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  The hard-won hidden weapon made from the come-and-go cord ultimately failed, because that hidden weapon could only be used by me. Shi Kong used it once to get himself shot with a crossbow bolt once. Wu Ling is an enigmatic figure, just like how everyone thinks I'm an enigmatic figure. Outsiders who seem mysterious to others are always the most clear about their own hearts. His story ended several years ago, and it ended cleanly without any loose ends. He was hired by someone to kill the leader of a small sect at the time, took away the leader's woman, and left behind only a sword on the scene. This sword is the one I later picked up, Ling. The person left, but the sword seemed more like an assassin, causing people in the jianghu to mutually slaughter each other.

  Is a killer's leftover steel really that important? I don't think so. But the underworld is just that, a dark society where people can start a group fight over a bowl of wontons, let alone a sword with historical significance. At any time, the sword is just an excuse, who can kill more people to get the sword is what's real.

  Moreover, Wu Ling was not just an assassin. His twenty years in the Jianghu were absolutely legendary, with a stable situation for twenty years, no rebels in the Central Plains, no Xiongnu in the Western Regions, and all the good people who were not distracted by politics, wholeheartedly practicing various martial arts, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a chaotic era. And what everyone was most on guard against was the sudden appearance of wild animals such as tigers and bears from the mountains, as well as assassins like Wu Ling.

  It is said that Wu Ling's moves were extremely fast, so fast that before you even saw him make a move, his opponent would already be lying on the ground. Later, rumors became more and more exaggerated, with people in the Jianghu becoming increasingly terrified, while situations where people fell to the ground without Wu Ling even making a move became more and more frequent. This was because everyone believed it to be true, so as soon as they saw Wu Ling, they would faint from fright. As a result, Wu Ling did not need to display his extraordinary speed; he just needed to go up and add two more slashes.

  Is an assassin someone who kills anyone they see? With such great abilities, why become an assassin instead of a leader? Wouldn't that be better? However, Wú Líng's greatest wish is for eternal peace. Peace is wonderful; one person can find peace within themselves, but a group of people will always create chaos. Wú Líng only wants to be a chivalrous hero, but even heroes need money to travel the world. They cannot steal, or they would become thieving guests. Although it's said that stealing from corrupt officials and giving to the poor is acceptable, with the majority keeping the larger share for themselves and distributing smaller shares to the masses, nowadays corrupt officials keep their money in banks, which are mostly supported by the imperial court. To withdraw money, one needs a password; if they make three mistakes, they will be taken down immediately. It's very difficult.

  Suddenly, someone asked Wú Líng to kill a person, who happened to be a local official. Officials are inherently bad people, and killing them would earn him 100 taels of silver. After that successful mission, everyone in the circle knew about this person: unencumbered, fearless of being killed by others or having their family destroyed, with reasonable prices - 100 taels for a first-rank official, not even the emperor could kill him.

  Later on, it gradually became clear that killing wasn't just limited to officials; however, non-officials couldn't be easily classified as good or bad people. The only way to tell was by looking at the price: ordinary commoners with questionable morals were worth 1,000 taels, while those whose moral character was unknown were worth 2,000 taels. Killing ordinary people wasn't like killing officials; it would leave a sense of guilt in one's heart.

  In times of peace and prosperity, most officials are corrupt; can upright officials even exist in chaotic times?

  The sword of Wu Ling is absolutely a legendary sword, because everyone says this sword is very good, and Wu Ling is so rich, can't the sword of a rich man be bad? The origin of the sword is that someone wanted him to kill an old man who had been making hidden weapons in Jianghu for sixty years. Before Wu Ling took action, the old man said, "I know someone wants to kill me, I'll give you a sword, and we'll get along from now on." This sword isn't an ordinary sword, I've only forged two such swords in my lifetime. One is given to you, I'm not thanking you for not killing me, it's just that this sword will be used by you temporarily, but ultimately it will return to the person who should have it. You can kill me if you want, as long as I fall down, you won't be able to leave this yard.

  Wu Ling took that sword. The sword was fast, but it couldn't hurt the scabbard. Wu Ling retired twenty years later because one person can't be at peace, and being alone is actually two people. He killed for twenty years, only to be swindled by a woman in the end. This finally proved that he was also a mortal of Jianghu.