Chapter 559: The Fairy in Crisis Again
The faces of the members from the Qinghai Sect changed drastically, as if they had just heard the most terrifying thing imaginable. They instinctively stepped back a few paces, their expressions full of fear and wariness as they stared at the two figures.
Yue Lingshan asked curiously, “Father, who are these two exactly? Why did those Qinghai Sect members, who were just strutting around arrogantly, suddenly act like they’ve seen a ghost?”
Yue Buqun’s face also turned pale as he murmured, “There is a legend that in the vast South Sea lies an island called the Isle of Heroes. Once every thirty years, the island sends two emissaries—Zhang San and Li Si—to the Central Plains. They summon the leaders of the various martial sects to the Isle of Heroes to drink Laba Congee.” (G: Laba congee is a Chinese ceremonial congee dish traditionally eaten on the eighth day of the twelfth month in the Chinese calendar.)
(Author’s Note: In the original novel, the island sends emissaries every ten years. However, to align with the timeline of this book, it has been adjusted to thirty years.)
“It’s just congee. If they invite us, why not just go and have a bowl?” Yue Lingshan remarked, still puzzled. Most people in the tavern nodded in agreement, as many of them were too young to have experienced the bloody events of thirty years ago.
Yue Buqun gave a bitter smile. “But none of the sect leaders who went to the Isle of Heroes thirty years ago ever returned. They were all top martial artists of their time, including Master Miaodi of Shaolin and Daoist Yucha of the Wudang Sect. Their martial prowess was no less than that of today’s Shaolin and Wudang leaders.”
Yue Lingshan gasped, whispering, “Then why not just refuse to go?”
Yue Buqun’s face darkened as he recalled some terrifying memories. “Thirty years ago, every leader who refused to go either met a tragic end or saw their sect erased from the martial world. Even Xu Shan, the head of the Qingcheng Sect at the time, was killed in a single move by the two emissaries—who were just youths back then. Since then, no one has dared defy them.”
“Why haven’t I heard of any Mount Hua Sect elder being invited?” Yue Lingshan asked suddenly, confusion in her voice.