Chapter 39: The Masked Man

In the moonlit woods, a hammock woven from fine hemp rope hung from a high tree branch. An old man with flowing long eyebrows lay inside, enjoying the pale moonlight.

This old man was Lin Fengmian, one of the four legendary masters of the martial arts world. It was said that at the age of seventeen, he was already a leading figure among the young talents of the jianghu. At twenty-seven, following the Mount Tai duels, he earned the title of one of the Five Greats under Heaven. By thirty-seven, he and Zhang Ruoxu were known jointly as "Southern Lin and Northern Zhang," renowned for their formidable martial arts. At forty-seven, Zhao Wuji came to humbly seek his guidance on martial arts, only to be struck so fiercely that he vomited blood and was bedridden for a decade. At fifty-seven, he served as the sect leader of Mount Qingcheng. At sixty, he became the martial arts alliance leader, and at seventy, he retired into seclusion at Fallen Leaf Manor.

Lin Fengmian appeared to be sleeping, but in truth, he was wide awake, for any slightest disturbance would register in his mind without him even needing to open his eyes. A masked figure stood quietly beneath the tree holding the hammock, gazing upward in silent observation.

The masked figure wore a white mask adorned with five stars upon the forehead.

Lin Fengmian had no wish to speak, but the masked figure lingered for so long that he finally lost his patience and said, "Since you are here, why do you hesitate?"

Realizing a battle was inevitable, the masked figure declared, "Senior Lin, I have come to receive your instruction. Please grant me your indulgence."

Countless dark shadows surged forth, leaping onto the treetops. Under the pale moonlight, the weapons in their hands gleamed with a chilling whiteness.

Lin Fengmian merely flicked his sleeve, and leaves blotted out the moon like a flock of birds taking flight in the forest, rustling down to envelop the dark shadows. The result was nothing more than a blanket of fallen leaves and a ground full of doomed men.

"Senior is indeed formidable. I must test my skills against yours." Dropping all concealment, the masked figure unleashed their inner power. A halo manifested behind their head, causing the mask to glow faintly and making the figure appear like an immortal being.

Lin Fengmian remarked, "Who on earth are you? Wearing a mask makes you look like no good person, yet being a villain with a halo on your head... You must be a flashy kind of villain."

The masked figure laughed heartily and said, "I am your inner demon."

A flashy villain naturally possessed flashy techniques. The masked figure’s radiant halo flashed before Lin Fengmian's eyes, plunging him into sudden and total blindness as a blinding white light overwhelmed his vision. A blind master of martial arts, naturally unwilling to be slaughtered at will, stepped upon the tree branches and moved forward as though drifting on the wind. The masked figure's fingers also released a scorching beam of light that shattered the obstructing leaves and devastated a vast expanse of the forest with white light. Yet Lin Fengmian’s counterattacking wind swept past the masked figure like a gentle caress, leaving the opponent completely unharmed.

With no other choice, Lin Fengmian fled. The secret to his survival—what allowed him to become one of the few surviving grandmasters of the jianghu—was a simple rule: when you cannot win, you run.

The chase ensued, one pursuing and one fleeing. Lin Fengmian moved with the speed of the wind, shooting straight into the clouds like an arrow. As the distance grew, the radiance of the masked figure shrank into a tiny speck of light. Lin Fengmian drew a deep breath and unleashed his ultimate technique, Stirring the Nine Heavens.

The wind swept down from the sky, carrying dark, churning clouds, wildly dancing leaves, and flying sand and stones, completely obscuring the glow of the masked figure.

When the fierce gale subsided, the masked figure had vanished without a trace.

"Such petty tricks, coming here to embarrass yourself." Having eliminated the immediate threat, Lin Fengmian hurried first to the Taiyin Palace, only to find a single unconscious guard. When he woke the guard to ask what had happened, the guard—who was actually a dark shadow and a puppet of the masked figure—suddenly drew a hidden dagger from his sleeve to launch a sneak attack.

