As the setting sun cast its final light over Xiangu County's eastern gate, the day drawing to its close, a heavy layer of evening cold had already begun settling in.At that moment, Ruan Fengshan rode through the East City Gate, entering the city on horseback.Traveling alone, dust-covered from days of hard riding, his face bore clear signs of exhaustion.At dusk, pedestrians were scarce on the streets—nearly year's end now, with most shops having sold their remaining stock that morning, effectively closing by midday.Combined with the bitter cold, few people ventured outside at this hour.As Ruan Fengshan rode past the City God Temple, he glanced up and suddenly reined in his horse.He spotted a strip of black cloth hanging from the temple's corner, fluttering in the breeze, a wind chime ringing crisply as the fabric danced...Something shifted in Ruan Fengshan's expression. Clearly, significant events had unfolded in Xiangu County during his brief absence at the prefectural city. Th

The notice conveniently omitted any mention of Mo Qian's role in exposing the case, instead crediting a secret agent deployed by Shen Yanliu, who had allegedly infiltrated Wei Yutian's household as a servant and discovered his Cult affiliation, ultimately exposing the entire operation.This revision had been Tang Wanhong's suggestion, ensuring the case's credit would be attributed entirely to Shen Yanliu.What had originally been a chance discovery was transformed into a deliberate, calculated operation—Shen Yanliu's extensive network of secret agents proactively uncovering and dismantling a significant Filthy Blood Cult stronghold. Though only a single detail had been altered, the entire nature of the case's narrative shifted completely.Another notable point in the notice concerned Sun Huang specifically.In truth, Luan Jingfu had been killed by Yu Lieting, leader of the Jiuchong branch—but the official notice claimed both Luan Jingfu and Wei Yutian had been personally captured and

The moment he stepped through the doorway, Yang Zhen flung a document at him, his tone cold. "Care to explain yourself? Were you ever planning to tell me about your cultivation level? Or about registering for the sect's disciple selection? Or did you intend to keep all of this hidden from me entirely?"Startled, Mo Qian picked up the scattered documents from the floor—it was indeed the registration list for the sect's disciple selection, complete with detailed information about each applicant.Mo Qian offered a rueful smile. "I was planning to tell you eventually. You never really gave me the chance, did you?"Watching Mo Qian's smile, something tightened in Yang Zhen's chest. He understood, deep down, that Mo Qian's silence had been an act of consideration—preserving whatever pride remained to him. Yet even after Yang Zhen's hostile confrontation moments earlier, Mo Qian hadn't turned against him in anger. This made clear that Mo Qian's character had grown to match, if not exceed, hi

The figure wore dark night clothes with his face concealed. He lay flat atop the wall, surveying the scene below. Spotting the yellow lamplight within the courtyard, he suddenly ducked his head and retreated back down the wall's far side.Beyond the wall, a faint whisper carried through the cold night air, eerie as a ghost's murmur.Then a second shadow appeared atop the wall, eyes scanning the courtyard carefully before spotting the lamplit window. This one dropped down into the courtyard, moved carefully across the open ground, and approached the glowing window, discovering a small broken hole in the paper.Peering through the hole into the room, the man spotted Liu Eying asleep in bed, the bedside lamp's wick already trimmed low...He straightened, then beckoned to two others waiting beyond the wall.Two more shadows scaled the wall, crossed the courtyard, and joined the first man beside the window.The one who'd arrived last produced a stick of incense, while another retrieved a s

Once their expressions had eased somewhat, the old temple keeper asked, "Mouse, what happened to you two? It's freezing in the twelfth month, and you were strung up out there. Had I come by even an hour later, you two might well have frozen to death."Hearing this, both Wang Chun and Mouse's expressions turned distinctly uneasy, the terrifying, otherworldly events of the previous night flooding back into their minds.Mouse looked at the old temple keeper, his lips trembling, and asked with a strange, haunted expression, "Old keeper... do you believe ghosts truly exist in this world?"The old temple keeper's eyes flickered thoughtfully. Suspecting the two men had simply fallen victim to some trickster's scheme, he said, "This world holds many strange arts and evil skills—ghosts don't simply wander about among the living!"Fear flooded Mouse's expression as he murmured, "Old keeper, you don't understand—that was a real ghost! A genuine vengeful spirit!""He waved his hand from a conside