The morning sun bathed the road in golden light as Xu Wang, Wang Li, and Mei Ling approached the towering wooden gates of Lianhua Vilge. The air was crisp, carrying the distant scent of incense and cooking fires. Lianhua was known for its picturesque beauty, but beneath the charm y a vilge with its own secrets and dangers.Two guards stood at the entrance, their spears crossed before the trio. They wore iron-pted armor, their expressions unreadable as they scrutinized the travelers.

  "Halt," one guard commanded. "State your names and purpose for entering Lianhua."

  Xu Wang stepped forward with a polite bow. "I am Xu Wang, and these are my companions, Wang Li and Mei Ling. We are travelers exploring the beautiful sights of the nd."

  The second guard narrowed his eyes, studying them. "Explorers, huh? We don’t get many of your kind here." His gaze lingered on Xu Wang for a moment longer before he sighed. "Very well. Don’t cause trouble."

  The guards moved aside, allowing them to step through the wooden gates into the heart of Lianhua.

  The vilge bustled with life. Merchants lined the streets, selling fragrant spices, jade trinkets, and silk garments embroidered with intricate patterns. Women carried woven baskets filled with fresh vegetables, and children darted between stalls, their ughter filling the air. A river snaked through the vilge, its waters shimmering in the sunlight.

  As they admired their surroundings, a sudden commotion at the gate drew their attention.

  "Hold it right there!" a guard’s sharp voice rang out.

  A disheveled man stood near the entrance, his tattered robes covered in dust from the road. His face was lined with exhaustion, but his eyes held an unmistakable spark of defiance.

  "What did you say your name was?" the guard demanded, his voice ced with suspicion.

  The man hesitated before answering, "Sun Ma."

  A hush fell over the entrance. The guards stiffened, their expressions darkening.

  "Sun Ma?" one of them echoed. "That means you’re reted to the Sun Cn." His grip on his spear tightened. "Kill him."

  The air turned deadly in an instant. Before Sun Ma could react, the guards lunged forward, their bdes fshing in the sunlight. The man barely had time to cry out before steel met flesh.

  Blood spttered across the cobbled road.

  Xu Wang felt his stomach turn as he watched the brutal execution unfold before him. Wang Li’s fingers curled into a fist, her jaw tightening, while Mei Ling paled, her eyes wide with shock.

  The lifeless body crumpled to the ground. A guard nudged it with his boot before waving for the corpse to be dragged away. The vilgers barely spared a gnce, as if such executions were common.

  Xu Wang exhaled sharply. The Sun Cn is being hunted... but why?

  As the guards resumed their duties, the trio exchanged uneasy gnces.

  "We need to find out more about what’s happening here," Mei Ling whispered.

  "Later," Wang Li said firmly. "We shouldn’t attract attention."

  Xu Wang nodded. The st thing they needed was to end up like Sun Ma.

  Through the VilgeThey moved deeper into Lianhua, weaving through the lively streets. Their journey led them past a towering estate with dark red banners swaying in the breeze.

  "Yang Cn," Wang Li muttered, eyeing the grand gates adorned with the cn’s sigil—a golden dragon coiled around a bck sun.

  Xu Wang slowed his pace. The Yang Cn was known for its wealth and influence, and if they had power here, it could mean trouble. He averted his gaze and kept walking, Mei Ling and Wang Li following close behind.

  The further they went, the more they felt the weight of unseen eyes watching them.

  The Mysterious Old ManAs they neared the inn, a chilling presence made the hair on Xu Wang’s neck rise. A lone figure stood by the roadside—a man draped in tattered robes. His face was aged, his beard streaked with white, yet his eyes gleamed with an unnatural intensity.

  Power radiated from him, an aura so immense that even the vilgers unconsciously gave him space.

  Xu Wang swallowed, urging himself to walk past without drawing attention. But the moment he stepped forward, the old man moved.

  In a blink, he was in front of them. His hand, though thin, had an iron grip as it cmped onto Xu Wang’s wrist.

  Xu Wang tensed, his instincts screaming at him to break free.

  The old man’s lips curled into a cryptic smile. "Are you an Ajna Qi Technique user?"

  The question struck Xu Wang like a bolt of lightning. His breath caught in his throat.

  Wang Li and Mei Ling immediately reached for their weapons, ready to react.

  But the old man’s eyes bore into Xu Wang’s soul, filled with knowledge and something else—something far more dangerous.

  The world around them seemed to slow as the weight of the question settled in.

  Xu Wang’s heart pounded. Who is this man? And how does he know?

  To be continued…