Passersby

"So that was it."

Li Musheng nodded in realization, while Cang Yinyue began leading him along remote mountain trails, deliberately avoiding the main roads.

Li Musheng did not mind.

After all, Chongzhou bordered Jing Province, and they were only a few days' journey from Shangyang City. Whichever route they took made little difference.

Moreover, through his conversations with Cang Yinyue along the way, he had gained a general understanding of the state of Great Li as a whole.

Great Li held nineteen provinces within its borders. Jianghu sects stood everywhere, martial arts experts were numerous, and the various forces were vast and tangled—so much so that they could stand toe-to-toe with the imperial court and local authorities.

It was no exaggeration to say that Great Li was now jointly ruled by the court and the martial world.

The martial world did not wish to provoke the court, while the Great Li Court, with neighboring states eyeing it like tigers, had few ways to deal with those jianghu people who occasionally used martial force to defy the law.

According to Cang Yinyue, the other four great dynasties were much the same as Great Li.

The situation in Great Wu to the north was even worse. The entire dynasty was nearly being controlled by several top martial sects.

That was also why Cang Yinyue had been unwilling to deal with the Bloodbath Alliance. In the eyes of certain jianghu forces, the court was not worth taking seriously.

Of course, Cang Yinyue was not afraid. She simply did not wish to create further complications and introduce uncontrollable factors into this journey.

The secluded mountain paths were difficult to travel, but the scenery was fine.

Li Musheng's black-maned yellow horse had been worn out after many days of travel, so he had sold it midway and exchanged it for a mule horse with better endurance.

Though the animal was cheap and ugly, it was excellent at climbing rugged mountain paths. On particularly winding and twisting stretches, it could scramble upward on all four legs.

"Pure wind chases clouds to this place; my steed bears me to the mountain crest!"

Amid the vast, verdant mountain forests, Li Musheng lightly patted his mount's back and hummed a little poem as he traveled with Cang Yinyue along the narrow, steep trail.

Between the immense wilderness and mountains, the two people and two mounts appeared exceedingly small.

Cang Yinyue remained cool and composed, her gaze fixed straight ahead. Along the way, she had come to find Li Musheng somewhat strange.

Because he had remained in that small city's martial arts hall all this time, his information had been severely limited, and there were many things he needed to ask her about.

Yet he grasped things quickly. A single hint was enough for him to understand, and some of his views were even remarkably original.

From time to time, he would also utter words she had never heard before. Yet whenever she carefully pondered them, she found them exceptionally incisive.

Cang Yinyue saw many contradictions in Li Musheng.

For instance, his martial arts—the acupoint-striking technique that even made her wary—as well as that attitude of occasionally joking around, yet at other times seeming to see through all worldly matters with carefree abandon...

All in all, he gave people a rather strange feeling.

"Eh? Miss Cang, look—aren't there people on that mountain across from us?"

Li Musheng suddenly spoke, interrupting Cang Yinyue's thoughts.

Her eyes sharpened as she looked in the direction he pointed.

Sure enough, among the dense woods several miles away, three people could vaguely be seen leading horses as they hurried along the mountain path with their heads lowered.

Their figures were occasionally obscured by thorny branches, but a closer look revealed that they were heading in the same direction as Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue.

"Looks like these people had the same idea as you. They also plan to take a detour from here," Li Musheng said, stroking his chin.

"These mountain paths are extremely hidden. Ordinary people would not think as I did, of heading to Jing Province by this route."

A gleam flashed through Cang Yinyue's eyes. But when she turned her gaze, she saw that Li Musheng had already patted his mount and continued onward.

He seemed not to find anything odd about encountering a group of strangers in this deep mountain forest.

"Be careful."

Cang Yinyue offered a reminder, though she was not overly worried about Li Musheng.

After all, if caught unprepared, even she could not withstand his uncanny acupoint-striking technique. He should have no trouble protecting himself.

Before long, the people on the opposite mountain path also noticed Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue.

Though greatly surprised, they became extremely wary as well.

Not only did they keep staring at the pair, their hands never left the hilts of the blades at their waists as they walked, as if they might draw their weapons and charge over to kill them at any moment.

Finally, the two parties happened to meet at a fork in the road ahead.

For a moment, Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue, along with the three strangers, all stopped.

Li Musheng sized up the people before him: two men and a woman.

One was a valiant-looking woman in fitted green clothes with a saber at her waist. Another was a thin-faced young scholar carrying a book basket on his back. The last was a middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a saber as well.

Cang Yinyue was likewise observing the three. Her gaze lingered on the middle-aged man for a while, then paused briefly on the woman and scholar before she suddenly asked:

"Whose subordinate are you, sir? Where are you currently stationed in the imperial capital?"

She directed the question at the middle-aged man. Upon hearing it, a clear look of surprise appeared on his face.

Cang Yinyue calmly explained:

"Your steps are steady and powerful, and your breathing rhythm is distinct. You should practice the Great Li army's Shaking Mountain Fist, so you are likely a military man."

"Also, although the saber in your hand appears ordinary as a whole, the design of its hilt is exceptionally refined and distinctive. It should have come from the Arms-Sheathing Pavilion in Shangyang City."

The middle-aged man's expression shifted. Then his aura rapidly rose, and martial true qi faintly circulated through the hand gripping his saber hilt.

He watched Cang Yinyue and said in a low voice:

"Miss, your eye is sharp indeed. Since you can discern so much of my background, you must also be from the imperial capital, and certainly no ordinary woman. Are you returning to Shangyang City on this journey?"

"That's right."

Cang Yinyue nodded, then suddenly gave a cold laugh.

"By the look of it, you are either one of General Wu'an's subordinates, a member of the Wu'an Army, or a personal guard from his residence."

Meng Shan's face filled with shock once more.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and a chill flashed through them as he asked:

"How could you tell?"

"From your martial true qi. You cultivate the Heavy Origin Art, the primary technique practiced in the Wu'an Army."

Cang Yinyue's voice remained calm. Seated upright upon her horse, she was utterly unmoved by the killing intent he had revealed moments earlier.

Meng Shan froze. He stared silently at Cang Yinyue, then slowly nodded after a long while.

"You can even recognize that. It seems Miss's identity and background are far from simple."

At that moment, Li Musheng, who had seemed like a transparent bystander all along, suddenly gave a light clap and praised her.

"Miss Cang is truly impressive. You infer the whole from the smallest clue, and your knowledge is broad indeed. It has truly opened my eyes. If the Imperial Secret Police do not recruit you to solve cases, that is their loss."

Then he glanced at the middle-aged man across from him and said:

"You do not look like bad people to me. Since we are headed the same way, let us travel together. We can look out for one another on the road."