The gloomy colors of twilight on a late autumn afternoon.
A solitary peak rose majestically, standing desolate amidst a vast plain, casting an even gloomier shroud over the sky.
Even more desolate was the sight of a lonely figure trudging slowly up the solitary peak.
Walking tirelessly, this solitary traveler followed a narrow mountain path along the steep slope. Gusts of autumn wind blew relentlessly against his swaying figure, making the climb even more difficult.
After each gust of wind whipped against his face, the solitary traveler adjusted the cloth covering his face. For no matter how tightly wrapped, the cloth would still slip loose under the force of these late autumn gales.
At those moments, when the face-covering slipped, a keen-eyed observer would notice a face gaunt from hunger and exhaustion—a face weathered dark by wind, frost, and the scorching sun of a ten-thousand-mile journey.
Where was this solitary traveler going?
Why was he wandering this solitary peak as evening approached?
Did he wish to climb the mountain?
Did the solitary traveler not know that to climb a high mountain in autumn, one must set out in the early morning?
Only by setting out at the crack of dawn could one avoid the fierce winds that always arose as evening fell. And only by starting in the misty morning light could a leisure traveler reach the summit before the sun went down.
Furthermore, any hunter who frequented the highlands knew that the autumn wind at the start of the day always blew upward. Conversely, at the end of the day, it swept down along the slopes and through every rocky crevice, as if to cleanse the mountain of all impurities.
Thanks to this, a hunter with game on his shoulders could descend the mountain easily, lightly, and effortlessly.
A soft groan sounded right behind the solitary traveler after one such gust of wind, forcing him to stop and huddle against a large boulder to shelter from the wind.
Sheltered from the wind, the solitary traveler reached both hands behind him—one over his shoulder and one around his waist—to adjust the large cloth bundle slung across his back.
As he straightened it, the solitary traveler spoke gently to the cloth bundle:
"There now, Xiao Long! Try to lie still. We are almost there. Almost to the place where we can rest, and where Uncle hopes you will be cured of your illness."
As it turned out, the solitary traveler was not alone. He was not a leisure traveler climbing the solitary peak to enjoy the scenery, but someone climbing the mountain to find a physician, hoping the physician would cure this Xiao Long.
Xiao Long was surely just a child. From the shape of the cloth bundle on the traveler's back, the name, and how the traveler addressed him, anyone listening could easily guess as much.
Xiao Long was likely accustomed to his uncle's soothing words, for he immediately stopped groaning.
Seeing this, the traveler said with satisfaction:
"That's a good boy. Xiao Long, Uncle is going to keep walking now, alright?"
Though it was a question, the traveler did not wait for the boy's reply. It seemed he spoke only to let the child know beforehand that he was resuming his climb, so the boy would know and continue to endure.
In this autumn weather, dusk fell rapidly.
Though it was only the hour of the Rooster, the path was already barely visible, and the autumn wind blew harder by the minute.
Knowing the child could hardly bear this cold, the traveler forced himself to quicken his pace, even though he was utterly exhausted.
At the end of the Hour of the Rooster and the beginning of the Hour of the Dog, the sound of a temple bell drifted down on the wind from on high, echoing in the traveler's ears.
The traveler quickened his pace, speaking to the child he carried on his back as he walked:
"We're here, Xiao Long. Do you hear the bell of Hong Yun Nunnery?"
The child did not answer, nor did he need to, for he trusted this traveler—his uncle—completely.
Before long, the traveler and Xiao Long stood right before the front courtyard of Hong Yun Nunnery.
The double wooden doors of Hong Yun Nunnery stood wide open. Looking inside, the traveler saw an elderly abbess kneeling before the altar of Guanyin Bodhisattva, chanting the evening sutra. Behind her, about a dozen nuns knelt in two rows, also performing the rites and chanting.
Not wanting to disturb them, the traveler turned and leaned against one of the two peach trees planted in front of Hong Yun Nunnery, waiting for the chanting to finish.
After two quarters of an hour, the bell tolled again, signaling the end of the Buddhist service.
