Liu Xiaolou had a few hideouts. A small house in Wuchao Town, the Xingde Temple on Xingde Mountain, and a haunted house by Yangliu Bay. But none of those were safe anymore.After going back and forth in his mind, he decided to bring Fang Bu’ai to the northeast edge of Yueyang Market, by the Miluo River at a place called Tiger’s Maw Gorge. There, they finally found the three old pine trees.

Beneath the cliff there was a natural cave, well-hidden. It was the very place where, years ago, Liu Xiaolou had ambushed Hou Sheng, an inner steward of the Qingyu Sect.

Once they stepped inside, they could hear the river gently lapping against the cliff outside. Somehow, it felt oddly peaceful, and both of them felt their shoulders relax.

Fang Bu’ai looked around the cave. “Big Brother, have you taken shelter here before?”

Liu Xiaolou smiled. “Let’s just stay here and focus on our cultivation. We’ll hang out here for a few months until things calm down.”

Fang Bu’ai had plenty of spirit stones on him, so he obediently sat down cross-legged and began cultivating. Liu Xiaolou did the same, focusing once again on breaking through the Shaohai acupoint.

After letting out two deep breaths that seemed to clear away the lingering frustration in his chest, his mind suddenly felt clear and open. This time, the breakthrough went smoothly. Seven days later, his true qi finally surged through the Shaohai acupoint and flowed into its primordial pool, stirring it into a powerful vortex.

At the exact moment the acupoint opened, a faint crack echoed in his ears. And in his mind flashed the image of a jade hairpin being crushed underfoot.

It had been so many years; he thought he’d long forgotten that memory. Yet here, back in this old place, the image returned unbidden.

What was going on?

Liu Xiaolou stepped to the cave entrance and looked out at the dark river rushing under the night sky, utterly puzzled and lost in thought.

Fang Bu’ai was still deep in seclusion in the inner chamber of the cave, focused on breaking through the final acupoint of the Hand Faint Yin Meridian -- the Zhongchong acupoint. It was a major one, and he knew it would take at least a month or two to get through.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiaolou spent his nights by the river, catching a few green-scaled fish. He grilled them over a charcoal fire, ate half himself, and set the rest aside so Fang Bu’ai would have something to eat when he awoke.

As he watched the river glimmer under the moonlight, Liu let the sight wash away the tangle of thoughts in his mind. Then he returned to cultivating, channeling the energy from his spirit stones into true qi, driving it toward the Lingdao acupoint.

Time slipped by. Three and a half months later, Liu Xiaolou opened his eyes and exhaled deeply. Without even realizing it, he had broken through four major acupoints. Shaohai, Lingdao, Tongli, and Yinxu. Only three remained: Shenmen, Shaofu, and Shaochong.

For a meridian with nine major acupoints, this kind of progress in just over three months was nothing short of astonishing.

His progress was impressive, no doubt about it. But it hadn’t come cheap. Every single one of his spirit stones was gone. Liu Xiaolou found himself regretting it, just a little. When he’d left the mountain, he’d stashed most of his belongings in a secret cave on Wulong Mountain. 60 spirit stones waiting there. Maybe it was time to go back and retrieve them?

Fang Bu’ai still had a few stones left, but ever since he’d advanced to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement last month, he hadn’t taken a break. He was still cultivating hard, and those few pitiful stones weren’t even enough for him.

Thinking this over, Liu decided to take a trip to Yueyang Market to see what news was circulating.

The best source of information there, of course, was the Green Serenity Courtyard. He went to the teahouse across the street, sat quietly in a corner, and sipped a few cups of tea while observing. Once he confirmed that Sister Qing was still around and the place hadn’t changed hands, he slipped through the back and quietly entered her room.

The soft blanket smelled faintly sweet. On the dresser, makeup was scattered: compacts, powders, all of it under the mirror. Somehow, it all made Liu Xiaolou feel instantly calm. Leaning back on the edge of the bed, Liu Xiaolou felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, and before he knew it, his eyes were closing.

