Chapter 15: Unjust Heaven, Three Heroes Rise

If one can still struggle, fight, and resist, nothing is terrifying no matter what happens. But if one can only sit there waiting, that’s truly terrifying. It is only in such times that one’s courage can be seen. (Gu Long)
……
During this period, led by the Great Sword King, the three of them traveled through Shu at lightning speed, heading south toward Chengdu. By the time they reached Fengmo Town, eight days had already passed, and it seemed time was running short.
Liu Yi sat down under a willow tree, too exhausted to walk any further. They had been traveling day and night for days—how could an ordinary person endure such hardship?
Liu Yi took out his water bag, took a sip, wiped his mouth, and asked, “Great Sword King, we’ve been traveling for eight days. How much longer until we reach Wind-Bearing Cave?”
The Great Sword King took a big gulp of his water, pulled out a tattered map, and studied it. “I’ve never been here before. We can only rely on this map. According to it, after passing through Fengmo Town, crossing a mountain, and making a few turns, we’ll see it.”
Liu Yi snatched the map and said, “No way! That means it will take another day to get there? Nine days in total? How come Wind-Bearing Cave is so far outside the pass?”
The Great Sword King explained, “Most of the demon clans are outside the pass; only the Demon Gate is inside the Central Plains.”
Shi Jie took a sip of water but remained angry. “Tomorrow, I’ll crush Wind-Bearing Cave! Damn it, they can’t even pick the right people to capture!”
Liu Yi looked at the sky and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s rest here for the night.”
The Great Sword King stared at the desolate town ahead and muttered, “Why does this town give me such an uneasy feeling? Fengmo Town seems really strange.”
Liu Yi retorted, “What’s strange about it? I, Liu Yi, always act with a clear conscience. What’s there to fear even if there are ghosts?” With that, he stood up and headed toward the town.
The Great Sword King watched Liu Yi’s back and thought, “These days, even if you don’t do anything shameful, ghosts will hunt you. Let alone me, who’s done many shameful things—how can I compare to him?”
With no choice, since the leader had entered the town, the Great Sword King followed. As they passed the town entrance, the three noticed that a large stone plaque at the entrance had been cut in half by some unknown force, with fresh blood still on it—obviously recent. This made Fengmo Town seem even more eerie and terrifying.
When the three entered the town, they felt even more uneasy because everyone there kept their distance and stared at them strangely, as if they were endangered species.
Seeing a teahouse ahead, Liu Yi said, “Shi Jie, let’s rest there for a while and find out where there are inns in this town.”
Shi Jie nodded, and the three walked toward the teahouse. But just a few steps away, several people rushed out and closed the doors and windows tightly.
Liu Yi wondered, “What’s going on? They seem to be very afraid of us!”
At that moment, a voice said, “Young men, you must be outsiders. Leave quickly. This is an ominous place.”

Liu Yi turned around and saw an old man sitting at the entrance of a nearby house, drinking wine while staring at him with drunken eyes… Liu Yi walked over, bowed politely, and said, “Elder, may I ask if there is an inn here? It’s getting late, and we just need a place to stay for one night.” The old man looked at Liu Yi and said, “I advise you to leave quickly. Staying here is very dangerous.” Liu Yi asked in confusion, “What kind of danger does the elder mean?” Just as the old man was about to speak, Shi Jieyi behind Liu Yi shouted, “What danger could there be? No matter what comes, Shi Jieyi will crush it!” He patted his chest, showing a defiant attitude. The old man glanced at the decreasing number of people around and said, “Come on, come in.” He pushed the door open and walked inside. Out of curiosity, Liu Yi followed. Inside was dim, but as the old man lit the oil lamp, the room gradually became brighter. It was a very dilapidated house with simple furnishings—just some stored food, a broken bed, and the wine bottles the old man was drinking, lined up on the floor. The old man sat down at the table and asked Liu Yi and Shi Jieyi and the others to sit as well. After taking a sip of wine, he said, “Just call me Uncle Wine. I love drinking, and that’s how everyone in the town calls me. You’re outsiders and don’t know how dangerous Fengmo Town is.” Liu Yi waved his fan and asked, “What’s there here?” The old man leaned over the table and whispered, “There are monsters.” Liu Yi didn’t seem very surprised and asked, “So what?” Uncle Wine was also amazed by Liu Yi’s reaction and said, “Monsters hurt people. If you stay here tonight, you might get hurt by them.” Liu Yi looked at the old man and asked, “Then why is Uncle Wine safe here while we have to leave?” It seemed Liu Yi had hit the nail on the head, as Shi Jieyi and Da Dao Wang nodded. Uncle Wine took another sip of wine and said, “Look at my old bones. Even if I were food for monsters, they wouldn’t eat me! These two monsters target young, strong men and beautiful girls in their prime. I heard they even eat human hearts.” Hearing this, Liu Yi snapped, “How absurd! Isn’t there anyone in the local government to deal with this?” Uncle Wine took a sip of wine and said, “What local government? Who believes in them these days? Government officials only care about money. Who would risk their lives to catch monsters? Besides, those two monsters are extremely powerful. No government dares to offend them.” Liu Yi said angrily, “If I had the ability to kill monsters, I would eliminate them for you today.” Uncle Wine nodded and said, “Young man, you have a kind heart. But I still advise you to leave quickly. It’ll be too late once it gets dark. Those two monsters are really fierce.” Shi Jieyi behind Liu Yi patted his chest and said, “Boss, today Shi Jieyi will be a hero and catch those two monsters.” Liu Yi thought, right, there’s also Shi Jieyi. Shi Jieyi is a skilled fighter. Liu Yi had seen his prowess back at the Wolf King Cave. Although he didn’t hurt the Wolf King, he was incredibly strong.

