Half-Pine Plateau sat halfway up Qianzhu Ridge. Fang Bu’ai didn’t hesitate to hurry over and get it in order. Run-down or not, at least it was a place where he wouldn’t be chased away again, a little corner to call his own.

On his way down the mountain, he weighed the ten taels of silver in his hand and thought that this so-called legendary figure of Wulong Mountain was actually pretty reasonable. Not at all like those arrogant clans with their lofty airs.

A big white goose flew into the courtyard, hung the bell from its neck on the fixed spot under the eaves, then paced around to inspect everything. Satisfied with how the place was being kept up, it flapped up to the treetop and started tending to the vine that carried the wind bell.

Where it was broken, it wrapped the strands back together; if something couldn’t be used anymore, it replaced it with a fresh piece. Bit by bit it worked its way up toward the highest peak of Qianzhu Ridge. The goose tugged a few times with its beak to make sure everything was firm. Soon after, Little Black bounded up in a few leaps, meowed at it, and let the goose know things were back to normal.

Goose and cat sat down side by side, taking in the views of Qianzhu Ridge and the surrounding peaks of Wulong Mountain.

It was early spring. Specks of tender green were sprouting all over the mountains, full of life.

The goose and the cat both nodded at the same time, half-closing their eyes, feeling at ease and settled. Before long, Little Black couldn’t fight off the weight of sleep any longer and toppled over against the big white wing.

Down in the courtyard, besides Tan Bajhang, both Zuo Gaofeng and Dragon Mountain Wanderer had gathered at Qianzhu Ridge. They were drinking the Osmanthus Wine Liu Xiaolou had brought back, each of them sighing and lamenting.

The Battle of Zhuoshui had dragged on for nearly a year. That length of time was rare in the century-long history of clashes between the two sides, and the losses were devastating on both ends. The Zhanglong Sect suffered the worst.

According to Dragon Mountain Wanderer, the sect had two elders seriously wounded, three inner disciples killed, and seven inner stewards lost. Among the affiliated families and outer managers, at least a dozen had died. As for the conscripted rogue cultivators, there was no telling how many fell.

Dragon Mountain Wanderer was saying, “...Just from our Wulong Mountain, fifteen died. Among the brothers we knew, the second and third from Guzhang Mountain are gone…”

Liu Xiaolou gasped. “Elder Gu San is dead too?”

Dragon Mountain Wanderer nodded. “Now Guzhang Mountain only has five left. And from the Ma family of Wuzifeng, two of their elder brothers also died in that final battle to break the mountain. Who would’ve thought such a powerful formation could actually be shattered by the Badong bandits? It was a tragedy. Even now, we still don’t understand how it happened. The Zhanglong Sect won’t say, and maybe they don’t even know themselves. They claim that even Zhang Shihua and Jiang Feihu, who were supposed to be as unshakable as stone, were badly injured. They’re still bedridden. Xiaolou, you should pay them a visit one of these days.”

Liu Xiaolou nodded. If he guessed right, this must have been that great battle on the night he went to rescue Su Jing. That night, he had fought a Badong cultivator to the death, and the commotion from Donglin Mountain could be seen from twenty li away. Who knew how brutal it must have been.

After a long silence, Zuo Gaofeng sighed. “And old Hu Du as well…”

Tan Bajhang cut him off, raising his voice. “He doesn’t count! It hasn’t been confirmed. Nobody’s seen his body!”

“Let’s hope so,” Zuo Gaofeng said. “Maybe he was captured by the Badong rebels, it’s possible.”

“That must be it. Just wait. He might come back any day!” Tan Bajhang said.

Then Zuo Gaofeng turned to Liu Xiaolou. “And Bajhang’s fourth brother too…”

Liu Xiaolou looked at Tan Bajhang, unsure what to say. “Brother Bajhang, this past year, I haven’t taken proper care of your family… I only visited Uncle twice…”

Tan Bajhang shook his head. “There was nothing for you to take care of. What could you have done? You went to see my father twice in my place, and that’s more than enough. With that temper of his, nobody can stand him… And what happened to my fourth brother has nothing to do with you. He died at Zhuoshui. That was his fate.”

All of a sudden, Liu Xiaolou remembered that Fang Bu’ai. “So many comrades have fallen, which means plenty of peaks and valleys must have been left empty. Why doesn’t that little Fang from Pai Sect have a place to stay yet?”

Tan Bajhang gave a cold laugh. “Plenty have died, but even more have poured in. Every spot is taken. If it weren’t for you and Brother Wei being respected figures on Wulong Mountain, you wouldn’t have been able to keep Ghost Dream Cliff or Qianzhu Ridge either. It’s only because young Fang is all alone, with no one to tell him how things are, that he came wandering up here… no, that’s not right. I did tell him once. He still came. The kid just won’t listen. No wonder he couldn’t make it in Pai Sect. I’ll go find him later!”

Liu Xiaolou waved his hand. “Let it go. He’s just a pitiful fellow with no master left.”

Dragon Mountain Wanderer stroked his beard. “The way those so-called righteous sects draw their lines, they’ve boxed Wulong Mountain in. Zhanglong Sect can’t cross west over the range, and Gengsang Cave can’t cross east. What happens then? Territory grabs. Not out in the open, of course. Now it’s all in the shadows.”

