The night was ink-black. Hundreds gathered in the training grounds of Teng Family Village, illuminated by torches planted in the earth.

The great gates swung open.

The Black Armored Army's personal guards marched into the grounds. Teng Qingshan leaped from his horse first, Qingyu following closely behind him.

“Grandfather,” Teng Qingshan rushed first to his grandfather, ‘Teng Yunlong.’

“Qingshan, Qingyu, come with me.” Teng Yunlong grasped Qingshan’s arm and led them toward Qingshan’s home. “Your mother is ill and resting there.”

“Sick?” Teng Qingshan had sensed the wrong atmosphere upon entering the village, and hearing his mother was ill fueled a worse premonition. The thought of what might have happened sent a sharp pang through his heart, a dull ache behind his eyes. No, this could not happen! It absolutely would not!

They walked the path home.

“Grandfather, is my father alright?” Teng Qingshan still refused to accept his own terrifying guess. Logic dictated it, but his heart rebelled against acceptance.

“Grandfather,” Qingyu looked to Teng Yunlong as well.

Teng Yunlong stopped, turned to face Qingshan and Qingyu, hesitated slightly, and then said, “Your father and the others were taken by Qinghu Island. You must have learned that from Yong Lei. And just this evening, Qing Hao returned!”

“Brother Qing Hao is back? Where is my father?” Qingyu asked quickly.

“Qing Hao said that in the evening, Qinghu Island ordered the slaughter of all hunters! Yong Xiang fought desperately and threw Qing Hao clear. Yong Xiang was killed on the spot… As for your father, Yong Fan, he was surrounded by a group of Silver Jiao Army soldiers. Qing Hao did not witness Yong Fan’s death with his own eyes,” Teng Yunlong stated.

“Father…”

Qingyu’s face went instantly pale, and tears streamed down immediately.

Teng Qingshan swayed slightly. He held his head, closed his eyes, and after a long moment, opened them again—his eyes faintly bloodshot.

“My father… he hasn't returned yet?” Teng Qingshan asked in a low voice.

Teng Qingshan knew the strength of the Silver Jiao Army and his father’s capabilities. He could vividly picture the scene; his father’s chance of survival was less than one in ten! If his father had truly escaped, Qing Hao would have returned to the village by evening. Even if delayed, his father should be back by now.

“He hasn’t returned,” Teng Yunlong confirmed.

“Hasn’t returned?” Teng Qingshan’s heart seized with tremors. Veins bulged on his forehead.

For one terrifying moment—

Teng Qingshan’s mind was utterly blank!

“He’s dead?” Teng Qingshan cried out, instinctively pressing both fists against his head, his entire body trembling lightly.

One only understands true value upon loss.

In his previous life, Teng Qingshan had no parents; he was an orphan! Because of this, he treasured his parents in this life with exceptional intensity. He was always obedient to his mother and father and savored the warmth of their care… something he lacked in his former existence. This was his most precious wealth in this life!

Mother and Father!

From a very, very young age, Teng Qingshan had sworn to protect them, to ensure they lived well, and to make them proud of him!

This was why, even when gangs in Yicheng bullied Teng Family Village, Teng Qingshan suppressed his fury and refrained from striking back, all for the sake of his parents and this warm clan! To prevent his recklessness from endangering them! Against those bandits, if the clan was threatened, he acted in secret… and when he acted, it was always fatal! Never involving the clan!

Killing Fourth Master Hong!

Killing those men from the White Horse Camp!

It was all the same principle!

No one could harm his parents, absolutely no one!

“I forbid it, I forbid anyone from hurting my mother and father, no matter who they are!” Veins throbbed on Teng Qingshan’s forehead. In this life, from birth until this moment, Teng Qingshan had never been so enraged. The fire of wrath was consuming his reason, and a fierce killing intent roared in his soul—

Kill them!

Kill them!

Kill everyone!

These voices roared incessantly in his mind, sending waves of furious heat crashing over him!

