蔓延在月光下的，是火焰与刀光、以及鲜血。

Beneath the moonlight spread flames, the glint of blades, and blood.

It was the early hours of February 11th, and the sounds of fighting echoed through the hills of Sipinggang. By this time, the shouts and screams, laced with the faint scent of blood, had diminished somewhat. The focus of the battle had shifted southwest. This wasn't a large-scale military engagement; when one side broke and fled, all that remained was a scene of chaos and ruin.

At the outset, the besiegers had the advantage, making it difficult for those trapped within to break out. This led to a period of stalemate in the area before the action swiftly moved southwest. Now, the area was filled with searching soldiers, patrolmen, corpses, and prisoners. Occasionally, wounded survivors, unable to escape, would lash out from the nearby woods, only to be surrounded and either captured or killed. However, the limited government forces stationed there couldn't form an overwhelming search net, leading to a somewhat cautious approach in scouring the surrounding woods.

Most of the soldiers, constables, and yamen runners had moved southwest in pursuit.

Zong Feixiao, the chief constable, wielding two steel whips, emerged from the night. He was a towering figure, head and shoulders above everyone else. Though dressed in the robes of a Ministry of Justice official, he was bald due to his martial arts training. Of the two chief constables from the Ministry of Justice, Tie Tianying was known for his shrewdness and competence, while Zong Feixiao appeared more brutal and fearsome. Yet, deep within his eyes lay a sharp, sinister glint. The blood and bits of flesh clinging to his steel whips added to his intimidating presence.

"Search the area, get the wounded brothers down the mountain! Find all the corpses! And I want every last one of those stray rebels dragged out!"

The hulking man's voice carried through the night. Guided by the flickering torches, his subordinates led him to where the bodies and prisoners were gathered. Though the government forces had launched a successful encirclement, their casualties were higher, since the encircled were all Green Forest experts. But considering that this was the last of Fang Baihua's concentrated elite, such sacrifices were deemed reasonable.

"...Shattering Palm, at least twenty years of training... This is Eagle Claw... Hmph, Southern Overlord Saber, Heaven-Piercing Blade Du Sha... More Du Sha... Ah, this is Yuanming Blade..." Zong Feixiao examined the corpses laid out on the grassy ground one by one. Then, he asked those around him, "Of the people we need to pay attention to, how many have been captured, and how many are dead?"

Hearing his question, the accompanying constable leaned forward. "Those captured include Yu Fangshi, Chen Tian, Zheng Yishan, Luo Liuer... The dead we've identified include..."

The man beside him was an elite from the Ministry of Justice. After he recited the names, Zong Feixiao nodded. Not far away, another burst of shouts suddenly erupted, followed by the clashing of weapons, as another straggler was captured. Zong Feixiao glanced over, then heard his companion say, "The Overlord Saber group has been scattered. That female blade bandit was driven east. We've sent people to chase her. Chief Constable, should we send reinforcements to the southwest?"

"You wouldn't be able to catch up..." Zong Feixiao muttered. Before he finished speaking, a team of men arrived from the east, dragging something wrapped in cloth. Zong Feixiao narrowed his eyes. When the object was brought closer, it turned out to be a massive refined-iron blade, making him take the matter seriously. "This is..."

The cloth-wrapped object was none other than Liu Xigua's signature Overlord Blade.

"Reporting, Chief Constable, we chased after her for a short time but lost the woman's trail. Then, we found this blade in a nearby stream."

"No wonder." The anticipation he'd felt waned. He shook his head and said softly, "I told you you wouldn't catch up. It's even less likely now." But his tone wasn't exactly disappointed.

Back when the Ministry of Justice orchestrated the ambush on Liu Dabiao, Zong Feixiao and Tie Tianying had both been involved. Now that Liu Dabiao's daughter had appeared, she clearly sought revenge on them. However, due to the investigation conducted back then to ambush Liu Dabiao, they knew something about this girl.

Wielding such a massive blade in battle was advantageous on the battlefield, but it was a disadvantage in one-on-one combat against stronger opponents. And to wield this weapon, one needed to train not only strength but also lightness. To suddenly abandon this weapon, which had practically become her trademark, was surprising to Zong Feixiao. But it also meant that the girl was determined to shed her burdens. Even the elite Ministry of Justice experts around him, and perhaps even himself and Tie Tianying, wouldn't be confident in catching her tonight.

Since they couldn't catch up, there was no need to force it. He waved his hand. His companion repeated the question, "Chief Constable, about the rebel leaders..."

Zong Feixiao looked southwest in silence for a moment, then shook his head. "So many people have already gone after them. That's enough. Fang Baihua's subordinates all have good martial arts foundations. We won't find anyone if we chase after them now."

