The donkey cart headed west, hooves clopping, wheels rattling, and a cool breeze drifted by.

It was late autumn. Fallen leaves spun through the air and drifted down onto the cart’s roof, gathering in a thin layer.

Liu Xiaolou sat inside, taking stock of his belongings. Counting what he had on him along with the stash hidden away in the secret cave under Wulong Mountain, he had twenty-four spirit stones left. Over the past half year, he'd spent twenty-four stones, most of it on clearing his meridians. So far, he had opened twenty acupoints along the Gallbladder Meridian. If he included the five spirit stones Zhao Ruyu from the Luofu Sect had given him, it worked out to about one and a half stones for each acupoint.

There were still twelve acupoints left along the Gallbladder Meridian. Most were minor ones, but Guangming, Qiuxu, and Zuqiaoyin were major acupoints that required filling and storing true qi in their primordial pool. By his calculations, completing the meridian would take about thirty more stones, after which he could advance to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement.

That would leave only eighteen stones.

His one-year agreement with Butler Song still had just over three months to go. If he wanted to go to Shenwu Mountain and negotiate to redeem Susu’s freedom, he would need at least another eighty-two spirit stones just to have the bare minimum required. Whether the Su family agreed or not was another matter. The question was, how was he supposed to come up with that many stones?

Just thinking about that problem gave him a headache.

He wondered how far Susu had advanced in her cultivation while staying at Su Xi’s side. The stronger she became, the higher the price he would have to pay for her freedom. The thought was crushing.

He had to admit Butler Song was right. Even if he somehow scraped together enough spirit stones to redeem Susu, what then? He didn’t have the means to provide her with the resources she would need to continue cultivating.

Forget it. No use thinking about it now. He would deal with it when the time came. Liu Xiaolou tightened his grip on a spirit stone and continued drawing in its energy, pushing it through the Xiyangguan acupoint. Two days later, he arrived at Tianmen Mountain’s marketplace.

Since he was passing through, of course he had to look in on Wei Hongqing. It had been ages since he’d heard anything about him. How was he doing on Tianmu Mountain these days? And when would he finally get together with that widow… what was her name again? Liu Xiaolou blinked. Strange, he couldn’t remember.

Hongji Tavern was as busy as ever, but Wei Hongqing himself was nowhere in Tianmen Mountain’s market. The shopkeeper, however, still remembered Liu Xiaolou. Knowing he was a close friend of the owner, the man confided:

“The boss hasn’t been here for almost three months now. Whenever something comes up, we just report straight to the sect. For small matters, he lets us handle them ourselves. For bigger ones, he sends us a written note, and we follow the instructions. If you’ve got anything important, honored guest, you can leave a letter here. We’ll send it up to the sect in a few days.”

Liu Xiaolou had nothing pressing to take care of, so he left in low spirits. On the way out, he casually bought a jar of Bamboo Leaf Green wine to bring back to Wulong Mountain, planning to drink with Tan Bajhang in celebration of his breakthrough to the seventh layer.

The jar cost eighty taels of silver. After paying, Liu Xiaolou realized his silver pouch was empty. He couldn’t help but reflect: in the three years he’d spent at the Su family, had he gotten too used to spending carelessly? This was definitely not a good habit.

Back at Wulong Mountain, Liu Xiaolou wrote two invitation notes and handed them to Fang Bu’ai. “Junior Fang, go to Dragon Horse Falls and Half-Acre Gorge. Invite Tan Bajhang and Brother Zuo for dinner tonight. I’ll have Big White and Little Black catch some game from the mountains to go with the wine.”

“Senior Liu,” Fang Bu’ai said, “they should be at Hulu Pass right now. Daoist Hu Du has returned there. This morning Li Busan even came by to invite you, but I told him you were still away.”

Liu Xiaolou brightened. “So he’s safe? That’s great. Bajhang must be overjoyed. Come on, let’s go see Old Hu Du.”

Fang Bu’ai hesitated. “I’m afraid it’s not going to be that simple. Daoist Hu Du had someone with him. Senior, you should remember that man Wu Zhuzi. The one who came at night to persuade you to raise a banner.”

Liu Xiaolou paused for a moment. “How did Old Hu Du end up mixed up with him? That fellow’s no different from that swindler Long Er. Let’s go to Hulu Pass and see for ourselves.”

Strictly speaking, Liu Xiaolou could only call Old Hu Du an acquaintance, not a friend, and certainly not a close one. But because Tan Bajhang was very fond of him, Liu felt a certain closeness as well. After the Battle of Zhuoshui, he had been out of touch for nine months, and everyone thought he was dead. To find him alive, just as Tan Bajhang had insisted, was a surprise.

Among the heroes of Wulong Mountain, Old Daoist Hudu was considered one of the veterans. Second only to Dragon Mountain Wanderer, Jiang Feihu, Dai Shenggao, and the Five Brothers of Guzhang Mountain. His standing was about the same as Zhang Shihua or Huang Ye Xian. So when news of his return spread, fellow cultivators came to Hulu Pass one group after another. By the time Liu Xiaolou arrived, thirty or fifty people had already gathered in front of the rundown temple.

