As soon as I put it on, I met a sickly man

The early morning sun shines on the quiet village, and the air is filled with the fragrance of earth.

However, this tranquility was soon broken.

In the farmlands on the edge of the village, the once lush green crops withered overnight, appearing a dead, scorched yellow, as if they had been roasted by a raging fire.

The villagers gathered on the edge of the field, terrified and talking about it.

"What's going on? Why are the crops so healthy suddenly withering?"

"Could this be a punishment from God?"

"I've lived for most of my life and have never seen anything like this. It's horrible!"

The burly Ah Hu ran wildly all the way, with beads of sweat the size of beans oozing out of his forehead.

He rushed into Ding Chen's house, gasping for breath and shouting, "Master Ding, this is bad! The crops in the fields... are all withered!"

Ding Chen looked at Ah Hu's panicked expression and felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

He immediately gathered everyone to the square in the center of the village for discussion.

"Yingfeng, what do you think is going on?" Ding Chen asked.

Yingfeng was dressed in black, his eyes stern. He looked around and said in a deep voice, "In my opinion, this is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one. I'm afraid there are evil forces at work in the dark."

"Man-made? How is that possible?" General Lin frowned. "I think it's more like some rare disease."

"General, you don't know that I have been traveling around the world for many years and have seen many evil methods. I have also heard of this kind of evil magic that can make crops wither overnight." Ying Feng's tone was firm, and he had no intention of backing down.

"Yingfeng, stop exaggerating!" General Lin slammed the table, his eyes wide open. "I've been a soldier my whole life, I've seen all sorts of storms and waves. How could I be frightened by a few words from you?"

The two men each insisted on their own opinions and refused to give in, and the atmosphere became tense.

Xiaoxuan gently pulled Ding Dingchen's sleeve and said softly, "Brother Ding, I think what Yingfeng said makes sense. We should be careful."

Ding Chen nodded and was about to speak when he suddenly heard noisy footsteps outside the door.

His heart sank, and a sense of foreboding grew stronger...

somebody is coming.

The door was kicked open and a group of men in black rushed in. They had their faces covered, revealing only a pair of murderous eyes.

The leading figure in black was tall, holding a gleaming steel knife in his hand. He looked around and said with a sinister smile, "If you know what's good for you, hand over your belongings obediently. Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!"

"Who are you? How dare you act so wildly here!" General Lin shouted angrily, drew his sword and pointed it at the leader of the men in black.

"Hmph, the one who wants to kill you!" The leader of the men in black sneered and swung his sword at General Lin.

"Protect the villagers!" Ding Chen shouted, drew the long sword from his waist, and met the leader of the men in black.

Ding Chen fought fiercely with the leader of the men in black, with swords flashing and knives flying.

Although the martial arts of the leader of the men in black were not as sophisticated as Ding Chen's, they were extremely strange. Every time Ding Chen was about to hit him, he could avoid it in an incredible way and quickly counterattack.

General Lin also joined the battle. He was a veteran and extremely brave. He wielded his sword with great vigor, and the men in black could not get close to him at all.

However, the number of men in black was so large that they gradually formed an encirclement. General Lin and Ding Chen were trapped in the center, and the situation became increasingly critical.

The villagers hid behind the houses and watched the fierce battle in horror. They did not dare to step forward to help and could only pray silently that Ding Chen and General Lin would be safe.

Xiaoxuan clenched her hands tightly, her eyes full of worry. She knew that although Ding Chen and General Lin were very skilled in martial arts, they were outnumbered and would be defeated sooner or later.

Ah Hu clenched his fists and paced anxiously. He wanted to rush over to help, but was afraid that he would only cause more trouble.

"What should we do? Master Ding and General Lin can't hold on any longer!" Ah Hu said anxiously.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death!" A young villager stood up. "Even if it means risking our lives, we must protect our homeland!"

"Yes! Fight them!" Other villagers also responded. They picked up hoes, sticks and other simple weapons, ready to rush up and fight the men in black to the death.

