The procession of cultivators moving along the river was far more impressive than expected. That was mostly because the Zhanglong Sect had drafted a large number of rogue cultivators from western Xian. Even though Liu Xiaolou was right there in the crowd, he couldn't see how many people there actually were. Still, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement; this battle was practically in the bag.
The main force had set out from Wuchao Town and traveled about twenty li when they arrived at the main pass leading southeast through Wulong Mountain. Several large boats that had come up the Wuchao River were now docked along the shore. The Zhanglong Sect's sect master, Qu Congji, disembarked with a group of top experts and walked to the front of the formation. He stood silently for a while, staring up at the mountain terrain, before finally making a hand signal.
A core disciple of the Zhanglong Sect turned and shouted, "Form up!"
The group immediately sprang into action, spreading out in every direction.
Liu Xiaolou was with the Zang family's squad, about twenty people in total. Twelve were from the Zang family, and the remaining eight, including Liu himself and Tan Bajhang, were rogue cultivators from nearby. He had no idea when the Zang family had brought them in or where they'd been staying the past few days. Suddenly, here they all were, bunched together in a single unit.
Among the six other rogue cultivators, it turned out Tan Bajhang actually knew one of them. They got along pretty well. The guy went by the nickname Tigerhead Dragon. Apparently, he was a drifter from south Jiang who'd ended up in these parts. His body was all muscle, like he was walking the path of body refinement or something.
Tan Bajhang introduced the two of them. When Tigerhead Dragon heard Liu Xiaolou say his name, his face lit up with a big grin and he enthusiastically reached out to shake hands. From the look of it, he was about one step away from swearing brotherhood on the spot. Liu Xiaolou was a little confused by the whole thing and wondered to himself, Am I really that famous?
Zang Baili led his group about a li to the northeast. In his hand was a piece of emerald jade, and Liu Xiaolou recognized it instantly. It was a formation disk. A ripple of light flowed across its surface like running water. Zang Baili turned to glance in the direction of Sect Master Qu and waited quietly for the next command from the Zhanglong Sect.
Besides the Zang family, affiliated forces from more than ten other groups—Mingyu Villa, Black Tiger Fort, Changshan Sword Sect, the Zheng clan, Eastern Stream, and others—also spread out in squads, forming up within a three-li radius, surrounding the core formation of the Zhanglong Sect at the center.
Liu Xiaolou had refined a formation disk before, so he quickly saw what was happening: the Zhanglong Sect was setting up a grand formation, clearly ready to clash with the Qingyu Sect.
The way major sects went to war was completely different from how rogue cultivators fought. They relied on formation strategy; rogue cultivators just charged in headfirst. The difference in level was obvious.
Now that he was safely inside the protective formation, Liu Xiaolou felt much more at ease and wasn't nearly as on edge. He chatted idly with Tan Bajhang and Tigerhead Dragon to take his mind off things, even letting himself daydream a little about what kind of loot they might walk away with; if they got a shot at any spoils, that is.
But they'd barely started talking when two streaks of swordlight shot out from the Zhanglong Sect's main formation. They moved fast, like galloping horses, one to the left, one to the right. The Zang family squad was on the formation's right flank, and one of the swordlights stopped right in front of Zang Baili. Inside the light was a person, riding the sword—that was Zhanglong Sect's sword-riding technique.
Only cultivators at or above the Golden Core stage could use that.
Zang Baili stepped forward to receive them. "Elder Qu," he greeted respectfully.
The Qu clan was the main bloodline of the Zhanglong Sect and had long held a firm grip on its leadership. Not just the sect master, even many of the elders over the years had come from the Qu clan. This Elder Qu now gave a command:
"The Qingyu Sect hasn't made a move. Send someone into the mountains to scout."
Zang Baili bowed in response. "Yes!"
He turned and called out, "Tan Bajhang, Liu Xiaolou; you two are from Wulong Mountain and know the terrain. Get up there, scout the area, and report back with whatever you find."
Liu Xiaolou immediately felt bitter, like he'd just swallowed something sour. Dragging his feet, he stepped out of the formation with Tan Bajhang, neither of them thrilled to be picked.
