Yan Zhanjin struggled to open his eyes, his eyelids feeling impossibly heavy. He felt his entire body was emptied, a hollow shell with no strength remaining. He could hear three voices nearby but couldn't make sense of the words. He recognized Zhu Mingyang's voice, but the other two were strangers. He listened for a painful stretch of time before trying to move his lips, but he couldn't force out a sound. Determined, he focused every ounce of will on his eyes.
Slowly, his vision cleared, and he saw Zhu Mingyang. He tried to speak once more, his voice catching in his throat, a barely audible rasp.
Yan Zhanjin whispered, desperate and weak, "Mingyang..." He tried again, a little stronger, reaching out in his confusion. "Mingyang..."
Zhu Mingyang immediately moved to the bed and sat with him, his face etched with concern. "Zhanjin, how do you feel?" he asked gently.
Yan Zhanjin managed a weak smile. "I'm fine." He looked around the room, his brow furrowing slightly. "Where am I?"
Zhu Mingyang gently explained. "Sunset Sect. Chaomei saved you."
Yan Zhanjin turned his head to the side and saw Yuan Chaomei sitting at a nearby table. He offered a grateful smile. "Yuan guniang, thank you for saving my life. I owe you one."
Yuan Chaomei smiled kindly. "You have saved Yingjie and Mingyang before. I just repay Yingjie's favor. You don't owe me anything."
Yan Zhanjin looked back at Zhu Mingyang, his concern quickly shifting. "Yingjie, where is he?" He let out a small, weak cough.
Zhu Mingyang's gaze dropped. "He's not here."
Yan Zhanjin's heart sank instantly. He worried that Gu Yingjie had run away because of the intense confession on the mountain. He asked, his voice tight with anxiety, "Where is he?"
Zhu Mingyang reassured him. "He hurried to meet with chief Yong."
Yan Zhanjin breathed a profound sigh of relief. "That's good. Taihua sent him news of Batu's disappearance." He looked at Zhu Mingyang. "Why didn't you go with him?"
Zhu Mingyang sighed. "I wanted to go with him, but he wouldn't let me leave Sunset Sect."
Yan Zhanjin smiled faintly. "Sounds like him."
After Kuo Lok defeated all the members of the Seventy-Two Islands, he and Bazar Batu continued their exhausting walk toward Sunset Mountain. As the sun set, they finally reached the iron gate of Sunset Sect. They braced themselves for the challenge but were greeted by an open door.
Kuo Lok held Bazar Batu's hand tightly, looking at his friend for direction. "Should we go in or wait?"
Bazar Batu frowned, weary and cautious. "I don't know." He looked at Kuo Lok. "I don't know if Zhanjin is in there?"
Approaching from the other side of the iron gate was Si Meifeng, one of the Sunset Sect Tigers. She smiled warmly. "Bazar gongzi, we meet again."
Bazar Batu asked urgently, "Leader Si, is your chief here? Is Zhanjin here?"
Si Meifeng smiled. "Yes, they are all here."
Bazar Batu looked at her hopefully. "Can we go in?"
Si Meifeng gestured to the open gate. "The door is open; you can go in."
Bazar Batu immediately took Kuo Lok's hand and walked forward quickly. Just as they crossed the threshold, a wave of arrows shot straight at them, but the volley fell harmlessly behind them. They quickly turned around and saw Yen Tung and Jiang Koshing with twenty members of Seventy-Two Islands. Bazar Batu and Kuo Lok slowly retreated toward Si Meifeng.
Si Meifeng smiled, unbothered by the sudden ambush. "It's really rare that Leader Jiang and Leader Yen are here."
Yen Tung insisted, his face grim, "Leader Si, those two belong to Seventy-Two Islands."
Si Meifeng's smile widened. "Oh, now they belong to Sunset Sect." She chuckled softly. "Turn around and walk away, or you will be shot at where you stand."
Yen Tung, frustrated by her calm defiance, challenged her. "Leader Si, does Sunset Sect want to be enemies with Seventy-Two Islands?"
Si Meifeng's tone turned subtly cold. "You broke into our territory; how could we be your enemies?" She giggled playfully. "If they leave the territory of Sunset Sect, you can do whatever you want with them. But when they are within the territory of the Sunset Sect, they are our guests."
