Mountain Peak

The wealthy merchant was also stunned. He knew of the Lotus Escort Agency. He didn't know how powerful they were, but he was absolutely certain of one thing: if the Lotus Escort Agency decided to wipe out his entire family, it would be as easy as flipping a hand. The merchant sat there, lost in thought, his mind a complete mess.

Just then, Third Brother Zhao's voice rang out, "My dear brother, there's no need to be so pessimistic. Since your two nephews have returned safely and compensated you, and the matter doesn't involve anyone from the Misty Sect, there likely won't be any other major issues. However, my dear brother, remember to let this matter drop here. Absolutely do not go looking for trouble with those people. What if the Misty Sect finds out..."

These words were like a gospel to the wealthy merchant. He immediately snapped back to attention and said, "I understand, Third Brother. Right now, I'd be happy to give them another five thousand taels in silver notes. Someone, take the two young masters back to their courtyard and keep a close eye on them. Keep them from coming out for a month, no, three months!"

"No, don't lock them in the courtyard just yet," Third Brother Zhao stopped the merchant's order. "Don't give them any medicine for their injuries. Just leave them as they are, with swollen faces. It would be even better if they can't walk properly after a few good beatings. Tomorrow, make them go to restaurants and other places to eat and drink. Then, have someone spread rumors saying the two of them were flirting with village girls and you taught them a harsh lesson."

The wealthy merchant was overjoyed. He gave a thumbs-up and said, "Third Brother, that's a brilliant idea. Someone, give these two beasts ten heavy planks!"

The two unfortunate, short, and plump men didn't understand why being beaten was a good idea. As they cried out for mercy at the top of their lungs, they cursed their cheap "Third Uncle" in their hearts.

After finishing these arrangements, Third Brother Zhao turned to Zhao Quansheng and said, "Quansheng, you handled this matter very well. I am extremely satisfied. I will put in a good word for you with the Gang Leader later."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Quansheng was overjoyed. "This is all thanks to your excellent guidance, Hall Master. Quansheng is willing to serve you day and night."

The wealthy merchant also said, "Quansheng, I owe you a great debt today. I must thank you properly. Someone, bring me a thousand taels in silver notes."

Zhao Quansheng replied, "You're too kind. It's my duty to protect the young masters when we go out."

Hall Master Zhao said, "Take it. You've earned it. Without you, this matter would have cost more than ten thousand taels."

Only then did Zhao Quansheng politely accept the few thin silver notes and tuck them into his embrace.

At this moment, Hall Master Zhao spoke again, "Quansheng, quickly inform the Gang Leader that someone from the Misty Sect has appeared in Lu Town. I wonder what brings them to Lu Town at this time?"

After agreeing, Zhao Quansheng immediately took his leave from the wealthy merchant. Before long, he appeared in a secluded small courtyard. He entered a small house, and after a while, the window of the house opened, and a carrier pigeon flew out. It circled in the air for a moment, identified its direction, and then spread its wings, flying towards a certain location.

The pigeon flew quickly, but it wasn't until dusk was approaching that it reached a very hidden village. The pigeon circled in the air for a moment before descending directly towards the east side of the village. This was a large manor. The surrounding walls were not very high, and within the walls, there were many houses scattered about. The layout of these houses was consistent; there were no excessively tall buildings, only gray walls and gray roofs. The house where the pigeon landed was in the middle of a courtyard. After the pigeon landed, it was impossible to distinguish which house it was.

The pigeon landed on the windowsill of this small house and cooed. A man in a tight-fitting uniform walked out from the inner room and quickly approached the windowsill. Upon seeing the man, the pigeon cooed and flew onto his arm, walking back and forth. The man took a small tube from the pigeon's leg, then stroked the pigeon's back with his hand. He took out some food from his huai and scattered it on the table next to the windowsill. The pigeon saw it, spread its wings, and flew over, pecking at the food joyfully. The man, holding the small tube, quickly left the house.

The man walked out of the house, passed through several corridors, and arrived in front of a slightly larger house in the center of the manor. He knocked cautiously on the door. A hoarse, authoritative voice came from inside, "Enter."

