Black clouds bore down on the city, killing intent ran rampant

At noon, a young Daoist Shangxin to Zhou Wuji, bringing him lunch.

Shangxin is only seventeen years old this year, but he is big and burly, with thick downy hair on his lips and a dark yellow complexion.

He looks like a thirty-year-old man. Only when he speaks can you hear a hint of boyishness in his voice.

Shangxin greatly admired Zhou Wuji. Seeing that Zhou Wuji had difficulty moving around, he volunteered to feed Zhou Wuji.

"Never mind, I'll just use the Grain Avoidance Pill for now since I'm not able to move around easily. Don't trouble yourself."

Zhou Wuji knew that Shangxin meant well, but he found it hard to accept that a burly young man was feeding him, and besides, there was no need for it.

He was somewhat disappointed that his Shangxin hadn't been of any help, but he dared not disobey Zhou Wuji's orders and could only respond sullenly.

He picked up the food box and said, "If you need anything, call me. I'm in the next room. Master told me to serve you during this time."

"Yes, your master only put you in this job because he saw that you were the most meticulous and capable. Thank you for your hard work."

Zhou Wuji thought Shangxin was a bit simple-minded, but had a good personality. He might not be very clever when serving people, but he was very hardworking.

He praised the boy a few times and told him not to disturb his meditation unless necessary.

Shangxin was very obedient; he went out, locked the door, and didn't bother him again.

The weather was still a bit hot in the afternoon. As Zhou Wuji lay on the bed, half asleep and half awake, he heard a lot of noise coming from outside the door.

Shangxin to report that Li Cheng'an, the head of the Li Household family, had come to visit.

Yesterday, Zhou Wuji saw Li Cheng'an, and the head of the Li Household family took the initiative to exchange a few polite words with him, his attitude being very courteous.

I didn't expect Li Cheng'an to come again today.

Before long, Wuzheng accompanied Li Cheng'an and Li Ruyi into the room.

Wuzheng knew that Li Cheng'an had something to discuss with Zhou Wuji, but he was worried that the Li Household might be up to something, so he stayed by his side.

Li Cheng'an had met Zhou Wuji before, but Zhou Wuji had always followed Daoist Yiyuan, and in his eyes, Zhou Wuji was just a gentle young man.

Hearing from his daughter that Zhou Wuji had killed Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen, Li Cheng'an was genuinely shocked, but also very happy.

Zhang Wuding was the top expert among the younger generation and had a good chance of advancing to the Seventh Rank. Zhang Household loss of such a talented and capable direct descendant was a heavy blow to the Zhang Household.

What happened next left him speechless. Zhou Wuji seemed to have been possessed by his master, his Swordsmanship was superb, and he killed many bandits in succession.

In particular, at least half of the bandits were killed by Zhou Wuji in the battle of Hidden Dragon Temple.

Even that powerful Seventh-Rank Martial Artist was beheaded by Zhou Wuji with a single sword strike.

Even Wuzheng unleash the Yin Thunder Method, such a record would still be extremely terrifying.

Li Cheng'an came here for no other reason than to give Zhou Wuji money.

First, there was the debt for the armor; second, Zhou Wuji had rescued the villagers of Old Cang Village, so he had to show his gratitude.

"The villagers of Old Cang Village were able to return home safely thanks to the help of the abbot and Daoist priest Zhou."

Li Cheng'an took out a small wooden box and placed it on the bed. He smiled and said, "This is a small token of my family's appreciation. Please don't be shy, Master Zhou."

Zhou Wuji said, "Mr. Li, you're too kind..."

His voice was weak and lacked strength.

Li Cheng'an was very sensible; after saying a few words, he took his leave.

Li Ruyi remained silent throughout, but before leaving, she bowed deeply to Zhou Wuji and whispered, "Zhang Xinhu didn't go into the mountains, so Senior Brother, you must be careful of him."

Wuzheng Li Cheng'an and his daughter off, Wu Zheng came over and spoke with Zhou Wuji.

"Zhang Yunfeng, a centurion of the Ironclad Guard, pleaded for Zhang Xinhu, saying that Zhang Xinhu was a collateral member of the Zhang Household. Since this concerned the Zhang Household Chunan, Master couldn't be too forceful..."

Wuzheng greatly admired Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship and character. They fought side by side several times, and Zhou Wuji had become his best friend.

This matter is closely related to Zhou Wuji, and although his master didn't want to talk about it, he wanted to explain the pros and cons clearly.

Zhou Wuji nodded slightly. "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Senior Brother. So it's related to the Zhang Household. This matter certainly requires caution."

Although he had always stayed in Siming County, he had heard of the famous Zhang Household of Chunan.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Zhang Household was more powerful and prestigious in Chu Province than the imperial power.

Aristocratic Clan with a thousand-year-old lineage, it's no joke.

It's quite normal to say that Zhang Xinhu has a connection with the Zhang Household of Chunan.

In Chu Province, most people with the surname Zhang can be connected to the Zhang Household in some way. The key difference lies in the closeness of the relationship.

