The Haihan Mountains were not one mountain but a whole range.
Wherever the eye turned there were layered peaks and rolling ridges. By day they were a wall of green; by night the ghost fires multiplied and the lamplight turned dim, until it was hard to tell who was human and who was ghost.
Two hundred years ago, Mu Xiujue, the first sect leader, had chosen this place to found the sect. He built the Palace of Supreme Bliss and the Pavilion of the Nine Provinces Treasure Scrolls first, and several later leaders added the Immortal Sacrifice Cliff, the Godslaying Platform and other key sites. With these places at the center, countless secret passages and hidden doors spread like spider silk, buried deep beneath the towering peaks.
The only passage open to the outside lay in a dense grove of ink-black bamboo, with traps and mechanisms on every side. In the jianghu it was known as the Netherworld Bamboo Road.
Tonight the Netherworld Bamboo Road was unusually quiet. Along the way, not a single ghost fire could be seen.
On the eastern edge of the thick black bamboo stood a brightly lit mansion, ringed by three layers of armed guards, all on alert. You Guanyue showed his token and hurried into the inner residence, to a study where a tall, handsome figure was bent over a desk under the lamp.
"Come in." The cold, beautiful young man did not even look up. His long lashes cast a deep blue-green shadow beneath his eyes, which made his skin look all the paler.
You Guanyue prostrated himself. "I pay my respects to the Young Lord."
Mu Qingyan said, "Is everything in place?"
You Guanyue said, "Wang Tianfeng has gathered the able-bodied men from every village around the Vermilion Bird Altar. Liu Jiangfeng is waiting outside the altar for his chance. Tang Qing is leading what remains of Tianquan's men, and they only await your orders, Young Lord."
"Get up first." Mu Qingyan raised his head and sighed. "Elder Qiu's loyalty to the Mu family can be witnessed by heaven itself. But once he died, the tea went cold. Of his people, those who weren't killed went over to other factions, and hardly anyone is left."
His gaze moved to You Guanyue, who stood before the desk. "Of those who remain, your rank is the highest. From now on I will have to rely on your talents, Lord You."
You Guanyue bowed. "I am willing to die for the Young Lord!"
Mu Qingyan said, "Shisan, have the swords been taken out of the sword cavern?"
You Guanyue started. A thin youth stepped out of the shadows, as silent as a ghost. You Guanyue had not noticed he was in the room at all.
Lian Shisan reported in a low voice, "I counted the men outside. Fifty or sixty swords will be enough."
Mu Qingyan smiled faintly. "Shisan really knows how to manage a household. The accounting you learned from Uncle Cheng wasn't wasted. Pass the word: when everyone sees that 'thing,' they are not to fight it in a tangle. Use the swords to cut through its neck and spine. Go and hand out the swords."
Lian Shisan acknowledged the order and left.
You Guanyue's face lit up. "I heard that a hundred-odd years ago, one sect leader was passionate about sword casting. He summoned swordsmiths from all over the land and over twenty years had several hundred blades cast, sharp enough to cut through iron, and hid them somewhere in the mountains. So it was true after all!"
Mu Qingyan said wryly, "Even a broken boat has three pounds of nails. At least the Mu family still has some assets the Nie family doesn't know about."
You Guanyue studied Mu Qingyan's expression and said carefully, "Young Lord, we don't actually have to fight our way in head-on. I know several secret passages into the Vermilion Bird Altar. We could slip in through them, and with your skill, you could kill that Xiong Qianjin with a single sword stroke. Wouldn't that save effort?"
Mu Qingyan thought about it and nodded. "That's right. You served several years as deputy altar master of the Vermilion Bird Altar, so you would know a great deal. But I took the effortless route a year and more ago, and this time I want to walk a different road. Do you know the best way to clean a filthy, squalid house?"
You Guanyue gave an awkward smile. "Please instruct me, Young Lord." Inwardly he thought: all of us have staked our lives and families on you, so don't pull any strange stunts.
