Chapter 224: Number One

　　Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

　　Chengdu was located near the center of Sichuan province. There was still some distance between where they were now and the Nine Peaks Mountain which was located the west of the Chuan region. However, they were closer to the Luo family’s Crow Ridge. The other disciples obeyed their orders and returned to the mountain as Wen Leyang, Qin Zhui, and Wen Make headed to Crow Ridge in search of the two foolish uncles.

　　Their itinerary was neatly planned out by Wen Make so Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui were not worried in the slightest. As expected, personnel from the Death Trademark were all men of long experience. Wen Make was not inferior to the Bushuo Buzuo brothers in terms of his capabilities and experience.

　　It was dark when they reached their destination. Crow Ridge was a vast mountain. Wen Leyang and Wen Make exchanged a helpless look as none of them knows where the two foolish uncles were. The duo was still discussing whether they should call the Luo family for help when Wen Leyang’s cell phone rang. Wen Leyang was delighted when he saw Grand Elder Wen’s name on the caller ID.

　　The two foolish uncles have rare moments of intelligence sometimes. They had not thrown every cell phone into the well, they had kept the best one for themselves.

　　Wen Leyang picked up the call and spoke into it for a while. Wen Nine, who intentionally lowered his voice said slowly on the other end, “Where are we?”

　　Wen Leyang was astonished. He pondered for a while and replied carefully, “You guys should be on Crow Ridge.”

　　“Where are you?”

　　Wen Leyang tried hard to suppress his laughter, “I’m also on Crow Ridge!”

　　Wen Leyang was surprised when his Ninth Uncle did not complain or ask why they could not see him. Instead, his uncle replied drily, “Crow Ridge is bigger than I thought.”

　　Wen Nine’s voice had no humor in it and was solemn and serious.

　　Wen Leyang could restrain himself no longer as he gave the cell phone to Wen Make and hugged his stomach as he laughed.

　　Wen Make placed the cell phone to his ear. Wen Nine said something which made his expression change quickly. He shouted in a low voice, “Don’t…” He had just said one word when a loud boom came from a faraway col. A brilliant firework shot towards the sky and tore the night sky apart in the blink of an eye. The multitude of stars instantly paled in comparison!

　　The silver-colored pattern hung high in the sky and did not scatter for a long while. Not only does it lack beauty, it also gave off waves of killing intent. Wen Leyang immediately lost his ability to smile. He too recognized this firework, it was the cannon signal used by the Wen Bucao to gather their disciples! Its effects could compete with ‘an arrow that pierced the sky which brought thousands of troops and horses to meet’…

　　This type of firework cannon signal has not been used by the Wen family for a long time but it was not obsolete. Not long after the first cannon signal, another glow flickered in the faraway sky. The Wen Bucao were influential people in the Shu state. Just because they had not troubled themselves with worldly affairs for two thousand years does not mean that they do not step out of their homes. Their disciples were everywhere in the Chuan region and the Shu state. These disciples immediately passed the message on once they saw the signal.

　　These old objects have been passed down for generations and have not been in use for over a hundred years but the Wen family disciples have preserved them so they were as good as new and could be used. When the situation arose, they would methodically follow the protocol. To the other Wen family disciples, the family could not be reached by phone. Unless it was something important, it was logical for them to assume that it would not have been communicated via the cannon signals…

　　Wen Make, who was well-experienced, put down the cell phone weakly. He smiled bitterly at Wen Leyang, “Those two have even stolen the signal cannons and wanted us to go find them at the spot where the signals had been fired…” He was halfway through his sentence when another bang was heard. The foolish uncles had lit another cannon signal…

　　One signal for imminent danger; two signals for landslides and floods; three signals for Yama’s call!

