The Power of Harmony, Kid

Robin and Jingxing continued on their way, but their journey remained uneventful for only two days.

On the afternoon of the third day, the two had just rounded an earthen slope along the road when Robin instinctively stopped.

"The wind doesn't smell right." She turned to Jingxing. "It probably isn't safe ahead."

No sooner had she spoken than seven or eight figures came into view. They were scattered along the roadside, some half-crouching and others standing, with no formation, like grains of sand blown apart by the wind. Their earth-yellow clothes looked filthy and ragged.

"Just our luck. Let's go around them," Jingxing suggested to the girl beside him, lowering his voice.

"But they've already spotted us," Robin replied helplessly. "They're all looking over here."

Their leader was a middle-aged man with a bushy beard. He stared at Jingxing for two seconds, then promptly looked past him and fixed his gaze on Robin.

Jingxing tensed up at once.

Run? Which way? How can I help Robin draw these guys away? I should start by provoking them...

In an instant, a hundred thoughts raced through his mind.

Noticing Jingxing's guard was up, the bearded man sneered. "Relax, we don't kill people. Leave your food and valuables, and then you can get lost."

Jingxing's fingertips curled slightly against the seams of his trousers. He quickly sized them up in his head: seven men, five guns, the closest less than twenty meters away. If a fight really broke out, he couldn't hold them off for even a single breath.

So, Yaoguang, was your prediction accurate or not...? Where exactly is my opportunity? he grumbled inwardly. I can't see the slightest sign of it, but I've run into plenty of bad luck one thing after another.

Though his mind was full of complaints about Yaoguang, Jingxing still stepped forward, placing himself in front of Robin.

"Sorry, but we escaped from a refugee camp in the south. We didn't bring much food, and we certainly don't have any valuable belongings."

"Don't make me laugh, kid." The bearded man pointed at his eyes. "You think I'm blind? How do you look anything like refugees? You young masters and young ladies had better behave yourselves. You don't want to get hurt, do you?"

Just as Jingxing was racking his brains for a way to negotiate, Robin placed a hand on his shoulder and gently moved him half an inch aside.

Jingxing turned and saw Robin walk past him and take her place at the front.

"Robin—" He instinctively reached out, but grasped empty air.

"Trust me," Robin said softly. Then she turned to the uninvited guests ahead. "Gentlemen."

Her voice wasn't loud, and it sounded no different from her usual speech. But Jingxing immediately noticed that the routed soldiers all froze in surprise when they heard her greeting.

The bearded man frowned. "You..."

Instead of retreating, Robin took another step forward. "Soldiers far from home, please listen to me."

The next second, the routed soldiers, including the bearded man, seemed pinned to the spot by her words, becoming motionless puppets.

"We all know that war has swept across this planet, robbing you of your right to a peaceful life and forcing you to leave your homes and risk your lives for someone else's ambitions."

"Such selfishness must not be allowed to continue. To put an end to greed and create peace, we intend to travel to your capital." Robin pressed her right hand to her chest, her tone seemingly imbued with magic. "Surely you don't intend to spend the rest of your lives drifting along in a daze, hurting others?"

"So come!" She held out her right hand. "Become our guards. Protect us on our way to the capital, protect the spark of peace, and protect this planet's future!"

"Clatter!"

There was no gunshot, only the sound of a routed soldier, utterly captivated by Robin's voice, letting go of his gun and dropping it on the ground.

That sound seemed to tear something open. A second, then a third. Some threw their guns to the ground; others covered their faces.

The bearded man's Adam's apple bobbed. "Even if the war ends, won't we still be called to account?" he asked hoarsely.

"Aren't the people who started this war the ones who should be called to account most of all?" Robin asked in return. Jingxing thought the same.

The bearded man raised both hands with a bitter smile. "All right. Please, let us follow you."

There was no light, no strange phenomenon, none of the earth-shattering force rumored to accompany a Pathstrider's actions. Robin had simply stood there and said a few words, and those routed soldiers had become companions.

"So this is Harmony... That's amazing..." Jingxing instinctively looked at Robin.

The instant his gaze fell on her, a sharp, searing pain erupted deep in his eye sockets. It was as though a red-hot needle had stabbed straight out from behind each eyeball.

Jingxing let out a muffled groan, jerked his head away and covered his eyes with his hand. Tears welled up uncontrollably and ran down through his fingers, quickly turning icy cold in the wind.

"Mr. Jingxing?" Concern colored Robin's voice as her footsteps moved toward him.

"Don't come over," Jingxing said hoarsely. "...Give me a moment."

He turned his back and wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve. The pain receded little by little, like the tide. By the time he opened his eyes again, a watery haze still veiled his vision, and distant objects looked as though he were seeing them through frosted glass.

Without warning, the words Yaoguang had spoken before leaving rang in his ears: if he encountered any Pathstriders of Harmony in the future, he should stay as far away from them as possible.

Was this the reason?

Jingxing clenched his fists, then slowly relaxed them. No, that wasn't right. When Robin had used her ability just now, there hadn't been the slightest trace of pain on the routed soldiers' faces. If anything, they had looked as though they'd laid down some burden. Why was it that when it came to him, a single glance at her felt like two red-hot needles stabbing into his eyeballs?

He didn't look at Robin again. Instead, he lowered his head and stared at the ground.

Seeing that Jingxing had stopped groaning in pain, Robin turned back to the routed soldiers she had persuaded using the power of the Path of Harmony. "Bring your weapons, so you can defend yourselves on the road. But there's one rule: don't point them at ordinary people again."

"Yes!" This time, the routed soldiers answered in perfect unison. If one heard them without seeing them, one would surely think they were a group of battle-hardened elite soldiers.

The bearded leader was called Old Zhou. He gathered the others and gave two orders in a hoarse voice: pick up their guns and point the barrels at the ground. Then he led the remaining men to surround Robin and Jingxing at a moderate distance, keeping watch.

With the group larger, the journey became easier. Old Zhou knew the terrain, including which stretches of road had checkpoints and which side paths could be used to avoid danger.

When they encountered other scattered routed soldiers along the way, the latter caught a glimpse of the group's bearing and only dared watch them pass.

Everything went smoothly, except for Jingxing's eyes. Ever since Robin had used her ability to persuade the routed soldiers, his eyes would begin to sting whenever he caught sight of her. For his own safety, he had no choice but to avoid looking at Robin, and the two of them spoke less as a result.