An Old Pact in the Forest

At the foot of Wolf Head Mountain, in the maple woods.

"Old Ni."

"What orders do you have, President?"

Lin Kun sat astride his horse, gazing at the peak that resembled a wolf's head howling at the moon. It looked bizarre, and beneath the snow and ice, the narrow path was steep and straight, leading to the Martial Saint Temple halfway up the mountain. It was indeed terrain where one man could hold off ten thousand.

"Dig pits and set up stoves. Chop wood and start fires. Let the brothers have a good meal first."

"All right!"

Peng Canghu rode over and said, "Godfather, should we attack immediately and catch them off guard, before the Wild Wolf Gang has time to prepare?"

"Canghu, the President's move is very much in keeping with the art of war. As the saying goes, before the troops move, provisions must go first. The brothers can't all ride horses like you and me. They've trudged through the snow for more than fifty li and must be hungry and cold. They should eat their fill before fighting."

Ni Jinbiao lived in the martial world, but he often forgot to hide the fact that he had read books. He was widely disliked in the Dragon Scale Association, but Lin Kun relied on him because of his seniority, so no one dared say anything.

Lin Kun glanced at Peng Canghu and smiled. "Old Ni is right."

Then he called out, "Zhang He."

"Your son is here."

Another rider came over. He was tall and thin, with long legs and arms—the second godson of Lin Kun.

"Your lightness skill is decent. Go into the mountain and scout around. Remember, don't alert the enemy."

"Yes!"

Zhang He dismounted and headed into the mountain on foot. He wore a white cloak, and after walking a hundred meters, he merged into the snowy world.

Peng Canghu had failed to make his point and could only withdraw. He glanced back at the four-wheeled carriage at the end of the procession. A trace of warmth appeared in his eyes, and the pain in his chest seemed to ease considerably.

The Dragon Scale Association had mobilized everyone. More than five hundred people set up camp at the edge of the woods beneath the mountain.

They did not hurry to attack the mountain. Instead, they dispatched men to chop trees and dig earth, setting up large pots throughout the woods.

Sikong Qingqing and Lin Youlan climbed out of the carriage. After being jolted along the road, they wanted to get out and breathe some fresh air.

Lin Kun had brought his concubine and daughter along, making it seem as though they had come not to fight, but for a brief outing in the snow.

Sikong Qingqing wore a red-backed, black-sleeved sable coat and held a small hand warmer. With her tiny face and petite body, she looked exceptionally endearing.

"Auntie, your health is frail. Why don't you stay in the carriage and avoid the cold?"

Lin Youlan wore only a thin padded jacket and had a sword at her waist. Though it was decorative, she knew a few rudimentary moves, and she looked considerably healthier than Sikong Qingqing.

Sikong Qingqing glanced toward Lin Kun and smiled faintly. "I'm afraid your father may need me."

Lin Youlan smiled. "Auntie and Father really are a match made in heaven."

Sikong Qingqing asked, "That Zhang Liyu participated in Youlan's martial arts tournament for a husband. Do you two know each other?"

Lin Youlan frowned. "Why would you say that, Auntie?"

Sikong Qingqing sighed and explained with a smile, "Don't take it the wrong way. It's only a daughter's intuition. I saw you call out his name immediately in the Dragon Scale Hall. I thought that unless you had been thinking about him, you couldn't have blurted it out after meeting him only once."

Lin Youlan sneered. "I was in the embroidery tower, while he was on the stage. I'm afraid I knew him, but he didn't know me!"

Sikong Qingqing asked, "If he's captured, would Youlan plead for his life?"

Lin Youlan gripped her sword hilt and ground her teeth. "Of course I'd ask Father to hand him over to me. I'll stab him a thousand times!"

Sikong Qingqing smiled. "Victory and defeat are hard to predict in a tournament. Why do you hate him so much?"

"He deliberately lost!" Lin Youlan's voice carried a grief-stricken indignation, as though she had been humiliated.

Even if Zhang Liyu had not lost then, he still would not have been a match for the Nine-Bend Sword. Yet she hated him deeply all the same, even blaming him for the misfortune of being forced to marry Zhong Zhen, who was more than twenty years her senior.

Perhaps every girl had once dreamed of a man in golden armor, riding auspicious clouds beneath his feet, who would save her from a sea of suffering.

Lin Youlan looked at her auntie, who was four years younger than herself, and suddenly felt they were in the same boat. Wasn't she simply the next Sikong Qingqing? The only differences were that the Mount Song Sect's threshold was a little higher than the Dragon Scale Association's, and Zhong Zhen was seven or eight years younger than Father.

