There lay the most luxurious cloak in the entire shop, wholly deep in ink color, with ancient bright patterns faintly visible on the side, appearing both regal and magnificent, a masterpiece that only a true artisan could craft. Wang Anfeng, with the voice of the Blade Madman, said faintly: The shopkeeper paused, then his face burst into an uncontrollable smile, saying: "Thanks for your patronage, the Thunder Patterned Great Cloak, thirty taels of Patterned Silver." Upon hearing the price, Wang Anfeng's hand trembled slightly, yet his expression remained cold as he reached into his bosom, his wrist's Buddha Beads glowing faintly. He retrieved a piece of silver and placed it on the table, saying indifferently: Moments later, Wang Anfeng, whose purse had been drained, held the cloak and strode out, his expression cold as he walked forward, silently calculating in his mind. One meat bun costs two Tongbao. A thousand Tongbao make up one Guan coin, due to the price of silver being slightly high, one tael of silver is worth two hundred Guan coins. Thirty taels of silver... Wang Anfeng's breath slightly halted, feeling the heavy weight of the cloak in his hand grow even heavier. Yet this action was necessary, as his third Master had just said in his ear, if the Blade Madman of Fufeng charged out wearing a cloak styled like those of the lowest mountain bandits and sand thieves, it would be inappropriate; if so, the Blade Madman would not be a Blade Madman — the blade would exist, but where is the madness? Although Wang Anfeng did not wholeheartedly agree, he had to admit that the simple cloak was indeed ill-suited to the Blade Madman. Now holding his things, he walked back to the inn without entering, hearing a hearty and robust laughter mingled with a crisp and youthful voice, reminiscent of the Heavenly Spirit Bird from Northwest legends. Lifting the cloth that shielded against the cold wind, Wang Anfeng saw several merchants from the caravan gathered together, one of whom was the round-faced Sun Ren who had urged him to buy a cloak and shawl when he left, with a more radiant smile on his face now, as if all the hardships of a lifetime had come to an end. Beside him was the slender Ma Yu, who often showed a bit of sharpness in his demeanor, his face also full of smiles, bending his reed-like waist to reach out and tease a little girl sitting in Sun Ren's lap. The little girl seemed about six or seven years old, looking quite adorable with rosy cheeks and black hair, her small face nestled in Sun Ren's arms, seemingly shy and hesitant to respond to the surrounding merchants. Ma Yu teased and joked, saying, "Old Sun, with your disposition, you managed to find such a graceful lady in the city as your wife; should we say your wife's eyesight isn't very good, or that you stepped on camel dung and had such luck." Sun Ren was evidently proud of this matter, squinting his eyes, lifting his chin, saying," I think you're secretly jealous, aren't you? Back then, I was considered a handsome young man in the ten-mile radius, so when my wife took a liking to me, it was obvious." Upon hearing his self-promotion, everyone laughed heartily. Ma Yu chuckled and said, "Indeed, it is commendable of her. If it were someone else, who would wait here for you for so many years, with only three or four months together each year?" Sun Ren stroked his daughter's hair in his arms and sighed: "Indeed... It's what I owe to my wife and daughter. The road ahead isn't far, and I plan to take them to Xiong City to see the great Northwest fortress. I even have a house there. We will stay for a couple of years, then return and bring the child to our Sword South region, and then to Jiangnan." The most update n0vels are published on NoveIＦire.net "How can a daughter of Great Qin have not seen the willows and peach blossoms of Jiangnan?" Ma Yu, not without envy, let out a sigh, then suddenly bent down to tease the little girl, saying, "Little Yan'er, little Yan'er, when you grow up, will you marry my son?" Sun Ren feigned anger, kicking Ma Yu, then noticed Wang Anfeng returning from outside the door. Seeing the things he was carrying, he realized the latter had taken his words to heart, and greeted him cheerfully. Then, he gently patted the little girl's shoulder in his arms, calling her: "Yan'er, call uncle..." The little girl looked up at Wang Anfeng with very spirited dark eyes, quite adorable. For some reason, she found this seemingly cold young 'Uncle' more approachable than the friendly and smiling uncles and elders around, and she chirped softly: Sun Ren murmured in surprise, and the surrounding merchants were even more stunned. They had just been playing nice, but the little girl wouldn't even glance at them. Wang Anfeng pressed his lips together, suppressing the instinct to raise his hand and touch the little girl's satin-like black hair, nodded faintly with the Blade Madman's resolve, did not reply, and sidestepped towards the staircase. The little girl bit her thumb, curiously watching him, with a small butterfly-shaped silver ornament at her temple, its wings fluttering lightly. Wang Anfeng returned to the guest room, exhaled, tossed the weighty items onto the bed, raised a hand to rub his brow, once more feeling the Blade Madman's temperament was vastly incompatible with his own. But there was no choice. He sat on the bed, gazing sideways at the sunset over the city, northwest sometimes had sunsets as bloody as the sky covered a vast expanse. Boiling, the fresh blood had just burst from the neck. After all, he set out with his own purposes this time. Perhaps due to Li Qidao's presence, or due to Wang Anfeng's background or his good relations with the Ministry of Punishment, Jiu Zizai generously shared a portion of the Ministry's intelligence with him, restricted to external domains and concerning the White Tiger Hall. Among them was Jiu Zizai's discovery of some of White Tiger Hall's experts residing outside. Because Jiu Zizai himself is a top-notch expert both within and outside the domain, the chances are high that the other party is unaware that their intelligence has been discovered and leaked. This was a brilliant opportunity. Wang Anfeng stared fixedly at the sunset, the blood-red afterglow gradually spreading, then darkening, while darkness appeared on one side, swiftly devouring the entire sky, then faint stars twinkled from various places. This was candlelight. Wang Anfeng placed his hand on the table, preparing to rise, his eyes slightly narrowing as he turned his gaze outside to one direction, past about half a cup of tea's time, the wind's sound mixed with noise, as a figure dashed rapidly across the rooftops in the dim night. Traces of a bloody scent mixed in the cool night breeze, becoming rather ethereal. There's a Jianghu conflict. Wang Anfeng quickly reached this conclusion, then suddenly a bright, melodious sound echoed in the night sky, akin to the singing of a bird, full of rhythm. Wang Anfeng knew this was the call of the Heavenly Spirit Bird. In Northwest and domain-less legends, when people die, they don't become stars but turn into animals; fathers transform into eagles, soaring in the sky to watch over their children, while the most beautiful maiden becomes the Heavenly Spirit Bird upon death. They possess the world's clearest and most enchanting voice, even the most cold-hearted will pause upon hearing. Wang Anfeng's expression subtly changed, his right hand opened, the Mo Blade resting casually by the bed silently slipped into his hand. This was the signal from Ministry of Punishment detectives. A Ministry detective was requesting help! PS: Here's the first update of today... Three thousand eight hundred words.