Half-asleep, he heard footsteps in the courtyard. Then came Sister Qing’s voice:

“That dirty old pervert again? Trying to hit on me now? Green Pearl, where’d you dig up this guest. Does he even know the rules here? Whatever, I don’t have the energy to get mad. Go tell him this: if he wants to play, fine; if not, he can get the hell out. Our Green Serenity Courtyard doesn’t serve people like him! He should take a good look in the mirror... if I really went a round with him, could those creaky old bones of his even survive it?”

Green Pearl laughed.

“Come on, don’t be mad. It’s just a compliment, isn’t it? Shows how irresistible our Sister Qing is! Even I’m getting tempted. Here, let me give you a rub…”

“Get lost, you little flirt!”

The door suddenly opened. Sister Qing saw Liu Xiaolou lying on the bed, froze for a second, then shut the door again. A moment later she was at his side, grabbing his hand.

“You little rascal! I thought you’d forgotten all about me!”

Liu Xiaolou smiled. “Haven’t soaked in a hot bath for ages.”

Sister Qing bent down and kissed him lightly on the forehead. “You little troublemaker. Wait right here.”

Soon he was sinking into the steaming wooden tub, letting out a low, satisfied groan. Sister Qing sat behind him, gently washing his hair. As her fingers worked through it, she asked quietly,

“Was it you guys?”

Liu Xiaolou opened one eye. “What are you talking about?”

She gave a soft snort.

“Don’t play dumb. The Hongji Tavern went up in flames, the Fenglin Manor was raided, and the inner sect steward Lu Yuanji and the outer sect steward Yan Xingfei were both killed. The whole Tianmu Mountain’s in an uproar! For months now, everyone’s been on edge. The sect sent every cultivator above Foundation Establishment level down the mountain to guard their estates, shops, and manors. They’ve even joined forces with other sects, putting out bounties across the land. Ten spirit stones for anyone from Wulong Mountain! Now be honest... was that your doing?”

Liu Xiaolou looked surprised.

“Lu Yuanji’s dead? I remember he got away pretty fast. I didn’t even touch him. And who’s this Yan Xingfei you’re talking about?”

Sister Qing’s eyes lit up.

“So it was you guys? Heaven above, Xiaolou, I never would’ve guessed; you’ve got guts! Let me tell you, when we heard that bastard Lu was running wild on Wulong Mountain, killing people left and right, all the girls here were furious. We swore if he ever dared step into Green Serenity Courtyard, we’d make sure he regretted it. And we sure as hell wouldn’t take his business!”

Liu Xiaolou chuckled. “Did he ever show up?”

She snorted. “That hypocrite? Never. Too proud to set foot here.”

He leaned back a little, voice lowering. “What’s the word outside now?”

Sister Qing said, “Word is, Tianmu Mountain’s people caught a few already. Used to be from Wulong Mountain, I think. I don’t really know them myself…”

She listed a few names. None of them had taken the hero’s challenge. Looked like after everyone split up, they all went to ground pretty well.

“Anyone out there saying they’re coming for me specifically?”

“Haven’t heard that,” Sister Qing said. “But don’t get careless. Don’t go back to Wulong Mountain yet; the heat’s still on. Tianmu Mountain’s got people watching the place; they’re grabbing anyone who so much as looks familiar. Stay here with me for a while. Take it easy, lay low a few months. Wait till the storm blows over.”

Liu Xiaolou frowned. “I just don’t want to bring you trouble. Yueyang Market’s Qingyu Sect territory.”

She laughed softly. “Don’t worry, Xiaolou. The Qingyu Sect folks are just sitting back watching the show. Honestly, I bet they’d love to see Tianmu Mountain fall flat on its face. Even if they notice you here, they’ll probably just look the other way. You forget? Tianmu Mountain teamed up with Dongyang and Zhanglong Sects before to gang up on Qingyu. They’re not exactly on friendly terms.”

“Really? Like that?”

“Xiaolou, I’ve got everything you could want here. Anything at all. Even me, if you want.”

“Huh? Sister Qing, wait. Where are you taking me?”

“Silly boy, where do you think I’m taking you?”

“Ah... hey, wait! It’s still wet, there’s water everywhere. The bed’s soaked!”

“Xiaolou, I don’t care about that right now… hurry… I’m about to begin my cultivation… Xiaolou, mmm…”