The Great Qi Dynasty.

### Tianwu Town, Western Territories

As the dawn's first light painted the frontier town with a hint of vitality, life began to stir under the rising sun.

#### In the Town

On a long street traversing the town, a frail girl around thirteen or fourteen years old trudged forward, gritting her teeth as she bore a young man on her back. The young man, about seventeen or eighteen, was tied with a tattered black sword, soaking in his blood and barely clinging to life. He had long since fallen unconscious. The girl's dress was so dirtied that its original color was unrecognizable; dust and blood marred her once delicate, fair face. Sweat mixed with the wounds on her face, making her frown occasionally. Her feet, reduced to tattered flesh, revealed glimpses of white bone. Each step left a bloodstain on the cobblestone ground, a gruesome trail of her agony.

"Huh?"

Curiosity sparked among the onlookers, drawing their attention.

"Isn't that Fang Han and his maid?"

"I heard his cultivation was destroyed and his meridians shattered. It's a miracle he survived the demon beasts outside the town!"

"But looking at him, he won't live long."

"What a pity," one person shook his head.

"A once-great genius, reduced to this."

"Pity? Hah!" another scoffed.

"A patricidal man is no better than a beast. He deserves to die!"

"True, Master Gu treated him like a son for seventeen years, appointed him as the young master, yet he repaid the kindness with betrayal. Destroying his cultivation and exiling him from Tianwu Town was too lenient!"

"Good thing he didn't get into the Qi Martial Academy, or it'd shame our town immensely!"

The crowd's chatter was filled with disdain, scorn, mockery, and righteous indignation.

"Lies!"

Suddenly, the girl stopped in her tracks. Through her teary, determined eyes, she spoke weakly but with fierceness, "Young Master is innocent..."

"Innocent?!”

A man sneered.

"The entire Gu family saw Fang Han's sword piercing through the master's chest. Even he had nothing to say in his defense. Only a fool like you would believe him!"

"Alright, alright,” another mediated, “Everyone knows she's a fool. Why argue with an idiot?"

"Right, she's idiotic, are you too?"

"Ha ha ha..."

The laughter echoed.

The girl, famous for her simple-mindedness in Tianwu Town, resumed her steps despite the jeers and taunts, her next destination clear— the Lord's Mansion.

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#### Gu Family, Main Hall

An aged man with graying hair and a somber expression, Gu Chang, the elder of the Gu family, sat high above. Below stood a handsome young man, his eyes flashing with impatience, Gu Yang, Gu Chang's grandson.

"Grandfather, why not just kill Fang Han to end this?"

"Kill him?"

Gu Chang glanced up,

"We ambushed Gu Tian, took back the family power, then pinned the crime on Fang Han and crippled him completely. We've achieved our objectives. Killing him now? What difference does it make?"

Gu Tian, the family head and Fang Han’s adoptive father, was thus eliminated.

"But..."

Gu Yang hesitated.

"Don't worry. He's gravely injured, his meridians shattered beyond repair. Even if he survives, he'll be crippled for life. Sparing him benefits us far more!"

"I understand," Gu Yang's eyes lit up.

"Grandfather plans to use this to bolster our family's image?"

"Exactly," Gu Chang nodded in approval.

"Forgiving even him will elevate our family's reputation. This will also help you enter the Qi Martial Academy."

The Qi Martial Academy, in the capital of the Great Qi Dynasty, was where young elites gathered, and many vied fiercely for an opportunity to attend, hoping to be noticed by the upper echelons and transcend their status. Entry was stringent, and Tianwu Town had a slot only once every five years, causing intense competition.

"Remember," Gu Chang continued, “the contest for this year's slot is in a month. Don’t let this golden chance slip!”

"Rest assured, Grandfather."

Gu Yang smirked confidently.

"Without Fang Han, the others are of no concern. This contest will be my rise to prominence!"

The paths of cultivation extended endlessly— Condensing Qi, Opening Veins, Connecting Channels, Gathering Essence, Spiritual Profound, Reaching Divinity... Each stage divided into nine smaller levels. At nineteen, Gu Yang had reached Opening Veins stage five, a tad inferior to Fang Han’s stage seven but still superior to his peers.

"What a pity," he sighed.

"If only I had Master Gu Tian’s golden seal, it would be perfect."

