The journey to the south to fight against the seventy-two islands had begun. Martial artists gathered from every corner, and the roads were filled with a diverse crowd—from powerful sects and established clans to nameless wandering martial artists and well-known heroes. They all left their differences behind, united by a common enemy who threatened the peace of the martial arts world.
Among the groups heading south were those from Sword Village. Just as the sun began to set upon the horizon, the group finally spotted a teahouse filled with martial artists from different sects and clans.
"There is a table over there," Yong Caixia said, pointing to a table in the corner.
The group from Sword Village moved over to the corner table and sat down to eat something before they continued their long journey toward the dock.
Yong Taihua looked at Bazar Batu and asked, "How many days will he get back to normal? I'm tired of taking care of him."
Yan Zhanjin drank his tea and replied, "Five more days. Don't think too much, you already endured him for this long. Another five more days will not kill you."
Yong Taihua frowned. "I guess so." He looked at the three people at their table. "It will soon become the territory of Sunset Sect."
Yan Zhanjin asked, "Their sect is down here?"
"Yes," Yong Taihua confirmed.
Kuo Lok held tightly onto Bazar Batu's hand and noted, "So that's why Central Plains is so easy on Ma Jingguo. They are afraid Sunset Sector will join hand with Seventy-Two Islands."
Yan Zhanjin pressed, "Why don't Seventy-Two Islands take over Sunset Sect?"
"They want to, but they can't," Yong Taihua said.
Yan Zhanjin wondered, "With the number of people, they can easily conquer Sunset Sect."
Yong Taihua leaned forward, his voice low with the weight of history. "The Sunset Sect is built right on top of the mountain, and traps line the path. The entire Sunset Mountain is the Sunset Sect." He took a slow sip of tea, the grim reflection clouding his face. "I heard from my father that if it weren't for the spies of the four families who went to the Sunset Sect voluntarily, the six sectors wouldn't have been able to break in and kill their leaders."
He sighed, reflecting on the past tragedies. "But even after they killed the leader, Zan Huangming still marched into the Central Plains and killed all the leaders of the seven sects, including your grandmaster, Jia Jin."
Yong Taihua set his cup down, making his final point clear. "When we push someone too far, they are likely to come back and seek revenge. Zhan Huangming, my shizun, and Ma Jingguo are all the same in this respect. If the six sectors had simply left the Sunset Sect alone, there would have been no tragedies—no loss of the seven sect leaders and no loss of the most outstanding martial artist at that time, Ji Chujiu."
Yan Zhanjin said, "Until Ma Jingguo proves that he didn't kill Dandan, I will not feel sorry for him."
Kuo Lok countered, "Batu believes that Ma Jingguo didn't kill Dandan."
Bazar Batu weakly raised his head from the table. "I believe Ma ge..." His head fell back down. "Ma ge will never hurt Dandan."
Yong Taihua pressed, "How do you know for sure?"
Bazar Batu mumbled, "Because Ma ge loves Dandan as if she is his sister."
Yan Zhanjin decided, "Let's go find an inn and rest."
Suddenly, Wu On greeted them. "Yong gongzi."
Yong Taihua turned, "Chief Wu." He got up to greet him. "I didn't know your sector would join this campaign."
Wu On smiled. "Even if our sector isn't currently organized, we won't let this fight slide by." He looked at the four of them. "Yong gongzi, I came early and rented a small boat. If you four don't mind going with us, we can squeeze together in our small boat."
Yong Taihua hesitated. "Umm..."
Yan Zhanjin quickly stood up. "Thank you, Chief Wu, for your kindness."
Wu On nodded. "Yan gongzi, everyone, please follow me."
Wu On led the way to a small river.
Yong Taihua whispered to Yan Zhanjin, "Why did you accept their proposal?"
Yan Zhanjin gestured toward their weary companion. "Look at Batu... It seems that he will faint at any time. It is better for him to rest in the boat. Also, I feel sorry for Lok-xiong, he has been carrying Batu for the past four days."
When Yong Taihua turned around, he saw Kuo Lok still following them with Bazar Batu on his back. He whispered back, "It's no wonder why Chief Wu didn't ask other people to go with him but instead asked us to go with him."
Yan Zhanjin quietly agreed. "Chief Wu is the sympathetic type."
Wu On announced, "We are almost there."
Yong Taihua smiled. "Chief Wu, thank you so much."
Wu On replied, "No problem."
After the group walked up the small hill, they looked down upon a small dock where four junk ships were waiting. Wu On smiled. "The second ship is the ship I rent." He led the way down the hill.
Later that night, as the ship sailed through the open, dark waters, the martial artists were sitting on the open deck eating. Bazar Batu stood behind Kuo Lok, who was chatting with Yong Taihua. An unknown man stood next to Bazar Batu.
The unknown man whispered into Bazar Batu's ear, who was still in a confused state. "Batu… you are an eagle. Look at your arm, it turns into wings."
Bazar Batu looked at his hand, then smiled. "I have wings."
The unknown man continued to tempt him. "You are a free eagle. Imagine you are an eagle with open wings to catch prey. Soaring over the high Mongolian steppe." The young man laughed. "Look harder. Do you see your homeland?"
Bazar Batu nodded, caught in the hallucination. "I saw it."
The unknown man pressed him. "You are going to fly to your home."
Bazar Batu nodded.
The unknown man gave the final push. "Fly up and soar like the golden eagle."
Bazar Batu climbed over the railing and reached the other side. The unknown man immediately pretended to look in the opposite direction.
