The Swordsman

Two years earlier, as soon as Gu Shenwei reached the Central Plains border, he had heard countless tales of Golden Peng Fortress and the Unrivaled King. At the time, he had been fascinated by this infamous assassin organization from the Western Regions. He had once mentioned wanting to see the Unrivaled King with his own eyes and had been mocked by his second brother for it.

In the Western Regions, the Gu family had never had any dealings with Golden Peng Fortress. Gu Shenwei had soon forgotten all about that fortress and its king. He never would have guessed that when they resurfaced, they would be tied to the vendetta that had destroyed his family.

The "Butcher" his father and brothers had often mentioned after the masked men raided their manor that night was actually the "Unrivaled King." Gu Lun had long since guessed that Golden Peng Fortress meant the manor harm, which was why he had deliberately "driven" his daughter and youngest son away.

Why did Golden Peng Fortress want to wipe out the Gu family? Why?

Gu Shenwei couldn't make sense of it, no matter how hard he tried. During their two years in the Western Regions, the Gu family had hardly dealt with any outsiders. How could they have offended the "King of Assassins" of the Western Regions?

The clop of hooves sounded. A chestnut horse came galloping from the northern mountain pass, carrying a rider cloaked in gray. The bandits saw him and were delighted at first, then disappointed. He wasn't the person they were waiting for. If not for the order forbidding them to cross the boundary, someone would have already gone to demand a toll from the rider.

The gray-cloaked rider suddenly came upon the crowd of grim-faced men gathered beside the road, but he showed no surprise or alarm. He urged his horse into a brisk trot.

Whoosh! Someone flung a throwing knife at him. People weren't allowed to cross the boundary, but weapons could.

The rider's gray cloak swept past like a cloud. He raised his right arm and caught the knife, then casually slipped it into a leather pouch. "Received."

As the cloak billowed, it revealed a long sword hanging at the horse's side.

"Tianshan Swordsman!"

Someone in the crowd shouted. Nearly a hundred bandits seemed to have been struck by a spell; almost all of them urged their horses two steps back at once. The one who had thrown the knife didn't dare make a sound. Some of the captives on the ground understood what was happening, while others didn't, but all were infected by the fear and retreated together.

Gu Shenwei stood at the very back and nearly got knocked over by the people in front, but he still rose onto his toes to look. He had never heard of the "Tianshan Swordsman" and didn't know what everyone was afraid of.

Two boys about his age stood in front of him. They clearly knew as well as the bandits how fearsome the "Great Snow Mountain" was, and kept their heads down behind the adults.

A faint smile appeared on the Great Snow Mountain rider's face. His cheeks were red from wind, snow, and sun, and he habitually narrowed his eyes, as if he were always searching for something.

"Anyone from the Flying Eagle Gang, step out."

His voice wasn't loud, and he didn't speak harshly, yet it carried an irresistible force. Gu Shenwei saw the scar-faced bandit called Flying Eagle turn ashen.

The Flying Eagle Gang was a small band, with only six members. Calling it a "gang" was a stretch, but Flying Eagle was its leader. He couldn't hide like a coward.

"Flying Eagle is here. This is Golden Peng Fortress territory. What are you going to do about it?"

The gray-cloaked rider glanced back at the empty wilderness. "You're still one step short. Besides, when have you ever heard that the men of Great Snow Mountain were afraid of the 'Butcher King'?"

Gu Shenwei felt a surge of joy. So the "Unrivaled King" had enemies after all! He had always thought no one in the Western Regions dared challenge Golden Peng Fortress. Now, it seemed his chances of revenge had grown considerably. He had to find a way to join the Great Snow Mountain faction.

Flying Eagle turned even paler. The few members of his gang gripped their sword hilts in alarm. The land to the east of the road belonged to Golden Peng Fortress. As bandits, they couldn't cross the boundary, and they wouldn't be protected there.

Flying Eagle gritted his teeth and shouted, "Brothers, are the Eighty-One Tianshan Gangs really this divided? They're bullying us to our faces, and none of you dares speak up?"

The other bandits looked at one another, but no one answered. They were all members of small gangs, barely scraping by. This was the first time they had heard of the "Eighty-One Tianshan Gangs." They felt no urge to unite against a common enemy, and saw no reason to draw their swords to help.

The Great Snow Mountain rider sneered. "The 'Eighty-One Tianshan Gangs'? What a grand name. I'm terrified. But I'm here for the Flying Eagle Gang alone. This has nothing to do with the rest of you."

His words reassured the other bandits. Not only did no one step forward, they retreated farther, keeping their distance from the Flying Eagle Gang.

Flying Eagle knew he was trapped in a Desperate Situation, but he was a bandit hardened by countless battles. He had lived through the "Golden Age" of banditry, when outlaws had covered the land more than a decade ago, and a stubborn streak of viciousness had remained in his bones. If he couldn't escape, he would fight. Begging for mercy was useless.

Flying Eagle spat. It was the last filthy thing in his throat.

He jumped off his horse and drew his saber. His five brothers did the same. The six men lined up, their curved sabers gleaming, their immaculate white blades in stark contrast to their filthy clothes.

The Great Snow Mountain rider smiled in satisfaction. He untied his cloak and laid it on the saddle, then dismounted and drew the long greatsword from the horse's side.

The greatsword's blade was almost as wide as an adult's palm. Its point touched the ground, and its hilt reached the rider's chest. The blade had several obvious notches, as if its owner had used it to chop wood.

