Alone — a single man, a single horse, a single spear — he walked slowly down from the mountain. The sunlight was harsh, the temperature far from cold, but the feeling in his heart was like the wind and snow outside the Mountain God Temple that year. Having lost everything, with nowhere to return to, the only change now, perhaps, was that the pain in his heart no longer burned as sharp and fierce as it once had — it had instead seeped into every part of his body like the lingering effect of wine, soaked in deep.
In life, there are always some things that will not fade or be forgotten with the passage of time — they only settle deeper into the heart, transforming into something heavier, different from what it was at first. Like that kind of pain, it burrows into every part of the body like a disease lodged in the bone, tearing a person apart from the outside in, then hollowing them out from the inside out. By the time a person grows used to it, they’ve become hollow and empty inside, with only that pain and emptiness combined to fill what they once had.
His wife’s bones had long grown cold; slowly, one day, he might not even remember her face and smile anymore. Wounds heal, scars stop hurting, and the mark branded on his face was one he’d long grown used to. But the hatred remained, accompanying the cowardice in his heart that had nowhere to go. Liangshan had suddenly collapsed, and the wind and snow had descended once more, reminding him of the fact that he had nowhere left to go. He laughed at himself bitterly, took a drink from the wineskin at his side, and led his horse forward beneath the blazing sun.
In any case, better not to drag others down with him any longer.
The road down the mountain was narrow and rough, thick with brush — this wasn’t a trade route, and even bandits occupying the hills wouldn’t bother robbing travelers on such minor paths, sparing him a great deal of trouble. After crossing through the valley ahead, the road became somewhat more even, showing signs of regular foot traffic. In these past few days, the scattered leaders and soldiers of Liangshan had been fleeing chaotically through the wilderness and mountain forests for hundreds of li around; he had no idea whether the authorities had set up checkpoints ahead, and thinking of this, he walked more cautiously.
Having walked a few more li down the road like this, he suddenly sensed someone approaching from a side path ahead. He stopped — but the person over there had already spotted him first, and burst out laughing, waving vigorously.
“Brother!”
The figures across the way numbered only a handful, but the one in the lead was tall and broad, dressed in a grey-blue monk’s robe, carrying a monk’s staff — none other than his sworn elder brother, Lu Zhishen. After the two of them had joined Liangshan, since Lin Chong was one of the founding members from the takeover of Wang Lun, while Lu Zhishen was the chief of the heroes of Two Dragons Mountain, they hadn’t kept openly close in public — but the bond of brotherhood between them was understood by both. Running into each other so suddenly now warmed his heart, and he led his horse over at once. Lu Zhishen clapped him on the shoulder.
“I knew Brother Lin didn’t go with Chief Song and the others. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What happened — were you escorting some of the brothers down the mountain?”
“I’ve already parted ways with them,” Lin Chong replied with a smile, then greeted the several men beside Lu Zhishen one by one — “Golden-Eyed Tiger” Shi En, “Demon King of Chaos” Fan Rui, “Eight-Armed Nezha” Xiang Chong, and a few other familiar minor leaders. Previously, when Lu Zhishen had been at Two Dragons Mountain, Yang Zhi, Wu Song, Cao Zheng, Zhang Qing, and Sun Erniang had all been with him, but Yang Zhi and Cao Zheng had both been lost in the battle at Solitary Dragon Ridge, while Wu Song and the Zhang Qing couple were said to have gone with Song Jiang this time. As for Fan Rui and Xiang Chong, they’d had several run-ins with Li Kui over Li Gun’s death, so going with that group held no appeal for them — fleeing amid the chaos, they’d happened to run into Lu Zhishen and had come along together.
Lu Zhishen more or less understood Lin Chong’s temperament. He clapped him on the shoulder with an open laugh and invited him along, saying little else. The group of nine walked on a while further; up ahead they spotted a simple little eatery by a crossroads, and thinking they were already hungry, they headed over, tethered their horses, and stepped inside to look the place over first.
In the past, though this area was poor, there had still been travelers and traders passing through — resting stops were hard to come by in the wilderness, and such shops tended to draw a fair number of people together. But this time, with the government troops suppressing Liangshan, many people could only hide in the towns and watch from a distance. When they entered, only three customers were in the eatery, and all appeared to be people of the martial world. Two men carrying blades of thin iron sat eating with their goods beside them; they carried a heavy air of banditry about them, their eyes sharp and fierce — clearly seasoned old hands of the roads, which was why they still dared to be traveling at a time like this.
The third customer in the eatery, however, was a woman. She sat at an inner table, dressed in a red skirt, though travel-worn, her clothes looking rather faded. She sat there eating coarse rice with a small dish of pickled vegetables. Judging by the pack and sword on her back, she too seemed to be someone who traveled the martial world, but she lacked the thorny wariness of the seasoned wanderer. When the group entered, she glanced their way once, then went back to eating with her head down.
When Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, and the others came in, the two seasoned men who had been eyeing the woman and murmuring comments about her under their breath suddenly turned wary and low-key. Lu Zhishen and the others naturally paid them no mind, but the woman’s clothing and bearing struck them as somewhat unusual, drawing more than a few glances.
