Three Witches City

"This younger brother is called Qin Sang. I work as a shop assistant for the shopkeeper. On this trip to procure goods, I was captured by a band of mountain bandits. Yesterday, those bandits ran into their mortal enemies, and I seized the chaos to escape, but I lost my way and injured my leg. I could only drift on a raft down the river. I never expected to fall asleep and float into the great river. Luckily, you benefactors stepped in to save me..."

Qin Sang sat on the deck, surrounded by a circle of burly men with swords at their waists. Wrapped in an old cotton coat, he had regained some warmth and spoke softly of his origins.

The man who had disembarked to rescue Qin Sang stood before him. He was around forty, with a gaunt face that gave him the air of a scholar. Dressed like the other burly men, he wore Cloud Boots and a cyan form-fitting outfit, with a fine sword hanging at his waist. His posture was straight, exuding an air of competence.

Having walked on water for some time, this man remained entirely dry, with only the soles of his boots showing traces of moisture.

The other burly men treated him with great respect, calling him Eldest Brother Bai. He was likely their leader.

Such a figure could not be a river bandit from a boat gang. From their tone, they seemed more like bodyguards of some household. Qin Sang's heart eased a little.

While recounting his story, Qin Sang instinctively omitted the part about meeting the immortal. Now calmer, he realized that this Eldest Brother Bai, though no ordinary man, was far from the sword-flying immortal masters.

"Meeting in the heart of the river is fate; lending a hand is only right. No need to keep calling me benefactor! My surname is Bai, given name Jianglan. I'm a few years older than you, Brother Qin. If you don't mind, just call me Eldest Brother Bai..."

Eldest Brother Bai's words carried a chivalrous air. He crouched down, his gaze sweeping over the large bloodstain on Qin Sang's chest, and smiled. "When I saw you, you were lying motionless on the raft. We thought it was a corpse. Lucky you sat up on your own... Come, let me take a look at your leg injury."

With that, Bai Jianglan placed his hand on Qin Sang's calf and closed his eyes slightly.

A moment later, Qin Sang suddenly felt a warm current seep from Bai Jianglan's fingers into his calf, then travel up through his blood vessels, eventually spreading through his entire body. Bathed in that warm current, the cold and dampness clinging to him were swept away.

The warm current circled through his body once before gathering again at the injury on his calf. At first, a tingling numbness came from the wound, but then the pain subsided by more than half.

Qin Sang feigned surprise. "Eldest Brother Bai, are you a legendary immortal master? Is my leg healed?"

The surrounding burly men burst into laughter. "Kid, you can kill bandits but don't know this is True Qi? Lucky you, running into Eldest Brother Bai, who's willing to waste his True Qi to heal you. Hurry up and thank him!"

Qin Sang's eyes flickered as he offered repeated thanks.

Bai Jianglan withdrew his hand, steadied his breath, and opened his eyes. He glanced at Qin Sang and said, "It seems you truly don't understand martial arts. I'm just a martial artist, not an immortal master, and I don't have their methods. This True Qi, also called Inner Force, can ease your pain, but healing your injury is difficult. Your leg bone isn't broken, just cracked in a few places. I've used my Inner Force to dissolve the blood stasis at the wound. Once you disembark, find a doctor for a few bone-nourishing decoctions, and within a month, you'll be as good as new..."

"Miss Chun Tao is here!"

A soft call interrupted Bai Jianglan's words.

Everyone fell silent and scattered to the sides. Bai Jianglan also stood up and turned to look.

Qin Sang now saw that they were near the stern of the ship. The row of cabins ahead was dark, except for the middle one, which had been arranged as a flower hall. Candlelight flickered through the latticed windows, but both sides of the windows were covered in gauze, obscuring the view inside.

At that moment, the flower hall's door was half-open. A slender figure carrying a lantern walked over. As she drew near, Qin Sang saw she was a young girl of seventeen or eighteen.

The girl wore a thin, water-green garment of fine quality, but it was no match for the deep-night river wind, and her hands trembled from the cold.

The rough, burly men seemed afraid of her. As she approached, they stepped aside, each bowing respectfully. "Greetings, Miss Chun Tao."

Probably their employer's attendant, Qin Sang thought.

"Commander Bai, the young lady sent me to ask why you've stopped the ship here?"

Chun Tao's expression was displeased. Frowning, she stepped forward. She was shorter than Bai Jianglan and raised the lantern high, nearly shoving it into his face. Her almond-shaped eyes glared at him as she questioned him with irritation.

Bai Jianglan clasped his fists in salute. "Please inform the young lady, Miss Chun Tao. We spotted a raft in danger in the middle of the river with someone still on it, so we stopped to rescue them. The person is now saved, and we will set sail immediately."

Hearing this, Chun Tao glanced down at Qin Sang, lowered the lantern, and thrust it into his face.

Qin Sang, knowing he was at their mercy, dared not be careless. He straightened up and nodded with a foolish smile.

Before he could thank her, Chun Tao snorted coldly. "Men, throw him overboard!"

Qin Sang was startled. He hadn't expected this pretty young girl to have such a cruel heart. He quickly looked at Bai Jianglan.

Bai Jianglan's brow furrowed slightly. He waved his hand to dismiss his men. "Miss Chun Tao, you absolutely cannot..."

Chun Tao's delicate brows shot up. She pointed at Bai Jianglan's nose and cursed sharply, her voice shrill. "Bai! The Prince ordered you to escort the eldest young lady, and this is how you protect her? This little thief has shifty eyes and is covered in blood—clearly no good. How dare you let him on board? What if he's an assassin and disturbs the young lady? Do you have enough heads to spare?"

"Miss Chun Tao, please calm down," Bai Jianglan said, maintaining his composure without being servile or arrogant. "I've questioned him thoroughly. This Brother Qin knows no martial arts. He's a poor soul victimized by bandits, lucky to have escaped with his life. The blood on him is from the fight. There's no reason not to save him. Besides, Brother Qin has a leg injury and can't move easily. With us brothers watching him, I assure you he won't disturb the young lady."

Seeing Bai Jianglan insist on saving the man, Chun Tao's eyes darted. "Aren't there two small boats towed behind this ship? Give him one and make him leave!"

Qin Sang drew a sharp breath. The river stretched vast and boundless, with the autumn tide running strong—more perilous than the Yangtze River of his past life. On both banks, shadowy mountains loomed with no lights in sight, and strange cries and beastly roars echoed occasionally, like a ghostly realm.

A single small boat on this river, and he wouldn't even know how he died.

This little wench had a heart of stone!

Bai Jianglan said, "Miss Chun Tao, you may not know this. We've just entered the Nine-Fold Gorge of the Wuling River. Both banks are steep cliffs and dangerous mountains, uninhabited and overrun with fierce beasts. We can only go downstream. But the Nine-Fold Gorge is the most turbulent and treacherous stretch of the Wuling River. If we lower a small boat, it will surely capsize. How about this: let Brother Qin stay in the rear cabin. We'll set sail now, and by dawn tomorrow, we'll pass the Nine-Fold Gorge and reach Three Witches City, where we'll let him off. Tonight, I'll stand guard on the deck myself, ensuring everything is safe."