My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

This group of unarmed and frail people stumbled and staggered, unable even to stand steadily.

Their faces were filled with fear and despair; they were the family members and close relatives of the soldiers of the Yin Hu Guard.

"Father! Father...!"

"Honey! Help me!"

"My child! You...you..."

Cries and screams rose and fell in an instant.

Behind Lu Ming, the Yin Tiger Guards, whose battle spirit had been soaring, were thrown into chaos in an instant, and everyone was shaken to their core.

"Yuanbao! What are you doing here!"

"Wife! Child! Don't be afraid!"

"Mother! It is my unfilial piety that has caused you to suffer this pain!"

Suppressed growls and choked sobs of self-reproach echoed throughout the ranks.

But with Lu Ming standing in front, no one dared to make a rash move.

Just as morale was wavering and grief and indignation were spreading, the crowd, which had been escorted by the guards, suddenly parted to create a path.

A burly middle-aged man wearing a felt hat and with bald eyebrows stepped out.

"Hmm... Wang Fuquan?"

Lu Ming narrowed his eyes as he looked at the person who appeared before him.

This man is the head steward of the Wang family. Back when Wang An plotted against the Lu family, it was he who came to their door to intimidate and coerce them.

Wang Fuquan looked up and sized up Lu Ming, a forced smile tugging at the corners of his mouth:

"Hehe... I didn't expect Lord Lu to still remember me. I am truly honored."

He leaned forward slightly, his tone suddenly turning sinister and sarcastic:

"Those two orphans and widows who used to tremble and cower in fear have grown quite bold... daring to act tough with the Wang family on Yinhu County's territory?"

Lu Ming remained calm, merely glancing at him indifferently without uttering a word.

He wanted to see what other tricks these people could pull.

This complete disregard and indifference deeply stung Wang Fuquan.

A dark fire suddenly ignited in his eyes, anger surged in his heart, and he gritted his teeth inwardly:

Once upon a time, the other party was nothing more than a worthless bastard whom he could easily manipulate and bully at will, a piece of trash whom he didn't even bother to look at!

Now, how dare they put on such a pretentious act and coldly ignore me?

"Shen Wanfu is ultimately a good-for-nothing; he can't even handle this trivial matter!"

Wang Fuquan gave a cold snort, his eyes suddenly turning sharp.

He suddenly looked up, glancing at the group of Yin Tiger Guards behind Lu Ming, his voice booming:

"My Wang family has guarded Yinhu County for generations, protecting the people of this region—"

"You lowly commoners have received favors from my royal family, yet instead of being grateful, you dare to rebel! You deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

His eyes flashed with a cold light, revealing a menacing aura:

"According to the old rules of my Wang family, anyone who disobeys the Wang family..."

"All the young children in the family were castrated and sent to the mines to serve their entire lives, unable to die even if they wished; all the women in the family were sent to the Cuiyi Tower to be prostitutes for eternity, suffering endless humiliation!"

Upon hearing this, the members of the Yin Hu Guard were terrified.

The grief and indignation in their eyes were completely replaced by shock and rage; they gripped their knife hilts tightly, their eyes bloodshot.

Just as everyone was on the verge of losing control, Wang Fuquan suddenly stepped forward, shouted loudly, and offered a way out:

"However, today my Wang family has shown you great mercy and is giving you a way to repent and start anew..."

"Execute the traitor Lu Ming, and all past transgressions will be forgiven, sparing the lives of your families!"

Then, the blue bricks beneath his feet shattered with a crash, sending stone chips flying, and his murderous aura exploded completely.

His tone shifted abruptly, and he stared intently at the crowd, a murderous aura suddenly rising within him:

"If you remain obstinate... today I will give you family members a quick and painless death!"

At his command, the blue-clad guards behind him sprang into action.

The cold steel blade was drawn instantly, its sharp light gleaming, and placed directly against the necks of the group of elderly, weak, women, and children.

The blade pressed against the skin, its chill penetrating to the bone; a mere slight movement would result in blood splattering on the spot.

The crying in the streets and alleys stopped abruptly, leaving only the terrified gasps of the crowd.

"Crunch... crunch..."

Inside the Yin Tiger Guard, fists clenched tightly.

Their eyes were bloodshot as they stared intently at Wang Fuquan, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Before I knew it, my heart had wavered, and I couldn't help but turn my gaze to the figure in front of me.

Wang Fuquan watched all this quietly, a smug smile playing on his lips, his heart filled with mockery:

Ah, how could you lowly commoners possibly comprehend the depth of the powerful and wealthy?

You peasants only know how to sweat in the fields every day, while the powerful and wealthy families have always been studying how to manipulate people's hearts.

He waited patiently for the Yin Tiger Guard to cause a disturbance.

Regardless of the outcome, this Yin Tiger Guard is bound to collapse.

Lu Ming, that little bastard, will be all alone again. At that time, with my Third Master's methods, dealing with him will be a piece of cake.

Just as Wang Fuquan was secretly pleased with himself, the Yin Tiger Guards looked at Lu Ming with uncertain eyes.

On one side are their superiors who have been kind to them, and on the other side are their closest relatives. The choice seems self-evident.

However, whenever they wanted to raise their knives, the image of Lu Ming protecting them and his overwhelming strength would always appear in their minds.

Immediately afterwards, the unbridled joy of storming into the Zhang residence flooded back into his mind...

For a moment, many people felt a sudden tremor in their hearts.

Do we really want to continue being cowards?

They let powerful people ride roughshod over them, and their wives and daughters were subjected to rape and humiliation without daring to stand up for them.

They suddenly realized that their masculine spirit had been completely emasculated.

Immediately afterwards, their faces paled, and they thought of something else:

We have already killed the Zhang family. Even if we surrender, will they really let us and our families go?

