Near dusk, in a small tavern in a border city of the Tianri Empire, three hundred li away from the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons, seven people sat huddled around a table, murmuring to one another.
"Hey, do you all remember that incident at the border half a month ago?"
A burly man with a full beard and unkempt hair rested one foot on his stool, leaning his upper body toward the center of the table as he spoke in a low voice to the other six.
"I remember. The border was suddenly attacked by Demon Beasts, and it was only because the governor led the border garrison in a fight to the death that they didn't break into the city. But tell me, why have the patrols on the street been replaced these past few days?"
The speaker was a gaunt-faced scholar wearing a small cap and carrying a book box.
Hearing this, the bearded man leaned closer to the scholar, his voice dropping to a faint buzz.
"Lord Ling, the former border governor, hasn't been seen for days. It's likely he's met with a grim fate. A few days ago, when I went to Yun City to see a friend, my friend said that half a month ago, the Ling Family flowed with rivers of blood overnight, leaving gore across the entire estate."
The other six were startled upon hearing this. Governor Ling had always treated the common people well; he was a righteous man who had wholeheartedly guarded the border for years, remaining a hero in the hearts of the citizens.
"Such things shouldn't be spoken of lightly. Lord Ling has always been kind-hearted and surely has no enemies. Why would his family be reduced to such a state?"
The scholar said cautiously.
"That's right!"
"Indeed!"
"How could that be?"
The remaining five echoed in agreement.
The bearded man sighed upon hearing this. "Although that's how it stands, on my way back to the city a few days ago, I saw a troop hurrying urgently toward this place. They must be the new border governors. Combined with the guards patrolling the streets these past few days—who are the exact same batch I saw—I reckon the truth is not far off from what I've heard."
As his voice trailed off, two men in military uniforms sitting at a nearby table overheard their discussion. They swaggered over and said arrogantly, "Hah! You fellow actually have some sharp eyes. Your friend isn't wrong; the border governor has been replaced. It's now young master Bai Lin of the Bai Family from Yun City! As for that damn Ling Family, they're already finished! And that Ling Feng, along with his good-for-nothing son, is probably doing hard labor down in the netherworld right now, trying to earn themselves a reincarnation in the beast realm for their next life!"
The bearded man grew furious. A few years ago, when a pack of Demon Beasts had breached the city gates and rampaged inside, Ling Feng had saved his life. Naturally, he could not stomach hearing anyone slander his savior right to his face.
"What nonsense are you two wet-behind-the-ears brats babbling about? Lord Ling possesses formidable martial arts and is even a Level 2 Sword Saint. Is he someone who falls so easily?"
The two soldiers in official garb were not angered at all. They sneered, "Heh, in three days when the new governor takes office, you'll see that the former piece-of-trash Ling Feng is nothing compared to young master Bai—he's no better than shit in a cesspool!"
With that, the two burst into laughter and walked out the door.
The tavernkeeper chased them to the entrance and called out, "My two officers, you haven't paid your tab yet! My small business can't afford losses like this!"
One of the soldiers turned his head, shot a disdainful glance at the tavernkeeper, spat right in his face, and kicked him sprawling to the ground. "It's already eight generations of good fortune for you lot that we came to this godforsaken place at the border! Pay a tab? Get lost!"
The tavernkeeper was an old man of over sixty. The kick left him gasping for air, sitting on the ground with his face twisted in pain.
Seeing this, the bearded man and the scholar hurried forward to help the tavernkeeper up. Looking at the departing backs of those two men, the tavernkeeper let out a deep sigh. "Alas! Is Lord Ling truly gone? If the city is handed over to the likes of them to look after, I'm afraid it won't be many days before the walls are breached and the people slaughtered. They are more terrifying than Demon Beasts!"
"Let's just hope that when the new governor takes office in three days, he shows even a ten-thousandth of Lord Ling's regard for the people. That alone would be a great blessing!"
The scholar also looked at their receding figures, speaking in a dejected tone.
This was the southernmost city of the Tianri Empire, named Sanli City. Located a mere three hundred li from the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons, it suffered from year-round Demon Beast invasions, leaving the citizens living in constant terror and indescribable misery.
It wasn't until eight years ago that Ling Feng, acting on orders from the ruler of the Tianri Empire, led troops to garrison this place. Ling Feng could have chosen not to come, but upon his arrival, all he saw was a dilapidated city strewn with the remains of commoners, the fresh blood staining the earth a blazing red.
Ling Feng immediately issued an order to build high walls and set up camp right there.
Later, as the high walls rose, Demon Beasts wanting to enter the city had to breach the fortifications first. Yet the highest realm among the beasts was only the General Demon stage, possessing merely rudimentary spiritual awareness. At the time, although Ling Feng had only a little over a hundred men under his command, every single one of them was a genuine Level 3 Expert, while he himself had reached the realm of a Level 2 Sword Saint.