A woman traveling the rivers and lakes shouldn’t wear such an eye-catching red skirt — and though she looked road-worn, her figure and features were still quite fine. A woman like that, mixed up in this world, would sooner or later be preyed upon by someone. It seemed either she hadn’t been in this world long and had some hidden reason for being in Shandong now, or else she was visiting relatives and friends and had no choice but to carry a sword for protection. Certainly, she was no lady of a great household, that much was clear.
Weighing this briefly, the nine of them sat down at two wooden tables and called the waiter over for wine and meat. Lu Zhishen asked Lin Chong what he planned to do from here, and Lin Chong shook his head with a bitter smile.
“…For now… honestly, I have no plan. The matter with the Su family of Jiangning — I went to their home myself. Given what’s happened, with that man having struck as he has, and things having come to this point, I have nothing to say for myself. He won’t let me off either, most likely, but these past two days, I’ve kept thinking about how things stood in Liangshan’s final days…”
Speaking of the upheaval in Liangshan’s last days, the collapse of sixty thousand men’s fighting strength, the scene where everyone had been utterly powerless — even Lu Zhishen could only drain a bowl of wine, unable to find words. It was “Golden-Eyed Tiger” Shi En who raised his wine bowl and said, “If he won’t let us off, why should we let him off? Brother Lin, just go far away from here — is he really going to chase down every one of us one by one?”
Lin Chong shook his head with a bitter smile, clinked bowls with him, and drained it in one gulp. “I… it’s not that I want to leave. Among us of the martial world, dueling one-on-one, seeking revenge in open combat — that’s honorable, more often than not. But this man used schemes, never once regarding people as human. Look at how things ended atop the mountain — in his eyes, people might as well be pigs and dogs. He manipulates people’s hearts without a shred of humanity, making brothers turn on each other and kin turn against kin. Even taking revenge through schemes, why go this far…”
Lin Chong paused. “As for what Brother Song and the others did this time, I know of it. Though they didn’t call on me, even if they had, I wouldn’t necessarily have gone. But it’s understandable enough… Since I joined the mountain, all the brothers have treated me generously; I, Lin Chong, have neither virtue nor ability, yet I don’t wish to betray that bond of brotherhood. This time… I want to go kill that man. If I succeed, I’ll return to the capital afterward to settle my own score.”
He said this with a faint smile. Shi En and the others were stunned for a moment, but Lu Zhishen understood him well enough, and drained a bowl of wine. “This monk will go with you.” Lin Chong’s blood feud was known to many at Liangshan — it was in fact why he’d joined the righteous cause there in the first place, hoping that one day they might fight their way into the capital. But now that Liangshan had collapsed, he could only pursue revenge on his own. In truth, though, alone with just his weapon, never mind assassinating Gao Qiu — even attempting to assassinate this Ning Liheng out here would be difficult enough.
But at this point, Lu Zhishen began to laugh as well, lowering his voice. “Actually, that man’s troubles aren’t over yet. Chief Song and the others are already working on this too.”
“Hm?”
“Doesn’t Brother Lin know? A few days ago, Chief Song already had word sent out in every direction, spreading what happened at Liangshan… This man’s schemes are vicious, an offense against heaven’s harmony — he came seeking revenge, and killing would have been one thing, but he used people’s own hearts as bait, making tens of thousands of men slaughter each other, turn against one another. Naturally, there are those who can’t stomach such a thing. Before, some of the great heroes of the greenwood might not have wanted to get involved with our righteous cause at Liangshan — but after this, they just might act to kill this man and remove such a menace. Whatever happens with this campaign, that man’s troubles are only beginning.”
The group ate and drank quickly, talked for a while, then had the waiter pack up some wine, meat, and dried provisions. Meanwhile, the red-skirted woman at the inner table had eaten several bowls of coarse rice and finished off the entire dish of pickled vegetables. The two men of the roads outside didn’t hurry to settle their bill, likely wary of the nine Liangshan men — if they left first, the others might follow after them, which would be trouble. The Liangshan group, however, had no such worries; they paid and left, casting several cold glances at the two men on their way out, as if to say, “We’ll remember your faces.”
Leaving the eatery, they continued along the bank of a small river ahead. Shi En said he was willing to join Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong in assassinating Ning Liheng. Fan Rui and Xiang Chong hesitated somewhat. Just as they were talking, from behind, a figure poling a bamboo raft came catching up along the river — turning to look, it was the red-skirted woman; having finished her meal, it seemed she too had set out on her way.
Lu Zhishen and the others walked at an unhurried pace, paying the woman little mind, assuming she would soon pass on ahead. But after walking a while, the raft’s speed gradually slowed, and it stayed trailing behind the group. All of them were seasoned travelers of the roads and sensed something was off; exchanging glances, they moved toward the grassy bank and waited there.
The raft slowly approached and came to a stop before the group. The woman on it had by now put on her wide-brimmed hat, and looked at them. Shi En said, “Miss, might I ask why you’re following us?”