The traveler adjusted his clothes, straightened his face veil, and stepped into the center of the courtyard. Cupping his hands in a respectful greeting toward the elderly abbess who was still kneeling inside the nunnery, he said:
"Abbess! Please show a Bodhisattva's mercy and heal the one who has come to seek your aid."
The abbess did not turn around. Remaining seated, she called out:
"What is the illness? Why did you not come earlier?"
The traveler quickly replied:
"Honored Abbess! I have traveled from afar, and because the illness is severe and urgent, I have arrived at this late hour to disturb you. Please do not take offense."
"Benefactor, you are a person of the Jianghu, so why do you not state your name? And what is the patient's relation to you?"
The traveler bowed and replied:
"Honored Abbess! Due to private circumstances, it is inconvenient for me to reveal my name. As for the child, he is my nephew. I beg you to show mercy."
Turning around completely, the abbess stared intently at the traveler.
The traveler also observed the abbess.
Her sharp, piercing eyes, combined with her upswept eyebrows, high cheekbones, and tightly pursed lips, gave her face a stern, imposing look even without anger, silently intimidating anyone who stood before her.
The abbess could not tell who this traveler of the Jianghu was. He wore a faded, tight-fitting outfit and worn cloth shoes that were torn in several places.
His face veil left only his spirited eyes visible, along with a few flecks of gray hair at his prominent temples.
After scrutinizing the guest, the abbess spoke:
"Benefactor, you have yet to tell me how severe your nephew's illness is!"
The child on the traveler's back suddenly stirred and cried out:
"Uncle Rui! I'm so cold."
Startled, the traveler glanced at the abbess's expression to see if she reacted to Xiao Long calling him by his name. Reassured when he saw that she remained calm, the traveler, surnamed Rui, quickly answered her question:
"Honored Abbess! My nephew has suffered from a cold affliction since birth. Despite years of treatment by many famous physicians, his illness remains uncured. Thanks to a relative's guidance, I have come here, placing my hopes on the miracle of the Reyang Divine Art! I respectfully beg the Abbess to show mercy and grant us this favor."
The abbess nodded, saying with pride:
"A cold affliction and our nunnery's Reyang Art are indeed natural opposites. My only fear is that your nephew is too young to withstand it! Your surname is Rui? That is a rare name in the Jianghu! Come, Benefactor Rui, bring the child here so I may examine him."
With his identity exposed, the guest hesitated, torn between obeying and bringing his nephew to the abbess to examine his severe illness, and fleeing to keep his whereabouts hidden.
While he was still undecided, Xiao Long let out another painful groan:
"Oh! It's so cold, Uncle Rui."
Xiao Long's groan broke the Rui-surnamed guest's indecision. Swiftly untying and lowering Xiao Long's body, the guest cradled the boy in his arms and strode straight into Hong Yun Hermitage. After laying Xiao Long down on the paved stone floor of Hong Yun Hermitage, the guest prostrated himself before the abbess, pleading:
"Abbess! For the sake of the Bodhisattva's mercy, please save my nephew. For this great favor, I am willing to serve you as a beast of burden in my next life to repay you."
The abbess said nothing, her hands moving to unwrap the adult's long robe that was tightly bundled around the child.
She then removed another layer of fox-fur coat before Xiao Long's face was finally revealed.
The moment she saw the child's face, the abbess gasped at his pale, sallow complexion. Xiao Long's small, delicate lips had turned a deep purple, shivering uncontrollably.
Moreover, she seemed to recognize a striking familiarity in the child's features.
The abbess reached out to check the child's pulse. Then, drawing two bright red jade pieces shaped like the sun and moon from her robes—one larger, one smaller—she placed them on the child's chest.
Only then did the guest surnamed Rui dare to speak up and ask:
"Abbess, is there any hope of curing my nephew's illness?"
The abbess looked back at the guest, her voice turning grave as she asked:
"Patron Rui, is your honorable name Qin?"
Startled, the guest surnamed Rui stared at the abbess for a moment. Then, nodding, he flicked his finger to tap the child's sleeping acupoint from afar.
This sudden move prompted the abbess to ask:
"Rui Qin, you..."
The guest quickly explained:
"Abbess! I have my own secrets that I cannot even let my nephew know. Please, show some understanding."
