Chapter 19

Shortly, Qian Chen followed Huang Yuhan to a secluded courtyard, where only Hong Sihai and Kongming the Chan Master were present; the Wanshi Daoist was still overseeing affairs at the Five Lakes Hall. Kongming the Chan Master said: “The Hall Master bears the fate of the martial world—how could he be so careless? If the Twelve Zodiacs hadn’t schemed to cripple his arm, how would they dare act so boldly?”

Hong Sihai laughed heartily: “How could I let these villains desecrate my brother’s remains?”

Seeing Huang Yuhan enter, he greeted him: “Yuhan! How is the funeral hall for my brother arranged?”

Huang Yuhan bowed his head and replied: “All is prepared.”

“I will use the heads of the Twelve Zodiacs to offer sacrifice to my second brother’s spirit!” Hong Sihai, having suppressed his rage for so long, finally let it explode.

Huang Yuhan asked Qian Chen to examine Hong Sihai’s wound. Qian Chen unwrapped the bandaged right fist and saw the raw, split flesh—he frowned. He pondered for a long while before raising his head. Seeing the slightly tense Kongming the Chan Master, Qian Chen smiled calmly, took out a medicine box from his robe, prepared the ointment, and replaced the dressing on Hong Sihai’s wound.

He said: “The old hero’s hand injury is severe—it will take months to fully heal. I applied some fierce herbs to the wound; though they slow recovery, they accelerate short-term restoration. After tonight, the old hero will be able to punch again… but each use will worsen the injury. If he does it several times in quick succession, it may…”

Kongming the Chan Master asked anxiously: “What may happen?”

“His hand may be ruined.”

Even Kongming the Chan Master’s patience was worn thin by Qian Chen’s words: “How could this be…”

“Perfect,” Hong Sihai waved his hand. “Let me avenge my brother and the fallen disciples with my own hands!”

Hong Sihai and Kongming the Chan Master were about to discuss further, but Huang Yuhan and Qian Chen took their leave first. On the way, Qian Chen smiled: “I know little of these martial world affairs—I can’t even name many heroes, let alone speak with them.”

Huang Yuhan said: “That’s easy—I’ll introduce you.”

Huang Yuhan first pointed to a young swordsman and introduced him.

“This is Kang Qiandeng, a rising star of the orthodox path—the Three Perfections Swordsman. His swordplay is devastatingly sharp. Though still new among the Grand Masters, with his ancestral divine weapon, the Startling Crane Sword, he already rivals any established Grand Master.”

“This is Shen Wanjun, the Lady of the Jade Demoness—” Huang Yuhan pointed to a beautiful young widow, her face cold as frost, dressed in plain white, and added with regret: “Five years ago, the Demoness King, Master Fu, was killed by the Twelve Zodiacs. Shen Wanjun vowed revenge and changed her title to Jade Rakshasa. Now that her husband’s killer stands before her, yet she cannot strike him down—she must be suffering most of all…”

“Though Master Fu was ugly of face, he had a noble heart. And Shen Wanjun was once famed as the most beautiful woman in the martial world. Their marriage shocked the entire martial realm. Yet this heroic couple loved each other deeply, envied by all. Alas…”

“This is Zhao Cheng, the Hero of Yixiantian. Zhao Daixia commands the Changfeng Escort Agency as Chief Escort. His Broken Sun Spear once stormed eighteen bandit strongholds on Taiping Mountain, turning the ‘Eight Hundred Li Uneven Mountains, Where Returnees Break Their Souls’ into what we now call Taiping Mountain!”

Chief Escort Zhao Cheng was a silent man who often quietly polished his divine spear, Broken Sun.

“And there is Du Zihuai, the Hero Du—the Azure Blood, Crimson Heart Sword Art is unfathomably mysterious.”

Qian Chen looked over and saw a middle-aged scholar-looking swordsman, disheveled, with a few strands of hair falling loosely over his forehead, his eyes dull, filled with the haze of drunkenness.

