The sound of pounding hooves split the air.
Yin Fengxian's hand went instantly to his sword.
Steel hissed as the blade left its sheath...its sudden gleam drawing every gaze toward him.
The shift in the air was unmistakable.
The wind turned, the snowfall thickened, and the bright morning dimmed into something more like dusk.
Danger was here.
Lady Mei Ying's eyes hardened.
Without hesitation, she gathered the children, herding them into the carriage. Her own sword was already in hand, the cold edge ready for what was coming.
And then....the riders appeared.
A massive formation of horses surged closer, their presence pressing down on the world like a storm.
The moment their banners became visible, hearts sank and blood ran cold.
Yanlog Clan.
Meilan Clan.
Fuzi Xion Clan.
Linyan Clan.
And the officials of the Xuemo Sect themselves.
It was not just an arrival...it was a convergence of power.
The scent of betrayal hung in the air, bitter and suffocating.
Then, from behind their ranks, a single rider pushed forward.
The hooves of his steed struck the earth like hammer blows.
It was him.
Master Azhai Rong.
The trap had already been sprung.
He swung down from his horse with practiced grace, his voice spilling poison into the frozen air the moment his feet touched the ground.
"Comrades… I told you.....no matter how much sweet water you pour on a bitter tree, its bitterness will never fade."
His eyes locked on Yin Fengxian, and he smiled...slow, triumphant, as though he had already claimed the world in his grasp.
Then came the venom.
Pointing a finger at Master Ren Zhou, he spoke with deliberate cruelty....
"This man… is of the bloodline of the one who began this ruin years ago. Lin Chaoyuan."
The words fell like oil on open flame.
The officials dismounted at once, swords rasping from their scabbards.
The truth was that the poison had already been poured into their ears the night before.
This confrontation was nothing but theater now.....
And in their eyes, they already saw Lin Chaoyuan standing before them.