After leaving Lan Shizi's mansion, Zhao Rang's mood was like a hammer, and he was so depressed that he was almost out of breath.

Although the insights about martial arts in the discourse are subtle, they undisguise the desire for power and profit.

This made Zhao Rang's heart swell with an unspeakable sadness......

He once thought that martial arts was a path to inner peace and strength ascension, a way to transcend the chaos of the world and pursue a higher realm, but Lan Shizi's words ruthlessly shattered his illusions.

"Between friends, interests come first."

This sentence echoed repeatedly in Zhao Rang's mind, like a sharp blade, piercing his heart.

He once regarded Lan Shizi as an existence that was also a teacher and friend, and respected him.

Now he began to wonder if this once deep friendship was nothing more than an exchange of interests.

This suspicion pained him, but he couldn't help but face it.

In this world where interests are paramount, how many true friends can there be?

I thought that if I was kind and honest with each other, I would be able to make real friends...... This may be naïve.

In a world where everyone is working for their own benefit, who cares about the feelings of others?

Zhao Rang's heart was filled with disappointment and anger.

He was disappointed by Lan Shizi's change and angry at the hypocrisy and indifference of this world.

However, he did not sink or become numb because he believed that there was always something in this world that was worth holding on to and pursuing.

True martial arts is not just a combination of fists and kicks and a flickering of sword light, but an inner practice.

There are too many temptations and pitfalls in this practice, but it is these challenges that sharpen one's will and character.

What Zhao Rang adheres to is not only his love for martial arts, but also his persistent pursuit of the beauty of human nature.

After all, in this chaotic world, there are still those who are not moved by power and money, and adhere to justice and affection, these people may not be many in number, but they are the real backbone of this world!

Back in Zhenhai City, it was already evening.

In the ancient city shrouded in twilight, Zhao Rang was stepping on the stone path and returning in the direction of the inn.

Although his steps were steady, there was a trace of uneasiness quietly growing in his heart. He had walked this way back several times, but tonight seemed to be a little different from usual.

There was an indescribable aura of murder in the air.

A wave of loneliness and loneliness that went deep into the bone marrow also struck.

Zhao Rang has long been accustomed to loneliness and loneliness these days.

However, at this moment, he felt a loneliness that he had never felt before.

It was as if I was standing on the brink of life and death, cut off from the whole world.

This loneliness does not come from the outside world.

From the fear and uneasiness that came from the depths of his heart.

Just as he was about to enter a deep alley, Zhao Rang's footsteps suddenly stopped.

His instincts tell him that danger lurks ahead!

Looking around, I saw an empty alley stretching quietly ahead under the dim street lamp.

And at the end of the alley, a dark shadow was slowly approaching him.

That black shadow seemed to be a wisp of soul stripped out of the dark night.

The body is athletic and the movements are light.

Every step was taken without making a sound.

Like a cheetah stalking in the night, it is full of danger and mystery!

Zhao Rang felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

This is a rare master!

Even though he had completely stepped into the four-rank realm, he had also cultivated the three-rank great master method.

"Who is Your Excellency?"

The shadow didn't answer his question, just let out a sneer.

The sound of laughter echoed in the silent night sky, making people feel a chill.

Immediately after, the black shadow was like a ghostly meteor, and its body suddenly moved, launching a swift attack on Zhao Rang.

His speed was staggeringly fast, as if he had transcended the constraints of time, and the distance between the space and space was instantly closer.

Zhao Rang only felt that it was dark in front of him, and the black shadow had already come to him like a ghost.

He wasn't deterred by this.

As a person in the rivers and lakes, he has long been accustomed to all kinds of storms.

This sudden attack was really nothing to him.

Zhao Rang's figure flashed, like a wisp of smoke, and he skillfully dodged the black shadow's attack.

The black steel knife in his hand also came out of its sheath like a bolt of lightning and slashed towards the black shadow.

In the flicker of the sword, the figures of the two moved quickly in the narrow alley.

Their movements were too fast to be caught with the naked eye, and they could only see afterimages flickering in the air.

The black shadow's knife technique was strange and ruthless, and each knife contained deadly poison, which wanted to put Zhao Rang to death.