　　Throughout the two thousand years when the Wen Bucao had resided in the Chuan and Shu regions, it was only a few hundred years ago when countless strong enemies had come to seek revenge from ancestor Wen Lazi. Two cannon signals had been fired at once then…

　　Wen Leyang squalled. He pulled Wen Make and immediately ran towards the direction from which the firework had been fired. At the same time, he quickly called First Uncle to have him inform the Wen family disciples to not fluster themselves and act as if they had seen nothing. He had just ended the call when the third cannon signal exploded.

　　Then there was a fourth, a fifth, a sixth…

　　From afar, the disciple who was in charge of passing down the signal looked at the multiple layers of fireworks in the sky. His dried throat rolled as he turned and stammered to an older Wen Bucao man, “Father, we do not have that many cannon signals left…”

　　The old man stomped his feet and cursed, “Yama has called, hurry over and help them!” He then rushed out but barely ran two steps when his cell phone rang. The old man glanced at his phone and declined the call. He even muttered, “Unfamiliar number!” Not only was this family affected, currently, the Wen Bucao near Chengdu, whether they were from the branch family or the main family, were all in a flustered mess.

　　Wen Tunhai was so angry that he started cursing at home. Nobody had picked up his calls. Wen Daniang sneered and threw his a side glance…

　　Other than the glow of the cannon signals, an eerie dark green light also floated in the sky silently. It was a Spirit Guiding Light from Crow Ridge.

　　Someone else had fired signal cannons at their doorstep and the people of the Luo family were flustered. A cold voice sounded continuously with the clashing of metal, “The Wen and Luo families’ marriage is at hand but this cannon signal speaks of death…”

　　When the shout rang out, the entire Crow Ridge was quickly wrapped up in the aura of the netherworld. Ghostly cries and wolves’ howls accompanied a sickening corpse stench which filled the air wantonly!

　　Wen Leyang opened his mouth. He wanted to shout but he does not know what he should shout about. He turned and looked at Wen Make who was carried by him as he ran. The latter hesitated and then shouted, “Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!”

　　Other than the word ‘misunderstanding’, Wen Make truly does not know what else he could shout about as well…

　　The cannon signal had risen from a col under Crow Ridge. When they got to that place, a big group of Luo family elites was already gathered there. Each of them led green-faced zombies with ferocious fangs but the expressions of the living were far worse than the zombies. The leader was someone that they know, it was his brother-in-law, Luo Wanggen.

　　Wen Leyang heaved a relieved sigh and he quickly hopped over.

　　Luo Wanggen felt a human figure flash before his eyes. He had just opened his mouth to curse when he saw that it was Wen Leyang. His ashen face then relaxed somewhat as he frowned and asked, “What’s the matter?”

　　Wen Leyang blinked for half a day. In the end, he could only squeeze out one word, “Misunderstanding…”

　　Wen Make flopped down from Wen Leyang’s shoulders limply. He was feeling a slight case of motion sickness. He bolstered himself as he saluted Luo Wanggen with cupped fists, “The Luo disciples did not barge in to capture the men, we Wen Bucao owe you a debt of gratitude.”

　　Luo Wanggen grunted as his expression turned into anger and helplessness. He pointed at a huge tree at the entrance of the col, “It’s not that we didn’t want to enter!”

　　On the huge tree, a row of big words had been carved in a crooked manner. It said ‘no one else may enter besides Wen Leyang!’

　　Qin Zhui was astonished, “You didn’t enter because you weren’t allowed to?”

　　Luo Wanggen took a deep breath as he tried hard to calm his nerves. He flashed a bamboo letter token which looked like the ones the Wen Elders had used, “This was also hanging from the tree! It’s the letter token from the Luo family elders.” As he said this, Luo Wanggen rolled his eyes. He then glared at Wen Leyang with burning eyes, “What’s the meaning of this? How had the men inside obtained my elders’ letter token?”

　　Wen Make did not have to say anything as Wen Leyang finally understood what had happened. He clenched his teeth and stifled his laughter before asking Luo Wanggen in a low voice, “Aren’t the two Luo elders visiting as guests at the Nine Peaks Mountain now?”

