Chapter 28: The Campaign Against the Heavenly Path Sect

Meng Xiaoli and Elder Dugu lived in He’an Village, where they witnessed Jin Yan’er secretly gathering strength in Qingzhou. Over the course of more than half a year, thousands of people came to join her cause. They were local commoners, regardless of age or gender: ambitious youths full of spirit, elderly men driven to desperation who feared no death, and women who traded their dresses for weapons. Any farm tool available became a weapon, wielded for a shared faith and in memory of every compatriot who had died a tragic death.

In Qingzhou City, government soldiers went from house to house, forcibly conscripting labor, trampling upon the starving bodies of the people, and plundering the last of their meager belongings. They killed on a whim, killed out of dissatisfaction, and killed even more when faced with resistance. Their blades spared neither the old nor the young, neither man nor woman. Their eyes held no sympathy or mercy, their ears remained deaf to the cries of misery echoing across the land, and their hearts were nothing but hollow voids.

Clutching her Fierce Bone Whip, Jin Yan’er gritted her teeth in fury. Standing on high ground in He’an Village, she shouted to all her followers, "The old emperor is unjust and cruel. We cannot sit by and wait for death. Now is the time for us to resist. For the sake of our kin, I, Jin Yan’er, will charge into the city!"

The followers below were filled with righteous indignation and burning passion. Waving their weapons, they roared in unison, "Charge into the city! Charge into the city!"

Jin Yan’er leaped down from the ridge and led the thousand-strong force of the Heavenly Action Sect. They surged into Qingzhou City like a tidal wave, cutting down every soldier in their path. They marched straight to the prefectural office, smashed down the doors, and burst inside. With a single lash of her whip, a sound like a thunderclap echoed for miles. The garrison, caught off guard, proved unable to defend themselves, and the prefect was whisked away by his guards through the back gate, fleeing in a panic.

Jin Yan’er would not let him off easily. She pursued him for several miles, lashing out to kill four of his guards before severing the prefect’s head with a single strike.

The Qingzhou prefectural office, utterly defenseless, was decimated. The Heavenly Action Sect thoroughly searched the premises, seized weapons and supplies, and opened the granaries to feed the starving. For a time, the sect was invincible, hailed and supported by the people.

Following this, countless people from Jinan Prefecture, Binzhou, Yanzhou, Laizhou, Jiaozhou, Andong Guard, and all surrounding areas flocked to join them. The force of nearly a thousand rapidly swelled to nearly ten thousand.

With the Heavenly Action Sect’s first victory secured, they returned to Weiqi Ridge. Upon hearing the news, the imperial court immediately dispatched Commander Xiong Zhi to lead a campaign to suppress the ridge. The four mountain passes of Weiqi Ridge had been fortified by the sect with countless mechanisms, spikes, and traps, and guarded by their own soldiers. Commander Xiong lost countless men and suffered heavy casualties before even setting foot in the mountains.

Jin Yan’er, wielding her Fierce Bone Whip, charged into the vanguard of Xiong’s forces. She lashed out, sweeping left and right, leaving no one within reach. With a leap, she soared toward Commander Xiong, who was still mounted. She planted her feet on the horse's head, spun in mid-air, and kicked him from his steed. Xiong lunged with his sword, but Jin Yan’er deflected the strike with her whip. As she pressed the attack, Xiong scrambled backward and regained his footing, lunging once more. Jin Yan’er kicked aside his blade and spun, her whip cutting through the air with a piercing, shrill whistle. With a crisp, thunderous crack, the whip struck. Blood instantly cascaded from the top of Xiong’s head like a waterfall, veiling his face in an instant.

Eyes wide, Commander Xiong slowly fell to his knees and drew his last breath. The followers of the Heavenly Action Sect shouted in triumph, "Long live the Heavenly Action Sect! Long live Jin Yan’er!"

With Xiong dead, the imperial court grew wary of Jin Yan’er. Since the Yongle Emperor was planning to relocate the capital, he did not want trouble in the north. He sent an envoy to negotiate, offering to reduce the labor and tax burdens on the people of Qingzhou and the rest of Shandong. However, the people had suffered so deeply that the court’s meager concessions were insufficient. Displeased with the terms, Jin Yan’er drove the envoy away.

Within a short time, the Heavenly Action Sect grew to twenty thousand members. Having crossed the point of no return, they pressed onward, intent on striking other prefectural offices.

Elder Dugu, a native of Qingzhou, was deeply inspired despite his sixty years. He wished to join the fight, but Jin Yan’er looked at him with sorrow. "Once I walk this path, there is no turning back. I fight for the light, but I live in darkness. We cannot both live in darkness. Big Brother, you must live in the light for me. Neither you nor Meng Xiaoli can be involved. You must not." With those words, Jin Yan’er led her tens of thousands of followers and left without looking back.

The Heavenly Action Sect moved like celestial warriors, clearing all obstacles in their path. The surrounding government offices trembled in fear, sending frantic reports to the imperial court.

The sect went on to crush the prefectural offices of Jinan, Binzhou, and Yanzhou, proving unstoppable. Everywhere they went, people joined them or offered food and supplies. For a time, Jin Yan’er became a legend.

