That night, everyone drank themselves senseless. They went through nearly two whole jars of Bamboo Leaf Green. By rights, the four of them should never have been able to finish it, but somehow, by the end, not a single drop was left. All four were reeling and staggering, and finally passed out cold on the terrace in front of the house, truly sleeping head to foot.

In his dreams, Liu Xiaolou saw himself wearing a bright red wedding robe, standing in the courtyard of his own home, accepting congratulations from fellow cultivators from all over the mountains. As they offered their blessings, they also handed over gifts, and the line of well-wishers stretched all the way down the mountain. The pile of gifts filled the entire yard.

Even Master Zang himself came up the mountain with a sack of spirit rice on his back. He announced in front of everyone that from then on, whenever Liu Xiaolou came to Ewe Ram Mountain to help with the harvest, the spirit rice he brought back would always be weighed honestly. No more shaving the measure or skimming off the top.

“Ding ding dong dong…” Even Big White came marching up in perfect goose-step, carrying a string of windchimes in its beak as a congratulatory gift. The clear, ringing chime echoed all across Ganzhu Ridge.

Liu Xiaolou patted the goose’s head, overjoyed. “Alright, alright, I’ll take this gift.”

But Big White didn’t leave. It kept ringing the chimes to celebrate. Liu Xiaolou shoved it aside. “Don’t block the way, there are plenty more gifts still coming!”

The goose, however, was stubborn. It circled around him, shaking the chimes with all its strength. “Ding ding dong dong…”

Irritated beyond bearing, Liu Xiaolou’s anger boiled over. Malice flared in his heart, and he was just about to strip off its feathers and throw it into a pot for stew when suddenly he felt someone shaking his body, shaking so hard the world itself seemed to turn upside down.

When he opened his eyes, he realized it had all been just a dream. The one shaking him awake was Tan Bajhang. As for the sound of the windchime, it was drifting over from the ridge, only falling silent a moment later.

When the chimes rang, it meant trouble.

Dragon Mountain Wanderer and Zuo Gaofeng were already awake as well; one had circled around to check behind the courtyard, the other had just come down from the ridge.

“Xiaolou, your white goose is a funny one. It’s the one shaking the chimes.”

“I didn’t see any smoke signals in the village…”

Liu Xiaolou said, “Most likely someone’s come to the mountain to pay a visit. I’m sorry it disturbed your sleep.”

They heard footsteps approaching. Soon enough, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen came through the trees and stopped in front of the courtyard, calling out: “Master!”

Dragon Mountain Wanderer stroked his beard and said, “This is a disciple I just took in last month; Li Bushan from Westmouth Village. Come, disciple, pay your respects to these elders.”

The boy Li Bushan came forward and bowed respectfully. Zuo Gaofeng chuckled. “Ah, you’re from Honest Li’s family? When you were little, you even peed in my arms, haha…”

Westmouth Village lay on the western side of Wulong Mountain. Liu Xiaolou and Tan Bajhang rarely went that way, so they didn’t know much about it. Still, since it was part of the Wulong Mountain lineage, there was a natural sense of kinship. Each of them took out a bit of gold, silver, or jewelry from their robes as a token gift.

They were all ordinary things, nothing more than a gesture. Nothing that could compare to the wedding gifts Liu Xiaolou had received. Just the day before, Dragon Mountain Wanderer had come to offer his congratulations with a gift of pine resin essence. No one knew where he had gotten it, but it was exactly what Liu Xiaolou needed. Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Bajhang had each given him a spirit stone, one apiece, which was more than generous. As wandering cultivators, they truly couldn’t afford much beyond that.

Li Bushan now reported to Dragon Mountain Wanderer: “Master, Senior Lingling has had an accident. He was seized right outside his own cave-dwelling.”

Everyone was shocked. Zuo Gaofeng’s expression darkened. “Which sect sent people to raid him? And how have we heard nothing about it?”

Tan Bajhang looked around nervously. “This is bad, this is bad. If we head down the mountain now, do we still have time? Xiaolou, is there a hidden path here on Ganzhu Ridge?”

Liu Xiaolou grew flustered as well. “How did Uncle Tian not notice? And what about the old aunties at the village entrance? Brother Tan, if we go this way, will we even make it in time…?”