Mu Qingyan gazed at the dim yellow flame. "I used to think a change of master was all the house needed. Later I realized it was far worse than filthy. Snakes, insects and rats had taken over even the beams and pillars. The best way to clean a house like that is not to clean it at all. You burn it to the ground and build a new one."
"A year and more ago, I thought my training had succeeded, and I rashly challenged Nie Zhe. I ended up attacked from front and back, badly wounded and on the run. This time I am not going after Nie Zhe. I will push forward from the Netherworld Bamboo Road, inch by inch, until I reach the Palace of Supreme Bliss." He looked at the huge map on the wall. "The first stop is the Vermilion Bird Altar."
You Guanyue was thoroughly shaken. "Young Lord, you mean to take them one at a time? That would take enormous effort! Besides the Vermilion Bird Altar, there are the Azure Dragon, White Tiger and Black Tortoise altars, three more main altars. I know a little about the Vermilion Bird Altar, but the other three are complete darkness to me!"
"You're right, it is very hard. Are you still willing to serve me?" Mu Qingyan's eyes were like an icy spring, utterly cold and yet dazzling. When his gaze fell on You Guanyue, You Guanyue felt a chill run down his back.
He answered quickly, "Of course!"
Mu Qingyan looked at him quietly. "You Guanyue. You were sold into the sect by a slave trader at the age of six. Elder Qiu saw that you were quick and bright, with good aptitude, and picked you out of a group of children to be his boy attendant in the alchemy room. After Elder Qiu's death, you were young enough to escape the Nie purge. Later, because you worked efficiently and capably, you were promoted to master of a branch altar somewhere."
"Five years ago, you found a chance to get to know Xiong Qianjin, master of the Vermilion Bird Altar, and through his 'favor and trust' you rose to deputy altar master there. But it didn't last. Xiong Qianjin soon took up with two new favorites. Zhang Xun and Li Zhang replaced you as the left and right deputy masters, and you were pushed out to a branch altar elsewhere."
You Guanyue crouched on the floor, drenched in cold sweat, full of humiliation and resentment.
Mu Qingyan said, "I don't care whether you truly remember Elder Qiu's kindness or whether you hope to turn your fortunes around and hold power again. I only want you to remember one thing: since you have come over to me, you do what I tell you. When Xiong Qianjin is dead, you will be the new master of the Vermilion Bird Altar."
You Guanyue's eyes flashed and his blood ran hot.
He got up and knelt beside Mu Qingyan's chair. Deliberately loosening his collar to show his handsome, slender collarbone, he smiled and was about to speak when he noticed Mu Qingyan's eyes, sharp as lightning and cold to the bone.
He shuddered and hurriedly pulled his collar closed.
Mu Qingyan said slowly, "I will say this once. I don't like anyone coming within three paces of me."
You Guanyue scrambled further away on his knees, resolving that from now on he would take the path of chaste virtue.
Lian Shisan finished handing out the swords and came to report. "Young Lord, it's almost time."
Mu Qingyan said, "Guanyue, go and take a sword too. We move now."
...
The night seemed scorched red with blood. Killing cries rose from every part of the valley and corpses lay everywhere.
Mu Qingyan's figure flashed across the night sky like a sword splitting the heavens. Two palm strikes in a row, and the huge gate of the Vermilion Bird Altar, heavy timber cast with iron, burst apart with a roar.
Eager to show his worth before Mu Qingyan, You Guanyue charged in at the front with his sword, cutting left and right, unstoppable.
Lian Shisan was a little surprised. "So that You fellow has real skill."
Mu Qingyan said, "He has always been among the best of the younger generation in the sect, with first-rate cultivation and ability. Unfortunately, Nie Zhe would never trust him with any real power."
As one of the four main altars, the Vermilion Bird Altar should have been full of masters. But Nie Zhe was jealous of talent, and the more capable a person was, the more likely he was to be pushed aside. Xiong Qianjin had been personally promoted by Nie Zhe, so one could imagine how he picked his men.
You Guanyue led the charge at the front while Mu Qingyan held the rear, stepping forward to kill whichever enemy master looked strongest. After he had killed seventeen or eighteen of them, the balance between the two sides reversed.
