The female guard keeping watch over Shen Zhuxi and Li Wu was distracted, her attention fixed entirely on the sounds outside. Aside from the times when the two of them drew near the doorway and were scolded back, she otherwise paid them no mind.

Thanks to this, the two of them leaned against the low window and secretly observed every sound and movement outside.

The fighting had entered the stage of direct confrontation. Judging from the number of injured Rong tribespeople being carried back one after another, the outsiders held an absolute advantage in this battle. It was not difficult to understand why — Shen Zhuxi had seen only stone spears and wooden bows in this place, and stones here even counted as weapons. How could Rong tribespeople with such primitive equipment possibly hold out against mounted soldiers armed with iron blades?

At this rate, the Rong tribe’s defeat was without question their only fate.

Through the narrow opening that served as a window, Shen Zhuxi saw the Rong chieftain standing before the large dwelling, her face grave, speaking with several powerfully built adult women. The women seemed to be pleading some case before her. After a long pause in thought, and finally prompted by the elder women, she gave a nod.

For reasons she could not name, a sense of unease rose in Shen Zhuxi’s heart.

The sun had fully set. The vast jungle was swallowed by night. The bonfire before the chieftain’s dwelling still burned fiercely. Orange-red firelight flickered and leapt like a serpent’s tongue, casting light and shadow upon the elephant-shaped totems carved into the stone pillars all around.

In a matter of moments, the sounds of fighting intensified. Shen Zhuxi heard the familiar tongue of Yan speech. A stray arrow flew before her eyes, nearly threading through the narrow window opening.

Three formidable female elders gripped heavy double-handed stone axes in both hands and stood fearlessly upon the altar platform, shouting themselves hoarse as they commanded the tribe in battle. Yet the chieftain in her white tiger hide was nowhere to be seen.

With a thunderous crash, the wooden wall that protected the settlement from wild beasts and enemies came toppling heavily to the ground. A great surge of soldiers in leather armor, clutching iron blades and long bows, came shouting and rushing in. The Rong tribespeople who had been bracing the wall from within scattered and fled. Those who were too slow to run were immediately struck unconscious with the flat of a blade.

Shen Zhuxi was greatly surprised at the sight and looked more carefully. She noticed that all the attacking soldiers struck the Rong tribespeople while carefully avoiding vital points — using either the flat of the blade or the hilt. Each time one Rong tribesperson was subdued, another outside soldier would rush over and skillfully bind them with hemp rope.

They wore leather armor and bore no distinguishing marks, and Shen Zhuxi had initially thought them a loose band of bandits and horse thieves — but now it seemed that was not the case at all.

“Do you see their armor — it’s soaking wet?” Li Wu suddenly said in a low voice. “They came in through the water. There must be a waterway at the base of the cliff leading to the outside world.”

The Rong tribe fell back step by step. Several female elders also swung their stone axes and entered the fray. The woman guarding Shen Zhuxi and Li Wu could endure no more. She snatched up her stone spear and charged out with a battle cry.

Without a guard, Li Wu immediately grabbed Shen Zhuxi and, crouching low, slipped out of the small wooden dwelling where they had been held.

Stray arrows from the Rong tribespeople flew every which way outside, clattering and ringing without cease. Li Wu shielded Shen Zhuxi beneath him, pushing her forward and moving quickly to the shelter of a corner that offered temporary safety. Li Wu made a gesture, signaling her to stay quietly where she was. After Shen Zhuxi nodded in agreement, Li Wu looked left and right, then darted out like a bolt of lightning — clapping a hand over the mouth of an unsuspecting outside soldier, kicking his legs out from under him, and dragging him back to the corner without a word.

“Mmph — mmph — mmph—!” The outside soldier stared in terror at Li Wu, who was dressed in tatters, his chin covered in a long stretch of beard, looking every bit the wild mountain man.

“Talk! Where did you come in from?!” Li Wu pressed a stone knife picked up from the ground to the soldier’s throat and interrogated him in a low, forceful voice.

The soldier stuttered: “Who are you people? Are you with those savages?”

Li Wu tightened the stone knife against his throat and growled: “I’m the one asking questions here!”

“Through the underground river outside…” The soldier was terrified. “We drifted in along the current…”

“What did you come in here for?”

“I… I don’t know what we came in for…” The young soldier, pressed so relentlessly, was nearly in tears. “I thought the worst we’d find in here was water ghosts and monkeys. I never imagined we’d run into these savages the moment we came out of the cave. We couldn’t understand a word they said — the moment they saw us, they killed several of our men. The general was furious, said he’d teach these savages a lesson…”

“What is the name of the general leading you?!” Li Wu demanded in a low, angry voice.

“He’s called, called…”

The soldier was just about to say the general’s name when a loud, booming voice with a strange accent — yet utterly familiar — suddenly rang out before the altar platform.

“Your granny’s turtle-spawn, you’d dare injure my men and think about running?! Dream on! You little gourds, get out here and kowtow to your grandfather in apology, and while you’re at it help him find two people — do that, and grandfather may see fit to forgive you once!”

The color drained from Shen Zhuxi’s face. She instinctively looked to Li Wu.

In each other’s eyes, they both saw the same shock.

“Where’s your leader? Why are there only small fry around?” Niuwang stepped out from behind cover and appeared fully in the orange-red firelight of the bonfire.

They had not seen each other for several months. The hair on his head had grown down to the back of his neck, hanging behind him in an incongruous way, lending him an air of wild, unconstrained energy.

A tall figure that had been crouched in the shadow of a wooden dwelling suddenly shot toward Niuwang. Shen Zhuxi’s cry of alarm had risen to her throat — but then a giant of a man, whose stature commanded the entire field, appeared from nowhere in a single stride and effortlessly kicked away a female elder whose physique was as solid as a city wall.

