Chapter 12: Implementing the Scheme

By the time the First Leader and his men galloped back to the stockade…

It was nothing but a scorched, blackened ruin.

“First Leader,” the bandit sent ahead to scout reported, his voice trembling uncontrollably, “there isn’t a single survivor left in the stockade! Everything’s gone… those children too…”

The First Leader silently waved his grey feather fan. A fierce wind instantly whipped up, swirling through the charred remains! CRUMBLE! The last standing structures of Black Wind Stockade collapsed into dust and debris.

“DAMN IT!” the First Leader roared, his voice vibrating with barely suppressed fury. “Go find out which way that arsonist, murdering little rat fled! And bring those children BACK to me!”

“Yes, sir!” the remaining bandits yelled in unison.

The First Leader gripped his feather fan so tightly his knuckles went white. He ground his teeth, his voice a low, vicious snarl. “Second Brother… Third Brother… Big Brother swears this oath: I will personally kill your murderer! I will have vengeance for you!”

Meanwhile, deep in the forest.

“I’ll take point,” Ye Tianlong urged, keeping his voice low. “Tongming, you bring up the rear. Make sure to cover our tracks carefully. We need to get out of this area, fast.”

“Got it!” Bǎi Tōngmíng nodded grimly.

He expertly swept his long whip across the forest floor, gathering dry branches and fallen leaves, scattering them behind them to obscure their footprints.

Inside a hidden cave.

Hearing Ye Tianlong’s familiar footsteps approaching, Ye Qing rushed out from the shadows. “Brother! You’re back!”

“Mm, Xiao Qing,” Ye Tianlong ruffled her hair gently. “These are the people Brother rescued.”

“Is this Big Brother’s sister?” Bǎi Tōngmíng’s cheerful voice boomed from behind Ye Tianlong before he even entered the cave. “Hello, Little Sister! I’m Big Brother Tianlong’s honorary little brother, Bǎi Tōngmíng! Just call me Brother Xiao Ming, haha!”

Ye Qing looked at Ye Tianlong, her expression filled with questions.

Ye Tianlong just offered a tired smile. “Let’s get inside first. Those bandits are probably scouring the entire mountain for us right now.”

The small group filed into the relative safety of the cave.

“Here,” Ye Qing offered softly, handing out waterskins to the rescued children. “Drink some water. Don’t be afraid anymore. It’s safe here.” Her heart ached looking at them.

There were about a dozen children of varying ages, but all shared the same striking feature: blue eyes. They were clearly from the Western Regions. The oldest looked to be around Ye Qing’s own age, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, while the youngest were barely four or five years old. Every single one was sallow-faced and painfully thin, dressed in tattered rags, their small bodies marked with dried blood and bruises.

After sipping the warm water, a few of the older children exchanged nervous glances, then suddenly dropped to their knees.

Thump! Thump! Thump! They kowtowed heavily three times. (tln : kowtow is like dogeza in chinese culture)

One of the older girls, maybe fifteen or sixteen, spoke in heavily accented Central Plains language, her voice trembling with desperation. “Please, please save us! If Black Wind Stockade catches us again, we’ll definitely die! They’ll kill us!”

“Please… save us…” One after another, the children knelt, tears glistening in their wide, terrified eyes.

Only one small girl, perhaps eight years old, remained standing stiffly apart from the others, her gaze disturbingly empty, unfocused.

Ye Tianlong couldn’t bear the sight. “Get up, quickly! All of you! I promise, I will save you!”

“Yes, get up!” Ye Qing rushed forward, gently helping the kneeling girl nearest her to her feet. “My brother will definitely save you!”

Bǎi Tōngmíng puffed out his chest, striking a heroic pose. “Don’t worry! My Big Brother and I will absolutely wipe out Black Wind Stockade and bring peace back to everyone! They’re just a bunch of small-time scumbags! Leave it to us, we’ll handle it, no problem!”

Ye Tianlong shot Bǎi Tōngmíng a sideways glance, the image of him beaten and chained to that wooden frame flashing vividly in his mind. Right… no problem…

A little later, Ye Tianlong pulled Bǎi Tōngmíng aside.

“Tongming,” he asked quietly, “how exactly did you end up captured by Black Wind?”