"Don’t be greedy," Gu Chang warned.

"Seizing control of the family and crippling the bastard is victory enough. The golden seal,” his eyes clouded with apprehension, “may be a powerful artifact. But it drove Gu Tian mad, making him attack his own kin. It's risky and might be uncontrollable even for you.”

"Grandfather, do you believe Master Gu Tian is really dead?"

"He cannot live," Gu Chang's eyes gleamed with certainty.

"I pierced his heart with the sword myself. Not even the Lord could survive!"

At this moment, a hurried servant entered.

"Elder, Young Master!"

"Huh?"

Gu Yang's gaze turned cold.

"What did you call me!"

"S-sorry, Young Master! Fang Han has returned!"

#### Before the Lord's Mansion

Straight-backed guards stood under two majestic jade sculptures, exuding a formidable presence. The girl stumbled up the steps, her face pale and her body swaying.

"Stop!"

A guard barked, thrusting his spear at her.

"Daring to trespass?"

"I..."

She wavered.

"I need to see Miss Liu! Save Young Master..."

"Leave!"

"Please..."

Tears filled her eyes, her voice trembling with desperation.

"Miss Liu is my Young Master's friend. He’s dying..."

"Shut up! My mistress wouldn’t associate with a patricidal man. One more word, and I'll end you!"

A spear's cold tip gleamed an inch from her throat, her neck blossoming with a red line.

"Please!"

Ignoring the threat, she begged.

"He didn't do it. Let me in..."

"Ugh..."

During this exchange, Fang Han roused from his coma.

"Ah-Sha..."

"Young Master!"

"Why come here..."

“I’m begging Miss Liu to save you!"

"Useless... Let’s go..."

"But…”

"Listen... to me, let's... go!"

#### At the Mansion's Rear Garden

Liu Ying, the lord’s daughter, stood in her light green gown, her skin as fair as snow, her presence calm and elegant.

"My lady,”

a maid questioned, puzzled.

"You're not helping him?"

"Why should I?" Liu Ying turned, revealing a haunting beauty that eclipsed the garden's flowers.

"It does not matter if I believe him. He is a cripple, not the prodigy he once was."

"Besides," her tone shifted,

"a distinguished guest arrives today. We go to meet him."

"...As you wish," the maid replied, hurrying after her.

#### A Quiet Street Corner

“Ah-Sha, put me down…”

“No!”

“Listen…”

“No!”

Despite her fatigue, Ah-Sha refused to let go, her frail body barely supporting them. The bloody footprints had disappeared long ago— she had no blood left to shed. Every step sent waves of excruciating pain through her.

Suddenly, she collapsed, Fang Han rolling off.

“Ugh...”

A spasm wracked him, blood spilling from his mouth once more.

“Young Master!” Ah-Sha, tearful and desperate, crawled to his side.

“Ah-Sha...”

“I won’t let you die! No one else is kind to me... you mustn’t die,” she sobbed.

“Foolish girl.”

Fang Han's heart ached, his eyes filled with resolve.

“I... ugh...” his words were choked by blood.

“Medicine!” Ah-Sha’s dull mind finally sparked.

“Wait! I’ll get medicine! I won’t let you die!”

With those words, she stumbled away.

“Ah-Sha...”

Fang Han tried to stop her, but she was already gone.

“Gu family...”

Rage and hatred seethed within him as he recalled his plight and his adoptive father’s tragic end. He painfully reached into his robe, retrieving a small, bloodied golden seal from his chest.

“I cannot die…”

His bloodshot eyes burned with madness.

“Ah-Sha will die too if I do… no, her fate would be worse. She is important. I cannot let her suffer.”

“Father!”

He bit his lip.

“Forgive me!”

With that, he mustered his last strength, spraying a mouthful of blood onto the seal.

In an instant, the seal blazed with light! Its dense inscriptions seemed to come alive, transforming into mysterious runes that flowed into his brow. They coalesced into a colossal golden book in his mind, exuding a majestic, mystical aura. Six bold characters blazed on its cover: "The Great Freedom Demon Sutra!”

Simultaneously, a voice full of emotion echoed from within the seal.

“Marvelous! This body matches mine perfectly, with untapped potential. Very well, it's you then!”