Three great generals appeared together. The precious lotus finally emerged, and flames roared high!

The main island of the Mad Slaughter Pirate Alliance was called Rainbow Mist Island, a place of beautiful mountains and rivers, rich in spiritual grace. Colorful mist lingered there year-round, and its mild, humid climate could prolong the lives of those who dwelled there. Every order, great or small, and every major decision of the Mad Slaughter Pirate Alliance issued from Rainbow Mist Island. On the island stood a steep, treacherous mountain, bristling with jagged rocks. One stone on the mountain resembled a strange monkey. When the full moon hung above the peak, anyone looking up from the ground would see what seemed to be a monkey cradling the moon. Hence its name: Moon-Cradling Mountain. A thatched cottage stood on the mountain, and there lived Gao Qilong, leader of the Thieves' Alliance.

The Mad Slaughter Pirate Alliance had operated for many years under a leader and a deputy. Its leader, Gao Qilong, was old and seemingly free of worldly desires. He oversaw decisions large and small, commanding thirty-nine pirate strongholds in the surrounding waters. His deputy, Zhang Xiaoshan, was quite the opposite. A man of powerful appetites, he kept forty-four beautiful concubines, loved jewels, and befriended vicious bandits and ruthless pirates.

Xia Linshu requested an audience at the foot of the mountain, having already sent a letter ahead. Gao Qilong dispatched his personal maids to examine the sedan chair carefully. They confirmed that Zhao Yingqiong was indeed a prisoner, bound by a strange cord. Although she still retained some strength, trapped in this den of thieves, she could hardly escape being at their mercy. Once the maids reported back, Gao Qilong ordered the guards below to let them through. The four bearers carried the sedan up the mountain at a flying pace. Unable to keep up, Xia Linshu cursed, "I