Zhao Family

Lin Feng opened the secret letter.

The instant the sealing wax shattered and the paper unfolded, a wisp of blue smoke suddenly rose. The smell of scorching spread through the air, the paper's edges instantly curled and blackened, and the letter began to burn on its own!

The secret letter contained crucial clues for bringing down the Wang Family. Now that the clues were about to be cut off, he naturally could not stand by and do nothing.

"Hmph!"

Lin Feng's eyes sharpened. Without time to examine it closely, the qi within him surged, and the saber in his hand turned into a blur. Wind Breaking Saber Technique was unleashed with devastating force!

The blade did not hack down. Instead, it vibrated and whirled at lightning speed, stirring up powerful currents of air that hissed sharply. It forcibly swept the strange flames into the wind, shredded them, and extinguished them!

The letter was saved. Most of it was charred black, and scorch marks remained along the edges, but the crucial words were still legible.

Lin Feng's gaze flashed like lightning as he swiftly scanned the page.

At a single glance, his pupils contracted.

The contents of the letter were shocking. This was no ordinary collusion. It detailed, with astonishing thoroughness, the time, route, and troop deployment for the replacement of a secret military garrison on the Great Qian Dynasty's border—and leaked it all to the Northern Barbarians!

At the signature, a glaring "Zhao" character was stamped into the paper.

"The Zhao Family..." Lin Feng's heart trembled.

The Zhao Family was the Wang Family's most loyal vassal clan. Together with the Fierce Tiger Gang, they could be called the Wang Family's left and right arms.

Such an act was no ordinary crime. This was treason and collaboration with the enemy!

If this letter were submitted, the evidence would be conclusive. Even if imperial relatives were involved, the imperial family would still unleash a thunderous bloodbath. There would be absolutely no leniency!

He drew a deep breath and suppressed his churning qi and blood. The Wild Dog Demon's dying words had not been entirely false!

The enormous Wang Family had finally been pried open by him, leaving behind the slightest crack!

And that crack lay with the Zhao Family!

If he could use this irrefutable evidence to sever one of its arms and bring down the Zhao Family first, the Wang Family would lose an important wing. Its destruction would then be close at hand!

He could not let this opportunity slip away!

Lin Feng no longer hesitated. He carefully tucked the secret letter into his clothes, turned around, and swept his sharp, saber-like gaze over the several subordinates hurrying over after hearing the commotion.

"Gather the men! Target: the Zhao Residence!" His voice was cold, carrying an unquestionable resolve. "Battalion Commander Lin Feng, acting under orders to make an arrest!"

A moment later, the main gate of the Zhao Residence was smashed open.

Dozens of Imperial Brocade Guards filed inside, sabers drawn and Killing Intent surging. In an instant, they seized control of the front courtyard.

The servants inside the residence panicked, while the female family members screamed.

Lin Feng stood in the center of the courtyard with one hand on his saber, his gaze fixed on the Zhao Family patriarch, Zhao Tianhao, who had hurried over after receiving the news.

"Zhao Tianhao!" Lin Feng's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached every ear. "Your Zhao Family colluded with the Northern Barbarians and leaked military intelligence. The evidence is conclusive! Come with me to the Northern Garrison Command!"

Zhao Tianhao was around fifty. His complexion was ruddy, and his face had flushed even more from shock and fury.

He was stunned at first. Then his beard bristled as he pointed at Lin Feng's nose and cursed:

"Bullshit! Lin Feng, you little brat! You're merely a Battalion Commander, yet you dare come to my Zhao Residence and run wild!

"Colluding with the Northern Barbarians? Clearly, you're an insatiable wretch! After failing to extort bribes from me time and again, you've come today to slander and frame me!"

His voice was booming, deliberately carrying through the courtyard and immediately drawing the attention of the onlooking townspeople outside.

"Neighbors, judge this fairly! These Imperial Brocade Guard lackeys are lawless! They actually want to fabricate charges out of thin air and send my Zhao Family to its death!

"My Zhao Family has done good deeds and accumulated virtue, bringing benefits to the local community. How can I let you tarnish us like this?"

Zhao Tianhao's acting was masterful, his voice and tears flowing together.

The surrounding townspeople did not know what was going on, but they knew that the Zhao Family did indeed distribute porridge and medicine in ordinary times and enjoyed quite a reputation for charity.

After hearing words like "failed to extort bribes" and "slander and frame," they immediately began whispering among themselves. Suspicion and condemnation filled their gazes as they turned toward Lin Feng and the others.

"Master Zhao is such a good man..."

"The Imperial Brocade Guard... Sigh, they're always sucking people dry."

"This young man has a black heart! What an insatiable bastard!"

The murmurs surged like a rising tide, forming an invisible pressure.

