The innkeeper bent over, carefully wiping the table, and upon seeing Huli leaving, he asked, "Leaving so soon, sir?"

Huli responded with a nod and pushed the door open, stepping out of the inn.

His purpose for this trip was to visit Qinglong Temple, so he avoided Jiangyu and Bai Huaishui. Everything seemed to be connected to the Life-Ending Powder, and now he knew that Han Xiao was aware of it. If he didn't find Han Xiao, he wouldn't find anyone else who knew about it.

The sky was clear, a perfect weather indeed, but it didn't match the mood of Shangyong City at all.

At the intersection, a crooked-neck tree stood bare, its hollow branches pointing menacingly at the sky.

A red butterfly kite hung from one of the branches.

Beside the tree stood residential buildings.

Living in Shangyong City, the deepest feelings were loneliness and fear.

Huli took a closer look and soon spotted a little head poking out from the white wall.

Presumably, this was the owner of the butterfly kite. The child, braver than most, had transitioned from a crouching position to standing, trying to reach for the kite string. Huli approached the wall and realized that they had seen this child climbing the wall a few days ago.

Using the wall for support, Huli spun around and took down the kite, landing it on the white tiles.

The little girl was a bit wobbly. Huli steadied her with his left hand and handed her the kite with his right.

"My kite, thank you," the girl happily hugged the kite to her chest. "Thank goodness. If I lost it, my grandfather would definitely be angry."

The girl mumbled to herself for a while before looking up at Huli. She looked at his face for a moment, then suddenly noticed the long knife behind him. "You're the big brother with the sword!"

Huli found this title a bit amusing. It seemed that the girl only remembered his knife and not his face.

Huli hugged the little girl, and she leaned against his leg.

"Can big brother fly from here?" The girl's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, hugging Huli's leg.

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"Would you like to come along next time?" Huli asked, bending down slightly.

The girl nodded vigorously. Huli lifted her into his arms without hesitation. He wasn't afraid that this brave girl would get scared. He cleanly leaped from the white wall with her in his arms, landing in the courtyard below.

A ladder stood against the wall, indicating how the girl had climbed up.

"Big brother with the sword is amazing," the girl said happily, her attention not on her kite but on Huli. "Can big brother fly from Shangyong City to the capital?"

"What do you want to do in the capital?" Huli asked, squatting down with interest.

"Grandpa has been to the capital. He always stares at the things he brought back from there all night," the girl's curiosity was heavy, her desire for play even greater. She didn't feel ignored at all but rather continued, "There must be lots of fun things in the capital."

Huli continued her train of thought, "Maybe there are eighty or ninety big brothers with swords."

The girl scoffed, "No way. Grandpa said I'm unique, and so is big brother."

"What about your grandpa?" Huli asked.

"He's asleep," the girl said, pulling Huli to the side and whispering, "Keep your voice down, don't let grandpa hear."

Before the two could move a few steps, a cough came from behind them. It was the old man.

Huli turned around and saw the old man clearly. The old man immediately frowned and waved his hand, "What are you doing here? Go, go, go."

"This big brother with the sword is my friend. Grandpa, you can't chase him away," the girl stepped forward to shield Huli, boldly admitting to her earlier antics and asking for Huli's help, "He helped me save a butterfly and even saved my life."

"You're so disobedient," the old man said, glancing at Huli, then pondered for a moment before saying, "Come inside with me."

Huli glanced at the sky, then turned and followed. The girl took a couple of steps but Huli patted her head, and the old man said, "Girl, go back inside."

The girl didn't want to leave, holding onto Huli's arm.

The two looked at each other for a while, then the girl reluctantly ran to the side.

The courtyard was much larger than it appeared from the outside, not inferior to Xu Laozi's mansion at all. The people Jiangyu said were hiding deeply were definitely not it. It was Shangyong City that was extraordinary. Only by looking deeper could you see its uniqueness.

The old man remained silent, leading the way. Huli didn't ask much either.

They hadn't walked far when the old man stopped at the door of a room, pushed the door open, and entered.

The door and windows of the room were wide open, and Huli could see the courtyard from inside.

The front was calm, but behind them, there was a brewing storm.

The old man had already made his move without Huli realizing it.

A gust of wind brushed past Huli's face. He dodged sideways, but the second strike came from his left. Huli quickly retreated to avoid it.

The old man's moves were aimed at his face, but as they approached the window, he aimed for Huli's lower body.

Huli gripped his long knife and used the hilt as a pivot, returning to the ground after the old man's attack.

The old man's movements were strange, always getting close, but his fists and feet were not as sharp as blades. Huli kept his guard up, maintaining a distance between them.

The old man approached again. Huli blocked with his knife, but the old man had already retreated two steps. Huli looked down and saw a long cut in the sleeve of the old man's right hand.

Huli only noticed now.

The old man's hands were concealed in his sleeves, not without weapons, but already holding them without anyone noticing.

The old man didn't wait long before attacking again, this time revealing his weapon openly. This trick could only be used once. The old man's weapon was hidden in the gloves on his hands, seeming to merge with them. It was a specially crafted double-bladed dagger.

Huli was unfamiliar with such a weapon.

Huli was quick, but the old man was quicker.

No matter how Huli dodged, the old man was already in front of him, and the strange weapon's cold light was already on his face.

Without hesitation, Huli drew his knife to block, clashing with the old man's weapon.

A strong force pushed Huli back several steps in a row.

The old man's eyes were sharp as he looked Huli up and down, then withdrew his hand into his sleeve. In an instant, when the old man brought his hand out again, the weapon was gone.

The old man asked in a deep voice, "Speak, what are you doing here?"

"Huli passed by and saw the girl climbing the wall... I apologize for any offense caused. It's getting late, and I won't disturb you any longer, sir..." Huli explained, "It's late, and I'll take my leave."