Under the cover of night, sparse torches flickered atop the city walls of Tongshan County, with only a few guards occasionally patrolling.

As the hour of Hai (around 9-11 PM) approached, the east-facing city gate opened, and five riders emerged in single file from within the city.

Leading the group was Xu Dong, mounted on a tall warhorse. He wore a suit of ox-hide lamellar armor, carried two broadswords on his back, and wielded a guan dao in his hand. In his chest pocket, twelve throwing knives were arranged in a neat row. These details, combined with his tall and imposing physique, made him appear from afar like a battlefield Asura radiating murderous intent, seemingly poised to crush countless lives.

Before becoming a Son-in-Law in the Li family of Tongshan County, he had been an unestablished and down-on-his-luck martial artist. However, he had received martial arts training from a renowned master in his youth, mastering both long, medium, and short blades. Li Yanfeng recognized him as an excellent henchman and, seeing his docile nature during his impoverished times, arranged the marriage between him and his sister.

Among these three types of blades, the guan dao was suited for battlefield charges and breaking through enemy lines on horseback, the broadswords for close-quarters combat and one-on-one duels, and the throwing knives for stealthy assassinations. Xu Dong had trained in all three, and while his skill in each may not have been exceptional, he was well-versed in handling various combat scenarios.

When the Jurchens invaded, Li Yanfeng organized people to retreat into the mountains, and Xu Dong was entrusted with the important task of leading the scouts. Later, when Tongshan County fell and a fire ravaged half the city, Xu Dong and Li Yanfeng, along with other scouts, watched from afar. Although they did not engage in direct combat as the Jurchens quickly departed, they were the closest to the main Jurchen force at that moment.

Subsequently, Li Yanfeng eliminated dissidents and unified Tongshan, and Xu Dong's position rose accordingly. However, he was mainly given peripheral powers, and was excluded from the Li family's power core. Xu Dong was dissatisfied with this.

The staged duels in the training field were foolish shows of "rules." He might only be able to fight to a draw with a few of the Li family's retainers, but which of these retainers was a "jack-of-all-trades" like him? He trained in battlefield tactics, the art of killing by any means necessary. Li Yanfeng was simply trying to suppress talents like him to make sure his sister would be safe.

Of course, Li Yanfeng's martial skills were beyond doubt, and his ruthless nature kept Xu Dong from harboring too many rebellious thoughts. He couldn't openly oppose Li Yanfeng, but he could openly do things to alleviate Li family worries and gain merit, making everyone unable to ignore him.

The four constables who followed him were his own loyal followers in Tongshan County. They were now clad in leather armor, some carrying fishing nets with barbs, others with lime powder, and various long and short weapons. These men had received private training from Xu Dong in the past.

Stepping out of Tongshan County's city gate, they could only see the dark outlines of the mountains in the distance, punctuated by the scattered lights of the surrounding villages. The road to the Li family's fortified manor required crossing a mountain ridge. Someone spoke up, "Boss, the people who came earlier said that the murderer is hard to deal with. Is it really necessary to go there at night?"

"What are you afraid of?" Xu Dong glanced at him. "Are battlefield tactics of coordinated offense the same as duels among greenwoodsmen? What are you wearing? Armor! He'll slash at you, but it won't kill you. It's he who will lose his life! What greenwood heroes? Once they're caught in a fishing net and surrounded, they can only be hacked to death! Shi Shui Fang might be skilled, but can't you surround and kill him?"

"We're not afraid of Shi Shui Fang."

"He died in a one-on-one fight!" Xu Dong said, "We don't engage in one-on-one fights. The best way to kill someone is to swarm them. You're wearing armor. Whether you use the fishing net, the lime powder, or rush to hug him, as long as one person succeeds, he's doomed. What's there to think about? Besides, a rogue from outside, how familiar can he be with Tongshan compared to you? When we were hiding from the Jurchens, hadn't we been to every inch of these mountains? Who has the advantage going out at night? Do I need to say more?"

"You follow me, wear dog skins, and patrol the streets of the city every day. How much of Tongshan's wealth, the Li family's wealth, have you shared? Don't you know? Today, this kind of thing happens, it's time for those so-called greenwood heroes to see your abilities. If you hesitate, go back right now, and don't blame me, Xu Dong, for not including you when I get the benefits in the future!"

After he said this, the first man raised his head. "Boss, I was just saying something casually. When it comes to killing, we don't hesitate."

Someone thumped his chest. "That's right! This guy fought two battles on Li family's hill this evening. He must be exhausted. I say, we don't even need to go to Li family's side. Let's just search around and find him."

"No matter how skilled he is, he's just one person. As long as he's caught in this net, he can only obediently fall and let us deal with him. What if we get slashed by him while wearing armor!"