“Qinghu Island, Qinghu Island!” Teng Qingshan’s gaze was like that of a starving lone wolf, terrifying beyond anything seen before.

Teng Yunlong, noticing Qingshan’s reddened eyes, bulging veins, and the terrifying madness in his gaze, cried out repeatedly, “Qingshan! Qingshan!”

“Grandfather,” Teng Qingshan looked back at his grandfather. Having undergone assassin training, Teng Qingshan rarely lost control of his emotions. Unless his absolute core was struck. And just now, he had lost it. Of course, as soon as Teng Qingshan realized it, he swiftly drew back the heaven-reaching fury, suppressing it deep within his heart!

Anger! It was not for his relatives to see! It was a weapon to be used for punishment upon his enemies!

“Qingyu, stop crying,” Teng Yunlong took his granddaughter’s hand. “Come, let’s go see your mother. Remember, no crying, comfort her well, understood?”

“Mmm,” Qingyu nodded, sobbing.

Teng Qingshan nodded silently too. He knew too well… the depth of his parents’ affection. If his father was gone, his mother would suffer the most agonizing pain.

…

The familiar courtyard, the familiar main hall.

“Later, comfort your mother well,” Teng Yunlong instructed before pushing open the door.

Creeeeak!

The door opened, and the dim lamplight from the side room illuminated a woman in a red padded jacket sitting beside the bed, tending to Yuan Lan, who lay under the covers. Teng Qingshan and his sister stepped into the side room.

The moment he saw his mother’s appearance, Teng Qingshan’s heart clenched.

Her face was ashen, her lips pale, sweat beaded on her brow, and streaks of white hair were visible among her dark locks. Only half a year had passed since he last saw her, yet… his mother had aged drastically.

“Mother,” Qingyu couldn't help but burst into tears.

Yuan Lan, lying on the bed, stirred, her brow twitching slightly. She opened her eyes and saw her son and daughter in the room. She slowly reached out, her dry lips parting: “Qingshan, Qingyu.” Teng Qingshan and Teng Qingyu rushed instantly to the bedside, taking her hands. Yuan Lan looked at her two children, gazing and gazing…

“Cough. Cough…” Suddenly, Yuan Lan began to cough, a sickly flush appearing on her face.

“Mother!” Qingyu gasped in alarm.

Teng Qingshan immediately retrieved the wine gourd from the satchel on his back. “Grandfather, fetch a cup.”

“Alright.” Although puzzled, Teng Yunlong hurried into the main hall and brought back a wine cup, handing it to Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan immediately poured half a cup of Scarlet Fruit Wine.

“Mother, drink this,” Teng Qingshan instructed.

Yuan Lan looked at her son. A faint smile touched her pale face, and then she drank the half-cup of Scarlet Fruit Wine. The medicinal effect of the wine wasn’t strong and wouldn't harm the body, but Teng Qingshan worried that his mother, so weak, might suffer if the supplement was too potent. Thus, a small amount.

Immediately, Yuan Lan’s complexion turned rosy, and even her sallow hair seemed to regain some blackness. She appeared notably younger.

“Mmm, much better,” Yuan Lan managed a weak smile.

“Mother…” Bitterness welled up in Teng Qingshan’s heart.

He saw that her complexion had indeed improved, and her physical state was boosted by the wine. But… a sickness of the heart is difficult to cure! Looking at the dim, almost despairing powerlessness in his mother’s eyes, Teng Qingshan understood this reality! Even the mightiest expert, worn down by utter despair, would soon perish.

Spirit and Vitality. Man’s ‘Spirit’ is the most crucial element.

When the Spirit scatters, one dies.

The Scarlet Fruit Wine could alter physique, but his mother, consumed by sorrow, was already mentally exhausted.

“It makes me happy to see you both,” Yuan Lan said with a forced smile. “But Qingshan… Mother has no other wish now but for your father’s body to be returned. The thought of him lying exposed in the wilderness, eaten by beasts, tortures me… but I can do nothing.” Tears began to flow from Yuan Lan’s eyes.