The sword skills of the two were intertwined, and the figures shuttled quickly through the alley, each collision stirring up a wave of qi that shook the surroundings into a buzz.

Facing such an opponent who was both skilled in sword and poison techniques, Zhao Rang felt an unprecedented pressure...... If you are not careful, you may die here.

But at this moment of life and death, Zhao Rang felt a strange calm, as if he had transcended the shackles of life and death and was in a broader world.

Every time the black steel knife in his hand was swung, it brought a cold light, intertwined with the black shadow's knife technique, making an indescribable sound.

The night was getting darker and darker, and Zhao Rang's confrontation with the black shadow had been uncountable.

The passage of time took away his physical strength.

Zhao Rang's movements began to become slightly stagnant, and his mood gradually became heavy......

The black shadow's knife technique is like a ghostly dance in the dark night, appearing and disappearing, fast and slow, containing a rhythm that is both mysterious and weird.

Every swing of the knife seemed to tell an ancient and vicious curse, which made Zhao Rang feel more difficult to deal with.

Deeply, he took a breath.

The air with the vicissitudes of the ancient city and loneliness injected into his soul, suppressing the throbbing and uneasiness in his heart for him, and focusing all his attention on the battle in front of him.

In another fierce confrontation, Zhao Rang's eyes were like a falcon staring at its prey.

This time is different!

He had finally caught the slightest imperceptible flaw in the Black Shadow Knife Technique.

This flaw is like a crack in the cloudy night sky, revealing a faint light.

Zhao Rang's heart moved, he knew that the opportunity he was waiting for had finally come.

He gripped the black steel knife tightly, and his body suddenly rose like a whirlwind, slashing at the black shadow's shoulder.

With this knife, he poured all his strength!

The sword light pierced the dark night sky like lightning, with an unrivaled might!

The black shadow's body trembled, he obviously didn't expect Zhao Rang to be able to grasp his flaws so accurately.

Then his figure fluttered like a ghost, trying to dodge the fatal blow.

But this dodge made him reveal a bigger flaw!

Zhao Rang's eyes flashed with a sharp essence!

Taking advantage of the situation, he swung out with a knife and slashed directly at the waist of the black shadow!

This knife is faster! More fierce! More ruthless!

The sword light slashed through a dazzling trajectory in the night sky like a match, as if it was about to split the entire dark world in two!

The dark shadow was shocked......

He only really realized Zhao Rang's strength and determination at this moment!

He didn't expect this seemingly ordinary opponent to be able to see through his sword skills and find a counterattack in such a short period of time.

Because the killer who takes people's money and eliminates disasters for others in this way will never know that determination is the only thing in this world that cannot be mixed with anything other than ambition!

Ambition can still be changed, and determination must be indomitable.

Otherwise, it's like wine with water, although it may still be intoxicating, but it always changes.

Became weak.

In desperation, the black shadow had no choice but to forcibly change his body shape, turning it into an illusory streamer in the night sky, trying to dodge the fatal slash by a fraction of a second.

It's a pity that Zhao Rang's sword technique has already locked his aura, and no matter how he dodges, it will be difficult to get rid of the shadowy sword light.

Just as the blade was less than an inch away from his throat, the black shadow suddenly flashed and disappeared into thin air in a cloud of black smoke.

It disappeared so suddenly, so strangely...... As if he never really existed.

Only an ethereal sound echoed in the night sky:

"Don't leave it today, and we'll see you again tomorrow!"

Zhao Rang slashed through the air, but he was secretly vigilant in his heart.

This black shadow's sword technique, body technique, and strange poison technique were enough to make any master of the Great Grandmaster Realm fearful.

He withdrew the black steel knife and took a deep breath to calm the throbbing in his heart.

He looked around and saw that calm had returned to the alley.

Zhao Rang shook his head, trying to distinguish whether everything just now was his hallucination or not?

However, in the bottom of his heart, Zhao Rang clearly knew that the black shadow had not left!

He still lurks in the shadows, waiting for his next chance.

Zhao Rang walked along the edge of the alley, his eyes like a torch, not letting go of any inch of land, not letting go of any shadow.

