The battles of recent days had cost Black Mountain dearly in terms of manpower.
Now, besides Black Mountain itself, all other peaks had fallen, with remnants of the previous four cities' forces still holding out.
This left Black Mountain in a precarious position.
Fortunately, the Ten Thousand Ghost King's dense black aura obscured any prying eyes, otherwise, Black Mountain would have been exposed to the surveillance of the four cities.
But it didn't matter; at least tonight would be happier than any other night before.
I stood in the grand hall, gazing at the unfolded map of Black Mountain for a long time. Just then, a person entered from outside the door, cupped his fists, and said,
"Ghost King, you were looking for me?"
I looked up and saw Xue Ruyi. Xue Ruyi had played no small part in Black Mountain's great victory over the four cities this time.
"Your contribution to Black Mountain's repelling of the four cities is considerable."
"Thank you for your praise, Ghost King."
"As it happens, I have a special vacant position here. Would you be willing to take it?"
"Ghost King, please command."
He didn't hesitate at all. In a daze, he seemed to have forgotten his former longing for a life of freedom and ease.
And in a daze, I only remembered that I was the Ten Thousand Ghost King.
I shouted towards the door.
"Elder, come in."
Lin'er then entered the grand hall. He had been waiting outside the door for a long time.
"Regarding that vacant position, please explain it to Brother Xue properly."
"Yes."
I turned back to Xue Ruyi and said,
"Brother Xue, please go with Elder. He will explain it to you."
"Yes."
And so, the two of them left the grand hall together.
After they left, I slowly put away the map, intending to return.
When I looked up again, I caught sight of someone standing in a dark corner below the steps.
He was leaning against a wooden pillar, holding his "Willow Sword."
His rather lively eyes were fixed on me.
I smiled slightly, walked down the steps, and stood beside him, asking curiously.
"When did you arrive?"
He stretched lazily, tossed the sword into the air playfully, and then said, feigning casualness.
"There seems to be a victory banquet tonight."
It was only then that I remembered, and with a sudden realization, I laughed.
"Hahaha, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have truly forgotten."
"If you're not busy now, why don't you come and have a few drinks?"
"I happen to be free. Let's go."
I followed him out of the grand hall and into the courtyard, stepping into the midst of the red lanterns.
The crimson candlelight blazed, as if to illuminate the pitch-black night.
Passing through the corridor, we arrived at the back courtyard, where rows of round wooden tables were set up.
And this open space was also filled with people, each with a smile of victory on their faces.
Lin'er stood up from the front and waved us over. Liu Shi Nian and I stepped into the crowd.
Seeing our arrival, everyone spontaneously stood up to show their respect.
When we reached Lin'er, he thoughtfully handed me a cup of wine, gesturing for me to say a few words.
I remembered the last time such a scene occurred was in South Sea City, but today was different.
The timid and weak Liu Muye of the past was long gone, replaced by the ambitious Ten Thousand Ghost King.
I took the wine cup and faced everyone present. Their gazes were all fixed on me. I respectfully addressed everyone,
"Tonight, it is a rare privilege to be with all of you, sharing this joyous moment.
Black Mountain remains standing solely due to the brothers who bled and sacrificed.
Therefore, this first cup of wine is for those warriors who died defending our homeland and Black Mountain."
As I spoke, I poured the wine onto the ground as a tribute to the departed souls. Everyone present followed suit, raising their cups and pouring the wine onto the ground.
Refilling the cups, I respectfully addressed everyone again.
"This second cup of wine is for all of you to toast yourselves. Everyone present is a brother who has faced life and death for Black Mountain.
Black Mountain is not only my home but also yours. All of you are heroes of Black Mountain, so toast yourselves."
Saying this, I led by example, draining my cup. The others followed suit, drinking their wine.
"This third cup..."
I paused and slowly continued.
"Although we have repelled the four cities today, they will sooner or later return.
We will inevitably face endless fierce battles. This third cup of wine is for future battles, to fight for our homeland, to fight for ourselves. Cheers!"
"Cheers!!!"
Everyone erupted in a heartfelt roar.
Liu Shi Nian smiled faintly and cast a special glance at me. In his eyes, it seemed as if everything in the past was but a dream.
After waking from the dream, Muye had become the Ten Thousand Ghost King, and the people around him had become the Ghost Tribe. He himself no longer seemed like his former self.
With a faint smile, he simply drank his wine, toasting the past and the future.
My speech, imbued with a kingly aura, propelled the victory banquet to its climax.
As the emotions ran high, a few individuals spontaneously began to perform sword dances for everyone, adding to the merriment.
The crowd applauded and cheered from time to time, wishing that time would freeze at this very moment.