Behind the lines, Zhang Xun watched You Guanyue draw closer, and his charming face twisted. He ordered, "Release the corpse puppet slaves!"
A strange, winding flute melody rose, and a group of people with blue-gray skin marched out in step.
These "people" had empty eyes and sunken, dried flesh. They gave off the smell of the dead, and their throats made a "ge ge" sound, like ghouls from hell come to the human world.
Under the moon, a terrifying and eerie sight appeared.
The flute suddenly changed, turning shrill and urgent, and the dried corpses that should have been buried attacked at once. They had no advanced martial skill, but they were enormously strong and feared no injury.
One corpse had its arm cut off, but no blood sprayed out. Only a thick, dark red liquid dripped slowly down.
You Guanyue shouted, "Don't hack and stab at random! Cut their necks or their spines!"
The others followed his lead.
The corpses' bodies were stiff, cold and hard. Thanks to the swords Mu Qingyan had handed out beforehand, the men were spared from harm.
Still, the corpses were many, and You Guanyue and the others were gradually forced back.
Mu Qingyan tilted his head to listen and finally found the source of the flute. He leapt into the air and let out a thundering shout: "Go!"
A short, wiry man screamed and staggered out from behind the crowd, thin streams of blood running from his mouth, ears, nose and eyes. He collapsed and died, an iron short flute still in his hand.
Zhang Xun hurriedly had another man take his place to keep playing and commanding the corpses. But those who use sound as a weapon fear nothing more than having their dantian broken by a shout charged with internal force. Once their cultivation is broken, they lose their lives.
Mu Qingyan followed the sound, put his internal force into his shouts, and broke the dantian of two more flute players.
Zhang Xun had not expected this.
In the past, when he used corpse puppet slaves to attack in force, his opponents were either frightened into confusion or had no idea how to break them. He had never expected to meet someone like Mu Qingyan today, who knew everything about them.
Once the flute stopped, the huge number of corpse puppet slaves, with no one to command them, dropped and went still like kites with their strings cut.
"Shisan, you can bring the villagers in now," Mu Qingyan said suddenly.
Lian Shisan went at once to call them.
Seeing that no formidable enemies remained, You Guanyue slipped back to Mu Qingyan's side and flattered him. "So you had been prepared all along, Young Lord. Those shouts just now carried far and held tremendous force. They're much better than any Lion's Roar!"
"Be quiet." Mu Qingyan's tone was indifferent. "The day you all came to me to pledge yourselves, two of them had cultivation higher than yours. Do you know where they are now?"
You Guanyue froze. "...Are you speaking of Brother Han and Brother Wu?"
"Han had long since gone over to Nie Zhe and meant to infiltrate us as a spy. Wu was fickle and wanted to learn from me where the Pavilion of the Nine Provinces Treasure Scrolls is. I have dealt with both."
Mu Qingyan spoke as indifferently as if he had crushed two grasshoppers. You Guanyue's head shuddered. "Y-Young Lord was right to do so."
"You have switched sides a few times yourself, and served many masters. Do you know why I kept you?" Mu Qingyan seemed unusually patient with him. "Because you still remember the rules Elder Qiu taught you."
"The people in the Haihan Mountains, the peddlers and porters, the farmers and weavers, are either the families and descendants of the sect's followers or ordinary people willing to place themselves under the sect. All year round they hand over their tribute faithfully and never slack. In return, the sect protects them. That is the rule the Mu family set."
The Haihan range held many rivers, marshes, slopes and fields. Like Jiuli Mountain, it could support itself.
When Mu Xiujue first founded the sect, those who followed him were all his trusted generals. But as with the Six Sects of Beichen, within ten or twenty years the population was bound to keep growing. Beyond that, when followers died in battle outside, their wives and children needed support; when new masters were recruited, they needed a place to settle. A community of thousands naturally needed food, clothing, housing and transport.
After two hundred years, the Haihan Mountains had markets, towns and villages, everything in place.
