Within the inner district, just beyond the entrance gate…in the lifeless eyes of the corpses, one could still make out the straw-cloaked figure wielding the massive blade of the Horse Butcher.0

Blood droplets quivered and dispersed from the blade’s surface, evaporating into thin red threads of mist.0

Li Yuan had no sheath left. The dogs around him didn’t bear leashes.0

Amid the bleak autumn rain, the young man tilted the brim of his conical hat lower, rainwater and blood dripping from its edge in a steady patter. Those droplets that fell on him sizzled against his blood veil, turning to steam or crimson wisps that rose and vanished into the damp air.0

He swept a wary gaze across the area, looking toward the distant inner district walls and the surrounding alleys. Then he inhaled deeply, sorting out the scents of any living stranger. Having confirmed there were no more survivors here, he turned and strode away, disappearing into the dreary drizzle.1

Blood puddled on the ground, gradually thinning as the rain...0