This street and alley are bustling on weekdays, but at this moment it seems to have become a battlefield of swords and shadows, quiet and tense.

The old willow tree on the side of the street, the branches and leaves swaying gently, Zhao Rang approached, carefully observing every trace on the trunk.

There are faint scratches on the bark of those trees that have been eroded by time, which may have been inadvertently left by passers-by, but in Zhao Rang's eyes, they may be clues left by the black shadow when it is hidden.

Then he crouched down again, his fingers lightly touching the ground.

In the crevices of the stone pavement, there are a few withered yellow blades of grass and some fine sand and gravel.

Zhao Rang's brows furrowed slightly, but these inconspicuous details were extremely important at the moment.

On the walls of the streets, the mottled bricks reveal the vicissitudes of life.

Zhao Rang examined the texture and color of each piece of masonry one by one.

One of the slightly obtrusive bricks caught his eye. Its color is slightly darker than other bricks, as if it has been artificially replaced.

Keep walking, your eyes wandering around every corner of the alley.

In front of a shop, a pot of withered flowers is placed.

Zhao Rang took a closer look and found that the soil of the flower pot seemed to be mixed with some unusual particles.

He carefully picked one up, put it to his nose and sniffed it.

A faint smell of medicine came to the nostrils, which was the unique breath of the black shadow!

Zhao Rang's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and he finally found a valuable clue and continued to follow it.

There are few stalls on the side of the street, and some dried fruits are scattered on them.

One of the fruits has an unnatural depression on the surface, as if it has been weighed down by a heavy object.

Zhao Rang gently pinched the fruit, feeling that there seemed to be a hole inside.

On the wall of the street diagonally opposite, a dilapidated poster swayed gently in the wind.

A corner of the painting has been torn to reveal the masonry below.

Zhao Rang took a closer look, and there were faint fingerprints on the masonry!

In the middle of the long street, in front of a blacksmith shop, there are a few pieces of iron filings scattered on the ground.

A piece of iron was extremely dazzling in it, because it was stained with an unusual hint of red, and it also emitted a faint smell of blood!

Along the corner of the blacksmith's shop, a lantern hanging from a height of one and a half shimmered faintly.

His gaze was drawn to the flickering lantern, the faint light casting a quivering shadow on the cold stone pavement, adding a touch of eerie and terror to the silent and tense night.

The door of the blacksmith shop was half open, and Zhao Rang stood at the door, scattering more and more iron filings!

It's all mixed with an unusual hint of red.

The red, like a flower blooming in the dark night, is bewitching and weird, making people shudder......

Zhao Rang immediately realized something, and walked quickly into the blacksmith shop, his eyes scanning around.

The blacksmith's shop was in shambles, with tools and materials scattered all over the place.

Those irons that had been carefully polished by the blacksmith were lying quietly on the ground at the moment, silently telling the tragic scene that had just happened.

Suddenly, Zhao Rang's gaze froze in a corner where a headless corpse lay there, blood gushing out of the severed neck and staining the surrounding ground and walls...... His limbs were twisted, as if he had experienced great pain before he died...... Even Zhao Rang couldn't help but feel nauseous.

In another corner of the blacksmith shop, Zhao Rang found another corpse.

The corpse died in the same horrible condition, with a sharp weapon piercing the chest, leaving a horrific wound.

The blood had coagulated around the wound, forming a dark red blood crust.

More corpses in a row, each one in a horrible death.

Some were hit on the head with a blunt object and died, and their brains burst out.

Some were killed by slashing their throats with sharp blades, and their entire bodies were stained red with blood.

Others were shot by poisoned arrows and died, their faces turned black and their faces were hideous.

The blacksmith's shop smelled of blood and death, as if the air had been dyed red.

What kind of pain and despair did these innocent lives experience before they died?

Zhao Rang's heart was full of guilt and self-blame......

If these innocent people were implicated because of him, even if he was allowed to die a thousand times, it would not be enough to atone for his sins.

In the deepest part of the blacksmith's shop, Zhao Rang found the blacksmith's wife and children, who were also covered in terrible wounds.

The two bodies curled up together, as if they were comforting each other before they died......

Zhao Rang carefully examined each corpse and tried to find some clues from it, but after following the traces all the way to the blacksmith shop, there was no trace left in the shop!