At this moment, a man in black suddenly rushed out from the crowd and went straight towards Xiaoxuan.

He held a dagger in his hand, with a murderous gleam in his eyes, and it was obvious that he wanted to take Xiaoxuan hostage.

"Xiaoxuan, be careful!" Ding Chen was shocked when he saw this and wanted to turn back to rescue her, but was held tightly by the leader of the men in black.

Seeing that the man in black was about to stab Xiaoxuan with his dagger, Xiaoxuan had no intention of dodging. She just stood there quietly, with a gleam of determination in her eyes.

"You..." The man in black was frightened by Xiaoxuan's eyes, and the dagger in his hand paused slightly.

At this critical moment, a dark shadow emerged from the darkness...

"Wait," Yingfeng's voice was low and cold.

Yingfeng appeared like a ghost, his figure as fast as lightning, and the short blade in his hand flashed with a cold light, forcing back the man in black who attacked Xiaoxuan.

His movements were clean and quick, and before the men in black could react, they had already fallen to the ground.

"I've noticed you rats a long time ago." Ying Feng smiled coldly, his eyes as sharp as an eagle as he scanned the remaining men in black.

Seeing this, Ding Chen and others became more motivated and launched an even more fierce attack.

General Lin's swordsmanship was powerful and unstoppable, and the men in black avoided his attack one after another.

Ding Chen's sword moves were light and agile, and every move was deadly. Combined with Ying Feng's secret attacks, the men in black were defeated step by step and were completely routed.

Xiaoxuan stood by, her heart in her throat.

She stared at Ding Chen intently, afraid that he would get hurt.

When she saw a bloody cut on Ding Chen's arm, she gasped in pain.

As soon as the battle was over, she rushed to Ding Chen and carefully treated his wounds, her eyes full of concern: "Brother Ding, are you okay? Does it hurt?"

Ding Chen looked at Xiaoxuan's worried expression, and his heart warmed. He smiled and comforted her, "It's just a small injury, don't worry."

The traces of the battle were quickly cleared, however, the crisis was far from over.

While cleaning up the battlefield, a villager found a fallen token with a ferocious ghost head symbol engraved on it.

When the white-haired wise man saw the token, his face suddenly changed and a gleam of light flashed in his turbid eyes.

"This is the symbol of the Black Demon!" the white-haired wise man said solemnly, "It seems that what we encountered is just the vanguard sent by the Black Demon. The real danger lies ahead..."

Everyone's heart trembled, and a chill ran from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

Heisha, this name is notorious in the underworld. He is a ruthless and evil leader who does all kinds of evil. No one knows his true identity. They only know that he has a powerful killer organization under his command, specializing in assassinations, robberies and other activities.

"Why did Heisha attack our small village?" Ah Hu asked in confusion.

The white-haired wise man shook his head and said slowly, "I'm afraid there's a bigger conspiracy behind this..." His gaze was cast into the distance, and his tone was low and meaningful, "We must find the Black Demon's lair as soon as possible and put a stop to his conspiracy!"

Yingfeng walked up to the white-haired sage and whispered, "I've heard that the Black Demon's lair is located in a valley shrouded in thick fog all year round..."

The white-haired wise man nodded: "Yes, it's right there..." He paused, glanced at everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Get ready, we will set off immediately!"

Xiaoxuan held Ding Chen's hand, her eyes full of worry: "Brother Ding, this trip is extremely dangerous, you must be careful..."

Ding Chen held Xiaoxuan's hand tightly and gave her a firm look: "Don't worry, I will protect myself and everyone else..."

Everyone packed up and prepared to head to the mysterious valley.

As the sun sets, a fiery red sunset glow burns on the horizon, reflecting the resolute faces of everyone.

They knew that a more brutal battle was about to come...

General Lin jumped on his horse, looked into the distance with a determined gaze, and tightened the reins slightly in his hands.

"set off!"