In a daze, I suddenly felt a gust of cold wind. Lin'er sensed something was amiss and looked up, spotting a meteor with a bright golden light streaking southward.
He suddenly frowned, a premonition of trouble stirring in his heart.
However, he was not the only one who saw this golden light. There was another.
Under the dark night sky, a person stood, staring intently at the sky.
Watching the meteor-like light point heading south, a person stood beside her. This person was Liu Mei.
Seeing her staring motionlessly for a long time, Liu Mei couldn't help but ask curiously.
"What are you looking at, Senior?"
She turned her head and smiled faintly, not answering her question. Instead, she suddenly reached out, grabbed her shoulder, and chased after the light.
The light seemed to know it was being pursued and landed directly on a mountain cliff, waiting for the person's arrival.
After waiting for some time, the scent of flowers wafted from behind, followed by an excited cry.
"Xing Ye!"
He turned his head, his expression blank, and said coldly.
"Why are you following me?"
Yu Jiao smiled slightly and said shyly.
"Xing Ye, it's been many years, and you're still so cold."
Liu Mei, standing beside her, finally realized that the person before them was the beloved of the Drought Demoness Ghost, "Li Xing Ye."
He had a cold demeanor, with a half-braided queue at the back of his head. His entire left eyelid bore a mark resembling a five-pointed star.
Upon closer inspection, he was indeed handsome, possessing a certain cold beauty. Paired with the Drought Demoness Ghost, they could be considered a perfect match, destined for each other.
However, seeing his old acquaintance again, he appeared so indifferent, as if the person before him had no connection to him anymore.
He turned his back, casting his solitary coldness upon Yu Jiao.
"We haven't seen each other for a thousand years. Where have you been? I heard that you... you already..."
"I didn't believe it. I waited patiently, and finally, I found you."
Yu Jiao eagerly poured out her innermost thoughts.
He remained silent, only saying coldly.
"You don't need to follow me anymore."
These few words struck Yu Jiao, who was full of joy and anticipation, with a chill, leaving her stunned.
He paid no mind to her reaction, his mind only on the matter entrusted to him by Liu Xiang. He then turned into a wisp of smoke and departed.
Yu Jiao took out a embroidered handkerchief from her embrace, biting its corner, her face filled with grievance, tears welling up in her eyes.
Liu Mei, out of kindness, tried to comfort her.
"I really don't understand how people say you are a match made in heaven. From any perspective, it seems like unrequited love."
She sighed, not blaming her, but merely lamenting.
"Alas, if I had met him for the first time, I would have thought the same as you.
However, I have known him for a thousand years. This is just his temperament; it always makes one fascinated."
Liu Mei could hardly believe her ears, feeling as if the person before her had masochistic tendencies.
She then remembered Yue Jiu Cong.
"It's been several days. Has your lover finished the task I assigned him?"
Liu Mei pouted.
"Brother Jiu won't listen to you."
"Oh, that's fine. If he doesn't listen to me, he surely won't ignore you, right? As long as you are in my hands, he will have no choice but to listen to me."
"Despicable! Shameless!"
"Curse all you want, hahaha. I have plenty of time to torment you. However, I should go and see your beloved brother."
Saying this, she flung out her peach blossom scroll and whisked Liu Mei away towards the north.
In the dark night, as dark as a phantom, a campfire was burning by a quiet riverbank.
The scorching flames illuminated a face obscured by a green veil.
Even though his expression was hidden, his silent posture revealed his worry.
Just then, a piece of pink peach blossom fell onto his hand. He looked up and saw a sky filled with dancing petals, as if a beautiful peach blossom rain had fallen.
He knew that the Drought Demoness Ghost, Yu Jiao, had arrived.
He heard a few seductive laughs carried on the wind and saw two figures emerge from the darkness.
Yue Jiu Cong quickly got up and shouted.
"Liu Mei!"
"Brother Jiu!"
The person opposite also replied.
Yue Jiu Cong stepped forward, wanting to see how Liu Mei had fared these past few days, but Yu Jiao stopped him with a raised hand. She asked,
"Young Master Yue, what about the promise you made to me?"
Speaking of this, Yue Jiu Cong became indignant and replied.
"Asking me to find Jin Yu Lan was clearly a test."
She smiled playfully, looking at him with amusement.
"It seems you're not entirely foolish. But if you haven't obtained his head, then you... shouldn't expect to get your Liu Mei back."
"You! What do you mean!"
"Hahaha, I told you, if you do as I say, I will save your Liu Mei.
If you don't do as I say, I'll keep her as my disciple."
Yue Jiu Cong never expected this woman to be so unreasonable. Knowing he couldn't outwit her, he said.
"You said that if I did as you asked, you would save Liu Mei."
"Naturally."
"Brother Jiu, this woman is clearly deceiving you. You're so smart, don't be manipulated by her."
