Clearwater Town looked peaceful under the pale glow of the waning moon.But Li Han's instincts — and the faint pulse of danger from his cultivation senses — told him otherwise.
He left the Old Lantern Inn with deliberate calm, his coin pouch hidden beneath his robe. His goal was simple: deliver herbs to Madam Xue before the sect's outer market opened at dawn.
Halfway down Willow Street, he noticed it.No dogs barking.No drunks staggering home.No creak of late-night shutters.
The town was too quiet.
From the corner ahead, a shadow detached itself. Then another. Then three more. Soon, figures emerged from every alley — over a dozen men, their black sashes glinting faintly under the moonlight.
At their head stood Scarface Hao, his jagged scar twisting into a cruel grin.
"You should've left town when you had the chance, boy," Hao growled. "Now we'll make sure you stay — under the ground."
[System Warning]Host surrounded – Enemy Count: 14Escape routes: BlockedRecommended Action: Engage or Force Breakthrough
Li Han's gaze swept the street.The barrels on the left — full of lamp oil.The rope bridge above — could be cut.And the cart behind the gang — loaded with sacks of grain, heavy enough to block a path.
The old Li Han might have hesitated.The new Li Han? He moved.
The first thug charged, swinging a club. Li Han sidestepped, grabbed the man's wrist, and used his momentum to fling him into the barrels. Oil splashed across the cobblestones.
Two more rushed from the side. Li Han's palm struck the first in the solar plexus, and his foot swept the other's legs.
He yanked a dagger from the fallen man's belt and hurled it upward. The blade sliced through the rope bridge's supports. The wooden planks crashed down, smashing into three advancing thugs.
Hao roared in anger, charging in with a cleaver the size of a forearm. Li Han ducked under the first swing, feeling the wind of the blade skim past his cheek.
They exchanged three rapid blows — steel against forearm, fist against scarred jaw — until Hao's raw strength forced Li Han back a step.
"You fight well," Hao spat blood, "but let's see how you do burning."
He kicked a torch from a thug's hand into the oil-soaked street.
Flames roared to life, bathing the alley in gold and orange. Smoke billowed, cutting off the escape routes.
[System Notification]Environmental Hazard Detected – Oxygen depletion in progress.
Just when the heat became unbearable, a thin whistle cut through the chaos.The flames guttered as a sudden wind swept down the alley, scattering embers.
From the rooftops above, a plain-robed figure dropped into the fray — the same man who had visited Li Han the night before.
"I told you," he said, tossing Li Han a short spear, "this is only the beginning."
With a single sweeping strike, the man's palm slammed into Hao's chest, sending the scarred leader flying into a wall.
The gang faltered. Some tried to flee, only to find the plain-robed man already there, blocking their escape.
In the confusion, Li Han struck like lightning — every blow precise, every step lethal.
When the dust settled, the alley was silent except for the groans of the wounded.
The man handed Li Han a folded slip of paper."Burn this after reading. The elder behind the Black Serpents won't stop. If you want to live, you'll have to stop him first."
Li Han stared at the slip, feeling the weight of a much larger game pressing in on him.
[System Update]Main Quest Expanded: "Strike at the Root" – Objective: Identify and eliminate the sect elder backing the Black Serpent Gang.Reward: High-tier cultivation manual.
Far away, in a dimly lit sect chamber, an old man in crimson robes sipped tea, his expression calm."So," he murmured, "my little pawn met resistance."
He smiled faintly."Good. The board's more interesting this way."