　　If Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen could steal the Wen family’s letter token, they could also steal the Luo family’s letter token. He reckoned that the cell phones of the two Luo elders had also been stolen and tossed down the well too.

　　As expected, Luo Wanggen nodded, “The two grandfathers and my elder sister are at the Nine Peaks Mountain.” He trusted Wen Leyang very much. If it had been another Wen family elite, his expression would not have been this nice.

　　Guo Huan could no longer hold it in within the jade knife and he laughed loudly, “Are these two uncles of yours truly fools?”

　　Wen Leyang’s smile also had a tinge of annoyance in it. He had wandered everywhere on Nine Peaks Mountain so he was extremely familiar with them. This series of events was not something which the two of them could have conjured up on their own. Of course, Wen Leyang does not hate his silly uncles but someone else does. He could roughly guess who the perpetrator was.

　　Wen Make pulled Luo Wanggen aside. Wen Leyang did not know what he said but it must have been reasons which somehow served as an explanation. Luo Wanggen was a well-behaved child, he felt at ease when he saw that Wen Leyang has arrived. He nodded hesitantly and asked his family’s elites to stand down. He said to Wen Leyang with a sad face, “You must give me an explanation for this! If you guys leave happily after such a ruckus, the two grandfathers would tear me apart when they return.”

　　Wen Leyang nodded in agreement, “Deal. I’ll fetch the stamp and write a commendatory letter for you signed by Grand Elder Wen himself!” He then gave the elders’ letter tokens to Wen Make. He then instructed Wen Make and the other Luo family elites to go and send away the Wen family disciples who were making their way here.

　　After he had settled this matter, Wen Leyang made towards the col. Qin Zhui naturally wanted to see what all the ruckus was about.

　　The col was not very deep. A great big tree leaned on the mountain at the end of it as it grew with some gloominess and strangeness. Its branches intertwined and let off a stern aura. Huge, dried gnarls covered the tree trunk, making it look like a giant toad. The two foolish uncles were not under the tree, they were in it. It was late winter and even in the land of Shu, the temperature was below zero. The leaves of the strange tree had already fallen completely and only bald branches were left. It could not even hide the two of them.

　　The two uncles had covered their heads with black cloths with two holes cut out for their eyes. Two pairs of mischievous eyes were looking left and right in terror. They did not look at Wen Leyang or Qin Zhui but were staring outside the col.

　　Wen Leyang kept a straight face on purpose and restricted his voice into a rigid and cold tone, “Who are you two what do you want by calling me here?” After all, it would not take too much of his time and he could not bring himself to spoil his two foolish uncles’ fun.

　　Wen Nine finally noticed him. He quickly made a silencing gesture and lowered his own voice, “Are the corpse ghosts still outside?”

　　Wen Leyang understood now that the two of them had hidden in the tree because they had been afraid of the corpses. He suppressed his laughter and nodded.

　　Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen looked at each other before they sighed in unison and jumped down from the branches. They then circled Wen Leyang and although he could not see their faces, the eyes which were visible from the holes of the black cloth had turned into crescent moons.

　　The last time Wen Leyang had seen the two of them running in circles like this was when he had just achieved Wen Lazi’s Art of Poison and woken up from their puppet show. He felt a tingling warmth in his heart. The expression on his face was as if he was facing a great enemy but his narrowed eyes could not turn sharp no matter what.

　　Wen Nine made a complete circle before he stopped and asked drily, “I heard that you’re the Number One elite of the Nine Peaks Mountain?”

　　Wen Leyang had not replied before Wen Thirteen sneered suddenly. He used the same dry tone and asked, “Are you hungry?” As he said that, he took out three carrots from his chest pocket. He tossed one to Wen Leyang and gave his big brother another. Finally, he looked at Qin Zhui who was standing to the side. He hesitated before breaking his carrot into two, passing half of it Qin Zhui.

