Chapter Sixty-Eight: Hand in Hand Through the Rivers and Lakes

That day, the group of four arrived at Su County. Seeing that dusk was already upon them, they sought a place to stay the night. They came upon a small town and noticed that every household had shut their doors tightly, which struck them as odd—after all, night had not yet fully fallen. Why did the townsfolk retire so early?

They knocked on several doors, but none opened. Finally, at the far end of the town, they spotted a house with a red lantern hanging outside and its doors wide open.

Lan Wutong laughed, “Everyone else has locked their doors tightly, but this house not only keeps them open, it has a red lantern lit. Are they perhaps celebrating a wedding?”

Lin Qingli replied, “Perfect! We can offer our congratulations, then stay the night and join the festivities.” Upon entering, they saw an old man hurriedly retreating inside.

Ma Beifang, quick as ever, grabbed him and said with a smile, “Where are you going, old sir?” The old man trembled and pleaded, “Spare me, great lord! Spare me!”

Ma Beifang was puzzled. “What lord? Who seeks your life?” The old man rubbed his eyes and, finally breathing a sigh of relief, said, “Thank heaven. I feared the Tiger-Tail Mountain king had come down.”

Ma Beifang asked, “What custom is it here that everyone shuts their doors so early and refuses to answer?” The old man sighed, “It’s all because my daughter is to be married tonight.”

Lan Wutong laughed, “Old sir, marrying off a daughter is a joyous occasion! Shouldn’t your neighbors be celebrating and offering gifts? Why are they all avoiding you?”

The old man replied, “You travelers are not from here, so you don’t know. There’s a ‘Tiger-Subduing King’ on Tiger-Tail Mountain, a man of great power. When he first arrived last year, the authorities sent men to drive him out, but dozens of county soldiers couldn’t defeat him. Instead, he seized Tiger-Tail Mountain, gathered a band of outlaws, and proclaimed himself king. The county magistrate, unable to expel him and since he never troubled the county seat, simply let him be. But it’s been hard on us townsfolk.

Each month, we must pay tribute; those who don’t pay are beheaded and their heads displayed at the town gate. If it were only money, people could endure, but the king is depraved—each month he demands a bride. The girls taken to the mountain rarely survive the month, either dying from torment or losing their minds. Alas, tonight it’s my daughter’s turn. Though it’s called a wedding, it’s no different from a funeral. So none dare attend. The king forbade anyone from fleeing, threatening to slaughter the entire town if someone runs. I fear implicating my neighbors, so I dare not flee, but I cannot bear to see my daughter fall into his hands. I have prepared poison—when the king arrives, we shall take our lives together.”

He finished, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Everyone was furious upon hearing this. Li Chongyuan exclaimed, “This is intolerable! How can such a villain exist under heaven?”

Ma Beifang sneered, “We’ve run into him tonight—his crimes are at an end!” Lin Qingli declared, “Let’s go up Tiger-Tail Mountain and rid the world of this villain!”

The old man warned, “Guests, Tiger-Tail Mountain is perilous and easy to defend, hard to attack. If it were otherwise, the magistrate would never have tolerated him.”

Lan Wutong’s eyes sparkled as she laughed, “I’ve long heard that weddings in the Central Plains are lively occasions. It’s a shame I’ve never witnessed one. How about I stand in for your daughter tonight?”

The others immediately understood her intent. The old man rushed inside, bringing out his wife and daughter, who all knelt before their guests. Lan Wutong saw that the girl was delicate and beautiful, and felt pity for her. She smiled, “Later, give me your wedding dress. I’ll go up the mountain and play the bride.”

At midnight, the town was suddenly filled with the sound of horns and drums. A gang of men in black burst into the house. Seeing the bride in red with her veil covering her face, they howled, “Bring the lady up the mountain!”

They seized the bride and stuffed her into a sedan chair, which several burly men carried away at a run.

Li Chongyuan, Ma Beifang, and Lin Qingli followed in secret. After about thirty miles, they reached the foot of Tiger-Tail Mountain. The men took turns carrying the sedan chair up the mountain, which was steep and narrow, almost impassable. The night was dark, but Li Chongyuan and his companions, masters of lightness skill, slipped in unnoticed amid the chaos.

Inside the Assembly Hall, dozens of tables had been set, laden with large platters of meat and bowls of wine. Over a hundred men sat waiting; once the bride arrived, the feast would begin.

Upon the tiger throne sat a young man in white robes. He was not ugly, but his fierce, sinister aura was unmistakable. At his side was a burly man in black, a middle-aged man with his left arm missing, the sleeve hanging empty.

The men brought the sedan chair into the hall, breathless. Someone shouted, “The bride has arrived!” The crowd cheered, urging the Tiger-Subduing King to lift the veil. The man in white stood and strode to the bride, reaching to remove her veil.

Suddenly, he felt a foreboding and instinctively dodged—a curved blade thrust at his chest. Though quick to evade, a deep gash was opened on his side.

The red veil fell to the floor.

“Shenguizi?!” “Lan Wutong!?” Both were stunned, then cried out in surprise.

The man in white was Shenguizi—he had been involved in Zhang Yizhi’s failed rebellion, barely escaping, and now he had claimed the mountain as his domain.

Outside, Li Chongyuan and the others seized the moment to storm the Assembly Hall. The bandits, caught off guard, had little chance of resistance. Ma Beifang’s sword flashed, and the bandits fell in droves, their bodies piling up.

