A sudden, sharp shout, like a boulder striking still water, instantly triggered countless cries and a chain reaction.

Around the carriage were dozens of elite attendants, six of whom were specifically selected by the Zi family, all masters reaching the level of the seventh layer of Inner Strength.

Only attendants cultivated from childhood would still be willing to serve the family upon reaching the seventh layer of Inner Strength. Of course, if they reached the next layer, the eighth, they would no longer merely be attendants but truly enter the family’s inner circle.

However, for the vast majority, achieving the seventh layer through their own power was the absolute limit, even within a major family like the Zi household.

From any angle, the defense surrounding this carriage could be considered incredibly formidable. Yet, at that man's commanding shout, these people suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if their heads were heavy and their feet light.

The leader roared in anger, "Not good! Everyone, be careful." He instantly drew his sword—a fine azure steel longsword that shimmered with scattered points of light, faintly revealing a hint of pale red.

His martial skill was undoubtedly the highest among them. With a quick glance, he spotted a figure descending from the sky. He reacted swiftly, stamping his feet twice, instantly leaping into the air while reaching out, his sword transforming into a streak of light that shot forward.

However, just as he thrust his sword out, the sight before him suddenly erupted in a flash of white light, followed by a sharp, agonizing pain in his eyes, causing his thrust to deviate instantly.

The figure seized the opportunity to land. The moment his feet touched the ground, he raised his hand, and a cloud of white powder scattered into the air.

"Be careful, it’s quicklime..."

Someone suddenly shouted loudly, and anger flared in the hearts of these attendants.

As attendants of the Zi family, they had countless experiences in real combat, but whether sparring amongst themselves or fighting the attendants of other noble families in their own nation, they had never encountered such foul, underhanded tactics.

Indeed, in the Northwestern Kingdoms, where martial culture flourished, employing such methods against an enemy was considered utterly despicable.

As the figure scattered the quicklime, he threw a punch that landed squarely on the bridge of the leader’s nose. The leader, his eyes already streaming, collapsed upon taking the blow, and the precious sword in his hand was deftly snatched away.

The figure seized the sword and immediately charged toward the carriage.

Several attendants squinted, having clearly seen the attacker’s appearance: a stout man with a sharp nose and thin mouth, his eyes blood-red, fixed intently on the carriage as if something he hated to the bone was inside.

These attendants had heard his furious shout earlier and were astonished, though a few realized that the patron who had entered the carriage to deliver food earlier was named Fan Yue, immediately connecting this name to Fan Haoyue.

At this moment, however, no one spoke out. Those several attendants crossed their longswords, launching a series of consecutive stabs.

But the figure spun in mid-air, his longsword moving like flying mist. The swords aimed at him were either parried away or narrowly avoided with sheer precision.

Everyone was internally horrified, yet in that brief instant, the man had already reached the carriage, thrusting his sword out and slicing the door open.

The two people inside looked tense. Although their backgrounds differed, what they shared was that neither possessed a high level of Inner Strength; both were only at the sixth layer.

Seeing that so many attendants could not subdue this person, they were naturally filled with terror.

Zi Ruiguang stared at Fan Yue with profound hatred, having firmly concluded that this must be an enemy of the latter. Otherwise, who in Tianluo City would dare offend someone from the Zi family?

The man hacked open the door and leaped in, instantly standing beside the pair. Just as they prepared to defend themselves, they felt a sharp pain in their hands as the man pierced them, leaving transparent holes.

They cried out miserably, no longer daring to move.

This man who descended from the sky was naturally He Yiming, whose fury had been burning ever since he overheard their secret discussion.

He glanced at his clothes and then at the large pile of quicklime tucked in the corner, promptly grabbing two handfuls to put on a good show.

Although he was a Xiantian expert, he was still young and felt no psychological burden about concealing his identity. Furthermore, using quicklime was a deliberate tactic; he figured any reasonably intelligent person would never imagine a Xiantian Master would resort to such measures.

Of course, this inspiration came from Fan Haoyue’s earlier words—since everyone assumed one thing, he would do the opposite.

Those few initial moves seemed perilous, but he managed them with apparent clumsiness. Now, holding his sword across his body in the carriage, the attendants dared not press closer, knowing that being blamed for causing the death of the Third Young Master would cost them their lives.

He Yiming deliberately pitched his voice high, shouting, "Fan Haoyue, I never thought you’d see this day!"

His words sounded intensely enraged, carrying such deep-seated hatred that even a deaf person could recognize it.

Fan Haoyue's face became extremely pale. He had never seen this man before, nor did he know how he had attracted the attention of this malevolent star.

"Senior... senior, you must have the wrong person..." Fan Haoyue pleaded, his voice on the verge of tears, "I am not..."

"Not?" He Yiming burst into cold laughter. "You are Fan Haoyue, the second son of Fan Shuhe of the Fan family in Jinlin Kingdom. When your family charged into my home years ago, I branded the faces of you three—father and sons—into my memory forever. Even if you turned to ash, I would recognize you."