As he said this, he chuckled strangely. "It's just that when a wall crumbles, everyone pushes it. The Fang La faction has committed so many evils in Jiangnan, making countless enemies. Whether they can really escape is another question."

The night was vast and obscure. The direction in which Fang Baihua and the others had fled was no longer visible. Only the moonlight washed over the mountains, like rising mist. Zong Feixiao's words were full of eerie implications…

****************

In the moonlight, something crawled through the woods, moving silently and slowly.

Two figures in yamen runners' uniforms approached from ahead, slapping at the undergrowth with their straight sabers, searching and talking quietly. Suddenly, the figure in the darkness leaped into the moonlight!

With a soft thud, the figure collided with the two yamen runners quickly and silently. One of the yamen runners was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree without making a sound. The other yamen runner turned halfway, about to swing his blade, when his arm was sliced, and his body was gently pushed. Then, his head was twisted in the opposite direction!

In the night, all that could be seen were black-and-white silhouettes. As the slender figure darted out like the wind, one yamen runner was sent flying and pinned against the tree. The other yamen runner merely twitched as if electrocuted, because of the slice and the push. Then, his head and body rotated discordantly. Beside him, the attacker's figure, also used force, causing her skirt to unfurl in the moonlight and then close again.

Beside the attacker, the yamen runner whose head had been turned in the wrong direction collapsed silently. Over at the tree, the first man, who had been sent flying, slumped down like soft mud. Then, the attacker's slender figure continued to stoop down, melting into the darkness.

Soon after, on the edge of another patch of vegetation, the figure of the girl named Xigua emerged silently from the bushes. Using the cover of night, she advanced for a while, then heard sounds ahead.

Two short blades were silently drawn and held at her sides. But the next moment, she didn't strike, but instead continued forward silently and swiftly. Emerging into view were the figures of "Yuanming Blade" Fang Shuchang, "Mandarin Duck Blades" Ji Qian'er, "Feather Blade" Qian Luoning, and three other Overlord Saber Camp experts who had come along.

"How is it? How many people have arrived?"

"Not many. Hui Huan went further ahead… The government forces attacked so suddenly this time. Only we could find a chance to slip through. Brother Du and the others are being chased and can't get away…"

"There was an internal traitor. That's why the government forces were able to bite down so accurately… But let's ignore that for now. Is there an opportunity?"

"…I'm afraid it'll be difficult."

As they spoke, they kept their voices low. Passing a barrier up ahead, Liu Xigua looked down to the side at a cluster of lights. That was where the camp holding Fang Qifo and a group of Yongle prisoners was located.

They had been mentally prepared for their team to be targeted, and had considered several contingency plans. Rescuing Fang Qifo when Tie Tianying, Zong Feixiao, and their elites came out was one of the more reliable ideas. But to have such an opportunity, they still needed to wait for the other side to show a real weakness.

Tonight's attack was well-executed by the government forces. It was estimated that there was a traitor among Fang Baihua's group. During the chaos, Du Sha, Zheng Qiming, and the others probably hadn't found an opportunity, and had been chased to the southwest along with Fang Baihua. Fang Shuchang and the others had finally improvised and implemented the original plan. But after seeing the formation of the camp, the girl frowned.

To encircle and kill them, Tie Tianying and Zong Feixiao theoretically needed to mobilize a lot of people. It probably wouldn't be enough to send out all of their elites. But from the looks of it, they hadn't deployed as many people as she had expected, or they had already brought in reinforcements from the surrounding counties. The camp didn't seem to have any flaws or possible entry points. On the contrary, they had strengthened their defenses while launching this attack.

After watching for a while, Zheng Huihuan, "Golden Back Blade," came up from below. He nodded to Xigua in greeting, then frowned and shook his head. "There might not be an opportunity. Tie Tianying is still stationed there…"

Liu Xigua was silent for a long time. She frowned and thought for a while, then took a deep breath and waved her fingers twice in the air, then waved them twice again.

"Let's go then."

She said this and turned around, her expression complex. But everyone knew that it was useless to take risks at this time. They exchanged glances and nodded.

Soon after, they finally disappeared into the darkness.

The night remained. The group silently bypassed the mountain range ahead, following the direction in which Fang Baihua and the others had fled. It wasn't until half an hour later that someone began to speak.

"They transferred people." This was a simple conclusion.

"This area is the government's territory to begin with."

"It's good that although there are many government soldiers, their experts are still not as good as us."

"Those who can escape, but after this, it's estimated that there will be no opportunity…"

"Auntie and the others are probably trying to chase after them to the capital." Xigua said in a low, somber voice.

