Chapter 238

On the appointed day, the fellow cultivators of Wulong Mountain arrived one by one and gathered in this cave.

The first to arrive were Longshan Recluse and Li Busan; Liu Liu Xiaolou sighed as he looked at the youthful Li Busan: "Busan, you're still too young…"

Longshan Recluse said: "What must be faced, must be faced. That day on Ghost Dream Cliff, I pondered: if I die, what will become of Busan? He has no means to earn spirit stones. So I brought him here to witness the Heroic Assembly—some things must have a beginning."

Li Busan stared at Liu Liu Xiaolou, fists clenched: "My master said that when you first received a Heroic Invitation, you were also at Qi Refining Second Layer!"

Liu Liu Xiaolou patted his shoulder and sent him to Fang Buai's side, instructing him to help prepare the wild game—skinning and plucking the hunted animals for the meal.

Soon after, Huang Ye Immortal, Hu Du the Daoist, and the Four Brothers of Gu Gu Gu Zhangshan arrived one after another; by nightfall, all twenty who had received the invitations were present, none missing.

Each carried a simmering rage within, each unwilling to be seen as lambs to be slaughtered at will; they were ready to risk their lives to proclaim to the world: Wulong Mountain cultivators must not be trifled with!

Roasted boar, mountain chicken, and python were distributed; all ate in silence as Liu Liu Xiaolou announced the target.

The target was Hongji Restaurant.

"The Tianmen Mountain marketplace was never meant for us to target—Tianmu Mountain, Zhanglong Sect, Dongyang Sect, Qingyu Sect, even Danxia Sect and Jin Jin Tingpai all have Jin Dan high cultivators stationed there on rotation. To go there is death. But today is a rare opportunity: tomorrow is the main day of the Second Sword Trial Assembly. I attended the first one—it was unprecedented, packed with high cultivators; from Sect Masters and Elders down to inner disciples and key stewards, all entered the Danxia Cave Heaven to witness the event. This second one surpasses the first—even Gengsang Cave and Pingdu Eight Array Gate will participate. Lu Lu Yuanlang will attend as well…"

"Rob the damn thing!"

"Crush Tianmu Mountain's old hag!"

"Let the whole world know we Wulong Mountain cultivators aren't to be trifled with!"

"If we don't vent this rage, our Dao heart will be unstable—we'll never advance again!"

"That's right, these past few days my chest has been choked up…"

Liu Liu Xiaolou gestured for silence: "But nothing is absolute. Tianmen Mountain marketplace is closest to Tianmu Mountain—who knows if they've left behind elite guards? I can only say this opportunity is excellent…"

"How can any great undertaking be perfectly certain? Liu Xiaolou, no more words—we're here, let's do it!"

"Just a dog's life. Today, let Tianmu Mountain see that even a cornered dog bites!"

"If anything goes wrong, we die!"

"Don't worry, Liu Xiaolou—we'll die before we betray you!"

"Exactly. All major sects recognize you. Wulong Mountain still depends on you. You shouldn't go—let us go!"

Liu Liu Xiaolou sighed: "Since we sent out the Heroic Invitations, there's no point hiding anymore. As Huang Immortal just said—I've been choked up inside…"

He gave a wry smile and continued: "Hongji Restaurant is at the east end of the marketplace, the third shop—you all know it. We'll sneak and hide around it. I'll go in first to scout. You wait for my signal, then storm in together—smash, loot, burn—do whatever you want—but one rule: quick in, quick out."

Unlike past Heroic Assemblies, everyone here now is familiar, so Liu Liu Xiaolou began assigning tasks.

Longshan Recluse, Huang Ye Immortal, Hu Du the Daoist, and the Four Brothers of Gu Gu Gu Zhangshan had the highest cultivation levels and were tasked with clearing resistance inside the restaurant. Liu Liu Xiaolou knew Hongji Restaurant well: the only cultivators inside were the shopkeeper and two outer-disciple managers, roughly Qi Refining Sixth to Third Layer—nothing to fear. His real concern was the guests still drinking late at night—some might be high-level cultivators.

Cang Yun Tian, Wan Li Ming, the Old Lame Man, and Qi Qi Laoqi would stand guard outside, blocking outsiders if necessary and signaling retreat if trouble arose.

