Chapter 51: First Encounter with the Demonic Cult

On the main post-chaise road, a delicate youth clad in a blue scholar's robe was swiftly driving a carriage. The scholar's robe was essentially the standard attire for licentiates during the Ming Dynasty. The driver was none other than Li Jie. Having left Fuzhou Prefecture a month ago, they were now on their way to Zhangzhou Prefecture. Because Fang Yi had insisted on accompanying Li Jie the entire way, he was forced to slow his pace; had he been traveling alone, riding a horse would have been much faster.

During the journey, Li Jie had not been idle. From Fuzhou Prefecture to Quanzhou Prefecture and all the way to this place, whenever they entered a city to rest, Li Jie would inquire whether there were any notoriously evil underworld figures in the vicinity. If there were, he would head to some bandit stronghold to test his skills. The greenwoodsmen along the route could be considered most unfortunate, having been turned upside down by Li Jie.

Before the sun set, Li Jie finally drove the carriage into Longxi County. The continuous traveling over the past two days meant they needed a proper rest. The weather was hot, and everyone was covered in a sticky sweat. It did not matter much to Li Jie, though; even when camping out in the wilderness, he could simply find a small stream to wash up. Having never experienced the pollution of industrialization, emerald mountains and crystal-clear waters were everywhere.

After having a meal at the inn, Li Jie returned to his room, changed his attire, and went out to gather information. Before leaving, he instructed Fang Yi not to go out and to stay properly in her room. Along the way, Li Jie's behavior had made Fang Yi somewhat curious. Every time they checked into an inn, Li Jie would go out and only return when the moon reached the center of the sky. Considering that Li Jie normally had no fondness for places of song and dance, Fang Yi was completely baffled as to what he was actually doing.

When Li Jie was cleaning out a gang of human traffickers in Anxi County, after interrogating them, he learned that their mastermind lived on Crouching Tiger Mountain near Longxi County. That very day, the bandit leader had even blustered, demanding that Li Jie let them go, otherwise their boss would make him pay.

The mastermind was a middle-aged couple in the jianghu known as the "Twin Oddities of Tongbai." When Li Jie heard this moniker, he recalled that they seemed to have made an appearance in the original text, likely as minions of the Demetic Cult. Back in the prime world, Li Jie had held no affection for traffickers; behind every missing child was a heartbreaking story.

Usually, there were occasional news reports in the jianghu of major sects recruiting disciples, yet he had never heard any news of the Demetic Cult recruiting disciples. It seemed that among these missing children, those with martial arts talent were probably all sent to the main headquarters. As for the other children, their fates were likely far from fortunate. Needless to say about those who died during transport, the luckier ones were sold to brothels just to earn a bite to eat, while the unlucky ones—disabled beggars missing hands and feet—were their future.

Li Jie galloped along the official post road for a while until he spotted two leaning trees. Nearby happened to be a sheep-gut path, which locals said was the trail leading to Crouching Tiger Mountain. Taking advantage of the moonlight, Li Jie strode forward toward Crouching Tiger Mountain.

A short while later, he arrived at Crouching Tiger Mountain. Before his eyes were sheer cliffs, strange rocks, and dense forests. The peak was about a hundred zhang high, shaped just like a slumbering fierce tiger—no wonder the locals called it Crouching Tiger Mountain. As Li Jie scouted the surroundings, he discovered the faint flicker of firelight. In these desolate wilds, aside from the dwelling of the Twin Oddities of Tongbai, there should be no one else. Thus, he headed toward the firelight.

Li Jie had practiced the Exorcising Swordsmanship for many years. By now, his movement technique was exceptionally fast, and his actions were like a ghost, completely silent. Covering several zhang in a single step, it took him no time at all to reach the flickering firelight.

Upon drawing closer, a small courtyard constructed of raw logs came into view. A circle of fences was erected around the courtyard, enclosing a total of three rooms. In one of the rooms, flickering candlelight seeped through the wooden window. The candlelight was dim and intermittent, and human silhouettes flickered inside the room; judging by the shadows, two people were likely eating.

For characters like the Twin Oddities of Tongbai, Li Jie disdained launching a sneak attack. He walked up to the courtyard gate, channeled his internal energy into both feet, and kicked hard.