Ever since he came to this city, there had never been large-scale casualties among the populace.
The only time a Demon Beast managed to enter the city was when a Level 1 General Demon, a Wind-Spinning Bird, slipped into the city from the high skies.
The Wind-Spinning Bird was an extremely fast type of Demon Beast, its entire body covered in pale blue feathers, complemented by blood-red eyes and a sharp beak that made it look exceptionally ferocious.
An adult Wind-Spinning Bird had a body one meter long, with a wingspan reaching fully four meters. Every single feather was incomparably sharp, capable of instantly piercing the body of an ordinary adult male.
Taking advantage of the night, the Wind-Spinning Bird flew in from the high skies and entered the city.
Its Level 1 General Demon cultivation made its physique exceptionally massive, with a body length exceeding two meters and a wingspan reaching a terrifying width of six meters. Illuminated by the moonlight, its silhouette was like a ghost in the dark night—coming without a shadow and going without a trace.
A drunken man was wandering down the street, trying to make his way home. His luck seemed somewhat poor; it wasn't as if there was no one else on the street, but the Wind-Spinning Bird locked its gaze entirely on him. Plunging downward at blinding speed, it reached the man's airspace within a few breaths.
Its massive talons grasped the man's shoulders, seeking to lift him up into the high sky. But no sooner had the claws seized the man's shoulders—just as the Wind-Spinning Bird beat its wings to ascend—than its razor-sharp talons ripped the flesh right off the man's shoulders along with his clothing.
The man instantly emitted a cry of agony and collapsed to his knees. The spot on his shoulder that had just been clawed now exposed bare white bone, a horrifying sight. Fresh blood gushed endlessly from the wound, his entire upper garment had been completely torn away by the bird, and blood streamed down his body onto the ground.
The beast prepared to press its attack, but the man's screams had already awakened Ling Feng from his sleep. Tugging on a robe casually, he hurried over.
Since the barracks were not far away, Ling Feng arrived swiftly. By the time he reached the scene, the Wind-Spinning Bird was about to launch another strike. Ling Feng shouted in a booming voice, "Stop!"
His resounding roar, imbued with the spiritual energy of a Level 2 Sword Saint, instantly froze the Wind-Spinning Bird in mid-air, rendering it completely motionless. Seizing the opportunity, Ling Feng leaped into the air and severed its head with a single sword stroke. The dazed body still flapped its wings twice in the sky before plummeting to the ground with a heavy thud.
Seeing this, Ling Feng felt a pang of heartache. The city he was tasked with protecting had actually allowed a mere Level 1 General Demon beast to slip inside—how could he dare call himself the border governor?
After soothing the drunken man's emotions, he had him sent to the apothecary, then proceeded directly to the barracks to convene a meeting.
"The soldiers who were on duty guarding the wall today, step forward!"
His booming voice shattered the tranquility of the night, and several soldiers stepped out of the ranks.
"Keep your vigilance up a hundredfold! You must never let Demon Beasts endanger the people. Did I say that or not?"
"You did!"
Over a hundred soldiers shouted in unison.
"What was the meaning of the Wind-Spinning Bird entering the city tonight? If I hadn't arrived in the nick of time, a living life would have been snuffed out! Starting today, patrols within the city will be conducted every single hour! Brothers, since we have come here, we must shoulder this responsibility. We cannot betray the trust the people have placed in us! To be a soldier is to sacrifice oneself for others. Anyone who clings to life and fears death may speak up now without hesitation; I will hand you some silver and you can roll back home to farm your land!"
When these words fell, not a single person uttered a sound. The reason they truly submitted to this governor was not because of his status, but because of his spirit of self-sacrifice and unwavering dedication.
"Very well, since no one speaks up, I presume you are all heroes. Let us stand together to guard the frontier and protect the common people!"
"Guard the frontier, protect the common people!"
In the days that followed, Ling Feng reinforced the troop strength along the city walls and even added several Boxing Masters possessing avian beast-souls to guard against any further flying beasts infiltrating the city from the air.
...
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, over the span of eight years, Ling Feng's arrival had completely transformed this city, which had once been a living hell. The streets were no longer stained with blood, nor did they carry an aura of desolation.
In their place were flower-filled grasslands, the joyous laughter of people in the streets, the cries of peddlers hawking their wares, and the sight of children playing and frolicking.
Yet all of this seemed to have grown murky and uncertain with Ling Feng's mysterious disappearance.
Perhaps before long, once the new governor assumed office, whether all this peace and laughter would grow even more vibrant or vanish entirely—no one could tell...