A narrow gap split the steep cliffs of two mountains, with an abyss yawning below. Halfway up the mountain, a stone path wide enough for two carriages had been carved out.
A dozen or so people walked along the stone path, winding their way forward.
Two peaks stood facing each other as if a heavenly gate were split open, clouds drifting through the gap. The howling mountain wind tussled Lin Yue's bangs, obscuring her vision. Squinting, she looked ahead into the endless distance, wondering how people had managed to carve this stone path between the cliffs—a feat of ingenious craftsmanship and extraordinary skill.
Beyond this stone path lay the entrance to Wangsu Stream.
Hong Mei picked up a stone and tossed it over the edge. It instantly vanished into the clouds and mist, leaving not a sound behind.
"If anyone falls down there, they'll end up dead or crippled at the very least," she said, wiping her hands before pressing forward.
Lin Yue gauged the steepness of the cliff face; it formed almost a straight vertical line, with very few protrusions or crevices. When using a lightness technique, a person acted like a powerful spring, with internal energy serving as its elasticity. Once momentum ran out, one needed a foothold to borrow force. On a cliff this steep, even she doubted she could find a point to push off from; falling off meant almost certain death.
Such a stone path was perilous—a classic choke point where one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.
No one knew if someone was blocking the road ahead or if an ambush along the cliffs might cut off their retreat. But the jianghu was inherently dangerous; if one feared every shadow, one wouldn't even be able to step out the door. Thus, the group chose to push through together.
After walking on the stone path for two days, they descended to the foot of the mountain. A short distance ahead was the entrance to Wangsu Stream.
Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed from behind as massive boulders collapsed from the cliff, blocking their retreat. The donkey and horses brayed and neighed in panic. Surprised, everyone drew their weapons, turning to face a dozen or so fierce bandits running swiftly toward them from the entrance.
"Surrender and live!" shouted a one-eyed man with a blinded eye.
"I am Lu Chuan, a disciple of the Xuanjian Sect!"
"Ren Siyan, a disciple of the Huajian Sect!"
"Wang Hong of the Qingxu Sect!"
"Zhu Guangbai of the Qingxu Sect!"
"..."
"Hong Mei of Yunzhou Prefecture!"
The members of the group called out their names and affiliations one after another, leaving only Lin Yue and the black-clad wanderer silent.
Announcing one's background was standard etiquette when traveling the jianghu. A title or sect name represented status and standing while distinguishing friend from foe; anyone wanting to make a move had to weigh whether they were qualified to pick that fight.
However, that only applied in ordinary circumstances. In a place overrun by death-row convicts and outlaws, the enemies' reputations were even more notorious.
"Xuanjian Sect? Who's that?! Never heard of it! But your granddaddy here is a red-named fugitive on Yanzhou's Wanted List, nicknamed Golden Blade One-Eyed Dragon!"
"I decide if you die at midnight or make it to dawn! Wang Chong, the Living King of Hell, a red-named fugitive on Guangyi Prefecture's Wanted List!"
"Du Mazi, the Ghost-Faced Smile, a red-named fugitive on Kaiyang Prefecture's Wanted List!"
"..."
"And Peng Qianhu, the Thousand-Handed Butcher, top of Yunzhou Prefecture's Wanted List!"
Upon hearing the last name, Hong Mei's face filled with fury. She said in a deep voice, "Peng Qianhu the Thousand-Handed Butcher is notorious for his heinous crimes in Yunzhou Prefecture! He slaughters people over the slightest displeasure. He once massacred an entire village of one hundred twenty-one people just because he saw a speck of sand in a cup of water he begged for—he didn't even spare newborn infants! Utterly despicable!"
Hearing this, Lin Yue focused her gaze on the burly man standing behind the bandits, holding a podao with a cold, indifferent stare, looking at people as if they were cattle.
The fifteen bandits blocking the path ahead were all ruthless monsters who killed without batting an eye. This was the first mortal threat Lin Yue had faced since transmigrating into this world.
Glancing carefully at the boulders blocking the narrow passage behind them, she estimated she had about a seventy percent chance of leaping over them with her Great Mastery of the Guiwu Lightness Technique.
