A hawk soared across the sky. Beneath the heavens, the land stretched vast—mountains and great rivers, plains and seas, boundless without end.
People were like ants upon this vast earth, coming and going from every direction, pursuing their own meaning in the blink of an eye that was their lifespan. In this single moment within the endless span of time, north of this land called Huaxia, hundreds of thousands of troops stood in standoff across the boundless mountains and wilds—two ants named Xiao Gan and Tong Guan, each leaving their own faint mark upon the vast river of time through their respective wills and existence.
To the north, forces moved and maneuvered in every direction to dispel this looming disaster. To the south, to sustain the entire supply line supporting this standoff, from the army all the way to the small Yanmen Pass, then further south to the small city of Bian Liang where crowds gathered, and finally spreading across the entire land of the Wu Dynasty—within all this, each person was like an almost invisible, minuscule gear, bearing their own cause and effect, ultimately converging into a visible yet still insignificant tide of fate.
In the small marshland of the northeastern Wu Dynasty, ships gathered one after another, new vessels under construction, appearing from above like tiny matchboxes. Even smaller human figures scattered and gathered, like ants carrying food, as days and nights passed swiftly, clouds gathering and dispersing, these small, exquisite works gradually took shape. Among the mountains and roads surrounding the marsh, tiny lives gathered and dispersed, or died and decayed, according to their own wills, and as night fell, scattered patches of light rose along the water’s edge and mountainsides.
In this bird’s-eye glimpse, we can see scenes passing before our eyes—human grudges, human lives, sometimes intense, sometimes mundane. In a small inn glowing with dim yellow light, someone slept peacefully, listening to chickens and dogs outside, while sometimes, deep in the mountains, blood would rise.
In an inn at the foot of the mountains, blades clashed and a bronze hammer swung through the air—a handsome young man suddenly charged forward, seizing his opponent in an embrace, and in the moment his enemy faltered, bit down hard, pinning the man—nearly twice his size—onto the table, tearing through his throat with a sickening crunch. In the lamplight, blood shot skyward, and the bizarre scene left the other combatants frozen in shock, huddling to one side. Among them were women too, clutching weapons, hiding behind others, crying and screaming.
“Who are you, who are you… our Bronze Hammer Sect has no quarrel with you, we’re only passing through on our way to Liangshan, why are you doing this…”
The handsome young man, his face covered in blood, chewed on the torn-out throat in his mouth, then spat it out.
“Wolf Bandits… anyone heading to Liangshan dies.”
The figure lunged forward again.
Not long after, the inn was awash in a pool of blood, corpses of men and women alike, mangled and incomplete. On the wall, in enormous bloody characters, was written “The same fate awaits all who join Liangshan”—each character precise and severe, yet showing a certain masterful, cultivated hand.
The Wolf Bandits melted back into the forest. In the last glimpse, someone approached the young man, half-covered in blood.
“Word from Xiao Liang says the people from the capital have already reached Yuan Family Market…”
Moonlight rose into the sky. On a hilltop more than ten li away, in a small stronghold called Six Sheep Stockade, corpses were piled in a sea of blood. Under the moonlight, a blade fell, severing a head. A disheveled man kicked a corpse away from before him.
“My name’s Zheng Biao, known in the martial world as the Demon King Zheng! Now I stand united with the good brothers of Liangshan! Any of you who dare oppose Liangshan, I’ll make sure you die without even a place to be buried! Surrender now—”
Where his blade pointed, his men charged forward one after another, blood flowing freely.
Mountain winds swept across the night sky, and before long, corpses lay in heaps. On a moonlit boulder, Zheng Biao tilted his head back, drinking wine, then used the liquor to rinse the blade in his hand.
“Brother Zheng.” From across the way, someone approached. “How does our Liangshan compare to the Sage Lord’s army?”
“Not bad!” Zheng Biao replied, handing over the wine jar. “And a lot more satisfying too!”
“Hahahaha.” Laughter rang out in the air. “We gather in righteous brotherhood for the sake of eating meat by the mouthful and drinking wine by the bowl, killing to our hearts’ content! Say, Brother Zheng, what about that Overlord Blade Manor down south? I heard that Big Blade Liu is actually a woman?”
“I’ll kill her sooner or later!” Zheng Biao’s eyes turned savage. “And that Ning Liheng you all mentioned—nothing but a cunning, useless pretty boy. If I’d known back then in Hangzhou… I’d have cut him down with one blow!”
“Don’t worry, Brother Zheng, our brothers’ business is our business! When the time comes, we’ll all move together… these ungrateful wretches. Brother Zheng, once we’ve swept the outer perimeter clean and Brother Song and the others take Dulong Ridge and Wanjia Ridge, we’ll have it all connected into one, and then we can challenge the imperial court directly. Hah, how satisfying!”