With a loud crash, the wooden courtyard gate flew off its hinges. The two people eating inside heard the commotion, immediately grabbed their weapons, and rushed out the door. Standing in the courtyard was a short-stunted man wearing a bamboo hat, carrying a standard long sword, and dressed in tight martial attire. Among the people the couple usually associated with, none dressed in this style.

The one-eyed middle-aged man shouted sternly, "Who are you, sir? Why do you presumptuously break in?"

Li Jie observed the middle-aged man and woman before him. Their stances showed a tacit understanding; attacking either one of them would inevitably fall within the rescue range of the other. No matter from which direction an attack was launched, it would certainly invite a joint assault from the two.

"Do you remember Horse Monkey?"

Hearing this, the man frowned. The two of them currently carried a secret decree from the Divine Cult, heading to Guangdong and Fujian provinces to scout talents for the cult. Knowing that the cult's reputation was poor, they had taken up the business of human trafficking. Horse Monkey was the leader of one of the peripheral organizations they had developed and did not know their true identities. However, seeing that the person before them had already tracked them down, he could not be left alive.

Subsequently, the one-eyed man exchanged a glance with the woman beside him. The two had lived together for over twenty years; although not husband and wife, they were even closer than husband and wife, and were already of one mind. Understanding the man's intention, the woman immediately sprang into action. In a split second, the two of them—one wielding a pair of iron crutches and the other a single saber—simultaneously attacked Li Jie.

Seeing the two attack in unison without a word, Li Jie wore a surprised expression, thinking to himself that they truly were ruthless characters. Before the situation was even clear, they launched a fierce assault without hesitation—truly veterans of the jianghu.

The two attacked Li Jie from left to right, targeting the vital acupuncture points on his upper body. The man wielded his crutch to strike Li Jie's Shanzhong acupoint, while the woman wielded her saber toward his Dantian. Their strikes were vicious and merciless, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. Before they even arrived, the whistling sound of tearing wind had already roared forth.

Li Jie raised his sword to meet them, his feet shifting lightly. His figure was like a ghost, arriving first despite starting later. A flash of sword light first traced an arc to strike the iron crutch in the man's hand. Zhou Guotong felt a surge of immense force, his tiger's mouth violently numb, and the iron crutch almost slipped from his grip. He cried out in alarm, "Watch out, this fellow is tough!"

Before he even finished speaking, he saw Li Jie's long sword sweep back in a reverse slash to attack Wu Boying. Sword and blade clashed with a single "clang." Wu Boying's figure retreated violently, driven back over a zhang by the long sword. While still airborne before touching the ground, a mouthful of blood spewed out. Zhou Guotong instantly turned furious, the veins on his forehead bulging fiercely, and he cried out in anguish, "Thief hag!"

Disregarding the fact that Li Jie was still beside him, he leaped forward and pulled Wu Boying into his embrace. Seeing Wu Boying's pale face and the blood overflowing from the corners of her mouth, large teardrops gushed uncontrollably from his eyes.

Seeing Zhou Guotong's sorrowful expression, Wu Boying reached out to gently wipe away the tears on his face, gazing at Zhou Guotong with lingering affection before speaking weakly, "Thief... cough, cough... husband, it seems today you... cough, cough... and I cannot escape our doom. In the next life, we must surely become a true husband and wife—a properly betrothed husband and wife!"

Knowing that they could not escape death today, Zhou Guotong only hoped that the two of them could accompany each other on the road to the netherworld. He threw away his weapon, gently laid Wu Boying down, and knelt on the ground with a dull thud.

"I am well aware that my wife and I cannot escape death today. As long as you agree to my request, sir, without troubling you to do it yourself, the two of us will willingly offer our necks to the blade!"

Seeing that the two of them belonged to the demonic path and had committed numerous evil deeds in ordinary times, yet their deep affection for one another was truly moving, Li Jie spoke up, "Speak! As long as it is not too difficult, I will agree."

Hearing this, Zhou Guotong first performed a deep, formal bow and then said, "I only hope that after we both die, you will bury us together in the same place, so we may lean on each other for company on the road to the netherworld."

"Very well, I promise you."

Hearing Li Jie's reply, the two exchanged a bitter smile, and then both decisively ended their own lives.

After the two perished, Li Jie found an empty spot nearby, dug a hole, and buried them hastily. He felt a deep sense of admiration for their profound affection and resoluteness, only lamenting that the two had chosen the wrong path. He hoped that in their next life they could be good people—after all, walk the night path often enough, and one is bound to eventually run into a ghost.