Chapter Eleven: The Golden Lotus Bond

  A sworn brotherhood of gold and orchid

  Huang Min heard the scream and turned around to see a female ghost with disheveled hair and white clothes rushing towards him, cackling maniacally. He didn't panic and calmly shouted "Deploy combat sequence!" as he charged towards the ghost. He grabbed the ghost's arm and punched her in the face, but she dodged and countered with a powerful force that sent Huang Min flying back. As they clashed, a loud thud was heard, and to Huang Min's shock, the ghost's upper body was torn out of her lower body by over a foot. He stumbled backward, releasing his grip on the ghost's hand. At this moment, a dark wind filled with thick fog swept through every corner of the hall, causing the lights to dim. The lamps flickered with an eerie orange glow, like ghostly eyes, as the fog churned and swirled. A low, mournful wail echoed through the hall, followed by a chorus of ghostly whispers that seemed to come from all directions, filling the space with an otherworldly presence.

  A loud gunshot rang out, and one of the mountain bandits, overcome with fear, trembled all over and accidentally triggered the gun's hammer. Huang Min heard the gunshot and loudly shouted: "Don't shoot, lest you harm your own people! Report your names, slowly approach me, form a circle, and don't panic, with your guns pointing outward." After the arrangements were made, he burst out laughing and loudly declared: "I fought bare-handed against the little Japanese devils and killed several of them. How could I be afraid of you ghosts and demons? Come on! Watch as I send you back to the underworld!" His voice was loud and clear, with a heroic air that showed not a hint of fear.

  Yun Xiang Tian thought to himself: this person indeed has the demeanor of a true soldier, facing such a disadvantage and yet still able to respond with ease, making arrangements in an orderly manner. He is truly a hero. As he approached Huang Min, he shouted: "Everyone, don't panic or be disorderly, listen to Officer Huang's commands. Repeating his own name, he slowly approached him, gun pointed outward, careful not to mistakenly harm one of their own people."

  Huang Min looked at Yun Xiangtian in the thick fog with a moved expression, because at this time and place, someone had to be there to support each other, to stabilize everyone, and avoid any unexpected incidents.

  The fog grew thicker, and even two people facing each other couldn't see each other clearly. The wailing of ghosts grew louder, and the number of evil spirits seemed to be increasing, and you could even smell the stench on their bodies. Fear was pressing down on everyone's nerves, and some mountain bandits had already started firing wildly in terror. To calm everyone's emotions, Huang Min shouted again: "Brothers of the 2nd battalion, let our brothers from the mountains come inside, protect the safety of the village head and the brothers in the village. Ensure they are not harmed." He paused, laughing, and said: "Brothers of the 2nd battalion, we were able to hold off a Japanese company in Leopard Gorge without reinforcements for two days and two nights, killing them until they dropped their helmets and ran away with their tails between their legs. Are we afraid of these few lonely ghosts today?" Several soldiers responded in unison: "We're not afraid!"

  Yun Xiang Tian heard Huang Min's loud and clear shout, and suddenly thought: I've heard that the National Army had a battalion of troops who held off the Japanese army's ghost squad in Baozi Gou, defending the arsenal behind it. He couldn't help but feel ashamed, thinking that the hero he had tried so hard to meet was being teased by him. With a surge of emotion, he said: "Brothers in the village, Battalion Commander Huang is a great hero who defended his land against the Japanese and didn't harm the civilians. He's a rare anti-Japanese general, and today we must vow to protect his life with our own! We can't lose this pillar of the nation! If we lose one more anti-Japanese hero, it will be a blow to the country!"

  But Huang Min burst out laughing: "Brother Yun, you're overpraising me. Protecting the country and defending our home is what we should do, it's our duty. If we can't defeat those little Japanese devils and make them retreat back to their old home, letting our people suffer and our nation be humiliated, then we are already guilty of an unforgivable sin. What great heroes, pillars of the state? Don't mention that again, it's shameful for us soldiers."