Suddenly, someone stepped forward and shouted, "Lord Zang! I've only just met Xiaolou and Bajhang, but it feels like we've known each other forever. We're already like brothers-in-arms, life and death! I may not be much, but I'd be honored to go with them!"
Liu Xiaolou was speechless. He glanced at Tan Bajhang who looked just as stunned. What does he mean 'known each other forever'? Since when are we 'brothers-in-life-and-death'?
Zang Baili stroked his beard. "Excellent! If you three brothers are so unafraid of danger, how could I be stingy with rewards? Very well; if you return with solid intel on the enemy, each of you will be given one spirit stone!"
Wait, what? Weren't conscripts usually expected to fight for whatever loot they could grab off the enemy? Since when did they start handing out actual rewards? This was unheard of!
But hey, someone was willing to take the risk with them, and now there was even a bounty waiting at the end. Liu Xiaolou's restless heart finally settled a bit, and with it came a sudden surge of courage.
All they were doing was heading back into familiar territory. The Qingyu Sect were outsiders; no way they knew Wulong Mountain better than the locals did. Yeah, this probably wouldn't be too much trouble.
The three of them left the main formation and made their way toward Wulong Mountain, about two li away. Liu Xiaolou and Tan Bajhang were both from the area, so of course they weren't going to take the obvious main road. There were plenty of smaller trails into the mountains. What seemed impassable to mortals was just a bit of scrambling for cultivators. Hands and feet both in action, and before long, they were deep into the mountain.
Halfway up the slope of the first peak, they paused and looked back. From their vantage point, they could make out the Zhanglong Sect's formation starting to take shape below. Hundreds of cultivators were spread out across thirteen positions, forming the thirteen nodes of a massive formation. From above, it looked like a coiled dragon, fangs bared, claws outstretched, roaring up toward Wulong Mountain.
"So that's the Zhanglong Sect's Purple-Gold Dragon Formation?" Tan Bajhang murmured.
"Purple-Gold Dragon Formation? Is it powerful?" asked Liu Xiaolou. This was the first time he'd heard the name.
"Supposed to be," Tan Bajhang said. "People say it's brutal in killing... Anyway, let's go. In and out, quick."
The three quickly settled on a plan: they'd head for Jade Maiden Peak, which offered a good vantage point due to its height. Tan Bajhang turned to Liu Xiaolou. "So, should we take Broken Arm Cliff or One Thread Heaven?"
Liu Xiaolou had been climbing these hills since he was eight, while Tan Bajhang had only moved up here last year. When it came to mountain routes, Liu Xiaolou was the obvious expert.
"There's also the North View Rock that connects to Jade Maiden Peak," said Liu Xiaolou. "Bet you didn't know about that one."
Tan shook his head. "Can't say I do. Let's take that one then. Fewer people use that path."
Tigerhead Dragon suggested, "Since there are three routes, why don't we each take one and meet up at Jade Maiden Peak? We'll cover more ground that way."
Liu Xiaolou thought it over and nodded. "Sure, that works. You two aren't familiar with the North View Rock path, so I'll take that one. Brother Tan, you go by Broken Arm Cliff. Brother Tigerhead, you take One Thread Heaven... Look over there to the west, you see that patch of pine forest? Yeah, go through it. You'll come to a fork in the trail. Take the lower path and keep heading downhill until you reach a small stream. Follow that stream upstream, and you'll come to One Thread Heaven. The cliffs on both sides get so narrow there that you can barely see the sky; just a single thread of light overhead."
Tigerhead Dragon followed his line of sight and nodded. "Got it. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Liu Xiaolou still wasn't totally confident in him. After all, Tigerhead Dragon was from out of town and had never been inside Wulong Mountain. So Liu Xiaolou added a few more instructions, pointing out some landmarks along the way. Then he said, "Brother Tan told me you're at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, which is nothing to scoff at. Stronger than me, anyway. But Wulong Mountain is full of mist and miasma. It interferes with true qi perception. I hear things are flatter where you're from down south, mostly rivers and lakes. Your senses might be sharper in open terrain, but in this kind of place, you can't rely on that. You've got to use your eyes and ears more."
Tigerhead Dragon chuckled. "Thank you, Brother Xiaolou. I get it. I've been through a few mountains before; this isn't my first time."
And with that, the three of them split up, each taking their own path.