"However arrogant Nie Hengcheng was in his day, he still knew to follow this rule. Nie Zhe has trampled the sect's laws for his own selfish ends. Someone needs to teach him the rules." Mu Qingyan turned to look at You Guanyue. "Nie Zhe doesn't dare seize people from the Six Sects of Beichen to make corpse puppet slaves, and doesn't even dare take people from outside the sect. He can only turn on his own people."
"You lost Xiong Qianjin's favor not because you were less skilled, but because Zhang Xun and Li Zhang could deliver dozens of able-bodied villagers at a time for refining into corpse puppet slaves, while you could only offer a few. Over time, Xiong Qianjin naturally came to value the two of them more."
Mu Qingyan's gaze was clear and discerning, as if it could see through everything.
You Guanyue began to tremble, whether from fear that Mu Qingyan had looked into him so thoroughly, or from being moved that someone had finally noticed the small, deeply hidden bit of conscience he carried.
"Cai Pingshu once said that to judge a person, you don't look at how good he can be when things go well, but how bad he can be when things go badly." Mu Qingyan gazed into the distance, as if thinking of someone.
"Through all your ups and downs, you never went too far. That is why I kept you."
You Guanyue did not dare grin in front of Mu Qingyan. He stood stiffly and properly at his side.
Just then the villagers arrived, pouring in like a tide, and few dangerous opponents were left on the field. Among the standing corpse puppet slaves they recognized people they knew, even members of their own families, and wailing shook the sky.
Wang Tianfeng, a plump, kindly-faced middle-aged man, judged the moment right and called on the able-bodied villagers to attack the Vermilion Bird Palace and drag out Xiong Qianjin to avenge their relatives and friends.
By the time Mu Qingyan and You Guanyue walked into the Vermilion Bird Palace, it was already a shambles.
Xiong Qianjin and a dozen or so of his confidants were surrounded.
Seeing Mu Qingyan from afar, he split his dark yellow, fleshy face in a wide laugh. "Well, if it isn't our Young Master Mu! A year and more ago you ran off with your tail between your legs. We all thought you were dead, and the sect leader even built a tomb of your clothes for you. You ought to be grateful! Why turn on us now?"
Mu Qingyan did not look at him. He had the huge windows on all four sides thrown open and pointed at the pitch-black darkness outside. "The weather is getting warmer. I heard from my father that at this time of year, every household would begin preparing for the spring sacrifice, and the area around the Vermilion Bird Altar should be bright with lamps and bustling. Why is it so cold and lifeless now, silent as the grave?"
The fat on Xiong Qianjin's face quivered. He said nothing.
"Have you forgotten the sect's rules, Altar Master Xiong?" Mu Qingyan said.
Xiong Qianjin gritted his teeth and forced a laugh. "This wasn't my own idea. I dared not disobey the sect leader's orders. I never touched a single brother of the sect. I only used commoners with no cultivation at all. Those people are nothing but insects, so why should the Young Lord concern himself? If the Young Lord spares my life, I will lead my men to serve you!"
The villagers around him glared at him with bone-deep hatred. He didn't care.
Mu Qingyan gave a short laugh. "A creature like you would be too rank even to feed to livestock."
You Guanyue said respectfully, "Please, Young Lord, kill this wretch with your own hand."
But Mu Qingyan shook his head. "Xiong Qianjin deserves to die, but I will not be the one to kill him. You will. Fight him one on one, fair and square. If you survive, you will be the next master of the Vermilion Bird Altar."
You Guanyue was shocked. "This... this..." Xiong Qianjin was revolting, but he had held the altar master's seat securely for so many years and his cultivation was formidable. You Guanyue had no confidence he could win.
He forced a smile. "Young Lord, whether I become altar master is a small matter. I only fear I'll disgrace you."
Mu Qingyan shot him a cold glance and said in a low voice, "Do you know how others see you? They say you sold your looks to become Xiong Qianjin's pet and climbed to where you are that way. If you want to be master of the Vermilion Bird Altar, and later an elder or a protector, you can't carry that filthy reputation forever."
"You can get by on grins and flattery, but can you win your subordinates' real respect with grins? Go. Kill Xiong Qianjin with your own hands. Consider it your first day of business."
