Yang Qi was hiding in the treetops, quietly looking down. She saw not only tents and soldiers below, but also makeshift wooden walls and arrow towers built from whatever materials were at hand. Though the arrow towers were just simple wooden platforms, it was clear that the enemy wasn’t slacking off on defending the mountain gate even while advancing upward. Yang Qi couldn’t tell how skilled the commander was, but even this basic obstacle, combined with a few dozen archers, would make it tough for most martial artists to break through.
"Over there, that big rock," Wu Zhengfeng pointed at a boulder that no ordinary person could climb. "If you go up from there, you can bypass the sentries and get a clearer look."
It’s good to have a local guide! Yang Qi quietly crept over and climbed up, poking her head out for a peek. No one was on top of the giant rock, so she slipped over and lay low. Looking down from the edge, she saw tents stretching out below, big and small, covering quite a large area.
"There used to be a forest outside the gate to Spirit Eagle Palace—historically one of the greatest martial arts factions, now a shadow of its former self—and now it’s all chopped down!" Wu Zhengfeng gritted her teeth in anger.
There was too much going on to take in all the details, but at least Yang Qi could see there were about six hundred martial artists—about what Wu Zhengfeng had estimated. But besides them, there were also some professional-looking soldiers: plenty of infantry and archers. They’d even set up a makeshift archery range, where people were shooting arrows at wooden targets with impressive force. These regular troops didn’t look like Central Plains folk; they wore strange clothes, had wild hair, and gave off a fierce vibe.
Past the tents was the gate to Spirit Eagle Palace—a building that looked like an ancient city gate tower, now clearly occupied. (Spirit Eagle Palace: once a legendary martial arts organization, now greatly diminished.)
"Damn it, they took Ditiangate so quickly!" Wu Zhengfeng muttered bitterly, but had to admit the invaders were numerous and well-equipped. Just those archers alone would be enough to give her palace maids a real headache.
"I’m guessing the enemy’s numbers are already over a thousand—six hundred martial artists mixed with four hundred regular soldiers, that’s some serious firepower," Yang Qi said, looking toward the back of Ditiangate. Shadows of buildings overlapped, making it hard to see clearly, so she asked in a low voice, "How many troops do we have?" Judging by the size of the place, it ought to be plenty, right?
But to her surprise, Wu Zhengfeng counted on her fingers and finally concluded, "When I was taken, there were about three hundred palace maids and disciples left in the palace."
"Three hundred?" Yang Qi exclaimed. "Didn’t Spirit Eagle Palace have that fancy 'Nine Heavens Nine Divisions' setup—basically their old grand organization, with divisions like Jun Tian, Hao Tian, You Tian, all those high and mighty names? Even if there’s only one division left, shouldn’t there be more than just three hundred people?"
But Wu Zhengfeng shook her head. "The Nine Heavens Nine Divisions have long since faded into history. After Master took over the Xiaoyao Sect and went into seclusion, no new people were recruited. The old divisions just got older and died off, with no one to replace them. By the time I joined, there were only a handful left. When Master passed away, there wasn’t a single one left—the whole Nine Heavens Nine Divisions thing just disappeared."
"Gone?" Yang Qi was totally confused. "Why? Ran out of money and food or something?"
Wu Zhengfeng shook her head again. "No, back in the previous Matriarch Elder Tong’s era, Spirit Eagle Palace had thirty-six caves, seventy-two islands, and even managed the northwest—lots of troops, horses, and endless riches. But Master thought that since we were supposed to be reclusive, money, food, and people didn’t matter anymore. When Master passed away, the whole Xiaoyao Sect was just the two of us and less than ten palace maids. There was no point in talking about Nine Heavens Nine Divisions anymore." (Matriarch Elder Tong: legendary former leader of Spirit Eagle Palace.)
"Holy crap!" Yang Qi’s eyes widened. "Spirit Eagle Palace was so powerful, and your Master turned it into a living tomb!"
"Not far off, honestly," Wu Zhengfeng said helplessly. "For a long time, the Xiaoyao Sect was closed to outsiders, and there was only one dangerous path up or down the mountain. At the worst of times, we couldn’t even fix broken roof tiles. What you see now—the Ditiangate and the main road—were all built later on my orders. All the palace maids were brought in by me, or came because they had nowhere else to go. They’re all just poor souls."