Suddenly, Zhao Rang's gaze fell on a hundred refining steel knife placed on the anvil.

The cold light flickered on the blade, and a faint layer of poison was quenched.

Zhao Rang picked up the steel knife and took a closer look, and found that the craftsmanship of this steel knife was very exquisite, and it was obvious that the blacksmith from it was extraordinary!

However, judging from the scale of this blacksmith shop, a blacksmith shop that can afford more than a dozen apprentices, the blacksmith who holds the hammer must be a master of a very high standard!

"Do you mean ......?"

A thought flashed through Zhao Rang's mind.

He remembered the black shadow he had encountered in the alley before, his knife technique was strange and ruthless, and the blade also contained deadly poison!

And the poison on this hundred steel knife is similar to the black shadow's knife technique.

Could it be that the Shadow's knife was forged in this smithy?

After completing the inspection, he immediately killed the whole shop.

With this idea, Zhao Rang rummaged around the account desk of the blacksmith shop again, and found that all the belongings in the shop were intact, but now he could do what he had thought before......

The night was like ink, and Zhenhai City was shrouded in a solemn atmosphere.

The lanterns on both sides of the street seem to feel this terrifying atmosphere, and the flickering fire flickers on and off, as if it will be extinguished at any moment.

Zhao Rang's mood became heavier and heavier, he didn't dare to delay for a moment, and immediately pursued the faint blood stains and trampled iron filings left by the blacksmith shop.

These insignificant traces were the presence that guided him forward in the night.

Zhao Rang's footsteps echoed through the silent streets, intertwined with the occasional barking of dogs in the distance, eerie and tense.

Zhao Rang finally stopped in front of Boss Hu's mansion!

When he went to the banquet yesterday, Zhao Rang had never seen Boss Hu, but now he saw this mansion standing tall in the night, but it exuded a gloomy atmosphere, and he felt even more bad in his heart......

The tall courtyard walls looked even more cold in the dim light, as if they were an insurmountable barrier.

Zhao Rang took a deep breath and gently pushed the door open.

The "creak" of the door panel sounded, and a strong smell of blood hit the face, which was disgusting.

In the courtyard, corpses were scattered all over the place.

Walk cautiously through the courtyard. Zhao Rang's gaze lingered on every detail.

He found that the bodies all had similar wounds, apparently from the same person.

And judging from the depth and shape of the wound, the murderer's martial arts are extremely high, and the shot is a must-kill, without the slightest waste!

Zhao Rang witnessed this unbelievable, absurd but real scene in front of him - Boss Hu was lying in the middle of the hall, becoming the most shocking focus of this bloody massacre!

Boss Hu was lying on the cold floor of the hall, like a dilapidated leaf. His body was no longer alive, leaving only a chilling dead silence.

His eyes, like two black gems that had lost their luster, stared closely into the sky, as if staring at some distant truth.

On his chest, a deep wound cracked open, like a monstrous mouth, and blood slowly oozed from the wound, staining his delicate clothes red, and then dripping onto the floor, pooling into a thick pool of blood.

The color of the blood, so blindingly red, so red that it was like a raging fire, and in the next moment it was going to burn up all the sins in this hall!

One of Boss Hu's hands was still slightly bent, and there was still the last struggle between his fingers......

The face that was once full of majesty and confidence is now pale as paper and lifeless.

The broken porcelain and tea sets scattered around him are particularly glaring.

Zhao Rang remembered that when he helped Mrs. Liu deliver the letter that day, Boss Hu also showed him this set of precious porcelain tea sets.

Now, these treasures are also crushed to pieces with him......

In addition to sighing, Zhao Rang suddenly remembered one thing!

A person, to be exact!

He vividly remembered the last time he stepped into this mansion, the person who opened the door for him was a steward with a "half face".

"Half face" is not a nickname, but he really only has half a face!

The skin on the left side of his face is scorched and contracture, which contrasts sharply with the intact face on the right. There is only a hole left in the left eye, and even the left half of the lip is twisted and upturned!

Zhao Rang tried not to look at that face, but that half of it haunted his mind like a ghost, lingering......