The Zhao Family

Lin Feng opened the secret letter.

The moment the wax seal broke and the letter unfolded, a wisp of green smoke rose, a burnt smell filled the air, and the edges of the paper instantly curled and blackened as it spontaneously combusted!

This secret letter contained crucial clues to overthrowing the Wang family, and now those clues were about to be destroyed. He naturally couldn't just stand by and watch.

"Hmph!"

Lin Feng's eyes sharpened. With no time to read it carefully, his internal true qi surged, and his long saber blurred into afterimages as he fiercely activated the Eagle Claw Skill!

The blade didn't slash but vibrated and spun at extreme speed, stirring up powerful air currents that hissed and crackled, forcibly drawing the strange flames into the wind, shredding and extinguishing them!

The letter was saved, though mostly scorched black with burn marks on the edges. However, the key words remained legible.

Lin Feng's gaze was like lightning as he quickly scanned the contents.

With just one glance, his pupils constricted.

The contents of the letter were shocking—it wasn't ordinary collusion, but a detailed leak of the time, route, and troop deployment for a secret military town on the Great Qian Dynasty's border to the Northern Barbarians!

At the bottom, a glaring "Zhao" character was imprinted.

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

The Zhao family, the most loyal vassal family to the Wang family, along with the Fierce Tiger Gang, were practically the Wang family's right and left arms.

Such an act was no ordinary crime; it was treason!

If this letter were presented, with irrefutable evidence, even if imperial relatives were involved, the royal family would surely purge them with thunderous wrath, showing no mercy!

He took a deep breath, suppressing the churning Blood Essence. The words of the Wild Dog Demon before its death weren't entirely false!

The colossal entity that was the Wang family had finally been pried open by a sliver!

And that sliver was the Zhao family!

If he could use this ironclad evidence to first sever their arm, overthrow the Zhao family, and leave the Wang family without its important wings, their downfall wouldn't be far off!

Opportunity knocks!

Lin Feng hesitated no longer. He carefully tucked the secret letter into his robes, turned, and his gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over the subordinates who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

"Gather your men! Our target: the Zhao mansion!" His voice was cold, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "Battalion Commander Lin Feng, ordered to apprehend!"

Moments later, the gates of the Zhao mansion were violently kicked open.

Dozens of Imperial Brocade Guards streamed in, blades drawn, exuding a menacing aura, and instantly secured the front courtyard.

Servants within the mansion panicked, and the women screamed.

Lin Feng stood with his hand on his saber, in the center of the courtyard, his gaze locked onto the Zhao family head, Zhao Tianhao, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Zhao Tianhao!" Lin Feng's voice wasn't loud but clearly reached everyone's ears. "Your Zhao family colluded with the Northern Barbarians and leaked military secrets. The evidence is conclusive! You will come with me to the Northern Garrison Command!"

Zhao Tianhao, around fifty years old, had a ruddy complexion that now turned even redder with shock and anger.

He was stunned at first, then his hair and beard bristled as he pointed at Lin Feng's nose and cursed:

"You're talking out of your ass! Lin Feng! You impudent brat, just a mere Battalion Commander, how dare you cause trouble at my Zhao mansion!

Colluding with the Northern Barbarians? That's a blatant lie! It's you, you insatiable wretch, who has repeatedly tried to extort bribes and failed, and now you've come to slander and frame me!"

His voice was booming, deliberately amplified with internal energy, immediately attracting the attention of the surrounding onlookers outside the mansion.

"Good people of the town, please judge for yourselves! These hounds of the Imperial Brocade Guard are lawless, fabricating charges out of thin air to condemn my Zhao family to death!

My Zhao family has always done good deeds and benefited the community. How can you defile us like this!"

Zhao Tianhao's acting was superb, tears streaming down his face.

The surrounding commoners, not knowing the full story, but seeing that the Zhao family indeed often distributed porridge and dispensed medicine, and had a good reputation, and hearing the words "failed to extort bribes" and "slander and frame," began to murmur amongst themselves. Their gazes towards Lin Feng and his men were filled with suspicion and condemnation.

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

"Imperial Brocade Guard... sigh, they're used to bleeding people dry."

"This young man is too wicked! Insatiably greedy!"

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

Facing the condemnation of the crowd, Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged. He merely watched Zhao Tianhao's performance coldly.

