City officials were thrown into chaos upon discovering that the city gate, built to withstand the ravages of war, had been unbelievably shattered and damaged. Even during wartime sieges, destroying such a massive and sturdy gate would be no easy feat. Yet now, the gate stood broken. Eyewitnesses recounted wildly different stories: some claimed a massive fireball had blasted it open, while others swore a giant hammer had smashed it to pieces. Regardless of the tale, the responsible officials were left with a colossal headache. If such an incident were reported to their superiors, many heads would surely roll. Thus, a resolution had to be found. In the end, a consortium of major merchants in Wei City stepped forward to bear the cost of the damages and arrange for the gate's repair as swiftly as possible.

  Tonight, the number of armed guards patrolling the area had to be doubled or tripled, as the East Gate could no longer bar entry or exit.

  Although night had fallen, the people still debated the numerous events that had transpired during the day. Roadside stalls and inns bustled with activity, despite the fact that the day's events had resulted in no small number of injuries and deaths. They spoke of the hunt for the "Lecherous Bandit" Jin Tianwang, whose footwork was swifter than a hound's; of the terrifying sword skills of two giants clashing before the city gate; of the gate itself being blasted open with a hole large enough for a person to pass through; and of the defeat of the fast swordsman named Zhao Xianzhi.

  At a small tavern beside the great bridge, selling strong "Iron Liquor"—a spicy, potent drink that could knock a large man flat after just two bowls—a young man sat, having already consumed over a jar, still drinking.

  The young man had pale skin, narrow eyes, and thin red lips. As he lifted the bowl to drink the Iron Liquor one bowl at a time, his pale skin looked even paler, his narrow eyes even narrower, and his thin red lips even redder. Passersby in Wei City recognized this young man instantly. He was Zhao Xianzhi, the swordsman once hailed as the fastest.

  In Zhao Xianzhi's hand, there was no sword—only a liquor bowl. He sat drinking the Iron Liquor like a liquor demon.

  Zhao Xianzhi had to become a liquor demon because he could no longer be the fastest swordsman. Had he still been the fastest, he wouldn’t have suffered defeat. ... Since Zhao Xianzhi could no longer be the fastest swordsman, he could no longer be a person.

  There was no longer the "Fast Sword" Zhao Xianzhi. Moreover, the secret of the mechanism at the end of his scabbard had been exposed. People now looked down on his skills, calling them mere parlor tricks using toy mechanisms. Life often worked this way: defeat brought shame and scorn—sometimes in words, sometimes in just a look. The people in this small tavern were doing exactly that to Zhao Xianzhi.

  "Do you all have dogs for ancestors? If you aren't barking, you're begging with your eyes," a woman's voice rang out, seemingly scolding the crowd on Zhao Xianzhi's behalf. A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl with sharp features, dressed in dark orange, walked in.

  "Your father is the dog, you dog-mouthed woman!" a man shouted, standing up aggressively. Suddenly, a glowing light shot toward the man who had stood up, and his left ear was severed. The light passed him, then circled back, slicing off half of his right ear.

  Three other men who were drinking with the victim lunged at the fierce woman. The glowing light appeared again, shooting straight for the throat of the man leading the charge. The light did not stop there; after piercing his throat, it flew toward the two men following him. Moving in an arc, it curved left, then tilted right, and hooked back left again. With this trajectory, it slashed the throats of both men instantly.

  This woman in dark orange had struck only twice but defeated four men. Her skills were incredibly ruthless. She turned to stare at Zhao Xianzhi's face, her fierce eyes conveying some meaning, like the warning of a close friend who understood him well.

  Zhao Xianzhi felt ashamed. He stood up abruptly, grabbed the chair he had been sitting on with his right hand, and smashed it onto the table. The table shattered along with the chair. One leg of the chair remained in his hand, and he used it as a weapon, swinging it at the people around him who had just been looking at him with disdain.

  These people only knew how to mock the hopeless. When they saw that Zhao Xianzhi intended to attack them, they fled for their lives, causing a chaotic riot.

  After his outburst, Zhao Xianzhi felt somewhat relieved. He realized that even though he was defeated, he could start over—start anew in a new place free of people who knew of his failure. But starting over would require immense physical and mental strength. He was still a young man, strong as a tiger or lion physically. The hard part would be the mental strength. Therefore, he could not be without Tie Guanyong. She was his greatest source of strength. Zhao Xianzhi looked around again. The woman in dark orange had vanished. So, he journeyed back home—a warm home where the woman he loved waited for him.

  The three-story building in the center was a structure of three connected shop units. The leftmost room was the place Zhao Xianzhi called home. Built of hardwood planks arranged in an interlocking pattern, it was extremely sturdy. But tonight, the familiar home seemed strangely cold. Zhao Xianzhi's instincts told him so. The door would have been bolted long ago, but that could not stop Zhao Xianzhi from entering. He went to the narrow alley at the back and climbed up to the second-floor window. The interior of this house was etched in his memory. This window would lead him to the hallway connecting to the third-floor stairs.

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  Zhao Xianzhi entered without anyone noticing his return. In his heart, he didn't want anyone to know he was back either. Zhao Xianzhi felt that he had changed. When he left this house in the morning, he was still the fastest swordsman—"Fast Sword" Zhao Xianzhi, who had never been defeated. But now, he was different.

