This token is the personal emblem of Master Wangmen, with which one can temporarily command disciples below the elders. The fat man holding it is a trusted confidant of Master Wangmen, rumored to be his close cousin. Therefore, any messages or orders from Master Wangmen are conveyed through him.
Not long ago, this man was hastily given this token by Master Wangmen to summon Elder Li for a discussion on the mountain. However, after delivering the order, he felt it was too exhausting to descend from Sunset Peak and immediately rush back up. Relying on his favor, he insisted on staying at Li's residence for a while to rest before returning to the peak.
Helpless, Elder Li had to agree, but he didn't dare delay. He hurriedly went to Sunset Peak with Zhang Xue'er and several other disciples.
Shortly after, a major incident occurred on the mountain. Being extremely timid, the fat man naturally refused to go back alone.
The people in the courtyard were mostly family members of the Seven Xuanmen disciples living nearby. Most of them had no martial arts skills, so when chaos erupted, they panicked and didn't know what to do.
Fortunately, Ma Rong was quick-witted. He promptly requested the help of over twenty subordinates left behind by Li Feiyu to gather these people together, preventing them from wandering aimlessly in the dark and encountering any mishaps.
Because this place was relatively remote, nestled in a mountain hollow, although they heard alarms and cries for help, the people here were unaware of the specific events happening outside.
After managing everything, Ma Rong planned to send some people to gather information outside. However, the fat man, who knew nothing of martial arts, suddenly appeared and not only stopped the investigation but also usurped Ma Rong's command over these foreign disciples using the token. He then intended to stay put here, doing nothing like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
Ma Rong understood the importance of understanding the enemy's situation. He argued with the fat man several times, but each time, the fat man, who was extremely afraid of death, suppressed him with Master Wangmen's token. He even forbade Ma Rong from personally investigating, treating Ma Rong as a tool for his own survival.
Thus, Ma Rong was frantic in the living room, feeling as helpless as ants on a hot pan, unable to do anything about the fat man who understood nothing. He knew that disobeying orders and acting without authorization in the Seven Xuanmen were serious crimes, ranging from being expelled from the sect to being executed by a blade. So even though he knew something earth-shattering was happening outside and the sect might be facing a life-or-death situation, he couldn't move from here.
While Ma Rong was wishing he could just slap the so-called superior in front of him to death, Han Li and Li Feiyu were completely unaware of what was happening here, still rushing here at full speed.
On the way, they encountered signs of the enemy. They avoided them as much as possible, trying to conceal their tracks until they were only a mile away from Elder Li's residence, where they were suddenly met head-on by a group of people in blue clothes, unable to hide their figures anymore, and finally had their first direct confrontation with the enemy.
Now, a dozen or so blue-clothed men with steel knives surrounded them from all sides, trapping them in the middle.
From their walking styles, most of the men with a white line embroidered on their sleeves had the worst martial arts skills. The two men with two white lines on their sleeves were much better, but the highest was the man with three white lines and a scar on his face, who was obviously the leader of this group.
The scarred man at the front was carefully observing the few people trapped by his subordinates, feeling somewhat puzzled.
This was understandable. Among these people, Li Feiyu was currently disheveled, dirty, and torn, looking like a mountain laborer; while Han Li seemed lifeless, with dark skin, resembling a rural farmer who knew nothing of martial arts. The only one who could pose a threat to them was the tall figure wearing a bamboo hat, covered in bloodstains, known as Qu Hun.
These three odd individuals standing together even made the leader, who considered himself an experienced figure in the martial world, feel perplexed.
He signaled to his subordinates to be on guard, then shouted loudly at the opposite side, "Whoever you are, Seven Xuanmen is finished now. Surrender, and I might spare your lives!"
Han Li smiled and turned to Li Feiyu, saying, "Who will make a move? You or Qu Hun?"
Upon hearing this, Li Feiyu's eyes flashed with fierceness, and he said in a stern voice, "From the attire, these people should be low-level disciples of the Duanshui Sect. I've been chased by the Wild Wolf Gang for so long, let me vent my anger on them first! Besides, I could use their weapons."
Having said that, he dashed out like a rainbow, instantly reaching the nearest blue-clothed man.
The man was taken aback. Just as he was about to wield his steel knife, he felt a lightness in his hand, and the knife was already in the hands of the enemy in front of him. He hastily retreated in panic, but it was too late. After a flash of white light in front of his eyes, he was decapitated.
Li Feiyu's series of actions were clean and efficient, as fast as lightning. Before the other Duanshui Sect disciples could react, he had already taken the knives and killed someone.
The remaining men's faces changed dramatically, especially the scarred leader, who was the most skilled among them. He felt the heaviest sinking in his heart. He knew very well that they had encountered an extraordinary master, far beyond their abilities to contend with. Therefore, he decisively ordered, "Retreat, everyone! Whoever can run, run! Send a signal quickly, call for reinforcements from the experts!"
The sentence alerted other Qing people. In an instant, they scattered in all directions, some even running while reaching into their pockets, presumably to retrieve the so-called signal. Among them, one Qing person with two white lines embroidered on his robe ran the fastest, escaping several yards away in just a few steps. He felt a sense of relief, thinking he might survive, but suddenly felt a cold sensation on the back of his neck. A half-inch-long sword tip shot out from his throat, then disappeared without a trace. He was horrified, trying to scream but finding himself powerless, his body going limp as he collapsed to the ground, unable to move. It was then he realized he had been stabbed from behind. He couldn't understand why he died so quickly despite having fled so far. With great effort, he turned his head to see his final moments: a dark figure appearing behind a Qing person who had run the farthest, effortlessly striking with a sword before vanishing again, only to reappear behind another fellow Qing member, repeating the process. Witnessing this, the Qing person smiled calmly as he knew he wouldn't be alone in death. Many would soon join him, as the ghostly figure wouldn't spare any of them.
