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"A rotten tree cannot bear good fruits..."
The tale began where another had ended.
The Kingdom of Xin Dao stretched across vast mountains, rivers, seas, forests, lakes, towns, and cities, and while powerful beasts and ancient demons lurked in some regions, they rarely disturbed the peace of the whole land.
Even whispers of war, though frightening, had not led to conflict in many years.
But now, the entire kingdom was shaken.
Almost everywhere, people were asking:
"Who is Xue Shengren?! (Blood Sage)"
"Who is this man who defeated two top martial clans in just three days?!"
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In Camellia City, capital of the Eastern Region, dawn broke with a cold breeze and falling snow. Lanterns swayed gently above busy streets already full of life.
A red-faced man struggled to drag two braying donkeys, causing laughter among passersby. Children played with kites and wooden swords, while men hauled goods and women bustled past with baskets and babies on their backs.
Vendors shouted from both sides of the road, selling fruits, fabrics, and hot food. Amid the noise, one topic rose above all.
"Can you believe this happened right here in Camellia City?" said a fruit seller, arranging apples.
"And so soon after New Year! From joy to mourning!"
"So many died... The entire sect wiped out. How can they show their faces again?"
"Even the Zhao clan's Head and their twelve top cultivators were killed!"
"Really?" asked another, bumping into his own cart. His cabbages tumbled onto the road, drawing laughter.
"Have you been living under a rock?" someone scoffed. "Use your ears at least! The news is everywhere!"
"But some of them were in the White Realm! Who could defeat them all?"
"I heard their corpses were barely recognizable."
"Yes, completely disfigured."
"Aiyu..." They shuddered.
A proper burial was a sign of respect. Without a proper body, how could the dead rest?
"The attack didn't begin here. First was the Southern Dragon Clan. Over twenty cultivators died. Clan Leader Wang, his wife, and son were brutally killed. The coffin maker lost his only son, so even with this sudden business, he has no joy."
"A cruel twist. He'll make a grand coffin for his own son, but who will inherit his earnings?"
"Now the Wang Clan has no leader. That useless illegitimate son became clan head overnight."
"Wang Feiyang? He's trash! Low cultivation at twenty-three and scared of his own shadow!"
"Still better than here. The last Zhao descendant vanished five years ago."
"Zhao Lanfeng? *Wo-peh! The clan trash! At least Wang Feiyang can cultivate. Zhao Lanfeng has no spirit power!"
"And he dared accuse the Clan Leader of killing his mother? He can never rule! *Cui!"
(*spitting gesture)
"But listen... I heard something wild." One man lowered his voice. "I heard Xue Shengren is Zhao LanFeng."
"Ei?! Are pigs flying? Say something believable!"
"Why not? His mother was wicked too. A rotten tree doesn't bear good fruits!"
"That's not the issue. How did a useless trash become so powerful...?!"
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This was a question that bothered the entire Wulin.
And when the Wulin was disturbed, so was the kingdom.
Zhao Lanfeng had no spirit power and disappeared five years ago. Now Xue Shengren emerged, killing two ruling clans. And not just any clans...
He killed six White Realm cultivators, ten Black Realm, and countless Purple Realm fighters.
Almost a hundred cultivators in total.
How powerful was this Sage?
"Are we next?"
"Is our clan next?"
"Did I offend Zhao LanFeng in the past?"
Everyone wondered endlessly.
If he truly was Xue Shengren, what gave him this power? How had he struck two distant clans within three days?
The Eastern and Southern regions were nearly twelve days apart by carriage, or five to eight by boat. Even sword-flying cultivators couldn't move that fast without draining their qi.
Did he use a teleportation talisman?
Possible. But even with one clan, his strength should've been weakened. So how did he still destroy the second one?
Even worse, there was no clear description of him.
"He was tiny! White-faced and scary!"
"I didn't see anything! I swear!"
"His figure was like grass!"
"He looked like a demon!"
"He was all black!"
Nothing made sense.
So many questions…
Who was Xue Shengren?
Was he really Zhao Lanfeng?
If yes, where did the power come from?
What was his goal?
Would he attack the remaining two clans?
How had he moved so fast?
For the first time in years, the Wulin leaders met. Their goal was clear:
Capture Xue Shengren!
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But elsewhere... a more secretive group of men who operated in the shadows had a different goal.
They knew Xue Shengren already posed a threat. They had recently stolen something from him, and that theft had led to the bloodshed.
If he truly was Zhao LanFeng, then investigating him could unearth secrets best left buried.
So their goal was clear:
Kill Xue Shengren!
.
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The 'Tea Haven' was a noisy old inn on the edge of Camellia City. Men and a few women ate their morning meals there, sipping cheap tea to escape the snow.
Servant boys rushed between battered tables, and a lone musician plucked the *guzheng. Outside, the wind howled like a second instrument.
(*Chinese harp)
Laughter and crude gossip filled the air.
Most of it was about affairs, household dramas, or taxes. But today, the top topic was still Xue Shengren.
"Maybe Clan Leader Zhao wasn't a good man, but did he deserve to die like that? Their corpses were terrifying!"
"Not one corpse left whole. Just how deep was his grudge?"
"They got what they deserved!" one man muttered.
He had once been part of the Zhao Clan. Two years ago, Clan Leader Zhao crippled him and his son just for becoming too strong.
"If I ever meet Xue Shengren, I'll kowtow ten times!" he said hatefully.
"Shhh! Are you crazy?! He's the enemy of the entire Wulin!" Others looked around nervously.
In a corner, a stranger smiled under a wide bamboo hat.
"This name, Xue Shengren... Who even came up with it?" she thought, swirling a cup of wine.
Unlike the tea around her, her cup held something stronger and she lifted it to her nose with a smile.
"Mmm... Twenty? Thirty years old wine?" She had stolen it, of course, so she didn't know the wine's age.
She didn't gulp it down. She tasted it slowly, savoring the burn.
"Hao jiu!" she called out. (Good wine!)
Several patrons turned to stare.
She filled her cup four more times and drank again, ignoring the shifting conversations around her.
"Aiya... Drinking this early in the morning!"
"This place doesn't even sell wine!"
"Cui! His wife must not have prayed hard enough before marriage!"
They thought she was a drunk man, judging by the long black veil and her loose clothes, and no one could see her face.
And none guessed that this tiny figure... was the same Xue Shengren who had shaken all of Xin Dao.
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