“Ah, it’s… a long story…” Bǎi Tōngmíng sighed, a hint of melancholy in his voice. “I never knew my parents. An old escort took me in when I was a kid, and I followed him, eventually becoming a freelance bounty escort myself. You know, filling in when the big agencies needed extra hands for a run, taking odd bounty jobs like guarding compounds or finding missing people… standard stuff. Then, the old escort… he got sick and died during a delivery run a while back. After that, finding steady work got tough.”

He rubbed his bruised arms subconsciously. “A few days ago, I took a bounty posting – just delivering a letter to Peach Blossom Village. Simple job, right? But I ran straight into a large group of Black Wind bandits raiding the place. There were too many of them… I couldn’t fight them all off. Got careless, got captured. They threw me in that stinking prison cell.”

“Tongming,” Ye Tianlong lowered his voice further, “do you have any idea why Black Wind was taking these children? It makes no sense…”

Bǎi Tōngmíng shook his head, looking equally puzzled. “No clue, Big Brother.”

“They capture children… for Refining Pills.”

The voice was soft, almost childish, yet chillingly devoid of emotion. Ye Tianlong and Bǎi Tōngmíng looked down simultaneously. It was the strange, hollow-eyed eight-year-old girl.

She stared up at them with those empty blue eyes, her expression flat. “In a cave… near here… I saw it. With my own eyes. A strange old man… he threw my little sister… into a big furnace. He… he said our flesh and blood… are the best materials… for refining pills.”

Ye Tianlong felt a cold dread wash over him, horrifically understanding dawning. “Refining pills?!”

“So!” Bǎi Tōngmíng exploded, connecting the dots with sudden, furious clarity. “Those legendary Longevity Pills everyone whispers about in the markets… they’re made from people?! From children?!” He clenched his fists, trembling with rage. “These scum! They’re worse than animals! They’re demons!”

“Hey now, what are you doing out here?” Ye Qing’s gentle voice interrupted their grim conversation. She came over and softly took the little girl’s hand. “Come on, you should go back and rest.” She looked at Ye Tianlong and Bǎi Tōngmíng. “Brother, you two should get some rest soon too.”

As Ye Qing led the little girl away, the child turned her head slightly, giving Ye Tianlong one last, deep, unsettling look.

Bǎi Tōngmíng remained silent for a long moment, his earlier bravado completely gone, replaced by a heavy, grim expression. “Big Brother… This whole thing… it runs much deeper than just bandits. You… you really should take your sister and get far away from here, as fast as you can…”

Ye Tianlong’s gaze sharpened. “Tongming. What else do you know? Tell me.”

“Running escorts all over,” Bǎi Tōngmíng continued reluctantly, “I’ve heard… whispers. Vague rumors, mostly dismissed as crazy talk. About those Longevity Pills. They say they can extend your lifespan, keep you young forever… Cost a king’s ransom, practically impossible to obtain unless you’re royalty or one of the super-rich nobles. This Black Wind Stockade… it fits the profile. It’s probably just one… one refining site. There have to be powerful figures backing them. People way above our level. People we really can’t afford to cross.” He frowned deeply, lines of worry etched on his face.

Ye Tianlong pondered this, his expression dark. “Logically… fleeing is the smart move. Anyone would say so. But… I killed Black Wind’s Second and Third Leaders. They won’t just let that go. They’ll hunt us relentlessly.” He paused, then his eyes hardened with cold resolve. “Rather than live constantly looking over our shoulder, waiting for the inevitable attack… it’s better to strike first! Finish this, now!” His voice took on a hard, almost reckless edge. “Who cares what big shots might be pulling the strings behind the scenes! Worry about today’s battle, not tomorrow’s maybe. Life and death? Don’t sweat it. If someone pisses you off…” He grinned savagely. “…you fight!”

A look of pure, unadulterated admiration dawned on Bǎi Tōngmíng’s face. “Big Brother! Whatever you say, I’m with you!”

“Alright,” Ye Tianlong said, his mind already working. “We need a solid plan.”

“Big Brother,” Bǎi Tōngmíng cautioned, “Black Wind’s First Leader… he’s known for being suspicious, cautious. And he still has plenty of bandits under his command. This… this won’t be easy.”

