The evening rain fell intermittently, pattering softly.

Beneath the gloomy sky lay a dilapidated courtyard. The rockery, once part of the garden, had crumbled. Each cyan stone glistened with rainwater, as if slicked with cooking oil. The ground, scorched by fire, was a mire of black mud.

Surrounding it were the collapsed remains of burning houses, with only a few dilapidated eaves remaining intact. In this light, against the backdrop of the desolate garden, everything appeared eerily sinister, like a scene from the netherworld.

A slender figure darted silently from under the eaves, her footsteps landing on the wet stones of the courtyard. The sword in her hand sliced through the rain curtain, and in a series of leaps, she moved with ghostly speed beneath the opposite eaves.

After a moment, the figure returned with the same swiftness, her steps stealthy, her sword strikes sharp and rapid. She had been dashing back and forth across the courtyard in this manner countless times this afternoon.

After rushing under the eaves once more, the black-clad, slender figure trembled slightly. Standing there, she let out a long breath, knowing she had reached the limit of her training for the day.

This was a relatively extreme sword training method from the Tan Family Sword style. Running across the cyan stones at such high speed in the rain was several times more dangerous than the familiar stance work she practiced during the day. Every ounce of her mind had to be focused when she ran and swung her sword. A slight misstep could result in a sprained ankle or even serious injury. Placing oneself in such an environment for practice was similar in principle to practicing martial arts on a cliff’s edge, a form of "stealing from the heavens."

Yan Yunzhi sheathed her twin swords.

This kind of extreme training could speed up one's progress, but it also drained one's mental energy and brought the constant fear of injury. But compared to the other things that had been troubling her lately, these were trivial matters.

Fatigue began to creep into every part of her body. She gritted her teeth, controlling her breathing to keep it as steady as possible. The family's sword style emphasized "concealment like flowing water, movement like thunder." Even when exhausted, she couldn't afford to relax.

Standing still, she rested for a moment, then donned the straw raincoat she had placed under the dilapidated eaves and walked out of the courtyard.

Her clothes were already soaked from the earlier training, so the raincoat offered little protection. Beyond the ruined courtyard lay a cold street, the days of autumn rain having turned the road into a muddy mire. Only a few pedestrians could be seen on the evening road, most wearing straw raincoats and carrying swords. A gray horse plodded along the road, its hooves sinking into the black mud.

Perhaps it was the dampness, but the dilapidated streets and courtyards of the city, cloaked in the rain and mud, felt chillingly cold.

Yan Yunzhi lowered her head, picking her way carefully and swiftly through the least muddy patches, heading towards the inn at the end of the street.

At dusk, the inn was dimly lit, but the bustling lobby was filled with people of all walks of life. Yan Yunzhi entered, nodding to the familiar waiter before heading upstairs to her room. Moments later, a large basin of hot water was delivered.

The waiter left, closing the door behind him. Yan Yunzhi didn't light the lamp in the room. She had already taken off her raincoat and was about to remove her soaked outer garments when she seemed to remember something. She walked from the inner part of the room to the door.

Her steps were light. Reaching the door, she picked up a short sword and silently thrust it into the crack.

A cry of "Ouch!" echoed from outside, followed by the sound of footsteps rapidly retreating. A voice called out from the hallway, "Heh heh, that little vixen's got some spirit..."

As the voice faded away, Yan Yunzhi silently retracted her short sword. She stood in the room for a moment, the slight rise and fall of her chest the only sign of her presence.

After a moment, she found a piece of tattered cloth and stuffed it into the gaps in the door. Then, she went to the basin of hot water, took off her clothes, and wiped her body. Once she was dry, she put on a light outfit and took a small packet of medicinal powder from her bag. She poured some into the basin, placed the basin on the floor in front of a stool, and removed her shoes and socks, soaking her bare feet in the water.

The medicine caused a slight stinging sensation in her feet. She leaned forward, hugging her knees, gritting her teeth, her body trembling slightly. The room was silent. She tried her best not to cry.

Seventeen-year-old Yan Yunzhi was now alone, stranded in a cold city thousands of miles from home.

She didn’t regret the impulsive decision to completely break with Shi Weiyang. Her reputation might be ruined, but that was nothing more than a matter of death. The real issue was that the main purpose of everyone's trip to Jiangning was to form an alliance between the Yan and Shi families. If her actions caused the deal to fail, it would affect not just her, but everyone in Yan Family Fort. This was the biggest source of unease in her heart.

