Chapter Seventy-Six: The Hermit of the Bamboo Grove

Unbeknownst to anyone, three months had passed. Sha Tonghai found time to visit Emerald Bamboo Island, and Ma Beifang specially assembled the troops in the training grounds for his inspection. The first demonstration was the collective saber technique. Nearly three thousand Japanese men stood bare-chested on the field, each gripping a gleaming long saber. When they had first arrived, these men had been gaunt and frail, resembling starving ghosts. Now, after months of hearty meals of rice, noodles, fish, and shrimp, they had grown robust and imposing; from a distance, they appeared both formidable and majestic. At Ma Beifang's command, the men let out a thunderous shout and, feet together, leapt more than ten feet into the air, bringing their sabers crashing down in unison. The field rang with fierce cries, blades glittered, and an aura of murderous energy soared skyward.

After the group saber routine, the men paired off to spar with bamboo swords. The clattering of bamboo on bamboo filled the air; the defeated left the platform dejected, while the victors were rewarded with a large bowl of rice wine. Next came unarmed combat—again, the men paired off at random, and at a command, they roared, trading punches and kicks, grappling and throwing one another to the ground. The victor still claimed the rice wine; the loser could only rinse his bloodied nose with cold water and watch others drink.

Finally, they practiced the saber formation. This formation had been created by Master Hu, an elderly martial instructor whom all respectfully called "Old Man Hu." The original method was a simple sword array from his own school, but after modifications, it became what it was now. Although it had a formal name, the Japanese men simply called it "Old Hu's Saber Formation," and the original name was soon forgotten.

Old Man Hu was quite displeased, insisting that naming the formation after himself would shorten his lifespan. Thus, Ma Beifang renamed it the "Butterfly Saber Formation," which finally satisfied him. This formation consisted of twelve men working together in perfect harmony, so much so that it seemed as if a single man wielded twelve blades. It was no less impressive than any Tang army formation.

Though Sha Tonghai did not truly understand land-based martial arts, he was a seasoned veteran of blade and spear. He immediately saw that each Japanese man could easily contend with three to five regular soldiers, and in formation their power was even greater. He was overjoyed and quickly ordered Zhong Xian to distribute rewards.

Each martial instructor received a gold ingot and a fine jar of wine, and even the Japanese men received red envelopes with ten taels of silver apiece. Emerald Bamboo Island was full of celebration.

Sha Tonghai, being a busy man, did not stay the night. That afternoon, he boarded a ship back to Laizhou. After seeing him off, Ma Beifang, delighted, carried a wine jar deep into the forest to find Huang Shan. Arriving at her little bamboo hut, he found it empty.

Judging by the early hour, she was likely at her own small training ground, drilling the boys and girls under her tutelage.

Placing the wine jar on the table, he strolled leisurely into the depths of the bamboo grove. After several miles, the forest had grown so dense that sunlight barely penetrated. Rounding a stand of nan bamboo, the small training field came into view—when suddenly, a chilling wind swept up behind him.

Ma Beifang pushed off with his toes, soaring like a bird to the top of a bamboo stalk as several sabers swept beneath his feet. When their ambush failed, the attackers quickly chopped down the bamboo, but Ma Beifang used the momentum to leap to another stalk and looked down to see three youths in black, clad for action and brandishing sabers, eyes fierce beneath the bamboo. He had not sensed their ambush at all and could not help but laugh, "So it's you rascals!"

The three young men, seeing it was Ma Beifang, immediately planted their sabers, dropped to one knee, and said, "Greetings, Brother Beifang!" "What are you doing here?" Ma Beifang asked as he leapt down from the bamboo.

"On our elder sister's orders, we are standing guard," one replied. "Without her permission, none may enter. Please wait here, Brother Beifang, while I request instructions from our sister."

Ma Beifang was both amused and vexed. "Huang Shan is my junior. Must I really wait for permission to see her?" The youth replied, "Sister never said you didn't need to announce yourself." At this tongue-twisting answer, Ma Beifang lost patience and, moving like lightning, tapped the three on their acupoints so they were left speechless and immobile, forced to watch him brush past, powerless to stop him.

Entering the small training field, he saw the youths sweating as they practiced: some grappling and rolling in jujutsu, some climbing trees like monkeys, some dueling ferociously with bamboo swords. In the distance, dozens of girls practiced the Five Wheels Saber Technique, their shouts clear and spirited—even the once-delicate Meidai and Shuidai now appeared vigorous and agile.

Thanks to Huang Shan's daily meals of fish and meat, the children had grown taller and stronger; upon first arrival, they had been weak and frail. Ma Beifang could not help but call out his praise.

Hearing his voice, Huang Shan hurried over with a smile. "What brings you here today?" Ma Beifang grinned, "Sha Tonghai came to the island earlier. We put on a martial display for him—he was so pleased he awarded each of us a gold ingot and a jar of wine. I realized I hadn't visited you in some time, so I brought wine to share."

Huang Shan giggled, "You couldn't find anyone else to drink with, and you're afraid to compete with He Jiahui and those other drunkards, so you thought of me, didn't you?"

On their way back, they saw the three black-clad youths still frozen at the entrance. Ma Beifang laughed heartily and quickly released their acupoints. Upon seeing Huang Shan, the trio bowed and said, "Greetings, Sister!" then, with some embarrassment, admitted, "We were unable to stop Brother Beifang."

Huang Shan shot Ma Beifang a reproachful look. "Heavy-handed, even with children?" Then she reassured them, "It's not your fault; you aren't his match. In the future, if Brother Beifang comes, you may let him in directly." After a few steps, she remembered, "When night falls, come back with everyone for dinner—there's no need to remain here after dark. Understand?"