Ye Tianlong thought intensely for a moment, then a cunning glint appeared in his eyes. A plan began to form. He leaned closer to Bǎi Tōngmíng, lowering his voice. “Okay… Here’s what we do…”

***

Back in Baisha City.

Ye Tianlong and Bǎi Tōngmíng swaggered boldly down the main street in broad daylight. They sat down at an outdoor table, ordered a pot of cheap yellow wine, and proceeded to laugh and talk loudly, drawing attention.

A short distance away, a bandit disguised crudely as a simple hunter watched them from the shadows, his eyes narrowed.

Ye Tianlong leaned slightly towards Bǎi Tōngmíng, murmuring under his breath, “Fish took the bait.”

He abruptly slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

“Let’s go!”

Moving with surprising speed, the two of them paid their bill and disappeared through the city gate.

An inn, just one street away from where the disguised bandit was lurking.

“First Leader! We found them! Those two punks!” the disguised bandit reported breathlessly.

CRASH!

A wine cup shattered against the wall.

The First Leader leaped to his feet, his eyes blazing with murderous intent! “Brothers! Let’s ride! We’re going to slaughter those two little bastards!”

A dozen horses thundered through the streets, scattering terrified townsfolk, chickens, and market stalls in a wave of chaos!

Outside the city gates.

Ye Tianlong and Bǎi Tōngmíng galloped furiously on horseback, dust trailing behind them.

A dozen bandits, led by the First Leader, whipped their own horses mercilessly, chasing close behind.

Up ahead, a crossroads emerged from the dusty plains. Without slowing, Ye Tianlong and Bǎi Tōngmíng suddenly veered apart, each taking a different fork in the road!

“You men, go that way!” the First Leader barked, pointing towards Bǎi Tōngmíng’s retreating figure. “The rest of you, follow me!” He led the remaining riders hard after Ye Tianlong, charging into the dense mountain forest bordering the plains.

Deep within the forest.

The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Wind whispered through the dense canopy, causing leaves to drift down silently.

WHOOSH! Fwip-fwip-fwip!

Suddenly, a lethal volley of sharpened bamboo spears shot out from the dense undergrowth on either side of the narrow trail!

The First Leader reacted with incredible speed! He twisted his body sideways, vaulting clean off his horse just as the spears flew past!

Several of his bandit followers weren’t nearly as agile. Pierced through by multiple spears, they screamed in agony as they were flung from their saddles, impaled and dying!

The First Leader landed lightly on his feet, then performed an agile leap high into the air (like an ‘Oolong twisting around a Pillar’ – a fancy martial arts move) to get a better vantage point. He roared in fury, “Just as I thought! A treacherous rat! Is hiding and setting traps the only way you know how to fight?! Get out here, coward! Laozi will butcher you!”

FWOOSH! A razor-sharp line of Sword Qi burst through the air, slicing cleanly through leaves and branches as it shot towards the First Leader!

The Sword Qi slammed into the ground near his feet, gouging a deep furrow and kicking up clouds of dirt!

“Impressive swordsmanship!” the First Leader sneered savagely, finally spotting Ye Tianlong stepping out from behind a large tree. “But you picked the wrong person to provoke!”

He raised his grey feather fan… then swept it down!

WHOOOOSH! A ferocious gale erupted instantly! Powerful winds tore through the clearing, snapping nearby trees clean in half at their trunks!

Ye Tianlong stood his ground, bracing against the wind.

The First Leader focused his gaze, assessing the faint True Qi swirling around Ye Tianlong. He snorted contemptuously. “Coming up with a plan to split my forces… luring some away… then using traps to kill my men… Clever enough, I’ll give you that. But,” his voice dripped with disdain, “with your pathetic Body Refining cultivation? You must have used some dirty tricks, some despicable scheme, to kill my Second and Third Brothers! Those cowardly methods won’t work on me! I’m going to slaughter you right here, right now!”

Ye Tianlong’s reply was ice-cold. “I’ll chop you dead with this wooden sword.”

The First Leader threw his head back and laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. “HAHAHA! Body Refining Realm? A wooden sword? You think you can kill me?! Dream on, you ignorant fool! Let me show you the real gap between our strengths!”

Ye Tianlong didn’t waste another breath. His Wood Stone Sword shot forward, slicing through the air towards the First Leader!