In the desolate wilderness, under the cover of a dark and windy night, it was a time for murder and plunder, as well as a time to vanquish demons and exorcise evil. The only question was whether righteousness would prevail, or whether evil would triumph.

Outside a dilapidated ancient temple in the Shuishui Kingdom, cheerful laughter echoed, eventually followed by the sound of knocking. The burly, bearded man glanced at Chen Ping’an, then at Zhang Shanfeng, teasingly asking, “Which of you two will greet the guests? If I open the door, I fear I’ll frighten the female demons. What if they turn tail and run without a word?”

The Daoist, Zhang Shanfeng, patted his chest. “This humble Daoist is a bit more handsome than Chen Ping’an…”

Liu Chicheng, jolted awake by the demon-detecting bell, was still half-asleep. Upon hearing “female demons,” he immediately thought of the alluring fox spirits and seductive ghosts from folklore. Courage surged through him, and he hurriedly scrambled up from his makeshift bed, exclaiming, “I’ll go, I’ll go! The whimsical spirits in books always favor gentle scholars. You three are all carrying blades and swords; I’m the most suitable. But let me make one thing clear: If we encounter good demons, we’ll talk it over nicely. If they’re willing to spend a romantic evening with me, you mustn’t interfere. But if we run into evil ghouls who eat hearts, you must save me!”

Liu Chicheng eagerly scurried to open the door. A sudden gust of wind roared in, nearly blinding the impoverished scholar. He felt a fragrant breeze pass by, accompanied by two melodious, coquettish voices, and a silk sleeve brushed against his face, its smooth and delicate texture leaving him somewhat intoxicated. He quickly closed the door. When the mountain wind subsided, he turned around and was stunned by the sight of three stunningly beautiful women. Two of them, giggling, ran toward the fire, near the bearded man and his companions. Their curvaceous figures, even from the back, made Liu Chicheng’s heart flutter. The other, a petite maiden in a light pink dress and embroidered shoes, stood shyly not far from Liu Chicheng, nervously twisting her dress. Compared to her two unrestrainedly beautiful sisters, she appeared demure and charming in Liu Chicheng’s eyes.

The bearded man was sitting cross-legged, drinking. The two lavishly dressed women, their chests revealing enticing expanses of snowy white skin, made the young Daoist blush. Chen Ping’an was tending to the fire, adding dry branches that crackled crisply as they burned.

The two “well-endowed” beauties, their eyes sparkling, quickly chose their preferred targets. One sat beside the young Daoist, the other near Chen Ping’an. The bearded man, who had already opened his arms in anticipation, froze, then awkwardly resumed his drinking to hide his embarrassment.

The alluring woman beside Zhang Shanfeng held onto her collar, seemingly out of modesty to conceal her charms, but actually subtly pushing down, making her clothes appear even tighter and fuller. She nudged the young Daoist with her shoulder and purred, “Oh, young Daoist priest, you’re carrying a wooden sword. Is it a legendary peach wood sword? Why don’t you draw it and let this sister see if it’s long or short?”

The Daoist Zhang Shanfeng’s ears turned crimson, and he dared not reply.

The woman snuggling close to Chen Ping’an, with her delicate oval face and flirtatious eyes, extended slender hands like jade-white scallions, and said in a soft voice, “This young master, my sisters and I are traveling at night, and the mountain wind is so strong that my little hands are freezing. Won’t you touch them and see?”

Chen Ping’an pointed to the fire and said, “If your hands are cold, ladies, just warm them by the fire. They’ll soon be warm.”

The maiden in the pink dress and embroidered shoes did not join the revelry, but squatted alone near the fire, lowering her head and extending her hands. Liu Chicheng sat beside her, proactively striking up a conversation with a smile. “Little girl, are you from the Shuishui Kingdom?”

The maiden nodded lightly, raising her head, her eyelashes fluttering, seeming hesitant to speak.

The bearded man glanced at the edge of the maiden’s embroidered shoes, then at the two flirtatious women, and said with a smile, “Apart from this little girl’s shoes being a bit muddy, why are the two elder sisters still so spotless after walking such a long mountain road? Could it be that you’re mountain-dwelling ghosts or spirits? Then the four of us are in trouble. In that case, I only ask that the two sisters grant us a quick death. It’s romantic to die beneath the peony blossoms. Hehe, I wonder what the sisters think?”

Liu Chicheng said with a chuckle, “These two elder sisters are so beautiful; how could they be ghosts? Appearances reflect the heart; impossible, impossible. Even if, just for argument’s sake, they are ghosts, they must be kind ghosts who bring fragrance. Tonight, we’ll enjoy the flowers and drink wine together. Although we’re separated by the realms of yin and yang, it’s a meeting of humans and ghosts. To be able to share a cup of wine amidst the peach blossoms and spring breeze is a truly elegant affair. Sisters, am I right? But please don’t accidentally reveal your frightening ghostly forms while drinking; that would be a pity.”

The two alluring women exchanged smiles. After causing mischief to humans for over a century, this was truly the first time they’d encountered such carefree individuals. Were they simply fearless due to their exceptional skills, or were they naive newcomers who knew nothing of the power and ferocity of mountain spirits and monsters? One covered her mouth and giggled, while the other simply burst into laughter, her body swaying back and forth, her snowy white chest making Liu Chicheng gulp repeatedly.