"My name is Long Feidu."

"What the hell do I care what your name is? You're from Great Snow Mountain, so it's you or us." Flying Eagle led his five brothers forward at a measured pace. They spread out into an arc, surrounding the rider, Long Feidu.

"I want you to know the name of the man who kills you."

Long Feidu gripped the sword with both hands, its point still resting on the ground.

The six men of the Flying Eagle Gang kept closing in. They had no habit of announcing their names before killing someone. Bandits were more accustomed to Golden Peng Fortress's principle: use any means necessary; kill first, ask questions later.

Gu Shenwei, however, felt a strong liking for the rider named Long Feidu. He rose onto his toes, straining to see more clearly, but the two boys in front of him seemed terrified. They kept ducking behind the adults, as if tied together by a rope. Gu Shenwei couldn't stand up straight either, and couldn't see what was happening.

A sudden shout rang out. No one knew who had cried it. Weapons clanged twice, then all fell silent. It hadn't sounded like a fierce battle at all, more like a bored blacksmith idly hammering at his tools.

But the bandits and captives watching let out a collective cry of alarm.

Gu Shenwei jumped, looking over the heads in front of him. He saw Long Feidu holding his greatsword high. Five of the six men from the Flying Eagle Gang had already fallen. Only their "leader," Flying Eagle, remained standing across from him, staring blankly. His curved saber lay on the ground, and he had raised his left arm absurdly in front of his face, as if he could stop the blade with his flesh.

Though he caught only a glimpse, Gu Shenwei remembered the scene for the rest of his life. What had left the deepest impression wasn't Long Feidu standing tall with his sword like a heavenly god, but Flying Eagle, shaking with fear and utterly stripped of the will to resist.

At that very moment, an idea suddenly formed in his mind: so killing a person was that easy. None of the back-and-forth swordplay, the twists and turns, or the dazzling techniques had appeared. The boxing and swordsmanship he had once practiced so diligently now seemed childish, flashy, and useless.

Gu Shenwei had barely caught a glimpse before the two boys in front of him pulled him down. The boy nearest him glared at him, seemingly warning him not to move.

He heard the dull thud of a sharp sword striking something blunt, and the sound of bodies falling to the ground. He heard them all.

"I'm Long Feidu of Great Snow Mountain. Anyone who wants revenge can come to me, now or later."

No one wanted to avenge the Flying Eagle Gang. The bandits had only one thought: never provoke this man. Flying Eagle must have let madness cloud his mind to make an enemy of him.

The captives in front shifted uneasily. Through a gap, Gu Shenwei saw Long Feidu walking toward them. His greatsword was still unsheathed, and blood dripped from it onto the ground.

Was this man going to attack the captives too? Gu Shenwei wasn't frightened like the others. Instead, he felt excited. He would tell Long Feidu who he was and about his bitter vendetta. He would even ask to become his disciple and seek the help of Great Snow Mountain.

He hadn't thought about how difficult that would be. He believed the Great Snow Mountain rider's appearance was also part of the Divine Will.

But the two boys in front of him were crouching so low that they were almost pulling everyone around them over. Gu Shenwei watched their trembling figures in bewilderment, then suddenly understood. Long Feidu had come for those two boys. Their panic was even greater than everyone else's, and that said it all.

In Gu Shenwei's eyes, Long Feidu was like the heroes of legend, chivalrous men who punished the wicked and defended the weak. He couldn't understand why the two boys were so terrified.

Long Feidu walked closer. Everyone shrank back as his gaze swept over them. When he reached the end of the line, he stopped.

To Gu Shenwei's surprise, the two boys weren't afraid anymore. They both straightened up, standing even taller than the adults in front of them, and stared directly at the sword-wielding rider.

Long Feidu narrowed his eyes even further, but his expression didn't change. He raised his greatsword with both hands.

From this close, the sword looked even broader and heavier. It hardly needed a blade; its weight alone could easily kill anyone.

One swing could probably take off a whole row of heads. Yet the captives, just like the dead Flying Eagle, were too terrified to move. They could only leave their fate to heaven.

Only Gu Shenwei showed no fear at all. Instead, he took half a step forward and looked at Long Feidu earnestly.

"You're from Great Snow Mountain, so you must be a true hero."

Gu Shenwei had never heard anyone speak of Great Snow Mountain, but that didn't affect his judgment of Long Feidu.

"No. I'm just a swordsman."

"A swordsman shouldn't kill innocent people either. Only... Golden Peng Fortress kills people whenever it wants."

A flash of light appeared in Long Feidu's eyes, as if the words had truly struck a chord. But the weather-beaten face quickly hardened like the snow-covered mountain. He held his breath through his nostrils and tightened his grip on the sword.

Gu Shenwei felt as if the ground had vanished beneath his feet, and his heart had stopped beating. All because he'd said something he didn't need to say, he was going to die alongside those two boys he didn't even know.

Long Feidu's greatsword swept down at an angle. It would take more than one head, but halfway through the swing, he changed his mind and turned to strike behind him.

An arrow broke in two and fell at his feet.

"Attacking from behind, are you one of the Unrivaled King's lackeys?"

"Bold words. The one holding a sword is just a little crawling bug from Great Snow Mountain, isn't he?"

A black-clad rider came from the northern mountain pass. Two more riders followed behind him, each carrying a banner in his arms. The banners had black fields and red borders, with a golden Great Peng Bird embroidered in the center.