Mountain winds blew, the moon set, the sun rose. Three estates joined together formed the place called Dulong Ridge, where traveling merchants would rest at the market outside. In recent times, these three estates had grown increasingly vigilant. Far off among the ridges, someone rode past on horseback, gazing toward this place.
“The three estates of Dulong Ridge, the Ji family of Wanjia Ridge… these wealthy households have entrenched themselves, exploiting travelers, growing rich without conscience, and the people’s resentment has built for a long time. I’ve long heard that several brothers were discriminated against and oppressed in these places. Now our Liangshan acts on Heaven’s behalf—now is the time…”
“Strategist, brother, just tell us when to strike. This Iron Bull can barely hold himself back already. Once we sweep clean these several households, helping Brother Gongming achieve his great cause, that’ll really be satisfying…”
“Iron Bull, we act on Heaven’s behalf in this matter—you’re too eager to kill, spouting nonsense. Our kind should only kill those who deserve it.”
“Yes! Brother Gongming, just tell me who deserves it, and that’s who I’ll kill!”
“Strategist, how much longer until we can move?”
“With our momentum now greatly strengthened, heroes from across the realm are flocking to join us—likely within the month we can act. Neither Dulong Ridge nor Wanjia Ridge compares to Zeng Family Market; crushing them now would be like trampling chickens and tiles. But before we move, we should have proper moral justification. I’ve already had men recording the misdeeds of these estates, and it should be compiled within days. Then, we can strike a truly resounding blow…”
“Much trouble for the strategist’s preparations. By the way, I hear Brother Zheng’s side is also winning victory after victory—a true fierce general.”
“Haha, Brother Zheng is known in the martial world as the Demon King Zheng. Even under the Sage Lord Fang La, he was a formidable warrior, unstoppable on the charge. With him leading, these small horse bandits around here, colluding with the wealthy gentry, blinded by greed, naturally stand no chance.”
“Ai, if even one Brother Zheng is this formidable, imagine what his master Bao Daoyi must have been like—hard to even fathom. The Sage Lord’s forces truly are rich in talent, quite something to admire.”
“Pity that Fang La’s narrow-mindedness and lack of support led to his downfall. I heard that Big Blade Liu was just a woman, and because he treated her like his own daughter, a conflict arose and she schemed to kill Grand Priest Bao. If not for that, he probably wouldn’t be so surrounded and besieged by the court now, struggling to hold on. Still, I hear his subordinates like Fang Qifo and Li Tianrun are truly heroic figures—perhaps only men like our Brother Lu and Brother Lin could compare to them.”
“My poor Brother Lu… we must avenge him someday, wash away this shame…”
In the morning light, the voices faded into the distance. Time flew by, and by evening, at the entrance to Zhu Family Manor, a figure arrived walking into the sunset. Children playing at the gate recognized him, bouncing over to his side, escorting him in together, and soon a large group came out to welcome him, led by the estate master Zhu Chaofeng, who cupped his hands in greeting toward the man. “Instructor Luan, you’re back!” Several young men nearby all called him “Master.”
“Master Zhu, you’re too courteous. I left without a word back during the Zeng Family Market affair, and I truly feel I’ve wronged your generous treatment of me, Master. Hearing that Liangshan intends to move against Zhu Family Manor, I’ve only now returned. Please forgive me, Master.”
“Instructor Luan, what are you saying? Our Zhu Family Manor is your home too. Long’er and the others regard Instructor Luan as both teacher and father—please don’t be so formal with us. Last year, when I heard Zeng Family Market had been massacred, I worried something had happened to you, and even sent men to search, but sadly with no result. It’s good you’re back, good you’re back… As for the matter with Liangshan, for now it’s only speculation. Recently Liangshan’s momentum has grown, with many pledging allegiance out of fear, and some passing through this area too, which has made us a bit tense…”
Zhu Chaofeng laughed, waving a hand broadly. “Enough of that. With Instructor Luan here, even if Liangshan’s bandits come, we’ll make sure they don’t leave alive! Haha, let’s have a feast today to welcome Instructor Luan home—”
The sky darkened again.
Amid the boundless mountains, figures ran wildly, crossing paths. The handsome man reined in his horse.
“We’ve been spotted—”
“Hahahahahahahaha—”
Laughter came riding on the night wind. Zheng Biao charged through the forest, cutting across the narrow trail, blade drawn, leaping forward.
“Die—”
The two groups of men clashed head-on!
……
A day later, by a cave among the mountain ridges, Ning Yi and his companions finally saw the full extent of the “Wolf Bandits,” and met their leader, Wang Shanyue.
His face matched the portrait’s handsome likeness, at first glance even leaning toward delicate, almost feminine features. Local rumors described the Wolf Bandit leader as a martial arts master who came and went like the wind, one who ate people alive—but his build wasn’t imposing at all, rather slight, and he didn’t look like someone with especially high martial skill. Only the coldness and resentment in his eyes lent him an air of severity. When the two parties met, he was just returning from outside with his men, and it was said several had died, with many more wounded.
