Li Yan slept for a full day and night. By the time he woke again, it was already the morning of the third day.
When the steward saw Li Yan emerge, he hurried forward and bowed respectfully.
"Young Master Li, breakfast has been prepared. Please help yourself."
"Thank you, Uncle Fu."
As they spoke, Uncle Fu's gaze flicked to the Waning Moon slung across Li Yan's back. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly concealed the strange emotion.
Li Yan took every bit of this change in, and it was clear that this steward had known what was truly going on from beginning to end.
Simple porridge and side dishes warmed the stomach best. After eating, Li Yan first went to an escort agency in town. With gold and silver paving the way, he easily learned the particulars of Three Fiends Ridge from the escorts.
According to the escorts, when they traveled under escort, they would rather pass by Black Cloud Stronghold and honestly pay the toll than go through Three Fiends Ridge.
There were eighteen people on Three Fiends Ridge, and every last one of them was mad!
The leader was Heart-Shattering Hand Zhao Xincheng, who loved nothing more than digging out people's hearts and livers. Whenever he took action to rob travelers, at least a small half of the group would die with their hearts torn out.
The second was Hall-Piercing Palm Zhao Chijiu. Whenever he struck, he wanted to split open people's bellies, and he loved eating human livers raw.
All eighteen had hobbies that made one's liver and gallbladder turn cold. Passing through Three Fiends Ridge meant one foot had already stepped onto the road to the Yellow Springs; whether one lived or died depended entirely on fate and the moods of others.
Moreover, these people truly were as close as family. Whenever they obtained something good, they would certainly share it with one another. And if any one of them met an opponent they could not defeat, the others would rush over to help at once.
By the time Li Yan left the escort agency, he already had a plan in mind.
At noon, beneath the blazing sun hanging high overhead, Li Yan appeared outside Three Fiends Ridge. As soon as he arrived, he saw a carriage hesitating at the entrance.
"Young Master, are we truly going to take this road?" The servant driving the carriage was filled with alarm and dread.
"Ah, Old Wang, why are you getting more and more long-winded? It's only Three Fiends Ridge. Back in the day, you and Father galloped across the battlefield without ever hesitating like this... Besides, perhaps our luck will be good, and we won't encounter those people at all?"
"Young Master!"
Smack! The sound of a folding fan snapping shut came from within the carriage. "Enough. Stop talking nonsense. When we get back, I'll have my father raise your monthly pay."
As the two spoke, the old servant driving the carriage was deeply unwilling. Then he suddenly saw Li Yan approaching with a bundle on his back. Surprised yet somewhat delighted, he immediately jumped down from the carriage and crossed the distance to Li Yan in two strides.
"This young hero, greetings. This old man is Wang Fang. I pay my respects to you, young hero."
Li Yan looked coldly at the old man and said nothing. Beside them, the carriage curtain was lifted by a folding fan, followed by an impatient voice. "Old Wang, what exactly are you doing?"
Hearing this, Wang Fang bared his teeth in a grimace toward the carriage and waved his hand.
"Ahahaha, might this young hero be passing through Three Fiends Ridge?"
"Something wrong?"
"Ah, to be honest with you, young hero, my master and I are also planning to cross Three Fiends Ridge. But there are fierce men lurking here, and we fear the two of us may be unable to handle them, so we would like to travel alongside you..."
As he spoke, Wang Fang seemed to recall something. He hurriedly reached into his robes, took out a gold ingot, and respectfully offered it to Li Yan. "Of course, we certainly will not let you trouble yourself for nothing. Consider these ten taels of gold a deposit. Once we pass through Three Fiends Ridge, we have another generous gift for you."
Li Yan glanced at the old man, then at the young man in the carriage whose face he could not make out. He did not accept the gold ingot, simply carrying his bundle into Three Fiends Ridge.
Seeing this, the old man assumed the youth was high-spirited and disdained such yellow-and-white things. Still, he hurriedly drove the carriage after him.
Though this place was called Three Fiends Ridge, there was actually no need to climb any mountain. To pass through, one only had to travel through the long valley between the three mountains.
The moment they entered the valley, hazy clouds and mist nearly obscured the surrounding view. Beyond three zhang, it was almost impossible to see clearly.
Li Yan walked carefully, while Old Wang, driving the carriage behind him, dared not lower his guard in the slightest.
