Jinzhou.
At night, the moon shone bright among sparse stars, and magpies flew south.
Deep in the ancient mountain forest, along a winding road with eighteen bends, three hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards crossed a treacherous ridge, eliminating thirteen hidden sentries along the way.
"Right there..." Eight-Faced Genealogy stooped as he pointed into the distance.
Between the summit and the lower slopes stood a sinister black walled fort. Lights flickered within, and the faint clang of ironworking reached their ears.
"Hidden far too well." Scholar held a lantern as he arranged for the Embroidered Uniform Guards to surround it from all four sides.
Without Eight-Faced Genealogy to guide them, even a map of the mountains would not have led them to this slope. Any woodcutter who stumbled upon it would have been killed by Prince of Zhongshun's sworn warriors.
Jia Huan entered the deep forest alone.
Only twenty zhang from the walled fort, three patrolling guards yawned as they relieved themselves into a stream.
They had barely finished and given a shiver when they toppled stiffly to the ground, letting out a low moan before dying.
That faint sound alerted several resident experts. Within half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, figures came hurtling out of the walled fort.
"What skulking rat is there?" their leader demanded coldly.
When they saw the newcomer clearly, his young face radiating an invisible pressure, horror swept across the experts' faces.
Jia Huan said nothing. His Embroidered Spring Saber left its sheath.
Accompanied by a beautiful ring of steel, the arc of saber qi swiftly transformed into a phantom phoenix and slashed toward all seven in an instant.
The seven experts could not withstand it at all. One stroke severed them at the waist, leaving them to die horribly!
Before long,