Red Cloud Mountain was a huge mountain situated in the Lu River area. The forest around it was dense, and as soon as autumn arrived, it would turn red all over the mountain, like layers of golden red clouds. That was how it got its name.
Two to three years ago, a group of people took a fancy to this place and gathered in the mountains and forests. Until now, they had six leaders, with about two to three thousand subordinates.
Although the stronghold was not big, it had two passes built for defense. The terrain was steep, and it was easy to defend but difficult to attack. At the same time, because the stronghold did things with a certain level of discretion, it had never been cleaned up by the officials.
Zhou Jing and the others hid along the way and finally arrived at their destination.
After returning to their base camp, Li Chun and the other two clearly became much more relaxed. They whistled for the hidden sentries and led Zhou Jing and the others up the mountain.
Not long after, everyone walked through the two passes and arrived at the entrance of the stronghold.
The three leaders who had stayed behind to guard the village received the message and were waiting in front of the village.
A bearded man came forward and cupped his fists, greeting them with a friendly and warm tone,
“Haha, I was wondering why the magpies were shouting today. So it’s an esteemed guest.”
(TL Note: In Asian countries in general, while both are black birds, the crow represents disaster and doom while magpies represent fortune and good news.)
Li Chun introduced this person to Zhou Jing and the others, “This is the head of our Red Cloud Mountain, the Forest Piercing Tiger Yu Feng.”
Zhou Jing, Guo Haishen, and Fang Zhen bowed, “Greetings, Chief Yu.”
Since they were here with the position of a guest from afar, they naturally had to give the master here some face.
Yu Feng laughed and replied merrily,
“I’ve long heard of the famous names of the Iron Arm Azure Dragon and the Mountain Flipping Grand Duke. It’s my fortune to see you today! This Brother Chen, Death Beckoning Yama King is also a good man. It’s obvious that his abilities are extraordinary. It’s my fortune to have the three of you join us today!”
However, he had misunderstood. When he heard the message from the lackeys, he had assumed that the three of them were here to join him. When he realized that Guo Haishen was amongst those present, his mood soared even higher. He did not expect such a big shot from the Green Forest to actually come to work for him. He felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky, making him dizzy.
Because Zhou Jing and the others did not delay on the way, the deeds they did in the state capital had yet to spread to the mountains.
Therefore, Yu Feng did not know much about Zhou Jing at this moment. He muttered to himself that he had never heard of this person. He only flattered him according to the rules of the Green Forest, thinking that Guo Haishen was the leader of this group.
However, as soon as he spoke, Yu Feng realized that everyone’s reaction was not as enthusiastic as he had expected.
Li Chun knew that he had misunderstood and quickly came out to explain,
“Chief, the three of them don’t have any plans to join us for the time being. They committed a serious crime in the state capital, and I happened to be involved, so I invited the three to the stronghold to hide. I’ll tell you the details later.”
Hearing this, Yu Feng was a little disappointed, but he did not show it on his face. Instead, he continued to play his part of a gracious host,
“I see. The three of you can stay in my stronghold. If a hero has gotten into trouble, my Red Cloud Mountain will naturally help. Everyone, let’s continue our conversation inside.”
Zhou Jing and the others thanked him and followed him in.
Yu Feng instructed his subordinates. Soon, a banquet was set up in the stronghold to welcome Zhou Jing and the others.
Everyone entered the banquet and greeted each other as they sat down.
Then, Li Chun told Yu Feng and the other leaders in detail about Zhou Jing and the others in the state capital, immediately causing a commotion.
Yu Feng immediately stood up with his wine bowl and toasted Zhou Jing.
“I actually failed to recognize such a formidable person. I didn’t know that Brother Chen was such a righteous hero. To have such powerful abilities yet be so low key, I’ll toast to Brother Chen as a punishment.”
“Great!”
Zhou Jing also got up and drank a bowl with him.
Seeing this, the atmosphere became even more lively. Everyone toasted each other.
Zhou Jing also mentioned his intentions again. He said that he wanted to stay on the mountain for a while and observe the Imperial Court’s movements to avoid trouble.
After hearing this, Yu Feng immediately agreed.
As the leader, he was also an old veteran who knew the rules of the Green Forest.
In his opinion, since the Death Beckoning Yama King had done such a thing, his name would most likely shake the Green Forest in the future. Moreover, there was also Guo Haishen. If he refused to help such big shots in the Green Forest and chased them down the mountain, the reputation of the Red Cloud Mountain would plummet.
Moreover, among the six leaders of Red Cloud Mountain, the second-in-command, Li Chun, held Zhou Jing and the others in high esteem, and the third-in-command, Lu Yunzhao, also admired Zhou Jing’s ability. These two people had a lot of weight in the village, and they both spoke up for Zhou Jing. He had to consider their opinions as well.
In addition, Yu Feng had always wanted to strengthen the stronghold, but he was worried that there were not enough experts within his stronghold to utilize. Naturally, he was happy to see this happen. He kept thinking about how to persuade Zhou Jing and the other two to join him in the future.
As for the remaining two leaders, they were also outstanding martial artists. They had long heard of Guo Haishen’s name and had admired him for many years. They did not object to Zhou Jing and the others staying with them.
Everyone on Red Cloud Mountain welcomed them. Seeing this, Zhou Jing felt a little relieved. He knew that this was a relatively stable place to stay and that there would not be too many tricks involved.
The banquet lasted from morning to afternoon.
Yu Feng then arranged the rooms and let Zhou Jing and the others stay in Red Cloud Mountain.
With a place to stay, the matter of becoming sworn brothers was no longer delayed.
The next day, Guo Haishen asked some people for the incense table, yellow paper, and other ritual items and placed them outside their house.
Fang Zhen also came over, shouting that he wanted to become brothers with his brother. Seeing this, Zhou Jing decided to become sworn brothers with both of them at the same time.
The three of them carried out the ceremony of becoming sworn brothers, cutting off the heads of chickens and burning the yellow paper. Finally, they knelt in front of the incense table and shouted,
“The heavens are my witness, the earth is my witness, the mountains and rivers are my allies, and the four seas are my covenant! Today, Chen Feng (Guo Haishen, Fang Zhen) has become brothers with a different surname in this Red Cloud Mountain. From now on, we will share blessings and hardships together. We will charge through the martial world together and go to the netherworld together!”
After the three of them made the oath, they made the blood pact and bowed to each other eight times. Then, according to the rules of the martial world, they were ranked according to age.