The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Hearing this, Mu Qingling frowned slightly: "Brother, isn't this going too far? The Du family has already been destroyed, why humiliate her further?"

Mu Chen turned his head and looked at Mu Qingling, the fierceness in his eyes softening slightly: "Qingling, have you forgotten what the Du family did to us? They tried to kill you, and this debt cannot be left unpaid. I will let the entire Heyang City and all the aristocratic families in the Southern Region know what will happen if they dare to touch anyone from the Mu family!"

Mu Qingling sighed softly. She understood her brother's anger, but still felt that such methods were too cruel. She didn't say anything more, but silently turned and left.

Soon, Du Hui's wife was dragged out. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were filled with fear and despair.

When she learned that she was to be paraded through the streets, she let out a heart-wrenching cry.

But the crying sounded so powerless under Mu Chen's command.

On the streets of Heyang City, people hurriedly made way for her. They looked at the woman being dragged behind the horse with expressions of shock and pity.

"Mu Chen is too ruthless. The Du family is already finished, but he still won't let them go," an old man said in a low voice.

"Shh, keep your voice down. The Mu family is riding high right now. Don't get yourself into trouble," someone nearby quickly warned.

This news quickly spread throughout the Southern Region, and the powerful families felt a deep sense of fear.

They realized that Mu Chen's methods were so ruthless that if they offended the Marquis of Heyang's mansion, their fate would probably be even worse than that of the Du family.

Meanwhile, after Mu Chen returned to the city lord's mansion, Jiang Chuan declined Mu Chen's invitation to return to the mansion together.

He dragged his weary body back to his residence alone.

As soon as he entered the room, he collapsed onto the bed, feeling sore all over and his wounds throbbing.

"This journey has been incredibly difficult," Jiang Chuan murmured to himself, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He recalled his escape with Mu Qingling and the battle with the Du family, as if it were a nightmare.

Jiang Chuan forced himself to cheer up, tidied up the house, and treated his wounds.

At this moment, servants from the city lord's mansion delivered medicine for healing and an invitation.

"Young Master Jiang, this is medicine for healing wounds sent by the City Lord's Mansion, along with an invitation to tonight's banquet. We hope you will attend," the servant said respectfully.

Jiang Chuan accepted the medicine and invitation, thinking to himself, "This banquet hosted by the City Lord's Mansion is probably not simple. However, it's good to go and see; perhaps I can find out something."

So he accepted Jiang Chuan's invitation.

After treating his wounds, Jiang Chuan was about to rest when he was awakened by the sound of blacksmithing coming from next door.

"Why is the sound of this hammering so special?" Jiang Chuan was filled with curiosity. He listened carefully and found that the sound of hammering seemed to contain a special sword intent.

"No, I have to go check it out." Jiang Chuan got up, grabbed a jar of monkey wine, and headed towards the next room.

Upon arriving next door, one sees an old man intently forging iron, flames roaring in the furnace, and waves of heat hitting one's face.

"Excuse me, sir," Jiang Chuan said politely.

The old man looked up at Jiang Chuan, somewhat surprised: "Young man, aren't you afraid of this high temperature?"

Jiang Chuan smiled slightly, circulated his pure Yang true energy, and a faint golden light emanated from his body: "Old man, my true energy can withstand high temperatures."

The old man nodded, quite satisfied with Jiang Chuan's performance: "Not bad, not bad. What brings you here?"

Jiang Chuan raised the monkey wine in his hand: "Old man, I heard the sound of your blacksmithing and found it very special, so I brought a jar of monkey wine to share with you."

The old man laughed heartily: "You're quite an interesting young man. Come, sit down and have a drink."

The two sat on the ground and drank monkey wine together.

Jiang Chuan discovered that although the old man looked ordinary, he spoke with remarkable eloquence.

“Old man, I see you forging swords. The temperature in this furnace is extremely high. The swords you forge must be extraordinary,” Jiang Chuan said.

The old man looked at the two swords at Jiang Chuan's waist and said, "The Huangshan Sword is a piece of trash, all show and no substance. But this Wufeng Sword, though broken, has a sword spirit, which is very rare."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan was startled: "Old man, you can actually see that the Sword Without Edge has a sword spirit?"

The old man smiled slightly: "I've dedicated most of my life to the study of sword forging, so naturally I can see it. Young man, I see you have good talent. Would you like to learn sword forging from me?"

Jiang Chuan's heart stirred. He had always longed to improve his strength, and sword forging might allow him to gain a deeper understanding of the way of the sword. "Old man, are you really willing to teach me?"