The maiden suddenly raised her head, revealing a deathly pale face, and screamed, “Run! They are…”

The smiling beauty across from her frowned. With a flick of her long sleeve, she struck the maiden’s forehead, knocking her backward. A red swelling appeared between her eyebrows.

Liu Chicheng was terrified.

Almost simultaneously, the Daoist Zhang Shanfeng formed a sword incantation with two fingers, and the peach wood sword behind him instantly flew out, tracing a swift arc in the air, directly piercing the attacking woman’s back. The woman collapsed to the ground, with no gushing of blood. The spiritually glowing wooden sword seemed to have merely struck a voluminous garment.

The woman’s face and body twisted hideously. Clearly, she was not a spirit who had cultivated a human form, but a bodiless ghost. Black smoke billowed from her entire body as she struggled to escape the vicinity of the fire, but she was unable to break free from the peach wood sword pinning her to the ground, like a wild beast chained by an iron chain.

The Daoist Zhang Shanfeng chanted an incantation, causing the peach wood sword to glow brilliantly. The female ghost could no longer maintain her human form.

A burst of saber energy erupted. The bearded man had swiftly drawn his blade, which flashed through the flames like a celestial being forging a divine weapon. Flames spread across the blade, resembling fiery dragons coiling around it. Then, Xu Yuanxia struck down with a single blow, cleaving the female ghost, whose soul was pinned down by the peach wood sword, into nothing but wisps of black smoke. The black smoke, meeting the divine weapon radiating with qi and light, immediately dissipated, and the female ghost’s piercing scream reverberated through the ancient temple.

Xu Yuanxia turned his head, somewhat embarrassed.

Chen Ping’an was mimicking the action of grabbing someone’s neck with one hand while raining punches with the other, striking the female ghost’s chest until the black smoke had thinned and dissipated, almost entirely gone.

Similarly, he had destroyed the female ghost. Chen Ping’an’s actions were silent and ruthless, a cruel and devastating act.

Liu Chicheng wasn’t stupid. Disregarding any thoughts of tenderness, he scrambled away from the fallen maiden, running behind the three companions.

The maiden struggled to sit up, tears welling in her eyes. “Run, quickly! Our Matron will be here soon…”

Before she could finish, the demon-detecting bell began to shake violently again. The main door was blasted open by a powerful gust of yin wind that struck the maiden’s back. She coughed up blood, and her petite frame was blown across the fire, toward the young Daoist and the bearded man. Xu Yuanxia quickly sheathed his long saber to avoid harming the innocent. But at that instant, the maiden revealed a cunning smile. Her hands moved like lightning, striking Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng several times on their chests. Rebounding slightly, the maiden stood in the fire, lightly playing with the roaring flames with her embroidered shoes. The burning embers and flames couldn’t harm her in the slightest.

Ignoring the paralyzed bearded man and young Daoist, she kicked away the peach wood sword, the tip of her embroidered shoe scorching slightly upon contact. She looked down at the back-carrying youth, the only one still able to fight, and said with a playful smile, “If you’re willing to flee, I can let you go.”

Outside the main door, yin winds howled, and several men and women wielding black banners, surrounded by ghostly energy, appeared, looking at the maiden in the temple with fervent eyes, shouting, “Matron’s power is unmatched! May she live for ten thousand years!”

Chen Ping’an stood up and asked, “Are you human or ghost?”

The “Matron,” in the form of a maiden, said with a sinister smile, “The human heart is a ghostly domain; the human heart comes before the ghostly domain. This shows that your human hearts are even more terrifying. This immortal has been in this place in the Shuishui Kingdom for two hundred years. I have a specialty dish called ‘stir-fried heart and liver,’ which must be made with freshly harvested hearts and livers and a large amount of spicy seasoning, otherwise the earthy, gamey taste is too strong and makes it impossible to eat. But there are exceptions. A few years ago, an old Daoist priest passed by here. His Daoist skills were not weak; he killed many of the obedient girls under my command. That Daoist priest had a superior heart and liver, a rare and delicious taste. I wonder what the taste of you four outsiders will be like, since you have good skills. I suppose it won’t be too bad. The physique and soul of a trained person are ultimately better than those of ordinary mortals…”

From far, far away outside the ancient temple, an extremely clear, elderly voice rang out, “Suitable for offering the sword.”

The maiden’s face changed drastically.

At the main door, sword light flashed, and the heads of those tyrannical yin creatures rolled to the ground. Under those sword lights, they were as vulnerable as living humans, with no chance of survival after their heads were severed.

Soon, a black-clad old man with a wooden expression strode across the threshold, a scabbard hanging from his waist, accompanied by a drawn longsword. The bronze blade was covered in cracks and showed no signs of sword qi or spiritual light, but when the rusty longsword hovered quietly beside the old man, it still possessed an indescribable deterrent force.

Pure sword qi, abundant sword intent, and formidable swordsmanship.

Wandering the martial world, there is always a mountain higher than the last.

The maiden clearly knew the man’s identity. Her fingernails, as long as ten silver hooks, her back hunched, she stared intently at the black-clad old man, saying with a fierce but intimidated tone, “Song Yushao, are you, a martial artist, going to become enemies with us, the Four Fiends of Shuishui? Do you believe we’ll join forces and level your Sword Water Manor?!”

The old man’s gaze was calm as he looked at this notorious demonic figure of the Shuishui Kingdom and slowly said, “Are you a fool?”