  Yun Xiang Tian followed with a smile: "Since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, although there have been many anti-Japanese heroes, but in the National Army, there are few iron-blooded men like Huang Ying Zhang. Why be modest? Today, Brother Huang faced the evil spirit calmly and talked with ease, which is not losing the heroic nature."

  Hong Shangu heard Yun Xiangtian and Huang Min's singing in harmony, thinking to herself: "These two people are not ordinary, they can remain calm and composed in such a dangerous and terrifying situation. So she also let out a long laugh and said: 'Everyone, brothers, Officer Huang and Master Yun are our guests, the task of driving away ghosts and demons is ours to do. Put your flags up high, hold your guns steady, and get ready for me.'"

  As soon as Hong Shangu's voice fell, the sound of gunfire echoed in the great hall. Amidst the gunfire, the wailing of ghosts grew louder, but it seemed that everyone's courage had grown. They took aim at the ghostly shadows in the fog and pulled the trigger. Yun Xiang Tian couldn't help but feel a little uneasy - where was Monk Shu? Where were the others? Why hadn't they come to investigate when they heard the gunfire?

  A loud crowing of a rooster tore through the sky, and with the sound of the rooster's crowing, the fog in the hall slowly dissipated, and the ghostly shadows also disappeared along with the thick fog. Everyone looked at each other, not daring to believe that this experience was real, as if they had just woken up from a nightmare. Yun Xiang Tian looked at Huang Min, who was still standing upright in front of everyone, and walked over quickly, saying somewhat awkwardly: "Sorry, Captain Huang, I apologize for any offense earlier, please don't take it to heart."

  Huang Min burst out laughing and said: "Oh no, oh no, Huang's words are too abrupt and may have been offensive. Please forgive me, Mountain Village Master and Yun Gongzi."

  After this battle, Yun Xiang Tian and Huang Min Da had a feeling of "seeing each other late". Yun Xiang Tian said to Huang Min in a friendly manner: "Colonel Huang, I've long heard that you led your troops on a night raid, burning down the Japanese grain station at Nanping. At Leopard Gorge, you held off an entire enemy battalion with just one regiment of soldiers. When ammunition and food were exhausted, you charged into the enemy ranks with a large saber in hand, leading by example, leaving behind a mountain of corpses as the enemy fled in disarray. In Shanwotun, you disobeyed military orders to protect the local villagers from being slaughtered, nearly getting court-martialed for insubordination. Your many heroic deeds are truly admirable."

  These things are the most proud things for Huang Min since he joined the army, and his heart is naturally very beautiful. He humbly said: "Where, where, these are what we should do as soldiers, I really don't dare to accept the two words 'admiration'."

  Yun Xiangtian smiled and asked gently, "I wonder what is the purpose of General Huang's trip to Yuquan Ridge this time?" Huang Min said, "I'm a straightforward person, I don't like beating around the bush. To be honest, my goal is to guard the secret on Fengling Mountain. Brother Ye told me that there is a huge secret on Fengling Mountain and he wants me to help him protect it. I'm afraid of being spied on by thieves, and I didn't want to make such a big joke out of it, I'm really ashamed."

  Ye Zi Chun saw Huang Min's plan and, clearing his throat slightly, said with some embarrassment: "This... this. Please don't mind, the little devils are only a hundred miles away and may attack Lingfeng at any time. I'm afraid that if they capture Lingfeng and desecrate the ancestral relics on Fengling Mountain, we'll become sinners for eternity. So I've invited Commander Huang to station his troops at Fengling Mountain, to join forces with the leaders of the mountain stronghold and defend it to the death."

  Hong Shangu finally understood the purpose of Yezi Chun, Huang Min and others' visit to Mount Red. She looked at the sunrise and saw that it was already bright outside, so she walked over with a smile and said: "No need to say anymore, you've all been troubled for a whole night, let's take a rest. I'll arrange for someone to set up a banquet to entertain our guests. Yu'er, keep company with Officer Huang and Special Envoy Ye, chat with them nicely, I'll be right back."