The four men were excited by the incitement. Xu Dong grinned grimly, "That's the principle! This time, we'll first show our faces on that mountain, and then find that man, let him know what it means to live worse than death. We all come out to seek wealth, and it's always been people die for wealth! Undying for ten thousand years! Let him die--"

As he said this, he urged his horse forward, and the other four followed suit. The warhorse moved through the darkness, advancing along the familiar road. When the night wind blew, the blood in Xu Dong's heart surged and burned, making it difficult to calm down. The endless beatings and humiliation from his shrewish wife flashed before his eyes.

The offenses of several ignorant scholars made him angry. The woman's resistance ultimately prevented him from succeeding, and he was caught in the act by his wife, making him resentful.

These people didn't understand the truth of the chaotic world at all. If it weren't for the twists and turns of those previous events, even if that woman resisted, she would have been tamed sooner or later after being beaten a few times. The ignorance of those few scholars had angered him; they wouldn't even be able to leave Tongshan. As for the shrewish woman at home, she didn't understand the power of his skills. Even Li Yanfeng, for all his martial prowess, would have to rely on his knowledge for support on the battlefield.

But it was just that little twist of fate that made it so that he couldn't even go home now. Even the few maids at home now looked at him as if they were mocking him.

He had to prove everything! He had to get back all the face he lost!

The night wind howled with the galloping of the horse beneath him. His mind was filled with turbulent emotions, but even so, when he reached the first forest on the road, he immediately dismounted and had his companions lead the horses forward to avoid being ambushed by the murderer on the road.

Although some people worried that it wouldn't be safe to go to the Li family at night, Xu Dong didn't think that the other party would ambush a group of five people traveling together, all carrying weapons. After all, no matter how strong a greenwood master was, he was just one person. After fighting two battles at Li family's place in the evening, he would have no energy to ambush again at night. Even if he succeeded, the whole of Tongshan would be mobilized tomorrow, and he probably wouldn't even have the strength to run away. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't do such a thing.

With the whole of Tongshan under the Li family's control, the most likely scenario was that the other party had already quickly fled Tongshan after killing Shi Shui Fang – this was the safest approach. And Xu Dong was going to the Li family to explain the stakes, so that the Li family could quickly respond and cast a wide net to block the way. He was the most suitable candidate to command everything.

In this way, if the other party was still in Tongshan, Xu Dong would lead his brothers to swarm and kill him, making a name for himself. If the other party had already left, Xu Dong believed he could at least catch the previous few scholars, or even capture the resisting woman and slowly deal with her. He didn't have so much hatred for these people before, but after being slapped by his wife, he became angrier and more unbearable.

The time was probably a quarter past the hour of Hai. In the Li family's fortified manor, Lu Wenke was dragged into the dungeon, letting out desperate wails. On the road ahead, there were only monotonous sounds: the sound of hooves, the rustling of footsteps, and the sound of the night wind lightly shaking the leaves, all clearly distinct against the silent background. They turned a corner and could already see the distant lights from the Li family's fortified manor in the mountains. Although the distance was still far, everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The attack was sudden.

At this time, everyone was still passing through the woods. In order to avoid the possibility of roadside traps, each had already dismounted. Two stones tied together with rope whistled through the air, slamming into the body of the second-to-last companion, knocking him to the ground immediately. Then, two more stones hit the hindquarters of two horses, one of which neighed and jumped, while the other whinnied and darted forward.

The commotion of the warhorses was as if it had suddenly torn through the night. The man at the very back of the group shouted "Ah—" and picked up the fishing net, rushing towards the woods. The constable who was third to last also drew his knife and charged toward the trees. A figure was standing there.

At this time, the horses neighed, the warhorses jumped around, and people screamed hysterically. The constable who was knocked down by the stones crawled on the ground, trying to get up. Taut nerves almost simultaneously erupted, and Xu Dong also drew his broadsword.

At this time, the figure at the edge of the woods seemed to let out a sound of "...Hm?", his figure swaying as he retreated back into the woods.

The three constables rushed into the forest together, followed by Xu Dong, and then by the fourth constable who was knocked down. He rolled up, ignoring the dullness in his chest, and pounced with his knife drawn. This was not only the stimulation of adrenaline, but also Xu Dong's earlier instructions. Once the enemy was discovered, swarm him quickly. As long as one person restrained the opponent, or even slowed him down, the others could directly hack him to death. Once the steps were learned by a highly skilled greenwood man, while fighting and walking away, those who died might be on their side.

The art of killing on the battlefield, learned through war, did not care about any Jianghu morality. Even pleasantries did not need to be said.

The figure flashed into the woods, running sideways along the edge of the forest. He did not rush directly into the depths of the forest with its complex terrain at the first moment. In everyone's opinion, this was the biggest mistake he made!

