Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

The quiet spiral town was full of life, but most of the streets and alleys were deserted, like a ghost town. Faint tinkling sounds came from the town. Jin Wei and Zhou Qingfeng stood on the street, their expressions solemn, looking around.

Jin Wei tensed up, his hand already gripping the sword hilt: "Young Master, I also heard the bell sound."

Zhou Qingfeng frowned and said, "Can you tell which direction it's coming from?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei listened carefully and replied, "No, I can't tell."

"Jingle bell~~~Jingle bell~~~" This very faint bell sound seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to distinguish which direction it came from. One could only feel the bell sound getting clearer and clearer in one's ears.

As the sound of the bells grew clearer, the terrifying sense of oppression intensified. Each strike of the bells seemed to hit Zhou Qingfeng's heart, causing his heartbeat to slow involuntarily by half a beat.

Jin Wei said, "Young Master, what should we do? Should we retreat?"

"It's better to stay still than to move. Stay calm and don't panic." Zhou Qingfeng was unusually calm and his mind was incredibly clear. He knew he couldn't run around recklessly because the owner of the bell was terrifying. Since he couldn't currently determine the source of the bell's sound, running around would be even more dangerous.

Time ticked by, and the only sound on the empty street was the bell. You could hear a pin drop, until the bell was so clear that you could pinpoint its source.

"Retreat!" Zhou Qingfeng made a decisive move, turning around and disappearing into an alley, away from the sound of the bell.

Jin Wei pressed down on his sword with one hand, following closely behind, looking around nervously.

However, the sound of the bell followed them relentlessly, as if it had locked onto them. Zhou Qingfeng moved silently through the alley, trying to shake off the bell chasing him. Just as he was about to run out of an alley, Zhou Qingfeng saw several people on the street. He suddenly stopped, took a few steps back, and pressed himself against the wall to hide his tracks.

Jin Wei stopped abruptly, looking puzzled, but quickly pressed himself against the wall to hide himself.

Zhou Qingfeng peered out, his dark eyes as cold and sinister as a viper's, lurking in the shadows, watching his prey.

There were five strangers on the street, three men and two women, with the leader holding a statue of the Kitchen God.

"Kitchen God, Kitchen God, where is the Demon of Words?" The leader asked, holding up the statue of the Kitchen God. The statue slowly raised its hand and pointed to the location where Zhou Qingfeng was hiding, and slowly said, "The Demon of Words has changed hands and is now in his hands."

Five cultivators simultaneously looked toward the alleyway entrance not far away, then rushed over and blocked the entrance.

The leader spotted Zhou Qingfeng and Jin Wei and sneered, "Oh, there are two little rats hiding here. Who are you? Speak up."

Zhou Qingfeng slowly stepped back and calmly said, "Before asking who someone is, at least state your own name. Don't you know basic manners?"

Jin Wei touched the hilt of his sword, preparing for a fight to the death.

One of them said, "You two little bastards, just answer Chief Yan's questions. Why all the nonsense? Are you looking for death?"

Another person said, "Chief Yan, there's no need to waste words with them. The Demon Spirit of Words is in their hands. Kill them and take it."

"Shut up." The leader cautiously reached out to suppress the chaotic noise within the group, and coldly looked at Zhou Qingfeng, saying, "My name is Yan Bipo, the chief true disciple of the Incense Path in Sihai City. Who are you?! Where is the Boundless Monk? Why is the Demon Spirit of Words in your hands?"

Zhou Qingfeng narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing, and decided that he should not reveal his true identity.

Since revealing his identity would likely not deter the other party, and this group even dared to hunt down the current leader of the Great Compassion Temple, they were not afraid of such a huge karmic debt. Yan Sha Mo Ling was determined to get him, so what use would it be for him to reveal the name of the four young masters of the Sword Tower? It would only make the other party more determined to kill him, so he simply kept quiet and didn't mention it.

The title of the Four Young Masters of Sword Tower is indeed useful and can be used most of the time. However, each situation needs to be analyzed individually. It is impossible to give face to everyone. When there is no core conflict of interest, face can be given, but when there is a core conflict of interest, no matter who you are, you will still be killed. No one's face will work.

"I am Tian Xingyi, and he is Jiang Yunjian. We are just independent cultivators. The demon spirit was given to me voluntarily by the monk Wuliang." Zhou Qingfeng listened to the gradually clearing sound of bells behind him, and slowly stalled for time. Two against five, a head-on confrontation was disadvantageous! Letting the enemy kill him was not an option! So there was only one way: to shift the blame eastward.

Upon hearing this, Yan Bipo nodded slightly: "Very well, since the Word Demon Spirit has fallen into your hands, we might as well make a deal. The Word Demon Spirit is very important to me, as it concerns my future cultivation. If you hand it over, I will spare your lives. I guarantee this to you as the chief true disciple of the Incense Sect."

Zhou Qingfeng approached the wall, his sharp eyes scanning both sides of the narrow alley: "Chief Yan, I'm afraid I can't comply. The Demon Spirit of Yan Sha is also very important to me."

Yan Bipo coldly said, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. I'm giving you a way out, but you don't want it. You insist on snatching the opportunity from me, so don't blame me. Li Ergou, take care of them."

Li Ergou stepped out from among the five men, his face honest and simple, though he didn't seem very bright. His eight-foot-tall, muscular body was like a moving mountain of flesh, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. He held two maces in his hands: "Understood, Chief Yan. Hey, you two, listen up. Stand there and don't move. Let me beat you to death."

Zhou Qingfeng: "..."

Jin Wei: "..."

Suddenly, Zhou Qingfeng turned and ran in the direction from which the bell sound came, with Jin Wei following closely behind, leaving behind a bewildered Li Ergou.

Li Ergou looked blankly at Yan Bipo and the others, and asked in a simple-minded way, "Hehehe... They ran away, should I chase after them?"

Upon seeing this, Yan Bipo nearly flew into a rage. He put away the Kitchen God statue, took off after him, and slapped Li Ergou on the back of the head: "Useless trash, of course I'm chasing him!"

Senior Brother Lu: "Idiot!"

Senior Sister Zhao: "You're all muscle and no brains!"

Senior Sister Shen: "You idiot!"

The three senior brothers and sisters each ran past Li Ergou and slapped him on the head one after another.

Li Ergou, looking rather foolish, carried his double maces, completely at a loss, and hurriedly followed after them.

Zhou Qingfeng and Jin Wei swiftly navigated the complex narrow alleys, rapidly approaching the direction from which the bell sounded. Behind them, the five-person group from the Incense Path relentlessly pursued and intercepted Zhou Qingfeng, leaving him with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. In just a few breaths, they nearly surrounded Zhou Qingfeng several times.

Zhou Qingfeng suddenly stopped running, surrounded on all sides.

Yan Bipo stood on the wall with his arms crossed, looking down at Zhou Qingfeng in the narrow alley, his eyes filled with contempt and mockery: "Run, keep running."

Zhou Qingfeng's lips curled slightly as he surveyed the surrounding enemies: "Who said I was going to run away? Shh, listen carefully, it's here to claim my life."

"Jingle bells~~~Jingle bells~~~" The sound of bells came from the quiet streets and alleys, and it was very close.

Yan Bipo and the others turned to look at the alleyway from which the sound of bells came. An old man dressed in white funeral clothes, with a face covered in lividity, empty and lifeless eyes, and stiff limbs, slowly walked out step by step. A string of bells was tied to the old man's ankles.