The old man waved his hand: "I don't need you to call me master, just call me teacher, and I will teach you how to forge swords."

Jiang Chuan quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Thank you, teacher!"

On the other side, after learning that Mu Chen had razed the Du family to the ground, He Zongzheng sat in his study with a smug smile on his face.

"Mu Chen, Mu Chen, your commotion has really done me a great favor," He Zongzheng muttered to himself.

At this moment, a servant entered the study: "Master, the replies from all the major families have arrived."

He Zongzheng took the letters and read them one by one. His smile became more and more obvious: "Haha, just as I expected, the aristocratic families in the Southern Region are all angry about the Mu family's behavior and are willing to unite with our He family."

He Zongzheng secretly calculated that Mu Chen's actions would further strain the relationship between the Southern Region aristocratic families and the Marquis of Heyang's mansion, thus prompting the Southern Region aristocratic families to side with the He family.

He planned to join forces with the powerful families of the Southern Region to attack Heyang City after the order was issued in Handan, in order to avenge the grudge against Mu Suifeng from twenty years ago.

"Go and tell all the major families to prepare themselves. Once the order from Handan arrives, we will raise our banners and attack Heyang City!" He Zongzheng said coldly.

"Yes, sir!" The servant acknowledged the order and left.

The morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Jiang Chuan's face as he slowly woke up from his sleep.

Today is his first day learning sword-making from the master swordsmith Tao Hongjing. The thought of stepping into the mysterious world of sword-making fills Jiang Chuan with excitement.

After a quick wash, Jiang Chuan hurried to Tao Hongjing's sword-making room.

The sword-making room was filled with a scorching heat; flames roared in the enormous furnace, illuminating the entire room. Tao Hongjing was already waiting there, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Jiang Chuan.

"Kid, don't just stand there now, get ready to start." Tao Hongjing's voice was deep and powerful.

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath and stepped forward. Tao Hongjing pointed to a piece of iron beside him and said, "The first step in forging a sword is to forge this piece of iron and remove its impurities."

This seems simple, but it actually requires immense patience and skill.

Jiang Chuan looked at the piece of iron, feeling a little uneasy. He reached out and grasped the Xuanjin Iron Hammer. The hammer didn't look big, but it was extremely heavy. Jiang Chuan used a lot of strength to lift it.

"Let's begin. Remember, the power should originate from your legs, travel through your waist to your arms, and finally concentrate in your wrists," Tao Hongjing instructed from the side. Jiang Chuan gritted his teeth, swung the hammer, and slammed it heavily onto the iron block.

With a loud clang, sparks flew from the iron block, and Jiang Chuan felt a tingling sensation in his arm, almost dropping the hammer.

"No, your power is too scattered. Start over!" Tao Hongjing frowned, his tone revealing his dissatisfaction.

Jiang Chuan felt somewhat frustrated, but he did not give up.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, and swung the hammer again.

This time, he tried his best to connect the strength of his legs, waist, arms and wrists according to Tao Hongjing's instructions.

However, each swing of the hammer felt like a challenge to his limits, with sweat dripping incessantly from his forehead, soaking his clothes.

"Forging this sword is really not easy. I thought that with my innate super strength, forging iron would be a piece of cake, but I didn't expect it to be so difficult." Jiang Chuan sighed inwardly, but his hands did not stop for a moment.

Under Tao Hongjing's strict guidance, Jiang Chuan gradually found his footing and his movements became more and more skilled.

He discovered that when he mobilized his internal energy, he seemed to have better control over his power, and forging iron became easier.

An hour passed, and Jiang Chuan finally stopped hammering.

His arms ached terribly and he could barely lift them, but looking at the smooth, flat piece of iron, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Tao Hongjing stepped forward, carefully examined the iron block, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face: "Not bad, kid, you have a lot of talent and you work very hard. It seems that you do have the potential to become an excellent swordsmith."

Jiang Chuan was overjoyed: "Teacher, really? I was worried that I didn't do well enough."

Tao Hongjing patted Jiang Chuan on the shoulder: "Keep up the good work. Sword forging is not something that can be done overnight. However, your performance today surprised me. You not only mastered the basic techniques of iron forging, but also successfully broke through the seventh level of the Bitter Sea and reached the eighth level of the Bitter Sea through the use of true qi."

Jiang Chuan then realized that he had unknowingly broken through his cultivation level.

Meanwhile, at the city gate of Heyang, Zhao Dun and the Sixth Princess Zhao Ling'er finally arrived.

They had traveled a long and arduous journey, and finally arrived at Heyang City, a place full of uncertainties.