Li Kun!

Shen Zhuxi’s body reflexively started to rise. Li Wu beside her pressed her back down at once. Shen Zhuxi glanced over — Li Wu’s eyes were brimming equally with shock and joy, but he kept his body in check, remaining motionless where he crouched.

Shen Zhuxi had no choice but to be patient and continue watching.

After Niuwang and Li Kun appeared in succession, the morale of the leather-armored soldiers soared, and the Rong tribespeople found themselves even less able to hold their ground. Just as the battle tilted completely to one side and was about to conclude with a victory for the leather-armored force, violent tremors ran through the ground.

For some reason, all the bound Rong tribespeople grew agitated at once.

“Everyone, be on alert!” The leather-armored soldiers exchanged glances. Niuwang was the first to snap to his senses and bellowed.

His voice had barely fallen when a herd of enormous grey beasts came crashing out of the dense jungle. Female warriors in animal hides rode atop the lurching backs of elephants. Among them was the chieftain in her white tiger hide — her face full of fury, a wooden bow already drawn and aimed at Niuwang. On the elephant behind her sat Dong Miji, his expression deeply conflicted.

Whoosh!

The sharpened stone arrowhead struck Niuwang squarely in the chest. Though the stone arrowhead did not pierce through the leather armor, the tremendous force of impact sent Niuwang crashing to the ground.

The sight of Niuwang being struck by an arrow ignited the true anger of the leather-armored soldiers who witnessed it. They let out a great battle cry of “General!” all at once, and the flat blades they had turned against their enemies became sharp edges — in an instant, they cut down several Rong tribespeople like slicing through melon and vegetables.

The war elephants crashed and stampeded through the settlement, trampling not only Niuwang’s leather-armored soldiers but also toppling the great stacked bonfire with a single tread. Sparks flew in every direction. Small clusters of flame took up residence in new places, and what the leather-armored soldiers and Rong tribespeople had to contend with was not only each other, but also the flames that were already spreading through the settlement on the night wind.

With the situation on the verge of spinning completely out of control, Shen Zhuxi was racking her mind for a way to ease the scene — when Li Wu had already moved first. He crept stealthily out from behind the corner, jogged over, and came to a stop before the female elder who had earlier been sent flying by Li Kun’s kick.

The female elder, dazed by Li Kun’s blow, had not yet recovered even now. A thin trickle of crimson blood ran from the corner of her mouth. When she saw Li Wu approach, she struggled and made a move to grab her stone spear — but in the next instant, Li Wu had twisted her arms behind her back and pinned her beneath his knee.

He used his full body weight to suppress the female elder’s resistance, and with practiced, swift motions — as her cries of pain rang out — dislocated both her arms.

“I am Li Wu, Military Commissioner of Zhenchuan — won’t you cease fighting?!”

Li Wu’s voice rang out like summer thunder, deafening and sharp above the chaos of the battlefield.

“Big brother!”

“Shifu!”

Niuwang clutched his injured chest and sat up. Li Kun broke into a run without a second thought, his big bare feet pounding toward Li Wu.

In the next moment, Li Wu forcibly hauled the female elder up from the ground. He could not speak the Rong tongue, but sometimes actions communicated intent far more clearly than words.

The stone knife pressed hard against the female elder’s carotid artery — which had risen with her agony from the dislocated shoulders — and Li Wu roared:

“Dong Miji, translate my words! If you don’t stop fighting, I’ll kill your elder right now!”

Li Wu’s words, decisive and resounding, echoed long through the open settlement.

“Everybody stand down! Have you not heard the Military Commissioner’s command?! You gourds — everybody stand down for me!” Niuwang struggled to his feet and bellowed at those all around.

Whether Dong Miji on the elephant’s back had fully understood was unclear — but he was seen leaning forward to shout something to the chieftain. The chieftain’s gaze passed back and forth over Li Wu, probing and suspicious.

At last, the chieftain looked at the hostage in Li Wu’s hand and hesitated for a moment before calling off the Rong tribespeople who were still uncertain given that the enemy had stood down.

“Big brother! Big brother!” Li Kun charged up to Li Wu, his face overflowing with unconcealed joy. Had Li Wu’s stern look not stopped him, this simple-hearted giant of a man would have already excitedly snatched Li Wu up and hurled him into the air.

Shen Zhuxi took advantage of the temporary ceasefire to hurry to Li Wu’s side. This proved to be quite something — Li Kun caught sight of Shen Zhuxi and let out a great cry, circling around her with whoops of excitement, and then flung himself forward in a bear hug.

Li Wu still held the hostage in his grip and would not slacken his foot by a fraction. Before Shen Zhuxi could react, he had already sent Li Kun flying with a swift kick.

Li Kun yelped and leapt back. Niuwang immediately came before the two of them, enormous tears the size of soybeans pouring from those great copper-bell eyes of his, crying even harder than when he had once wept in the theater stalls watching Zhang Sheng abandon Cui Yingying.

“Shifu, Shinniang — so you are still alive in this world!” Niuwang wiped his tears and said. “Heaven has opened its eyes — we teacher and disciples actually still have the chance to be reunited alive!”

Li Wu’s brow was tightly knit, the stone knife in his hand never easing its press against the hostage’s throat, keeping the watchful Rong tribespeople from daring to act rashly.

“Shouldn’t you be in Jinzhou? How did you end up here?” Li Wu said.

“That is… a long story…” Niuwang sobbed.

“Then make it short.” Li Wu said.

Niuwang choked, his great wet eyes fixing on Li Wu. After a long moment, he said:

“I just wanted to come and see… if I could find two sets of remains, and at least make a proper cenotaph — to let you both rest in peace in the earth…”