Chapter 1: The Entanglement of Fate and Enmity, Haicheng's Solitude

  A master's demeanor is like standing on a high platform with hands behind back, facing the wind. Li Huqiu guessed that Duanmu Ye must be very cold now. In November, Northeast China has already entered winter, and even if Duanmu Ye, this old man from Yangzhou, has high martial arts skills, this Western suit can't compare to a down jacket.

  Duanmu Ye coincidentally let out a sneeze in sync with Li Huqiu's guess, and Li Huqiu burst into laughter, saying: "I have to say, you're the most formidable lightness kung fu practitioner I've ever seen. My legs have been trained to the extreme, and I dare say that few people in the world can match my speed. I ran with all my might, but I still couldn't shake you off even after such a long distance. You truly exceeded my expectations."

  Tanmu Ye looked down at the young thief king below, his heart more shocked than Li Huqiu. He was a family heirloom of running word work, and also assisted with a pair of special props similar to Dai Zong's armor in Water Margin, which could save half of his strength when worn. Despite this, he had to use all his might to catch up with Li Huqiu. However, he still arrived at the mountain area several minutes late. After entering the mountain and losing Li Huqiu's trail, he had no choice but to climb to the top of the mountain to look far away. Unexpectedly, Li Huqiu hadn't gone far, and was waiting for him on the mountain top in a daze. Tanmu Ye was overjoyed, quickly putting on the airs of a superior being, claiming that he had been waiting for Li Huqiu for a while.

  "Young man, you're not slow, but if you think you can shake me off, you're far from it. Let's formally introduce ourselves. I'm Duanmu Ye, a special investigator from the Ministry of Public Security, and I've been sent specifically to catch you. Are you going to surrender or make me work harder? Seeing Li Huqiu unresponsive, Duanmu Ye smiled and continued: "At your age, you've already reached the level of hidden strength, which is indeed rare, but you must understand that hidden strength is only the first step on the path of martial arts. In my hands, you won't have a chance to run."

  Li Huqiu asked, "Since you're arresting me, why didn't you do it in Harbin?" Duanmu Ye said, "I wouldn't arrest you if you hadn't broken the law." Li Huqiu sneered, "Did I break the law just now?" Duanmu Ye said seriously, "To be fair, not only have you done nothing wrong, but you've also rendered a service." He raised his hand to stop Li Huqiu from asking questions and said, "I received an order from the Ministry of Justice to capture you before the end of the year. This is Minister Qin's order, and it must be carried out no matter what. I'm now arresting you on suspicion of inciting bandits to rob travelers. If you don't want to be arrested, you can make a move."

  Li Huqiu spread his hands and said, "To be honest, I didn't plan on fighting you. What goes into the stomach will eventually become feces, and doing something wrong will eventually lead to being haunted by ghosts. Today, I've mentally prepared myself for this, but before you catch me, I want to ask you a question: am I considered a good person or a bad person?"

  Tanmu's expressionless face replied, "What you've done so far can be considered good, but not everyone who breaks the law is a bad person." Li Huqiu said, "Isn't the law meant to punish bad people and protect good ones?" Tanmu shook his head, "This isn't something I should think about. The law isn't omnipotent, it's impossible for there to be no loopholes. Although I didn't catch you in the act, I believe your exceptional thieving skills must have been honed through a hundred battles. In other words, you must have done this before!" Li Huqiu said, "I have an unresolved matter on my mind, and before that's settled, I won't fall into your hands. If you insist on arresting me now, I'll fight to the death - this isn't what I want, I don't want to add another charge of assaulting a police officer to my record."

  In the northern winter, standing at the top of a great mountain, the cold air was dense and the north wind blew on the two people's faces like a knife cut. Li Huqiu stood fearlessly in front of Duanmu Ye, one of the four great special commissioners of the Ministry of Public Security. Duanmu Ye had already taken out his family heirloom, the Dragon Subduing Lock, a long chain with a nine-linked lock at its top, forged from coarse iron using ancient methods, slender yet extremely tough. It was one of the treasures passed down through the Duanmu family.

  Duanmu Ye said: "Considering your performance earlier, which showed some sense of justice, I won't use my gun on you. According to the rules of the martial arts world, I'll give you a fair chance for a decisive battle. If you win or kill me, you can leave and do what you want."

  With that, he shook his chain, and the Dragon Subduing Lock's head seemed to come alive, rushing straight at Li Huqiu. This was the Duanmu family's legendary Fierce Dragon Dance. Once this chain was fully unleashed, its moves were strange and unpredictable, like a ghostly or divine mechanism. Even if one's opponent transformed into a dragon, they would still be caught by it, earning its name as the Unrivaled Fierce Dragon.