　　Wen Leyang’s heart was so warm that it almost made his ribs melt. He started to nibble on the carrot. The two foolish uncles gesticulated then rolled up the black cloth which covered their heads up to their noses. They exposed their mouths and started crunching loudly on the carrots. Wen Thirteen did not forget to instruct Wen Nine drily, “Next time, remember to make a hole for the mouth.”

　　Wen Nine nodded in all apparent seriousness.

　　Wen Leyang took his time with the carrot so the two foolish uncles were much faster than him. They gobbled up their carrots in no time but they were shy to urge him on. They gritted their teeth and fretted in front of him. Finally, Wen Leyang placed the last bite of carrot into his mouth. Wen Thirteen was too impatient to wait as he spoke, “We had called you here to Crow Ridge for the name of the ‘Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number One elite’…”

　　He had not finished speaking when Wen Nine suddenly frowned. He gently tugged his brother’s clothes and said in a low voice, “That’s not right!”

　　Wen Thirteen nodded calmly, “What’s not right?”

　　“Why are we fighting for the Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number One elite on Crow Ridge?” As Wen Nine said this, he raised his arm and scratched the back of his head. The two holes in the black cloth mask had been pulled to the back of his head.

　　Wen Thirteen’s gaze was confused immediately, “What’s wrong with that?”

　　Qin Zhui laughed. He then reached out and patted Wen Thirteen’s shoulder, “If you’re competing on Crow Ridge, you’re then fighting for the Number One elite of Crow Ridge!”

　　Wen Thirteen was out of ideas and he looked at Wen Nine with shock. The probing intent of his gaze needed no words, he was pondering if they should fight for the name of Crow Ridge’s Number One elite first?

　　Wen Nine shook his head as if he was troubled, “It’s not that simple, he’s not Crow Ridge’s first elite!” He then paused briefly. He ignored Wen Leyang and muttered in a low voice, “The first elite of Crow Ridge… is currently on the Nine Peaks Mountain.”

　　Wen Leyang was worried that the people of the Luo family would go crazy if they took too much time. He desperately tried to suppress his urge to laugh as he imitated the tone of the two foolish uncles and gave them a hint, “Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number One elite would still be Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number One elite no matter where he goes. As long as someone could beat me, then wherever he… They are, they would become Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number…”

　　He had not even finished speaking when the two foolish uncles were overjoyed. They each let out a strange laugh and pounced towards Qin Zhui from both sides!

　　No matter how much of a martial maniac Qin Zhui was, he was unwilling to fight the two foolish uncles. He swayed his body and fled like a breath of vapor as he pointed at Wen Leyang with anxiety and anger. He said to the two foolish uncles, “He’s the Number One elite of the Nine Peaks Mountain!”

　　Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen immediately responded in unison, “Before you beat a dog, you must first find out who its master is!”

　　Wen Leyang quickly caught up. He laughed and explained to Qin Zhui, “What they meant was to shoot the rider before shooting the horse, don’t…” He was halfway through his speech when Wen Leyang suddenly could not smile anymore.

　　Although Qin Zhui had not used his full strength, he was still able to retreat very quickly. His marrows had been cleansed and his base was reinforced by Qian Ren. His life vitality force now rivalled that of old rabbit demon Bu Le’s. He was as quick as a phantom as he advanced and retreated while the two foolish uncles followed close on his tail. They were like two shadows as they followed Qin Zhui closely on his left and right. The force of the Faulty Punch rolled and surged, attacking Qin Zhui like a tempest. The force of the punch even made a dull hum in the air!

　　Although the two foolish uncles were not as skilled as Qin Zhui, they were easily above the elites of the Righteous cultivation path’s Five Blessings. They had spent a dozen years in the great mountain and knew each other’s thoughts well. When they joined forces, they could even put up a fight against the little rabbit demon Shan Duan!