Most martial artists in the jianghu prioritized lethal offensive moves to defeat enemies, so their mastery of lightness techniques fell far short of Lin Yue, who had practiced lightness techniques for over twenty years and possessed nearly thirty years of internal power.
Lin Yue swallowed an antidote pill, retrieved a bottle of liquid from her pack, poured it over an outer coat, and put it on. She then untied the long staff attached to her donkey's back and unwrapped the burlap covering it, revealing a deep shade of crimson.
Holding the red staff with one end resting on the ground, a close inspection would reveal fine red powder drifting from it.
"Hahaha! A bunch of nobody small-fry dare to charge into this damned Wangsu Stream? You must be blind and courting death!"
"Just as well! It's been a while since I loosened up my muscles. Today, we'll feast on human meat!"
With that, the bandits charged forward. Facing a formidable enemy and with no retreat behind them, the sect disciples at the front gripped their swords tightly and charged to meet them.
Seeing the remaining bandits rushing over, Lin Yue backed away to create distance so as not to accidentally hit her allies.
As she retreated, a dark figure darted past her, the wind generated lifting her bangs with a cool breeze.
The shadow dashed forward trailing a cold gleam to meet the enemy. When blade clashed against blade, the bandit's expression shifted drastically—the opponent's sword was remarkably precise and steady, transmitting a mountain-like resistance through the blade. In just a single move, the bandit realized the immense gap between them.
With the enemies ahead intercepted by the black-clad wanderer, Lin Yue held her red staff and observed from the rear. Hong Mei was locked in combat with a bandit, wielding a red whip. Lacking sharp offensive lethality, the whip required wide motions to strike, which allowed Du Mazi, the Ghost-Faced Smile wielding a broadsword, to dodge several times.
Seeing this, Lin Yue pulled out her custom-made sleeve dart. The sleeve dart was tiny, only half a fingernail wide. Lowering her posture in a half-squat to minimize her presence, she aimed at Du Mazi's thigh, predicted his movement by observing his stance, and pulled the trigger mechanism.
With a sharp swish, the sleeve dart shot past the bandit fighting the black-clad wanderer. His weapon pinned down by the wanderer's sword, that bandit could only twist aside to dodge. The sleeve dart grazed his thigh and continued straight ahead. Because the front bandit obstructed his line of sight, Du Mazi failed to notice it until a sharp pain hit his leg, realizing only then that he had been struck.
"Dammit!"
Feeling his leg go numb, he cursed loudly and tapped his acupoints to suppress the spread of the drug. But the dizziness only intensified, and following a flash of darkness before his eyes, he collapsed with a thud.
Taking down a red-named wanted criminal with a single dart made the black-clad wanderer glance at Lin Yue. The cold sword in her hand suddenly turned sharp, a gleam of sword light flashing across.
While the bandit, eyes sharp and focused, was still figuring out how to breach the black-clad wanderer's defense for a fatal strike, a dark figure flickered before him. The instant the cold light swept past, he felt a sudden chill on his neck, falling down in utter disbelief.
What a fine sword indeed!
Witnessing this, Lin Yue couldn't help but admire the display—the sword was sharp, and the person holding it was just as decisive, without a single wasted movement.
The black-clad wanderer engaged Peng Qianhu, the Thousand-Handed Butcher, her moves becoming significantly more cautious.
With the black-clad wanderer receiving special attention from several bandits, Lin Yue had also become a primary target after shooting one down. Two bandits bypassed the wanderer, rushing fiercely toward her.
Lin Yue flexed her index finger, releasing an arrow, but the bandit at the front swatted it away with his blade.
As expected of wanted criminals who lived on the edge of a blade, their strength was far beyond ordinary people.
Seizing the gap, Lin Yue dropped her sleeve dart launcher and swung her red staff. With her staff longer than their broadswords, she launched the first attack. As the staff struck a blade, fine red powder fluttered down amidst the vibration.