Zhao Dun was dressed in a long black robe with a long sword at his waist. His eyes were deep and firm, as if he could see through everything in the world.

The sixth princess, Zhao Ling'er, followed behind him.

"Uncle, we've finally arrived," Zhao Ling'er said softly, sounding somewhat excited.

Zhao Dun nodded: "Yes, Heyang City. Hopefully, we can find the answers we're looking for here."

Upon learning of Zhao Dun and the Sixth Princess's arrival, Mu Suifeng immediately changed into the robes of a first-rank marquis and, accompanied by Deputy General Chen Deng and more than ten elite soldiers, personally went out of the mansion to greet them.

When the people of Heyang saw Mu Suifeng dressed in official robes and leading his elite troops out of the mansion, they all speculated that this important figure from Handan was no ordinary person.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!" Mu Suifeng immediately bowed upon seeing Zhao Dun.

Zhao Dun quickly helped Mu Suifeng up: "Lord Mu, there's no need for such formalities. We will have to rely on you a lot for this trip south."

Mu Suifeng smiled slightly: "You are too kind, Your Excellency. It is my honor to serve you."

After exchanging pleasantries, the group headed together to the City Lord's Mansion. Along the way, Zhao Dun observed the bustling scene of Heyang City and pondered to himself, "This Heyang City appears peaceful on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath. I wonder what will happen next."

After learning sword forging, Jiang Chuan prepared to go to the city lord's mansion for a banquet, as agreed with Mu Chen.

However, Mu Chen told him that Mu Suifeng had already gone to greet Zhao Dun, and that he and Mu Qingling would be hosting Jiang Chuan that night.

"Brother Jiang, tonight I'll take you to a special place that I guarantee will broaden your horizons," Mu Chen said with a smile, a mysterious glint in his eyes.

Jiang Chuan asked curiously, "Oh? Brother Mu, what place is this?"

Mu Chen kept everyone in suspense: "You'll find out when we get there. Come with me."

The three rode their horses to the bustling streets of Heyang City, where people came and went in a lively atmosphere.

The shops lining both sides of the street were dazzling with their wares, and various vendors' calls rose and fell.

Looking at the bustling scene, Jiang Chuan couldn't help but sigh, "This Heyang City truly lives up to its reputation."

Finally, they stopped at a dock.

The dock was filled with all kinds of boats, and the painted boats swayed gently on the water, like beautiful paintings.

Mu Chen rented a painted boat, which was made entirely of sandalwood and exquisitely decorated; it was the best boat on the dock.

The restaurant owner personally escorted the three onto the boat and promised to serve them the best food and drinks immediately.

"Brother Jiang, what do you think? This place is pretty good, isn't it?" Mu Chen said smugly.

Jiang Chuan nodded: "Indeed, Brother Mu, you really know how to pick a place."

Mu Qingling smiled and said, "My brother likes these novelties, but drinking and having fun here has its own unique charm."

Soon, the wine and dishes were served. The three of them sat together, enjoying the delicious food and wine while admiring the beautiful scenery on the river.

A gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness, making people feel incredibly comfortable.

"Brother Jiang, thanks to you for saving Qingling this time, I'd like to toast you." Mu Chen raised his glass and said.

Jiang Chuan quickly stood up: "Brother Mu, you flatter me. This is what I should do."

The three of them drank it all in one gulp, and the atmosphere became even more harmonious.

They drank and chatted, sharing their experiences and stories.

Jiang Chuan also temporarily forgot the fatigue of forging swords and the crisis in Heyang City, and enjoyed this rare moment of relaxation.

"Brother Jiang, you've finally made it to the annual Lantern Festival! In our Heyang City, this is the most lively day ever." Mu Chen's voice was full of excitement, and his pace quickened unconsciously.

Jiang Chuan looked up and saw that all kinds of lanterns were hanging on both sides of the road. There were lifelike auspicious beasts, delicate lotus flowers, and figures telling mythological stories. Each one was exquisitely made, and the flickering candlelight seemed to dye the whole world with a dreamlike color.

"I had long heard of the grand spectacle of the Lantern Festival, and seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation."

Mu Qingling smiled sweetly from the side, "This Lantern Festival was originally a lantern festival in the Buddhist kingdoms of the Western Regions. Seventy years ago, during the war in the Northern Border, a high-ranking monk from the Western Regions performed a ritual to guide the souls of the dead in Qinghe. This custom took root here and gradually evolved into what it is today. Although its meaning is somewhat different now than it was back then, the lively atmosphere hasn't diminished at all." (End of Chapter)