After months of conflict, the government’s repeated attempts to suppress them failed. The enraged Yongle Emperor dispatched Regional Commander Sui Yuan and Area Commander Song Si, leading a massive force to besiege Weiqi Ridge.

Seeing the sheer size of the enemy force, Jin Yan’er realized the danger. She found Elder Dugu and urged him, "It is no longer safe here. Take Meng Xiaoli and leave, as far as you can. I am walking a path of death; she should not be caught up in this." Elder Dugu replied, "I will take her to safety, and then I will return to fight alongside you."

The mountain passes of Weiqi Ridge were eventually paved with the corpses of government soldiers, who kept coming in relentless waves of reinforcements. Seeing the southeastern passes breached, Jin Yan’er plunged into the fray, lashing out until she was covered in multiple wounds from the soldiers' wild slashes. Breaking through the encirclement, she charged at Area Commander Song Si.

Song Si wielded a massive broadsword with formidable power, hacking and slashing. Jin Yan’er dodged nimbly, spinning to strike with her whip, only for Song Si to deflect it with his blade. He swung again with all his might, but Jin Yan’er leaped, mid-spin, and brought her whip down on his left shoulder, shattering the bone and tearing the flesh. Ignoring his injury, Song Si swung his blade horizontally, but Jin Yan’er dodged the tip and lashed out, striking him across the face. Song Si was left unrecognizable, bleeding profusely, blinded in one eye, and half his face shredded.

With a roar, Song Si charged forward, swinging his blade downward. Jin Yan’er looked up, coiled her whip around the blade, and yanked it aside. In the same motion, she drew a dagger from her boot and thrust it into the falling commander’s chest. Blood sprayed across her face.

Jin Yan’er sheathed her dagger and pushed the corpse aside. Her eyes burning red, she surveyed the battlefield. While her followers were brave, most were refugees who lacked formal training, and they were physically exhausted compared to the government troops. They were suffering heavy losses, and the passes had been breached. As more soldiers flooded in, the court simply replaced the fallen Song Si with Commander Wu Xiu.

For several days, waves of soldiers surged in, while the Heavenly Action Sect, weary and surrounded, fought a losing battle. Covered in blood, Jin Yan’er struggled to lift the tattered banner of the sect, roaring, "Charge! Fight on!"

Commander Wu Xiu led his troops, leaping from his horse with his silver sword aimed directly at Jin Yan’er. She hurled the sect’s banner at him; Wu Xiu dodged and lunged. Jin Yan’er whipped to create a defensive perimeter, but Wu Xiu leaped over her, his sword slicing through her arm and back. She countered with a whip strike, but he dodged, spun, and thrust again. Jin Yan’er rolled away, barely avoiding the blade's energy.

Wu Xiu’s sword was agile, shifting direction suddenly. Jin Yan’er could not dodge in time and was slashed across the shoulder. As he thrust for her heart, she deflected the blade with her whip and kicked him back. She immediately pursued, but Wu Xiu caught her whip with his sword tip and jerked it, pulling her toward him. He struck her with his palm, sending her crashing to the ground, where she vomited blood.

Jin Yan’er scrambled to her feet, her whip lashing out like a serpent. Wu Xiu dodged the tip, but the whip recoiled, striking him in the chest and sending him tumbling to the ground, spitting blood.

Jin Yan’er leaped to deliver a final blow, but Wu Xiu rolled away. The whip struck the earth, carving a deep furrow. Wu Xiu grabbed the whip and yanked it downward, catching Jin Yan’er off balance. As she fell, Wu Xiu waited below, sword poised to pierce her body.

Amidst the clash of weapons, a broken blade spun through the air. Wu Xiu, focused on Jin Yan’er, did not hear it. In an instant, the blade sliced across the space between them, severing Wu Xiu’s right hand at the wrist. The hand, still gripping the silver sword, tumbled through the air and landed in the filthy dirt. Before Wu Xiu could react, Jin Yan’er drove her dagger into his heart.

Jin Yan’er looked up to see Elder Dugu, who had come to her rescue. Though he was covered in blood—mostly that of the soldiers he had felled—he was unharmed. He pulled Jin Yan’er up and lamented, "The Heavenly Action Sect is beyond saving. You must withdraw."

With eyes bloodshot, Jin Yan’er looked at the few remaining followers still fighting. She could not bear to leave, but her men held her back, pleading, "If you survive, there is hope. Please, Sect Leader, retreat! Master Dugu, please take our leader out of the pass!" Jin Yan’er cried out in agony, "Even if I escape, you will not survive. They will show no mercy!" The men replied, "We can hold them off a while longer. Go! We die with honor, but you must live for the sake of the Heavenly Action Sect."

With tears streaming down her face, mixing with the blood, Jin Yan’er was pulled away by Elder Dugu. She kept looking back, unable to tear her eyes away from the brothers who had fought and died with her. She could not process the despair and collapse of her world. Finally, she was forced to break through the encirclement with Elder Dugu and flee the ridge.

Elder Dugu hid her in a dense forest. Not long after, news reached them that the entire Heavenly Action Sect had been annihilated; not a single soul survived.

Jin Yan’er wailed in agony, sobbing uncontrollably. As Meng Xiaoli bandaged her wounds, she too wept, unable to bear the sight of such sorrow.