"I feel like the dream of a super-powerful Spirit Eagle Palace is about to go up in smoke... What about the Eighteen Caves and Thirty-Six Islands?"
"The original Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands—some fell to martial feuds, some to national wars, and some just had cave masters and island lords who weren’t up to the job. They all faded away."
"And your Master just let it all go?" Yang Qi couldn’t take it. "That’s a huge organization—over a hundred and eight armed groups! Even if you just called the leaders together for a meeting and told them to watch each other’s backs, that’d be something! With that many factions, you could conquer a small country in the west! And it all just faded away?"
"Yeah. Up until the end, Master stayed above it all and never intervened. Sigh..." Wu Zhengfeng sighed, then continued, "Most of the current Eighteen Caves and Thirty-Six Islands were rebuilt under my watch. Only a few islands are leftovers from the previous era."
"Ah, that explains it," Yang Qi nodded thoughtfully, then grinned. "Spirit Eagle Palace ignored things for over a hundred years and now suddenly wants to take charge. I bet the island lords aren’t thrilled. Let me guess, that Wuhuan and Weibor—bet they’re from those leftover islands, right?"
"That's true, but so what if they're unhappy?" Wu Zhengfeng replied, a bit annoyed. "Back in the day, the island lords who had their Life-and-Death Tokens removed by Master swore to the heavens that they'd serve the Xiaoyao Sect and Spirit Eagle Palace forever, no matter what. When Misty Peak was sealed, they all left behind tokens and family instructions—who are their descendants to defy that?"
"Pfft, don’t give me that! If someone came up to me one day and told me my ancestor once swore loyalty to some master, so I have to follow suit, you better believe I’d smack them silly! I don’t care about family rules or tokens—bring me the imperial sword and I’ll break it!"
"I know, I know," Wu Zhengfeng said, sounding a bit aggrieved. "When I tried reaching out to the descendants of those islands, I wasn’t sure I could win them over—just wanted to give it a shot. They didn’t voice any objections and came up the mountain to pay respects right away. Who’d have thought they’d pretend to go along but secretly do all this treacherous, ancestor-defying stuff?"
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Yang Qi was exasperated. "Your old-school thinking is the problem. What’s the point of babbling about loyalty and tradition? Either you keep them in line with discipline, or you recruit new followers and forget the old baggage. Mixing the two is just asking for trouble."
"Yeah..." Wu Zhengfeng looked aggrieved but could only bow her head. Facts spoke louder than words—Wuhuan had already rallied his people and come to fight, so there was nothing more to say. She could only accept it. "So, what would you do in my place?" Wu Zhengfeng honestly wanted advice, since Yang Qi had managed to keep Tieba, Weibor, and the others in line.
"Let me tell you, people around you come in all types, and you’ve got to handle each kind differently. Some can be friends, some can be subordinates, and some are just dogs. Take Weibor, for example—he’s not even as useful as Tieba. Tieba might be worth something, but Weibor’s only good as a dog to order around. Keep him on a leash and whip him when needed, that’s how you keep him obedient. If you want to be queen, you need chains and whips—don’t skimp on either!"
Just as she finished, something changed below. A few burly men barged into a tent, and soon dragged out a young girl. She was just a teenager—barely a big loli—with her hands tied behind her back and her mouth gagged, struggling in vain. Another older girl, also tied up, rushed out of the tent, but the men knocked her to the ground with punches and kicks, showing no mercy.
In no time, the older girl’s face was covered in blood and she was barely conscious. One of the men grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up, laughing wildly: "Spirit Eagle Palace envoy? Bah! Spirit Eagle Palace—once the pride of the martial world, now nothing but a bunch of sluts and bitches. Watch me wreck you today!" With a rip, he tore her clothes, and in broad daylight started to undo his belt.
A crowd of men gathered, shouting and jeering. The young girl cried desperately and struggled, but was kicked in the stomach so hard she couldn’t get up. More Spirit Eagle Palace girls rushed out of the tents, but it was no use—they were all knocked down, beaten and kicked. The thugs cheered and laughed, venting their violent urges.