Shenguizi roared, “Lan Wutong, you go too far! I’ll fight you to the death!” Lan Wutong retorted, “How dare you call yourself the Tiger-Subduing King, forcing countless innocent girls to their deaths! Tonight, I will be the hand of justice!”

She brandished her twin blades at Shenguizi, who drew his black jade flute to counter her. The man in black had leaped up, sword in hand, aiming for Lan Wutong, but Ma Beifang intercepted him. They exchanged blows, and the man in black’s expression changed drastically. He muttered, “You’re from Tianshan Sect?”

He turned to flee, but Ma Beifang, though puzzled by his unusual swordplay, couldn't recall where he'd seen it before. He let the man go and turned back to slaughter the remaining bandits.

The man in black reached the hall’s entrance, but a fierce gust struck him. He ducked just in time, and before him stood a graceful young woman. Her swordplay was light as falling snow, each strike aimed at his throat and chest. Though skilled, he was forced back several steps by her relentless assault, finally retreating outside. As she fought, she cried, “Beifang! Don’t let him escape—he’s closely tied to the murderer from that day!”

Ma Beifang looked back and called out, “Huang Shan!?” Lin Qingli cried, “Senior sister!” It was indeed Huang Shan.

Li Chongyuan, both surprised and delighted, had no time to ponder why Huang Shan was here. He and Lin Qingli instantly used their Shadowless Lightness skill, leaping to her side.

Meanwhile, Lan Wutong shouted, “Chongyuan, hurry! I can’t hold out!” Her twin blades were gradually being suppressed by Shenguizi’s flute. Lan Wutong’s martial arts were inferior to Shenguizi’s—previously, he had feared her only because of her infamous Bone-Melting Poison. Now, seeing she had none, his confidence soared and he pressed his advantage.

Li Chongyuan knew Ma Beifang surpassed the man in black in skill, so he turned back, striking from above at Shenguizi’s crown acupoint. Shenguizi dodged, but Li Chongyuan’s Thunder Palm crashed into his chest. Unable to evade, Shenguizi had to grit his teeth and take the blow. With a loud crash, Shenguizi was sent flying out of the hall like a broken kite, landing in the courtyard. Yet he was remarkably tough—he spat several mouthfuls of blood, but managed to stagger upright, unleashing a volley of attacks.

Sparks shot toward Li Chongyuan. Lan Wutong shouted, “Don’t catch them with your hands!” Li Chongyuan nodded, his palms whipping up a gale to scatter the sparks.

Shenguizi seized the chance to flee up the mountain. Lan Wutong knew she could not best him and, unable to help, began hacking at the fleeing bandits instead. Her blades swept through them; within moments, the ground was littered with the dead, their bodies piled high. The rest fled in terror, but none escaped her.

Before long, all fell beneath Lan Wutong’s blades. Shenguizi, cornered atop the mountain, saw Li Chongyuan pursuing with sword drawn. In desperation, he flung himself off the cliff.

The precipice was bottomless, merging with the night below—there was no hope of survival. Ma Beifang had already struck the man in black’s acupoints, leaving him paralyzed on the ground. Li Chongyuan, since his confinement on Ascension Peak, had not seen Huang Shan in years. The little butterfly of childhood had grown into a graceful maiden. Had Ma Beifang not called her name, he would have scarcely recognized her in the chaos.

After Ziwuzhuo, Jiwuce, and others returned to Tianshan, Huang Shan learned that Ma Beifang and Li Chongyuan had left to wander the martial world. Unable to remain, she bade farewell to Miaowushuang, who, though reluctant, agreed, knowing Huang Shan’s years of training made her capable of self-defense.

After leaving Tianshan, Huang Shan sought her family’s killers but found no clues. She decided to visit Qingfeng Fort to pay respects to her parents. The incense and offerings Li Chongyuan’s group saw at the grave were left by her. Afterward, she wandered east, eventually arriving at Su County. There, she saw several black-robed thugs robbing a passing escort. Though young, she was courageous and immediately drew her sword to help, driving away the bandits. During the fight, one man's swordplay caught her attention—it matched the style used by those who slaughtered her family at Shunfeng Inn years ago.

She followed the black-robed men to Tiger-Tail Mountain. Seeing the many bandits, she dared not act alone, planning to observe further and then return to Tianshan for help. But then she saw the mountain preparing a grand feast, sensed something was afoot, and investigated. By chance, she encountered Li Chongyuan and his friends posing as the bride to infiltrate the mountain, and seized the chaos to strike at the man in black.

Ma Beifang pressed his foot on the man in black and shouted, “Villain, do you recognize us?” The man sneered, “No.”

Huang Shan demanded, “Do you remember Qingfeng Fort and Shunfeng Inn?” The man's face changed, staring at them for a moment before muttering, “So it’s you. No wonder I thought I’d seen you somewhere before.”

Ma Beifang barked, “Who are you? Who ordered you that day?” The man in black sneered, “Now that I’ve fallen into your hands, I know I won’t survive. Why should I tell you?”

Lan Wutong wiped her curved blade and laughed, “That’s not necessarily true.” The man in black brightened, “If I tell you, will you let me go?” Lan Wutong shook her head, “Letting you go is impossible. But I promise your death will be less painful.”

The man in black snorted, “Dead is dead—what’s the difference?” Lan Wutong shook her head, “Not so. Look, what do you make of these?”

She pulled from her treasure pouch a collection of scorpions, centipedes, spiders, and other creatures, setting them before him, as if presenting treasures. “Would you rather be bitten to death by these little things, bit by bit, or face a swift blade?”