I have the face of a great demon.

In the afternoon, Lingshui Town seemed to be gently embraced by the warm sunlight, so tranquil that time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Under the old locust tree, several elderly men fanned themselves with palm-leaf fans and chatted about interesting things from the past, while children chased and played in the alleys. Everything seemed so harmonious and beautiful.

Suddenly, a group of figures dressed in white robes appeared, their swords gleaming coldly at their waists, their faces bearing an undeniable air of menace, as they silently entered the quiet town.

The townspeople were at a loss when they saw this scene.

They had never seen a large group of martial arts practitioners arrive before, let alone with several corpses in tow.

Fortunately, these men in white were not there to cause trouble for Lingshui Town; they were clearly just passing through.

The man in white immediately occupied the town's only inn upon arrival, spending a large sum of money to book the entire inn.

Then they went to the coffin shop in town and bought some of the best coffins.

Next, these men in white scattered and inquired about the situation.

The town was small, and the news spread quickly, so people knew that these martial arts practitioners had come seeking revenge.

For a time, every household kept their doors tightly shut, fearing that they would be caught in the crossfire of the gang conflict and lose their lives.

As the only gang in the area, the Ling Shui Gang naturally received the news very quickly.

Chief Shi immediately ordered his men to hold their ground at the camp and not to act rashly, so as to avoid conflict with this unknown force.

After arranging his gang members, Chief Shi prepared to personally visit this outside gang to find out what was going on.

However, just as he was preparing to personally investigate, a sudden commotion, mixed with the screams of the gang members, shattered the tranquility of the courtyard like a bolt from the blue.

The gang leader was startled and, without thinking, rushed out of the room like an arrow.

In the courtyard, several men in white robes stood leisurely, while their own men lay scattered on the ground, their fates unknown.

Enraged, Chief Shi charged at the nearest man in white with only his fists, which were as big as sandbags, without even drawing his sword.

However, the white-clad man merely brushed lightly against Chief Shi's fist, yet Chief Shi felt an irresistible force that forced him back several steps.

"Chief!" the gang members cried out anxiously upon seeing this.

As soon as Chief Shi regained his footing, he felt a sharp pain in his fist. Looking at his fist, he saw that it was red and swollen.

He knew the other party had shown mercy; otherwise, his entire hand would have been ruined.

"Chief Shi, please calm down."

The man in white spoke calmly, yet with an undeniable air of authority.

"Your men are only subdued by us; their lives are not in danger. They will wake up in an hour."

Chief Shi cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

“We are from Lingzhou,” the man in white said, holding up a sign.

When Chief Shi saw this, his pupils suddenly contracted. This was one of the top gangs in Lingzhou, not something their small gang could afford to provoke.

However, they have always operated locally and have never provoked any gangs in Lingzhou.

The man in white noticed his confusion and said again:

"Don't worry, Chief Shi. We're not here to cause you any trouble. Our senior master just has a small matter to ask you about."

When Chief Shi looked up, he saw a middle-aged man who had been revealed after the man in white stepped aside. The man was looking at him coldly and exuded an air of dominance.

Damn it! You're so domineering when you're asking about things. Would it kill you to speak properly?

In his mind, Chief Shi cursed these guys' ancestors for eighteen generations, but he still had to wear a smile brighter than the spring sun and respectfully invite this gentleman to move into the inner hall.

In the Ling Shui Gang's simple inner hall, Cheng Qian looked at the tea in front of him with disdain, refusing to take a single sip, and asked bluntly:

"Chief Shi, you are now considered a member of the martial arts world. Are you aware of any major events that have recently occurred in the martial arts community?"

"I wonder what Mr. Cheng is referring to?"

"A divine sword left behind by an immortal."

"Oh, that? I have heard of it. But we're just a small faction, we don't have any interest in this divine sword. Not only do we not have the ability to get it, but even if we did, we wouldn't be able to keep it."

"Hmm, you do have some self-awareness. But some people are just too arrogant to believe it. They ambushed and killed our people in the mountains thirty miles away and even stole the divine sword. We will absolutely not let this go."

It turns out someone killed their people and stole the divine sword; no wonder they were making such a big show of it.

As Shi Gang Leader thought about it, he felt a little smug.

Serves you right! Who gave you the right to be so arrogant?

"I've come here to ask Chief Shi if any unfamiliar martial arts figures have visited this place recently?"

"No!" Chief Shi replied decisively.

This small town is small, and any stranger who comes in will attract attention.

The person who could kill such a powerful white-clad gang must have unfathomable martial arts skills, and he couldn't possibly be unaware of such a person coming to the town.

"Think about it again. Are you really sure there isn't? You can ask any slightly odd strangers."

After thinking it over carefully, Chief Shi realized that if there was any strange stranger, it would be Liu Xingchen, who had come this morning.

Although this kid has considerable potential, he doesn't have much skill, which he can tell is unlikely to be him.

Just as he was wondering whether he should mention such a trivial matter, a man in white rushed in: "Uncle Cheng, there's news from the pawnshop in town."

"Really?" Upon hearing that there was a clue, Uncle Cheng immediately stood up, ignoring Chief Shi, and hurriedly left with his men.

Moments later, the atmosphere inside the town's pawnshop was so tense it felt like water could be squeezed out of it.

The shopkeeper hid behind the counter, facing several customers with frosty faces, dressed in white as snow, yet exuding a fierce and menacing aura. His legs trembled involuntarily, like fallen leaves in the autumn wind.

As soon as Cheng Qian stepped into the pawnshop, his disciple immediately came to greet him and said:

"Uncle Cheng, these are the two swords. They belong to Senior Brother Liu and Senior Brother Zhang."

Cheng Qian took the sword, his eyes sharp as he examined it closely.

It is indeed the sect's sword. The hilt still bears the owner's name and the sect's unique mark. It must be one of the two swords missing from the murder scene.

He raised his head, his gaze sharp as a sword, and stared directly at the shopkeeper: "Where did these two swords come from?"

The shopkeeper stammered, stuttering as he replied:

"In reply to your question, sir, it was a man in black robes who used it as collateral."

Cheng Qian frowned, unable to understand what that person was trying to do. It was one thing to steal the divine sword, but to try and pawn two other swords? What kind of martial arts master was so short of money?

However, these trivial matters can be put aside for now; finding the murderer and recovering the artifact are the top priorities.

"Shopkeeper, let me ask you again, did you notice whether that man in black robes was carrying any other weapons? In particular, a sword that was entirely black."