Fan Haoyue's face instantly turned ashen. As their Fan family rose from a small household, they had destroyed quite a few minor noble families. Heaven knew which annihilated family this sharp-featured, monkey-like man was the remnant of. But at this point, he could no longer deny it.

"You... who exactly are you? Let me die knowing the truth..." Fan Haoyue rasped.

Hearing his admission, both Zi Ruiguang inside the carriage and the group of attendants outside breathed a collective sigh of relief. Although this man was audacious, hopefully, he had a specific target, seeking trouble only with Fan Haoyue.

He Yiming sneered, "After you three destroyed my entire family, I came to Tianluo City. So many years have passed; I thought I'd never have a chance for revenge, but Heaven has opened its eyes and delivered you right to me."

Zi Ruiguang quickly interjected, "Hero speaks truly. This man concealed his identity and defected to our Zi residence with clear wicked intentions. I beg the hero to kill him."

He Yiming spat, "You shared a carriage with this fellow, so you must be his friend. You deserve to die too."

Saying this, he made a sweeping gesture, and the sword flashed. A wound instantly appeared on Zi Ruiguang's neck, and a jet of fresh blood sprayed out.

Zi Ruiguang instinctively reached up to cover the wound, his face blank with shock. Then he slowly collapsed, his eyes vacant, never comprehending that he would meet such a meaningless end here.

He Yiming swiftly reached out, pinned the stunned Fan Haoyue under his arm, and then leaped out. With a swing of his sword, he forcefully cut a path through the crowd.

His movements were incredibly fast, his strikes like lightning. Before the others could fully process the death of the Third Young Master, he had already escaped.

Some attendants rushed to the carriage to check if the Third Young Master could still be saved; the rest turned to pursue.

However, after a brief moment, they discovered that this man's familiarity with the local environment far surpassed theirs. He deliberately squeezed into every nook and cranny, ultimately leading the pursuers further and further astray until he vanished completely.

Although they were also born in this city, as mere attendants of the Zi family, how could they possibly navigate the narrow alleys and slums used by commoners, alleys akin to dog tunnels?

Thus, they concluded that this man must have lived in such conditions for a long time; otherwise, he couldn't possibly be so familiar with them.

Yet, they were unaware that in this world, there existed a secret art known as 'Clairaudience' (Shun Feng Er).

By the time Zi Ruiwen arrived with reinforcements, all they found was utter chaos. Their third brother lay dead in a pool of blood, his eyes still holding that look of stunned disbelief.

The current head of the Zi family was naturally furious; any father losing a son instantly transforms into a raging beast.

Under his command, the deeds of the Fan family of Jinlin Kingdom were quickly investigated, and the facial features of Fan Haoyue were cross-referenced.

At this point, the truth became clear. The mysterious man was someone whose family had been wiped out by the Fan family. After his clan’s destruction, he had lived in seclusion among the commoners nearby. Today, upon suddenly spotting Fan Haoyue, he had risked his life for revenge.

As for Zi Ruiguang, he was purely collateral damage, killed casually in passing.

As for Fan Haoyue, he was likely abducted by this man to suffer cruel retribution. However, even if Fan Haoyue hadn't been taken, the Zi family already hated him to the core. If Fan Haoyue were to appear alive near them, the Zi family members themselves would be the first to deal with him.

Because of this incident, the Zi family launched a massive search across the entire city, even alarming the Royal Family, who dispatched personnel to assist the investigation. But the man seemed to have vanished completely from public view.

He Yiming flashed away. After leading his pursuers through several alleys, he accelerated, leaving them far behind, while he himself took Fan Haoyue out of the city.

Arriving at a deserted location, He Yiming threw him down heavily. He said in a deep voice, "Fan Haoyue, you managed to escape with your life from Jinlin Kingdom, yet instead of going into hiding, you chose to stir up trouble outside. You sought your own death; blame no one else."

Fan Haoyue seemed resigned to his fate. He sighed deeply, "Falling into your hands, it is my ill fortune. Go ahead and do it."

He Yiming's heart stirred slightly. "I heard that when you fled Jinlin Kingdom, you were carrying a stash of treasure."

Fan Haoyue finally understood why this person had gone to such lengths to capture him—it seemed that besides revenge, he was also coveting the wealth in his possession.

He gave a bitter laugh, looking at He Yiming with the gaze one reserves for an idiot. "Are you referring to the gold and silver Yuan Chengzhi gave me? Heh heh... did you really think that old man was that kind-hearted?" He took a deep breath and spoke with intense venom, "That old man gave me a large sum of gold and silver, and immediately after sending me out of the city, a group of bandits followed. They wanted to rob my money and take my life. Luckily, I narrowly survived a fall off a cliff, or I would already be dead." He paused, sounding somewhat disappointed, "If I still had that gold and silver, perhaps I would have found a quiet place in the countryside to settle down, but with empty hands, what can I do..."

He Yiming paused, sighing inwardly. It turned out Yuan Chengzhi had left contingency plans. If only he had known that Fan Haoyue hadn't died and had nearly brought terrible danger to his daughter.

If Yuan Chengzhi had known the situation, perhaps he wouldn't have made that decision.