The three bowed. "We understand! Safe travels, Sister."

Ma Beifang laughed. "You're too fussy. No one comes here at night, so why guard it? Would you really make them stand out here all night?"

Huang Shan replied, "You don't understand. Guard duty rotates, and the Japanese are the most steadfast of all. If you assign them a task, they'll never delay or slack off. More than once, I've forgotten to call the sentries back during heavy rain, and they've stood drenched all night without moving. It breaks my heart. That's why I always give clear instructions. No wonder Sha Tonghai wants to train them—such characters are perfect for escort or garrison duties."

Ma Beifang nodded. "So true. When I entered just now, those men didn't speak, only attacked with sabers. If it hadn't been me, someone else might have been killed!"

Huang Shan was alarmed. "Really? I only told them not to let strangers in, not to kill anyone!" Ma Beifang said, "They simply obey your orders and don't care if outsiders live or die. Ordinary boys would never dare attack with sabers so freely. Their resolve is admirable, but their cruelty is also extraordinary. You must teach them well, Sister, or they'll become bloodthirsty fiends."

Huang Shan thought deeply and recalled that on Tianshan Mountain, their masters would use Buddhist scriptures to calm the disciples' violent tempers. Fortunately, Ma Beifang had a copy of the Diamond Sutra with him, so she borrowed it and had the Japanese youths recite it daily.

Half a year passed swiftly on Emerald Bamboo Island. The weather turned cold, and the difference between day and night grew stark. By day it was bearable, but at night the cold became severe. The camp commander organized teams to cut wood deep in the island's interior for firewood.

As the logging teams ventured further into the island, one morning, Shi Goro, responsible for delivering meals, carried his food buckets to the logging camp and was horrified to find the place littered with corpses—dozens of woodcutters lay dead where they had fallen.

Shi Goro dropped his buckets and fled in terror. The news alarmed Ma Beifang and the others, who quickly gathered hundreds of armed men and rushed to the camp, some thirty miles from the martial training grounds. They arrived by afternoon to find all the loggers dead, not a single survivor.

These were all strong men, trained hard at the camp, and even a large band of pirates could not have annihilated them so completely.

Upon examining the bodies, most appeared to have died without resistance, as though taken by surprise. A few clutched axes or swords, as if they had tried to fight back, but apart from a tiny wound at the heart, there were no other injuries—not even weapon marks on the axes or swords. Clearly, the killer's martial skill was extraordinary; even those who sensed danger stood no chance.

Each corpse bore only a faint wound at the heart, just enough to sever the vital artery. The weapon was unidentifiable, and even more bizarre, there were tooth marks on the wounds. Ma Beifang used a short knife to open several chests and discovered the hearts were drained of blood. Could there be some unknown monster in these mountains killing men to drink their blood?

Luckily, they had numbers on their side, and the blazing sun above kept fear at bay. The martial instructors led hundreds of Japanese men to search the surrounding hills and woods thoroughly but found no clues. As dusk fell, Instructor Liu Hong volunteered to stay with several dozen Japanese men to guard the camp and keep wild animals from disturbing the bodies. The rest returned to the training grounds to discuss matters in the morning. The camp commander wrote a report and sent messengers overnight by boat to Laizhou to inform Sha Tonghai.

At dawn, Ma Beifang led the group back to the logging camp, only to find that Liu Hong and his men had long been dead, their blood already congealed. The Japanese men had the same small wound at the heart, their arteries severed and blood drained. Liu Hong's body was found a hundred paces away, eyes staring wide in anger, long sword clutched tightly, body slumped against a tree. His sword bore two nicks, and the blood at his chest was dried.

Though Liu Hong was arrogant, his martial skills were formidable, far above the likes of He Jiahui, and his experience as an armed escort was extensive. Yet from the scene, it appeared he had only managed two moves before falling to the killer.

Whoever did this possessed unfathomable martial prowess. When Ma Beifang turned over the body, he saw that Liu Hong had scratched a cross into the earth with his finger in his dying moments—a "ten" character, blurred at the edges, clearly a desperate attempt to leave a clue. It must have had great significance regarding the killer, but no one could guess who in the martial world might be linked to such a symbol.

They could do nothing but bury the bodies and ponder the matter further.

Old Man Hu, who had spent years as an armed escort and traveled widely, saw the cross and drew a sharp breath, pulling Ma Beifang aside. "Commander Ma, we've encountered a vampire!"

The others, seeing this, gathered curiously. "Old Man Hu, we've heard of ghosts and debt-collecting spirits, but what on earth is a vampire?"

Old Man Hu scolded, "You ignorant whelps! Vampires aren't like the ghosts of our Tang Empire; they're monsters from as far away as Byzantium."

Everyone burst out laughing. "Old Man Hu, you must be joking now! You know even the monsters of Byzantium?"

Old Man Hu sighed, "Believe it or not—as an escort for caravans, I often traveled with merchants who dealt in Persia and Byzantium. They said that in those distant lands, there are blood-drinking fiends who emerge at night. They call them vampires, and only the cross can ward them off. It's likely Liu Hong, being an escort himself, had heard these tales and drew a cross on the ground to repel the demon. Alas..." Old Man Hu shook his head. "He didn't have the right magic." Whether or not his words were true, everyone felt a chill creep into their hearts.

P.S.
Just finished dealing with a superior’s inspection—these past few days have been filled with cleaning and paperwork, and I am utterly exhausted.