These major and minor problems were constantly on her mind. The seventeen-year-old Cloud Water Swordswoman had killed two Jurchen soldiers in her life, but behind closed doors, guilt, confusion, loneliness, and fear still overwhelmed her.

After some time, someone knocked on the door from outside.

"Miss Yan, are you there?"

Yan Yunzhi sat up.

"Brother Ping? Yes, I'm here."

The voice outside belonged to Han Ping, one of the two brothers who had saved her that day. Both brothers were highly skilled in martial arts. The elder brother seemed understanding and refined, while the younger brother possessed monstrous strength and peerless fist techniques. However, his name, Han Yun, sounded somewhat feminine. They were likely from a powerful family who had come to Jiangning to discuss a partnership. Yan Yunzhi figured their names were probably fake. However, as a stranger in a strange land, she wouldn't presume to pry.

Han Ping said from outside, "We heard some news on our way back. Let's have dinner together tonight." He paused, as if hearing the sound of water inside, and added, "Miss Yan, no rush."

"...Oh, alright, then I..."

"Han Yun and I will be waiting for you downstairs."

It seemed that the elder brother, Han Ping, always handled matters with consideration. He made the arrangements in a few words and turned to head downstairs. Yan Yunzhi dried her feet, changed her clothes, and then picked up her twin swords and went downstairs.

By this time, it was completely dark. Intermittent rain still fell in the courtyard outside the inn. The lobby was lit with lamps, and all sorts of people had gathered there. As Yan Yunzhi came down the stairs, she saw two figures fighting on the veranda outside. One of the participants was the sturdy young man, Han Yun. He sent his opponent flying with a punch, knocking him into the mud in the courtyard. The martial artists in the hall cheered.

His elder brother, Han Ping, was sitting at a table on the side of the hall, reading a small booklet. When he saw Yan Yunzhi, he waved at her.

"Brother Ping, what's going on?"

"The young are hot-blooded and wanted to stretch their legs. Don't mind him." Brother Ping said dismissively, seemingly unimpressed by his younger brother's actions.

As they spoke, the fighting young man came over, a hearty smile on his face. "I heard from the waiter that this guy was causing trouble near your room. He's just asking for it. I've taught him a lesson for you."

Yan Yunzhi frowned and looked outside, realizing that the person who had been knocked into the mud was the very same bandit who had been peeping at her door earlier.

"Thank you, Brother Yun."

"Ah, it's nothing, nothing, hahahaha..." The man waved his hand cheerfully.

"Little Yun's acting silly," Han Ping said with a smile, not looking up from his book.

Han Yun glared at him. "Don't call me Little Yun."

"Are you objecting to being called Little Yun? What will Miss Yan think?"

"Miss Yan, I don't object to *your* name..."

Yan Yunzhi couldn't help but laugh at the brothers' banter. At this moment, the waiter came over to serve the food. After the three of them were seated, Han Ping put down his booklet. Yan Yunzhi looked at it curiously. She saw that the booklet was stained with blood and dirt. It was unclear where he had picked it up. The words on the cover were "Discourse on the Four Estates of the People."

Han Ping noticed her gaze and smiled. "Today, while I was out with your Brother Yun, we saw members of the Undead Guard chasing a criminal. I was curious and went to take a look. When the criminal was escaping, he threw some booklets on the ground. This was one of them..."

Perhaps thinking that Yan Yunzhi wouldn't understand, he added, "This is a hand-copied version that came from the southwest. It was originally created by Mr. Ning's group, but who would have thought that the Equality Party would turn out this way. Some people are still circulating these things in secret. Look at the annotations on it, densely packed. The words 'Reading Society' are written at the bottom... The five great Kings of the Equality Party all have such majestic and murderous names, but I wonder what this Reading Society is."

"Brother Ping, do you know a lot about the southwest?" Yan Yunzhi asked.

"I only know a little." Han Ping carefully phrased his words. "I know that Miss Yan was framed by bandits from the southwest, so perhaps you don't have a good impression of them. But as far as I know, the Chinese Army is ultimately made up of more heroes than villains."

Han Yun said in a muffled voice, "There are good people everywhere, and there are bad people everywhere. That guy surnamed Long may be from the southwest, but if the people from the Chinese Army knew about his actions, they would deal with him."

Yan Yunzhi nodded. "I know..."

Before this, how could she not admire the Chinese Army of the Southwest?

"We heard some news while we were out today." Seeing that Yan Yunzhi's expression was off, Han Ping changed the subject.

