Visiting the Door

In the Garrison, Shi Zhu was restless. He looked towards the duty room several times. The lights there had long since gone out. The hunched yet resolute back of Commander Chen as he left lingered in his mind. He wanted to follow, but as soon as he stepped out of the Garrison gates, Commander Chen, who had somehow returned, glared at him.

"Go back."

With just two words, Shi Zhu felt his blood freeze. He couldn't understand what was in those eyes, but instinctively, he dared not disobey. He could only watch as Commander Chen, leaning on the long, narrow saber he never left his side, disappeared step by slow, firm step into the darkness at the end of the long street leading east of the city.

At the General of the Middle Army's mansion, the vermillion-lacquered gates seemed like the jaws of a giant beast closing in the night. Two "Qi Si Feng" lanterns swayed in the night wind before the gate, illuminating the stiff, stone-carved figures of the four guards in armor, holding halberds.

Commander Chen's footsteps stopped at the bottom of the stone steps. The captain of the guards stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said in a deep voice, "Captain Chen, it is late. The Lord has retired. If there is anything, please come back tomorrow..."

"Announce me." Commander Chen's voice was hoarse and flat, interrupting him. "Otherwise, I will break in."

The guard captain's expression changed, and he tightened his grip on his halberd. This scarred, hunched old soldier was notoriously difficult to deal with in Anping County, and even more notoriously uninvolved in anything. He had never seen him like this before. The chill emanating from his hunched body made even this seasoned soldier's heart palpitate.

"Please wait a moment, Captain Chen." The captain did not dare to delay. He gave a look to one of his men, who quickly turned and knocked on the door before entering.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in the vast mountains, Wang Quan, like a shadow merged with the night, silently approached the outskirts of the nest known as Black Wind Cave.

He did not rush in. Instead, he lay hidden behind a wind-sheltered rocky ridge, concealing his presence to the utmost. His gaze swept the area like a falcon's. The valley entrance resembled the head of a roaring bull. Flickering firelight and distorted shadows were faintly visible within the cave entrance. Noises drifted over with the wind, but there was none of the solemnity and killing intent expected of a Demonic Creatures' stronghold. A few guards with horns on their heads stood casually, some even dozing with their weapons.

"The defenses... are this lax?" Wang Quan frowned slightly. This was vastly different from the heavily guarded situation he had anticipated. When things are abnormal, there must be a reason. Using his Shadow Step and his mastery of shadows, he moved like a true phantom, circling the perimeter of Black Wind Cave. He noticed long intervals between patrol teams, their formations loose, with laughter exchanged between them. There were no signs of sentries on several vantage points that were easy to ambush. The scents emanating from the cave were a mixture of alcohol, sweat, and blood, more like an unrestrained revelry than a state of readiness. What made him most suspicious was that his spiritual sense detected a large number of Demonic Creatures within the cave, but no Demonic Creatures in the Core Condensation Realm. After repeated investigations, Wang Quan determined that the main force was not in the nest. This was a perfect opportunity to harvest Skill Points, and he immediately lunged towards these walking Skill Points.

In Anping County, a middle-aged man resembling a steward held a lamp, guiding the way. "Captain Chen, the Lord requests your presence. This way, please."

They passed through layers of courtyards, the light of the lanterns flickering between the corridor pillars. The mansion was silent, save for the occasional dull thud of Commander Chen's saber sheath tapping the ground and the soft footsteps of the two men. The air was filled with a faint, indescribable scent of fishiness mixed with expensive incense.

In the flower hall, candlelight burned brightly. Li Chongshan, wearing a brocade robe and slippers, was slowly poking the ashes in the incense burner with a silver pick, a gentle yet distant smile on his face. Seeing Commander Chen enter, he put down the silver pick and said with a smile, "What wind blows our Commander Chen here? Visiting so late at night, is there some urgent military matter that this official can assist with?"

Commander Chen stood in the hall, his back seemingly more hunched than usual, but his hand gripping his saber was as steady as a rock. He raised his eyelids, his cloudy gaze piercing Li Chongshan. "Cut the nonsense. Hand over Wei Dayong. The Nightmare poison on his daughter's body has been resolved."

Li Chongshan's smile remained unchanged, but a barely perceptible cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Wei Dayong? Oh, that squad leader from the Garrison? Where does Commander Chen get this idea? When did he come to my mansion? As for his daughter's illness, I also express my deepest sympathy and have already sent people with medicine. Nightmare poison? Commander Chen is joking. That's just a child's convulsion..."

"I told you, hand him over." Commander Chen interrupted him, his voice not loud, but it caused the temperature in the flower hall to drop sharply.

The smile on Li Chongshan's face slowly faded. He picked up the cup of warm tea beside him, blew on it gently, and took a sip before slowly saying, "Commander Chen, it is best not to pry too deeply into some matters. We are both officials in the same court. In Anping County, our goals are different, but wouldn't it be best to coexist peacefully?"

Commander Chen stopped speaking and simply looked at him. His gaze made Li Chongshan inexplicably irritable. He put down the teacup and clapped his hands.