Facing the condemnation of a thousand people, Lin Feng's expression did not change in the slightest. He merely watched Zhao Tianhao's performance coldly.

"Are you finished?"

His tone was calm, yet carried a bone-piercing chill.

"Patriarch Zhao, you can put away your act now.

"The evidence of treason and collaboration with the enemy is conclusive. How could a few words twisting right and wrong and inciting ignorant commoners erase it?

"Today, even if you stir up all these people who know nothing of the truth—even if the Heavenly King himself came—you will still have to submit to the law!"

When Zhao Tianhao saw that public opinion had failed to drive Lin Feng back, a sinister glint flashed through his eyes.

He put away his grieving expression. His face suddenly darkened, replaced by thick mockery and disdain.

"Good! Good! What an incorruptible Lin Battalion Commander!" he scoffed, looking Lin Feng up and down. "You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, so don't blame me for being rude.

"You? A worthless fool who just suffered internal injuries fighting Lord Wang Kun and struggled even to kill the Wang Family's servants? You think you're worthy of spouting such nonsense before me?"

He took a step forward, and a powerful aura suddenly erupted. His robes moved without wind, while the air around them seemed to grow sluggish.

"You think that because you happened to defeat a few second-rate characters, you can act arrogantly before me, Zhao Tianhao?

"When I was roaming the martial world, you were still wearing split-crotch pants!

"Today, never mind arresting me—if you can walk out of my Zhao Residence in one piece, I'll take your surname!"

Before his voice faded, Zhao Tianhao lunged forward. His speed was astonishing, and his right hand formed a claw, shooting straight for Lin Feng's throat with a sharp whoosh through the air!

The claw wind was fierce and faintly gleamed with a metallic sheen. Clearly, he practiced some sort of ferocious, hard-hitting external claw technique!

Lin Feng had been prepared. His saber swept horizontally in an instant, meeting the vicious claw.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew in all directions!

A vast force surged through the blade. Lin Feng felt his arm jolt violently, and a dull pressure filled his chest.

The qi and blood he had suppressed surged once more. He could not help retreating three steps with a series of thuds before he finally dispersed the force. An unnatural flush rose across his face.

Zhao Tianhao merely swayed slightly before stabilizing. The mockery on his face deepened. "As expected, you're nothing but a silver-plated wax spearhead! Your inner breath is weak and unstable, yet you dare come here to make a fool of yourself? Get on your knees!"

He pressed his advantage without mercy, sweeping out both claws in a continuous barrage. His moves were vicious and targeted vital points, forcing Lin Feng into a desperate struggle. The saber light was compressed into a range barely a foot before him, and danger lurked everywhere.

If not for the fact that Wind Breaking Saber Technique had already reached the perfected stage, giving him a far greater grasp of changes and angles than before, he would likely have been defeated already.

The surrounding Imperial Brocade Guards tried to step forward and assist, but the guards raised by the Zhao Residence faintly hemmed them in, forming a standoff.

"Hahahaha! Worthless! Is that all you've got?" Zhao Tianhao roared with laughter, his assault growing fiercer. "Where did all that arrogance go? Today, I'll cripple you, you hound of the imperial court! Let's see who still dares to stroke the Zhao Family's whiskers!"

Lin Feng gritted his teeth and swung his saber, barely holding on. But the qi and blood within him churned more violently by the moment, and his saber momentum inevitably began to drag.

Zhao Tianhao's strength far exceeded his estimates. In particular, his hardened body cultivation and powerful, ruthless claws made it difficult for Lin Feng to resist him head-on.

After another hard clash, Lin Feng tasted sweetness in his throat, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He staggered, nearly unable to remain standing.

Killing intent surged in Zhao Tianhao's eyes. Seizing this fleeting opening, he sprang forward like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey. A claw containing the full force of his cultivation tore through the air with a deathly shriek and shot straight for Lin Feng's crown!

"Die!"

With danger upon him, the shadow of death descended!

A ruthless and resolute glint flashed through Lin Feng's eyes.

His consciousness sank into his mind in an instant.

Current Slaughter Points: 5

The option for Wind Breaking Saber Technique shone brilliantly.

Now!

"Consume 5 Slaughter Points and evolve Wind Breaking Saber Technique!" Lin Feng roared inwardly.

Slaughter Points -5. Wind Breaking Saber Technique begins to evolve...

A torrent of insight, even grander and more profound than when he had previously reached perfection, suddenly surged into Lin Feng's consciousness!

The true essence of saber technique, the trajectory of wind, the ultimate application of force... Countless fragments of information frantically reassembled and sublimated!

But evolution required time—even if only for an instant!

And Zhao Tianhao's life-taking claw was already within arm's reach!

The icy claw wind stabbed his skin.

Life and death hung by a thread!