For a moment, they were in a state of utter confusion.

Just as they were caught in a mental struggle, a soft laugh suddenly rang out:

"Are you done talking?"

Lu Ming smiled at Wang Fuquan, his eyes unusually calm, as if he was completely unaware of what was happening behind him.

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

The Yin Tiger Guards all looked at him nervously, their eyes filled with hope.

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences!"

Wang Fuquan's face turned ashen, and a sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

Under such circumstances, how dare this little bastard be so arrogant?

Lu Ming's smile remained unchanged, but unbeknownst to him, a thin, willow-leaf-shaped knife had quietly slipped into his palm.

Then, he suddenly flipped his right hand over.

The scalpel spun rapidly in my palm, the wind howling and the moonlight shimmering on the thin blade like shattered silver.

He suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a cold light like a drawn blade:

"Now that we've finished talking... let's get going!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of sword lights, gleaming with a chilling light, shot out under the moonlight, as fast as shooting stars chasing the moon.

Lu Ming followed closely behind, leaving a trail of afterimages.

The body moves with the wind, the person moves with the knife.

"Quickly...kill them!"

Wang Fuquan's face contorted with rage as he roared.

Now that things have come to this, he'll just kill all these old, weak, women and children. He doesn't believe these soldiers won't become disloyal!

At the same time, he slightly turned his body to dodge the attack.

Upon seeing this, the guards behind him all had a cruel glint in their eyes.

Amidst the horrified gazes of the women and children, he attempted to slit his own throat and use the corpse as a shield.

But they ultimately overestimated their speed.

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

Brilliant blades crisscrossed the night sky, some piercing through the brow, others piercing the throat, their precision as sharp as if they had opened the third eye.

Countless afterimages caught the blade's light behind the group, then instantly merged and solidified.

Lu Ming reappeared at the end of the long street, standing with his hands behind his back, his robes billowing like ink in the night wind.

The knife moves with the wind, and the person dances with the knife.

"Hehehe—"

Wang Fuquan clutched his throat tightly, blood gushing from between his fingers and flowing down his neck, instantly staining half of his clothes red.

He staggered and turned around, his gaze struggling to fall on the figure standing with his hands behind his back in the moonlight.

My vision began to darken, and only one last thought flashed through my mind:

"This is... ranked ninety-third on the Dragon and Tiger List... Wind-Catching Knife..."

The members of the Patrol Tiger Battalion stood there, stunned.

The image of those dozens of sword lights piercing through the air was still replaying in my mind, constantly overlapping and intertwining with the words on the golden list in the sky that day.

"Catching a knife in the wind...this is catching a knife in the wind..."

They were deeply shocked.

Although they had only witnessed Lu Ming's actions a few times, his awe-inspiring strength repeatedly challenged their understanding of power.

Every time I thought I had seen the whole picture, I found out the next time that it was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Bang bang bang—"

Immediately afterwards, the sounds of corpses falling to the ground rang out one after another, and the clanging of steel knives hitting the ground was particularly crisp on the silent street.

Soon, the surviving women and children, terrified, pushed aside the corpses beside them and staggered toward the Yin Tiger Guards, their cries echoing in the night wind:

"Wow... Dad!"

"Honey! Why are you so late!"

"Son...are you alright?"

One by one, the Yin Tiger Guards came to their senses and embraced their families, weeping.

"Yuanbao! It's Daddy's fault, were you scared?"

"Cuihua! Are you alright?"

"Mother! It is your unfilial son's fault!"

Cries and sobs filled the air.

"Splash, splash—"

Immediately afterwards, the Yin Tiger Guards, surrounding their loved ones, knelt down before Lu Ming, their foreheads slamming heavily onto the bluestone ground.

"Thank you, Lord Lu, for saving my life!"

"From this day forward, I am willing to go through fire and water for Lord Lu, even unto death!"

"I would gladly repay your great kindness by repaying your kindness in kind!"

Their eyes were bloodshot, their expressions were excited, and they kowtowed repeatedly.

Lu Ming slowly turned around, and a gentle breeze swept by as he flicked his sleeve.

Before everyone could react, they were all lifted up.

He looked at everyone, a gentle smile on his face, and spoke softly:

"No need for that. Remember this... just fight forward and trust me with your backs."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was greeted with another round of cheers from the crowd.

"Long live Lord Lu!"

Amidst their fluctuating emotions, Lu Ming's status in their hearts suddenly rose, becoming as unshakeable as a towering mountain.

After everyone had calmed down, Lu Ming spoke again:

"Leave one team to take care of your families; the rest of you, come with me!"

Without hesitation, everyone bid farewell to their loved ones and then followed Lu Ming's figure to continue forward.

Lu Ming walked with his hands behind his back, stepping on the moonlight, his eyes flashing uncertainly.

After a series of upheavals and the tempering of blood and fire, this Yin Tiger Guard finally developed a certain degree of loyalty.

Next, he only needs to solve one last problem to have it completely under his control.

He wanted to turn the Yin Hu Guard into his own private army.

Soon, the Wang family's residence will be in sight.

The mansion was silent and deserted, the entrance empty, as if the mansion had been abandoned.

"Break through!"

Lu Ming stood with his hands behind his back in front of the Prince's Mansion, his eyes indifferent.

"yes!"

The Yin Tiger Guards on both sides immediately obeyed the order, jogging forward and, with the clanging of their iron armor, they joined forces to ram the heavy vermilion gate.

"Boom boom boom—!"

After several rounds of violent impacts, the bolts broke, and the two large doors were flung open.

As the gates opened, torches suddenly flickered and lit up inside the mansion.

The firelight danced in the night wind, illuminating the entire courtyard.