A side door slid open silently, and Mr. Yin, hunched over, glided in like a ghost, bowing to Li Chongshan. "My Lord."

"Mr. Yin, Captain Chen is here to ask for someone, Wei Dayong from the Garrison. Do you know anything about this?" Li Chongshan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest.

Mr. Yin looked up. His cloudy eyes quickly swept over Commander Chen before he lowered his gaze, his voice dry. "Replying to my Lord, and to Captain Chen. Last night, indeed, someone trespassed into the forbidden area of the West Warehouse, injuring several guards. They were exceptionally fierce. For the safety of the warehouse, we had no choice but to apprehend him. Upon investigation, it was indeed Wei Dayong, a squad leader of the Garrison. As for his daughter..." He paused. "That girl is not ill, but was afflicted with a malicious Yin gathering Nightmare. This Nightmare is venomous and requires the blood and soul of a close relative as a catalyst to temporarily suppress it. When Wei Dayong broke in, he triggered the restriction, and his blood was... was absorbed by the formations remaining in that forbidden area. It is likely because of this that the evil affliction on his daughter has been alleviated. However, Wei Dayong was severely injured and trespassed into the forbidden area. I'm afraid... his chances are slim."

He spoke clearly and logically, framing the capture as self-defense, the evil experiment as a backlash from the formation, and Wei Dayong's sacrifice as an unintentional act.

Li Chongshan nodded, looked at Commander Chen, and sighed, his expression showing a hint of helplessness. "Commander Chen, you have heard it all. Wei Dayong trespassed into the forbidden area and injured my men first. The country has its laws, and the family has its rules. His actions were a complete disregard for order. I, considering he is an old soldier of the Garrison and was desperate for his daughter, did not wish to pursue the matter further. As for his daughter... alas, Mr. Yin has said that the Nightmare poison is strange, and perhaps this is the best outcome. Commander Chen, please leave. I can pretend today's events never happened. If there are similar misunderstandings in the future, Commander Chen might as well inform me in advance to avoid harming our harmony." He turned to Mr. Yin, his tone turning cold. "Little Yin, you too, are too rash. Since he is a brother from the Garrison, you should have inquired clearly before taking action. This will not happen again."

Mr. Yin bowed deeply. "This servant knows his mistake. This servant guarantees there will be no next time."

The two sang in unison, framing the matter as a misunderstanding, an accident, downplaying it as if Wei Dayong's life or death, and Lingling's ordeal, were nothing more than insignificant dust.

Commander Chen's expression had not changed from beginning to end. After they finished speaking, he slowly spoke, his voice still hoarse, but with a decisive coldness. "Alive, I want to see him. Dead, I want to see his body. I don't care about anything else."

The last trace of hypocrisy on Li Chongshan's face finally fell away. He slowly sat up straight, his fingers stopped tapping, and his gaze became sharp and sinister. "Scarface Chen, I gave you face, which is why I explained so much. Wei Dayong offended me, and his crime is punishable by death. I, out of consideration for the past, spared his body intact, which was already a great kindness. You, please leave."

Commander Chen was silent for a moment. His left hand slowly gripped the hilt of the long, narrow saber at his waist. His thumb gently pushed open the inch-long safety catch, making a "click" sound that was particularly jarring in the silent flower hall.

"I don't want to say it again." He looked up, his cloudy eyes now frighteningly clear, devoid of any emotion, only a bottomless, cold pool. "Refuse, and you can try my saber."

"Saber?" Li Chongshan suddenly laughed, his laughter echoing in the spacious flower hall with undisguised mockery. "Scarface Chen, do you think this is still twenty years ago? Do you think this rusty piece of junk in its sheath for nearly twenty years can still scare anyone?" His smile vanished, his eyes turning completely cold. "I, too, would like to see how much skill you, who have been a shrinking turtle in Anping County for twenty years, still have left!"

He slammed his hand on the armrest. "Guards!"

From the shadows on both sides of the flower hall, two figures glided out silently. They wore the same tight black clothing, their auras condensed, their eyes numb, exactly like the three Wang Quan encountered outside the city, but their auras were more obscure and profound.

"Accompany Commander Chen to stretch his muscles." Li Chongshan leaned back in his chair, leisurely picking up his teacup. "Remember, don't kill him. Commander Chen is, after all, a former hero of our Great Yan. We must show some respect."

"Yes." The two black-clad figures bowed simultaneously. The next instant, they moved like ghosts, scattering and forming a pincer attack on Commander Chen from both sides. Without a word, both attacked at once! One thrust his fingers like a sword, aiming directly at the vital point at the back of Commander Chen's neck, his finger wind sharp and whistling! The other crouched low, sweeping his legs like sickles towards Commander Chen's lower body, his leg wind churning, kicking up dust from the ground.

The attacks were vicious and swift, their coordination seamless, representing the pinnacle of military assassination techniques, and carrying an unnatural, chilling malevolence.

Commander Chen moved.

His movements were minimal. It was just a slight twitch of his left wrist, gripping the saber hilt.

