11: Having escaped one wolf's den, they entered another tiger's mouth.

On the Martial Arts Arena, the pungent smell of blood hung thick in the air.

Su Lang stood up with a sense of apathy. As he had said, aside from Lin Que, everything here was nothing but a garbage dump to him.

Right at that moment.

RUMBLE——!!

The earth suddenly trembled violently.

The pools of blood on the Martial Arts Arena floor, not yet congealed, began to jump and churn wildly with the vibrations as if boiling.

A terrifying Evil Qi, more bone-chilling than a winter gale, instantly swept in from outside the courtyard gate, pressing down on all the Guards present, making their breath catch and their hearts feel as if gripped by an invisible, crushing hand.

Su Lang's footsteps abruptly halted. The perverse smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an expression that could only be described as 'awe'.

"Father is back?"

NEIGHHH!

With a thunderous horse's neigh, the main gate swung open.

Three magnificent Black Scale Horses charged through the wind and snow like black lightning into the Martial Arts Arena. Wherever their hooves landed, the solid bluestone paving stones cracked and splintered!

At the forefront, a man in purple-gold robes reined in his horse and stood.

His face was square-jawed, with temples lightly frosted. This didn't make him appear old; instead, it added a mountain-like weight to his imposing majesty. Especially his eyes—when they opened, sharp gleams shot forth, and wherever his gaze fell, the air seemed to thicken like mercury.

This was none other than the current head of the Su Family, Su Tianhe.

Behind him, two gray-robed Elders slid from their saddles as silently as ghosts.

These two men exuded a gloomy aura, their eyelids drooping. But the occasional sliver of light that peeked through their lashes carried a heart-stopping Death Qi—the kind of Evil Qi that could only coalesce from having slaughtered countless people.

They were the Su Residence's top-tier power!

Truly genuine Marrow Cleansing Realm experts, capable of matching the strength of hundreds of men!

But what made Lin Que's pupils contract sharply was the stretcher team following closely behind.

They were two stretchers soaked through with blood.

The first one was covered with a white cloth, but the cloth had been thoroughly stained by the black blood seeping through. A pale, lifeless hand protruded from beneath, clearly already dead.

And the person lying on the second stretcher... "Old Han?!"

Lin Que's heart gave a violent jolt.

That old hand who had mocked him about his "last meal" just a few days ago now had a face as pale as gold paper, his breath as faint as a thread.

The most horrifying thing was his right arm—severed clean at the shoulder!

The wound wasn't a smooth cut from a sharp blade but was jagged and torn, the flesh ragged and turned outward, as if ripped off by some terrifying beast!

The wound was bound with thick bandages, yet they couldn't stop the black blood from seeping out. A foul stench, like rotting corpses, even permeated the air.

"This..."

Seeing this scene, even Su Lang couldn't help but twitch his eyelids. He hurried forward: "Father, what happened? How did even Guard Han..."

Although Old Han's cultivation wasn't high, he was notoriously slippery and experienced. How could he be injured so grievously?

Su Tianhe dismounted but didn't answer directly.

He took off his bloodstained gloves and casually tossed them to a servant, his expression indifferent as if discussing the weather: "Just lost two scouts probing the way."

"However, the path is now clear. It was worth it."

A single phrase, "worth it," served as the final verdict on Old Han's arm and another man's life.

Su Tianhe turned, his gaze finally sweeping over the Martial Arts Arena.

Corpses littered the ground, limbs severed, blood staining the white snow. His brow furrowed slightly, not out of pity, but out of disdain: "What is all this about? Making such a filthy mess."

Su Lang quickly bowed, a hint of ingratiation in his tone: "Reporting to Father, your son exited seclusion early and was worried about the lack of capable hands. I thought of selecting a few First Class Guards, so I had them play a little game."

"Those who died were useless trash. Only the living are worthy of entering the Inner Courtyard."

"Hmm."

Su Tianhe nodded, not even glancing down at the wide-eyed corpse by his feet, stepping directly over it.

"Clean this up. Throw them into the mass graves."

"Don't let this stench offend our distinguished guests."

This was a noble Family. In their eyes, the lives of Guards were no different from mud on the ground.

Only profit was eternal.

"Yes."

Su Lang responded, then, as if presenting a treasure, pointed at Lin Que, the only one standing calmly in the pool of blood.

"Father, this lad is good. His external martial arts have reached Perfection, and he has a touch of cold-attributed inner force. I was planning to take him as my personal Guard, have him stand watch for me tonight."

Hearing this, Su Tianhe's footsteps paused.

Swish!

Those imposing eyes truly fell upon Lin Que for the first time.

Lin Que instantly felt all the hairs on his body stand on end, as if targeted by a prehistoric Vicious Beast. The Qi and blood within him seemed to congeal. Su Tianhe was looking at him as if appraising a tool.

"External martial arts perfected? Cold-attributed inner force?"

Su Tianhe looked him up and down, then suddenly, without any warning, raised his hand.

