Chapter 230: Reunion Under the Moon
Shi Hao waited in the shadows until the Six Gates constables left, then he emerged from his hiding place.
After waiting for a while in the clearing, Little Emerald appeared, “Young Master.”
Shi Hao nodded and followed her into the mountains.
They traversed a winding path, crossing a deep ravine, and reached a secluded area at the foot of a cliff, its entrance hidden by thick vines.
Shi Hao sensed someone watching them from the shadows.
He stopped, about to speak, when a girl’s voice came from the darkness, “He’s one of us.”
The lookout, recognizing him as the young man who had helped them earlier, emerged from the trees, “This way, brother.”
Shi Hao followed him through the forest and down to the bottom of the ravine, where the tall, thin martial artist, the woman with the infant, the two Daoist priests, and the plain-looking girl were waiting.
“Thank you for your help,” the tall, thin man said, bowing, his voice filled with gratitude and surprise, “How did you find us?”
Shi Hao’s voice was low and serious, “Those barbarian lapdogs have retreated, but they won’t give up so easily.”
“I am Dai Liang,” the tall, thin man said, “May I ask your name?”
The plain-looking girl said softly, “He’s Hao Xinghua, the ‘Mad Blade Hero,’ recently added to the Blacklist.”
They all looked at him with renewed respect. Shi Hao’s reputation, although primarily in Dàxīng City, had spread, thanks to the Blacklist. Although unranked, below the top one hundred, his presence on the list, which circulated throughout the land, carried weight.
After all, being on the Blacklist meant something. He had killed members of the Chi Mu family, one of the four great barbarian families, and Xue Lang, the Flying Scorpion Blade of the Six Gates. Ordinary criminals weren’t included.
Dai Liang bowed respectfully, “So it’s Brother Hao. If it weren’t for your warning, we would have been surrounded.”
The others also expressed their gratitude.
Shi Hao said, “Don’t mention it. I was just passing by. I don’t know what happened, but I went to visit Daoist Zhong at the temple on Three Peaks Mountain this afternoon and found it occupied by Six Gates agents.
“I suspected they were up to no good, so I waited. When I saw another group heading towards the mountain, I knew they were planning an ambush, so I set a fire to warn you.”
One of the Daoist priests frowned, “Something must have happened to Old Zhong. Perhaps he was captured while trying to arrange our escape.”
The woman with the infant said, her voice filled with guilt and anxiety, “So many have died for us… We are deeply grateful for your kindness, but please, leave us now. We don’t want to endanger you any further. My husband wouldn’t want this.”
Dai Liang said firmly, “Don’t say that, Madam. Mr. Lin died fighting for a righteous cause. Although we never met him, we admire his courage and sacrifice. We won’t let his family perish. Please rest, Madam. We’ll find a way.”
The plain-looking girl tugged at Shi Hao’s arm, “Let’s talk,” and led him away.
The others, seeing they knew each other, didn’t comment.
Shi Hao and the girl sat down on a hillside, away from the others.
The moonlight, filtering through the thin clouds, illuminated the ground before them.
“What are you doing here?” the girl asked.
Shi Hao smiled, “I came looking for you. Believe it or not.”
The girl was Xu Xiaoyan, disguised with the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique.
He hadn’t expected to find her so soon.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at him sideways, “Did that old monkey tell you where to find me?”
Shi Hao said, “I’m on my way to the Crystal Palace in the East Sea. I need Dream Grass for my next breakthrough. It only grows there, and it has to be used quickly.”
Xu Xiaoyan, her hands clasped around her knees, looked towards the distant horizon, “The East Sea…”
Shi Hao said, “You were also going there, weren’t you? Why are you still here?”
Xu Xiaoyan snorted, “That old man told you everything, didn’t he?”
Shi Hao chuckled, “I’m the Young Master of the Evil Lotus Sect now. Yue Yaotai, Zhu Ping, and Huan Tingting are also in a town near the Qiantang River.
“They wouldn’t dare hide anything from me. You left so suddenly; it was obvious something had happened. I just asked them.”
“So, you were going to the East Sea. Why are you still here?”
