The night had fallen deeply. The atmosphere was quiet. Gu Zong was walking on a path in the same bamboo forests. His pace was slow, but his thoughts were rushing like a storm. He was constantly thinking about how such a terrible fire could have suddenly erupted that day, incinerating the entire clan. Thoughts raced through his mind:

  "This is impossible. How could a mere fire destroy everything, even with the Zhengwu Pillars present? No, this is not possible. The Zhengwu Pillars cannot be destroyed so easily. There must be something more behind this."

  Taking a long breath, he spoke to himself:

  "Huh, seriously, Zao Gu Zong, did you truly forget that you were the second pillar, the Pillar of Death, of the Zhengwu Pillars? Staying in this fool's body, you are becoming a fool yourself."

  Saying this, he walked on calmly. He had regained strength once more, but this too would only last for a while, until Xiao Tang's body was fully capable of handling Gu Zong's internal energy.

  After fighting that masked man, he knew that with this body, he could only fight for a few moments. If he had to face any major trouble, it would be difficult for him. Now he must first revive this body, for which he needed knowledge. And that knowledge could only be found with one person: Grandmaster Tao Zhen, whose location only the Lianxiao Clan knew. But now that the cultivation path was under the Han Clan, Grandmaster Tao Zhen must also be somewhere related to them.

  Gu Zong knew that the cultivation path could only be started and ended by the Zhengwu Pillars. Perhaps this was why Han Lao Fang could not start it. Then Gu Zong's eyes narrowed, thinking that even if the Zhengwu Pillars were gone, Grandmaster Tao Zhen was still alive. The cultivation path could be started with him present, so why hadn't Lao Fang started it?

  After thinking all this, Gu Zong reached no conclusion. Perhaps now, only the Han Clan could provide the answers to all questions, where Gu Zong decided to continue his journey alone. And he set off towards the next inn.

  The next morning,

  Han Wuang Shi also set out on his journey. He drew the Su Hu Hun sword from its sheath and wrapped a white cloth around its blade so that if Xiao Tang was nearby, the sword could identify him by his energy. This was the only way Han Wuang Shi had to find Xiao Tang in such a crowd, and thus, he too set off towards the Han Clan.

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  But there was great fervor in the Han Clan. People were on strike, standing at the main gate of the Cultivation Path Pavilion, and inside the main hall, a high assembly was seated, before which Han Lao Fang was made to stand. This was because, this year too, thousands of arrival letters had been received, and all demanded the same thing: that the cultivation path be started.

  A distinguished Elder struck a long wooden seal on the table and said, "Clan Head Han Lao Fang, have you once again refused to start the cultivation path?"

  Answering this, Han Lao Fang knelt on both knees and placed his sword down in front of him. Despite being summoned to such a high assembly, he was calm.

  "You heard correctly, Chief Grandmaster, I am the one who refused to start the cultivation path."

  But the way Lao Fang placed his sword on the ground instantly made all the Masters rise in intense anger. Everyone began looking at each other. The atmosphere of the hall suddenly changed. Then the Chief Grandmaster shouted in a thundering voice, his face and manner of speaking showing extreme rage:

  "Enough!! That's enough, Lao Fang. This is an insult to the cultivation path. And by placing your sword on the ground, you have already declared your intentions. You are not worthy of being the Clan Head, Lao Fang! There is still time, pick up your sword and immediately give the order to start the cultivation path. Otherwise, step down from the position of Clan Head!"

  Suddenly, silence fell. The assembly members became quiet upon hearing the Grandmaster's words. Everyone held their breath, watching only Lao Fang to see what he would do now. And Lao Fang... his eyes were full of tears. His heart and soul had already been torn into two pieces long ago. His tears were falling onto his clothes, like raindrops falling on the soft blades of grass.

  Then Han Lao Fang stood up. He looked ahead. The Grandmaster and all the others stared at him with expectation, but everyone's hopes were shattered when Han Lao Fang quietly walked away from there without taking his sword.

  Seeing him leave without his sword, everyone was stunned. No one could believe that a person could do this.

  Abandoning one's sword meant only one thing: that the person had relinquished his position. Han Lao Fang walked out with a calm face; his eyes clearly showed that he had wept all night. His soul wanted to scream and cry, but his conscience did not allow it. And he walked out of the clan, heading down.

  Just as he took the first step on the stone staircase leading down (the one that went all the way to the inn below, which Han Wuang Shi was also walking on), someone called him from behind. But it wasn't Han zaoshi; it was Wan Chang Wan. He ran up to him. He had seen everything, heard everything. He knew the kind of pain Lao Fang was going through.

  As soon as he reached him, Wan Chang Wan looked at Lao Fang's face once, and his eyes also filled with tears, because only a shattered person could have such a face. Without a single word, Wan Chang Wan embraced him. He patted his back. Wan Chang Wan knew well what Han Lao Fang was going through at that moment.