At noon, Wu Tong and Liu Yun arrived at an inn. The attentive waiter immediately came forward and warmly greeted them. Liu Yun casually ordered a few dishes, and they began their meal. Before long, several more guests entered the inn one after another.
The inn was already fairly crowded when suddenly a white-bearded old man was heard saying, "Although the Nine Heavens Lord Long Zhentian was defeated last year, his ambition to dominate the martial world has not died. Once again he has sought out the Martial Arbiter of Life and Death Guild to serve as the impartial judge for a duel. The match is scheduled for the same date as before—the twenty-eighth day of the third month."
A thin, gaunt old man beside him said, "Does Long Zhentian truly intend to seize control of the martial world?"
The white-bearded elder replied, "Indeed. Last year the True God Palace Master Tuoba Xingge defeated Long Zhentian. At the Mount Song assembly he then founded the Heavenly Way Alliance. Although the Nine Heavens Palace sent their Yin-Yang Envoys to obstruct it in every possible way, they could not stop the alliance from being established. Even when the Black Dragon Sect leader Murong Gui came under orders from the Yan court to recruit and subdue them, Palace Master Tuoba refused to submit. Truly he is a hero of the age."
The gaunt elder nodded thoughtfully. "If Long Zhentian is challenging Tuoba Xingge again, it cannot merely be for revenge. He must have other plans."
At this moment many diners in the inn pricked up their ears. Another old man in a blue robe at the same table said eagerly, "Old Deng, you seem to know quite a lot—tell us more!"
Old Deng stroked his beard and said, "Long Zhentian has secretly been plotting with many martial sects to establish a Sun-Moon Alliance to oppose the Heavenly Way Alliance. Not long ago, Gu Yi, leader of the Mighty Wind Gang, and Xiao Xiong, leader of the Four Directions Gang, had a dispute over territorial profits. The two arranged a duel with Shi Tian, chief escort of the Dragon-Tiger Escort Agency, as witness. But unexpectedly both the Nine Heavens Palace and the True God Palace sent people to the scene, and the two sides broke into a fierce fight!"
The blue-robed elder said, "Surely the Nine Heavens Palace is no match for the True God Palace?"
The gaunt elder shook his head. "You would be mistaken. The Yin-Yang Envoys of the Nine Heavens Palace were evenly matched with the Dragon-Tiger Elders of the True God Palace. But no one expected the Black Tortoise Elder Shen Er of the Nine Heavens Palace to steal the show. By himself he defeated the Four Envoys of the True God Palace, forcing the Tiger Elder Wang Tao to personally intervene."
The blue-robed elder exclaimed, "Although Shen Er's martial arts are impressive, defeating four envoys alone is truly astonishing!"
The current situation in the martial world was indeed subtle and complex.
The gaunt elder turned toward Old Deng and asked, "If Shen Er was able to defeat so many masters, he must have had some extraordinary encounter. Otherwise how could his martial arts have improved so greatly?"
Old Deng pointed at the wine pot on the table.
Understanding immediately, the blue-robed elder called out, "Waiter! Bring two pots of wine and a plate of beef!"
Old Deng cleared his throat and continued, "Shen Er himself once said that last year in the Tianshan Mountains, he encountered the wife of Hall Master Wu Tong of the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness. During their fight she recognized that the palm technique he was using was the Seven-Ultimate Palm, and rebuked him for stealing it from an elder master. Seeing that he was using it incorrectly, she beat him thoroughly. Yet during the fight she inadvertently revealed several key techniques and internal principles. In the end Shen Er actually benefited from the encounter."
The blue-robed elder asked, "And what happened when Tiger Elder Wang Tao later fought Shen Er?"
Old Deng replied, "They fought a fierce battle and ended in a draw. Wang Tao could not gain any advantage."
The blue-robed elder said eagerly, "Then wouldn't that mean the Nine Heavens Palace gained the upper hand over the True God Palace?"
The gaunt elder answered, "But at that moment Hall Master Wu Tong and his wife appeared and mediated between the two sides. Taking the opportunity, both factions dispersed."
The blue-robed elder sighed. "So all these forces are competing for supremacy in the martial world?"
The gaunt elder replied, "The martial world is not ruled only by the Nine Heavens Palace and the True God Palace. Many sects refuse to ally with either of them. They intend to form another alliance altogether. Thus the Black Dragon Sect leader Murong Gui has become the natural leader of another power. It is said the Black Dragon Sect will establish the Alliance of Heroes next month."
The martial world was a place where dragons and serpents mingled. Murong Gui was a man of great ambition who befriended heroes from all over. Though he had withdrawn from the Yan court and gone into seclusion within the jianghu, he was merely waiting for the right moment. Now that he had chosen to act, the entire martial world was shaken.
The gaunt elder said, "If what Old Deng says is true, then among the heroes seeking to dominate the Central Plains martial world, these three men stand above all others."
Old Deng then said, "This afternoon at the hour of Shen, two gangs will fight a duel over territory. Interested in taking a look?"
Turning to the blue-robed elder, the gaunt man asked, "Old Ge, what do you say?"
The blue-robed elder laughed. "Since we're full and have nothing better to do, let's go watch after we finish eating."
Soon the three elders finished their meal, paid the bill, and left.
Wu Tong and Liu Yun happened to finish eating as well, and quietly followed them out.
The three old men were clearly seasoned figures of the martial world. They moved swiftly and covered ground quickly. After traveling about ten miles, they arrived at a Daoist temple. Dismounting their horses, they quietly slipped inside.
Before the temple square two groups of men were already preparing to fight.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Master Liu of the Flying Sand Gang, the lands within a hundred miles around Nine-Dragon Mountain all belong to the Nine-Dragon Stronghold. We should each mind our own business!"
The speaker was a middle-aged man—the stronghold chief Xiang Yang. He had a rugged face, a thick beard, and a towering, powerful build with broad shoulders and a mighty presence. A man who could gather followers and rule a mountain stronghold was certainly no ordinary figure.
Master Liu of the Flying Sand Gang was equally imposing, broad-shouldered and strong as an ox. He said coldly, "Your stronghold blocked our cargo trade and forcibly collected toll fees. That is going too far!"
In the martial world, trade in goods often attracted the greed of nearby strongholds. The commerce of salt and wine was the economic lifeline for many martial sects. Meanwhile, bandit strongholds relied on robbing passing merchants or forcing travelers to pay tolls as their main source of profit.