Yan Zhanjin shouted in fear, "Batu!"
Kuo Lok turned around. "Batu… get back here!"
Bazar Batu was laughing, lost in his delusion. "I am a golden eagle." He opened his arms wide. "I have wings. I have golden eagle wings. I want to fly." Bazar Batu released his grip on the railing, but Kuo Lok instantly grabbed one of his hands. Bazar Batu smiled blissfully. "Lok gege, I'm flying!" He laughed again. "I'm flying!" He pulled his hand away.
Kuo Lok pleaded, "Batu, don't pull your hand away!"
Bazar Batu struggled to break free. "Let go of me! Let me go!" He vigorously yanked his hand away from Kuo Lok's grasp. Bazar Batu was laughing hysterically as he plunged into the dark water. Kuo Lok quickly climbed over the railing and jumped in after him.
Many people gathered around the deck. Fu Yuanjun stood on the top deck, watching with a cold smile.
Elder Tong asked him, "Do you want to send someone to help?"
Fu Yuanjun declined, feigning politeness. "Tong qianbei, please do. I can't swim, so I won't go. Please forgive me."
Elder Tong nodded. "Don't worry, I will see what they need."
Wu On rushed forward. "What's the matter?"
A female martial artist reported, "Someone jumped into the water."
A male martial artist added, "He seems to be drunk."
Wu On shouted, "Tell them to stop the boat immediately!"
Yan Zhanjin was yelling. "Kuo-xiong! Batu!" He tried to climb overboard but was held back by Yong Taihua.
Yong Taihua grabbed his hand. "Zhanjin, you can't swim!" He handed his sword to Yan Zhanjin and immediately jumped over the railing into the water.
The unknown man who had instigated the event sneered at the panicking crowd. He walked slowly back to his compartment and closed the door behind him.
Sitting in the compartment were Wang Biming and the young man. Wang Biming turned to the young man and asked, "Mingzhu, does he really fly according to the prediction of Yuanjun?"
Miao Mingzhu took off her fake beard and smiled. "Sure enough, he turned into a golden eagle and flew back to Mongolia."
In the cold water in the dead of night, Yong Taihua grabbed Kuo Lok's hand. He urged, "Lok-xiong, stop. It's too dark; we can't find him. We have to wait until morning."
Kuo Lok pulled his hand away and continued to dive underwater. Kuo Lok dove all night until early morning, but Bazar Batu was nowhere to be found. In the morning, many martial artists who could swim also helped search, but every dive returned empty-handed.
Yong Taihua, who had been in the water with Kuo Lok since the night before, grabbed Kuo Lok's arm again. "Lok-xiong, take a break first."
Another martial artist joined them. "Xiong-tai, Yong gongzi is right. We looked for him all night but did not find him. It means the young man is no longer here. He must have been drifted downstream."
The next day, under the scorching summer sun, an old fishing boat was anchored in the middle of the river. Two men sat fishing, dressed in plain clothes and wearing large straw hats to shield themselves.
The man with the fishing pole suddenly complained, "Yongzheng, we have not caught a single fish. Let's go home, I feel so hot."
Yongzheng turned to look at Xue Horan. He wiped Xue Horan's sweat with his sleeve. "If you feel hot, jump in the water and swim around."
"I didn't bring a change of clothes."
Yongzheng chuckled, leaning into a tease. "It's just us, and it's not that I haven't seen you naked before."
Xue Horan blushed. "Yongzheng, you have changed."
"How? I'm still the same person I was back then."
"Back then... You would never say such embarrassing words."
Yongzheng teased, "Shy?"
Xue Horan turned his back to Yongzheng to avoid him. Then, he spotted a man leaning against the tree bark by the riverbank. "Yongzheng, there is someone over there."
Yongzheng said dismissively, "Horan, let them be. Do you remember, we don't want to return to the martial arts world?"
"I know... but saving a drowning man does not mean we're bringing ourselves back to the martial arts world." Xue Horan held Yongzheng's hand. "Yongzheng, we pull him out of the water and we leave. He doesn't need to know that we saved him."
Yongzheng sighed and nodded. He and Xue Horan rowed the boat close to the riverbank. Yongzheng pulled the man, Bazar Batu, out of the water and carried him onto the side of the road, leaving him there.
Yongzheng took Xue Horan's hand. "Let's go."
Xue Horan hesitated. "Yongzheng, should we check to make sure he is not dead?"
"He has a pulse, so it's okay," Yongzheng said.
Bazar Batu suddenly coughed and slowly opened his eyes. He quickly got up and hugged Yongzheng tightly, sobbing. "Lok gege..."
Xue Horan, confused, asked, "Is he drunk?"
Yongzheng asked the man, "Hey, are you drunk?"
Bazar Batu shook his head. "No, drunk one hundred days." He then passed out.
Xue Horan was mystified. "Why do you drink for a hundred days?"
Yongzheng explained. "'Drunk one hundred days' is an exotic potion that is used in a flower house." He picked up Bazar Batu. "Let's go find a place to rest."
Xue Horan asked, innocently, "What is a flower house?"
Yongzheng hesitated. "It's a... let's go."
Xue Horan did not immediately follow. He suddenly stopped. "Yongzheng, how do you know this kind of rare and exotic medicine? Also, how do you know that it is used in a flower house?"
Yongzheng cleared his throat, changing the subject. "Are you complaining that it's too hot? Find an inn and wash yourself."
"Yongzheng, you didn't answer my question." Xue Horan realized that Yongzheng had already started walking away from him. "Yongzheng..."