Zuo Gaofeng explained, “Just last month, Gengsang Cave sent two Foundation Establishment cultivators to seize Wuzifeng, the peak that belonged to the Ma family brothers. Such brazen behavior, how could we of Wulong Mountain stand for it? Under Dragon Mountain Wanderer’s lead, everyone surrounded Wuzifeng and drove them off. When Zhanglong Sect heard, they also sent their Foundation Establishment experts up the mountain…”

Tan Bajhang raised his hand. “I’m the one who went to report it to Zhanglong Mountain, ha!”

Zuo Gaofeng went on. “When things started to get out of hand, the Pingdu Eight Formations Gate sat down with Qingyu Sect, Tianmu Mountain, and Dongyang Sect. The agreement was that neither Gengsang Cave nor Zhanglong Sect could send people into the mountain. That’s why we have so many rogue cultivators here now.”

Tan Bajhang sneered. “Those rogue cultivators really are rogues, but who they belong to is another matter. Once I find out, if they’re from Badong, I’ll make sure every one of them gets beat up in the dark.”

After an evening of idle talk, the two jars of osmanthus wine were long gone. Dragon Mountain Wanderer had Big White send a letter to Li Busan, and brought up a jar of Bamboo Leaf Green wine from Longshan. The four of them kept candlelit conversation going into the night.

After finishing the business of Wulong Mountain, the topic naturally turned back to Liu Xiaolou.

Zuo Gaofeng asked, “Liu Xiaolou, how long are you planning to go home this time?”

Liu Xiaolou smiled. “This time I’m going back to my mother’s place for good. I don’t plan to return to the Su family.”

Zuo Gaofeng and Dragon Mountain Wanderer both looked stunned. Only Tan Bajhang seemed to know part of the story. “Xiaolou, you’re not serious about what you told me before, are you? They really divorced you?”

Liu Xiaolou took a divorce certificate from his bosom and handed it over. The three of them carefully read it. When Tan Bajhang finished, he slammed his foot on the corridor plank. “They really divorced you. The Su family is garbage.”

“Why would they do that to you when everything seemed fine?” asked Dragon Mountain Wanderer.

Tan Bajhang shouted, “They looked down on us, plain and simple. The Su family is a high-born clan. We on Wulong Mountain are a den of thieves. He was married into their house for three years and they regretted it.”

Liu Xiaolou nodded and admitted, “To be honest, they only brought me in as a son-in-law to deal with an urgent matter. These past three years at Shenwu Manor, the Su family really did treat me with cold disdain. But I was already prepared for that when I married in. Lasting three years is already better than I expected. Now that the divorce letter is in hand, I suddenly feel lighter, as if the shackles have fallen away. The whole world is open to me.”

Tan Bajhang clapped his hands and cheered. “That’s the spirit! Nothing feels as free as being back here on Wulong Mountain. If you ask me, coming back was the right move. There’s not a decent person in the Su family!”

“Well, there are a few…”

Tan Bajhang cut him off. “Even if there are, they’re rare!”

Dragon Mountain Wanderer raised his cup. “Come on, let’s drink to Xiaolou breaking free of his cage and roaming under the boundless sky!”

Everyone lifted their cups, congratulated him, and downed three in a row.

That night the spring breeze was intoxicating. The moon and stars shone softly over Qianzhu Ridge. Liu Xiaolou had been away from home for three years, and with the war finally over, sharing wine with close friends was joy beyond measure. Even the cheap yellow wine back in Wuchao Town—just one coin for a whole jug—would have tasted rich and flavorful tonight. All the more so with Osmanthus and Bamboo Leaf Green on the table.

They really weren’t leaving until they were good and drunk.

No. Even if they're drunk, there’s no such thing as going back or not going back. Qianzhu Ridge, Dragon Horse Falls, Longshan, Half-Acre Gorge.... weren’t all of them their home?

With their cups in hand, they offered wine in memory of the Wulong Mountain brothers who had fallen in battle. They spoke of the two friends from Guzhang Mountain, then the three friends, the two seniors of the Ma family, and old Hu Du. As they recalled their voices, their laughter, and all the little details, even Liu Xiaolou who’d never been especially close with them found his eyes wet.

Tan Bajhang, who had been the closest to Old Hu Du, burst into sobs. “Don’t pour a memorial drink for Old Hu Du! He isn’t dead. He has to come back. This cup... this cup I’ll drink for him. I’ll drink it…”

By the end, they were all slumped and staggering on the veranda. Zuo Gaofeng somehow dug out the divorce letter again, crawled over, and pressed it back into Liu Xiaolou’s hands, weeping as he urged him, “Xiaolou, you have to treasure this letter. With it, you’re Wulong Mountain’s rising star. Whatever you say, others will have to listen! Sure, you were humiliated at Shenwu Manor, but with this divorce letter in hand, it was all worth it. Back then, I knocked my head bloody against every wall, chasing after just such a thing…”

Tan Bajhang sobered for a moment, then also cried out, “I want one too! I want a divorce letter too…”

Dragon Mountain Wanderer’s eyes were glazed. He pointed at Big White and Little Black, both passed out drunk on the veranda as well, and chuckled, “And they still know how to steal wine…”