In early September, Jiangning was a confluence of countless karmic entanglements, some swirling into undercurrents, some roaring into whirlpools, and some poised to unleash earth-shattering waves.

On the night of September 8th, with He Wen's words, the massive undercurrent stirred by the "Reading Club" was about to surface, temporarily thrusting Shi Weiyang into the spotlight, under the gaze of all the powerful figures. Of course, these karmic connections would soon diverge once more.

Shi Weiyang had his own pursuits.

On this Double Ninth Festival afternoon, he truly ascended to a peak in his journey, completing his transformation.

And amidst these interwoven waves, countless more subtle undercurrents were flowing through the turbulent waters…

Time rewinds.

Afternoon of September 8th.

While He Wen and the other four Great Kings began their discussions at Yi Garden, near the ruins of Five Lakes Inn in the city, two young men known as "Y Demons," looking at two unremarkable men and women under the bridge arch, felt sorrow and unease.

After finding medicine and trying their best to save the injured woman under the bridge, they easily gleaned from the surrounding people the names of those who had come to assert their dominance that day.

Not long after, on that night, Shi Weiyang, the Second Young Master, who had finally regained some face after the Five Lakes Inn incident, led an even larger group to confront Chen Juefang, "Cold Crow," near Yunlai Ward.

Wu Chennan went to the city's newspaper office to have the news of Yan Tiehe's injury and the Shi family's seeking justice for him splashed across the pages.

A delicate scheme was thus launched on a grand scale, and with the assistance of seasoned veterans like Jin Yongsheng, they considered many small details that could potentially go wrong. On September 9th, Shi Weiyang made such a perfect plan for the first time in his life. The moment Yan Yunzhi received those newspapers, he had already entered a new phase of his life.

At the same moment, at the other end of the city, in front of the unremarkable Five Lakes Inn, the two "Y Demons," Five Feet and Four Feet, silently read the newspapers for a long time.

The woman in the bridge arch was not in good condition. Xue Jin limped over and kowtowed to them. Long Aotian, in a state of agitation, brewed another dose of medicine. Afterwards, they left in succession.

At noon, near the medical clinic where Yan Tiehe was receiving treatment, the two of them discovered more details through careful observation.

"Big Brother, there are a lot of people, what should we do?"

…

"…Even the Jade Emperor can't save him."

"…Oh."

…

In the afternoon, at the teahouse, Shi Weiyang issued orders to the many experts.

"Today, no one will leave this place."

He pushed open the door and walked towards Yan Yunzhi.

…

"…In these past few days, with Brother Wu's help, I have understood it clearly. What can ordinary people do—"

…

A bamboo pole, cutting through the sky, whistling as it came—

Exploding bamboo shards brushed past Shi Weiyang's eyes, carving a tragic path of blood through the teahouse.

Shi Weiyang's gaze became dull. The next part of his speech, which was originally meant to be even more resounding, hesitated for a moment. Several people on the second floor of the teahouse suddenly stood up, while dozens of figures on the first floor below, on the roof above, on the street outside, and even on the opposite second floor, were all simultaneously alerted.

In the next moment, Jiang Bing, "One-Word Lightning Sword," swung his sword to meet the window beside him. The figure was coming from the rooftop of the building across the street. It was afternoon, and the window here faced slightly west. The figure "whooshed" in the autumn sunlight and suddenly grew larger.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Bing abruptly waved his hand and retracted his sword. His body suddenly crouched low and leaped to the side. The figure rushing in under the sunlight was actually carrying a round shield in front, protecting the attacker's body, directly crossing the street and smashing in with a deafening crash!

From the bamboo pole being thrown in first to this person flying in with a shield, there was only a brief reaction time of one or two breaths. However, most of the people on the second floor of the teahouse were experts and reacted. "One-Word Lightning Sword" swung his sword out. Fan Hen, "Amazing God Hand," stood up and overturned the table in front of him. Xu Batian, "Bull Demon," picked up the large axe in his hand. Xiang Dasong, "Dragon Saber," standing not far from Shi Weiyang, was drenched in Wu Chennan's blood and gore. He also stepped towards the window in the first moment, trying to reach out and protect Shi Weiyang behind him. The others also moved to their respective positions.