The woman tilted her head slightly, showing no hesitation, and cupped her hands in greeting. “I have a question or two I’d like to ask you gentlemen.”
“Oh?” The woman carried herself with an easy, unhurried air, and seemed to bear no great hostility — the group’s impression of her was still fairly good. Shi En said, “What would you like to ask, miss? Go ahead.”
“Are you gentlemen heroes from Liangshan?”
“We are indeed men of Liangshan. Given how things stand now, though, miss, have you come to recognize kin, or to seek revenge?”
“I won’t know until I’ve asked.”
She had spoken candidly before this, and the group still felt some goodwill toward her — but at this last remark, several of them finally frowned. Fan Rui said in a low voice, “Oh? And what else do you want to ask?”
“I want to ask — do you gentlemen truly intend to seek revenge against that bloody-handed butcher?” The woman looked at them earnestly. “I’ve heard that you men of Liangshan went to the Su family and killed over a hundred people in their household, and that’s why he came after you. You were in the wrong first, and yet now you want to seek revenge against him — why is that?”
“…Do you know this bloody-handed butcher?”
“Whether I know him or not doesn’t matter. I just now heard this gentleman here, surnamed Lin, say, ‘The matter with the Su family of Jiangning — I went to their home myself. Given what’s happened, with that man having struck as he has, and things having come to this point, I have nothing to say for myself.’ I thought you might be reasonable people. But then he went on to say something about how men of the rivers and lakes are honorable and aboveboard — so why is it that when you kill someone’s whole family, that’s honorable, but when he strikes back, that’s vicious scheming? I don’t quite understand, so I wanted to ask and get it clear.”
The woman’s question was sharp and earnest, and the group exchanged glances. Someone gave a cold laugh. “And here I thought someone interesting had shown up — turns out it’s just a madwoman.”
“We don’t kill women. If you really do know this Ning Liheng, you’d best clear off now.”
Shi En cupped his hands and laughed. “Miss, the way you talk, you’re clearly here to pick a fight. Shall we settle this, or not? And if we don’t, then what? We’re all people of the martial world — what kind of foolish question is that?!”
“I know it’s a foolish question, and I probably shouldn’t have asked it — I could’ve just killed you all. But since I heard you say that, I thought perhaps I’d ask first. If you’re truly reasonable people, turn around and leave today, let go of the grudge, and I’ll let you go. If you won’t explain yourselves, or can’t explain clearly, then of course I’ll kill you too…”
“Ran into a madwoman today!” Several of them were men of note in the northern greenwood — men like Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong, top-tier fighters wherever they went, regarded highly by all. Seeing this woman speak such nonsense so earnestly, Lu Zhishen glanced at her once, then turned to leave. Lin Chong cupped his hands politely, and the group of nine headed back onto the road. Behind them, Shi En and the others, who had perhaps felt some stirring of interest in the woman before, laughed. “Miss, that’s enough joking around. Come back once you’ve seen a few corpses before you try mixing in the greenwood. Consider yourself lucky we’re in a good mood today — cross paths with anyone else, and you wouldn’t come away so easily!”
The group turned to walk away. The woman shook her head and stepped down off the raft. After a few steps, the last two minor leaders at the rear of the group stopped. One of them drew his blade, frowning. “You really don’t know what’s good for you, woman. Leave now, or else—” Perhaps, given that she was rather good-looking, he was inclined to turn and reason with her more gently — but even as the long blade pointed at her, aimed straight for her chest, the woman walked forward without the slightest pause, stepping directly into its path.
Suddenly, a chill surged up, and a ferocious killing intent swept in from behind like an overwhelming tide. The hair on the backs of Lin Chong’s and Lu Zhishen’s necks all stood on end at once, and they whipped around. In the afternoon sunlight, dragonflies in the grass and schools of fish in the water scattered in an instant! By the riverbank, the woman stepped straight into the blade’s range, and with that step, her two palms formed blades, slashing downward from above.
Bang—
It sounded like a pair of fists smashing down onto a leather-covered drum. The minor leader had only just drawn his blade and thrust it forward, with no time to react at all — but in the eyes of Lu Zhishen and the others, for that one instant, the man’s body seemed to lift into the air, his whole frame swelling outward. Though they had come down from the mountain, they still wore armor beneath their clothes; under this pair of palm-blade strikes, the countless sharp cracking sounds were the cords of his armor snapping and the wooden plates shattering to splinters.
The minor leader’s body flew eight or nine meters across the riverbank and tumbled to the ground. Blood and viscera seeped from his mouth and through his clothes — his entire chest cavity had almost certainly been crushed.
“The number of men I’ve killed with my own hands is probably more than all of yours combined,” said the woman in the red skirt, pausing only briefly before stepping forward again. “So don’t take it lightly when I say I’m going to kill you now.”
Her tone was flat, a simple statement of fact. Lin Chong drew his spear and prepared to charge forward, while the leader nearest to her tried to retreat — but even a distance of a few meters was, in that moment, already far too great.
“Who are you?!”
Only now did the group finally ask this question outright — and what followed, aside from a sudden burst of blooming blood, was only a single sigh.
“…It doesn’t matter anymore.”