Throughout the entire *wulin*, who else could possess such high martial arts yet remain utterly unknown, if not the people from Isle of Heroes?
Song Qingshu had witnessed the martial arts of Zhang San and Li Si. They were only slightly weaker than the Five Ultimates, roughly on par with these masked men. Presumably, they too were Reward and Punishment Envoys.
Song Qingshu swept his gaze around but did not spot Zhang San or Li Si among the masked men. Though they were masked, Zhang San’s stout, broad-shouldered build and Li Si’s uniquely icy temperament would be impossible to hide behind a mask.
He quickly understood. Zhang San and Li Si, after all, were representative figures of Isle of Heroes. Jia Sidao was worried that people might discover his relationship with the Isle, so it made perfect sense that he had sent some Reward and Punishment Envoys who had never appeared in the *wulin* before to carry out this mission.
Looking at the eighteen masters, each nearly at the level of the Five Ultimates, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. *No wonder even the Vajra Sect Master and the Xuanming Elders fell. Jia Sidao truly has deployed an astonishing force.*
As he was lost in thought, the leader of the masked men had already given the order: “Capture the two women alive.”
Several masked men immediately lunged at Zhou Zhiruo and Lan Fenghuang. Zhou Zhiruo let out a sharp cry, drew her long sword, and met the oncoming enemies.
She had learned from her previous lesson. Though the dilapidated temple wasn’t exactly small, it wasn’t large either. Her whip couldn’t be used effectively, so she simply used her sword.
Seeing four masked men converging on Zhou Zhiruo, Zhao Min couldn’t help but worry for her. These men were exceptionally skilled, yet they disregarded all *wulin* conventions, swarming their enemies without a care for ganging up. Unlike the Vajra Sect Master or Daoist Baishang, who had so many rules.
In terms of true cultivation, Zhou Zhiruo was at best a match for one masked man. Four masters of equal level attacking her simultaneously—by all logic, that should have been more than enough.
The four assailants clearly thought so too. Attacking from front, back, left, and right simultaneously, they not only struck at her vital points but also sealed off all her room to dodge. Just as they were about to capture her, a flash of cold light erupted before their eyes. Alarmed, the four men retreated hastily. Looking down at the bleeding wounds on their chests, they exchanged horrified glances.
“Heaven Sword?” One of them rasped, staring at the gleaming, lethal blade in Zhou Zhiruo’s hand. At their level of martial arts, a pair of bare palms was sufficient to handle most weapons. If an ordinary person had tried to strike their palms with a sharp sword, their internal energy would have shattered the blade into pieces. But the Heaven Sword was no ordinary piece of iron, and Zhou Zhiruo’s internal energy was roughly comparable to their own. Thus, caught off guard, the four had been instantly and severely wounded.
Unfortunately, Lan Fenghuang was not so lucky. Seeing two black-clad figures rushing at her, she grabbed a handful of poison powder and threw it onto the fire. The fire burst into a dazzling blaze, and the acrid poisonous smoke forced one of the masked men to retreat. But Lan Fenghuang had no way to evade the other attacker. In an instant, he had seized her *Jianjing* acupoint.
Attempting the same trick again, Lan Fenghuang sent a small green snake shooting toward the man’s throat. At the same time, a large poisonous spider crawled onto the back of the man’s hand. She had expected him to be startled into releasing her. Instead, the man extended a finger, blocking in front of his throat, and caught the lightning-fast green snake between his fingers. The little snake writhed, trying to bite him, but with a grisly laugh, the man channeled his internal energy and crushed the snake dead.
He tossed the snake’s corpse into the fire, glanced at the large, furry spider clawing at the back of his hand, and slapped it dead on the spot.
Lan Fenghuang stared in disbelief. These spiders were meticulously cultivated by the Five Poisons Sect and were highly venomous. He had just slapped it to death and showed no sign of being poisoned at all—how was that possible?
The answer lay in the fact that the people of Isle of Heroes, in addition to their insights gleaned from the vast and profound *Supreme Mysteries Scripture*, also used medicinal substances to aid in their internal energy cultivation. Among the Reward and Punishment Envoys, some practiced techniques of the yang, or firm, path, while others practiced those of the yin, or soft, path. Because these internal energy cultivation methods were so bizarre and dangerous, they had to rely on medicinal wine as an aid.
Though these masked men had their faces covered, they all shared a distinctive feature: a gourd hanging from their waists. Some wore vermillion red gourds, while others wore blue gourds. These gourds contained medicinal wine.
The vermillion red gourds held a fierce, hot, potent medicinal wine, made by steeping “Blazing Pill” in strong liquor. The blue gourds held a cooling, cold-natured medicinal wine, made by mixing “Ninety-Nine Pill” into wine. The Blazing Pill and the Ninety-Nine Pill each contained many potent medicinal substances. The Ninety-Nine Pill included eighty-one varieties of toxic plants. The Blazing Pill contained fewer poisonous ingredients but included such deadly poisons as crane’s crest and peacock gall—substances that the people of Isle of Heroes had spent years gathering and refining.
Regardless of which medicinal wine, the properties were extraordinarily powerful. An ordinary person needed only to lick a few drops with the tip of their tongue to die. Even for the Reward and Punishment Envoys, whose internal energy was so high, they needed to take poison-neutralizing medicine beforehand in order to drink several mouthfuls without being poisoned.
Over the years, their exposure had granted them a certain immunity to poisons. That was why they had no fear of Lan Fenghuang’s poisonous spider.
