Three Evils of Guyang

Guyang Prefecture, Kushui Road.

As night fell, dark clouds quietly spread, obscuring half the sky.

Across the horizon, a lightning bolt, like a long dragon, tore through the darkness, shining brightly.

Immediately after, a deafening "rumble" of thunder rolled in.

With this thunderclap, rain poured down like a thousand troops and horses, instantly engulfing the entire Kushui Road in a downpour.

On the mountain path, a traveler wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a dark green gourd at his waist, led an old horse, quickening his pace.

On Kushui Road, in the rainy night.

An inn, hidden amidst the lush weeds, stood quietly by the roadside, its outline revealed in the afterglow of the lightning.

From a distance, the inn's walls and doors appeared decayed and cracked, covered in traces of erosion from moss and mold.

The steps at the entrance were piled with fallen leaves and mud, overgrown with weeds.

Clearly, this inn had been deserted and abandoned for a long time.

However, tonight, a faint glow of fire could be seen emanating from the inn's doors and windows.

Around a bonfire, three people stood or sat.

Behind them, three horses rested leisurely, occasionally stamping the ground with their hooves and flicking their tails to ward off bothersome flies.

These three men had different appearances, but they shared a common mark—each bore a conspicuous scar on their face.

Among them, one was intently roasting meat, its aroma filling the air.

Another was gnawing on a piece of roasted meat, his mouth slick with grease, eating with great relish.

The third lay on his back, head resting on his arm, gazing at the sky as if lost in thought.

The sound of rain outside grew more intense, like dense drumbeats, while the howling north wind raged, relentlessly battering the dilapidated doors and windows, causing them to emit mournful echoes.

The firewood in the bonfire burned more fiercely, crackling and popping.

Suddenly, the man roasting the meat broke the silence, "Second Brother, is that constable 'Wubing' from the Seven Mysteries Sect really as miraculous as you say?"

The man lying on the ground seemed not to hear, offering no reply.

The meat-eating man chimed in, "We're all flesh and blood, two arms and two legs. This saber in my hand has seen over twenty years of life and death. I refuse to believe some young brat in his twenties is more formidable than my blade!"

The man roasting meat suddenly suggested, "Big Brother, are we still doing business tonight? With this dark, windy, and stormy night, it's truly an excellent time for murder and robbery!"

Crack!

As the roasting man spoke, he suddenly slapped himself hard, the force of the blow leaving several purple-blue finger marks on his face.

The meat-eating man was startled and asked, "Third Brother, why did you hit yourself so hard? What, has Big Brother not beaten you in a while, and your skin is itching?"

The roasting man grinned, his yellowish whites contrasting with the purple-blue marks on his face, making him look somewhat ferocious.

He chuckled, "Big Brother, my skin isn't itching, but my hands... they're itching for a fight!"

The meat-eating man heard this and tapped the other man's head with the piece of meat in his hand, "There's no one for a hundred miles around. Where are we going to do business? You brat, you're making my hands itch too!"

At this moment, another "crackling" sound of sparks exploding came from the bonfire.

Seeing that his companion lying on the ground had not responded for a long time, the meat-eating man kicked him lightly, "Second Brother, what's wrong? You haven't uttered a single word tonight."

The man lying on the ground trembled slightly, as if waking from a dream. He struggled to sit up, his voice laced with a hint of nervousness, "Big Brother, I think we should be cautious and keep our voices down. If Sheng Wubing is drawn here by our commotion, we'll all be finished!"

The meat-eating man casually tossed aside the piece of meat in his hand and glared at his second brother, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

His yellow sclera, filled with bloodshot veins, made his expression look terrifying.

He drew a sharp ring-pommel saber from behind him and said sternly, "Second Brother, have you been scared witless by the Seven Mysteries Sect's reputation? We're in the desolate Kushui Road, with not a single household for a hundred miles. Unless Sheng Wubing has the ability to reach the heavens, how could he possibly find the three of us."

It turned out these three were the infamous bandits of the Guyang Prefecture area in Yun Province—the 'Three Evils of Guyang'. The eldest brother, 'Mountain-Splitting Saber' Jiang Pan, the second brother, 'Cunning and Wise' Wu Yong, and the third brother, 'Six Hands' Liu Ying.

These three were not weak in martial arts on the streets, and they always attacked together, resulting in countless martial arts experts and constables falling into their hands.

At this moment, the third brother, Liu Ying, stoked the flames, "Big Brother, I heard Second Brother was tortured in the Seven Mysteries Sect's prison. I suspect he was beaten so badly there that it left a psychological scar."

The second brother, Wu Yong, heard this and said with a grave expression, "Big Brother, Third Brother, you have no idea how terrifying the Seven Mysteries Sect is!"

Jiang Pan, however, lightly waved his ring-pommel saber and laughed heartily, "Second Brother, you haven't faced Big Brother yet. If you truly faced me, you would know what true terror is. Hahaha..."