Lin Yue channeled internal power into this strike. The bandit felt his blade heavy under the impact; the force behind it didn't feel like it came from a slender woman, but rather like a hammer wielded by a giant, so heavy that the veins on his arms bulged. Seeing the red dust drifting from the staff, he initially assumed it was just splintered wood and paid it no mind—until his head went numb. By the time he realized the truth, it was already too late.
The remaining bandit, seeing his companion fall without taking a physical wound, realized there was a trick to the red staff. Not daring to underestimate her, he held his breath, concentrated his mind, and struck with caution. A woman's staff technique was usually nothing to boast about, but her strikes were continuous and heavy, forcing him to use all his strength for every block. His mind raced as he shifted his focus to the red staff.
He would use his strength against her weakness.
His saber style turned sharp as he tried every trick to slash at her hands holding the staff. Yet as they fought, he suddenly realized he had been poisoned by a knock-out drug. His heart sank—he had clearly avoided the powder and held his breath, so how had he been affected?
It wasn't just one type of drug! Gritting his teeth, the bandit stopped channeling internal energy, pulled back to create distance, and tried to flee. But after taking just two steps, he collapsed.
Lin Yue's staff technique was third-rate; she had never intended to win by martial moves alone. Her internal power and knock-out drugs were her greatest assets. Naturally, the drug was not limited to the visible red powder; it was also present in the pungent liquid poured onto her outer coat.
If forced to describe the scent, it resembled a familiar manly odor.
Because it was so familiar, some might even take an extra breath of it, making it virtually impossible for anyone to suspect something was wrong.
Having taken down three bandits, the ones closing in on Lin Yue hesitated. However, seeing that she relied on trickery and that the drug took time to take effect, the three bandits—who were battle-hardened veterans—exchanged glances and charged at her together.
Pinning down the red staff and pressing in close to attack, all three unleashed their fiercest efforts.
Seeing this, Lin Yue quickly threw out a handful of medicinal powder to force them back, seizing the chance to step forward with her staff and strike the man on the right with nearly all her strength.
A wind rose with the staff. The man blocked, but the sheer force drove him stumbling back repeatedly.
Pressing her advantage, Lin Yue swung her staff toward the middle bandit. The man on the far left raised his blade to slash at her hands. Lin Yue let go of the red staff, closed the distance with a swift footwork technique, and grabbed his wrist, twisting and locking it.
The bandit reacted instantly, grabbing her wrist in return to turn her own trick against her. Unexpectedly, she yielded to his momentum with a clever turn, neutralizing his counter and capturing him instead.
In her first real combat, Lin Yue's eyes were calm and sharp. She did not launch aggressive strikes, maintaining her Tai Chi posture and redirecting the incoming force of her opponent back at him.
Pulling her sword from the bandit's abdomen as he crumpled to the ground, the black-clad wanderer turned to look at the girl on the other side, observing her moves. Redirecting force through Tai Chi still required strength of one's own; women naturally possessed less physical power, so she must be using internal energy. Yet after fighting for so long, she showed no signs of fatigue. Her moves were steady and experienced, backed by a deep foundation of internal power unbefitting someone her age.
As those three collapsed, all twenty-some bandits were lying on the ground. Lin Yue had taken down six, while the black-clad wanderer had killed most of the rest.
Several members of the travel party had died. Among the sect disciples who had charged upfront, only two women survived. Hong Mei had taken a kick to the chest and spat up blood. Apart from the black-clad wanderer, who remained standing, the remaining five men were all lying down, groaning in pain.
Lin Yue picked up a broadsword from the ground and walked over to the unconscious bandits. With six clean, decisive slashes across their throats, blood gushed forth. Lin Yue's expression didn't change at all, as if she were merely slaughtering chickens.
Hong Mei watched, wide-eyed and stunned. The Lin Yue before her now was completely unrecognizable from the quiet girl-next-door she had chatted with earlier. This jarring contrast seemed even more frightening than bandits who killed without batting an eye.
Wiping her blade and searching the corpses, Lin Yue looked at the silver coins and banknotes in her hand, sighing with emotion: indeed, "murder and arson bring a golden belt."
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