On the appointed day, the cultivators of Wulong Mountain arrived one after another, gathering inside a quiet mountain cave.

The first to show up were Dragon Mountain Wanderer and young Li Busan. Seeing the boy, Liu Xiaolou sighed. “Busan, you’re still just a kid…”

Dragon Mountain Wanderer smiled. “Still, there are things we all have to face sooner or later. Back at Ghostdream Cliff, I kept thinking; if I die, what’ll happen to Busan? The boy doesn’t even have the skill to earn a few spirit stones. So this time, I brought him along to see the Heroes’ Gathering. Everything has to start somewhere.”

Li Busan clenched his fists and looked at Liu Xiaolou. “Master said, when Martial Uncle got your first hero’s post, you were only at the second layer of Qi Refinement too!”

Liu Xiaolou patted the boy’s shoulder with a smile and sent him over to Fang Bu’ai. “Go help with the wild game. Skin it, clean it. Let’s get dinner going.”

Before long, Fairy Huang Ye, Old Taoist Hu Du, and the four brothers of Guzhang Mountain arrived one after another. By nightfall, all twenty people who had received invitations were present. No one missing.

Everyone had a fire burning in their chest. No one wanted to be seen as a helpless lamb, waiting to be slaughtered. They’d rather risk their lives to prove one thing to the world -- Wulong Mountain cultivators are not to be insulted.

Roasted boar, wild pheasant, and python meat were passed around. Each man ate in silence, listening as Liu Xiaolou laid out their target.

The target was Hongji Tavern.

“Normally, the Tianmen Mountain market isn’t a place for the likes of us to meddle in,” Liu Xiaolou said. “Tianmu Mountain, the Zhanglong Sect, Dongyang Sect, Qingyu Sect, even Danxia and Jinting... all of them have Golden Core masters standing guard in rotation. Go there on any ordinary day, and it’s suicide.

“But tomorrow’s different. Tomorrow’s the main day of the Second Sword Trial Conference. I was there for the first one. It was massive, packed with high cultivators. Every sect sent their best: sect masters, elders, inner disciples, even chief stewards. All had to enter Danxia Grotto Heaven to witness the event.

“And this time, it’s even bigger. Even Gengsang Cave and the Pingdu Eight Formations Gate are joining in.

“Lu Yuanlang will be there too…”

Someone slammed his fist into the ground and shouted, “Then let’s rob that son of a bitch blind!”

“Fuck Tianmu Mountain and everything they stand for!”

“Let the whole world know, Wulong Mountain isn't a place you can mess with!”

“If we don’t let off this steam, our hearts won’t be steady and we’ll never make real progress!”

“That’s right. I’ve been choking on this anger for days…”

Liu Xiaolou raised a hand to calm them. “Nothing’s ever certain. The Tianmen market is the closest to Tianmu Mountain, who knows whether they’ll leave experts behind to guard it? I can only say this: it’s a very good opportunity…”

“Big plans are never a sure thing. Xiaolou, don’t say more. We came here, so we’ll do it!”

“It’s only one dog-life. Today we’ll show Tianmu Mountain that even a cornered dog can bite!”

“If anything goes wrong, we’ll pay with our lives!”

“Don’t worry, Xiaolou. Even dead, none of us will rat you out!”

“Yes, every major sect knows Xiaolou’s name; Wulong Mountain’s future depends on him. He shouldn’t risk it on this job. Let us handle it!”

Liu Xiaolou sighed. “Since I sent out the Hero’s posts, there’s no point pretending to stay in the shadows anymore. Like Fairy Huang said earlier… it’s been suffocating, holding it all in.”

He chuckled at himself, then went on, “Hongji Tavern’s on the east end of the market. Third building in. You all know the place. When the time comes, slip in quietly and take position around it. I’ll go in first to check things out. Once you hear my signal, rush in together. Smash, grab, burn. Do whatever you want. Just remember one rule: get in fast, get out faster.”

Unlike the grand “Hero Gatherings” of the past, this one was among old friends and comrades, so Liu Xiaolou started assigning roles directly.

Dragon Mountain Wanderer, Fairy Huang Ye, Old Taoist Hu Du, and the four Guzhang brothers -- the strongest of the group -- would handle anyone who tried to fight back inside the tavern.

Liu Xiaolou, familiar with the place, knew the only cultivators there were the innkeeper and two outer-disciples working as managers. Somewhere between the third and sixth layers of Qi Refinement. Hardly worth worrying about.

What concerned him more were the guests who might still be drinking late into the night. Because among them, there just might be someone truly dangerous.

Cang Yuntian, Wan Liming, Old Cripple, and Qi Laoqi were posted outside to keep watch. Their job was to stop any outsiders from getting close and to call for retreat if anything went wrong.