  Li Huqiu said with a smile, "Come on!" A cold light flashed in his eyes, and a flying knife appeared in his hand. With one swing of the knife, it landed right on Yuan Long's head. At the same time, Li Huqiu's body retreated two and a half feet, and he shook off another flying knife. As the sun set in the west, the light from this knife was dazzlingly beautiful against the backdrop of the evening glow, with a hint of tenderness in Li Huqiu's thoughts of Yanzi sister. The strong wind blew fiercely, and this knife flew as fast as lightning, its trajectory like a thunderbolt striking down! It shot straight towards Duanmu Ye's chest. This was Li Huqiu's flying knife, although it had not yet reached perfection, it already showed a multitude of emotions and revealed its sharp edge.

  Li Huqiu's flying knife has made progress since the last battle with Houbotian! Duanmu Ye, like Houbotian, is also a master of transforming energy, and dodging this knife was already too late. In his haste, he could only hurriedly use the Dragon Lock beside him to block it.

  With a loud clang, after the sound of metal colliding, Du Mu Ye took a small step back, secretly shocked, wondering how Li Hu Qiu's dark and powerful strength could produce such a knife. He only had time to take one step back in shock before Li Hu Qiu employed his old trick again, shouting loudly as he threw out another flying knife! However, there was nothing in his hand, and he turned around to rush down the mountain, running towards the forest. Du Mu Ye instinctively dodged, turning his head to see that Li Hu Qiu had already rushed down the mountain, dashing into the woods and disappearing from view in the blink of an eye. Du Mu Ye picked up the flying knife on the ground, only then noticing that the previous knife had struck the Dragon Subduing Lock with its hilt facing forward.

  Fleeing in a panic! Li Hu Qiu dashed into the dense forest, feeling his way forward, unaware that Duan Mu Ye had not caught up. He didn't know how far he had run before finally stopping when the sky was completely dark. He let himself lie down in the twilight, heavy breathing sounds coming from his mouth. Since entering the Dark Energy Realm, he hadn't been this exhausted in a long time. Three major escapes in one day, plus battling an expert, and physical strength would be lost even faster under high mental tension - he had reached his limit.

  After resting for a while, Li Huqiu felt his limbs regain their strength and sat up to look around. The surroundings were quiet and still, and Li Huqiu was certain that this was the mountain where he had gone hunting with Grandpa Gao when he was young. However, at this time, he couldn't tell which direction he was in, and he didn't dare light a fire, as the flames would be too conspicuous in the night, and if Duanmu Ye was still tracking him, the fire would easily reveal his whereabouts.

  The darkness in the deep mountains and old forests is especially dark, as if another layer of ink has been added to the night sky. In a situation where visibility is extremely low, even Li Huqiu, who has exceptional eyesight, can only grope his way down the mountain step by step. The forest is full of low shrubs with branches stretching out everywhere, and after walking for a while, Li Huqiu finally confirms that he has lost his way. His limbs are sore to the point of almost breaking, and he must rest. He finds a large tree, climbs up with a few swift movements, finds a relatively comfortable position to lie down, and waits quietly for dawn. Of course, climbing the tree is to guard against wild animals.

  The black night of winter was particularly cold and desolate, and Li Huqiu didn't dare to fall asleep. His mind clutched at his dantian, striving to control the rhythm of his heartbeat, trying his best to maintain the smooth flow of blood. His breathing became longer and more relaxed, occasionally stimulating the circulation of qi and blood to raise his body temperature, silently resisting the cold night of nature. Having endured the whole night, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, he suddenly heard a human voice calling out in his ear, "Dad, where are you?" The voice grew louder and closer, followed by the sound of a dog barking.

  Li Huqiu suddenly sat up. In an instant, the sky spun and the earth turned, he only felt that the vital energy in his limbs was drained, a ball of blood and gas was squeezed into his lower abdomen, and his whole body was like falling into an ice cellar. He couldn't shout out loud, his heart and gall were frozen with fear. The sounds of nature seemed to be ringing in his ears, the cracking sound of trees, the barking of dogs, and human voices became clearer. At this moment, his mind was clear, but he couldn't speak or move.

  Li Huqiu suddenly remembered the realm of transformation that his master, Dong Zhao, had mentioned. Yesterday, he was forced to chase after Duanmu Ye and ran wildly three times under intense mental pressure, exhausting himself. After adjusting his body state with the "Embracing the Origin" breathing method taught by Master Dong, he resisted the cold of the night. He suddenly realized that he was at a critical moment, and in his unconscious struggle against Duanmu Ye and the cold night, he had inadvertently touched the threshold of the next realm after the dark energy. He must cross over! Li Huqiu rallied all his spirit and struggled to control the dispersal of his Qi and blood from his Dan Tian, circulating it throughout his body. What he didn't know was that in reality, he had already entered a state of madness, or rather, had suffered a stroke. If not for his extraordinary physical sensitivity developed through special training since childhood, if not for his unwavering determination supporting his desire to control his body, if not for the medicine given by Master Dong that improved his physical talents, and if not for the mysterious intent of stirring up his Qi and blood that he had experienced when Yanzi sister passed away, at this moment, he would have already become paralyzed or died from the stroke.

  Without these, he might have died, but with them, he won't be paralyzed or die. He will break through the shackles and enter a new realm. Great Master of Qi!