Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

"Let's all attack him! Kill him! No matter how skilled he is, he can't kill all of us with one punch."

Some people, recovering from their shock, charged forward roaring, but no one followed them.

Ye Ci sneered, lowered his waist and assumed a horse stance, and slightly raised his fists.

The man charged forward, his long sword thrusting straight at the target.

Ye Ci grabbed the back of the knife with one hand, pulled the man in front of him, and slammed his right fist into his temple.

The man fell straight to the ground and remained motionless.

Someone peeked out towards the gate.

"Stop looking, everyone outside is dead. They... were all show and no substance. Two of them were quite skilled in palm techniques, but to me..."

"Like killing a chicken."

As they were talking, the two men beside them suddenly attacked, swinging their knives at them.

Ye Ci bent down, dodging the two knives, and then swung his leg, kicking the two men in the knees.

The two men's knees buckled and they knelt on the ground. Ye Ci bent down and slammed both fists down at the same time, hitting the tops of their heads.

The remaining people around were trembling with fear, holding their knives but not daring to step forward, their legs shaking.

Ye Ci walked slowly away, her eyes devoid of any warmth.

A bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence of the night.

The wind outside the courtyard swirled withered leaves, rustling against the mottled courtyard wall and making a mournful sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Ci emerged from the main house.

A withered leaf fell into his hair, and he raised his hand to gently brush it away, the movement as casual as brushing away a speck of dust.

Only Ye Ci's steady footsteps remained in the courtyard.

A crackling sound came from a room.

Gradually, the entire mansion with its blue bricks and gray tiles was engulfed in flames.

"What's going on!"

In the distance, a group of people were moving swiftly under the moonlight.

The leader was Qin Lie, dressed in a dark-colored close-fitting outfit with a black cloak over it. He was tall and straight like a spear, and his face was as cold and hard as stone.

Behind him followed more than thirty soldiers with imposing auras, each wearing fine armor and short blades at their waists, their steps steady.

Qin Lie's gaze was sharp as an eagle's as he looked at the distant, towering flames and said in a deep voice:

"quick!"

With a wave of his hand, the group stopped concealing their tracks and ran at full speed toward the firelight, their armor making a crisp "crackling" sound in the silent night.

When they arrived at the scene.

Qin Lie gasped in shock; the entire mansion was engulfed in flames, making it impossible to enter.

"My lord! My lord!"

In the darkness, a man dressed in black stumbled forward, shouting:

"Someone went in! Then they came out again! He...he set the fire!"

"What exactly happened?!"

Qin Lie's voice suddenly rose, and he grabbed the man in black by the collar:

"I told you to keep an eye on this place, and how have you been doing it?!"

The man in black, gripped so tightly he could barely breathe, his face deathly pale, his body trembling, stammered as he replied:

"My lord! I...I...I saw someone climb over the wall and go in. I thought it was just a thief who didn't know any better. Then...I heard fighting coming from inside. I wanted to get closer to observe, but the screams inside were too terrifying! I know there are many people inside, I'm afraid..."

"Then... a fire broke out!"

"...Then, a person came out. It was too dark for me to see his face clearly, but by the firelight, I could barely make out that he was a young man."

"young people?"

Qin Lie stared wide-eyed at the burning mansion before him; there couldn't possibly be any survivors inside.

The firelight reflected on his face, making the surprise in his eyes even more intense.

Was only one person inside?

Qin Lie's gaze pierced through the darkness, reaching unfathomable depths. He asked in a low voice:

"Which direction did you leave from?"

"there."

The man in black pointed in a direction.

"Put out the fire!"

Before he finished speaking, Qin Lie moved and chased after it in that direction.

……

Ye Ci heard the grating sound of armor scraping on the road, so he carefully went around it.

Once inside the inner city, they sped off.

The night was as dark as ink, and the cold moonlight carried the faint rustling sound of rushing water.

As he approached the corner of a narrow alley, he was about to sidestep around the wall when his steps suddenly stopped, and his body froze instantly.

The moonlight shone through the gaps in the branches of the locust tree at the alley entrance, casting a long, slender shadow on the figure.

The man stood with his back to him at the intersection of shadow and moonlight at the alley entrance, wearing a dark cloak. The hem of the cloak was gently lifted by the evening breeze and then slowly fell back down, carrying a chilling and murderous aura.

Ye Ci held his breath and focused his mind, his fingertips already quietly resting on the quiver.

He was certain that this person had not stopped here by chance. His posture was as steady as a pine tree, and even just his back view exuded an unassailable sense of pressure. Clearly, he had been waiting here on purpose to block his way.

The moonlight fell on the shoulders of the cloak, giving it a faint, cold sheen.

The person had their back to them.

"Qin has served in the military for 23 years. Investigation and tracking are my specialties, and no one has ever escaped from my grasp."

"You... are no exception."

A sharp whistling sound rang out as the arrow streaked across the night sky like a meteor, tracing a beautiful arc under the moonlight.

With a "snap," the arrow was firmly caught by a pair of large hands.

The man didn't turn around; he was holding the arrowhead in one hand.

Ye Ci remained expressionless, nocked an arrow again, this time preparing three shots.

He couldn't judge his opponent's skill level, but the fact that his opponent could grab the arrowhead with his bare hands despite his own strength was enough to demonstrate their power.

Generally speaking, when one reaches the level of Ming Jin (manifest strength), one can use their internal energy to defend against weapons. When one reaches the level of An Jin (hidden strength), one's skin is like refined iron, and one's own arrows cannot harm one in the slightest without the support of internal energy.

The person in front of him didn't even turn his head, so arrogant, he was probably even above the level of internal strength.

But it won't frighten Ye Ci.

Silence reigned, save for a single bow.

Pull it up to a full moon.

The figure turned around and walked slowly towards them, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

"You are no match for me, Qin. Surrender now, and I will forgive you for that arrow you just shot."

"Whoosh whoosh-"

His answer was three swift arrows, aimed straight at his face.

An arrow was shot.

Interspersed with a piercing whistling sound, it echoed through the alley.

Ye Ci leaped onto the wall.

Qin Lie stared intently at the figure, swatting away three arrows as if swatting flies, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"That's quite something. With only the strength of a Ming Jin, he dared to infiltrate alone and even burn down the Black Tiger Gang's stronghold."

Ye Ci ran around on the wall, leaping over it repeatedly.

He felt a growing sense of apprehension; the other party wasn't being arrogant, but rather displaying absolute confidence in their strength.

Just as he passed a corner of the wall, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Before me, in the moonlight.

It was still that tall figure.

Ye Ci frowned slightly.

not simple!

These can all be contained in advance.

Qin Lie walked slowly towards them, his cloak swaying in the wind:

Leave your name on the other side.

"Lü Fang".

Ye Ci lowered his voice and blurted it out.

Qin Lie laughed: "I have lived in Songjiang for ten years and thought I knew the local warriors like the back of my hand, but I have never heard of such a hero."

Ye Ci remained silent.

The bow is fully drawn.

Qin Lie's eyes twitched slightly, and his lips twitched twice: "Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

The voice just fell.

This time, Qin Lie saw more than ten arrows flying towards him.

The other party remained silent, emptied his quiver, and then leaped back onto the wall.