Yen Tung gritted his teeth with anger. He was about to rush to attack Si Meifeng but was stopped by Jiang Koshing, the more pragmatic leader. Jiang Koshing said, "Leader Si, you do know that our chief is not a very patient person?"
Si Meifeng met the threat easily. "If your chief wants to be our enemy, we are happy to accept it. Please help Chief Yuan send a message to your chief."
Jiang Koshing said, wary now, "I'm listening."
Si Meifeng delivered the ultimatum with authority. "Chief Yuan said, if Fu Yuanjun does not release Xin Taiyang and Mu gongzi, then the battle between us will be inevitable. Within ten days, we will be neutral with Seventy-Two Islands. After ten days, if we have to, we will march into Seventy-Two Islands, one island at a time, until we bring Xin Taiyang back." She turned and started walking back into the passageway. "Close the gate. If anyone crosses the mark, shoot them down."
When the gate was completely closed, Bazar Batu asked Si Meifeng, his voice low. "Are you really going to march down there?"
Si Meifeng admitted the strategy. "It is a bluff, so they won't attack us. We are waiting for Gu gongzi to bring back up support."
Bazar Batu pressed for details. "How many people do you have?"
Si Meifeng answered honestly. "Less than two hundred people."
Bazar Batu worried. "This won't last long."
Kuo Lok stated the obvious math. "Five to one, we can't win."
Bazar Batu sighed, recognizing the danger. "There are more than a thousand people of Seventy-Two Islands down there. We need a plan."
Si Meifeng nodded. "Let's meet with the other leaders first."
In the main conference hall of the Sunset Sect, the atmosphere was one of grim, tense alliance. This hall was a space of formidable power, with a high, vaulted ceiling supported by massive black wooden beams. The walls were lined with dark, polished paneling, and the floor was made of smooth, cold slate. A single, long dining table, usually reserved for the sect's inner council, dominated the center of the room.
Around this table were seated the unlikely allies. Bazar Batu and Kuo Lok sat opposite the four imposing figures known as the Four Tigers of the Sunset Sect—the highest-ranking guards, whose faces remained stoic and unreadable. Zhu Mingyang was also present, his gaze serious.
Yuan Chaomei, standing at the head of the table, used a small map to track their movements, her voice calm amidst the tension. "Yingjie knows that traveling by sea will be fast," she analyzed, tracing a route with her finger. "The ships he's securing will give us the advantage of speed to retrieve Mu gongzi before Wang Biming can reinforce the other islands."
Cao Yanmei spoke up, a note of hope coloring her voice. "Gu gongzi should have met Chief Yong by now, and they will be here within a day or two."
Bazar Batu summarized the timetable with a pragmatic nod. "In other words, he will be here in two days."
Zhu Mingyang spoke with confidence rooted in his intimate knowledge of his lover. "Knowing Yingjie, I'm sure he will be here tomorrow."
Tang Keung pointed out the immediate, unavoidable risk. "If Fu Yuanjun knew that we were waiting for backup, he would definitely attack us."
Bazar Batu slammed his chopsticks onto the table in a flash of rage, the sound echoing sharply in the dark hall. He furiously swore, his voice raw with conviction. "I swear to bring down his ambition empire, and I intend to do it!"
Yan Zhanjin asked despite the danger. "What are your thoughts?"
Bazar Batu proposed his deceptively risky plan. "Open the gate with no guard."
Si Meifeng sneered, utterly incredulous. "Are you crazy?"
Bazar Batu patiently explained the psychological trick. "If your enemy opens the gate wide and is not guarded, what would you think when you are standing in front of the open gate?"
Tang Keung considered the mental calculation required. "I don't know if I want to enter or not, because who knows what traps are behind those open gates."
Bazar Batu confirmed the intended effect. "Exactly."
Si Meifeng remained skeptical of the simple deception. "What if he doesn't fall for your little play?"
Bazar Batu had a brutal, immediate contingency. "Then we kill them as they cross the passageway."
Si Meifeng, practical now, asked, "With what?"
Bazar Batu grinned, his eyes alight with grim determination. "Boulders or arrows, pick one."
Yuan Chaomei, seeing the clear value of the psychological distraction to buy time, gave her approval. "Leader Yao, I will let you two handle it."
The Yao brothers nodded, their expressions stern as they accepted the dangerous mission.
Bazar Batu ground his teeth, leaning forward as he delivered a final, silent challenge to his unseen enemy. "Fu Yuanjun, if you dare to come... I'll crush you!"