Then he said loudly, "Altar Master Xiong, if you can defeat You Guanyue, I will let you go today."
Looks of every kind converged on them, and You Guanyue felt like an ant under a magnifying glass, burning all over.
The crowd quietly opened a path for him. He knew he could not back down now.
Xiong Qianjin roared with laughter. "My little Yue is so soft and tender. I'd hate to hurt him."
You Guanyue gritted his teeth and thrust his sword forward.
Xiong Qianjin's fists were mighty and roared with wind, and his whole body was trained to steel sinews and bronze bones, so that not even a sharp sword could pierce it. You Guanyue could only circle around him first, looking for a chance at a vital spot. Having stayed close to Xiong Qianjin for years, he knew his weaknesses were his lower body and his face, so he kept attacking those two areas, high and low. Xiong Qianjin bellowed and struck back again and again. Several times the wind of his fists nearly caught him, and You Guanyue dodged in a cold sweat.
Several exchanges passed in an instant. You Guanyue had in fact already found Xiong Qianjin's openings, but every time he was about to strike a vital point, Xiong Qianjin swung a fist at him a beat faster, and to avoid it he had to give up the attack.
Little by little, You Guanyue fell behind. Xiong Qianjin had natural brute strength, and seeing You Guanyue's internal force begin to fail, he laughed and pressed harder.
Then Mu Qingyan's unhurried voice came. "The Vermilion Bird is also called the immortal phoenix. To be reborn in fire, it is willing to give up its whole skin and flesh."
A flash of insight lit up You Guanyue's mind.
Meeting Xiong Qianjin's muddy, lewd gaze, he flinched out of habit. As he leapt over a sweeping blow, he saw the vermilion bird carved on the palace beam, red as raging fire, fearless of death.
He understood everything.
When Xiong Qianjin swung his fist again, he did not dodge. A roar tore from his lungs, and he thrust at the vital point without hesitation.
When two sides meet on a narrow road, the brave one wins. There was nothing more to it.
Bang, bang, bang. You Guanyue was struck three times in a row, on the shoulder, the chest and the face. His vision swam and his ears rang, his nose felt knocked out of place, and blood poured freely from it. Bones cracked in his shoulder and chest, and even his organs were shaken and injured inside.
But he had also stabbed Xiong Qianjin's Danzhong point, and then cut diagonally down along the ribs, slicing straight through his abdomen.
Xiong Qianjin howled like a mad bull. Bearing the agony, You Guanyue seized the moment to cut the tendons in his hands and feet with a few quick slashes, then staggered back, clutching his nose.
He said loudly, "Xiong Qianjin committed countless evils and harmed the people around here for years. I have crippled him, but I have left him a breath so that everyone can vent their hatred. Everyone, stand back!"
He looked at Mu Qingyan.
For the first time, the cold, aloof, handsome young man showed a real smile. "Well said," he said simply.
At the same time, Lian Shisan directed the crowd to attack Xiong Qianjin's confidants and the two deputy altar masters. After wounding their vital points in the same way, he threw them to the furious villagers.
Xiong Qianjin and the others were finally afraid. The villagers they had treated like pigs and dogs rushed at them and tore and bit their limbs apart piece by piece...
Dragging his badly injured body, You Guanyue limped toward Mu Qingyan.
The crowd parted for him of their own accord.
He felt that the eyes on him were different now. The old wariness, contempt and mockery were gone, replaced by something more serious and respectful. He knew that authority is not built in a day, and that from today he would begin again.
You Guanyue knelt before Mu Qingyan and touched his forehead to the ground, letting the blood from his nose run back freely.
He spoke word by word, with complete sincerity. "From now on I will take the Young Lord's orders and die ten thousand deaths without refusing." Then he burst out laughing, even though it hurt his whole body. "Where is the next stop? Please tell me, Young Lord. If it's hard, then it's hard!"
"You still don't understand." Mu Qingyan smiled slightly. "This time, I am not doing this only for the sect leader's seat. I intend to take back the entire sect."