Xu Xiaoyan glanced back, then lowered her voice, “I was, but something came up, and I had to go… somewhere else.”
“That woman and her child…” Shi Hao gestured towards the small group.
Xu Xiaoyan said, “Her husband was Lin Jing, Hero Fu’s strategist.”
Shi Hao suddenly understood. Fu Shiyuan and his rebels in the Changbai Mountains, despite their eventual defeat, had put up a valiant fight against the barbarian army, even achieving several significant victories, forcing the barbarians to deploy a large number of troops and resources.
Their resistance had inspired other rebellions across the land, giving them hope.
Although they had been defeated, their sacrifice hadn’t been in vain. They had ignited a spark that would eventually become a raging fire.
And Lin Jing had been Fu Shiyuan’s second-in-command.
After his death, his wife and child had become targets for the barbarian court, not just to eliminate potential threats, but also to make an example of them, a warning to anyone who dared oppose them.
And these martial artists, although having no prior connection to Lin Jing, were risking their lives to protect his family.
Shi Hao smiled, “So you put aside your own plans, even your search for your sister, to help them, putting yourself in danger?”
He reached out and playfully flicked her forehead, “You’re such a softie.”
Xu Xiaoyan swatted his hand away, “What would you have done?”
Then, her smile fading, she said, her voice filled with concern, “I hope Old Zhong is alright.”
Shi Hao sighed, “I’m not optimistic. He wouldn’t have collaborated with the Six Gates; otherwise, they would have been waiting for you at the temple. But they were waiting at the foot of the mountain, which means your escape route is still secret. Something must have happened to him.
“Hopefully, he’s just been captured and is waiting to be interrogated with you. But it’s also possible… they killed him.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “We barely managed to escape and cross the Long River. We had no other choice but to contact him to arrange passage south. Perhaps we shouldn’t have gone to him. He’s been retired for years.”
Shi Hao said, “If they only captured him, they wouldn’t kill him immediately, not until they’ve caught you. But your situation is more precarious. When I arrived, the town was crawling with barbarian soldiers and Six Gates agents, and also other martial artists, who, although not from the Six Gates, were also searching for you.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “The Sea Shark Gang.”
Shi Hao said, “The Sea Shark Gang? The ones who control the salt and maritime trade along the lower Long River and the East Sea coast?”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “The salt trade is a lucrative business. They couldn’t do it without the barbarian court’s backing. Salt smuggling is a capital offense. The Sea Shark Gang is protected by the Han He family, one of the four great barbarian families. They’re powerful.”
Shi Hao thought about it. She was right. The salt trade was a government monopoly. The Sea Shark Gang couldn’t operate without official protection.
Ordinary smugglers risked their lives.
Xu Xiaoyan continued, “They’re basically lapdogs of the Han He family. The barbarian army and the Six Gates are searching openly, and the Sea Shark Gang is working in secret. We couldn’t even enter the towns; we had to avoid them.
“But we can’t keep running. If we continue south, they’ll find us.”
Shi Hao asked, “Where are you taking them?”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “To one of the larger southern rebel groups. The closest are the Dragon and Phoenix Society and the Yellow Heaven Army…”
“The Yellow Heaven Army?”
“They’re quite powerful in the south, controlling seven of the twenty-one prefectures of Jiangyin. The Dragon and Phoenix Society would be better, though. They were formed by former members of Dark Thunder. They would protect Lin Jing’s family.
“But reaching their territory is difficult. There are other smaller rebel groups, like Guan Rong’s and Qian Dehui’s, also connected to Dark Thunder, but they’re further away and weaker, constantly under attack.
“The closest and most powerful is the Yellow Heaven Army, led by Li Badao, who, I heard, was just a commoner before launching his rebellion. But he’s not from Dark Thunder, and he has no connections to the Daoist sects. We can’t contact him, and we don’t know if he would even help us.”
Shi Hao’s mind raced. Li Badao of the Yellow Heaven Army… he was an outer disciple of the Black Lotus Realm, controlled by Long Niu.
He was essentially… Shi Hao’s subordinate’s subordinate’s… subordinate!
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