Ghost Wolf Reed Pipe

The sky had just turned dark, and the mountain forest was plunged into gloom. By midnight, if there was neither moonlight nor starlight, trekking deep into the mountains meant being swallowed by a pitch-black, impenetrable void.

The Hu Ma Gang formed a cavalry troop, led by their Second Master, Chenxing Stone. Mounted on a chestnut stallion, he led over forty gang members out of the east gate of Suian City.

Every member of this troop was a seasoned expert in blades and horsemanship. Chenxing Stone had also ordered his men to bring along mastiffs and hunting falcons to track down the murderer of Xie San.

The swordsmen of the Northern Desert were a motley crew, and they certainly did not walk the path of chivalry. The people of North Prefecture called these swordsmen "blade-bandits"—a term implying that when they entered a city, they were considered gallant guests, but once they stepped outside, they were nothing more than brigands.

The swordsmen of the Hu Ma Gang were no exception; many were former highwaymen who preyed on merchants, and they were particularly adept at sniffing out trails and hunting down prey.

That young servant boy, A-Zhi, and his sister had fled the Black Bamboo Forest only to be chased by the Hu Ma Gang under Chenxing Stone's command, driven like stray dogs and chickens, running in a blind panic with no path left to take.

"Cheng Zhi, Cheng Yujiao—this pair of siblings from the Cheng family actually has some skill. I wonder where they learned their sorcery. It's a pity that ordinary sorcerers cannot withstand arrows and crossbows. My troop is equipped with several archers; no matter what illusions or demonic arts you possess, a volley of arrows will turn you into a hedgehog."

Chenxing Stone was the foster son of Xie San. He was a shrewd man who knew that if the Cheng siblings dared to come for revenge, they must have had some reliance.

Yet, he was prepared and felt no fear toward the siblings' sorcerous tricks. Having roamed the jianghu for many years, he had encountered a few sorcerers before and believed these people merely relied on sleight of hand and illusions to deceive others. In terms of true ability, how could they compare to his own long-practiced blade techniques?

Most of the other swordsmen in the Hu Ma Gang shared this mindset and did not consider the Cheng siblings to be formidable opponents.

While on the road, they rode through a mountain hollow when a sudden gust of sand and wind whipped up. The gale came with such speed and ferocity that the Hu Ma Gang members felt a burning sting on their faces, unable to even open their eyes.

"What kind of ghost wind is this?"

One man, mounted on his horse, felt a bone-chilling cold as the wind struck his face. He spat a glob of phlegm onto the ground.

"The moonlight and starlight are gone."

Chenxing Stone sensed that something was amiss. He scanned his surroundings and discovered that this mountain hollow was filled with dense groves of locust trees. Locust wood was also known as "shadow wood," and in folk belief, the character for "locust" could be broken down to imply it was a "ghost tree."

This hollow never saw the sun year-round; it was clearly a place where yin energy gathered. Just standing at the entrance was enough to make one shudder.

The group rode on for a while longer and discovered a cluster of earthen-walled, flat-roofed houses deep in the hollow. It looked like a village, though it was clearly desolate and dilapidated.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop...

The horses trod along the yellow mud path into the village. After patrolling the perimeter, the men confirmed it was indeed an abandoned settlement. Whether it was the collapsed, crumbling walls, the weeds sprouting from the gaps in the tiles, or the desolate, empty houses, everything suggested that no one had lived here for a very long time.

"Strange. The Cheng siblings were riding horses too, but once we reached this point, the hoofprints vanished?"

One of the Hu Ma Gang swordsmen was an expert tracker who could identify the tracks of a hundred beasts; he could discern the flight of a bird from a mere feather, and his eyes were as sharp as a falcon's.

After dismounting, the man searched the area with a lantern but found not a single trace.

Chenxing Stone looked toward the gang member holding the mastiffs, but the latter merely shook his head.

(They suffered blade wounds and were poisoned; how could they have run far?)

The Second Master of the Hu Ma Gang pondered for a moment before speaking again.

"Those two cannot have gone far. It is highly likely they are hiding right here. This village is not small, and the terrain is somewhat complex. We shall split into three teams and search slowly. I refuse to believe we won't catch them."

"Yes!"

The Hu Ma Gang members responded in unison and split into three columns. One headed left, another headed right, and Chenxing Stone led the third along the central path to begin the search.

The village was deathly quiet. A dozen or so dilapidated thatched huts and earthen houses sat in a chaotic, scattered mess. Several gray mud walls had collapsed, leaving gaps through which one could vaguely see the pitch-black interiors of empty rooms.

The end of the long street was far off, with rows of gray walls and earthen houses standing in clusters. The night wind whistled as it blew through them.

"Come to think of it, it's bizarre. We've traveled to many places in North Prefecture and have been around Suian City countless times, so why have I never heard of this place?"

A swordsman wearing a bamboo hat chewed on a reed stalk. He held his horse's reins, his gaze darting about from beneath the brim of his hat, his right hand resting on the hilt of his blade.

This swordsman, named Yu Peng, was the most vigilant of the group and had been assigned to the rear to guard the tail.

The men in front walked forward with lanterns, and Yu Peng followed at a steady, unhurried pace.

Just as the group passed beneath a thick poplar tree, Yu Peng suddenly stopped, his entire body freezing in place.

Around his neck, a hemp rope had appeared from nowhere. The end of the rope was fashioned into a noose, dangling down from the tree above.

"Ugh... ah..."

Yu Peng's neck was constricted by the rope. His cervical vertebrae let out a "crack," and his body was yanked upward by a tremendous force.

His hands clawed desperately at the rope, his legs kicked incessantly, and he could neither breathe nor utter a sound.

The next moment, the rope hanging from the tree was pulled taut, dragging him into the air. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished from sight.

The leaves of the poplar tree—known as the "Ghost Clapper"—rustled violently, the sound striking Chenxing Stone, who was riding ahead. His brows furrowed.

He turned his head, and with a single glance, he realized that one person was missing from the line of men carrying lanterns.

"Where is Yu Peng? Wasn't he supposed to be at the very back?"

As soon as he spoke, the others in the troop realized that Yu Peng, who had been at the end of the line, was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?"

Someone turned around and discovered that Yu Peng was gone.

"Is his horse still here?"

Yu Peng's horse remained where it was, standing lazily beneath the large tree.

"That fellow Yu treasures his horse above all else. How could he have run off without a word?"

The gang members looked at one another, all feeling that something was amiss; how could a person simply vanish in the blink of an eye?

"Not good."

Chenxing Stone's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted out loud.

"Something is wrong. Draw your blades, stay alert, and form a defensive circle at once."

As swordsmen who had roamed the northern lands for years, the members of the Hu Ma Gang felt a chill run through them upon hearing Chen Er's words. Not daring to show the slightest negligence, they tacitly formed a circle in the middle of the street and drew their blades from their sheaths in succession.

"Sound the 'Ghost Wolf Reed Pipe' to notify the other two teams to return; there is something wrong with this village."

Following Chenxing Stone's order, one of the swordsmen pulled a blood-red reed pipe from his bosom. This was the "Ghost Wolf Reed Pipe" that the Hu Ma Gang used to dominate the northern desert; when played, it sounded like ghosts weeping and wolves howling, and it was the gang members' customary method of communication.