Liu Yi nodded and said to Uncle Jiu, “Uncle Jiu, my brother is extremely powerful. Let’s learn from him today how a hero acts and see just how formidable those two monsters are.”
Upon hearing this, King of the Great Sword slammed his heavy sword on the table and said, “I, King of the Great Sword, have never done anything good before. Today, I’ll risk it all to become a hero—let’s see how it goes.”
Uncle Jiu glanced at Liu Yi and the others and said, “Since… since you’ve made up your minds, I’ll tell you what I know.”
Liu Yi and the others nodded, listening attentively.
Uncle Jiu took another sip of wine and continued, “Those two monsters appeared ten years ago. Before they showed up, Fengmo Town was quite lively.”
“Legend has it that a long, long time ago, a Taoist priest passed by here and found the area filled with demonic energy. After searching, he finally found a black bear spirit and a fox spirit. The priest tried to eliminate them with his Taoist arts, but his skills were not strong enough against their cultivation. He could only seal them in a cave in Southern Mountain. Since then, the town was renamed Fengmo Town.”
“That’s how it was. No one knows how much time passed or what happened, until one night ten years ago, when there was a violent storm with thunder and rain. For some reason, the two monsters broke free from their seals.”
After taking another sip of wine, Uncle Jiu continued, “Since then, Fengmo Town has been in panic. The two monsters appear in the town every night. Of course, when they’re in a good mood, they just hunt for food and drink wine. But when they’re angry, they eat living people and dig out their hearts. As a result, over ten years, the population of Fengmo Town dropped from 40,000 to only 7,000 or 8,000.”
Liu Yi was horrified. There were such unjust things in the world. He asked angrily, “Don’t these people know how to resist?”
Uncle Jiu shook his head and said, “It’s useless. The two monsters are extremely skilled in martial arts, while the people in the town know none. The more they resist, the more people die.”
Upon hearing the word “martial arts,” Liu Yi felt annoyed. He had chosen not to learn martial arts to avoid getting involved in the violence of the martial world. But now, as an ordinary scholar, even if he wanted to stand up for justice, he lacked the strength. Sigh… He should have listened to his father and learned some martial arts. At least then he could use them in situations like this. He could always hide when necessary. Sigh… How stupid he was.
Uncle Jiu took another sip of wine and said, “Anyway, you need to be careful. Those two monsters are incredibly powerful. I heard they’ve been cultivating for a thousand years each. I don’t know if you’ll be able to withstand them…”
Just then, a charming voice came from outside the door, “Be careful of what? Are we really that scary?” Hehe, followed by a bell-like laugh.
Uncle Jiu whispered, “Bad news. It’s those two monsters.”
At that moment, with a “bang,” the door was blown open by a strong gust of wind. Liu Yi, the Ten Heroes, and King of the Great Sword all stood up. Outside stood two people, a man and a woman.

The man was tall and muscular, nearly a head taller than Shi Jieyi. Although he wore a leather jacket, he didn’t differ much from Da Dao Wang, who was bare-chested. His explosive muscles seemed to challenge Shi Jieyi, and his chiseled features made him look extremely handsome. Yet his eyes were filled with a sinister aura, making people feel uncomfortable.

The woman beside him was a head shorter than Shi Jieyi, dressed in a thin dress that revealed her curves—soft in the right places, firm in the right places, and full in the right places. To those who didn’t know her, she would surely appear to be a peerless beauty. But her eyes brimmed with lust.

Liu Yi stepped forward and said, “I’m Liu Yi. It’s an honor to meet you. Are you the legendary… Fox Spirit and Black Bear Spirit?” As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yi realized how foolish he was—foolish enough to ask demons if they were demons.

What surprised Liu Yi even more was the strong man’s reply, “That’s right. We are the Black Bear Spirit and Fox Spirit.”

It seemed this strong man wasn’t much better than Liu Yi…

Part 1, Volume 2: Wandering Through Vast Lands