Li Bushan quickly said, “I didn’t make myself clear. It’s not a sect coming to wipe us out. It’s a few outsiders seeking revenge. Early this morning they ambushed Zhongling Valley and captured Senior Lingling, planning to carry him out of the mountains. They were first discovered by Senior Huang of Jade Maiden Cave, then two uncles of the Ma family from Five Sons Peak rushed over. After that, Senior Jiang of Flying Tiger Cave, Zhang Shihua of Stone Flower Valley, and Daoist Hu Du of Gourd Pass. also joined in. Senior Jiang sent me here to inform Teacher and the other elders, and to ask you all to come support them.”

The men looked at each other. Tan Bajhang asked, “So it really isn’t a sect attack?”

“Senior Jiang said it’s just a handful of outsiders,” Li Bushan replied. “Their cultivation is decent, but they aren’t many.”

Tan Bajhang flew into a rage. “A few outsiders dare run wild on Wulong Mountain? Do they think no one lives here? Come on, let’s beat them till they can’t tell night from day!”

Liu Xiaolou laughed. “No wonder there wasn’t any alarm raised in the village. These outsiders do have some skill, and their plan wasn’t half bad; but they don’t know what’s good for them. Do they really think Wulong Mountain is a place you can just stroll into? They may have gotten in, but they won’t be leaving.”

Zuo Gaofeng stroked his beard, frowning. “Wulong Mountain’s reputation is renowned throughout the Jing-Xiang region. Are these outsiders really so bold? There’s something strange about this. We should think this through carefully…”

Dragon Mountain Wanderer waved his hand. “Think what through? We can’t just stand by and let Fellow Lingling get dragged down the mountain. Where would that leave the honor of all our Wulong Mountain brethren? Bushan, where are they now?”

“Master, when this disciple arrived, Senior Jiang said they were at the Sky Pit Drum.”

There was no need for more discussion. Everyone set out at once. Even Big White came charging down from the ridge, honking and cackling as it followed behind Liu Xiaolou, strutting proudly on the way to Sky Pit Drum.

If a great sect had launched a purge, that would be one thing; we fellow cultivators couldn’t afford to provoke them and would have no choice but to lie low. But a handful of outsiders daring to seize someone here? Did they really not know that Wulong Mountain is a den of dragons and tigers?

Sky Pit Drum was the very place where the vine demon had been discovered last year. The entire Qingyu Sect had surrounded the mountain, and their brilliant inner disciple Jingzhao had slain the vine demon there. No one knew how much his cultivation had grown from that battle, but his name resounded throughout Jing-Xiang, and it was said everywhere that Qingyu Sect had birthed a once-in-a-century prodigy.

In that same battle, Liu Xiaolou had accidentally swallowed a demon vine seed. He had nearly left a will on the spot, ready to hand the Sanxuan Sect over to Tan Bajhan.

Over the past year, countless Wulong Mountain cultivators had come to investigate, hoping to uncover the mystery of why the demon vine had appeared there. Plenty of outsiders had also schemed to sneak into Wulong Mountain in search of remnants of the vine, but all had gone away empty-handed. In just one year, the Sky Pit Drum had already recovered seven or eight tenths of its original state, with hardly a trace left of that great battle.

When they arrived, they saw a crowd already gathered on the southwest side of Sky Pit Drum, so they pushed their way in.

Inside the ring of people stood five outsiders. They were holding Lingling, his meridians already sealed, and faced off against the Wulong Mountain cultivators. If not for fear of harming Lingling, the crowd would have rushed them long ago.

Jiang Feihu of Flying Tiger Cave, who had always been close with Lingling, was the one stepping forward to negotiate. He demanded the outsiders release him, while at the same time straining to restrain the hot-tempered mountain cultivators from striking too soon.

Liu Xiaolou leaned closer for a better look, and couldn’t help but laugh. He recognized one of the outsiders. It was none other than Dong Wei, a fallen son of the once-prosperous Dong clan of Chess Mountain. The very man who had tried so hard to kick him out during the son-in-law selection feast at Shenwu Mountain.

Dragon Mountain Wanderer, a tenth-Layer Qi Refinement cultivator and one of the most respected figures among the Wulong Mountain brethren, had just arrived. Seeing him, Jiang Feihu hurried over to beg for his aid. “Senior Long, please help calm everyone down. We can’t risk acting rashly. If we do, Brother Lingling is as good as dead!”