  Though everything had changed, Zhao Xianzhi hoped that Tie Guanyong had not. That she was still waiting for his return, still willing to start over with him. Every step he took was filled with thoughts, fear, and anxiety. Time seemed to freeze, becoming incredibly slow. He could even feel his own heartbeat. But then, a seductive laugh rang out from above. That sound nearly shattered Zhao Xianzhi's heart, for he recognized that seductive laugh all too well.

  The slow feeling turned rapid, but his heart beat even faster. He pushed open the room door and rushed straight toward the bed, the source of that laughter.

  Between the door and the bed stood a round table in the center of the room. On the table lay a saber and a sword. Zhao Xianzhi grabbed the sword from the table, gripping it tightly before thrusting it toward the bed with incredible speed.

  Zhao Xianzhi's body launched toward the naked man and woman on the bed. The man suddenly grabbed the woman's body to block the incoming sword. Only then did Zhao Xianzhi clearly see the naked woman. She was indeed Tie Guanyong—the woman whose voice he could recognize even if blind, whose scent he knew, whose touch he remembered precisely. Thus, the sword in his hand deviated.

  Tie Guanyong felt no small amount of panic seeing her own sword thrust straight at her naked body, only to deviate slightly, sparing her from death.

  The naked man behind her seized the opportunity to spin around, frantically grabbing the blanket and sheets to wrap himself and cover his shame before smashing through the window to escape.

  Zhao Xianzhi's body stiffened like a log as he locked eyes with Tie Guanyong for a moment. Then, he too leaped out the window, shouting, "Li Sibei, I will kill you!"

  "The Reckless Blade" Li Sibei was the man making love on the bed with "The Everlasting Love Sword" Tie Guanyong. When Zhao Xianzhi burst in so suddenly, he was startled. Now realizing the intruder was Zhao Xianzhi, why should he flee any longer? His only regret was that his blade was still in that bedroom. Now he had to stand on the street, using bedding to cover only half of his massive body, clutching it with his left hand. His face showed extreme annoyance.

  "Go die!" Zhao Xianzhi shouted, thrusting his sword.

  Li Sibei merely extended his right hand in a chop. The palm transformed into a blade arc rushing toward Zhao Xianzhi.

  Zhao Xianzhi, whose speed was unmatched, was now so consumed by jealousy that he forgot himself. He made no attempt to dodge, using his flesh and blood to meet the palm strike. Li Sibei saw Zhao Xianzhi attacking him recklessly. Even if his palm struck Zhao Xianzhi dead, he himself would still be harmed by the thrusting sword. He was forced to switch footwork and retreat.

  Zhao Xianzhi, turning madness into martial skill upon seeing Li Sibei dare not clash directly, pursued and swung his sword in an arc.

  What kind of person was Li Sibei? His retreat was not out of fear or flight, but merely to create distance specifically to deal with Zhao Xianzhi. When Zhao Xianzhi switched from a thrust to a sweeping slash, it fit Li Sibei's intention perfectly. He suddenly used his right hand to grab the right hand swinging the sword toward him. Then, releasing his left hand from clutching the bedding covering his body, he turned it into a fist and punched Zhao Xianzhi squarely in the face.

  Zhao Xianzhi, mad as a raging bull, never expected Li Sibei to be shameless enough to stand naked in the middle of the street—even if it was night, the street wasn't entirely empty. Li Sibei's fist struck his face solidly. His entire body flew with the force of the punch, rolling on the ground for over two wa.

  The naked Li Sibei continued to advance toward Zhao Xianzhi, who lay on the ground like a corpse, intending to strike a palm to end the brat's life. But after taking only three steps, a glowing light shot toward him. He had to tilt his body to dodge. However, the glowing light did not pass by; it curved back to attack his back again. Li Sibei, though startled, did not lose his composure. He whipped his left hand around, creating a blade arc that knocked the glowing light to the ground. He then showed a slightly shocked expression and shouted, "Fairy Flying Knife!" concluding his words with a mid-air roll to escape, naked body and all.

  Even "The Reckless Blade" Li Sibei would not think to face the Fairy Flying Knife without his weapon.

  Suddenly, the woman in the orange outfit appeared, walking toward Zhao Xianzhi and speaking, "Not dead yet, are you?"

  Zhao Xianzhi, lying face down, let out an incoherent sound, "Ugh."

  "If I hadn't saved you, you would have died at the hands of that shameless man."

  Zhao Xianzhi did not reply, only roaring while his face was still pressed against the ground, "Waah!"

  "My name is Zhou Songyi. From now on, I am the master of your life. You are my slave."

  Zhao Xianzhi still did not answer, but the name Zhou Songyi sank into his thoughts strangely.

  "As a slave, you are no longer a person. You must erase your past. Be only an Earth Demon serving me until death."

  Zhao Xianzhi listened to the woman in front of him and felt it made perfect sense. He should no longer be a person. He should erase all his past. If he became her slave, why did he need to be Zhao Xianzhi anymore? Why not be an Earth Demon? Excellent. Thinking this, he spoke, "I am your slave. I will serve you until death. I am the Earth Demon."

  "The Earth Demon cannot be weak and powerless. Get up and follow me." With these words, Zhou Songyi walked away.

  Zhao Xianzhi stood up and followed the woman he had just met, willing to be a servant until the end of his life.

  The martial world was undergoing change again. Now, a woman using the Fairy Flying Knife technique was roaming the martial world. The Fairy Flying Knife was one of the supreme techniques of the Demonic Sect in the past that people feared. Its return to the martial world—did it mean the Demonic Sect would return to cause trouble again? A number of martial artists witnessed the events of this night. This story would surely reach the ears of the Virtue Association.