She casually saw an old woman, sitting on a simple wooden stool under the roots of a large tree, humming a soft elegy. Her face was dappled with tears, she was dressed plainly, and one hand was resting on the tombstone beside her. Offerings to the deceased are placed in front of the grave.

The woman stopped humming, much to Irelia's surprise.

"Daughter of the Zans, you're bringing someone again, aren't you?" she cried. "There's not much left here. But your friends are our friends. ”

"I don't know this person, but thank you anyway. He deserved better. Irelia hesitantly stepped closer. "You're singing those old songs. ”

"It keeps me from thinking nonsense. The old woman pressed the floating soil on the grave. "This is my nephew. ”

"I ...... I'm sorry. ”

"I'm sure you've done your best. Plus, everything is a panacea, you know?"

Her kindness made Irelia completely relaxed. "Sometimes I don't know. She admitted.

The old woman sat up straight with anticipation. Irelia finally spoke out the doubts that had plagued her for so long.

"The time ...... Sometimes I wonder if I'm killing peace with my own hands. ”

"Strangling the peace?"

"When Noxus invaded, maybe our counterattack destroyed something, and we couldn't get it back. ”

The woman stood up and tried to break a large nut, but was unsuccessful. "Child, I remember the peaceful years very well. She held out a thin, knuckle-thick finger and pointed at Irelia. "It was a good day! No one misses those peaceful times more than I do. ”

She pulled a knife from her belt and began to pry the nuts.

"But the world has changed. This is no longer the case. There's no need to hold on any longer. ”

Finally, the husk was pried open. She placed the crumbled kernels in a small bowl in front of the grave.

"See, I used to be able to break it with my hands, but now I have to use a knife. When I was younger, I would have been very upset because I would crumble the nuts. But what does it matter, I don't have to live here and now when I'm young. The old woman nodded kindly and continued to sing.

For the first time in a long time, Irelia smiled. In her rucksack, wrapped in cloth, was a sharp weapon turned from a broken family crest. She knew that these blades would never be flawless, and that they would return to one.

But they've been poised to go, and that's enough.

A meticulous mad killer, Ember is a firm believer that murder is an art. He had served his sentence in Ionian prison, but was released by the undercurrents that were surging in the ruling council, and became an assassin in the struggle for power. Using the gun in his hand as a paintbrush, Ember unleashes the brutal art he pursues, leaving his victims heartbroken and onlookers terrified. He made fun of the gloomy repertoire he produced, giving the word "horror" the most appropriate, messenger.

For many years, the notorious "Golden Devil" has been wreaking havoc in the southern mountains of Ionia. Locally in Zhiyun Province, the monster has killed hordes of travelers, sometimes destroying entire farmsteads, leaving only twisted corpses. Armed militias scoured the jungle, towns hired demon hunters, and Infinity Masters patrolled every avenue—but the monsters' atrocities did not stop at all.

In desperation, the Zhiyun Council sent an envoy to visit the Master of Kushu and ask for his help. After listening to the envoy's plea, Ku Shuo made up an excuse to explain why he couldn't make a move. But a week later, the master himself took his son Shen and his favorite disciple Jie, dressed up as a traveling merchant and entered the territory of Zhiyun. They secretly visited the families of countless victims of the brutal attack, probed the eerie crime scene in detail, and looked for every clue and trace that might be related to the murderer.

After four years of long investigation, these three men have changed a lot. The master of bitter saying that the prominent red hair has turned white; Shen, who has always been known for his wit and humor, becomes unsmiling; And the star disciples in the hall of bitterness also began to struggle with the knowledge they had attained. When they finally settled on a clue to murder, the master said, "Good and evil, not certainly. The two originate from the hearts of the people, and the way of seeing the shadow is different. ”

In the depiction of many plays and epics in later generations, the arrest of the "Golden Devil" can be called the seventh and last great achievement of the master of bitter storytelling. On the eve of the Cham Spring Festival, Master Ku Shuo disguised himself as a well-known calligrapher and mingled with many artists to come to Ji Yong Dao. Many people think that only evil spirits can commit those inhuman crimes, but the Master of Kushu realizes that the murderer is just an ordinary person - the so-called "Golden Devil" is actually just a stage manager named Kada Ember in a troupe that travels in Zhiyun's territory.

When they grabbed Ember, the young and vigorous Ring stepped forward and tried to kill the cowering man, but the Master of Kushu stopped him. Despite the hatred of Ember's deeds, the respected master decided to spare his life and sent him to Salem prison. Although Shen objected, he also accepted his father's rational judgment without the slightest personal emotion. But the vows could not understand and accept such a compassionate arrangement. For years, he was haunted by the brutal murder scenes. It is said that this is the origin of the hatred in his heart.

Despite spending many years in Salem prison, the shy and polite Kada Ember didn't reveal much—not even his real name. But while serving his sentence, the monks noticed that he showed a great aptitude for learning in many areas, including cast iron, poetry, and dance. Even so, the guards and clerics were unable to convince him of the morbid obsession in his heart.

Outside of prison, Ionia's politics are in turmoil due to the invasion of the Noxian Empire. The bloodthirsty longing that lies deep in this peaceful land is awakened by war. The emergence of conspirators and the Secret Socialist Party, which was born for power, has brought to the disintegration of the peace and balance that the master of bitterness has tried to maintain from the inside out. In an attempt to counter the power of the ninjas and the Infinity Swordsmen, a cabal within the ruling council unleashed Ember in the hope of turning it into a weapon of terror in its own hands.

Now, with new weapons and near-limitless money from the Kashuli Arsenal at his disposal, Kada Ember is beginning to take his so-called "show" to new heights. His works can be found in many foreign dignitaries and dignitaries, as well as in the Ionian underground political group. But how long is a serial killer desperate for attention willing to stay in the shadows?