In the next moment, Jiang Bing retracted his sword, crouched low, and then leaped out, but his body was still grazed by the rushing assassin. The black shadow of the shield and the person crashed onto the floor of the teahouse with a loud bang, and then flew forward. In an instant, tables and chairs flew, and porcelain shards splashed in the teahouse. Jiang Bing's long sword brushed up onto the rafters, while Fan Hen, "Amazing God Hand," who had overturned the table, was affected by the impact and tumbled in the air before falling heavily on the floor.

The incredibly reckless assassin rolled all the way to the corner with the shield, and one of the guards nearby was knocked down the stairs. At this time, the second floor of the teahouse could not be considered a complete mess. It was just that two people had been pierced by the bamboo pole earlier, and blood and gore had spread in a long strip. Now, this assassin had rushed in desperately, opening a path with his shield, and the broken tables, chairs, and porcelain shards were scattered in a fan shape.

The experts nearby reacted quickly. Except for "One-Word Lightning Sword" being hit in the shoulder and "Amazing God Hand" being knocked into the air and then falling down, more people were trying to pounce over immediately. There were also people with a broader perspective who were still looking out the window, warily guarding against the assassin's companions with suspicion. At this time, the clanging sounds in the teahouse dissipated. Someone shouted below. The assassin who had crashed into the corner seemed to be rolling around with some difficulty. Everyone could see that this assassin was dragging the shield, his face covered with a black cloth. His gaze swept across the space of the teahouse, passing over Shi Weiyang.

Xiang Dasong, "Dragon Saber," whose body was half-covered in blood, noticed this gaze. He reached out a hand, trying to push Shi Weiyang behind him. Shi Weiyang's gaze only turned away from the neckless Wu Chennan on the ground at this time. He also saw the assassin's gaze, raised his right hand and pointed in that direction, but he couldn't issue an order for a while. He hadn't accepted the fact that his strategist was suddenly gone.

Several people next to him stepped towards the assassin; the old man Yu Ci, nicknamed "Fifteen Strings," picked up a teacup and threw it at the assassin; Jiang Bing, "One-Word Lightning Sword," climbed up from the floor, knowing that his shoulder was injured, and the tiger's mouth of his right hand seemed to have cracked in the collision; The teacup exploded on the floor, Xu Batian, "Bull Demon," waved his large axe; He Qin Zhao, "White Asura," pointed to a certain place and shouted, "Be careful." The assassin in the corner of the teahouse suddenly gritted his teeth, raised his shield, curled up his body and tried to block himself. Everyone knew that he was also injured by the crash; He Qin Zhao, "White Asura," said again, "Be careful…" He didn't know what to be careful of.

Someone had already glimpsed that thing.

That thing didn't know where it came from. It was about the size of a pillow, and it was now lying quietly next to a table in the center of the teahouse, a little light burning quietly.

Someone's pace paused.

People were rushing up from downstairs.

Two experts standing on the roof were changing their steps on the tiles, carefully listening to the movements below in this chaos.

Boom—

A loud noise shook the long street.

The time was the second quarter of Shen Shi (3:30 PM) on this day. Near this teahouse on Yuqing Street in the east of Jiangning City, passers-by had already sensed that something was wrong. A major force was doing something here, either arresting enemies or committing evil deeds. People who noticed this mostly began to avoid this street. Some merchants and individual households downstairs also tried to pack up and leave with concerns. Some people stood in the distance and looked over here, pointing and commenting.

But no one expected such an astonishing scene to happen.

The huge explosion resounded throughout the entire street. In an instant, the entire teahouse seemed to shake. Grayish-white smoke and dust poured out from the windows on the second floor in all directions. The tiles on the upper floor fell downward. The two experts who were originally standing on the roof were suddenly swallowed by the smoke and dust, and then rolled down with a rumbling sound. Their bodies lost control and crashed onto the street. Members of the Baofeng Company, either holding fishing nets or forming a formation on the street, were staggered and fell to the ground by the loud noise. Some people subconsciously fled backwards, while others seemed to want to rush in to save people. The scene was a mess for a while.

Everyone stared blankly at the second floor of the teahouse, which was now covered in the dust after the explosion.

And their Second Young Master, Shi Weiyang, was now at the epicenter of this explosion…

…

"Cough… cough cough cough cough…"

The grayish-white smoke was filled with the scorching heat and smell of burning. The floor seemed to be still shaking, and countless dust fell rustlingly. It was impossible to see one's fingers in front of one's eyes, and the ears were filled with a buzzing sound.

