Every four years, grave criminals are exiled to Hung Island.
Seizing his prey, the great hero battles Liu Ming.
(vuongtuphuong)
Chuzhou City was a small city located in the far east, bordering the sea and belonging to the Great Xuan Kingdom. Even if one were to cast their gaze across the entire Yun Chuan continent, this city would still be considered one of the easternmost. Though not large, it was very famous throughout the Great Xuan Kingdom. Its renown stemmed from the fact that less than a hundred *li* straight from its eastern city gate lay an area containing an island with an ugly name: Hung Island. Along the city's coastline stretched a street more than ten *li* long, running from east to west and cutting across Chuzhou City. At its eastern end was a small pier facing the sea towards Hung Island, while moving towards the western end, the terrain gradually rose, eventually revealing a small mountainside. On this mountainside stood a majestic and imposing courthouse, which served as the headquarters of the Chuzhou Prefecture Yamen.
Within the Yamen compound, buildings with intricately carved railings and jade-like embellishments stood densely packed, their colors solemn and dignified. The main gate, three *zhang* high and five *zhang* wide, was flanked by two stone *jiao-long* statues. Beyond the hundred-step stone staircase lay a grand road where people bustled to and fro. Shops, tea houses, inns, and general stores lined both sides of the road like a dense forest. In the middle of the road was a circular plaza, used for periodic shopping festivals that attracted all sorts of people to shop and sightsee, making it an extremely lively and bustling place.
It was just noon. In a small corner of the plaza, a crowd had suddenly gathered in a circle. In the center sat an old man with a face full of wrinkles, telling a story. On the small round table in front of him was an open cup of green tea. His left hand held a fan, while his right hand held a small clapper, tapping it against the wooden table. The gathered crowd immediately quieted down and became orderly. The old man smugly bounced his leg. "Now then," he began, then suddenly paused, his eyes subtly sweeping over the crowd as he asked, "Where did I leave off yesterday?"
The crowd, which had just fallen silent, now erupted in a clamor. An older man, having heard the question, shouted, "You were talking about the legend of Hung Island!" The old man nodded slightly and continued, "Now then, more than a hundred *li* to the west of our city lies the deep, vast sea. And in that deep sea, there is a black island, commonly known as Hung Island..." Just at this moment, a flurry of clattering horse hooves suddenly echoed down the long street. A soldier on horseback, clad in red armor and holding a command flag, was seen galloping towards the Yamen compound in the distance.
"Clear the way, clear the way!" Hearing the official's command, the crowd on both sides of the road immediately parted, clearing a wide path in the middle of the grand road. Immediately after, two men in black, riding horses, led a small squad of formidable soldiers onto the main thoroughfare. "Black Tiger Guards!" someone by the roadside exclaimed, recognizing the identity of these black-clad men. They were mercenaries hired by the imperial court, specialized in arresting and escorting grave imperial criminals. At this moment, within the Chuzhou Prefecture Yamen, from the stairs in front of the gate to the inner hall, two rows of yamen guards with long sabers at their waists were already lined up.
"What's going on, Old Man Chen?" Seeing such a grand display, a young yamen runner from the vanguard squad quietly asked the old man surnamed Chen next to him. It was clear he hadn't been involved in this line of work for long.
"The imperial court is escorting criminals to Hung Island," the old man replied.
"Hung Island?" The young man, puzzled, asked again.
"But I distinctly remember a group being escorted there just last year, didn't they?"
Every four years, major criminals exiled to Hungdao Island of the Da Xuan Kingdom would first be gathered and brought to Chuzhou. However, there were special circumstances: if a major criminal was too difficult to guard, they wouldn't be periodically escorted to Chuzhou but would be immediately taken and pushed onto Hungdao Island to prevent any complications. It seems the Black Tiger Guards' arrival this time falls under the latter category," the old man said gravely.
Although ordinary yamen runners didn't know these things, Old Man Chen, having served in the Chuzhou yamen for over twenty years and having once personally escorted a prisoner to that dark, gloomy island when he was young, understood these matters better than most.
The young yamen runner beside him heard this and involuntarily drew a sharp breath.
"The last time only one prisoner was escorted to Hungdao Island was ten years ago," Old Man Chen sighed, as if recalling his years as a yamen runner. He distinctly remembered having to escort a child, only three or four years old, to Hungdao Island ten years prior. It was said that the child's family had offended someone in the imperial court, leading to their entire household being either burned or exiled. Even a child couldn't escape being falsely accused and thrown onto Hungdao Island. The imperial court must have wanted to eradicate them root and branch, leaving no trace.
"That child must have died long ago," Old Man Chen sighed inwardly. Though he had often witnessed all sorts of heartless and cruel acts in the world, the memory of that child still stirred a pang of pity in his heart. Legend had it that Hungdao Island was a place specifically for imprisoning the most heinous and wicked individuals in the world. Going to the island was no different from entering the gates of hell. Once in, there was no coming out. No one had ever emerged from there alive, let alone a child.
Furthermore, no guards or overseers were stationed on the island. This wasn't because the authorities didn't want to deploy them, but because previous guards sent there, no matter how skilled or powerful their martial arts, would usually disappear without a trace within a few days. This naturally led to no one being willing to go there anymore, as no one wanted to seek such a meaningless death. The official explanation for this was to let the villains on the island use evil to control evil. In reality, the presence or absence of guards on the island had little effect on containing the criminals. This was because the sea around Hungdao Island possessed a very peculiar characteristic: ordinary wood could not float there. Only boats made of Wumu wood could navigate its waters.