"Zhang Xinhu would never dare to cause us trouble again. Junior brother, just focus on recuperating; I'll handle things outside..."

Wuzheng also deeply resented Zhang Xinhu, but since the matter was of great importance, he could only endure it.

Zhou Wuji injured, and he didn't want Zhou Wuji to worry about it.

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother. I'll focus on recovering from my injuries during this time." Although Zhou Wuji was determined to kill Zhang Xinhu, he wouldn't say these things to Wuzheng.

It's not that I distrust Wuzheng, but there's no need to drag Wuzheng into this.

After Wuzheng left, Zhou Wuji opened the wooden box and took a look inside: ten 10-tael gold ingots.

One hundred taels of gold, minus four hundred taels of silver, meant the Li Household received an extra sixty taels of gold, which was quite a generous sum.

He deserves the money!

In the afternoon, another visitor arrived: Fang Yue, the head of the Fang Household. This well-to-do middle-aged man was very humble, claiming that he had failed in raising his son and asking Zhou Wuji not to take offense.

Fang Yue then presented Zhou Wuji with another hundred taels of gold, urging him to accept it.

Zhou Wuji didn't stand on ceremony and readily accepted the gold.

Fang Wuzhen tried to kill him, but he killed him instead. He has a clear conscience!

If you really think about it, it's the Fang Household who owes him this debt.

Fang Yue was also relieved. Now that Zhou Wuji had accepted the money, the past matter must have been settled.

Having achieved his goal, Fang Yue immediately stood up to take his leave...

Wuzheng Fang Yue, finding him to be slick and mercenary. However, he also felt there was no need to argue with the Fang Household, and it would be best to resolve the matter as it was.

That night, Zhou Wuji could tell from Shang Shangxin's even breathing next door that the child was fast asleep.

He first cast three Rejuvenation Technique on himself, and specks of blue light shimmered and merged into his chest.

He could clearly feel the broken bones connecting and healing. However, this connection was still very fragile.

The Rejuvenation Technique, activated at full power, consumed approximately thirty days of lifespan, but its effects were immediate.

The purpose of using the Rejuvenation Technique to restore as much as possible is to conserve the spiritual power of the Origin Mystic Essence.

Zhou Wuji then opened the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment and transformed the three-ounce-eight-qian tiger demon into the Origin Mystic Essence.

A thick blue light descended, Zhou Wuji's body surged with heat, flowing from top to bottom and from the inside out, repeating this cycle until the last bit of heat completely merged into his body.

Looking at the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment again, Zhou Wuji saw that his physical strength had reached 307, an increase of 57 points.

He pressed his hand against his chest; it felt firm and strong. The broken bones had healed and were even stronger and more resilient than before.

Seventh Rank tiger demon, indeed extraordinary!

Zhou Wuji drew his sword and felt it become two degrees lighter. Fortunately, his Xiaoxiang Sword had reached Transformation Realm, and the changes in his body actually had a great effect on his Swordsmanship.

The Seven Star Sword forcibly broke through armor during the battle, and the blade showed obvious wear. There was nothing that could be done about it.

He took out the robe and mask he had obtained from the Yin Yang Dao Devil Cultivator. The Devil Cultivator was tall, and the robe was a bit too big for him, but it still fit him well.

I switched to leather boots, which made traveling easier and also helped to conceal my identity.

Finally, Zhou Wuji put on a bamboo hat, completely covering his entire body, with not a single inch of skin exposed.

The conical hat is a common style and has no special markings, so it doesn't matter if people see it.

Zhou Wuji and decided not to use the Seven Star Sword. This sword had killed many people, and the scars left by its blade had been seen by too many people.

A true master can identify what kind of sword someone is using just by looking at the sword wound.

He obtained a sword from the Yin Yang Dao Devil Cultivator. It was a three-and-a-half-foot-long sword, forged from refined steel, which was more than enough for his needs.

With his Swordsmanship reaching Transformation Realm and his True Qi reaching the Seventh Rank, Zhou Wuji was confident that he could easily defeat Zhang Xinhu.

After meeting Zhang Xinhu yesterday, he became even more certain of his judgment.

His powerful Divine Sense, combined with his understanding of Sword Intent, allowed him to more keenly perceive changes in others' aura and spirit.

This time, when I saw Zhang Xinhu again, even though he was seriously injured, I no longer felt the same intense pressure he had before.

The fundamental reason lies in his Transformation Realm, where his Divine Sense transforms into Sword Intent, enabling him to convert True Qi more precisely and efficiently.

With a sword in hand, one can face any Seventh Rank master without fear.

With the blessing of the Origin Profound Spirit, his body improved by a quarter, which further increased his chances of winning.

Zhou Wuji quietly left the room and gracefully scaled the wall, leaving the Daoist temple.

After walking along the mountain path for a while, Zhou Wuji looked up at the heavy dark clouds that were obscuring the bright moon and saw faint flashes of lightning.

The night wind picked up even more.

Under the cover of dark clouds, Siming County appeared even more secluded and desolate. Zhou Wuji sensed that a downpour was coming.

His murderous intent grew stronger...