This man named Wang Shanyue was also injured, speaking with cold detachment. Only after accepting Qin Siyuan’s letter and hearing Ning Yi describe the situation in the capital did his expression soften somewhat.
“Liangshan has already issued the call to arms, wanting the Wolf Bandits’ heads. But this time we walked into their ambush—we lost several brothers, and only managed to fight our way out because we know the terrain here. The leader was quite formidable, someone called the Demon King.”
“Oh.” Ning Yi nodded.
“Master said in his letter that everything should follow Brother Ning’s arrangements. So Brother Ning need not hold back on anything—whatever needs to be done, I’ll cooperate fully.”
“Good. I have some ideas that will require the Wolf Bandits’ cooperation, so I won’t beat around the bush. We don’t have many people, and not much time either. Over the next few days, while everyone recovers, I’d like to arrange some tasks—a bit of training in how to speak and present things.”
“Hm?”
“Also, whatever intelligence you have regarding Liangshan, I want all of it.”
“…Alright.”
There hadn’t been much rapport between them before this, and Qin Siyuan had mentioned that Wang Shanyue’s temperament ran somewhat peculiar. Ning Yi, being straightforward, immediately adopted a businesslike attitude from the start rather than trying too hard to build familiarity. This approach seemed to earn the other man’s approval. At present, the Wolf Bandits numbered only a little over thirty, essentially all part of the Secret Investigation Bureau, some of them also servants of the Wang family. Combined with Ning Yi’s group this time, the total came to around forty—the entirety of the manpower currently available.
Over the following three days, some basic training was carried out according to plan—matters of speech, and for those who could read, some basic filing and record-keeping skills. Such strange requests left everyone rather puzzled, but fortunately Wang Shanyue held absolute control over these men, and cooperation went smoothly enough. As for information regarding Liangshan, there was almost nothing recorded here at all—all of it existed solely in Wang Shanyue’s memory. He recounted it piece by piece to Ning Yi while recovering from his injuries, and Ning Yi wrote everything down in a small notebook.
With not much rapport built up yet, everything remained businesslike, which Ning Yi actually preferred. Wang Shanyue clearly harbored doubts—a scholar arriving from out of town like this, seemingly with a clear plan to take on Liangshan, now numbering in the tens of thousands, left him baffled. But Qin Siyuan’s letter was enough to suppress his doubts for the time being, as he watched to see just what this man from the capital was truly planning.
Three days later, the Wolf Bandits were still recovering and training in the mountains. Ning Yi, Wang Shanyue, the three Qi brothers, Su Wenyu, and five accompanying guards descended the mountain together, heading to Dulong Ridge to begin the first stage of preparations.
Ning Yi dressed himself in fine silks, put on a thumb ring, strapped on a sword, transforming himself into a martial-arts-loving, flashy nouveau-riche young master. After staying half a day at Dulong Ridge, he sent a calling card to the Zhu family, foremost of the three estates, representing the well-known merchant Lei family of the capital, come to discuss business with Dulong Ridge.
The relevant credentials had all come through proper channels via Old Man Qin and various government contacts, and the Lei family was indeed quite well known in Shandong’s smuggling trade. The group then received a grand welcome from Zhu Chaofeng, accompanied even by the three young masters of Zhu Family Manor—Zhu Long, Zhu Hu, and Zhu Biao. In fact, the name Ning Yi, Ning Liheng, was already on record at Liangshan, so for this trip, he posed as a young relative of the Lei family and had already changed his name.
“This humble one is Lei Feng. I’ve loved martial arts since childhood and have wandered the martial world for several years, achieving some small measure of success,” Ning Yi said, cupping his hands in introduction upon meeting them. “In the martial world, they call me by the outlaw name Thunderbolt Hand of Primal Chaos. Hearing that things weren’t too peaceful around Shandong these days, I volunteered to come personally—both to do business and to make friends. Today, meeting all the heroes of Zhu Family Manor, is truly an honor.”
Ning Yi was barely in his twenties, and at the moment carried none of the presence one would expect of a martial arts master. When he gave his name, the others’ faces showed some confusion, though naturally they kept up the pleasantries. “So this is Brother Lei Feng, the Thunderbolt Hand of Primal Chaos—we’ve long admired your name, a pleasure to meet you.”
“Actually, business is secondary. What matters most is upholding justice, speaking out against injustice. Hearing that Liangshan bandits mean ill toward Dulong Ridge, this Lei, having studied the art of war since childhood, has always wanted to see a real battlefield. Sadly my family is too old-fashioned, and I missed my chance to join the northern campaign. If Liangshan bandits attack in the coming days, I do hope you’ll all let me stay to observe, perhaps even lend a hand—hahaha, I’ll surely repay the favor generously one day…”
He stood with hands on his hips, delivering this speech, while everyone else’s faces flushed red and then pale with embarrassment, thoroughly mortified…