Gazing intently at Rui Qin, the abbess fell into deep thought.
Reaching a decision, she waved her hand and dismissed the young nuns who were standing in attendance.
"All of you, leave! Do not enter unless I summon you, understood?"
Once the young nuns had fully withdrawn, Rui Qin, reading the abbess's gaze, understood her intention. He removed his face veil and, remaining on his knees, said to her:
"Your eyes and wisdom are truly sharp, Abbess. I, Rui Qin, am filled with admiration."
Still looking at him, the abbess said,
"Even the 'Eccentric Hero of the Heavenly Dragon Staff,' Hero Rui Qin, must hide his identity. Is the matter truly that grave, Hero Rui?"
Rui Qin hesitated for a moment before replying,
"It is merely a private matter concerning myself. Please do not let it trouble you, Abbess, but please, save my nephew."
The abbess replied,
"For anyone else, I would not ask. But for Hero Rui, I have one condition. If you agree to it, I will guarantee your nephew's life."
"Please speak, Abbess! There is no request this Rui would refuse."
The abbess smiled, making her tightly pursed lips, already thin, look even thinner. She said,
"This child's latent talent and constitution please me greatly. Would Hero Rui be willing to leave him here so that I may take him as my successor?"
One would have expected Rui Qin to be overjoyed by a request so beneficial to the child, yet to the abbess's surprise, he replied:
"But... doesn't the Abbess already have many disciples? Why must you take in my nephew?"
With a cold sneer, her displeasure plain to see, the Abbess said, "How can Hero Rui call those people just now my successors? They are not worthy. The one I need, the one I have gone to such great lengths to find, is this child! Or does Hero Rui look down on my martial arts?"
Rui Qin hurriedly explained, "My nephew... is the son of an old family friend! This friend is a man of the imperial court who would never allow his son to pursue the path of martial arts. Please forgive me, Abbess! As for your martial arts..."
"What about my martial arts? I suppose they cannot compare to the Five Dragons Fatal Saber of that family friend of yours, Hero Rui? Hmph..."
The Abbess's final cold snort sent a shiver through Rui Qin. Already startled by the mention of the Five Dragons Fatal Saber, he grew even more fearful. He stammered in reply, "Why... why does the Abbess bring up the Five Dragons Fatal Saber? What does it have to do with my nephew?"
Fixing her piercing, brilliant gaze upon Rui Qin, the Abbess said, "Does Hero Rui intend to throw sand in my eyes? Or do you simply look down on me?"
Rui Qin grew increasingly flustered. Just as he was trying to find a way to explain, the Abbess continued, "Others might not know, but how could I, Abbess Luosha, not know that Hero Rui is the sworn brother of Huang Shiyuan, the current Alliance Leader of the martial world? Four years ago, the Huang Manor was destroyed and Alliance Leader Huang vanished, which coincided with the disappearance of Rui Qin, the Eccentric Hero of the Heavenly Dragon Staff, from the jianghu. Now, Hero Rui suddenly appears at my nunnery with a child of extraordinary constitution whose facial features bear a striking resemblance to Alliance Leader Huang Shiyuan. So tell me, Hero Rui, how could I fail to recognize him?"
The corner of Rui Qin's mouth twitched, causing his graying tiger-like beard to tremble. Gritting his teeth, he said to the Abbess, "Abbess, this is Alliance Leader Huang's private affair. What does it have to do with me?"
The Abbess's expression hardened. Abbess Luosha swiftly snatched back the two rubies from the child's body.
Seeing the look of horror on Rui Qin's face, the Abbess said sharply, "Fine! My humble nunnery is poor and simple; I dare not detain Hero Rui any longer. Men! Escort our guest down the mountain."
Terror gripped Rui Qin, and he almost recoiled. When Abbess Luosha had placed the two rubies on Xiao Long, the boy had fallen into a peaceful sleep—partly due to his sealed acupoints. Now, deprived of the rubies' miraculous support, Xiao Long's lips were rapidly turning purple. Furthermore, the Abbess's order to expel him filled Rui Qin with an even deeper dread.
Out of desperate concern for Xiao Long's life, Rui Qin looked at the Abbess and pleaded, "Please, Abbess, for the sake of Alliance Leader Huang..."
