Chapter 15: Northern Bright Moon, Southern Thunder Gate

“That’s the Five Thunder Tones of the Thunder Sect!”

Within Blackstone Fort, Lu Hai, who was leading the defense against the tide of serpents, had not immediately noticed the newcomers in the sky. Yet, when the resounding “Hum” and “Ha” echoed above, he instantly recognized their identity.

The Thunder Sect’s “Hum, Ha, Yi, He, Ya” Five Thunder Tones were famed throughout the world, renowned for their power to subdue evil and poisonous entities. Among the islanders overseas, anyone who heard these sounds would know their source.

“They’re riding a Wind and Thunder Eagle—there’s a martial master here! Blackstone Fort is saved!” Lu Hai exclaimed in delight as he glanced up at the great bird circling overhead. Though the fort had defended itself from serpent tides before, never had one come so suddenly. Without aid, even if they managed to withstand the onslaught, the losses would have been dire. Now that a grandmaster of the Thunder Sect had arrived, Lu Hai’s heart was finally at ease.

“A martial master, if willing, could exterminate every serpent and insect on Blackstone Island. This tide, though abrupt, came in winter. Even if the myriad venom master forcibly awakened the serpents with his venom flute days earlier, their numbers are fewer than past tides. Once cleansed, we need not fear another for years to come,” Lu Hai mused.

“I wonder what means this martial master will use to resolve the crisis?”

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Lu Hai caught a whiff of something sweet and fragrant on the air, tinged with the scent of wine. He inhaled deeply, and his expression changed with awe at the martial master’s generosity.

“Drunken Dragon Incense! It’s truly Drunken Dragon Incense! Such extravagance! This treasure is said to be able to intoxicate dragons themselves, and now it’s being used on mere serpents and insects—what boundless wealth!”

Though the incense was harmless to humans, it could still induce a pleasant intoxication. Seeing the aroma wafting through the fortress, Lu Hai immediately ordered, “Quickly, fetch all the sobering herbs from the pharmacy and distribute them to everyone. Prepare cages and nets—once the serpents are stupefied, pack them into the icehouse. These unblemished snake bodies must be preserved whole!”

“Hurry, don’t just stand there—get ready to collect the snakes!”

The aroma of Drunken Dragon Incense spread rapidly. Soon, the serpent horde surrounding the fort had begun to roll belly-up. The men of Blackstone Fort cheered, overjoyed at how swiftly the serpent tide had been quelled.

Not only would the snake meat feed them for months, but the skins and gall bladders would fetch a handsome price. Should they find a few rare breeds among the horde, the entire fort would benefit greatly.

High above, the purple-faced giant nodded approvingly at Lu Hai’s orders. He had released the Drunken Dragon Incense precisely to resolve the matter swiftly and take his leave. The trivial profit from slaughtering serpents was beneath the notice of a martial master.

This task—protecting the fleet to Bright Moon Island—would reward him far more than exterminating some common vermin. Besides, the gratitude of the islanders would be remembered. When the Thunder Sect required assistance, these people would surely repay the favor.

“North Bright Moon, South Thunder Sect”—the overseas prestige of these two great clans was built, little by little, on such deeds.

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In the sky, the young girl riding the Wind and Thunder Eagle saw her quarry dive into the serpent pit. Circling for a while without seeing him emerge, she pursed her lips in annoyance and shouted, “Wicked brat from the Venom Sect, come out here! Your granny is waiting for you!”

Her voice was so loud that even Wangu Xiao, already hiding deep in the serpent pit, heard her clearly and cursed his luck.

“Why is it this little witch? I’m truly doomed this time!”

Though the girl above was not the martial master he had feared, she was more dangerous than most martial masters. After all, those who offended a martial master might yet escape with their lives, but to cross a grandmaster was to court certain death.

This girl, astride her Wind and Thunder Eagle, was famed on the Young Heroes List despite her youth, and backed by a terrifying grandmaster—her own father, who doted on her immensely.

With such a background, even the grandmaster of the Venom Sect would hesitate to provoke her, let alone Wangu Xiao, a mere talented disciple. The family of a grandmaster was not to be trifled with without dire cause.

It was a tacit rule among the sects: even rival grandmasters avoided targeting each other’s kin and disciples, for the sake of mutual security. The Venom Sect might have its frictions with the Thunder Sect, but even in open conflict, they would never lightly touch this girl.

Thinking thus, Wangu Xiao delved deeper into the serpent pit, reasoning, “With that little witch present, the martial master will surely be wary and won’t devote all his efforts to hunting me. I need only evade Ma Buti.”

As for Shi Yanwu, who had been chasing him with Ma Buti, Wangu Xiao dismissed him entirely. In his eyes, an ordinary martial artist with no true inheritance was not worth his attention.

“But Ma Buting and Ma Buti—the famed ‘Galloping Brothers’ of the Northwest—have come quietly to the Eastern Sea. Is it really for the Dragon Mulberries, or is there another reason? Those mulberries, deprived of the dragon’s blood, can hardly be worth their trouble,” he wondered.

Passing Dragon Mulberry Island by chance, Wangu Xiao had recalled that the dragon mulberry trees, mutated by the blood of dragons, bore fruit that could inspire one’s bloodline. He had acted on impulse, manipulating his serpents and insects to steal the city lord’s secret store of mulberries, never expecting to draw the attention of two martial masters.

He had heard that Dragon Mulberry Island was guarded by two martial masters, but never guessed it was these two. If he’d known, he would have acted with greater caution, and learned their true motives first.

As a disciple of the Venom Gate—one of the three great evil sects—Wangu Xiao habitually saw the worst in others. He believed there was a secret behind the Galloping Brothers’ presence. Even though he had benefited from Blackstone Island, the moment he recovered, he had not hesitated to use his venom flute to awaken the hibernating serpents, ready to use them as a shield in times of danger.

His caution had not been in vain. Within days, Ma Buti had tracked him to Blackstone Island, and the fort’s inhabitants had swiftly thrown in with their pursuers. Someone had even sounded the great bronze gong at the dock in warning, but Wangu Xiao was confident that, even without such notice, his control over the serpents would have kept him informed of everything around him.

Thus, though he knew the people of Blackstone Fort bore him little ill will, once he heard the gong and understood where their loyalties lay, he did not hesitate to unleash his venom flute and drive the serpent horde against the fort. This not only slowed Ma Buti, but also wounded the defenders, preventing them from aiding in the search.

Even in haste, Wangu Xiao’s schemes were meticulous. Still, he could not have foreseen a martial master passing by Blackstone Island’s shores, drawn by the sound of the venom flute.

Yet, even with this unexpected turn, his preparations had not been in vain. The serpent horde had successfully delayed a martial master, preventing pursuit. For this, Wangu Xiao could be proud—should he escape, his reputation among the evil sects would soar.