Fan Hen, "Amazing God Hand," staggered to his feet, unable to hear anything in his ears, and didn't understand what had happened.

At the moment of rushing in just now, he had raised his hands and flipped the table over, but because of the obstruction of his vision, he was unable to dodge when the other party's shield crashed into him. He was knocked into his legs and then rolled several times in the air before smashing onto the floor. His head was dizzy, and before he could react, a more violent explosion enveloped him.

As a member of the Green Forest, although he occasionally saw some unorthodox firearms, such as Thunderbolt bombs and Palm Thunder used for escape, there were not many opportunities to experience a larger amount of explosion at such a close distance.

Occasionally, when the Fair Party attacked cities and bombed gates or city walls, it was usually the matter of the specific artisan camp. The Green Forest heroes were usually treated preferentially, and their dealings with these artisans were not many. At most, during festivals, they would have someone make some firecrackers to take home for celebration.

After two consecutive large impacts, his head was in a mess, and he couldn't turn anything around. He stood up with difficulty, and then staggered and sat down on the ground again. The calf of his right leg was broken, and he couldn't exert any strength. He was familiar with such symptoms.

"Cough… cough cough cough cough…"

He reached out to try to deal with the injury on his leg, but his throat was not breathing smoothly, and it was almost like pulling a bellows. The dust in the air burned his throat painfully.

He held the broken part of his calf with one hand, trying to judge the injury, and waved the other hand forcefully, trying to disperse the smoke and dust beside him. A figure was slowly standing up, swaying, on the side and behind his body.

In that figure's left hand, there was a shield.

"Hey…"

The figure pulled out his saber and called out.

Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz…

In Fan Hen's ears, he couldn't hear anything…

…

Stars were spinning in front of his eyes, and his body was burning with pain. His whole body didn't seem to be his own anymore.

Shi Weiyang shook his head in the diffused dust.

At this moment, he wasn't even sure how he got up…

In the moment before the explosion, Xiang Dasong, "Dragon Saber," pushed him backwards, making him move away from the vicinity of the explosive package. But then, the vibrations, dust, and heat waves still swept over him. He rolled on the ground for a while before gradually waking up intermittently.

Who is that person…

What is happening…

Everything that had happened before was still replaying in front of his eyes in segments, intensely and quickly. The gaze of the assassin who crashed in dragging the shield, the long pole that suddenly swept past his eyes, Wu Chennan without a neck, Yan Yunzhi standing in the corner of the window with a desperate and fearful look…

That's right, the desperate and fearful Yan Yunzhi…

This was the moment he had been pursuing for many days. He had been determined to change for it, and even spent several nights planning and arranging everything. He had done many, many things, following his father's past teachings, following all the maxims that reliable teachers had said. He had become a person who could really do things, and he had not been negligent or arrogant. Instead, he tried to suppress his emotions as much as possible whenever he was proud before.

He just wanted to get to this moment and enjoy the satisfaction of this moment…

When he saw the despair in her eyes…

When he saw the fear in her eyes…

When he told her the methods he would use to deal with her one by one in the future…

When he said that he would chain her up, break her legs, and she wouldn't even be able to refute…

All of these feelings simply made him experience an unprecedented pleasure in his life.

Unlike his past bullying and abuse of power, or the embraces of a group of so-called heroines, the one in front of him was truly trying to resist him, and was a truly heroic woman who had killed Jurchens. And he had conquered her with fair and square means. This meant that he had truly become a capable man who could solve all problems and defeat enemies on his own.

His father's path, including the path of those big figures like He Wen, was also walked in this way…

His speech wasn't finished yet. He even thought that after tying Yan Yunzhi to the bed tonight, he could say even more domineering words that she couldn't refute…

The bamboo pole flew over with a whoosh…

His mind was buzzing, and everything seemed fake.

Fake dust was scattering in front of his eyes. He coughed a few times with difficulty, remembering that Xiang Dasong, who had pushed him away, seemed to have pounced over here as well. He then tried to look around.

Dust and tiles were falling from the roof. All places were in a mess now. He saw a figure lying on the ground and tried to reach out, but he actually failed to grab the other party's arm the first time. In the next moment, the person lying on the ground suddenly exerted force, rolled over, and sat up. Shi Weiyang staggered back two steps. He saw that the figure stood up shaking. Xiang Dasong, nicknamed "Dragon Saber," was burly, and his clothes were tattered at this time. From the neck upwards, white, red, and black skin were distributed in patches, making him look terrifying and like a monster at this moment.