The man carefully pushed open the door and walked into the room. The window of the room was open, and the oil lamp was not lit. A thin figure stood by the window, hands behind his back, looking outside. After bowing, the man said respectfully, "Hall Master Situ, Hall Master Liu has sent word."

The figure let out a surprised sound, "It's the New Year, why would there be news that requires a carrier pigeon? Light the lamp quickly."

After the man lit the oil lamp, Hall Master Situ turned around. The man presented the small tube. Hall Master Situ took it, took out the note inside, and held it close to the oil lamp. His thin face furrowed, and he muttered, "...Why would they come to this poor, remote place?" Then, he held the note over the lamp flame and burned it. He glanced at the man and said, "You may go."

The man bowed and quietly withdrew, leaving Hall Master Situ sitting alone in the flickering lamplight.

Hall Master Situ knew that this news had to be conveyed to his Gang Leader. However, he didn't know where to find the Gang Leader. Ever since last night, the Gang Leader had told him that he had important matters to attend to today. When he looked for the Gang Leader this morning, he couldn't find him anywhere.

Just as Hall Master Situ was speculating about the whereabouts of his Gang Leader, Situ Ping, his usually strong and competent cousin, was riding a horse, her head bowed low as she followed behind a young man in brocade clothes. She spoke softly to the young man, "Young Master Ma, this is the tallest mountain in our Lu Town, called Stone Man Peak. It's named after a rock on the mountain that resembles a person. We can reach the mountain within the time it takes to burn half an incense stick at a gallop. However, I don't know where you intend to go, so I can't tell you the exact arrival time."

Young Master Ma turned his head, flicked his horsewhip, and said gently, "Gang Leader Situ, there's no need to be so formal. Master Wang recommended you as a guide, so I don't consider you an outsider. I will reward you handsomely after this matter is concluded. I will tell you the specific destination once we enter the mountain."

Situ Ping looked at Young Master Ma's warm, jade-like face and handsome eyebrows, and lowered her head, repeatedly saying, "I dare not." She knew that this Young Master Ma was someone of great importance. Perhaps her attempts to act like a woman in front of Wang Hong at Wu Jian Zhuang might have worked before, but with this Young Master Ma, whom she was meeting for the first time and who had been neither too warm nor too cold on their journey, how could she possibly resort to her usual feminine tactics? She could only gather her spirits and proceed with caution.

Thus, the two rode their horses into the twilight.

On the other side of the mountain peak, Wen Wenhai and his Junior Sister were also galloping towards the mountain peak.

As the mountain peak drew closer, Wen Wenhai slowly tightened the reins and slowed his horse. He turned to his Junior Sister and said, "Junior Sister, we are about to enter the mountains. I think we should eat something and rest first, to build up our strength before entering the mountains to deal with the situation. We might even face a tough battle."

The Junior Sister nodded in agreement. The two dismounted to rest and took out the dry rations they had brought with them to eat. After they finished eating and had drunk some water, the Junior Sister couldn't help but ask with some concern, "Senior Brother, this mission is so important, why didn't Master come himself? At the very least, Senior Brother Sect Leader should have come. Why did they send just the two of us? I really don't understand what Master is thinking."

Wen Wenhai took another sip of water, looked around, and said in a low voice, "Junior Sister, Master has his own reasons for arranging it this way. Before we departed, he did instruct me that to avoid attracting the attention of other sects, only second-generation disciples from various sects would be sent on this mission, discreetly. Furthermore, an elder will be here to preside over us. We will know the specifics when the time comes, and we will only follow the elder's arrangements. In any case, this is a lucrative task. If it is completed successfully without any accidents, Master will bestow generous rewards upon our return."

The Junior Sister said, "I thought this place, which I'd never heard of before, would be a poor, remote area with treacherous mountains and dangerous waters. But this journey has had a scenic and beautiful feel to it. Although we haven't entered the mountain yet, it feels majestic. I wonder what it will be like inside. It's a shame we won't be able to appreciate anything at night, otherwise, this trip wouldn't have been in vain."

Wen Wenhai patted his forehead. "Junior Sister, to have such thoughts, I, your Senior Brother, cannot compare. Is this why my martial arts progress is not as rapid as yours?"

