In the fourth year of the Kaiyun era of the Later Jin Dynasty, Zhu Yousheng led the Ghostlight Market heroes a…
In the fourth year of the Kaiyun era of the Later Jin Dynasty, Zhu Yousheng led the Ghostlight Market heroes against the Liao invaders. Amid the chaotic street battles, a familiar figure appeared, one he never expected to see. Eighteen-year-old Xue Chou, honoring his vow.
With Xue Chou serving as strategist, the Nine Mortal Ways scored repeated victories. Xue Chou boasted he could "make those Liao dogs howl in rage." But youth clouded his judgment: while his tactics were flawless, he underestimated human betrayal. Hong Si, once a brother, betrayed Nine Mortal Ways. The word betrayal, long buried, resurfaced to strike a mortal blow. This oversight became a lifelong regret—Li Xia died, Zhu Yousheng was transformed into a grotesque half-human horror, and the Nine Mortal Ways they'd built teetered on collapse.
But the Nine Mortal Ways could not fall. To fulfill Zhu Yousheng's last wish, to honor the fallen, and to protect the living, Xue Chou installed Zhu Yousheng's young third son as both Ghostlight Market Dao Lord and Nine Mortal Ways Leader, stabilizing the crisis. From then on, the world knew the Sect's head as "Dao Lord" Zhu Xiaojia. For over a decade, Xue Chou raised the three brothers like a father, secretly guiding every decision, the true power behind the throne.
As the brothers grew, Xue Chou planned to finally live freely. But old grudges resurfaced. Hong Si founded the Unbound Cavern, vowing to destroy the Nine Mortal Ways.
"So many damned problems. What would this Nine Mortal Ways do without me...?" Whether vengeance or hatred, it all ended here.