Yan Yunzhi nodded slightly and heard him say, "We heard news about that Long Aotian."

"Ah..." Yan Yunzhi's expression faltered.

"He's in Jiangning City."

"..." Yan Yunzhi was silent for a moment. "Indeed... He seemed to have said that he would come to Jiangning..."

She had remembered this matter, but in the past few days, she had been mostly thinking about how to assassinate Li Yanfeng, who had ordered the newspapers to spread the rumors. As for that foul-mouthed young villain, she simply thought that if she ever found him, she would die with him.

She had a hard time analyzing the difference between the two issues. Perhaps it was because she already knew what had happened at Tongshan.

That young man could be considered a chivalrous person, but his final words had ruined her reputation... Or perhaps it was because the memory of him subduing her in one move was too heavy, making it difficult for her to feel any sense of vengeance...

These past few days, she had even spent some money at the inn, asking people to investigate news about the "King of Reincarnation." Earlier, Han Ping had said that he had heard some news, and she had originally thought it was about Li Yanfeng. However, she had not expected him to suddenly bring up the news of Long Aotian, which made it difficult for her to organize her thoughts.

"Although this kid's personality is lawless, honestly, it takes some balls to stir up such a big mess. He's just courting death..." Han Yun said, "Of course, Miss Yan, if we encounter him, we will naturally help you."

Yan Yunzhi looked at him. "What... what has he done?"

"Heh." Han Yun smiled. "I didn't know until I asked around. This kid has offended half of Jiangning. Even if we don't look for him, I don't think he'll live much longer."

Yan Yunzhi frowned.

Han Ping, as the elder brother, nodded. "We didn't ask about the small talk in Jiangning City before. The person we met today happened to mention it, so we asked a few questions. Some time ago... around the fifteenth of August, that young man named Long Aotian entered the city. In these days, he has offended the 'King of Reincarnation,' the 'King of Hell,' and the 'King of Equality' successively."

Han Ping said, "His most remarkable achievement, it is said, was that he initially wanted to kill the 'King of Hell's' 'Heavenly Killer' Wei Xuwen. He repeatedly challenged the 'King of Hell's' territories, but couldn't find him. Later, he threatened to kill Zhou Shang. Although he found only the mid-to-lower level leaders on the 'King of Hell's' side, this young man was bold and skilled, and he successively took down many good fighters, slapping Zhou Shang and Wei Xuwen in the face. Now it's become a big mess..."

Yan Yunzhi almost widened her eyes. No matter how she imagined it, she never expected that he had caused such an outrageous thing after entering the city. She was still planning to assassinate a leader on the "King of Reincarnation's" side, but he was shouting everywhere about killing Zhou Shang.

Just like in Tongshan, fighting against a force alone. How powerful was he? She never expected that after he entered Jiangning, he would plan to do such a thing against the Equality Party? Were all the people taught in the southwest like this?

Han Ping said, "As for why he offended the 'King of Reincarnation's' side, Miss Yan, you might as well guess."

Yan Yunzhi thought for a moment, incredulous. "He... he originally said... he would come to Jiangning to question Li Yanfeng... Could it be that he really..."

Han Ping laughed. "Close, but no cigar. The news we heard is that this young man named Long Aotian went to challenge a territory of the 'King of Reincarnation's.' This territory was a stronghold used by the 'King of Reincarnation' to print newspapers. Guess what? The newspaper that slandered Miss Yan was printed there. That is to say, that 'Monkey King' Li Yanfeng found someone to spread rumors to slander you, and at the same time placed the title of 'Five-Footed Yin Devil' on him. This little devil immediately went there and challenged their territory. This is already a declaration of war against Li Yanfeng."

The burly Han Yun said, "Judging by this lawless behavior, this kid from the southwest will sooner or later seek revenge on Li Yanfeng. It's just that he initially set his target on Wei Xuwen and Zhou Shang, so he hasn't been able to free his hands... Heh heh, with this kind of courage, I really want to meet him and have a fight with him on the spot. That would be great."

Among the Han brothers, the younger brother, Han Yun, was clearly more passionate and brave. A few days ago, when Yan Yunzhi told them about her experience, he stated that if he saw this scum from the southwest, he would definitely beat him up. Now, when he talked about these things that the other party had caused in Jiangning City, although he still said that he would beat him up, he clearly had a bit of a kindred spirit. He probably felt that the other party could act so reckless and not die, and he also yearned for it a little.

