The mood in Junshan Town had been heavy these past few days.
Times were troubled.
The Sun Family Trading Company was the first to suffer. Black Wolf Stronghold robbed one of its caravans, took the young mistress to be the stronghold chief's wife, and killed all but one of the dozens of people traveling with her.
Then the martial arts instructor who had escaped vanished on his way to report the crime. The old steward who went to ask the Sky Chief Gang for justice disappeared without a trace too.
After those two incidents, everyone marveled at Black Wolf Stronghold's towering arrogance. Its men had actually dared sneak into Junshan Town to silence witnesses! Many of the Sun Family Trading Company's workers fled home and refused to return to work, no matter what.
But just a few days later, word came that someone had spotted many women's bodies at the foot of Great Crow Mountain. When they mustered the courage to climb up, they found everyone in Black Wolf Stronghold dead!
Several loyal old servants of the Sun Family Trading Company hurried there at full gallop, but they could not find their young mistress's body. She and a maid had both vanished.
The chief of Black Wolf Stronghold, Han Feng, had vanished as well.
Three living people, nowhere to be found, with no bodies to prove them dead. Everyone was worried and afraid.
Black Wolf Stronghold's destruction was good news for everyone. But the entire stronghold had been wiped out. What would they do if whoever—or whatever—had done the killing slipped into Junshan Town?
For a time, fear gripped the town. After discussing it with the Town Deputy, the town commandant assembled his men and went to Black Wolf Stronghold. They brought down all its money and valuables, then set