Protected by his divine arts and possessing lightning-fast reflexes, Lin Fengmian grabbed the blade by its edge and used the hilt as a weapon to counter-kill the shadow. Only then did he clearly see the true face of the assassin: his entire face was coated in a layer of white paint, with a red star drawn in cinnabar upon his forehead. The paint and cinnabar had soaked deep into his skin and could never be washed off.

Having spent decades in the jianghu, this was the first time Lin Fengmian had ever encountered such bizarre and sinister sorcery. Yet he was certain that this evil force had been operating in the shadows for many years; cultivating so many suicidal loyalists could not have been achieved overnight.

Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Lin Fengmian flew to the bell tower of the Taiyin Palace and struck the bronze bell. The urgent tolling would summon all the disciples of Fallen Leaf Manor and Taiyin Palace. Fallen Leaf Manor was a private residence, so it kept very few martial arts guards, consisting mostly of servants who cooked and cleaned. The Taiyin Palace served as his granddaughter’s private quarters, housing mostly female disciples whose martial arts skills were rather ordinary. As for Lin Fengmian's personal disciples, three still remained by his side. Having settled down and built their own homes elsewhere, however, they did not reside at Fallen Leaf Manor; they lived far away, and it would take time for them to arrive upon hearing the bell.

No one answered. Neither his disciples nor his granddaughter was anywhere to be seen. Filled with deep anxiety, Lin Fengmian rushed directly to the underground pagoda. Standing outside the tower, he shouted loudly, "Ziyan, Yuyan, are you inside?"

Inside the tower, the two sisters sat cross-legged with their palms pressed together, healing their internal injuries. Xiao Bugui had also been candidly explaining his reasons for coming in order to clear up any misunderstandings. Hearing someone calling from outside, Lin Zi recognized her grandfather's voice and cried out, "Grandfather! We are trapped inside the tower and cannot get out!"

Lin Fengmian asked, "Are the two of you the only ones in the tower? The guards at the Taiyin Palace are all dead. Did you encounter bad people earlier?"

Lin Zi replied, "A bad guy wearing a mask was here, but he ran away. There is also someone named Xiao Bugui who claims he is looking for a magic box; we have sworn brotherhood as siblings. Don't worry, Grandfather, we are safe right now."

Lin Fengmian said, "I cannot rescue you right now. Don't panic in there; I am going to go grab a late-night snack, sleep for a bit, rest my mind, and think of a solution."

*Why trouble oneself with the fleeting floating clouds of the world? Better to lie high and eat well.* The household servants had already run out in a panic. Lin Fengmian instructed them to prepare his late-night snack, clean up the Taiyin Palace and the small woods of Fallen Leaf Manor, and send messengers to summon his three disciples. The servants accepted their orders and went off to work.

Lin Fengmian was sipping fine wine and enjoying a mutton hot pot when his three disciples finally arrived, rather belatedly.

His eldest disciple, Yang Wanli, who could walk ten thousand miles in ten days, now arrived leaning on crutches.

His second disciple, Li Jie, a carpenter who loved carving wood out of leaves, now had both hands severed.

His third disciple, Chu Hongchen, who once held the most boundless promise, was now wrapped in bandages from head to toe like a mummy.

Lin Fengmian observed, "When I struck the bell and you did not come, I guessed that those masked men must have attacked you first."

Yang Wanli said, "Master, the ones who harmed me wore white masks with five red stars on the forehead. I have no idea what kind of evil sorcery this is."

Lin Fengmian said, "I was just about to send you all out to investigate this faction's background. Now that you are all in this state, I do not even know whom to send."

Chu Hongchen said, "Master, under the circumstances, the best course of action is to send a letter to Alliance Leader Wang Laohu first."

Lin Fengmian agreed, "You are right. We orthodox sects are filled with righteousness and should join forces to deal with these crooked cults."

The Jianghu Alliance was an alliance formed by various martial arts sects, electing a new leader every five years. The current alliance leader was Wang Laohu, head of the Green Gang. Lin Fengmian resolved to unite all the sects of the jianghu to combat the masked men.