Wei Changle stared at the two severed heads in the snow, and for a moment, he felt as though he couldn’t breathe.

Although the heads were bloodied and mangled, he still recognized them.

The innkeeper and the worker from the tavern!

He had given them silver and a horse, instructing the worker to take the innkeeper and flee south, far away from trouble.

But they couldn’t escape their fate in the end.

Having lived two lifetimes, Wei Changle had seen much of the world in his past life, yet he had never encountered human heads in such a visceral and real way before.

However, upon seeing these two blood-soaked heads, he felt no fear—only anger.

The innkeeper had run the tavern in such a remote area, far from any signs of humanity, all to earn a little extra silver so his family could live a better life. And now, he had met such a tragic end.

Wei Changle could only imagine the hardship that the innkeeper’s family would now endure.

The young worker, only just starting his life, had his entire future ahead of him. But now, it had all been cut short.

And these people… these people treated human lives like grass, snuffing them out so easily and without remorse.

"Hiding fugitives and thinking you could run off with silver," the man in the fanged mask rasped, his voice hoarse. He held up a pouch of silver in his hand, weighing it mockingly. "Did you think it would be so easy to take silver from the authorities? Fu Wenjun, you should know—you’re the real cause of their deaths."

Fu Wenjun swept her gaze over him coldly, her expression like ice.

Wei Changle’s voice, however, was eerily calm. "Are you in league with the group called Night Crying Wolves?"

"Night Crying Wolves?" The fanged-masked man sneered. "They’re nothing more than a pack of stray dogs, not even worthy of mention alongside us. Over twenty of them failed to kill a single woman—utterly useless."

"So, you don’t care about Song Kun’s life?" Wei Changle smirked. "The commander of Shanyin, Song Kun, is in our hands."

The man on the far right of the group burst into laughter. "The commander? The lives of the Night Crying Wolves aren’t worth a thing. If one commander dies, two more can be promoted. Do you honestly think a mere Song Kun, who’s not even worth as much as a dog, can be used to threaten us, Wei Changle?"

He wore a white ghost mask, making his appearance even more menacing.

Wei Changle nodded slightly. "So, you’re two separate groups, but you share the same goal—you’re all here for Lady Fu."

"Wei Changle, we have no personal grudge against you and no reason to kill you," the man in the white ghost mask said impatiently. "Get lost."

It was clear that these people already knew who Wei Changle was.

"And what if I refuse to leave?"

The white ghost laughed heartily. "Young man, don’t be reckless. The iron cavalry of the Wei family isn’t here to back you up."

At this moment, Old Wei Gu had already arrived by Wei Changle’s side. When he saw the two heads in the snow, he shook his head and sighed. "What a tragedy."

"Old Wei, he’s asking us to leave. What do you think—should we go?" Wei Changle’s sharp gaze swept over the four riders on the other side as he asked lightly.

Old Wei Gu sighed. "Second Young Master, at this point, even if I dragged you away, you wouldn’t go. Fine, let’s deal with this once and for all."

"Oh?" Wei Changle glanced at Old Wei Gu. "And how should we deal with it?"

"I know you’re angry, Second Young Master." Wei Gu’s tone was as calm as ever. "The Wei family has always had a simple way of handling matters: when faced with enemies, draw your blade and exterminate them completely."

Wei Changle raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You’ve had a change of heart?"

"Second Young Master," Wei Gu said seriously, "the Wei family never starts trouble lightly. But when trouble finds us, we never back down. These bastards have committed atrocities and killed innocent people—they deserve to die. There’s nothing more to it."

For a moment, Wei Changle felt as though Old Wei Gu was radiating a divine aura.

"I always knew you were a master in disguise," Wei Changle said with satisfaction, clenching a fist. He spoke coldly, "Uncle Gu, don’t go easy on these animals. Kill them all."

Old Wei Gu hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly admitted, "Second Young Master… I… I can’t beat them."

What the—!

The riders on the other side could hear everything clearly. Upon hearing this, they all burst out laughing, their mockery brimming with disdain.

"Exterminate completely?" The rider on the left of the fanged-masked man sneered coldly. "You’re right. Exterminate completely. Wei Changle, if you want to die, then go ahead and join her in the grave. You’ll die here, silently, with no one the wiser."

This rider wore a black ghost mask. From beneath the mask, his snake-like eyes gleamed with a chilling malice.

The fanged-masked man turned his head toward the black ghost-masked man. "What did you just say?"