“Mmm, mmm, I will absolutely bring Father’s body back,” Teng Qingshan nodded repeatedly, his own vision blurring with tears.

…

In the room where Teng Qingshan used to live, adjacent to the courtyard.

Teng Qingshan and Teng Yunlong stood inside.

“Your mother’s condition is dire,” Teng Yunlong sighed. “In the past, when our Teng Family Village was bullied by bandits and men died, women deeply in love would often fall ill from grief and die quickly. Wounds of the heart are the hardest to heal.” Teng Yunlong had seen it too many times.

Death by heartbreak—it was a wound of the spirit! Only spiritual medicine could cure it. For Yuan Lan, whose grief was absolute, she would only recover if Teng Yongfan were alive before her. Recovery depended only on her own will to live.

“I understand,” Teng Qingshan said grimly. “Grandfather, prepare now. Have the entire Teng Clan relocate to Jiangning Commandery City.”

“What?” Teng Yunlong was stunned.

“It will be much safer inside the city. That territory belongs to the Guiyuan Sect,” Teng Qingshan retrieved a sheepskin package from his robes, opened it, and revealed a stack of gold deposit notes. “Grandfather, this is a gold certificate for one hundred thousand taels of gold! Even buying shops and renting them out within the city would be enough to support the entire clan.”

Teng Yunlong stared at the stack of gold notes, astounded. One hundred thousand taels of gold—that was ten million taels of silver! A staggering sum!

“And this is the Scarlet Fruit Wine. I have prepared this for the village as well,” Teng Qingshan produced the wine flask. “This Scarlet Fruit Wine, even a frail woman drinking a cup can increase her strength by over a thousand catties. A healthy man drinking a cup could gain enough strength to lift a thousand catties.”

Teng Yunlong found it unbelievable.

…

When he personally drank a cup and felt an immediate surge of three thousand catties of immense strength, Teng Yunlong was utterly shocked and immediately treated the Scarlet Fruit Wine as a supreme treasure for the clan. In truth, given Teng Yunlong’s physique, he could have handled an increase of six or seven thousand catties at once, but he drank sparingly.

That night, Teng Yunlong immediately summoned many members of the clan and began preparations for an emergency move.

However—

Relocating over two thousand people meant myriad logistics. But under Teng Yunlong’s strict orders, many items like pots and pans were left behind; only clothing and the ancestral tablets from the shrine were taken. By the pre-dawn hours, the two thousand-plus people, using the personal guards’ warhorses to pull whatever meager possessions remained, were finally assembled.

As dawn faintly broke.

The clansmen were somber, reluctant to leave the ancestral land where generations had lived.

“Everyone, stop being sad!” Teng Yunlong boomed. “Even great sects can fall one day. Here in the countryside, our Teng Family Village will always live in fear. Once we reach the city! Even if sect wars erupt, they won’t touch the common folk in the city. Let’s go… This is a great thing!”

Everyone understood. Moving to the city was beneficial.

It was just the reluctance to leave their home.

…

The people of Teng Family Village moved eastward in a throng. Hundreds of strong young men from the clan, protected by the Black Armored Army personnel, formed a protective force terrifying enough to scare off any bandit. Within Jiangning Commandery, who did not know the Black Armored Army? No one dared to rob them here.

Not even Qinghu Island dared!

Once they understood the trump card held by the Guiyuan Sect, Qinghu Island would not lightly provoke them again.

**

At the Three-Forked Crossroads.

“We are about to leave the range of the Great Yan Mountains. There should be no more men from Qinghu Island. Qingyu, take good care of Mother on the road,” Teng Qingshan said.

“What about you, Brother?” Qingyu worried.

“I have matters to attend to. At the very least, I must recover the bodies of my Uncle and Father,” Teng Qingshan replied. How could he simply return to Jiangning Commandery? The rage suppressed in his heart was already making his head feel ready to burst. He could not endure this savage anger!

“Mmm,” Qingyu nodded.

Teng Qingshan ensured the group reached the boundary of the Great Yan Mountains to guard against Qinghu Island operatives. However, the journey had been clear of any Silver Jiao Army soldiers.