　　Wen Leyang had not expected for his two foolish uncles’ Art of Poison to improve so much after they had figured out their Grand Master’s secret method of practice. Their abilities were even better than when he had just refined the Yin Chi’s poison and the hundred bugs’ poison.

　　Tuo Xie’s method of practice was similar in theory with Wen Leyang’s experiences but Wen Leyang had an extremely poor basic foundation back then. He had only practiced the Faulty Punch for two years while his two foolish uncles had soaked in the Faulty Punch for dozens of years and were only second to the five Wen family elders. Whether it was the foundation of the body, the use of Art of Poison, or the transfer of energy, they were far superior to Wen Leyang. This was why, after they had learned Grand Master Tuo Xie’s method of practice to combine the three Arts, they have become much more accomplished than Wen Leyang was.

　　Qin Zhui’s eyes also lit up. It was not easy to meet an opponent at the same level as the little rabbit demon Shan Duan. He laughed and wanted to stop and receive the blows when suddenly his vision blurred. Wen Leyang had wedged himself between him and the two foolish uncles. He received Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen’s attacks as he desperately winked at Qin Zhui.

　　Qin Zhui snorted and restrained himself. He chuckled and exclaimed with wonder, “Their too strong! I can’t beat them!” He then turned around and ran out.

　　Wen Leyang received the punches but extended his fighting style. He gave full play to the Faulty Punch incisively and fought into a ball with his two foolish uncles. For some time, the col was filled with the sound of wind roused by the flurry of punches and kicks. Occasionally, the delighted cheers of the two foolish uncles and the pained cries of Wen Leyang could be heard…

　　They fought for several minutes before Wen Leyang put on a show that he could not beat them and dodged around with limp limbs. Wen Nine laughed and asked loudly, “Little Tai… Uh, you, who’s the Number One elite on Nine Peaks Mountain?”

　　Wen Thirteen had grown more and more sympathetic to Wen Leyang as they fought until he began to feel reluctant to hit him. Still, he was worried that Wen Leyang would not admit defeat and he quickly joined Wen Nine in his persuasion, “I have another carrot here…”

　　Wen Leyang shouted defeat in his haste. He panted heavily and jumped to one side as if he had a million misgivings and glared at the duo, “Where have elites such as you two come from to have such profound cultivation bases?”

　　Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen laughed loudly. They did not put up their guard against the possibility of Wen Leyang’s sneak attack. They both removed the black cloth mask that covered their heads.

　　he jade knife Guo Huan snorted and reminded Wen Leyang in a low voice, “You’ve had your fun, now ask them what’s this all about! They really are fools.”

　　It was foolish of them to steal the Wen family elders’ letter tokens and seal stamps to forge an order, to throw every communication tool in to the well which turned the Nine Peaks Mountain a communication vacuum, to bring the cannon signals to lead the way for fear that Wen Leyang could not find them, to even steal the Si Buliao’s letter token to prevent the people of the Luo family from disturbing them. Even Wen Leyang himself could not have been so meticulous, let alone his two foolish uncles.

　　If there was a flaw, it was that they had used too many letter tokens at the train station and had left to many seal stamps on the secret order. However, to be honest, if it was not for the cell phone which First Uncle had kept stashed away, Wen Leyang would have still rushed towards Crow Ridge suspiciously. After all, Chengdu was close to Crow Ridge and it was not really a detour. At most, it would have only taken a day out of their schedule.

　　From this perspective, one could even say that the two foolish uncles’ selection of Crow Ridge as the location for the ‘fight for the Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number One’ had also been carefully planned.

　　Wen Leyang nodded. However, when he saw the true faces of the two ‘warriors’, he still sighed and moaned as he exclaimed in surprise. He willingly gave the title of Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number One to them. Wen Thirteen kept his promise as he gave Wen Leyang a carrot.