"Then... what about the King of Equality's side?"

"That's because of your matter," Han Ping said. "The news in the city is quite chaotic now. It's mostly pieced together. We asked around today and estimated that after this young friend Long smashed Li Yanfeng's newspaper office, Li Yanfeng sent his men to hunt him down and leaked the news to the Shi family. Because of this person, you were caught up in the rumors at Tongshan. In the future, whether it's the Shi family or your Yan family, the best way to clean up the mess is to capture this person. Therefore, we heard that Shi Weiyang of the Shi family, the Gold Shopkeeper of the Baofeng Firm, and your Second Uncle of the Yan family, have all secretly sent people or offered rewards to capture or kill this 'Five-Footed Yin Devil'... Hehe, I don't know how Li Yanfeng came up with this nickname. It's really immoral. If it were me, I would definitely not let him go..."

Han Ping mentioned the nickname "Five-Footed Yin Devil" several times and couldn't help but laugh at the immorality of the nickname.

"In short, now that the major events in the city have not been decided, there are already people from three major forces here saying that they want to hunt down the whereabouts of that young man surnamed Long. Your Little Yun is right, it is estimated that he will be caught and beaten to death sooner or later... Oh, and also, now he is followed by a young monk with high martial arts skills, who is even younger than him, and seems to be called... Sun Wukong, who has been given the nickname 'Four-Footed Yin Devil'. Does Miss Yan have any impression of this person?"

Yan Yunzhi shook her head blankly.

"There's no need to be anxious about this," Han Ping said. "We will pay more attention to it for Miss Yan."

"Leave it to me," Han Yun patted his chest and said generously.

Yan Yunzhi quickly thanked them.

The light rain was still falling, and the figures in the dimly lit lobby of the inn were chaotic. The three of them talked for a while longer, and then finally said goodbye after finishing dinner.

Yan Yunzhi sent them to the entrance of the inn, watching them walk away into the gradually waning drizzle. The two of them were part of a major force and now lived in a courtyard across the street from here. They had their own things to do every day, and it was already a great kindness that they could occasionally help her. She would probably only be able to repay these heavy kindnesses slowly in the future.

On the way back upstairs, she was still thinking about the news about that Long Aotian.

Why would he act so recklessly?

What kind of family raised such a reckless and ignorant personality?

If he died here, how should she take revenge on him?

A mess of thoughts...

Back upstairs, just as she was about to enter her room, the inn's waiter followed her and said in a low voice, "Miss Yan." Most of the people in this inn were under Gao Tianwang, and because the Han brothers, who might have connections, had privately greeted him, he had been taking good care of her. In private, she had also spent some money to ask him to buy some information for her.

Now, she heard him say, "The news you wanted to know about that Li Yanfeng, we just received a piece of it."

The other party handed over a slip of paper and then turned and left.

Yan Yunzhi returned to her room, lit the oil lamp, and carefully read the message on the slip of paper...

...

Over here, after leaving the inn, Yinping and Yue Yun, the two siblings, went back to their residence.

On the way, Yue Yun protested to his sister, "You're not allowed to call me Little Yun in the future."

Yinping frowned and smiled. "You can say that you don't have the surname Han, but you can only be called Yun in this life. Where did I call you wrong?"

"Little Yun sounds too feminine. Someone like Miss Yan should be called Little Yun. If it's not convenient for you, you can call me Second Brother, or just call me Brother Yun."

"No, it's convenient for me."

"..."

Yue Yun got angry and looked at his sister with hostility. Yinping was too lazy to pay attention to him. At this time, the rain in the sky temporarily stopped, and the two of them walked on the dark street. Yinping was still holding the blood- and dirt-stained booklet, stroking it carefully, as if thinking about something.

"What are you always holding this booklet for?" Yue Yun asked curiously, his anger having dissipated.

"I think it's interesting. The 'Four Estates of the People' in the southwest, have you heard of them?"

"These books are transported from the southwest, and there are many in Fuzhou. Of course I've heard of them."

"But you haven't read it. This "Discourse on the Four Estates of the People"..." Yinping considered it for a moment, "...has undergone a lot of modifications..."

"What does that mean?"

"I want to find Mr. Zuo... and talk about this matter."

As they were talking, they entered the large courtyard where they were living with Zuo Xiuquan and others. Yinping went to talk to Zuo Xiuquan about this booklet and the "Reading Society."

After a moment, someone came from outside, found Yue Yun, and reported something to him...

...

The rain stopped slightly.