Every four years, the Da Xuan Kingdom's government would bring the most heinous criminals captured throughout the country to Chuzhou's port and exile them to Hungdao Island. There were two reasons for this: first, the number of prisoners to be escorted to Hungdao Island wasn't excessively large; second, escorting prisoners to Hungdao Island required immense manpower and resources to ensure a smooth journey without incident.
At this moment, after the escorting party had passed, the crowd in the square turned their attention back to the storytelling old man. The old man continued, "Hungdao Island is truly hell on earth."
In the middle of the vast ocean, where dark clouds hung heavy and ash and dust obscured everything, a mass of malevolent aura swirled around a desolate island filled with treacherous submerged rocks. Although this island was shrouded in malevolent aura, its central part was densely covered with trees, their vibrant green leaves lending it a touch of vitality. The closer one got to the island's edges, the darker and more ominous the trees became, their foliage a murky green-black like the ink-dark sea. Moreover, the malevolent aura there was thick and viscous, eerily like a swamp.
From a distance, apart from the ghostly, hovering malevolent aura that enveloped its outer perimeter, not a single sign of life could be seen on the island. However, deep within the island, one could find a number of wild beasts, naturally ferocious, with sharp fangs specialized in sucking blood. Most of these beasts possessed extremely keen senses of smell, could run like the wind, and could secretly dig burrows; their survival abilities were exceptionally strong. In the mist above the island, one could occasionally spot large birds soaring with their colossal wings. Furthermore, even during the day, monstrous bats would pass through to hunt prey.
For those on this island, there was only one iron rule: Survival, and nothing but survival. Of course, amidst these wild beasts, there were also humans. But on this island, humans were merely beings who followed the law of the jungle, where the strong preyed on the weak. The only difference was that humans were organized, intelligent living creatures. Yet, humanity here could only transform its civilized intelligence into individual skills for competition, to maintain existence, and to seek personal gain.
At this moment, on a mountainside of Hung Dao, a crowd of people had formed a large circle, shouting and yelling. Inside the circle was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old youth, who, with an iron sword in his left hand, stood in a duel against a burly giant of a man whose face was filled with ferocity. The people surrounding them all had strange appearances. Some were covered in scars with missing limbs, others had missing ears; such deformities were considered a form of "beauty" on Hung Dao. The only commonality was an insignia beneath each of their armpits, the distinctive mark of a prisoner on Hung Dao.
These men looked exceedingly fierce, wearing coarse, tattered clothes like shredded loofah. Some didn't even bother with clothes, instead crushing plants to smear sap onto their bodies. Their faces were painted with various splotchy colors, making their entire appearance resemble wild savages. In the midst of the duel was the thirteen-year-old youth, not tall, his body slightly thin yet concealing a powerful, hard-to-detect strength. His dark face was hidden deep within his messy hair; only after a careful look could one discern a pair of deep, black eyes. In his eyes, a burning fire seemed to glow, concealing a murderous intent that gave people an extremely dangerous feeling.
Despite this, at this moment, under the giant's frenzied attacks, the youth's body was covered in injuries. Fresh blood flowed from his wounds, congealing into dark red clots. The spectators were divided into two factions. The leader of one faction was a bald man with a tiger-like face, and a coiled lock of hair at the back of his neck that, from a distance, resembled a long scar.
"Get up, Liu Ming, you little bastard, get up for me!" The bald man's eyes were wide, his fists clenched and waving in the air, as he gnashed his teeth and roared at the youth.
The leader of the other faction was a one-eyed man named Du Nyan Long, who looked under forty. One of his eyes was sunken deep into a pitch-black socket, looking like solidified tree sap. Du Nyan Long now stood with his arms crossed over his chest; his clothes were tattered, revealing bulging, muscular arms. He silently watched the fight, but when Liu Ming was beaten by the giant man until he lay motionless on the ground, a secret joy welled up in his heart. Among the onlookers, some put their index fingers and thumbs to their mouths to whistle, others imitated wolf howls, roaring out hoarse cries as if their lungs were about to burst. The clamorous shouts echoed in all directions.
The youth lying motionless on the ground at that moment suddenly remembered what had happened a few days prior...
Three days earlier, in a dense forest on the island, the youth was chasing a white deer, holding a bow taller than himself. Perhaps due to the harsh conditions on Hung Dao Island, every prey animal here was incredibly alert, to an unparalleled degree. This type of white deer was not only that, but also famously lightning-fast. Anyone who spotted it would barely have time to utter "deer" or "white" before it vanished without a trace, let alone get close or pursue it.
The youth finally let out a sigh and slowly walked forward. He had been chasing this deer for half a day, and his body was already unbearably tired.
Suddenly, from the bushes ahead, a burly giant of a man emerged, carrying a large saber on his shoulder. Upon seeing Liu Ming, he was slightly startled, but after glancing at the deer nearby, he became overjoyed:
"Heh heh, I didn't expect such a good thing to happen. Kid, thanks for bringing this right to my doorstep."
The giant man let out a loud laugh, hoisted the deer onto his shoulder alongside his saber, then turned and walked away without even sparing Liu Ming a glance.
"Put it down! That deer is mine!" Seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in the youth's eyes, and he spoke without hesitation in a low, deep voice.