　　Wen Leyang split the carrot into three. He asked with a smile amidst loud crunching sounds, “The two uncles have inherited Grand Master Tuo Xie’s mantle? Who else in our family other than the two of you…”

　　He had not finished speaking when Wen Nine lifted his chin with pride, “It’s only us brothers. The others won’t do, they had distorted their Arts!”

　　Wen Thirteen was still blind in his foolishness as he added more nonsense, “Only the two of us brothers had not distorted our practice!” Wen Leyang stopped chewing in astonishment. He pondered for a while before he was hit by a sudden realization! He clearly understood that the jade talisman mentions the combination of Grand Master Tuo Xie’s three Arts into one. As long as the Wen disciples were well-trained in the Faulty Punch, it was enough for them to adjust the levels of poison within their bodies to the most balanced state. However, in two thousand years, countless extraordinary persons have cropped up amongst the Wen Bucao. They poured their hearts out to research poison and finally brought their Grand Master’s strange art to even greater heights. They refined poison into their bodies after the Faulty Punch. Their Art of Poison was improved but then no one could ever achieve the combination of the three arts.

　　It was like a multimillionaire’s son who had been stranded in society and was taken in by a small-time merchant. Although he does not worry about food and clothes, at the same time, he had lost the chance to inherit a huge fortune.

　　There were already a small number of Inner Disciples in the Wen Bucao. Only the brothers Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen have met the conditions for the combination of the three arts and only practiced the Faulty Punch without refining the Five Elements of Poison into their bodies.

　　Other than the words ‘god’s will’, Wen Leyang could not think of any other way to describe what he was thinking right now. However, he felt happy for his two foolish uncles from the bottom of his heart. He smiled and returned to the topic, “Why did the two of you ask me to come to Crow Ridge? Isn’t it much easier to compete at home? You two would have become the true Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number One then.”

　　To emerge as the Nine Peaks Mountain’s Number One from Crow Ridge feels like a b*stard who had ascended the throne…

　　Wen Nine shook the black cloth mask in his hand, “If we had battled at home, would big brother allow us to wear this? If we hadn’t worn this, would you have gone all out on us?”

　　Wen Thirteen quickly mimicked his brother’s actions and shook his black cloth mask as well.

　　Wen Leyang was suddenly silenced by his rhetoric question. He smiled bitterly and shook his head. He does not have Wen Yiban’s interrogation abilities and could not think of how to make the two uncles talk. He pondered for a while and decided to speak directly. He still had a puzzled expression as he asked, “What happened? The letter tokens of the four grandfathers and First Uncle, the seal stamps on the secret order, and… Our cannon signals…”

　　A genuine satisfaction appeared on Wen Nine’s and Wen Thirteen’s faces. When Wen Leyang saw it, he could not help but think of that stormy night in the Red Leaves Forest some years ago. He recalled the expressions of his two foolish uncles as they gave him chocolates and played dead to fool him. He could no longer restrain his laughter.

　　Wen Leyang was not too concerned about how his two foolish uncles had tricked him to Crow Ridge, he already has an idea of the perpetrator behind this. This person was six feet tall with a face like a jade ornament. He has the bearings of an immortal and he was skilled in small tricks. He would not lay idle if the world was at peace. He had stayed at Wen family village for a long time and had been his first ever disciple a few years ago…

　　At this moment on Crow Ridge, things had just quieted down when there was suddenly an uproar. A chilly wind accompanied by ghostly wails followed a few Spirit Guiding Lights as they rose to the sky with a boom!

　　Almost at the same time, a thunderous voice said, “Crow Ridge manipulates corpses to exorcise demons. Heavens forbid, kill them all!” Amidst the yelling, countless glowing magical weapons fiercely shattered the stars and the moon.

　　Battle cries began to sound from the outside!

　　Wen Leyang and the two foolish uncles were dumbfounded at the same time. Guo Huan, however, sneered as he said, “This is just too coincidental!”