He Yiming pondered for a moment. "I overheard your conversation just now. You seem to hate He Yiming to the bone. Why is that?"

A look of grimacing fury flashed across Fan Haoyue's face. "They all say I caused the downfall of the Fan family; they say it was me!"

He Yiming was greatly perplexed and asked, "How could you have caused the downfall of the Fan family?"

Fan Haoyue's face twitched slightly, his eyes filled with terror, as if recalling something deeply unforgettable.

He Yiming frowned slightly and gently patted him. A chilling energy instantly surged into his body, causing him to shudder violently and regain clarity.

He still looked at He Yiming with lingering fear. Finally, he swallowed twice and said, "The house servants who fled back said... they said that He Yiming was the person who passed by our caravan on the red steed. It was because I conceived the idea of stealing that prized horse that he went to the Yuan family and helped them kill Master Lü Xinwen and my father's elder brother..." Fear returned to his face, "It wasn't me, I really had nothing to do with it."

He Yiming remained silent, slightly shaking his head. As the person involved, he knew for a fact that it had nothing to do with him. Regardless of whether he had intended to steal his Crimson Silk Horse, his journey to the Yuan family in Jinlin was inevitable.

He couldn't guess what those fleeing Fan family servants might have told him to cause such terror, making him almost neurotic.

"You wanted revenge against those close to He Yiming because he killed Lü Xinwen, is that it?" He Yiming asked casually.

Fan Haoyue’s face contorted fiercely. "I want revenge not only on Yuan Lixun but also on He Yiming! I will widely publicize the fact that that idiot Zi Ruiguang desired He Yiming's woman. I will make the Zi family and He Yiming irreconcilable enemies! I want He Yiming to meet a terrible end!"

He Yiming couldn't help but shiver as he looked at the bloodshot-eyed Fan Haoyue, who seemed ready to explode at any moment. His heart grew cold.

It turned out that when a person reaches a dead end, they can become incredibly insane.

At the same time, he gained a realization: when someone is driven mad, their actions cannot be judged by common sense. Even a minor figure at the mere sixth layer of Inner Strength can sometimes exert unimaginable destructive power.

If Yuan Lixun hadn't recognized this person and allowed him to overhear their conversation this time... the subsequent events would have been unimaginable.

Not only would Yuan Lixun have died, but he would have also created an enmity between himself and the Tianluo Zi family. Even if the Zi family handed over Zi Ruiguang, it might not have quelled his rage.

If the Zi family were truly uprooted, not only would Shui Xuanjin stand by and watch, but perhaps the entire Tianluo Kingdom would turn against him.

If his own family were ultimately implicated...

He Yiming drew a deep, cold breath, his eyes blazing with killing intent.

However, upon hearing this sigh, Fan Haoyue, who had been on the brink of madness, suddenly calmed down. He seemed to sense his end was near, or perhaps recalled something. He rasped, "Who exactly are you, sir? Can you tell me the truth, so I can die knowing?"

He Yiming was momentarily stunned. "What did you say?"

Fan Haoyue gave a bitter smile. "I just suddenly remembered that every time Father went to annihilate an opposing family, he always took Elder Brother along. As my cultivation was too low and inconvenient, the three of us—father and sons—never acted together once. But you just repeatedly claimed the three of us charged into your home together—that's impossible."

He Yiming broke into a cold sweat, realizing this was the flaw in his narrative.

He thought for a moment, looking at the pleading look in the other's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, a peculiar change spread across his face.

Fan Haoyue's eyes widened gradually until they were round with shock.

He finally saw clearly: the face before him was intensely familiar, a memory deeply etched into his bones, impossible to forget.

"You, you..." His voice trembled slightly. "He Yiming."

"That's right. Tell me yourself, haven't you brought this upon yourself?" He Yiming said calmly.

A flash of understanding crossed Fan Haoyue's eyes. He finally realized why this person insisted on killing Zi Ruiguang as well—it was to eliminate any future trouble.

His teeth chattered. Only now did true fear grip him.

He Yiming reached out and struck him once; a powerful force instantly severed the vitality within his body.

Subsequently, He Yiming tossed him into a dense thicket, not even bothering to dig a shallow grave.

This man's wickedness had utterly exceeded He Yiming's personal moral boundaries. When dealing with Lü Xinwen and Fan Haori, He Yiming didn't mind burying them properly. But for this man, although He Yiming wouldn't stoop to torture, he certainly wouldn't dig a grave for him either.

Taking one last look at the corpse, He Yiming turned and left. He pushed his speed to the absolute limit; even entering or exiting the city walls in broad daylight, he remained unseen by anyone.

As for what happened to Fan Haoyue's body after he left—whether it was devoured by wild beasts or discovered and buried by others—it was no longer his concern.

However, this incident instilled in He Yiming a subtle sense of impending crisis.

Ps: The first three days of the month are all 15,000-word updates! White Crane's hand is a bit uncomfortable; typing has been very tiring these past few days. I really can't hold on tomorrow, so I’ll just do a 10,000-word update, haha...

Monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, brothers and sisters, please don't hold back; let White Crane fly! Amen!