Chapter 35

At the time of evening when the sun was setting, Li Dayin swaggered into the assembly hall. He sat on a tiger-skin chair, one foot resting on the armrest, the other on the tiger skin, his eyes closed in deep thought, savoring the pleasure of the spring breeze just experienced.

At this moment, Li Ping'er walked in and reported to Li Dayin, "Brother, Ye Yu has already arrived at the foot of the mountain..."

"Oh? He came quite quickly. It seems Su Yueyun is really important to that boy!"

Li Dayin lightly patted his forehead with his right hand and then calmly said, "But this boy is destined to lose both his wealth and his life, and even his life will be left on this Jade Screen Mountain! Ping'er, I don't want to see this person. You handle this matter entirely! Remember, only take the boy's life; do not harm the others!"

"Brother! This seems to go against the rules of the underworld. Look, they have already brought gifts to pay homage to the mountain, and we..."

Li Ping'er, though they were bandits, knew that one should not strike a smiling face. Ye Yu had met all the demands.

Now, he had come all the way to the foot of the mountain. It was one thing to break trust, but to kill him without a word was indeed against the rules of the underworld and contrary to the rules of the Qingfeng Fort.

Li Dayin did not explain much. Instead, he stood up, walked down from the tiger-skin chair, and stood at the door, looking at the distant sunset.

Finally, he shook his head, his expression slightly struggling, and said in a deep voice, "Your elder brother hates scholars the most, and you know that! I don't want to let these scholars' pretentiousness affect my mood!"

The siblings understood each other's temperaments well. The intelligent Li Ping'er could see the struggle in her brother's eyes.

Her brother's struggle was due to the dilemma of not wanting to personally execute an innocent person, so he had handed the matter over to her to handle out of sight.

Guessing all of this, Li Ping'er did not point it out but still earnestly advised, "But Brother, I still think this is not right!"

"Why? Have you forgotten that several brothers are still suffering in the prison in Qingliu County?" Li Dayin, seeing his sister opposing him today, turned his head and his tone became much colder.

But Li Ping'er did not back down at all and advised, "Brother, what if we kill Ye Yu and Lu Kun does not fulfill his promise? Brother, you know that County Magistrate Lu Kun is not a kind person! It would be better to keep Ye Yu in our hands, making Lu Kun hesitant to act, and it won't violate our mountain rules!"

"Hmm! Sister, you are right. It seems I was too eager to save the brothers and didn't think it through! If it weren't for the brothers in the Qingfeng Fort still in prison, would I be manipulated by that dog official!"

Since that's the case, we'll temporarily spare Ye Yu's life. I also want to meet this Ye Yu!" Li Dayin's mood eased, and he then instructed a messenger to go down the mountain to convey the order.

...

Ye Yu sat in a wheelchair, pushed by Guo Xiaotian, following the messenger up Jade Screen Mountain. Although Ye Yu knew the situation was tense, he forcibly suppressed his inner anxiety and maintained a confident smile on his face.

Following the winding mountain path, the road was uneven, so Guo Xiaotian carried Ye Yu, who was in the wheelchair, up to Qingfeng Fort.

Although Ye Yu was facing away from Guo Xiaotian, he could hear his heavy breathing and felt a twinge of sympathy.

The wheelchair Ye Yu was sitting in was no longer the wooden one but a heavy iron one he had spent a fortune on. The wheelchair was quite complex and weighed over a hundred pounds.

With his own weight added, it was a significant burden for Guo Xiaotian. Ye Yu had suggested several times that Guo Xiaotian take a break, but he politely declined.

On the way, Ye Yu admired the scenery of Jade Screen Mountain, becoming somewhat entranced. Jade Screen Mountain was indeed a beautiful place, with vast forests and dense undergrowth, and a winding clear stream.

A winding forest path, shaded and quiet, with a natural green corridor formed by the mist.

Ye Yu had a thought: if one day he could live here with a beautiful companion, it would be a wonderful thing.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at Qingfeng Fort. When Ye Yu entered the assembly hall in his wheelchair, he immediately felt a solemn and deadly atmosphere. The bandits lined up on both sides, each with a fierce and angry look, staring at Ye Yu at the door.

In the long assembly hall, the first thing Ye Yu saw were eight bandits with knives on both sides, the knives with fireballs lighting up the dim hall like daylight!

Looking further inside, a pile of branches with a pot on top, the pot boiling and emitting hot steam, and Ye Yu could feel the heat even from a distance.

Ye Yu didn't understand what was happening and instinctively turned to look at Guo Xiaotian. Since Guo Xiaotian was born in the underworld and had once stayed at Qingfeng Fort, he should know more than Ye Yu, who was an outsider.

"Master, this is the rule of the underworld, called 'mountains of knives and seas of fire...'" Guo Xiaotian bent slightly, his brows furrowed, explaining the rules of the underworld to Ye Yu.