The mood was clearly off. Nobody was speaking. Everyone sat on the ground, some nodding, some lost in thought, some looking puzzled, and some staring blankly.

Old Daoist Hu Du sat on the temple steps, a straw mat under him. Standing at his side was none other than Wu Zhuzi, the man who had once paid Liu a night visit on Qianzhu Ridge.

Liu Xiaolou’s arrival stirred the crowd. Dragon Wanderer Mountain waved him over. “Xiaolou, come. Listen with us.”

Tan Bajhang looked around. "Any more mats? Do we still have mats? Junior Ye, scoot over a bit!"

The man beside him quickly stood up. "Ah, Sect Master Liu! Come, come, sit here with me."

Liu Xiaolou cupped his hands. “Sorry to bother you.” He patted the man’s shoulder and squeezed in to sit.

Wu Zhuzi glanced at Liu Xiaolou, and once he saw him settle in, he went on confidently:

“I’ve already made things clear. Look around. Every one of us from Wulong Mountain is a true hero in his own right. So why are we always pushed around by those so-called righteous sects? Isn’t it just because we’re scattered and disorganized? Daoist Hu nearly lost his life this time, clawing his way back from the jaws of death. That alone deserves respect. But more than that, it gave him real insight! He came to me with his idea, and I agreed right away. This is a good thing. As long as we Wulong Mountain brothers and sisters unite our hearts and strength, what problem can’t we handle? Who would dare bully us then?”

Liu Xiaolou leaned toward Tan Bajhang. “How did Old Hu Du end up running with this guy?” he whispered.

Tan Bajhang frowned. “Who knows? This fellow’s been stirring people up, talking about forming some kind of faction, saying we should all obey strict orders.”

Liu Xiaolou chuckled. “Strict orders? And whose orders would those be?”

Tan Bajhang pursed his lips in exasperation. “Right? That Old Hu Du… he’s completely lost it. How did he even come up with this? It’s like he’s been drugged or something.”

Liu Xiaolou frowned in surprise. “Old Hu Du isn’t even at the tenth layer yet, right? How does he dare think like this? And with all the seniors here… they’re actually going to follow his orders?”

Tan Bajhang sighed. “We’ve been talking about this all day. Jiang Feihu and his crew are fine with starting a faction. The only argument is over who should be the leader. But that Wu Zhuzi keeps backing Old Hu Du, pushing hard for him to take the seat.”

“What about Dragon Mountain Wanderer?” asked Liu Xiaolou. “And Dai Wanderer? Haven’t seen Dai Wanderer around.”

“Dragon Mountain Wanderer just said he’d sit back and watch. Dai Wanderer isn’t on the mountain. He went down with the three Huang brothers a month ago, and no one knows where they went.”

“What about Huang Ye Xian?” Liu Xiaolou asked again.

“No idea. Jiang Feihu’s people sent for her, but she still hasn’t shown up. Anyway, the only ones who’ve come are the people you see here.”

Liu Xiaolou was annoyed. “That Wu Zhuzi is nothing but a swindler. And you all actually let him run his mouth here for so long? He even came to try and talk me over. I’ve seen plenty of his kind. Recruiting heads just to pad the numbers, charging spirit stones or silver per person. Old Hu Du’s gone senile, no doubt about it. Who knows how much that guy’s already conned him out of!”

Tan Bajhang frowned. “A swindler? Doesn’t seem like it. He looks capable. This morning he showed off with a flying sword. Everyone was stunned.”

Liu Xiaolou sneered. “An illusion, more like. Flying sword? Come on, Brother Bajhang, this is our trade, and even you fell for it? Haha. Someone who can really fly a sword wouldn’t waste time running this kind of scam. There’s another one called Long Er, down at Xikou, pulling the exact same stunt. Don’t trust him.”

Seeing how certain Liu Xiaolou sounded, Tan Bajhang hesitated. “Really? He’s actually a fraud?”

Liu Xiaolou clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, forget it. Why hang around listening to his nonsense? I’ve got a jar of Bamboo Leaf Green. Let’s go drink at my place!”

He got up, pulling Tan Bajhang along, then called out to Dragon Mountain Wanderer. “Senior Long, come on, let’s go drink at my place.”

Jiang Feihu frowned. “Liu Xiaolou, this concerns the future of everyone here on Wulong Mountain. Can you stop being so reckless?”

Liu Xiaolou gave a cold laugh. “We came to Wulong Mountain for freedom. Who wants to find a master sitting on their head, pissing and shitting on them? If you’re willing, Senior Jiang, that’s your choice. But I’m not, so count me out.”

He had been muttering under his breath the whole time, and now he was breaking up the group. Wu Zhuzi’s face immediately darkened. “Liu Xiaolou,” he barked, “do you just show up whenever you feel like it and leave whenever you feel like it?”