The two thousand-plus people slowly advanced eastward.

“Qing Hao,” Teng Qingshan called out, standing by the roadside.

“Qingshan,” Teng Qinghao approached. Teng Qingshan asked in a low voice, “Where are the bodies of your father and my father?”

“They are in the Gourd Gorge, southwest of the Great Yan Mountains. At the bottom of the gorge, there is a bottomless pit. We hunted there years ago; do you remember?” Teng Qinghao replied. Teng Qingshan nodded… He had captained the hunting team for six years.

He knew every corner of the Great Yan Mountains.

There were several bottomless pits in the Great Yan Mountains, but Teng Qingshan hadn't paid them much mind. These ‘sinkholes,’ resembling karst pits, were common in his previous life due to geological shifts causing soil collapse. He had never explored them.

“The bottomless pit in Gourd Gorge,” Teng Qingshan frowned. “Why would Qinghu Island look for a bottomless pit?”

Teng Qinghao related, “Those bastards from Qinghu Island rounded up a large group of hunters. First, they asked if we had seen any palaces in the Great Yan Mountains. We all said no… Then they asked if we knew of any deep shafts or pools leading underground. We hunters guided them to those places.”

“Underground? A palace?” Teng Qingshan deduced the connection easily.

…

Teng Qingshan followed the western edge of the Great Yan Mountains until he saw Teng Family Village. Standing on the mountain slope, looking down at the empty village, a wave of desolation washed over him.

At six years old, he had lifted the hundred-catty stone in that very training ground; his father had been so excited he’d nearly drunk himself into a stupor that night, and the clan argued over whether to send him to the Guiyuan Sect.

The first time he went hunting and brought back a snow ferret and a wolf king—the cheers of the villagers still echoed in his memory.

At fourteen, when the second-in-command of the Iron Mountain Gang attacked, he had stepped in, stunning the aggressor.

These memories were indelible.

“This is the root of my Teng Clan! And today, relocation is necessary, all because of… Qinghu Island!!!” Teng Qingshan never imagined Qinghu Island would come for a simple countryman. “Father is dead, and Mother…” Teng Qingshan understood clearly.

If this continued, his mother’s heart would fail, and she wouldn't live long.

Mother and Father!

In this life, Teng Qingshan valued them above all else, even his own life! And Qinghu Island had stripped that away!

“For Mother and Father, I could endure anything, endure all that could be borne! Now, that is gone!” The rage suppressed in Teng Qingshan’s chest roared. His eyes were faintly bloodshot. The death of his wife, ‘Little Cat,’ in his past life had driven him to madness; in a single rage, he had hunted down the Red Organization and annihilated it entirely!

And in this life, the fury burning within him was no less than that time!

This was his vital weakness!

This was his reverse scale!

Everyone has something most precious. When that most valued thing is plundered, even the gentlest person will erupt in madness. Moreover… Teng Qingshan was inherently a lone wolf who had merely restrained his claws! A wolf raised in bloodshed since the age of seven in his past life!

Now, there was no need for restraint!

Teng Qingshan’s only thought was—Kill! Kill!! Kill!!!

Using every assassin skill learned in his past life! Using the special abilities granted by his Inner Strength martial arts!

Kill without hesitation… by any means necessary!

Unleashing all the rage bottled up within, requiring no tolerance, only slaughter!!!

“Qinghu Island…” Teng Qingshan unbuckled his satchel. First, he donned the human-skin mask—the mask of the scarred middle-aged man. Then, he fitted the Sky-Claw Gauntlets. His bones let out subtle grinding sounds as the seven-foot-six-inch (1.9-meter) Teng Qingshan compressed his frame down to seven-foot-two (1.8 meters), his body appearing significantly bulkier.

Teng Qingshan’s gaze turned frigid, like that of a lone wolf looking toward the deep mountains!

He was alone!

No attachments remained!

“Let it begin!” Teng Qingshan shot forward instantly, vanishing into the forest.