"Zheng--!"

A clear saber cry rang out! It wasn't the sound of the saber being drawn, but the violent vibration of the blade within its sheath! An invisible yet tangible, chilling saber intent spread out like ripples from Commander Chen!

"Ch-ch!"

Two faint sounds, like tearing silk.

The two black-clad figures who had lunged forward froze abruptly in mid-air! They maintained their attacking postures, their faces still bearing the ferocity of their strike, but their eyes were instantly filled with boundless fear and confusion.

The next moment, countless fine cracks appeared on their seemingly intact black clothing! Beneath the cracks, flesh and skin curled outwards, revealing bone, and blood spurted out like a fountain from hundreds of wounds! In an instant, the two became bloody figures, their bodies torn apart, collapsing to the ground, twitching and making gurgling sounds, as if they had been sliced a thousand times by that unsheathed saber intent in an instant!

In the flower hall, the thick smell of blood instantly overwhelmed the incense. The candlelight flickered wildly, agitated by the saber intent.

Li Chongshan's hand, holding the teacup, stopped in mid-air. The composure on his face was finally replaced by shock. Mr. Yin instinctively took half a step back, his cloudy eyes filled with horror.

Commander Chen remained hunched, standing in place, his left hand still on the saber hilt, as if he had never moved. Only the low, dragon-like hum emanating from the sheath proved the reality of that terrifying blow.

"Is that all?" Commander Chen's hoarse voice rang out, filled with undisguised contempt.

Li Chongshan's face turned ashen. He put down the teacup, his eyes casting a sinister glance at the two subordinates lying on the ground like bloody gourds, and snorted, "Useless!" He looked at Commander Chen, his gaze becoming dangerous again. "I underestimated you. It seems this saber of yours hasn't rusted through in these twenty years."

On the ground, the two dying black-clad figures, upon hearing Li Chongshan's snort, simultaneously flashed a look of fanatical resolve in their eyes. Using their last strength, they each trembled and took out a crimson pill from their chests, swallowed it, and ingested it.

"Hmph!!!"

Inhuman roars of agony erupted from the throats of the two individuals! Their already near-death bodies swelled up as if being inflated, their wounds forcibly mending under some bizarre power, but in their place, a more terrifying distortion took hold!

The one on the left, his body grew wildly taller and sturdier, his skin turned a deep brown, acquiring a rough, leathery texture. His limbs became incredibly thick, his hands and feet transforming into hooves. His neck thickened, and a massive head sat atop a stout, mountain-like ox torso. Nostrils puffed out hot white air, his eyes were blood-red, filled with pure ferocity.

The one on the right, his body elongated and became gaunt. His skin turned grey-black, covered in short, stiff bristles. His limbs became slender, especially his legs, which bent backward at the knee, transforming into donkey hooves. A human head sat atop a long, thin donkey neck, his ears elongating strangely, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of cunning and cruelty.

Ox body, human head! Donkey body, human head!

Two monsters, nearly ten feet tall, exuding sky-piercing demonic energy and chaotic human aura, stood in the flower hall, filling the once spacious area. They lowered their heads, their human eyes, filled with beastly nature, fixed intently on the hunched figure in the center. Their ferocious auras caused the furniture and decorations within the hall to vibrate.

"Moo!" The ox-bodied monster with a human head let out a deafening roar. It lowered its head, its iron hoof, the size of a bowl, stomped heavily on the ground. With a rumble, the hard granite floor tiles shattered. It charged like an out-of-control war chariot, its newly emerged short, sharp black horns piercing from beneath the skin on either side of its forehead, charging straight at Commander Chen! Unstoppable!

At the same time, the donkey-bodied monster with a human head grinned, revealing bone-white teeth, and let out a sharp, piercing shriek. Its slender donkey body erupted with astonishing speed, turning into a grey blur, circling to Commander Chen's rear flank. Its hind legs, bending backward at the knee like springs, suddenly coiled and launched, carrying a shrill whistling sound, kicking viciously towards the back of Commander Chen's head and spine! Treacherous and malicious!

Facing this pincer attack, a terrifying assault combining immense power with swift malice, Commander Chen finally, for the first time, truly moved his feet.

He merely took a small step to the left.

This step was exquisitely precise. It landed exactly on the tangent of the ox monster's charge trajectory and in the blind spot of the donkey monster's kicking force.

"Boom!!!"

The ox monster couldn't stop its momentum, carrying with it immense force, and slammed heavily into the solid wall behind where Commander Chen had been standing! The entire wall collapsed with a roar, bricks and stones flying, dust and smoke billowing! A massive hole was blasted open in the flower hall, and the night wind howled in.

The donkey monster's fatal kicks, however, grazed Commander Chen's receding afterimage as he dodged, the powerful leg winds plowing two deep trenches in the ground.

Commander Chen's figure reappeared in the dust, still hunched, still gripping his sword hilt. He didn't even turn to look at the ox monster that had demolished the wall. He merely tilted his head slightly, glancing with the corner of his eye at the donkey monster, which had momentarily faltered due to its missed kick.