Book 4: The Legend of the Bat

Book 4 – The Legend of the Bat
蝙蝠傳奇 (Bian Fu Chuan Qi)

Synopsis:
This is the first (maybe the second, see Note below) of the five novels that are collectively known as The New Legend of Chu Liuxiang [楚留香新傳].

Rumor has it that a strange island called the Bat Island contains numerous treasures and luxuries. The island was actually a black-market auction place featuring exclusive items, such as martial art manual that was not supposed to be passed on to outsiders, as well as secrets, of Jianghu. From time to time, the island’s master, who was known as the ‘Bat Prince’, would send exclusive invitations to select guests to visit the island to participate in this auction. All business deals were conducted inside a pitch-black cave to maintain secrecy.

Through a series of serendipitous events, Chu Liuxiang and his friends Hu Tiehua and Zhang San make their way to Bat Island with other companions. Along the way, some of their companions were mysteriously murdered. On the island, they eventually uncovered a sinister plot masterminded by the ‘Bat Prince’.

NOTE:

When I started the Legend of the Bat, I used Wikipedia as my reference. It says (and I quote) ‘The five novels, Bianfu Chuanqi, Guilian Xiaqing, Taohua Chuanqi, Xinyue Chuanqi and Wuye Landau, are collectively known as Chu Liuxiang Xinzhuan.’ You see, Bianfu Chuanqi was listed at the top of the list. So I simply searched for ‘Bianfu Chuanqi’. Unfortunately, the Chinese source did not specify which one is book 4 and so on. After finishing Book 5 (Phantom Love and Heroic Romance), I found out that the ending, to some extent,  actually leads to the Legend of the Bat. The reason I said that: this story happened late autumn, the weather was getting cold. However, when the Bat started, although the author did not describe the weather, my impression is that the story did not happen in the winter.

That being said, you may want to read Book 5 – Phantom Love and Heroic Romance first and come back here. However, story-wise, there is no connection, hence even if you decide to read this book first, you won’t miss much, if any.

Contents
Chapter 1 – River Inferno
Chapter 2 – The Secret Inside the Jade Belt
Chapter 3 – Speculation
Chapter 4 – Harboring Sinister Design
Chapter 5 – The Dead Guest
Chapter 6 – The White Candle
Chapter 7 – The Shadow of the God of Death
Chapter 8 – Who is the Murderer
Chapter 9 – Vermilion Sand Palm Prints
Chapter 10 – The Eighth Person
Chapter 11 – The Murderer
Chapter 12 – Sudden Inspiration Inside the Coffin
Chapter 13 – The Bright Lantern on the Sea
Chapter 14 – Mermaid
Chapter 15 – False Alarm
Chapter 16 – The Bat in the Cabin
Chapter 17 – Hell on Earth
Chapter 18 – Tenderness in Hell
Chapter 19 – Bat Prince
Chapter 20 – Decisive Battle
Chapter 21 – In Literature, There Is No Number Two, In Martial Arts, There Is No Number One
Chapter 22 – Reentering the Hell
Chapter 23 – Hope in the World