Hum!

Without any fancy movements, he merely pressed his palm forward through the air.

A dull explosion instantly erupted in the air as a visible, transparent Qi force shot toward Lin Que's chest like a cannonball!

Too fast!

So fast that Lin Que had no time to dodge. He could only instinctively activate the Iron Skin Technique and that wisp of Moonlight Inner Breath to withstand it.

THUMP!!

An extremely dull impact sound.

Lin Que felt as if his chest had been struck head-on by a battering ram. His internal organs violently shook, a sweet taste surged in his throat, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

He gritted his teeth, his feet plowing two deep furrows in the snowy ground, retreating three full steps before barely managing to steady himself.

On his chest, the silver-glowing skin membrane was slightly indented before rapidly rebounding, dispersing most of the force.

"Such tough skin."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Su Tianhe's eyes, quickly turning into extreme satisfaction.

He turned his head, looked at Su Lang, and shook his head.

"This man, I want him."

"Huh?"

Su Lang was taken aback, somewhat unwilling.

"Father, but I saw him first..."

How could he be willing to let go of such a perfect medicinal ingredient he had finally found?

"Your matter can wait."

Su Tianhe walked over and patted Su Lang's shoulder, lowering his voice slightly, a tone of irrepressible fanaticism leaking through.

"Things at Guanglin Mountain have reached the final stage. The 'Miasma' and 'that thing' at that entrance are too troublesome. Ordinary Guards who go in just die; they can't withstand it at all."

"This lad's skin is thick and rough, and he has cold force. He's the perfect candidate."

Hearing the words "Guanglin Mountain," Su Lang's face instantly changed, his previous dissatisfaction vanishing.

That unwillingness rapidly faded, replaced by an even more morbid excitement.

"Father means... the thing there is almost within reach?"

"Almost certainly."

The corner of Su Tianhe's mouth hooked into a cold smile. His gaze turned toward the direction outside the city, as if seeing that great mountain through the wind and snow.

"Once we obtain what's inside, forget this small Qingzhou City, even in the entire Southern Commandery, our Su Family will have a place in the future."

"If that's the case..."

Su Lang turned his head, giving Lin Que a deep look.

That gaze was no longer the greed of looking at food, but a pity as if looking at a dead man.

"Then we'll follow Father's wishes. Such good steel should indeed be used on the blade's edge."

Compared to being a medicinal ingredient for himself, probing the path in that accursed place, Guanglin Mountain, clearly required someone with a "hardier fate."

"Lin Que, is it?"

Su Tianhe turned around, resuming his imposing demeanor, his tone carrying a lofty sense of bestowal.

"Get ready. In three days, follow me into Guanglin Mountain."

"If successful, you will be granted a hundred taels of gold, freed from slave status, and entered into the Su Family register."

Another grand promise.

If it were an ordinary Guard, hearing the words "entered into the Family register," they would likely have already knelt down in gratitude. But Lin Que, looking at the stretcher holding the barely-alive Old Han, felt only a chilling cold in his heart.

Old Han was a veteran too, and what was his result? Arm severed like a dog, carried back like garbage, without even a word of comfort.

So-called "promises" were, in the eyes of these great figures, nothing but carrots dangled before the donkey to make it pull the mill.

"This subordinate... obeys."

Lin Que clasped his fists and bowed his head, concealing the flash of coldness in his eyes.

"Take Guard Han away for treatment. Use the best medicine to keep his breath going."

Su Tianhe gave the order and then left hurriedly with the others.

"Don't let him die. He knows the terrain inside best. He still needs to lead the way for me."

Even gravely injured and on the brink of death, they would squeeze out the last bit of his remaining value.

Only after the great figures had gone far away.

Did the oppressive atmosphere on the Martial Arts Arena ease slightly.

Er Niu mustered his courage and ran over, looking at Lin Que with envy: "Brother Lin! You're amazing! The Family Head personally named you! And you'll be entered into the Family register! You're going to make it big now!"

In Er Niu's simple world, being valued by the Family Head was a blessing that meant your ancestors' graves were smoking.

Lin Que didn't speak.

He looked at Su Tianhe's retreating back, then glanced at Old Han, who had been casually tossed in a corner and ignored, and gently shook his head.

"Make it big?"

Lin Que patted Er Niu's shoulder. His voice was soft, yet carried an indescribable clarity and coldness: "Er Niu, remember this."

"When a wolf wants to fatten a sheep, it's absolutely not because it likes it."

"It's because... the wolf is hungry."

Out of the wolf's den, into the tiger's mouth.

Su Lang wanted to eat his flesh, and this Su Tianhe... was probably planning to squeeze him dry, bones and all.

Guanglin Mountain... what exactly was there?

What could make the esteemed Su Family Head willingly sacrifice so many lives at any cost?

Lin Que took a deep breath and turned to walk toward Old Han's stretcher.

To survive, he first had to figure out what kind of fangs that life-devouring "tiger's mouth" possessed.