"Finished?"

He spoke calmly, but with a bone-chilling coldness.

"Patriarch Zhao, your act can end now.

Treason and collusion with the enemy, with irrefutable evidence, can't be erased by a few words of distortion and inciting the ignorant masses.

Today, let alone rousing these uninformed citizens, even if the King of Heaven himself came, you would have to submit to the law!"

Seeing that public opinion couldn't make Lin Feng retreat, a hint of malice flashed in Zhao Tianhao's eyes.

He dropped the aggrieved pretense, his face suddenly darkened, replaced by a look of intense mockery and disdain.

"Good! A truly impartial Battalion Commander Lin!" he sneered, looking Lin Feng up and down. "You refuse a toast only to be forced to eat a forfeit. Don't blame me for being impolite then.

You? A good-for-nothing who's already injured from fighting Lord Wang Kun, and struggles to even kill Wang family servants. How dare you speak so arrogantly before me?"

He took a step forward, and a powerful aura erupted. His robes fluttered as if in a strong wind, and the surrounding air seemed to thicken.

"Do you think you can act tough in front of Zhao Tianhao just because you've luckily beaten a few nobodies?

When I was roaming the martial world, you were still in diapers!

Today, forget about beating me. If you can walk out of my Zhao manor unharmed, I'll take your surname!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Tianhao lunged forward with astonishing speed. His right hand formed a claw, whistling sharply as it shot towards Lin Feng's throat!

The claw strike was fierce, faintly glinting with a metallic sheen, clearly a powerful and vicious external martial art!

Lin Feng was prepared. His saber instantly slashed horizontally, meeting the sharp claws.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew!

An immense force surged through the saber, making Lin Feng's arm tremble violently and his chest feel heavy.

The Blood Essence he had suppressed surged again. He couldn't help but stagger back three steps, finally dissipating the force. A flush of unnatural red spread across his face.

Zhao Tianhao merely swayed slightly before regaining his footing, his face contorted in a more mocking grin. "As expected, all show and no substance! Your internal energy is weak, yet you dare to make a fool of yourself? Kneel!"

Gaining the upper hand, he pressed his attack, his claws slashing in rapid succession with vicious strikes aimed at vital points. Lin Feng was forced to defend desperately, his saber light compressed to within a foot of his body, a perilous situation.

If his Wind Breaking Saber Technique hadn't reached Great Accomplishment, allowing him to grasp the nuances of moves and angles far beyond his previous capabilities, he would have already been defeated.

The surrounding Imperial Brocade Guards wanted to intervene but were subtly surrounded by the guards hired by the Zhao manor, creating a standoff.

"Hahaha! Useless! Is that all you've got?" Zhao Tianhao roared with laughter, his attacks becoming even more ferocious. "Where's that arrogant spirit from before? Today, I'll cripple you, this imperial lapdog, and see who dares to provoke my Zhao family again!"

Lin Feng gritted his teeth, his saber flashing as he struggled to hold on. However, the Blood Essence churning within him grew more intense, causing his saber strikes to falter.

Zhao Tianhao's strength far exceeded Lin Feng's estimations, especially his formidable body-hardening techniques and powerful claw strikes, making it difficult to confront him head-on.

With another direct clash, Lin Feng felt a sweetness in his throat, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

His body staggered, and he could barely stand.

Zhao Tianhao's killing intent flared, seizing this fleeting opportunity. He moved like a charging tiger, gathering all his power into a single claw strike that tore through the air with a deathly shriek, aimed directly at Lin Feng's crown!

"Die!"

Imminent danger, the shadow of death loomed!

A glint of ferocity and resolve flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.

His consciousness instantly sank into his mind.

[Current Slaughter Points: 5]

The option for Wind Breaking Saber Technique glowed brilliantly.

Now!

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

[Slaughter Points -5, Wind Breaking Saber Technique begins evolution...]

A torrent of comprehension, far more powerful and profound than Great Accomplishment, surged into Lin Feng's consciousness!

The true meaning of the saber technique, the trajectory of the wind, the ultimate application of power... countless fragments of information rapidly reassembled and sublimated!

But, evolution required time! Even if it was just an instant!

And Zhao Tianhao's fatal claw was already within inches!

The chilling claw wind stung his skin.

Life and death, a single thread apart!