The large area of grayish-white was just the dust scattered in the air, and the red was blood, and the black was the scorch after being burned by fire. Shi Weiyang saw his eyes staring, and in the right eye socket, there was a red mess.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah—"

Xiang Dasong roared suddenly, waving the long saber in his hand like a lion. Then, blood沫 flew from his mouth, and he didn't know what he cursed in the dust. He seemed to roar, "Scoundrel—" He was still conscious, and didn't do anything to Shi Weiyang, but looked in the direction where the assassin in the corner of the wall was probably located, and staggered one or two steps.

The buzzing sound gradually weakened.

At this time, more noises could be heard coming. Someone seemed to be shouting in the surrounding dust. Someone was calling, "Protect the Second Young Master…" Someone coughed violently: "Be careful."

"Kill him…"

"Each guard your position…"

"Don't panic—"

The smoke and dust was all encompassing.

Xu Batian, "Bull Demon," waved the large axe in his hand a few times; Jiang Bing, "One-Word Lightning Sword," bent over and searched for weapons in the ruins; Someone helped a companion up; Someone stood up and realized that a broken wooden wedge had been stabbed into his abdomen. He "ah—"ed and held the gun forward; Shi Weiyang "cough cough"ed a few times and tried to go in the direction of the light, looking for the exit…

In the smoke and dust, a saber light fell down. Fan Hen, "Amazing God Hand," slammed a palm on the ground. He counterattacked frantically, but in the next moment, the assassin's figure had already abandoned him. In the smoke and dust, a Baofeng Company guard who was staggering and standing up intersected with the figure. The saber light that swept through the air cut from his left shoulder to his right side of the body before the spear in his hand could stab out.

He Qin Zhao, "White Asura," felt the roar and dance of the smoke and dust. The double thorns in his hand thrust out violently. A shield pushed over violently from the smoke and dust. He braced the shield with his double thorns, and staggered back with an "ah—". In just a moment, his heel touched the wall on one side of the teahouse. He Qin Zhao felt the shield in front of him flip open violently, the saber light cleaved forward, and the shield danced towards the back. Only a loud noise was heard. Xiang Dasong, "Dragon Saber," swung his saber from the side and behind in the smoke and dust, just in time to be blocked by the shield. The assassin's saber slashed down on He Qin Zhao's head. He Qin Zhao's left hand made a hurried block, and only a "ping" sound was heard. His tiger's mouth burst open, and his entire arm turned into a bloody mess.

Behind him, "Dragon Saber" slashed again. At this moment, the saber cleaved towards Xiang Dasong, "Dragon Saber," and the shield on the other hand whistled back, smashing fiercely on He Qin Zhao's chest—

…

In the smoke and dust, the sounds of fighting rang out, and then gradually began to become clear. Yan Yunzhi climbed up from the corner. She covered her mouth and nose, trying to make herself sober. The wind rolled the smoke and dust, making it slightly lighter. She considered the path of escape, and then, in this foggy smoke and dust, she saw the figure who was fighting all the way forward.

He Qin Zhao, "White Asura," who used double thorns, was knocked down in a pool of blood, rolling and crawling in a mess. Xiang Dasong, "Dragon Saber," who roared like a war god, was slashed on the calf by the other party's saber, and his whole body was shorter. A guard rushed up and was cut open by the violent saber light of this moment. The saber light of that single saber was simple and fierce to the extreme. The momentum contained in the saber technique was earth-shattering.

Southwest.

Tyrant Saber!

…

Not long ago.

Ning Ji, who found a chance, waved a bamboo pole from the roof of the building opposite.

The bamboo pole was aimed at Shi Weiyang, but…

"Shot off…"

Above and below the teahouse opposite, including the bottom of this building, a large number of Baofeng Company members had been alarmed and awakened. In terms of assassination, it was time to retreat and leave at this time.

Ning Ji's eyes were cold. From the way all the way from the southwest, this was the first time he showed such cold eyes. He smoothly lit the prepared explosive package.

"Let you know… what is called a force kill."

His body rushed out of the roof. In the sunlight, towards that dragon's pond and tiger's den where experts gathered, crashing down—