First Entry into the Spirit Void 103. The Mist Deepens

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Meng Biyu forcing Li Hao to return to the jianghu was driven by ulterior motives. Although Li Hao had been framed and lost the meaning of his life, he was still a person—a young, exceptionally intelligent youth. After nearly ten years of close companionship between senior and junior disciples, the youthful door Meng had buried deep in her heart was unexpectedly unlocked by Li Hao’s kindness and wit. This time, while secretly investigating his parents at home, she was tragically implicated in the ruin of her family, and her remorse awakened Li Hao’s thirst for vengeance.

After rushing through the forest surrounding his home, Li Hao looked up at the sky, noticing that the early dawn was approaching as the fifth watch passed. He immediately stretched out and sprinted forward.

After a brief run, hidden among the dense trees ahead appeared an elegantly antiquated brick house—this was Miss Guo’s residence.

As Li Hao approached the house, he suddenly halted, silently pondering, “Uncle Guo has treated me well and was my first mentor. I spent three years here. Since I’m passing by, I should secretly visit him to see if he is still healthy.”

He immediately slipped into the woods. Just as he reached the edge of the forest, he suddenly heard the clashing of metal from inside Guo’s courtyard.

Startled, Li Hao swiftly leapt up to the treetops. Looking down, he saw eight men divided into four pairs locked in mortal combat on the courtyard plaza.

In his urgency, Li Hao couldn’t distinguish friend from foe, nor understand why they were fighting here.

Upon closer inspection, the eight brawling men were drenched in sweat, as if they had been battling for a long time.

Suddenly, one of the two men on the left, holding a tiger fork, shouted fiercely, “Good kid, take three more moves from me!” Then he launched a series of three continuous attacks.

The three moves were extraordinarily fierce and relentless, the tiger fork whistling through the air as it surged toward the man wielding a sword.

The swordsman’s blade was already disordered and faltering. Could he possibly withstand such a fierce assault? The first move, “Fork Throwing Firewood,” was evaded with a two-step sidestep; the second, “Tiger Returns to Heaven,” was narrowly avoided.

But as the swordsman’s body still wavered, the third move, “Fork Fills the Sea,” closed in on his waist. It was too late to dodge or block, and he silently cursed his fate, closing his eyes to await death.

Hidden in the treetops, Li Hao opened his eyes wide, watching intently. Seeing the swordsman in peril, he thought, “Uncle Guo’s courtyard is a peaceful place; it must not be stained with blood.”

With that, he broke off a branch, summoned wrist strength, and hurled it sharply at the tiger fork wielder’s hand.

A metallic “clang” rang out, followed by a cry of pain. The tiger fork fell to the ground. The swordsman, hearing the noise, opened his eyes to see the tiger fork had missed him and fallen. Alarmed, he glanced at his three companions, all fighting for their lives, unable to aid him.

Meanwhile, the tiger fork wielder was drenched in cold sweat. Given his strength, the force behind that fork thrust was at least 400 pounds. Even a deadly hidden weapon would not have been dropped so easily; yet his fork was not broken but had slipped from his grasp, his hand searing with pain. Clearly, the one who disarmed him was a supreme martial artist.

He looked down to see what kind of hidden weapon had caused this. Not seeing it might have been better, for the branch that had knocked down his tiger fork was no thicker than a finger.

Scanning the scene, none of the men present possessed such profound skill to wield a mere branch with that power. Aside from the sound of weapons vibrating, the surrounding courtyard was unusually silent—especially within the spacious enclosure, the nearest trees were at least thirty feet away. Such internal power was unprecedented in today’s martial world. He stood there, lost in thought.

The swordsman, seeing his opponent weaponless and dazed, suddenly raised his sword and lunged straight at him.

Just as he moved, a sharp whistling sound rushed toward him. Startled, he tried to withdraw, but a ringing clang struck his hand, numbing it. The long sword flew seven or eight feet away.

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Looking, he saw that the weapon that had knocked away his sword was yet another branch, freshly broken. A slender twig possessing such power—its wielder’s skill was truly frightening, perhaps surpassing even that of Li Hao’s master.

At this moment, the other three pairs of combatants, seeing the sudden turn of events, ceased fighting and retreated, their eyes all fixed on the two figures.

Li Hao saw them halt and take positions on either side: four men in gray tight suits on the right, four in black swift garments on the left.

The tiger fork wielder stepped forward, bent down to retrieve his weapon, and waved his left hand. “Brothers, let’s go!”

With that, he vaulted over two meters into the air and swiftly cleared the courtyard wall.

The three men on the left watched them jump over the wall but made no move to stop them. Yet, the four who leapt out did not seem intent on leaving Guo’s home.

The swordsman who had lost his weapon slowly retrieved his sword, his face dark with displeasure.