Outside the Five Lakes Inn, under the bridge by the canal, bursts of black smoke billowed, rising into the still-wet sky after the rain. The sound of coughing, choked by the smoke, occasionally echoed in the night.

The combination of "Five-Footed Yin Devil" Long Aotian and "Four-Footed Yin Devil" Sun Wukong darted back and forth.

The two of them searched nearby, struggling to find some firewood for Xue Jin and Madam Yue, who lived under the bridge. Due to the continuous rainy days, the firewood that the two young men found without robbing or plundering was wet. After a long time of tossing and turning, they finally lit a fire under the bridge and piled some of the wet firewood by the fire to dry.

Smoke and steam filled the air, which was actually extremely uncomfortable, but it was a little better than enduring it without a fire.

The two of them did this good deed for a while, and their physical strength was fine, but they were mainly mentally tired. After finishing the good deed, they rested in the darkness by the road.

"Wei Xuwen and Zhou Shang are too cunning. These few days they have been on guard. We can't use the previous method of searching hard, otherwise we will be waiting in vain for them to show up." Long Aotian analyzed the battle situation. Ever since he met that swordsman named Lu Xian two days ago, he knew that his actions had probably been analyzed by the other party.

"Yeah, waiting for a pig is too stupid." The five-good follower, the little monk, nodded and buttered him up. "Pigs are bigger than rabbits. If you have pigs, why eat rabbits?"

"Haha, you're too stupid. 'Waiting for a hare by a stump' isn't that meaning. It's this 'stump'..."

Long Aotian put his hands on his hips and laughed, then began to tutor his little follower in cultural lessons. After a while, he weaved a new plan. "Since they have discovered us, let's leave this side alone for a few days and let them work for nothing. That way, we can go find trouble with the bad guys from the 'King of Reincarnation'..."

"Ah..." The little monk was stunned, blinked his eyes, and then stammered, "B-Big Brother, shouldn't we... stick to our word..."

"What stick to our word! A real man has to learn to adapt to circumstances!" Long Aotian patted the little monk's head, preparing to teach him a little life philosophy. "Well, these people who engage in cults are noisy and like to show off, which is different from those bitches Zhou Shang and Wei Xuwen. Let's explore the situation with Li Jianfeng first and consider whether we can find an opportunity to kill him..."

"Uh... are we going to kill Li Jianfeng? Are we killing anyone else..."

"Of course we'll kill him first. I don't know anyone else. And I told you, he did bad things in Tongshan. Do you think he deserves to die?"

"Yes, he deserves to die... Hehe, I thought you were going to kill that... fat monk..."

"Haha, Lin Echan is our lifelong enemy. We can't beat him now, so run when you see him. Don't go and send yourself to death! You silly..."

"Mm, mm, mm." The little monk nodded repeatedly, relieved.

"Alright, it's decided!"

Long Aotian put his hands on his hips. "Kill Li Jianfeng! Leave your name!"

"Make a name for ourselves, let... the 'King of Reincarnation,' know how awesome we are!" The little monk waved his fists. When he thought about how his master might react to knowing his name, he was actually a little excited.

From the way south from Jin, his master often analyzed the good and evil of certain things with him, telling him about the complexity of this world, but often letting him make his own choices. There were also bad people in the "Great Light Sect," and he secretly cleaned up the house for his master. When his master knew, he would be very pleased, right?

His master was actually a great person at heart.

He had always thought so.

...

On the banks of the Qinhuai River, under the jurisdiction of "King of Reincarnation" Xu Zhaonan, in a relatively prosperous street.

The rain had stopped, and the buildings along the street that were relatively well-preserved were brightly lit.

This day, Chen Juefang, the leader of the "Undead Guard," hosted a banquet here to entertain Meng Zhuotao, the leader of the "Love-Hate Society," who had recently entered the city. The banquet booked an entire floor of this gold building, with people coming and going, gongs and drums, and it was very lively.

You Hongzhu passed through the crowd and saw Kuang Wenbai, the deputy captain of the Undead Guard, sitting at an inconspicuous stall downstairs. He was dressed in plain clothes, and his nose, which had been broken by a punch, was still patched up, making him look miserable and low-key.

He was here to observe the actions of Chen Juefang, Tan Zheng, and others. Seeing "Fourth Brother" at this time, he couldn't help but feel relieved. As long as he wasn't dead, everyone would have a future together.

The night was hazy, and countless currents surged in the city. No one knew when there would be a moment of intersection...