But how could Lan Fenghuang possibly know the intricacies of this? In her moment of confusion, the man sealed all her acupoints, rendering her utterly immobile.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhiruo was alarmed. She leaped across, trying to rescue Lan Fenghuang, but four more masked men emerged to block her path. Having learned from their companions’ mistake, they no longer tried to clash directly with the Heaven Sword. Instead, they chose to engage her in a mobile fight. Zhou Zhiruo cried out sharply and unleashed all manner of ingenious techniques. But these masked men were all extremely skilled, and they outnumbered her. One by one, they deflected her moves.
After they had fought for some time, the pressure bearing down on Zhou Zhiruo from all sides grew heavier. Anxiety rose in her heart. *Why hasn’t Qingshu come to help?*
Wondering if something was wrong with Song Qingshu, Zhou Zhiruo looked anxiously toward him. Her husband stood motionless in his original spot, showing no sign of joining the fight. She was baffled.
In a battle between experts, a moment’s distraction is fatal. The masked men seized on Zhou Zhiruo’s momentary lapse. They broke through her sword defense and sealed all her major acupoints.
Zhao Min, who had been watching the battle intently from the side, saw her expression darken. *To think that Zhou Zhiruo and I contended all our lives, only to end up in the same predicament.*
“Sect Leader Zhou certainly lives up to the title of the one who seized the ‘world’s number one’ title at the Lion-Slaying Assembly. It took eight of us brothers working together to subdue you, and you still wounded four of them.” Seeing Zhou Zhiruo captured, the leader of the masked men could not help clapping in admiration.
Zhou Zhiruo snorted coldly. “There’s no need to flatter me. If not for the sharpness of the Heaven Sword, I could at most handle one of you.”
“Sect Leader Zhou is too modest.” The masked leader smiled, then turned away from her and walked straight to Song Qingshu. He bowed respectfully.
“Young Master, we have been delayed in coming to your rescue. Please forgive us.”
As if he had expected this all along, Song Qingshu replied in Jia Baoyu’s voice, “No need for such formality. Please rise, all of you.”
Bound to the pillar, Zhao Min was inwardly horrified. *Jia Sidao commands such a powerful force? What exactly is he planning?*
The confusion in Zhou Zhiruo and Lan Fenghuang’s hearts also cleared. Song Qingshu was wearing Jia Baoyu’s clothes and a mask. Combined with the Xuanming Elders’ identification, how could the masked men possibly realize that he was not actually Jia Baoyu?
Not just the masked men—even Zhao Min, the Vajra Sect Master, and the others probably still thought this man was Jia Baoyu.
Zhou Zhiruo had to admire Song Qingshu’s composure. In her haste, she hadn’t realized the situation at all. She had only thought about joining forces with Song Qingshu to defeat these masked men.
Fortunately, her husband had kept his head. Though his martial arts were high, with eighteen masters nearly at the level of the Five Ultimates gathered here, if they actually fought, a single pair of fists might still be no match for so many hands. It was far better to adapt to circumstances in the guise of Jia Baoyu.
Song Qingshu, however, had considered an even deeper layer. If he had faced these eighteen top masters alone, he could have used his Qinggong and the terrain to hold them off, and in the end, he would likely be the one still standing—though at a terrible cost.
But this time, Zhou Zhiruo and Lan Fenghuang were with him. In a chaotic battle, he wouldn’t be able to ensure their safety. If the enemy used them to threaten him, he would be caught in an impossible dilemma.
After rising, the leader said, “According to the Island Master’s wishes, this affair has stirred up too much trouble. We are to take the Young Master back to the island. You will likely not be able to return to the Central Plains for a year or two. If the Young Master has any needs, you may instruct us in advance to make preparations.”
“Needs, eh…” The corner of Song Qingshu’s mouth curled upward. He pointed at Zhou Zhiruo, Lan Fenghuang, and Zhao Min over in the corner. “The island is too boring. I need some beautiful women to keep me company. These few are passably attractive. Let’s take them.”
The masked leader’s face twitched. His expression unchanging, he replied, “The island is indeed rather dull. However, these women are all stunningly beautiful—the sort to topple kingdoms. Though the Five Poisons Sect’s Lan Fenghuang is slightly less so, she is born with a seductive charm. Your subordinate fears the Young Master’s body may not withstand it. If the Island Master should take offense…” He had long known this young master’s proclivities and was not at all surprised by his request.
Song Qingshu chuckled. “Don’t worry. The Old Man gave me a secret manual on the art of replenishing yin by absorbing yang. Not only will it not harm my body, but I can also cultivate my internal energy through the act.”
The masked leader was taken aback, but he did not doubt the claim. In his mind, the Island Master was all-powerful—finding such a manual was not impossible. “That kind of manual does indeed suit the Young Master’s temperament quite well.”
Since Zhou Zhiruo and Lan Fenghuang knew Song Qingshu’s true identity, they were fine. But Zhao Min, believing him to be Jia Baoyu, heard the two men discussing turning her into the plaything of that useless dandy. She could no longer contain her fury. “Do you have any idea who I am? If any of you dares to lay a finger on me, the Mongol Empire will make you wish you could neither live nor die!”
Seizing the opportunity, Song Qingshu also asked, “Exactly. She is a Mongol commander. How dare you lay hands on her?”
The leader answered, “We intercepted their delegation, only to find that the Young Master was already gone. Worried for the Young Master’s safety, we captured them all. Along the way, we interrogated them about the Young Master’s whereabouts. Fortunately, we found you here. As for this Mongol commander…”
He gave a cold laugh. “The Island Master deployed us for this mission. Naturally, we cannot leave any witnesses alive who have seen us.”