Li Hao noticed the four men were rushing toward the tree beneath which he concealed himself and quickly devised a plan: “I’ll hold them for now.”

He swiftly broke four branches, flicked his wrists, and shot the twigs like lightning toward the “Water-Dividing Points” of the four men.

Whether caught unprepared or not, none of the four could dodge Li Hao’s swift, powerful, and precise strikes to vital points.

Four muffled groans sounded as they simultaneously collapsed.

Seeing them fall, Li Hao sprang up, landing silently on the roof ridge opposite. His toes just touched the tiles before he vaulted another meter and pounced onto the courtyard plaza.

His movements were as swift as a falling meteor, and as light as drifting cotton.

The four men standing in the plaza saw a shadow flash overhead and, before they could react, a tall masked figure stood before them.

Recognizing Li Hao’s attire as that of the legendary masked man who had caused chaos at Famen Temple—posting notices and wiping out martial artists—fear overtook them. They all retreated, faces turning deathly pale.

Li Hao landed and immediately took out a golden pen and a “Soul-Chasing Slap,” rasping hoarsely, “Don’t move. Stand still and answer my questions.”

The four men, hearing his hoarse voice, were more convinced than ever that he was the infamous masked killer feared throughout the martial world.

This was a death sentence to them, with Li Hao as the executioner. Trembling, their teeth clenched and grinding.

Though each was skilled, why such terror upon seeing the masked man?

The tale of Li Hao’s rampage at Famen Temple and destruction of the Yin Grave had spread across the martial world, exaggerated by storytellers who painted the masked man as more fearsome than the king of hell or a vengeful ghost. This instilled a nameless dread in their hearts, so to see him was to face death itself.

The swordsman who had lost his weapon steadied himself and, mustering courage, read the words on the slapped note. Panic-filled, he said, “If you have questions, please ask.”

Li Hao wrote swiftly, “Why did you come here to fight?”

The four swordsmen were from the Heavenly Blade Pavilion and were senior brothers to Jie Qingzi. They had come on their master’s orders.

Though Jie Qingzi and Jie Zhenzi had not yet returned to Heavenly Blade Pavilion, their master had already heard the news that the masked man was Jie Qingzi’s cousin.

Especially since the masked man’s skill was unfathomable—so formidable that many masters at Famen Temple were thrown into chaos, even offering sacred treasures in exchange for peace—his threat was undeniable.

The Heavenly Blade Pavilion was no match for Famen Temple; if the masked man truly sought their vengeance, they had no defense. So they sent these four men to invite Jie Qingzi’s father to serve as a shield.

The leader of the men read Li Hao’s note and replied, “We came by our senior uncle’s orders to invite Old Master Guo. When we arrived, we saw four men attempting to set fire to Old Master Guo’s house, so we fought them.”

Li Hao’s heart jolted. “People came to set fire to Uncle Guo’s house? What is going on here?”

He wrote, “Who is your senior uncle? Why invite Old Master Guo?”

Lin Youxiong hesitated, unwilling to reveal the true reason for inviting Old Master Guo, and vaguely answered, “Our senior uncle is the head of Heavenly Blade Pavilion. Why he wants Old Master Guo, I do not know.”

Li Hao, brilliantly perceptive, inferred from this evasive answer. He quickly wrote, “Is Jie Qingzi your junior sister?”

Lin Youxiong nodded, “Jie Qingzi is our master’s adopted female disciple.”

Li Hao wanted to ask if Jie Qingzi had returned to the pavilion but sensed it was inappropriate. Instead, he wrote cautiously, “Why did your senior uncle not recall her?”

The man shook his head, “She had other matters to attend to. When we came, she was not yet back at Heavenly Blade Pavilion.”

At this point, Li Hao’s heart stirred with unease, wondering, “Are the people inside Uncle Guo’s house asleep? Or have they heard the fighting yet are too afraid to come out?”

He slipped forward and peered inside. The front door was wide open, the interior dark and silent, without a sound. He immediately turned and wrote, “Quickly send two junior brothers inside to check for any accidents.”

The men nodded and promptly called two juniors. “You two go in and take a look.”

The two agreed simultaneously and dashed toward the door.

Moments later, the two rushed out, escorting a trembling-looking servant woman.

She clutched a bundle, her lips pale and purple with fear, her once-not-unattractive face now deathly gray.

The two men pushed the servant before Li Hao and one of them bowed slightly, saying, “We don’t know where the Guo family members have gone. We searched everywhere but only found this servant rifling through the chests. Judging by her actions, she seems to be looting during the chaos.”

Li Hao’s heart chilled. Studying the servant, he did not recognize her. He swiftly wrote, “Ask her where Old Master Guo and the others have gone.”