"What can they do! It's just throwing themselves into the net…"

"I'm afraid we can't persuade them."

A group of martial arts experts couldn't change much on the battlefield. But even if the government gathered many people, it would be extremely difficult to completely eliminate a group of Green Forest experts. Everyone shared this understanding. Although they had been caught off guard this time, and many people had died or been captured, the remaining people still had a chance to escape or reflect. It was clear that they were walking into a trap step by step. Things couldn't continue like this.

At this moment, they hadn't considered the possibility that the whole matter would be destroyed right now. But this realization was tested more than half an hour later.

It began at the moment they were suddenly attacked near the forest where they were supposed to meet Fang Baihua and the others.

Xigua and Fang Shuchang pursued with great speed. After more than half an hour, they caught up with a few stragglers from the fleeing team, and were then attacked.

Ji Qian'er and Qian Luoning were the first to engage. The enemies who emerged from the darkness were highly skilled in martial arts, wielding two slender, curved blades that quickly slashed at them. Just as they blocked these attacks, seven or eight more people attacked simultaneously, all with considerable martial arts skills. Xigua greeted them, and cried out "We're in trouble" in her heart.

When Ning Yi's letter arrived, he had Chen Fan explain the mastermind behind Fang Qifo's affair. Wang Fu was the leader, and several powerful aristocratic families were involved. If they were going to wipe them out, these people had probably sent out the Green Forest experts employed by their families, in addition to using the government's power. At this moment, as they exchanged blows and heard the sounds of fighting still coming from the trees ahead, Xigua's first reaction was that this was the case.

She forced one person back with a few quick slashes, and shouted, "Kill your way in!" The others also tried to get rid of their opponents, but it wasn't easy. Fang Shuchang was fighting a middle-aged man wielding a sword. They seemed to be evenly matched. Just as he was about to force the man back, the man seemed to know his moves and thrust his sword towards his weakness!

Fang Shuchang instantly changed his moves and retreated, but still had a gash torn into his leg. He was shocked and suspicious. The person across from him was obviously very familiar with the Overlord Saber technique. But now was not the time to think about it. Someone was heard shouting in a low voice, "They're from the Overlord Saber Manor!" Then, the sound of air being torn was heard, and sparse hidden weapons and arrows were shot towards them.

The group dodged the hidden weapons and arrows, using the concealment of the trees, and charged forward. On the way, their own people and the enemy were mixed together. Occasional skirmishes could be seen, and a large group of enemies had already encircled them.

In such a forest, if ordinary people had come, Xigua alone could have terrified hundreds of people. But if experts came, the whole situation would become truly dangerous. It was unclear how the enemy had gathered so many experts. According to previous understanding, even if some wealthy families were rich enough to rival a country, they could only invite first-rate martial arts experts from the Jianghu as guests, but definitely not on this scale.

As they continued forward, the light gradually became brighter. Over there was an abandoned "holy altar" of the old Manichean sect, which was actually just a few broken temples. Fang Baihua and the others were obviously there. While running, they suddenly saw figures flashing ahead. Two figures collided in the dim forest. One of them had disheveled hair and shouted loudly. The two exchanged a few blows that created an astonishing force. Two people hiding nearby were affected and were knocked away. One of the fighters seemed to be Chen Fan.

As Fang Qifo's direct disciple, Chen Fan was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also extremely strong. He had also experienced battle on the battlefield for a long time, and was ruthless and violent when he really killed someone. But now, even when he went all out, the disheveled man was able to fight him to a standstill while shouting.

After a few exchanges, Chen Fan suddenly withdrew. The burly man rushed over, passed through a few trees, and lost track of Chen Fan. He punched a tree trunk hard, sending wood chips flying. Xigua and the others sneaked over and met Chen Fan.

"Something's wrong." In the darkness, Chen Fan saw them, licked the blood from his fist, and said in a low voice, "A group of experts suddenly came, I don't know who they are… That guy is really strong…"

"Are Auntie and the others up ahead?"

"They're over there. Some people are hiding in this forest. They were scattered. I came to pick up a few bargains and gather some people. It'll be too late if we don't think of something…"

"I know."

Xigua nodded. Now everyone was still being chased. If they were held back by this group of experts, and government soldiers surrounded them, they would be doomed. Just as she was about to go forward, Fang Shuchang came over, his expression suspicious. "Wait, 'Mad Tiger' Wang Nantuo…"

"What?" Chen Fan asked.

Xigua had also wanted to ask, but then she remembered that she had heard this name before.