The Junior Sister did not reply, and her expression could not be discerned beneath her veil. Wen Wenhai said again, "Junior Sister, it's getting late. You should take off your veil. There's hardly anyone around here."

The Junior Sister remained silent.

Wen Wenhai, accustomed to this, continued on his own, "Alright, it seems about time. Let's set off. We should arrive at the scheduled time, shouldn't we?"

Meanwhile, after Gang Leader Situ of the Fierce Tiger Gang accompanied Young Master Ma of the Brocade Clothes into the mountains, they rode on for a while. As they approached a mountain, Young Master Ma stopped his horse, dismounted, and Situ Ping also dismounted. Young Master Ma said, "Gang Leader Situ, do you know where Five Claw Peak is?"

Situ Ping replied, "Of course. Five Claw Peak consists of five small peaks next to Stone Man Peak. They are named so because their shape resembles the bent fingers of a monkey. There are no paths to that area, so horses cannot go there. We can only climb through these mountains."

Young Master Ma smiled slightly upon hearing this and loosened his horse's reins. The horse trotted off on its own to find dry grass. Situ Ping also patted her horse and draped the reins over its body. The horse followed Young Master Ma's horse, seemingly accustomed to this.

Young Master Ma said, "Then I shall trouble Gang Leader Situ to lead the way."

Situ Ping did not stand on ceremony. She cupped her hands, raised her leg, and used her Lightness Skill to ascend the mountain.

Situ Ping gathered her Dantian Qi and ran for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn. Gradually, she began to feel a lack of strength and stamina. At this moment, she heard Young Master Ma's gentle voice by her ear, "Gang Leader Situ, it's still early. We only need to arrive by midnight. How about we slow down our pace for a bit and conserve our energy? What do you think?"

Situ Ping listened to his unhurried voice, showing no signs of breathlessness. Without looking back, she knew that Young Master Ma was walking leisurely behind her. She secretly marveled that a disciple of a renowned sect truly lived up to their reputation. She said, "Thank you for your consideration, Young Master," and stopped, walking slowly on the mountain path. Young Master Ma caught up from behind and walked alongside her, asking as they walked, "Gang Leader Situ, have you been to this Five Claw Peak before?"

Situ Ping replied, "Yes, I have. In the summer, the weather in the mountains is cool, and we often come here to escape the heat. The mountain springs of Five Claw Peak are the best, and we sometimes spend the night there."

Young Master Ma nodded and then asked, "Are there any peculiar places on Five Claw Peak?"

Situ Ping said in surprise, "Young Master, have you been here before? How do you know there are peculiar places on Five Claw Peak?"

Young Master Ma smiled and said, "If I had been here, why would I trouble Gang Leader Situ to lead the way?"

Situ Ping said sheepishly, "I was momentarily surprised, please forgive me, Young Master. Speaking of Five Claw Peak, its scenery is not much different from Stone Man Peak. The mountain spring water is indeed much sweeter than that of other peaks. The peculiar place is on the peak that resembles an index finger. Halfway up that peak, there is a jujube forest. Its size is astonishingly large, and very few people go to that area. Even among the mountain dwellers who make a living on Stone Man Peak, very few can reach that place. However, according to the mountain dwellers who have been there, there are man-eating beasts in the forest. Once, someone went in to pick jujubes and never came back, so very few people dare to go there. Moreover, wild jujubes are not a valuable commodity, so over time, ordinary people stopped going. Two years ago, I brought some of my fellow gang members here once. To scout the area, we released a wolfdog into it, but it never returned, so we didn't dare to go deeper. We explored the periphery and then returned."

Situ Ping spoke frankly about her gang's affairs with Young Master Ma, who listened with great satisfaction and said, "It's good that Gang Leader Situ knows that place. Later, I will have to trouble you to take us there."

Situ Ping was taken aback. "You? Young Master Ma, are there other people with you?"

Young Master Ma smiled and said, "Naturally, there are others. However, we will first go to the first peak of Five Claw Peak to wait for them. Gang Leader Situ, if you have rested enough, let's get going."

Situ Ping replied, "Alright, Young Master, please follow me."