Satisfied, Abbess Luosha lowered her voice and ordered her disciples, "Very well. You may all dismiss."
Then, looking back at Rui Qin, she asked, "Well, Hero Rui? Do you agree to my request?"
With great difficulty, Rui Qin managed to speak. "Abbess! I deeply admire your martial arts, but as for taking him as your successor... please, do not speak of it again, alright?"
"Is there some other hidden secret?"
"Yes, there is."
Abbess Luosha remained unyielding. "Fine! As I have already said, I will only undertake the child's treatment if you agree to my request. Otherwise, please feel free to take your leave."
Knitting his thick, bushy eyebrows, Rui Qin forced himself to speak:
– Abbess! I wonder if you could show some favor and either gift or trade those two pieces of red jade to me?
Nodding, Abbess Luosha said:
– I am willing to trade the two pieces of Hongsha jade for news of Alliance Leader Huang.
– Why do you need to know about the Alliance Leader, Abbess? For what purpose?
Shaking her head, Abbess Luosha replied:
– No purpose at all! Just to know, and to find out what happened to Alliance Leader Huang and the Huang family estate.
Looking around, Rui Qin lowered his voice and said:
– Since this concerns my nephew's life, I will speak on one condition.
– What condition?
– Once you hear it, you must let it go. Do not ask anyone else, and do not discuss it with anyone! Do you agree, Abbess?
– Is it really that serious?
– Once you agree, I will recount everything, and you will understand the gravity of the matter. What do you say?
Determined to uncover this mystery—since for the past four years, everyone in the jianghu had been searching for the whereabouts of Alliance Leader Huang and his family, yet no one had found any answers—how could the fiery-tempered Abbess Luosha not want to know? Thus, Abbess Luosha solemnly agreed and promised Rui Qin:
– Very well! I promise to keep it a secret. Can Hero Rui trust my word?
Rui Qin replied:
– Your name is like reverberating thunder, and you are one of the three supreme masters of our time. How could I not trust the promise of Abbess Luosha?
Clearing his throat softly, Rui Qin whispered the tale to Abbess Luosha:
– Four years ago, after going out on a journey, Alliance Leader Huang did not return as scheduled.
The following day, in the dead of night, someone knocked on the door, claiming to have news of Alliance Leader Huang. The moment the gates of the Huang estate were opened, a group of masked, cloaked figures rushed in. Leading them was a man holding the severed head of Alliance Leader Huang. He loudly demanded to see Madam Huang, while ordering his subordinates to slaughter everyone in the estate.
When Madam Huang appeared, he furiously threw the severed head at her. At the same time, he reached into his robe, pulled out a small booklet, threw it at her as well, and barked:
– Where is the Five Dragons Fatal Saber manual? You call this trash a manual?
Rui Qin was enraged to see Madam Huang weeping as she cradled the head. Knowing for certain that Alliance Leader Huang had been murdered, Rui Qin immediately unleashed his Heavenly Dragon Staff, striking hard at the man.
The man burst into wild laughter, slipping past Rui Qin's staff technique. Using his momentum, he snatched up Alliance Leader Huang's young child and shouted again:
– Rui Qin! Your Heavenly Dragon Staff is no match for me. Listen closely!
Either this child dies, or you hand over the Five Dragons Fatal Saber manual!
Hesitating to act for fear of harming the child, Madam Huang, still cradling Alliance Leader Huang's head, screamed to stop them:
– Brother Rui, please stop! Sir, what manual? I am merely the wife of the Huang family, how could I have any manual to hand over to you? If you do not believe me, send your men to search the place and see for yourself! Please, spare my child. He is just a boy, he is innocent!
As she pleaded, Madam Huang drew closer to the man.
The man laughed uproariously again, while all around them, screams echoed, engulfed in the blazing fire.
His subordinates were slaughtering people and setting the estate ablaze.
Taking advantage of his smugness as his eyes drifted toward the red flames, Madam Huang lunged forward. With one hand, she snatched her child, and with the other, she hurled Alliance Leader Huang's severed head right into the man's face, screaming:
– Give me back my child!