"If we let him leave today, he’ll bring trouble later," the black ghost said coldly. "Destroy the bodies and erase all traces. Only then can we ensure no consequences for ourselves."

The White Ghost nodded in agreement. "Third Brother is right. We've carried out dozens of jobs without a single mistake. If we let Wei Changle go today, there’s no guarantee that the Wei family won’t track us down later. Making them disappear without a trace is the only way to ensure no future trouble."

Finally, Fu Wenjun, who had remained silent until now, spoke: "The Three Spirits of Lüliang, deadly as graves. Whoever hired you must have paid a hefty sum."

"Lady Fu is indeed perceptive, even knowing about our brothers' origins," the White Ghost said, shaking the reins lightly as his horse stepped forward. "Lady Fu, as long as you surrender and come with us, there’s still room to negotiate. But if you insist on—" Before he could finish his sentence, he abruptly waved his left hand, and in the dark of the night, several cold stars shot out like meteors, heading straight for Fu Wenjun.

He was only three or four steps away from her and had deliberately spoken to distract her attention before launching the concealed weapons. Clearly, he intended to catch her off guard.

A sharp whinny sounded from the horse as one of the projectiles struck Fu Wenjun's mount.

Using the momentum, Fu Wenjun pushed off with her feet, leaping gracefully into the air like a butterfly.

As she ascended, her right hand tore off the gray cloak she was wearing. With a twist of her arm, she spun the cloak to intercept the flying projectiles. In just an instant, the concealed weapons were all wrapped within the folds of the cloak.

This all occurred in the blink of an eye.

Not giving her opponent any chance to react, Fu Wenjun whipped her right arm, flinging the bundled cloak and its contents back with even greater speed.

The White Ghost hadn’t anticipated this move. With a startled cry, he tried to leap from his horse, but his speed was no match for Fu Wenjun’s. Just as his body left the saddle, the concealed weapons struck him with a series of sharp "thuds."

His body, propelled by the force of his jump, rose briefly before plummeting to the snow-covered ground with a heavy thud, twitching violently.

"Help me…!" the White Ghost screamed in a shrill voice. "Poison… it’s poisoned…!"

By now, Fu Wenjun had landed steadily on her feet, though her horse lay on the ground convulsing, and Song Kun had been thrown to the side.

Wei Changle’s eyes widened in disbelief at Fu Wenjun’s remarkable skill.

On reflection, it made sense. For her to travel alone, Fu Wenjun couldn’t possibly be an ordinary person.

With a delayed realization, Wei Changle mentally reprimanded himself for underestimating her.

The White Ghost twitched a few more times before falling still.

Wei Changle noticed the venom-coated concealed weapons and realized that the White Ghost had been resolute in his intent to kill Fu Wenjun. However, he and his group had clearly underestimated her capabilities and ended up paying the price.

Before Wei Changle could process his thoughts further, the sound of another horse charging rang out. The Fanged Masked Man spurred his mount toward Fu Wenjun, while the Black Ghost quickly followed suit. Only the man furthest to the left remained frozen in place, seemingly too stunned to react.

Seeing this, Wei Changle didn’t hesitate. Clamping his legs against his horse's flanks, he charged forward and positioned himself in front of the Black Ghost to block his path.

The Black Ghost was momentarily startled before shouting, "Move aside!"

"Kill me!" Wei Changle’s eyes glinted like blades as he retorted coldly, "If you can’t kill me, I’ll be the one to kill you!"

He knew Fu Wenjun was more than capable of handling herself in a one-on-one fight.

Of the four assassins, one—White Ghost—had already poisoned himself to death, and another remained immobilized. Only two were actively attacking Fu Wenjun. If Wei Changle could hold off the Black Ghost, even without defeating him, it would buy enough time for Fu Wenjun to deal with the Fanged Masked Man.

At that moment, the Fanged Masked Man reached out with his right hand, revealing a bizarre weapon.

It was a long iron chain with a spiked iron ball at the end. The spiked ball shot forward like a venomous snake, flying straight at Fu Wenjun.

Fu Wenjun twisted her waist elegantly, spinning like a whirlwind. Though her figure was curvaceous, her movements were light and agile, allowing her to dodge the attack effortlessly.

As she evaded, a silk rope appeared in her right hand. With a graceful flick of her arm, the rope darted out like a serpent, coiling around the iron chain in an instant. Before the Fanged Masked Man could react, Fu Wenjun pushed off with her feet, her body gliding backward. The rope tightened with a sharp snap, pulling the iron chain taut and yanking it straight out of the Fanged Masked Man’s grip.

[--------------------------------------------]

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