Be a proper Taoist priest in The Condor Heroes

Chapter 53 Black Wind Stronghold on Black Wind Ridge

A hundred miles west of Xiangyang City lies the Black Wind Ridge, a range of mountains.

The mountains here are steep and precipitous, with ancient trees reaching for the sky and a year-round mist. Only a narrow mountain path winds its way up and down, with bottomless cliffs on both sides, making it a place where one man can hold off ten thousand.

This easily defensible and difficult-to-attack terrain made this place a lawless zone that the government could never eradicate. A band of horse bandits led by One-Eyed Dragon occupied this area. His more than one hundred men were mostly deserters, desperados, and local ruffians. They frequently went down the mountain to rob merchants and kidnap people. They also secretly colluded with powerful figures in Xiangyang City. In just a few years, they became a scourge that everyone within a hundred miles feared.

The mountain stronghold atop Black Wind Ridge was built against the main peak. The walls of the stronghold, constructed of huge rocks and rough timber, were mottled and dilapidated. A black flag embroidered with a skull hung at the gate, fluttering in the wind and exuding a fierce and violent aura.

The houses in the stronghold were in a mess. In the center was the main hall where the bandits held meetings, and on both sides were their living quarters. The dungeon where the kidnapped people were imprisoned was carved into the mountainside behind the stronghold. It was dark and damp, with the smells of mold, blood and sweat mixed together. It was never dark, and was only lit by a few dim yellow oil lamps. The light and shadows distorted and swayed on the stone walls, making it look like a hell on earth.

Deep inside the dungeon, Wang Xingyi was locked in a heavy, rough wooden cage.

Her hair was disheveled, with strands of black hair sticking to her dusty cheeks. Her once exquisite brocade dress was torn to shreds, revealing skin covered in abrasions and marks. Her wrists and ankles were marked with deep bloodstains from rough hemp ropes. This was the once delicate, lively, and uncompromising eldest daughter of the Wang family.

Now, huddled in the corner of the cage, his face was deathly pale and his eyes were empty. He had lost all his former arrogance and looked as pathetic as an abandoned child on the roadside.

Directly opposite the cage, two maids who had been by her side since childhood and were as close as sisters were naked and bound to a strangely shaped wooden chair. Their limbs were firmly fixed, their bodies trembled incessantly, and their bodies were covered with bruises and teeth marks. Their eyes were vacant, and their breaths were weak. They had long been tortured to the point of being on the verge of death, with only intermittent light panting proving that they were still alive.

There were only four or five bandits on duty in the dungeon. They were all bare-chested and had coarse faces. They carried rusty machetes at their waists. Their lewd eyes scanned back and forth between Wang Xingyi in the cage and the maid in the chair opposite him. They uttered a series of foul and offensive words.

Two of the bandits leaned against the stone wall, gnawing on hardened dried meat and chugging cheap liquor, boasting loudly as if no one else was around, their faces full of smug satisfaction at their evil deeds.

"Those two young girls are still virgins, their delicate skin and tender flesh have been tormented all night, they're a hundred times better than the goods in the brothels down the mountain!"

"The eldest daughter of the Wang family is truly a beauty, but unfortunately, the head of the family has given a strict order that no one is allowed to touch her, otherwise I would have been having a good time long ago!"

"That raid on the Wang family a few days ago was totally worth it! Those guards looked tough, but they couldn't even last three moves against us. We got a free beauty and a reward from the Second Master – what a bargain!"

"Once Second Master has had his fill of playing on the mountain, he might just give this young lady to us. We'll definitely have to try her out then!"

An old bandit with a scarred face chuckled, slapping his thigh smugly. "Of course! Following the boss, we've always lived the high life. Robbing merchants, kidnapping rich people, burning down the houses of those who wouldn't obey—when have we ever lost? How many times have those good-for-nothing government officials come to raid us, only to be routed and unable to even get past the gates of Black Wind Ridge!"

Another tall, thin bandit joined in the commotion, his face full of arrogance.