In that split second, the man used his remaining arm to fling Alliance Leader Huang's severed head far away. Meanwhile, the child had been tightly grabbed by Madam Huang. Enraged, the man unleashed a powerful palm strike directly at her.
Without a moment's delay, Rui Qin swung his Heavenly Dragon Staff, launching a relentless assault against him.
To deal with Rui Qin's Heavenly Dragon Staff, after blasting Madam Huang away, the man did not pursue the two-year-old child she was clutching tightly to her chest.
He roared, parrying the rapid strikes of the Heavenly Dragon Staff with an extremely bizarre technique that Rui Qin had never seen before. Consequently, Rui Qin had no way of knowing the man's origins or background.
As the fight wore on, Rui Qin grew increasingly terrified of the man's martial prowess. He grew even more anxious when he saw that Madam Huang had not gotten up to flee with her child.
Filled with dread and hoping to find an opportunity to save the lives of Madam Huang and her child, Rui Qin asked the man even as he fought:
"Who are you? Your martial arts are truly peerless. What grudge do you hold against Alliance Leader Huang? Or are you only after the Five Dragons Death-Dealing Saber manual?"
The man replied smugly:
"What kind of person is Alliance Leader Huang that I should hold a grudge against him? All I want is the Five Dragons Death-Dealing Saber manual. Rui Qin! Can you hand that manual over to me? In exchange for the child's life."
Startled and alarmed, Rui Qin asked:
"Why only the child's life? What about Madam Huang?"
The man burst into laughter and said:
"Hahaha... Madam Huang! Hahaha..."
"Under my single palm strike, Madam Huang has surely followed her husband to the grave. Hahaha..."
Furious, Rui Qin frantically defended against the man's fierce blows, asking breathlessly:
"Who are you? Just for a single manual, you would ruthlessly murder innocent people?"
"Innocent? Haha... Who told him to be the Alliance Leader?"
"Who told him to possess the Five Dragons Death-Dealing Saber manual?"
Struggling to withstand the man's attacks, the "Heavenly Dragon Staff" Eccentric Hero, Rui Qin, could not fathom who this man was to possess such formidable martial arts. Even the invincible Alliance Leader Huang with his Five Dragons Death-Dealing Saber had fallen victim to him. Rui Qin feared that even the three top masters of the era—the Cold-Faced Scholar, Abbess Rakshasa, and the Golden-Faced Buddha Heart—might not match this man's martial prowess. Fearing little for his own life but deeply concerned for the Huang family's sole remaining bloodline, Rui Qin could only say:
"Sir! Truly, I only saw Alliance Leader Huang with the manual you just threw away. There is no second manual. Please pick it up and look at it again, and spare Alliance Leader Huang's child."
The man roared in anger:
"I have already looked at it! That is no secret manual! It is merely a mediocre Five Tigers Gate-Cleaving Saber manual. Rui Qin! Do not try to deceive me!"
Rui Qin said in frustration:
"If you do not believe me, so be it. I have spoken the absolute truth. I cannot say otherwise. Sir! How about this? Spare the child. I, surnamed Rui, am willing to die in his stead! What do you say?"
Rui Qin's plea took the man by surprise. It seemed he realized that Rui Qin's words were genuine. For if Rui Qin died in the child's stead, even if the child survived, there would be no way for him to obtain the Five Dragons Death-Dealing Saber manual to train and seek revenge. Since everyone else here today would be dead, who would tell the child? And how would the child ever know who his enemy was? Ultimately, even if the child knew he was the enemy, what could a mere child possibly do to him?
Hesitating, the man stayed his hand and asked Rui Qin:
"Rui Qin! Or is it that you are the one keeping the manual?"
Getting a brief moment to catch his breath, Rui Qin heard his words and immediately replied:
"Since you already know of this Rui, isn't your question redundant? Are you looking down on me, Rui Qin?"
Nodding, he approached the corpse of Madam Huang as he spoke:
"Indeed! I have heard rumors in the jianghu: the Eccentric Hero, Rui Qin, values his word more than his own life! That is why you were given the title 'Eccentric', is it not?"
Simultaneously with his question, he snatched up the tiny body, the sole surviving bloodline of Alliance Leader Huang...