Captain Hu, Brother Long, Fan Zheng, Mu the physician, Fang Bu’ai, Li Busan, and four others were in charge of gathering valuables. When it was time to pull out, they were to destroy and burn everything left behind. Hu was an expert tomb raider, sharp-eyed when it came to treasure and goods, so he naturally led that team.

Once the assignments were settled, everyone changed into black clothes, pulled on wide bamboo hats, and set out under the cover of night. Their destination: Tianmen Mountain Market, more than twenty li to the south. By the end of the second watch, they arrived.

By then, most of the shops in the market had already closed, and the streets were nearly empty. Only the Hongji Tavern still had two tables of drinkers lingering inside, and a faint light glowed from one of the rooms upstairs.

Liu Xiaolou strolled along the street and stopped in front of Hongji Tavern. He hadn’t changed into black clothes or covered his face. Just a straw hat, pulled down low over his face. That kind of look wasn’t unusual in Tianmen Mountain Market; everyone knew such guests preferred not to be recognized. The waiter didn’t pry, letting him head upstairs to a private room. He came in a moment later to pour him tea.

As soon as he stepped inside, Liu Xiaolou flicked his hand. The waiter collapsed without a sound. Liu dragged the man under the table, then slipped out through the curtain and began checking each private room one by one.

It was the dead of night, and Hongji Tavern had few guests left. Only one room on the second floor was still occupied. He paused outside, listening. The three men inside were chatting loudly, bragging about this and that. Clearly not anyone important. Without a sound, Liu moved up to the third floor.

A single private room up there was still lit. Two men sat facing each other, drinking, while the innkeeper stood nearby, pouring wine and bowing attentively.

The two drinkers were outer stewards of Tianmu Mountain, recently sent down from Wulong Mountain, and this was where they had met up.

“Only five or six days, and the whole mountain’s nearly deserted.”

“What else could they do? Those bandits got scared out of their wits by Third Brother, haha...”

“The people from Zhanglong Sect are looking pretty down; they’re not really on our side. We’d better report back to the sect soon, just in case they start causing trouble.”

“Well, serves them right. They’ve been harboring bandits for years, shielding that lot from punishment. They had it coming! Honestly, when Qingyu Sect moved in to wipe out Wulong Mountain back then, we never should’ve helped Zhanglong. If we’d let Qingyu slaughter those thieves to the last man, would Brother Zhongqiu have died? Never mind Wei Hongqing, but those two partners of his, not a trace of them to this day!”

“Still haven’t seen Wei Hongqing… You think he’s still hiding somewhere in the mountains?”

“Honored stewards, if I may... there’s something I’m not sure I should say.”

The two men chuckled. “No need to be so polite, innkeeper. The sect has already made it clear. Wei Hongqing’s business has nothing to do with you. No one’s blaming you; everyone knows you were just following orders. Since we’ve invited you to join us, go on, speak your mind.”

“Yes, yes, of course. I’m deeply grateful for the sect’s kindness,” the innkeeper said, bowing. “Still, I’d like to offer what little help I can. About Wei Hongqing’s two companions… I have a few guesses, though I can’t say for sure. Back when that bandit was running this tavern, a few of his old friends from the mountains used to come by to see him.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Who were they? Damn it, it’s sweltering in here. Bring some ice!”

“Let him finish first.”

“I… I didn’t dare speak out before,” the innkeeper stammered. “I’ve been uneasy all this time, afraid of saying the wrong thing. But now that the sect has shown such mercy and forgiven my mistakes, I’ve thought it over and over. I truly can’t rest easy without telling you.”

“Enough with the speeches, just say it! It’s boiling in here. I’m opening a window.”

“One of them was called Liu Xiaolou. From Wulong Mountain, later married into the Su family on Shenwu Mountain. The other two were known as Tan Bajhang and Zuo Gaofeng. Both seasoned bandits from the hill...”

“Innkeeper? What’s wrong with yo—”

“Innkeeper?”

“Fifth Brother, I think I’ve got heatstroke too… it’s so hot…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. There’s something wrong with this wine. It’s too damn strong.”

“Fifth Brother… I miss Sister-in-law.”

“What?”

“Sister-in-law.”

“Your sister-in-law? What about her—”

Bang! The door burst open.

A group of men in black stormed in, each wearing a wide bamboo hat. Their faces were wrapped in dark cloth, but from their build and the way they moved, they looked more like farmers than fighters.

Without a word, they swung their carrying poles straight at everyone’s heads. The poles gleamed faintly in the dim light, and the air hissed as they cut through it.

In a matter of moments, after a blur of blows, the room fell silent. Everyone inside, including the innkeeper, was reduced to a bloody mess.

The attackers were the four brothers from Guzhang Mountain.

“Let’s go,” the eldest barked.

The four hurried downstairs.

Moments later, two more men came up, rifled through the bodies, stuffed a handful of scattered items into a sack, and went on to search the other rooms one by one.