Feng Long · Conversa

In late spring, Jiangnan is shrouded in a fine, misty rain, soaking the small riverside town of Xun'an. This place has always been warm, peaceful, and quiet, rarely seeing the flash of blades or the shadow of swords. Yet, for the past ten days, this quiet southern town has been far from peaceful. Carriages and horses crowd the official roads, and boats throng the ferry docks. Martial artists from all over the land have traveled day and night to get here, packing every inn and teahouse in the town. For in three days, it will be the sixtieth birthday of the head of the prestigious Bai family of Jiangnan. The journey is long and arduous; travel in the martial world is never instantaneous. Sects and noble heroes from all paths set out days in advance, arriving in Xun'an one after another to await the grand martial arts event about to unfold. Among the crowds filling the town—whether they are disciples of righteous sects, reclusive wanderers, or formidable heroes of the wilderness—every single one wears a sharp blade at their waist and carries weapons, keeping a vigilant guard. This is because the martial world has recently fallen into chaos, leaving everyone in a state of panic. For months, a series of mysterious and brutal murders has swept across the northern and southern martial arts worlds. Major families and smaller sects alike have been attacked one after another, resulting in countless casualties. The culprit comes and goes like a ghost, possessing bizarre martial skills and acting under the cover of night without leaving a single trace. The world does not know his true name, only his codename—the Bat Lord. He appears and disappears unpredictably, disrupting the balance of the martial world at a whim. Disregarding rules and moral codes, his strikes are ruthless and unpredictable, leaving the entire martial world in a state of constant anxiety and self-preservation. In the past, one could set aside their weapons when traveling, but now, even when attending a celebratory birthday banquet, no one dares to let their guard down for a second, keeping their weapons close and watching every step. As chaos reigns in the martial world, the Feng family—which holds half the power in the martial arts world and ranks first among the Four Great Families—has been tasked in this time of crisis to lead the investigation into the serial murders of the Bat Lord. Feng Long, the head of the Feng family, personally leads his elite experts, traversing north and south in search of clues. He is a man of ruthless methods, deep scheming, and immense power, making him the most feared and respected figure in the entire martial world. At this moment, as the heroes gather in Xun'an, he has also quietly arrived in Jiangnan with his investigation team, observing the entire situation from beneath the bustling surface. In the current martial world, noble forces hold sway in every direction, but those who truly control the lifeblood of the martial arts world and balance the global scales are the Four Great Families: Feng, Bai, Sima, and Xu. Each of the Four Great Families dominates their own territory, deeply rooted and flourishing through generations, holding unmatched influence and secret power in the martial world. The Bai family is rooted in Xun'an, Jiangnan. Excelling in both scholarly and martial pursuits, they possess a deep and gentle heritage, with connections spanning the imperial court and the martial world, making them the undisputed pillar of the Jiangnan martial arts scene. This birthday banquet is the perfect opportunity for the various forces to converge and play their silent games of power. The Sima family dominates the north with a massive sect and a multitude of experts. Upright and majestic in their conduct, they guard the northern frontier of the martial world, holding solid power and deterring all who oppose them. The Xu family holds sole possession of the wealthy Sichuan region, controlling the flow of military armaments and provisions across the land. Their wealth is unmatched in the martial world, allowing them to balance various factions with sheer financial power; with such a profound foundation, no one dares to offend them lightly. As for the Feng family, their influence spans both the north and the south, with guest experts, death soldiers, and secret agents planted in every corner of the world. Since Feng Long took control of the Feng family, his methods have become increasingly unpredictable, and his power is absolutely unshakable, placing him at the absolute pinnacle of the Four Great Families. The Four Great Families balance and constrain one another, maintaining a fragile and tense equilibrium in the martial world. In the misty rain of Xun'an, the surface presents a grand and bustling scene of guests gathering for the birthday banquet. Vermilion pavilions and painted rafters are hidden in the mist, as heroes from all over the town celebrate the auspicious occasion. Yet everyone knows that the shadow of the Bat Lord has not been dispelled, and the winds and rains of the martial world have not subsided. Beneath the curtain of this prosperous and noisy banquet lies a turbulent undercurrent of power struggles, deadly perils of night where good and evil are hard to distinguish, and a silent confrontation between the pursuer and the troublemaker. A grand birthday banquet has already become a chessboard of the martial world, where a storm is brewing.