"That's not all! Last month, Second Master ordered us to deal with that scholar who dared to accuse him, and we simply threw him into the river without leaving a trace; also, that wealthy merchant in the west of the city refused to pay protection money, so we burned down his house, killed the men and kidnapped the women, and who dared to say a word?"

"With Second Master Xu backing us up, and our leader leading us, Black Wind Ridge is an impregnable fortress. Within a hundred miles of Xiangyang City, we can do whatever we want to whomever we want, and who can do anything to us!"

The "Second Master" they were referring to was none other than the second young master of the Xu family. This gang of bandits entrenched in Black Wind Ridge were actually henchmen secretly supported by the Xu family, who handled all sorts of shady and inconvenient shady dealings for them.

The harsh words pierced Wang Xingyi's ears, but she seemed not to hear them. She just stared intently at the maid opposite her. The regret and guilt in her heart were like venomous snakes gnawing at her internal organs. Her tears had long since dried up, leaving only endless despair.

As the eldest daughter of the Wang family since childhood, she was pampered and spoiled by her parents. She was the only one who had the final say at home, and the servants and guards all obeyed her wishes. She never suffered the slightest grievance.

Her mother had a long-standing friendship with Master Sun Bu'er of the Quanzhen Sect. Master Sun saw that she had good potential and a lively personality, so he casually taught her the first move of the Quanzhen Sword Technique. In addition, she was born with strength far exceeding that of ordinary women, which made her even more arrogant.

She always felt that the rules of needlework in the inner courtyard of the mansion restricted her, and she longed for the freedom of the martial arts world. She wanted to be a female knight-errant like Huang Rong, the wife of Guo Jing. A few years ago, she heard that Huang Rong had taken over the huge Beggars' Sect and was enjoying unparalleled fame. She could not hide her admiration and wanted to make a name for herself.

When the guards in her household sparred with her, none of them dared to fight seriously. They all deliberately showed weakness to please her, so she really believed that she was highly skilled in martial arts and disdained to be confined to the house. She became more and more arrogant and willful.

She had run away from the manor this time because she wanted to roam the martial world and prove herself. When the guards caught up with her, she fought back with all her might, relying on her strength and the Quanzhen sword technique, but the guards easily beat her to a pulp.

These guards, who could easily subdue her, were no match for the bandits. The head guard shoved his sword into her hand, urging her to escape, but she couldn't bear to abandon the uncles who had treated her so kindly. She desperately killed two bandits with her Quanzhen sword technique, but her martial arts skills were ultimately too rudimentary. She was soon struck on the back of the head by a bandit's club and lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she found herself locked in this dungeon.

Last night, several bandits guarding the dungeon, acting on someone's orders, broke in and tried to drag her away. Two maids who had grown up with her risked their lives to block the cage and shield her with their bodies.

In the end, the maids were brutally raped by the bandits, their cries echoing throughout the dungeon all night. She huddled in her cage, watching helplessly as it all unfolded, powerless to do anything, even her chance to commit suicide was cut off by the bandits.

In the past, she was willful and capricious, and the maids indulged her in every way, covering up her mistakes and playing with her. But now, because of her arrogance, naivety and overestimation of her abilities, she has ended up in such a miserable and humiliating state.

She hated herself for not being able to see the dangers of the world, hated her absurd dream of being a female knight-errant, and hated herself even more for dragging innocent people into this mess. This heavy burden of guilt almost crushed her completely.

Just as Wang Xingyi was feeling utterly hopeless and longing for death to be her release, the heavy wooden door of the dungeon was suddenly kicked open, sending wood chips flying and the oil lamp swaying violently in the strong wind.

A burly man with a black cloth covering his left eye strode in. His face was covered with scars, and he exuded a fierce and chilling aura. He was none other than One-Eyed Dragon, the leader of Black Wind Ridge.

His cold gaze swept over the noisy bandits, then landed on Wang Xingyi in the cage and the dying maid opposite him. A hint of disgust flashed in his eyes, and his rough, deep voice, carrying an undeniable authority, resounded in the small, dark dungeon.

"Wash those two women clean and take them to Granny Song."