Liu Mei didn't want to implicate Yue Jiu Cong further or see him used by Yu Jiao.
"Liu Mei, don't worry, I will save you."
Saying this, he turned to Yu Jiao and said.
"I know your hatred is not for Jin Yu Lan, but for the Ten Thousand Ghost King. After all, he was the murderer of your former lover back then."
"That is indeed true."
"Therefore, if you look at this, you will agree to save Liu Mei."
Yu Jiao's expression flickered slightly, wondering what trick this young man was playing. She feigned agreement.
"Alright."
He took out the strand of hair I had given him from his embrace and handed it to Yu Jiao.
"This is the hair of the Ten Thousand Ghost King."
She sniffed it and indeed detected a powerful demonic aura.
The scent was exactly the same as what she had smelled a thousand years ago, confirming it was the Ten Thousand Ghost King's.
She snorted coldly and said.
"Hmph, hair? What do I need this for?"
"The Ten Thousand Ghost King and I were once friends. She promised to come and redeem Liu Mei."
However, in his heart, he thought that Muye had shown him loyalty and kindness, and he would absolutely not harm her.
For now, he could only bluff this woman and protect Liu Mei.
Later, he would invite Muye to drive this woman away together. If she refused to leave, he couldn't be blamed.
With this thought, his confidence grew.
Yu Jiao deliberately asked him.
"I heard that the current Ten Thousand Ghost King is a young girl. I didn't expect you to know her. When will she come to end herself?"
"She promised me that after the crisis in Black Mountain is resolved, she will come to see you."
"Good, I believe you."
He hadn't expected her to agree so readily and felt a surge of joy, knowing he could stall for more time.
However, Yu Jiao thought differently. Her mind was filled with the image of Li Xing Ye from earlier.
Although she knew he wouldn't treat her as well as she treated him, his image was like a cursed spell.
It echoed repeatedly in her mind, refusing to fade.
Then, without further ado, she took Liu Mei and turned to leave. Yue Jiu Cong hurriedly called out.
"Wait for me!"
He rushed to catch up with them.
...
Both the four cities and Black Mountain experienced a brief period of peace. However, shortly after the crisis in the four cities and Black Mountain subsided, news of villains causing trouble on the border began to spread.
A large number of villains suddenly appeared, constantly harassing residents in border areas such as Wangyang Sea, West Purple Kingdom, and East Yue Town.
And by the Wangyang Sea, a few families who made a living by fishing were being consumed by flames. The sky-high fire was as blinding as the rising sun.
At this moment, four figures slowly emerged from the opposite side of the main road, walking towards the flames.
Upon reaching the scorching inferno, they stopped abruptly. The man at the forefront, seeing the towering flames, let out a sigh of mild dissatisfaction.
"Ah, really, they won't even spare these few dilapidated houses?"
The speaker was Ye Changfeng, the leader of the Four Great Villains. He always carried his sword on his shoulder.
His delicate face, paired with his blue and white long robes, gave him a rather unique appearance.
It seemed that this casual man wore a look of helplessness on his face.
Gui Ye, the third of the Four Great Villains, analyzed.
"We've been traveling without incident, but in the past few days, wherever we've gone, we've seen nothing but flames.
I suspect someone is using our reputation as villains to sow chaos in the world."
Ye Changfeng smiled faintly.
"I didn't expect we'd be so useful. I suppose they don't know that we villains also have our principles."
As the group was chatting, they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves from afar.
With a "Yeehaw," a group of people dressed in black brocade and wielding long sabers approached them.
The leader appeared to be someone of status in the government. He shouted.
"Did you set this fire?"
Fu Zi Mo looked at the man playfully and turned his head to Ye Changfeng, saying.
"Big Brother, someone is framing us. What should we do?"
Ye Changfeng narrowed his eyes, turned around, and simply said.
"Let's go."
He had no interest in those four levels below him, let alone engaging them in combat.
The officer on horseback, seeing that this person completely ignored him, was instantly enraged and wanted to teach him a lesson.
He roared.
"Trying to leave? Your life!"
Immediately, he drew a long sabre from his waist and swung it at them. Suddenly, with a "crack!", the sabre instantly broke into two halves and fell to the ground.
The leading officer broke out in a cold sweat. The speed was so astonishing that no one present could see it clearly, making it imaginable how powerful they were.
But he still gritted his teeth and asked.
"Did you set this house on fire?"
Ye Changfeng shook his head and left without looking back.
The official watched their retreating figures and suddenly recalled a terrifying legend from a thousand years ago.
It was rumored that on the border of the West Purple Kingdom, there was a group of villains who specialized in robbing and killing powerful individuals.
According to the legend, wherever a master appeared, they would also be present.