“That unassuming old man is Li Lao, the Scholar-General. His title sounds grand, but his origin is real—he inherited a divine weapon, the Spring and Autumn Brush, yet he loved spear techniques. Later, he fused brush and spear into one style, founding his own school called Scholar-General. He is now among the top martial artists most likely to break through to Grand Master.”

This old hero Li Lao was a remarkably spirited, thin elder, with an iron brush hanging at his waist.

“That upright gentleman is Xu Xiaoyang, the Hero Xu. The Xu Family’s Righteous Mountain Villa is famed throughout the martial world. Though they pass down hidden weapons, they never strike from ambush. Their ancestral divine weapon, the Five-Colored Stone, is among the most renowned and powerful in the martial world.”

And this Hero Xu Xiaoyang looked like a wealthy squire—his beard was handsome, meticulously trimmed, clearly cherished by its owner.

As the chief steward of the Four Seas Hall, Huang Yuhan now had many duties to attend to. After introducing Qian Chen to the heroes, he took his leave. Qian Chen lay on his bed for half the night, when suddenly fierce shouts and battle cries erupted outside the Four Seas Hall, shattering the night’s calm.

Qian Chen’s eyes instantly reddened. He lowered his head and sighed: “Brother Huang!”

The Twelve Zodiacs had already breached the Four Seas Hall.

Huang Yuhan was likely already dead!

Though they had only known each other for a day, they had already forged a quiet friendship. Without a word, Qian Chen rolled up his bedding, slung the Celestial Net Umbrella on his back, and joined the startled heroes gathered before the main hall.

Hong Sihai stood grim-faced atop the main hall, his right hand behind his back, his left gripping the chairback tightly—the bulging veins on his hand betrayed his inner turmoil. When all had gathered, he spoke: “While arranging the funeral hall for my brother, Yuhan was murdered inside it!”

The heroes erupted: “Who did this? The Four Seas Hall’s defenses are impenetrable—could it be…”

Kongming the Chan Master stepped forward: “No one left last night.”

“The Twelve Zodiacs are deviously clever…”

“We can’t sit around waiting!” the Eight-Residual Beggar roared. “The Twelve Zodiacs have already broken in! We have so many—how can we fear a few scoundrels?”

“Yes! Charge out!” someone echoed.

Hong Sihai and Kongming the Chan Master exchanged glances—they knew Huang Yuhan was dead, and no one could replace him in orchestrating the Four Seas Hall’s defenses with such precision. Though Huang Yuhan’s remaining arrangements still relayed enemy movements to the Five Lakes Hall, no one could now manage the details or properly deploy the disciples.

Better to act on current intelligence and assign the orthodox heroes to defend in separate groups.

Immediately, Hong Sihai waved his hand, and the heroes marched out of the Five Lakes Hall: “Elder Eight-Residual, Fast-Tongue and Quick-Speech, you two form a team to face the enemy from the south—beware ambushes.”

…

The orders were given one by one, orderly and precise.

But Qian Chen knew this was only surface order. Though they now split into groups, appearing composed, they had lost all control over intelligence and situation. Qian Chen stood with his hands behind his back, the Celestial Net Umbrella at his side. The moon drifted through the clouds, its cold radiance spilling across the ground, illuminating the entire hall. In the distance, thunder and fire boomed, battle cries rose—unlike when Huang Yuhan was alive, when the fighting had been fierce yet silent, now the Four Seas Hall disciples’ alarm calls rose and fell in chaotic succession.

The night had descended into chaos!

Qian Chen headed straight toward the fiercest killing aura—only to kill enemies and honor his friend.

Along the winding corridor leading to the back courtyard, where moonlight did not reach, shadows seemed to stir. As Qian Chen and several orthodox heroes prepared to rush to the back courtyard, where the battle cries were loudest, a series of ghostly laughs echoed from the corridor…

“Hehehe…”

The sudden laughter was eerie and chilling—sending a shiver down the spine.