"The person who was fighting you just now, Chen Fan, seemed like 'Mad Tiger' Wang Nantuo. Back then, I was studying with my master and hadn't run around in the Jianghu much. I only saw him a few times. It's been more than ten years…"

"So what?" Chen Fan didn't understand.

Just then, Fang Baihua's voice suddenly came from the direction of the dilapidated temple: "Who are you!?"

In the battles of the past few days, Fang Baihua had been injured and was very tired. But she was a heroine after all, and had once led armies in battle. In such a situation, her words usually still had a heroic spirit, but at this moment, her question clearly had a hint of speculation and suspicion, similar to Fang Shuchang's suspicion earlier.

As they ran towards that place, they heard a loud bang. The bang was mixed with the sound of bones breaking. Through the faint light, a mud wall had collapsed in one of the dilapidated temples, and there were clearly several bodies that had been smashed into it.

"Little Baihua, long time no see."

In the dust-filled air, someone came out from that side, a large figure, his outline gradually taking shape, his sleeves fluttering like Maitreya, waving the smoke and dust. If someone were close enough, they could see that as the tall, fat man came towards them, two experts under Fang Baihua tried to stop him. He simply took one step, and the two experts seemed to be stuck to his shoulders, directly crashing into the wall that looked quite sturdy. The bones of the two men were shattered, but the fat man crashed through the entire wall and strode over, his tone mellow and peaceful. This alone was the strength of a near Grandmaster level. Fang La in his prime might have been able to do it, Fang Qifo might have been able to do it, but Fang Baihua couldn't, and Chen Fan and Liu Xigua couldn't either.

In the clearing beside the dilapidated temples, Fang Baihua had already recognized him, holding her red spear, standing straight. She was in her thirties, and he was in his forties. They knew each other.

Over here, Fang Shuchang looked at the man carefully, and after a moment, sighed: "Lin Echan… 'Demon Buddha' Lin Echan…"

Chen Fan spread his hands: "Who is that?"

Xigua rolled her eyes, then glanced at him. Fang Shuchang also looked at him: "Buddha Commander didn't tell you…" This was a statement, not a question, obviously Fang Shuchang could somewhat understand the reason.

"Demon Buddha" Lin Echan, "Mad Tiger" Wang Nantuo, these two names might have had great fame more than ten years ago, but at this moment, what was truly important was not just them, but because of these two names, the name of another person.

Xigua slightly opened her lips. She didn't know why, but at this moment, her eyes were unusually calm.

The wind blew through the forest.

……

……

"Sikong Nan…"

……

……

"Ah…" Chen Fan sighed.

The wind blew through the forest, the fire flickered, crackling. White light.

Fang Baihua was half-covered in blood, pressing down on the tip of her red spear, diagonally facing the front.

Some things, when a certain symbol appeared, could be understood. There was no need to ask why this was so. At least at this moment, no one wanted to ask.

There were sounds in the night.

……

……

"…Talented people come forth from generation to generation, it's always the new generation that buries the old… The day I left, I once said this sentence…"

The words were old, as if echoing in every part of the forest, the light pale, shining on many people's faces.

Aristocratic families that were rich enough to rival countries could not gather many first-rate experts. Only martial arts families and Jianghu forces with deep foundations could do this.

Manichaeism…

……

……

"…You were going to do great things, and you have indeed done great things. If you can really succeed, you will never see me again in your life… But Baihua, there is no road ahead for you…"

There was once such a person, who had been driven down from her position. In the beginning, they had always guarded against her return. Because even in defeat, her influence remained in that initial period.

But as time passed, that person became disheartened, and disappeared. One year passed, three years passed, five years passed. The divided Manichaean sect finally reunited again. They began to do the great things they wanted to do, and gradually forgot her.

Until… the appearance of true defeat…

"…This old woman is back."

Along with that voice, Lin Echan walked towards Fang Baihua and reached out his hand!

……

……

The red spear pierced out! In the light and the wind, a figure suddenly leaped out of the forest, punching towards the Maitreya-like man, the sound of air being torn. This was a full-strength punch from Chen Fan. In the wind of the punch, the fat man's wide monk's robe billowed out. On the other side, it was the girl charging out of the forest. Her giant blade had been discarded. She was wielding a single blade in her hands, but it seemed as if she was wielding a weapon that was ten thousand times heavier than the previous giant blade, her eyes fierce and determined! That was the Overlord Saber!

Du Sha, Luo Bingren, Zheng Qiming, Fang Shuchang, Wang Nantuo, known as the Mad Tiger, and numerous experts, as if at the moment the string broke, rushed forward madly.

At this moment, there was no room for hesitation, no one could stop—