Seeing Guo Xiaotian's serious expression, Ye Yu knew this was a warning! But what puzzled Ye Yu was when Guo Xiaotian's face had become dirty: "Xiaotian, your face..."

"Um..." Guo Xiaotian hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the assembly hall suddenly changed. Ye Yu didn't have time to ask Guo Xiaotian why, but instead turned his gaze to the entrance of the inner hall.

At this moment, a man and a woman walked out, the Li Dayin siblings. Li Dayin glanced at Ye Yu and then sat down on the tiger-skin chair in the hall.

Li Ping'er stood to one side, her gaze coldly fixed on Ye Yu.

Ye Yu, seeing their demeanor and aura, knew that the yellow-faced, muscular man on the tiger-skin chair was the chief of Qingfeng Fort, Li Dayin.

The woman standing to one side was likely the Li Ping'er Guo Xiaotian had mentioned.

Thinking of this, Ye Yu steeled his resolve and then bowed: "I believe this hero is Chief Li. I, Ye Yu, greet you!"

"Hmph! Scholars are the most pretentious! I don't want to waste words with you! Since you came to pay homage to the mountain, you must follow the rules! See that? Whatever you have to say, wait until you pass the mountains of knives and seas of fire!"

Li Dayin waved his hand, his face full of disdain.

Li Ping'er walked down the steps, came to the scalding pot, and gently fanned the rising steam, then coldly smiled at Ye Yu: "Ye Yu, my brother considers your disability, so he changed the 'sea of fire' to an oil pot. This is a precedent, and you should feel honored!"

As she spoke, a copper coin appeared in her hand. She flicked it with her thumb, and the coin, with a crisp sound, flipped and then drew a beautiful arc, landing in the oil pot with a clear splash.

Although Ye Yu had never been in the underworld, he had seen such scenes in movies and TV shows, so he had some understanding of how to pass, but the more he understood, the more he felt the cruelty of the mountains of knives and seas of fire.

The mountains of knives meant that eight people held burning steel knives and slashed at the person trying to pass. The reason for eight people might be related to the phrase "dismembered into eight pieces."

The sea of fire meant that the oil in the pot was heated to boiling, and the person had to retrieve a copper coin from the pot with their hand. If they could endure the burning, they could pass.

Ye Yu looked at the Li siblings and thought they were clearly trying to embarrass him! If he didn't pass these two tests today, it would be hard to get out of this situation.

While Ye Yu was deep in thought, Guo Xiaotian whispered earnestly, "Master, I will take the mountains of knives and the sea of fire for you!"

Ye Yu turned his head and looked at Guo Xiaotian, then joked, "That's fine, but how can I let you have all the fun? You take the mountains of knives, and I'll take the sea of fire!"

"Master, you mustn't! I have martial arts skills and the... you gave me..."

When Guo Xiaotian heard that Ye Yu wanted to take the sea of fire, he immediately tried to dissuade him, but Ye Yu cut him off halfway through.

Ye Yu made a gesture for Guo Xiaotian to be quiet and then said in a deep voice, "Don't worry. When you take the mountains of knives, be extra careful!"

After giving these instructions, Ye Yu looked at the cold Li Dayin and said, "Chief Li, my friend is willing to take the tests with me. Do you have any objections?"

"Li Dayin values loyalty and righteousness the most. Since your friend is willing to risk his life for you, I have no objections! But this makes me look down on you even more!"

Ignoring Li Dayin's sarcasm, Ye Yu continued, "Since Chief Li is after wealth, there's no need to cause a death. For the mountains of knives, if Chief Li allows it, I hope these eight brave men will show mercy and only attack the front and back of the person passing."

Ye Yu's suggestion and request made the Li siblings exchange glances. They thought this was not unreasonable. Li Dayin had only wanted to give Ye Yu a warning, not go to such lengths.

According to the original plan, Ye Yu would have been killed at the foot of the mountain. So Li Dayin nodded, agreeing to Ye Yu's request.

Seeing Li Dayin agree, Ye Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then said to Guo Xiaotian, "Be careful! Remember!"

Guo Xiaotian nodded solemnly and took a few steps to the front of Ye Yu, walking toward the mountains of knives formed by the eight bandits. Ye Yu watched Guo Xiaotian's back, hearing the creaking sound of his feet.

Suddenly, Guo Xiaotian let out a loud cry, his legs moving like the wind as he rushed into the mountains of knives. His speed was so fast that it was almost unbelievable, much faster than when he chased the bandits at the crossroads.

Although the bandits with knives were momentarily stunned, their reaction was not something ordinary people could match, having lived with knives.

After a brief moment of shock, the eight bandits swung their knives at Guo Xiaotian's front and back. The eight burning steel knives slashed at the passing Guo Xiaotian, making Ye Yu unable to watch.

It wasn't that he couldn't face the blood, but that he was worried about Guo Xiaotian's safety...