Zhao Yuwei frowned, staring warily at the other person: "Who are you? Why are you here?"

The mysterious woman tilted her head, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes: "Who am I? That's an interesting question. To be honest, I can't remember myself."

Zhao Yuwei felt a sense of unease; the woman's aura made her increasingly uncomfortable.

She gripped her longsword tightly and demanded sharply, "Stop playing word games! What exactly is your purpose?"

The mysterious woman did not answer, but simply shook her head slightly, then her figure flashed and disappeared into the thick fog.

Zhao Yuwei was startled and immediately gave chase.

However, just as she had run a few steps, a strange fragrance suddenly entered her nostrils.

"Oh no!" Alarm bells rang in Zhao Yuwei's mind, but it was too late.

She felt a sudden dizziness and her body became incredibly heavy.

In her last moments before losing consciousness, she vaguely saw the mysterious woman appear behind her, her scarlet eyes flashing with an eerie light.

"Xiao Feng...be careful..." Zhao Yuwei murmured, then completely fainted.

Meanwhile, in a distant inn, Xiao Feng was anxiously searching for Zhao Yuwei.

He asked the innkeeper and the other guests, but everyone shook their heads and said they had never seen her.

Xiao Feng was filled with self-blame and regret.

He pounded the wall in frustration, cursing himself under his breath: "Damn it! How could I be so careless? I shouldn't have gotten up to go to the bathroom last night. If I had stayed by her side, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Yuwei, where are you?" Xiao Feng murmured to himself.

He strode out of the inn, and the thick fog that rushed towards him made him frown.

The streets were sparsely populated, and those who hurried past all wore expressions of unease.

Just as Xiao Feng was about to inquire about Zhao Yuwei's whereabouts, he suddenly heard a whisper beside him.

"Have you heard? Several more girls went missing last night!"

"That's right! How many days has it been? People are disappearing every day, but the government hasn't made a single move."

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Have you forgotten what happened ten years ago?"

Xiao Feng was startled and quickly stepped forward to ask, "Brothers, what are you talking about? Could you please tell me?"

One of the middle-aged men gave Xiao Feng a wary look and whispered, "Young man, you're from out of town, right? It's normal that you don't know. Mogan City has been quite unsettled lately. Last night, several girls mysteriously disappeared. Everyone says it's the work of a demon, just like ten years ago."

Xiao Feng's heart tightened, and he pressed for an answer: "Ten years ago? What exactly happened?"

Just as the middle-aged man was about to speak, a chuckling voice came from above: "Hey, young man, I advise you not to ask. You know, something incredibly strange happened in Mogan City ten years ago!"

Xiao Feng looked up and saw a young man dressed in brocade leaning against the railing on the second floor, smiling at him.

The young man was handsome and elegant, clearly a scion of a high-ranking official or noble family.

The young master continued, "Do you know that ten years ago, our city lord went mad overnight! Not only that, he also did something outrageous—he slaughtered all 135 members of the Nangong family in one night! That's an entire large family!"

Xiao Feng was startled and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "I am Xiao Feng. May I ask if you could tell me more about this matter, young master?"

The young man smiled and beckoned to Xiao Feng: "If you're interested, why don't you come up and have a chat?"

Xiao Feng nodded in agreement and quickly walked up to the second floor.

The young man led him to an elegant room and gestured for him to sit down.

"My name is Sima Yan, the young master of the local Sima family," the young man introduced himself generously, while pouring Xiao Feng a cup of wine. "Young man, you don't seem to be a local. What brings you here?"

Xiao Feng accepted the wine glass somewhat awkwardly and briefly explained that he was searching for his missing companion.

Upon hearing this, Sima Yan's face showed a thoughtful expression.

"I see." Sima Yan took a sip of wine and slowly explained, "Actually, the story of what happened ten years ago goes back even further. At that time, our city lord of Mogan City was a woman whose appearance and figure were so stunning that they could topple kingdoms."

Xiao Feng sat up straight and listened attentively.

Sima Yan continued, "That female city lord was not only exceptionally beautiful, but also a first-rate administrator. Under her rule, Mogan City prospered, and the people lived in peace and contentment. But who knew that just because she saved a man, her life would be completely changed from then on."

Then, Sima Yan recounted those events one by one.

The city lord's real name is Lan Ying. She is a rare genius in Mogan City, and because she is the city lord's daughter, she is highly regarded. However, ten years ago, Mogan City was always oppressed by the neighboring large city, Youyan City. Every year, a large amount of gold and silver treasures had to be sent to Youyan City to ensure that the city lord of Youyan City would not cause trouble for Mogan City.

It was precisely because of this that Lan Ying was proud and unyielding. She was determined to go to Mo Yuan City to find the Mo Yuan Clan and become their apprentice. She vowed that once she had mastered her skills, she would make sure that Mo Gan City would never again be oppressed by Youyan City.

The story begins with Lan Ying leaving Mogan City. Legend has it that Moyuan City opens once every hundred years, allowing humans, immortals, and demons to enter. Those who pass the test will receive elixirs bestowed by the Moyuan clan.

Lan Ying was lucky; by a twist of fate, she followed a group of cultivators into Mo Yuan City, and by another twist of fate, she met the city lord of Mo Yuan City and became his disciple.

In the fifth year of Mo Yuan, Lan Ying had mastered her skills. The city lord of Mo Yuan told Lan Ying that Youyan City was going to attack Mogan City. Mogan City was about to fall, and a million people were about to lose their lives. Without hesitation, Lan Ying bid farewell to her master and returned to Mogan.

It was precisely because of the immortal techniques that Lan Ying learned that she saved Mo Gan and defeated the centipedes. From then on, the centipedes had to submit to Mo Gan. And because of Lan Ying, other small towns also came to seek refuge and protection.

Mogan was at its peak in those days, and Lan Ying was once famous and revered by the people.

Tragedy struck when Lan Ying rescued Nangong Chuyue's eldest son, who had fled to Mogan from the Nangong family. As they spent more time together and took care of each other, they developed feelings for one another.

They thought it was a match made in heaven. On their wedding day, Nangong Chuyue used the secret method of the Nangong family to drain all of Lan Ying's immortal power and even killed her. But who knew that Lan Ying's resentment had penetrated to the point of demonic possession? In one night, she slaughtered more than 120 members of the Nangong family. Only Nangong Chuyue, because she had absorbed Lan Ying's immortal power, was able to stop the demonic Lan Ying and thus survived on the brink of death.

Now, Nangong Chuyue is the city lord of Chuyue City, and everyone in Chuyue City knows about their city lord's scandal.

Xiao Feng gasped, "And then? What happened to that city lord?"