  Hong Shangu looked at Yun Xiangtian and the others chatting happily. She quickly walked to the door, and when she saw the scene outside, she was shocked. The entrance of the hall was filled with mountain bandit brothers lying horizontally and vertically. She found that Chi Tun monk was also among them, she rushed over to support Chi Tun monk and cried out: "Shixiong Shixiong how are you?"

  The cries of alarm shocked the people in the hall, they quickly came to the outside of the hall, Yun Xiang Tian and others were also stunned by what was before their eyes. He beckoned to the crowd to check on the condition of each brother. But he rushed to the side of the foolish monk, while Huang Min tentatively checked a brother's breath and said regretfully: "What a pity, the person is already gone. Who is so cruel as to poison him?" Ye Zi Chun shouted: "Quickly, fetch water! Sprinkle some on each person's face. They're not dead! They just inhaled the anesthetic incense."

  Under the busy rescue of everyone, Chi Ting and Shang slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Hong Shan Gu and others in confusion and asked: "What happened to me? Why are there so many people here?"

  Hong Shangu lightly hit him and continued to cry, saying: "You're dead, on the road to Huangquan! You scared me to death! Tell me what's going on, why are so many brothers lying here?"

  The monk was trying hard to recall, speaking intermittently: "I... I... how did I end up here?" He suddenly slapped his forehead and said: "Right! Just now we were patrolling outside, when we heard the sound of gunfire coming from inside the hall. I led my brothers in a charge, and just as we arrived, a fragrant breeze blew by, and everything went black." He shook his head painfully and said: "Oh no, my head hurts so much!"

  Yun Xiangtian looked at Hong Shangu and Chi Tuan, feeling that they were not acting, but was there another force infiltrating the mountain stronghold besides them? He watched as Hong Shangu directed the brothers to check each pass while whispering with Chi Tuan. He thought: Is today's incident related to the female ghost who wanted to kill me? He turned his head towards Ye Zichun, who was secretly talking to Huang Min, occasionally glancing around. Was it Ye Zichun's doing? Did Huang Min really come to the mountain stronghold just to protect the secret of Fengling Mountain? Huang Min seemed straightforward, but Ye Zichun didn't seem so. He needed to find a way to get the truth from Huang Min. Just then, he saw Huang Min beckoning him over. Yun Xiangtian walked over, and Huang Min said in a low voice: "Brother Yun, what do you think about today's incident? I feel it's very suspicious. I thought the mountain stronghold being haunted was just a legend, but I didn't expect to encounter it myself. You've been on the mountain for a long time; have you discovered anything unusual before?"

  Yun Xiang Tian did not answer his question directly but said: "Huang brother, you're joking. You've seen and experienced so much, what do you think?"

  "Brother, brother, what's the point of all this? Why don't you two just become sworn brothers now and get it over with?" said Yezi Chun impatiently.

  Huang Min glared at Yezi Chun with a hint of anger in his eyes and said, "Alright then, let's do it. But I wonder if Brother Yun is willing to call me 'Big Brother'?"

  Yun Xiang Tian hastily said with a smile, "Oh no, oh no, Brother Huang is a high-ranking officer in the national army, I'm just a humble commoner, afraid of being out of my league."

  Huang Min pulled Yun Xiangtian over and said, "What's with the high and low, today I'll acknowledge you as my brother, let's just make it official." He dragged Yun Xiangtian to kneel down and pay respects. Ye Zi Chun was left standing aside, glaring with anger.

  A figure flashed by and disappeared behind a rock, Yezi Chun shouted; "Who is it, stop!" Before the words fell, the person had rushed over, only to hear a cry of "Ah yo". The crowd hurried over, but found that Yezi Chun was gone.