Inside the small island shrouded in thick fog, a synchronized sound echoed, as if some kind of ritual was taking place. By the shore, where aquatic plants grew, a guard bandit occasionally turned to glance back, his expression somewhat agitated. Suddenly, a sound of collision, neither loud nor soft, emerged from the fog-covered swamp. The bandit glanced over, assuming it was merely the sound of waves moving a bamboo raft.
Out of nowhere, a dark figure came rushing at high speed. Just as the bandit was about to shout, he was struck and sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground. "I was wondering how so many bandits got on the island; it turns out they used bamboo rafts," the figure remarked while tossing the bandit aside into the nearby aquatic plants. The figure was Cao Yi.
The earlier noise had come from a small boat accidentally bumping into a bamboo raft anchored at the shore. "What's this?" Cao Yi bent down to pick up a hideous mask that seemed to have fallen from the previous bandit. Why would a bandit carry such a bizarre mask? No matter, he decided to put it on.
"What are they doing inside?" With the mask on, Cao Yi's gaze shifted towards the inner part of the fog-covered island. Even before reaching the shore, he had heard synchronized shouts and stomping sounds. "Could they be performing some kind of ritual?" With this thought, Cao Yi cautiously approached.
Before long, he came across a cluster of houses surrounded by trees, bamboo huts, and vegetable patches; it should have been a peaceful fishing village, but now it was eerily empty. As he passed through the houses, the terrain began to rise, and he could vaguely make out several bandits on guard. The fog obscured their view of Cao Yi.
After walking up a gentle slope for a while, he spotted flames ahead, the source of the synchronized sounds. Avoiding some stationed bandits, he advanced another hundred steps, and with his keen eyesight, Cao Yi saw nearly a thousand masked bandits forming a large circle. Inside the circle, some disheveled bandits were dancing around dozens of bonfires, shouting as if conducting a séance for the deceased.
To one side stood a towering earthen platform, on which sat a burly man wearing a mask—without a doubt, it was Peng Yue. "System, deploy the Star-Attracting Array here," Cao Yi decided not to get any closer; it would be troublesome if discovered, even if it wasn't dangerous.
"Deploy," he commanded. A black hole appeared a few steps away, with a rapidly rotating vortex inside. Cao Yi had seen this many times before; he took a quick glance before shifting his focus elsewhere. Soon, a fist-sized, square, pitch-black object floated out. "What's this?" Cao Yi's expression turned curious. "It's an array platform," came the explanation.
This is advanced! Cao Yi picked it up; it was surprisingly light, no more than seven or eight pounds, with a nice, smooth texture. Suddenly, a message filled his mind. Cao Yi understood; the device was easy to operate—just bury it in the ground and wait fifteen minutes. As for the burial spot, right beneath his feet would suffice.
He took out a thousand-year-old peach wood sword from his gourd and quickly dug a small hole, placing the array platform inside and covering it back up. "Stop!" A deep voice suddenly boomed. The synchronized shouts and stomping ceased. Cao Yi looked up to see Peng Yue standing before the crowd.
"Brothers, the head of the Song clan and over a hundred of our brothers died at the hands of that demon. Our third in command also succumbed to severe injuries half an hour ago. We must avenge them!" Standing at nearly six and a half feet tall, Peng Yue raised his fists and shouted. "We must avenge them!" "We must avenge them!"
Close to a thousand bandits roared in unison, creating a truly spectacular scene. Cao Yi watched, bemused; this group had no idea their target was right next to them, and they were preparing to take him down.
"Silence!" Peng Yue shouted, his voice powerful. The thousand bandits quieted immediately. "That demon has taken residence in Lu Gong's mansion. I've coordinated with our inside man to open the west gate of Pei County at the hour of the tiger. Once we reach outside Lu's mansion, we'll send in a group of brave brothers with the flammable materials prepared by our insider to set the place ablaze, forcing that demon out, and then we'll unleash our accumulated strong bows and crossbows. I don't believe he can survive that."
Peng Yue's voice thundered, filled with absolute confidence. The bandits erupted into another round of shouts, as if envisioning Cao Yi being turned into a porcupine. "The straight distance to the west gate of Pei County is only a quarter of an hour away. We'll arrive by the hour of the tiger without any problems." Cao Yi mentally critiqued Peng Yue's timing.
"Silence! Before we set out, we need to select the bravest among us to lead a fearless group into Lu's mansion to set the fires." Peng Yue scanned the crowd with sharp eyes. Many stepped forward eagerly. Peng Yue nodded in satisfaction, "No wonder you're my brothers; even if you lose your heads, you'll still be heroes eighteen years later."
"However, I said we need to choose the bravest. This person must stand on this platform and remain undefeated in six rounds. Before we set out, I will appoint this person as our new third in command." The cheering surged like a tide; the third in command held a position second only to Peng Yue and the second in command.
"Alright, let's begin!" Peng Yue declared as he stepped off the platform. Immediately, two masked bandits jumped up. Within three rounds, one of them was knocked off.
Time passed, and one by one, bandits climbed onto the platform only to be thrown down again. Cao Yi, noticing time was running short, planned to find a place to hide in the purple gold red gourd, waiting for the arrival of the star.
"You!" A very burly bandit on the platform pointed at Cao Yi. Everyone turned to look back.
Me! Being singled out made Cao Yi feel a bit uneasy. If he won, wouldn't he be leading those who intended to kill him?
"Come up!" the burly bandit shouted. "What are you waiting for? Get up here!" "Afraid of dying?" "Hurry!"
The bandits urged him on. Cao Yi hesitated for a few seconds before stepping forward. He wasn't worried about being exposed; the bandits' attire was all over the place—some looked like beggars, others like nobility, farmers, or wanderers.
"This outfit is nice; if I lose, let's swap." The burly bandit laughed loudly upon seeing Cao Yi approach. Cao Yi stepped onto the platform and glanced at him. He wore noble attire but was missing a sleeve.
"You're so thin; you wouldn't even be able to take one kick from me!" The burly bandit strode up, completely dismissing Cao Yi.
Cao Yi said nothing and silently watched him. As the burly bandit approached, he scoffed and kicked out, but before he could connect, he was sent flying like a sandbag.
"Good skill!" "Impressive!" "Such strength!"
The bandits cheered. Cao Yi remained silent, watching the crowd below. Soon, another bandit stepped up, only to be kicked down as well. The second, third, fourth... *Smack!* The fifth bandit was knocked unconscious with a single slap. By the sixth match, no one dared to come up; this guy was too fierce.
"Good! This brother will be our new third in command!" Peng Yue stepped onto the platform with a wide smile. Cao Yi still said nothing.
"Brother, I entrust you with the task of burning down Lu's mansion this time." Peng Yue spoke politely. From now on, this brother in front of him would be the third leader of the bandits of Juyaze, second only to him and the second in command.
Cao Yi didn't respond; instead, he raised his hand and pointed at the sky. Peng Yue looked up and was taken aback. "So many stars! How did the fog in the sky disappear all of a sudden?"
After a moment, Peng Yue came back to his senses and casually remarked, "Heavenly phenomena are unpredictable; nothing strange about that."
Not hearing a reply, he turned his head. "Huh? Where did brother go?"