The constable holding the knife charged in, hacking at the figure with a blade. The figure suddenly stopped while running quickly, pressing on the constable's arm swinging the knife, snatching the knife hilt. The constable released the knife hilt and pounced forward.

"Ah! I've got him—"

His voice scattered in the forest. However, the opponent used his momentum to retreat all the way, his body losing balance, also rushing forward quickly. Then his face slammed into the trunk of a large tree.

The figure of the sneak attack was now holding the long knife in his hand. He retreated past the big tree, and the others, hysterically roaring, had already pounced close. Someone threw out the fishing net covered with barbs.

The figure, holding the long knife, lunged and rolled to the side.

Someone threw out lime powder, and the forest became filled with dust. But the speed of that figure was faster than expected. He was like a leopard pouncing in the forest, almost hugging the ground, rushing straight into the middle of the crowd. The long knife in his hand flashed twice. The wind of the blade was like lightning, like a silent but extremely violent undercurrent in the water, unfolding momentarily to the left in front of everyone's eyes.

Xu Dong, who had trained with knives for many years, knew that the scene before him was a half-form of "Night Battle in All Directions." This was a move used when fighting many opponents in a chaotic situation. The move itself was not unusual; various schools had their own variations. To put it bluntly, it was more like a method of frantically slashing around to break out of an encirclement when there were enemies in all directions, front, back, left, and right. However, the steel knife had form. The opponent's knife was drawn in different directions, like drawing out a whip, violently blossoming. It was unknown how many years of immersion in the way of the knife it took to achieve such a technique.

The horror in his mind only appeared for a moment. The way the opponent's long knife was slashed out was not very clear to him due to the night, even from a distance. He only knew that the companion who threw the lime powder should have been slashed on the calf, and the one who threw the fishing net was also hit somewhere. But in any case, they were wearing cowhide armor. Even if they were hit, the injuries shouldn't be serious.

He and another constable still pounced forward.

The person throwing the lime powder softened his legs, fell, and rolled out.

The figure holding the knife, after slashing out this "Night Battle in All Directions," his footwork was like an explosion, splashing soil like flowers. His body had already turned and rushed towards Xu Dong. The constable rushing in front of Xu Dong engaged him in close combat in the blink of an eye. Xu Dong heard a "Ping" sound, and sparks flew. Then the rushing figure seemed to throw a jab at the constable's face. The constable's figure shook, and then he was pushed back toward this side with fast steps.

"Third brother, grab him—"

Xu Dong, wielding his nine-ring broadsword, roared loudly.

It had only been a short moment since the battle began. Theoretically speaking, third brother had only taken a punch to the face, and he could still grab the opponent. But for some reason, he just bumped over like that. Xu Dong's gaze swept over the others. The brother throwing the lime powder was now rolling on the ground. The one who threw the fishing net staggered in place after being cut by a knife. The constable who initially tried to hug the opponent but crashed into the tree had not moved yet.

What happened to them...?

Their strategy was not a problem. Everyone was wearing armor. Even if they were cut by a knife, how much damage could it cause?

As long as one person restrained the opponent...

He saw the figure rushing out from the left side of third brother, holding the knife. Xu Dong slashed down with his blade, but the man suddenly appeared on the right side again. At this time, third brother had retreated in front of him, so Xu Dong also retreated with his knife, hoping that third brother would wake up in the next moment and hug the opponent.

Left side, right side, left side, the figure suddenly raised his long knife and pounced towards Xu Dong.

At this moment, what was reflected in Xu Dong's eyes was the youth's face, filled with the aura of slaughter, like a ferocious beast.

He did not know that, on this day, whether facing the six Li family slaves, or beating Wu Cheng, or killing Shi Shui Fang in the form of revenge, the youth had not revealed the look in his eyes at this moment.

He would never know that the boy's bestial gaze and decisive method of killing were something cultivated in a bloody killing field of what level.

His strategy was not wrong.

He chose the most decisive, most irreversible way of fighting.

It was also because of this that he was facing the blade of the Chinese Army, which had completely defeated the strongest Jurchen army on the front battlefield for the first time in decades in the world.

The constable who crashed into the tree and then fell to the ground had his throat cut directly. The man who threw the fishing net had been cut into the gap in his abdomen. At this moment, his body had begun to crack open. The third brother, who rushed in front of Xu Dong, had a small knife run through his eye while he was punched in the face. The ankle of the man who threw the lime powder was split open, and he was rolling on the ground.

They chose the battlefield killing mode where they would use any means necessary. However, for the real battlefield, even the way they wore armor was ridiculous.

"Kill—"

That was a roar as ferocious as a tiger. Ning Ji's blade fell towards Xu Dong—