In the dead of night, on a deserted street in Kuhai County, the piled-up snow remained unswept. Two sets of footprints, one rge and one small, stretched into the distance. After the flying snow had paused, the cold moonlight once again spilled over this corner of the world. At the end of the road, a little girl was supporting an old man, taking one step at a time.

  The girl was about seven years old, with twin ponytails and a red rattle drum in her hand. Her little face was as white and clean as a porcein doll.

  The old man had a broad back, his hair and beard were white, and his face was serene and kindly.

  He held the little girl's hand with his left hand, while his right sleeve swung back and forth as he walked.

  Yes, the old man was missing an arm.

  He led the little girl, walking and stopping, stopping and walking. When the little girl grew tired, he sat with her on the steps of an unknown house, taking out a piece of hard, dry bread for her to nibble on.

  The grinding of her white teeth against the bread echoed with a creaking sound on the empty street.

  The little girl was patient, carefully finishing the bread before tilting her head to ask the old man:

  "Grandpa Xu, who are we looking for?"

  The old man looked at her indulgently, stroking her hair, and said softly:

  "Silly child, we're not looking for anyone."

  The little girl's eyes showed confusion. She looked up at the stars and murmured:

  "But didn't that uncle say yesterday that we should find a sister…"

  The old man whispered:

  "We can't look for her; we have to hide from her."

  The little girl didn't understand, blinking her sleepy eyes:

  "Why?"

  The old man gazed into the distance of the alley, as if facing a mountain of knives and a sea of fire.

  "Because she's a monster."

  The little girl excimed in surprise, suddenly intrigued, her dark eyes swirling with curiosity.

  "Grandpa Xu, are there really monsters in this world?"

  The old man was very certain:

  "Of course."

  "Fire can't kill her, and bdes can't harm her. What else could she be but a monster?"

  "This arm of mine was lost to her."

  The little girl understood, her eyes lighting up:

  "I see, Grandpa Xu, we're pretending to look for her!"

  The old man chuckled:

  "Smart girl!"

  He withdrew his gaze, suddenly looking up, and gently patted the little girl's back.

  "Little Lamb, you head back first. Grandpa will take a walk while the snow isn't falling and come home ter."

  The little girl obediently nodded.

  "Okay!"

  She slowly stood up, brushed the snow off her clothes with her small hands, and walked towards the end of the street. Once her small figure was completely swallowed by the darkness, a dozen or so shadows appeared on the eaves above, seemingly out of nowhere.

  These shadows arrived silently, as if they had been following the old man all along, or had simply materialized.

  A young, cold female voice spoke from the eaves:

  "Old Xu, Hei Chan has lost contact."

  The old man, with his back turned, stood up and sighed:

  "Impatient for success, unwilling to heed good advice."

  "Every year, Wangchuan sees young people with ambitions higher than the sky and lives as fragile as paper."

  He paused, his eyebrows knitting together:

  "What a pity. Though eager for fame, he was indeed a promising talent in martial arts. I heard he came from a certain cn in Huaibei, broke through the Dragon Chant Realm at a young age, and was considered a master in the Martial World, but as…"

  A middle-aged man with a hook at his waist asked in a deep voice:

  "Old Xu, the woman who escaped from Wind City… who is she?"

  The old man stepped down the stairs, moving to the center of the street, following the footprints left by the little girl.

  As he walked, the shadows on the eaves followed.

  "Don't ask too much. I'll give you one piece of advice—this job is untouchable."

  "We came because we couldn't refuse."

  "This bounty came from the Royal City, with a reward of a hundred thousand taels of gold, involving figures of the highest echelons. Money is just the surface; power is the core. No matter who is wanted, appearances must be maintained."

  "But we can't handle this person. If you see her, keep your distance, don't lose your life in vain."

  The old man's words displeased the shadows.

  The previous cold woman spoke again, her voice filled with killing intent:

  "Anyone who enters Wangchuan, as long as there's money, who dares not kill?"

  "No matter how powerful she is, she's not a Celestial Being. Why can't we act?"

  "This time, at least a hundred people from Wangchuan have come to Kuhai County, a force considered top-tier in the Martial World of the four nations. Old Xu, aren't you overestimating others?"

  "That fire didn't kill her back then, she was lucky. This time… she won't be so fortunate."

  Old Xu waved his hand dismissively:

  "I've said all I can. If you want to earn merit and rise in rank, go ahead and try."

  "Kuhai County isn't big, and there are plenty of local snakes. If you really want to find someone, it's simple."

  "If this succeeds, it has nothing to do with me. I'm old and ck ambition, I won't compete for credit with you."

  The shadows on the eaves watched him walk away, no longer following.

  Under the moon, the cold wind howled, blowing the blue sashes at their waists, carrying their killing intent to an unknown distance…