to notice something and saw a cave in the distance.

Yan Sa sniffed gently:

"There's a faint fishy smell. This is the smell of wild animal urine. Be careful..."

"Understood."

The other three constables exchanged glances, and their movements became more cautious.

Yan Sa stepped lightly on the snow, slowly approaching the cave covered with dead branches, his long sword tense.

"Hmm? This is..."

Just as he reached the entrance of the cave, a heat wave rushed towards him.

Yan Sa's heart tightened, and he raised his eyes to look. In the depths of the dark cave, under the drooping shadows, two beams of light suddenly lit up!

The light exploded, illuminating the dimness.

A figure sitting cross-legged suddenly raised his head, revealing a cold smile.

"Kong San?! Not good!"

Yan Sa's heart exploded.

Before he could shout, he suddenly heard the sound of violent friction of air currents in his ears.

Zheng~

The long sword was unsheathed, and a cold light like a training sword slashed forward.

Boom!

Amidst the turbulent airflow, Yan Sa only felt a powerful force shatter his sword light.

Then, a hot, scorching palm like a branding iron was already coming at him!

Danger!

Yan Sa's heart jumped wildly, and he raised his arm horizontally, spewing out his internal force to influence the oncoming palm.

Bang!

Accompanied by the sound of bone-shattering airflow, a palm squeezed fiercely, almost crushing Yan Sa's head!

"Ah!"

Yan Sa let out a earth-shattering scream.

His heart was filled with endless fear, and he felt like a leaky sheepskin bag. The internal force he had accumulated for many years poured into the hand that was holding his head!

"People from the Six Doors... Coming here is really wonderful."

Only then did Kong San's indifferent and teasing voice echo in the ears of the several stunned Six Doors constables.

"Beast!"

The other constables' eyes were about to split open.

In just the blink of an eye, Yan Sa's long sword had been shattered, and his body was as dry as a squeezed tomato, instantly aging almost beyond recognition!

"Beast?"

The blush on Kong San's face hadn't faded, and he wasn't angry when he heard this. He casually threw Yan Sa's body away, and then took a step forward with ease.

Rumble!

It was like a thunderclap out of nowhere!

Outside the cave, under the snow, the thick earth suddenly cracked.

In the surging airflow, the sky was filled with snow rising like a dragon.