"Hehe, mountain gorges have had fierce winds since ancient times. This is the first time this young master has seen a gorge shrouded so thickly in clouds and mist."
"Shh! Young Master, say a little less. We are in danger now."
"Ah, Old Wang, you're growing younger the longer you live. Do you truly think those people wouldn't have noticed us after we entered this place?"
As if to confirm his words, the mist that had blanketed the valley suddenly began to swirl rapidly. At the same time, fierce winds howled through the gorge, sweeping across the stone walls on both sides like the wailing cries of ghostly fiends.
Then, a sinister female voice rang throughout the valley. "Hehehehe, today is quite lively. Two fair-faced young men with brimming vitality have come. Just right—both of you can stay behind and warm this lady's bed."
"As for that old fellow, forget him. His vitality is withered, and he is old and faded. He is of no use at all. Hurry and take your old horse and get lost."
"Not good, it's the man-loving Leaf-Picking Lady!"
Leaf-Picking Lady Ji Sanniang ranked sixth among the eighteen people in these mountains, and her cultivation was at the Qi Condensation Fifth Level.
Rumor had it that Ji Sanniang was the most soft-hearted of the eighteen. So long as a group of travelers had no young and strong men among them, and they handed over an appropriate amount of money, she would not make things difficult for them.
But if there were young, strong, or handsome youths in the group, then they had truly suffered a bloody calamity.
It was said that after those men were abducted by her, they spent every night in song and revelry until their essence was completely drained. Once they became like dried bones, they would be thrown back into the valley to fend for themselves.
"Hmph! Though you are a woman, your conduct is improper, and you have even turned heaven and earth upside down, forcibly abducting young and sturdy men. A woman like you truly ought to be seized and drowned in a pig cage!"
The young master's furious shout came from within the carriage, making Old Wang's face change drastically.
Before Old Wang could speak, that sinister female voice rang out again. "Hahahahaha, you're not very old, boy, yet you dare spout such wild words."
"Why is it that you men may take three wives and four concubines and indulge in romance every night, while we women may not take three husbands and four husbands, embracing all rivers into the sea?"
"Rest assured. This Sanniang has plenty of skill and plenty of tricks. Once you become Sanniang's man, I guarantee you will not want to leave the room for even a moment!"
Li Yan's mouth twitched at these words. Big sister, please shut up. If you keep talking, this whole world is going to be destroyed!
Li Yan's head ached, but the young master was utterly enraged. He had lived this long without ever being teased like this. His father might endure it, but his mother would not!
"You lewd, wicked hag, watch this young master capture you first!"
As his words fell, the carriage curtain was suddenly thrown open. The young master shot out like an arrow piercing the sky, hurtling straight into the depths of the dense mist.
The next instant, ripples of surging True Qi came from overhead. A fan sliced through the air while sharp claws continued to display their ferocity.
Sensing the anomaly above, Wang Fang groaned inwardly. He suddenly turned to Li Yan, who stood motionless beside him, and hurriedly said, "Young hero, my young master is facing a great calamity. Please lend a hand!"
Li Yan gave him a sidelong glance and replied flatly, "No."
"This... why?"
"Others are watching the battle. If I make a move, they will move as well."
"What?"
Wang Fang cried out in alarm, only to hear sinister laughter rise again from every direction. "Hahahahaha, boy, what keen senses you have. You actually noticed Zhao Chijiu's presence."
"Boy, you dare touch my sixth sister? Get lost!"
Bang!
The instant that dull boom rang out, the young master flew back even faster than he had gone, smashing into the carriage, shattering through its rear panel, and crashing to the ground, where he rolled several times.
Lying on the ground, the young man wanted to say something, but a mouthful of blood came out first.
"Go!"
Without another word, Li Yan grabbed Wang Fang with one hand and rushed toward the young man.
"Where do you think you're going!" Zhao Chijiu's voice rang out, followed by the sharp sound of something tearing through the air.
Hearing the movement, Li Yan directly tore the bundle from his back and flung it into the mist, shouting, "Watch out for hidden weapons!"
Hearing this, Zhao Chijiu hurriedly slowed down and struck out with a palm, hitting the bundle squarely.
The bundle suddenly burst apart. The faint golden light remained exceptionally clear within the mist, and the gold ingots completely dazzled Zhao Chijiu's eyes.