Cheng Zhi and Chixinzi, the man in green robes, stood before a low peak, gazing down at a cave entrance that glowed red.
The cave was well hidden, surrounded by tangled vines and overgrown with weeds. Deep in the rocky cavern beneath the earth, a faint red glow burned.
Chixinzi wore a green robe and had his head covered by a hood. A bird-beak mask hid his face, while his unruly gray hair whipped in the gale like a flag. His black-gold hands, like a pair of prosthetics, were tucked into his sleeves, and his entire bearing radiated the weight of deep waters and towering mountains.
Unlike Chixinzi, Cheng Zhi had a monstrous owl with a ghostly face perched on his right arm. It was enormous, and the menace it gave off was that of a fierce bird of prey.
It was a rare spirit bird that had been carrying messages for Cheng Zhi and He Ping during this time.
Cheng Zhi removed the copper tube tied to the owl's claw. Inside was a rolled-up note with a message written on it.
After reading the message, he couldn't help frowning.
"What is it?"
Chixinzi asked, "What did my junior ask you to do? You look so troubled..."
"Senior, that man had me hide in Four Peaks Mountain during this time. On the one hand, it was to help me evade pursuit; on the other, he was secretly instructing me to investigate the Mountain Demon's whereabouts..."
Cheng Zhi sighed deeply.
"That man sent word, telling me to find a way to lure out this Mountain Demon, then provoke a clash between it and the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders. It seems I was bait he deliberately cast out from the very beginning."
"My junior is a man of deep schemes, but his calculations this time are sound. Having those Daoist slave soldiers, the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders, fight this Mountain Demon will indeed wear down both sides. As they say, when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. This way of turning one force against another isn't bad."
The corners of Chixinzi's masked mouth curled up.
"This is a rare opportunity. Let me lend him a hand for now!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the Green-Robed Person sprang into the air. His sleeves swept up the wind, and he swooped down from the low peak like a giant demon bird, straight toward the red-lit cave.
"Senior?!"
Cheng Zhi was greatly startled. He watched Chixinzi streak away like a shooting star, diving into the bottomless cave. A moment later, a thunderous roar shook the surrounding wilderness. Cheng Zhi fell flat on his backside, his blood surging and his eardrums nearly bursting from the sound.
"Boom!"
The earth seemed to shake and the mountains to sway. The red glow blazed brightly in the cavern leading underground. Then a green figure shot out at an unbelievable speed, sweeping up grass and leaves along the way.
The very next second, blinding red light burst from the cave entrance. The surrounding air seemed to catch fire, and another earth-shattering beast's roar rang out.
A damp, chilly, musty wind blasted out of the cave, and a black, demonic-looking shape sprang after Chixinzi, hot on his heels.
"The Mountain Demon...?!"
Cheng Zhi was startled once more. He knew that strange black figure was the One-Horned Mountain Demon. After all, he had seen it clash with the constables from the prefectural office who had gone up the mountain—and watched it devour living people.
(Could Senior Chixinzi be using himself as bait to lure this ancient demon, the Mountain Demon that ruled Four Peaks Mountain, into a trap?!)
In the night, the Long Wind Society's followers held oil-soaked torches. Their flames crackled and swayed in the wind, brightening the nearby dark rocks and trees. Through the gaps in the forest, it was clear that they stood in an open clearing.
On closer inspection, apart from the followers holding torches around the perimeter, the vast majority of those in the clearing were kneeling on the ground.
"Master Ma, we've caught the man."
Yan the Second knelt with his head bowed, one hand resting on his saber.
"That guy sure knew how to hide. But someone in our society is skilled at tracking by scent and listening for movement underground. We finally found where he was."
"Well done."
Ma Mingsheng, leader of the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders, gave him a slight nod from atop his horse.
"By the way, where is your leader, Smiling Leopard Xiao Hao? Why isn't he here?"
"Boss Xiao and the others went to deal with that young He. They're probably clearing up the traces now, so I doubt they'll get here anytime soon."
A bead of cold sweat slid down Yan the Second's forehead. Smiling Leopard Xiao Hao had long since been refined into a Corpse Puppet, but Corpse Puppets couldn't speak. That was why He Ping had spared his life.
"So it was that He boy!"
Ma Mingsheng sneered. "Your Long Wind Society certainly moved fast. How much did He Jin pay you?"
Yan the Second could only play dumb and chuckle foolishly.
"Where is Cheng Zhi?" Ma Mingsheng asked again.
"Bring him up."
Yan the Second called out and gestured. Five burly followers immediately shoved forward a man bound hand and foot.
Ninth of the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders held a portrait of Cheng Zhi and compared it with the man they'd brought forward. Then he said in a low voice, "This is definitely Cheng Zhi. That kid sure made us work to find him."
"Wait."
Ma Mingsheng seemed to notice something. His purple-complexioned face darkened, and he raised his right hand to silence Ninth.
"Something's not right about this man... Come to think of it, what happened to his face?"
"His face?"
Ninth looked puzzled, his eyes full of confusion.
Ma Mingsheng moved with lightning speed. From horseback, he performed a Cloud-Turning Skill and nimbly flipped down.
His brows rose as he suddenly stepped forward, moving as swiftly as a streak of lightning. He reached out with his right hand and tore away, and the face on "Cheng Zhi's" cheek came off at his touch. It was plainly a human-skin mask.
With the skin peeled away, the bound "Cheng Zhi" revealed a bloody, faceless head.
It turned out the Corpse Puppet's face had been deliberately peeled off and used to disguise it as "Cheng Zhi."
"It's a fake!" he roared, warning the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders behind him.
With a metallic clang, all the Long Wind Society followers rose to their feet and drew their weapons.
At the same time, the faceless Corpse Puppet fixed its bloodshot, murky eyes on Ma Mingsheng. With its eyelids gone and only bare flesh left around its grin, it smiled wide—then abruptly spat out a foul, stinking jet of blood.
Ma Mingsheng was quick. He dodged the blood jet while kicking the Corpse Puppet disguised as "Cheng Zhi" away.
The Corpse Puppet's chest caved in, and it flew several meters away. Above them, hidden among the treetops, archers drew their powerful bows, sending a rain of arrows down.
"The Long Wind Society has set a trap!!!"
Seeing this, Ma Mingsheng let out a tigerlike roar. His eyes flew open, a brilliant gleam flashing in them. He fixed his gaze on Yan the Second and, as swiftly as lightning and thunder, charged at him.
Boom!
The purple-complexioned man swung his right palm. Yan the Second heard the wind howl overhead as a tremendous force crashed down on him. "Yan the Second, your Long Wind Society dares rebel against its superiors? You're asking for death!"
Yan the Second had spent years roaming the martial world. The moment he saw Ma Mingsheng's lightning-fast strike, its force kicking up wind and dust, he knew he couldn't withstand even one move. He let out a strange cry and threw several bamboo tubes at his feet.
As soon as the tubes hit the ground, they exploded like firecrackers, spewing dense smoke that reeked of sulfur.
Ma Mingsheng was about to pursue him when, caught off guard, he inhaled the smoke and couldn't help coughing. He immediately grew wary.
"Beware, the smoke may be poisonous!"
He leaped back, took out a bottle of pills that could counter poison, and swallowed a handful. At the same time, he remembered to warn his companions.
"Don't panic. Prepare to break through!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a horrifying beast's roar erupted, seeming to come from right beside them. The piercing sound waves made the smoke screen shudder, and even the ground beneath their feet shook violently.
"The Mountain Demon?!"
Ma Mingsheng froze, as if his whole body had locked up. In an instant, he understood.
(Damn it... I've been tricked!)