Snowflakes swirled and drifted down, rustling softly. The cold wind brushed He An's face, blowing a few flakes onto his skin, where they tickled before turning icy.
Through the curtain of snow, a blurred figure appeared at the far end of the street. He An blinked, and the man was already standing several yards away. His speed was simply inconceivable.
The newcomer wore a fiery-red robe, his black hair hanging over his shoulders. Two upturned tufts of mustache adorned a face as pale as paper. A faint halo seemed to emanate from his body, forming an invisible barrier; not a single snowflake landed on him.
Standing in the snow, he resembled a blood-red lotus blooming in the silence of deepest night, alluring and uncanny.
"Hey... is he a man or a ghost?"
Han Chanjuan frowned and whispered into He An's ear.
He An gestured for her to remain silent, watching the red-robed man warily. The man's overpowering aura filled him with dread.
"Young man from the Knowledge and Practice Institute... your martial arts are impressive. But you injured several of my disciples and thought you could simply walk away? You clearly have no regard for my Dragon Gate Academy!"
The red-robed man spoke, his eyes fixed on He An. His hollow gaze was like that of someone looking at a corpse.
"All we knew was that they belonged to the Cui Family. We knew nothing about any Dragon Gate Academy. Besides, they attacked first... they wanted to kill us! Were we supposed to let them slaughter us without fighting back? You're being completely unreasonable!"
Han Chanjuan poked her head out from behind He An and fired off her words like a barrage, glaring fiercely at the red-robed man with wide eyes. But her lovely, delicate face looked adorably indignant rather