He searched the child's body thoroughly.
Disappointed at finding nothing on the child, he turned back and said to the Eccentric Hero, Rui Qin:
"Rui Qin! You desperately want me to spare this child's life, don't you? You are begging to die in his place, aren't you? You are truly a man of honor."
Rui Qin looked with deep sorrow at Alliance Leader Huang's innocent child. Hearing the man's words, Rui Qin replied:
"There is no need to praise me! It is simply a promise I made to Alliance Leader Huang and his wife!"
"I am merely keeping my word."
The man rolled his eyes, calculating...
After a moment, he looked at Rui Qin and asked:
"Very well! You value your word highly, do you not? Do you dare promise me one thing—no, make that two things—if I spare this child's life, Rui Qin?"
Rui Qin said resolutely:
"I will promise anything! Just spare this child."
"First, you must never let this child know his true identity and origins. Agreed?"
"Agreed. I promise."
Smugly, he laughed and immediately stated the second condition:
"To raise this child, you will naturally be the one to care for him, correct? Then you must promise me that you will never show your face in the jianghu again, and at the same time, you must never let him know who you are. Do you promise?"
Gritting his teeth so hard that his jaw clenched... Rui Qin nodded in agreement, his heart filled with burning hatred:
"I promise!"
He burst into a satisfied laugh! He quickly tapped several vital acupoints on the tiny body. Tossing the child to Rui Qin, he said:
"Ha... ha, very well! I respect your honor! Ha ha, now go! Remember to conceal your identity and live in obscurity, do you hear? Otherwise... your reputation will be ruined, and the child will not survive either. Ha ha... go... ha ha..."
* * *
Having recounted up to this point, Rui Qin stopped when he noticed the contorted face of Abbess Luosha (unsure whether it was out of fear or sheer anger upon hearing Rui Qin imply that her martial arts could not possibly compare to that bandit's).
After waiting a moment without hearing the abbess speak, Rui Qin pointed toward Xiao Long, who was now wheezing and breathing with great difficulty, his lips already turning blue. Rui Qin said:
"My nephew has been weak, unable to eat or sleep properly ever since that man sealed his vital acupoints. Even breathing is a struggle for him! Abbess! Please, keep your word."
After a moment of silence, hearing Rui Qin remind her of her promise to exchange the two pieces of Hongsha Jade for news of Alliance Leader Huang's family, Abbess Luosha retrieved the two pieces of Hongsha Jade and placed them back onto the body of the unconscious child lying before her.
Then, looking at Rui Qin, she said:
"It is not that I, the abbess, think Hero Rui is incorrect. But it must be said that this matter is truly hard to believe. What kind of person, what figure could possibly possess the ability to murder Alliance Leader Huang? There is no need to speak of the Five Dragons Life-Ending Saber, as Hero Rui surely knows only too well that in the jianghu, not a single figure could survive past three moves from Alliance Leader Huang, correct? In the past, this abbess and the Cold-Faced Lay Buddhist could only withstand two strikes. Only old Golden-Faced Buddha-Heart lasted until the fourth strike before admitting defeat! What happened to Alliance Leader Huang is truly hard to believe."
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Rui Qin, the Eccentric Hero of the Heavenly Dragon Staff, said, "Four years of rushing about to find a good physician for my nephew have been four years of sleepless nights and restless days for this Rui because of this unsolved case. Abbess! This time, for the sake of my nephew's meager life, this Rui has broken his word, even if it was to an enemy. Bidding farewell to the Abbess this time, I will likely not meet you again. As for today's matter, I ask that the Abbess keep her promise. Thank you, Abbess, for the two pieces of Red Sand Jade, and I bid you farewell."
Abbess Luosha stood up, watching Rui Qin carefully tying Xiao Long onto his back again, and tried to add, "Hero Rui! What I have said, I will absolutely not go back on. Rest assured, Hero Rui. Furthermore, regarding the matter of taking a disciple, if Hero Rui changes his mind, please bring the child back here to me."
Rui Qin looked at Abbess Luosha, only nodding without daring to say or promise anything. Then, he turned and headed down the mountain, undeterred by the darkness enveloping everything.