Hu Captain, Long Da, Fan Zheng, Mu the Physician, Fang Buai, Li Busan, and eight others were assigned to loot and then destroy and burn the place. Hu Captain was an expert tomb raider with a sharp sense for treasures—he would lead this group.

Once assignments were set, everyone changed into black robes, donned wide-brimmed hats, and moved out under cover of night toward Tianmen Mountain marketplace, twenty miles south. They arrived by the end of the Chou hour.

At this hour, most shops in the marketplace had closed; the streets were nearly empty. Yet Hongji Restaurant still had two tables of patrons drinking, and lantern light glowed from a private room upstairs.

Liu Liu Xiaolou strolled along the street to Hongji Restaurant. He did not change his clothes or cover his face—only wore a low-hanging hat. Such attire was common in Tianmen Mountain marketplace; everyone knew such guests preferred anonymity, so the waiters didn't press him, letting him ascend to the second floor and enter a private room before finally entering to pour tea.

As soon as he stepped inside, the waiter was knocked out. Liu Liu Xiaolou dragged him under the table, then pulled back the curtain and swiftly checked each private room.

At this hour, Hongji Restaurant had few patrons; only one private room on the second floor was occupied, with three guests inside. After eavesdropping briefly, he judged from their loud chatter that they were no high-level cultivators, so he silently ascended to the third floor.

On the third floor, one private room still glowed with light—two guests sat drinking, and the restaurant's shopkeeper stood beside them, serving.

These two were outer-disciple stewards of Tianmu Mountain, just withdrawn from Wulong Mountain, meeting here.

"In just five or six days, the mountain's nearly emptied out."

"What else could we do? These bandits scared the hell out of us after Third Brother killed some of them, ha!"

"Zhanglong Sect's people are depressed—they're not on our side. We must report to the sect quickly. Watch out—they might cause trouble out of resentment."

"Who let them harbor filth and protect these bandits all along? They deserved it! They should've been dealt with long ago. Speaking of it, when Qingyu Sect attacked Wulong Mountain, we shouldn't have aided Zhanglong Sect—if Qingyu had wiped out or terrified these bandits, how could Brother Lu Zhongqiu have died? Forget Wei Wei Hongqing—where are the other two accomplices? Still no trace!"

"We've never seen Wei Wei Hongqing. Do you think he's still hiding on the mountain?"

"Elders, I have something I'm not sure whether I should say."

"Why so formal? The sect has already declared: Wei Wei Hongqing's affair has nothing to do with you. You won't be punished. Everyone knows you were just following orders. Since we invited you to sit, speak freely."

"Yes, yes, the sect's mercy is great, but I still wish to offer my humble insight on Wei Wei Hongqing's two companions. I have some suspicions—whether right or wrong, I'm not sure. When Wei the bandit managed the restaurant, several of his mountain bandit friends often came to see him."

"Why didn't you say this sooner? Who are they? Damn it, bring ice! It's so hot!"

"Let him finish first, then bring ice."

"I've been uneasy, afraid to speak rashly. Now that the sect shows such magnanimity and overlooks my faults, I've thought long and hard—and I'm terrified, with no way to repay you."

"Enough. Speak quickly. I'm dying of heat—I'll open the window."

"One is Liu Liu Xiaolou, from Wulong Mountain, later married into the Su family of Mount Shenwu Mountain. The other two are Tan Ba and Zuo Xia, both habitual mountain bandits."

"What happened to the shopkeeper?"

"Shopkeeper?"

"Fifth Brother, I'm also heat-struck—so hot…"

"Nonsense—this wine's poisoned! Strong as hell!"

"Fifth Brother, I miss my wife…"

"What?"

"Wife…"

"Your wife—what about her?"

With a crash, the door burst open—several black-robed figures rushed in, each wearing a wide-brimmed hat and black veil, yet their statures and movements resembled old farmers in the fields. Each carried a shoulder pole; without a word, they swung down, poles glowing with long beams of light, cracking through the air with fierce winds.

After a flurry of blows, everyone in the room—including the shopkeeper—was reduced to pulped flesh.

The intruders were the Four Brothers of Gu Gu Gu Zhangshan. The eldest gave a signal, and the four hurried downstairs; two others came up, rummaged through the three corpses, stuffed scattered items into a sack, then moved to check other private rooms.