“Idiot!” A loud slap sent Meng Haicheng sprawling onto the ground.

Blood mixed with broken teeth spilled from his mouth. Dust clung to his body, and the blood-soaked bandage around his neck made him look utterly wretched. Yet, he didn’t even dare to breathe heavily. He scrambled up and dropped to his knees again, cold sweat covering his forehead.

They were in a fairly large smithy. Outside, a row of worn forges burned bright red. Iron scraps and coal slag littered the ground, while shirtless men hammered away in rhythm.

Clang! Clang! Bang! Bang!

Sparks flew with every strike.

Inside the courtyard, a group of rough-looking men with tattoos, dressed in all kinds of mismatched clothing, stood or squatted under dim candlelight, their faces fierce and distorted. The air was thick with sweat, tobacco, and the sour stench of unwashed clothes. It was enough to make one gag.

That was the headquarters of the Iron Blade Gang.

A towering man sat in a grand chair at the top of the steps. He was huge, with dark skin and a scruffy beard. He had brutally rugged features, yet he wore a bright red robe. It was fitted loosely, with one arm and shoulder bare, revealing a black tiger tattoo across his skin.

On his head was a small cap, with a flower tucked by his ear. It was an absurd, mismatched look.

This was Zheng Heibei. Originally a blacksmith in Xianyang, he had been born with immense strength. After learning martial arts and getting into constant fights, he was even thrown into jail once. That experience changed him. He had kowtowed to Zhou Pan and become his disciple, later founding the Iron Blade Gang.

Though the western district of the city wasn’t prosperous, the gang monopolized the blacksmith trade, squeezing out plenty of profit. Now, Zheng Heibei sat with legs spread wide, idly rolling walnuts in his hand, staring coldly at Meng Haicheng. “Do you even know where you went wrong?”

Meng Haicheng gulped. “I-I shouldn’t have agreed to the life-or-death duel.”

Only after leaving had he realized his mistake. They had the numbers advantage. He should have simply rushed Li Yan and cut him down on the spot! Who would’ve known the son of Li Hu was even in Xianyang?

However, he had been afraid back then. Thinking of Li Yan’s eyes still caused a shiver to run down his spine.

“Hmph!” Zheng Heibei snorted. “A greenhorn just entering the jianghu toyed with you like this. No wonder you’ve fallen so low. Who the hell is he? Just hack him to death and we can find a scapegoat later. Now look, this has turned into a formal arena duel. Win or lose, it shames our master!”

Meng Haicheng trembled even more. “Then, I’ll take men now and skin him alive!”

“Too late.” Zheng Heibei spoke flatly. “The Xianyang underworld is already talking about this. Kill him now and we become a joke.”

Meng Haicheng fell silent. He felt miserable. If only he had pretended not to recognize Li Yan...

Zheng Heibei thought for a moment, then turned to a man beside him, his tone softening. “Master You, I heard that kid’s traveling with a Daoist. Know what they’re planning?”

“It’s nothing more than summoning spirits.”

The middle-aged man’s southern features clearly marked him as a foreigner to the Guanzhong Plains. He wore a black robe and his hair loose. He had a thin beard and a taiji symbol drawn in cinnabar on his forehead.

His name was You Laosi, a wandering sorcerer skilled in curse techniques who was hiding from unknown enemies. Zheng Heibei had taken him in. Shortly after, several rivals had died mysteriously.

You Laosi stroked his beard and sneered. “Wang Daoxuan is mediocre at best. They’re just trying to summon a yin spirit for protection. To do that, they must go to the mass grave, likely tomorrow night. And that place belongs to the western beggars.”

A cold smile formed on his face as he ordered, “Send word. Cause trouble during the ritual and none of them will survive. If they’re dead, what duel is there to fight?”

“Excellent plan, Master You!” Zheng Heibei nodded. “Ergou, make the trip and be polite. Those beggars are a strange bunch.”

“Yes, boss!” A sharp-faced man stepped forward and bowed.

“Wait.” You Laosi stopped him before he could run off. “If you go like that, you won’t even see anyone, you’ll just lose your life. I’ll tell you how to do it. Listen here...”

“Thank you, Master!” The man memorized everything carefully and left.

The Iron Blade Gang’s headquarters lay in the eastern district. Ergou rode out, passing granaries and temples before exiting Xianyang through the northwest gate.

Compared to the bustling south, the north was desolate. A lone archway stood in the rainy plains. Few people traveled the muddy road.

By evening, he reached a small hill. Actually, calling it a hill was generous. Compared to the surrounding great mountains like Qinling, Huashan, and Lishan, it was insignificant. Yet, its notoriety rivaled them all.

It was where unclaimed corpses were buried. Whether from war, famine, or plague, Xianyang saw countless deaths. But bodies couldn’t be left in the streets. Even executed prisoners were buried in the mass grave there.

In the end, the duty fell to the western beggars. They buried bodies crudely, wrapped in straw mats, sometimes in cheap donated coffins. There was no regard for feng shui, just shallow graves across the hill. Years of accumulation had turned it into a field of lonely graves.

The region was marked by twisted trees, circling crows, and roaming packs of wild dogs. In the autumn rain and mist, it looked like the underworld itself.

Ordinary people never came here.

When he arrived, even Ergou felt uneasy. Filthy bastards, living in a place like this...

However, he only dared to think that. There was no way he would speak it out loud.

The beggars of Xianyang were not to be trifled with. Years ago, after a drought and a rebellion, they had moved here and never left. Rumors said they practiced strange arts, tricking the soul, trafficking people, and controlling animals.

Some claimed they commanded snakes, scorpions, and even the wild dogs. Several martial artists who offended them had died mysteriously.

All in all, they were a strange bunch.

***

Night had fallen, and the rain and mist only thickened the darkness.

Ergou dismounted, lit a lantern, and proceeded cautiously. Graves stretched endlessly around him. Even a hardened thug like him felt his scalp tighten.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!” Wild dogs started barking as pairs of red eyes appeared in the darkness.

He jumped, drawing his blade. Those dogs were infamous. They fed on corpses and were fierce enough to attack wolves. They could easily tear a man apart.

Remembering You Laosi’s instructions, he forced himself to sheath his blade and called out, “Sharing one river, eternal green! Lu Ergou comes to pay respects, please reveal yourselves!”

He was met with silence. Only after some time did a voice echo, accompanied by the rustling of the leaves as the dogs retreated. The red eyes that had been trained on him a moment ago disappeared as Ergou’s heart trembled.

They really can control the dogs.

Soon, a hunched figure emerged from the mist. There was no lantern and his back was bent. In a low voice, he asked, “Where do you come from, honored guest?”

“From the old capital of Qin.”

“Do you know the weight of the jianghu?”

“Four jin, twenty three liang, five qian, four fen, nine li, eight hao.”

“What are the four fen, nine li, and eight hao?”

“The four seas, nine rivers, and eight streams.”

“Where do you earn your living?”

“I follow Master Zheng to feed myself.”

“Come.”

After exchanging coded phrases, the figure finally lit a lantern. It was an old beggar. He was ragged, filthy, and barely looked human.

Ergou exhaled in relief and followed. As they walked deeper, he constantly felt something watching him in the darkness, but dared not look. All he felt was the creepiness of those beggars.

At last, deeper in the hills, faint light appeared ahead.