Sikong Qingqing smiled. "Men and women of the martial world have never been their own masters... Your father is calling me. I'll go over first."

The Shennong Gang was the third-largest martial force in Pingyang Prefecture, rising to second place after the Wild Wolf Gang was destroyed. It controlled the medicinal herb trade in the southern three counties. Its disciples knew the properties of medicines, and many of the gang's experts were skilled in using poison.

The gang leader, Sikong Huan, possessed a pair of Red Sand Palms that were exceptionally vicious. Anyone struck by them would develop red, blistering sores all over their body within three days. If they could not find an antidote, the sores would fester until they died.

Four large wooden chests sat on the snowy ground, with four people standing beside them. They were filled with scorpions, centipedes, sulfur, and poisonous herbs. These toxins would be mixed with wolf dung in a precise ratio.

"Reporting to the son-in-law, we have prepared the medicines."

Lin Kun asked with interest, "Is this the Shennong Gang's Five Poisons Wolf Smoke?"

They were dressed alike, wearing thick padded coats beneath gray hemp robes and silk gloves. Their faces were covered with thick towels. They were the four Shennong Gang disciples skilled in using poison who had come as part of the dowry.

One of them reported, "As long as the poisonous smoke touches the skin, it will cause unbearable pain and itching, like being stung by scorpions and bitten by snakes. Inhaling a large amount will cause unconsciousness at best and death at worst."

"Should we release the smoke now?"

Lin Kun smiled. "No rush. We'll wait until Zhang He returns."

Outside the maple woods, at the place closest to the foot of the mountain, five earthen stoves had already been built, with iron pots set over them. A large pile of firewood lay beside them.

Peng Canghu watched this scene, feeling somewhat bitter. Lin Kun had not revealed a word to him about the plan to attack Wolf Head Mountain with the Shennong Gang's Five Poisons Wolf Smoke.

Before long, a figure came running across the snow. He looked closely and saw that it was the recently favored Second Young Master, Zhang He.

"Reporting to Godfather, I scouted up the mountain along the path. To avoid alerting the enemy, I stopped about two hundred meters from the Martial Saint Temple. I saw piles of rolling logs and stones outside the temple, but no one. They should be hiding inside to escape the cold."

"Good. You were thorough and deserve credit for scouting. Zhang He, you must help shoulder more of Godfather's burdens in the future. Once we destroy the Wild Wolf Gang today, I plan to send you to establish a branch in the southern three counties of Pingyang Prefecture, recruit men, and expand our power."

Zhang He was overjoyed. He knelt and said, "Thank you for nurturing me, Godfather."

Peng Canghu silently lowered his head. Before the destruction of the Wild Wolf Gang, this had originally been Lin Kun's promise to him: to take charge of a region and develop his own power. It had been an excellent opportunity. Only by becoming strong enough might he one day fulfill the wish in his heart.

Lin Kun waved his hand. "Begin."

The four Shennong Gang disciples carried the wooden chests to the stoves at the foot of the mountain and poured the poisonous medicines and wolf dung into the iron pots. After lighting the fires, they began stirring and frying the mixture with iron shovels.

After fifteen minutes, four straight columns of wolf smoke shot directly toward the Martial Saint Temple halfway up the mountain.

The positions of the stoves and even the direction of the wind required precise calculations.

"Brothers, charge the Martial Saint Temple! Capture Zhao Xia alive, and you'll be rewarded with eight hundred taels of silver!"

The Dragon Scale Association disciples also covered their faces with cloth. They encountered almost no resistance and charged all the way to the front of the Martial Saint Temple. The open ground was piled with rolling logs and stones, but there was not a single person in sight.

Lin Kun was the last to ascend the mountain. He looked toward the Martial Saint Temple shrouded in pale white smoke.

"Where are they?"

Zhang He was delighted. "Congratulations, Godfather. They must have all been poisoned to death inside the temple."

Lin Kun backhanded him across the face and scolded him flatly. "Idiot!"

He said to the four members of the Shennong Gang, "Go in and take a look."

A moment later, the four of them emerged.

"How is it?"

"There's no one inside, but we found this."

It was a strip of cloth.

"Do not forget our old pact in Black Pine Forest. On the night of the full moon, kill Lin Kun."

Beside the line of writing were drawings of a wolf's head and a tiger's head, both brimming with murderous intent.

Lin Kun chuckled and tossed the cloth to Peng Canghu.

Peng Canghu glanced at it and immediately felt a chill run through him. He fell to his knees. "Godfather, this is a scheme to sow discord!"

"Hahaha, why panic? Of course I know it's a scheme to sow discord."

Lin Kun smiled as he helped Peng Canghu to his feet.