Setting Out

Lu Yang returned to the stall selling sesame flatbreads.

The one selling them was a senior sister. She mixed the dough, let it rise, kneaded it, then slapped it into shape with such practiced ease that she must have done it countless times.

She tore the dough into one small ball after another. Hands, wrists, arms, torso... she put her whole body into kneading each ball into a flatbread.

Her movements seemed to follow some deeper principle. This was clearly more than simple kneading; it was also a way to train her body's coordination.

She set the flattened dough on a forging table, raised a massive iron hammer, and pounded it with a series of mighty blows. Clang, clang, clang! Sparks flew everywhere, landing on the ground and burning little holes into it.

She quenched the flatbread dough, and the cold water instantly boiled, bubbling away. Before long, the sesame flatbread was ready.

Lu Yang felt his eyes had been opened. As expected, Hundred Refinements Peak had a knack for things, combining fine food and artifact forging so seamlessly.

"One sesame flatbread, please."

The cafeteria really did sell things cheap. Lu Yang had spotted so many wonderful things here that made his eyes light up. If only his contribution points weren't limited, he would have bought them all.

At dawn the next day, Lu Yang met up with the other two at the Ask Dao Sect's mountain gate, as they had agreed.

"We've been waiting for you." Meng Jingzhou waved when he saw Lu Yang. A carriage stood behind him—the same one that had brought them to the Ask Dao Sect back then, with the very same old horse.

The only difference was that the third passenger was now Man Gu instead of Senior Sister Yun Zhi.

Man Gu studied diligently. Even while waiting, he was still reading. His broad Confucian robes concealed his muscles, making him look rather like a tall Confucian scholar.

"We're not taking a flying boat?" Lu Yang had been ready to travel by flying boat. His Shrinking the Earth to an Inch was convenient, but in the end it couldn't fly as fast as one.

For now, he had put aside learning Shrinking the Earth to an Inch and was focusing on Shrinking the Earth and Making an Inch.

Meng Jingzhou patted the carriage, looking pleased with himself. "This carriage of mine is a rare treasure. It contains a spatial formation. We may feel like we're moving slowly inside, but to anyone watching from outside, we're as fast as a flying boat."

That made sense. The Meng family lived far away in the Imperial City, and Meng Jingzhou had come from there to the Ask Dao Sect in a carriage. There was no way the old horse had walked the whole distance one step at a time; at that rate, it would have taken a year just to reach the sect.

The carriage had used its formation on the way to the Ask Dao Sect, moving so fast it seemed to take flight. Only when it neared the sect had it turned off the formation and slowed down, as a sign of respect.

The carriage Lu Yang had seen before was already moving at reduced speed.

The three of them climbed into the carriage. Its interior was as spacious as ever. Only now did Lu Yang understand just how valuable it was.

"Speaking of which, where are we going? What's the mission?"

"Huh, I didn't tell you? We're heading to a place called Qinghuai Commandery. Brother Man Gu can explain the details, since he was the one who found the mission."

Man Gu placed a bookmark between the pages, closed his book, and began to explain at an unhurried pace.

"I heard about this while I was out on a mission, from a passenger aboard a flying boat. He was the leader of a merchant caravan and knew many things ordinary people didn't. He told me a story passed around among the merchants. It seemed fairly credible."

"Between Qinghuai Commandery and Yanjiang Commandery lies a vast stretch of mountains, one range rising after another. Any merchant caravan hoping to cross them needs a local hunter to guide the way."

"A terrifying presence appeared in the mountains, forcing the hunters to leave the forests they depended on to survive..."

Night fell. The tangled branches of the trees blocked out the moonlight. Thunder roared, and rain poured down in torrents, washing the ground into a muddy mess and leaving nowhere firm to set foot.

Seven or eight people were tied together at the waist with ropes to keep anyone from slipping and sliding down the mountain, lost to the depths below.

The rain roared all around them. Even if someone fell and cried out, the others might not hear a thing.

They wore straw rain capes, leaned on hiking staffs, and carried baskets on their backs. They placed each step with the utmost care, afraid of stepping into a deep hole.

The icy raindrops left them bedraggled. When they looked up, the dense curtain of rain blocked their view, leaving them no choice but to follow the old hunter at the front.

"Watch your step! The mountain path gets slippery in the rain!"

"Even if you're tired, don't stop. Keep pushing—we're almost there. If you stop now, you'll never find the strength to get moving again!"

"I-I can't go on... Help! I've fallen!"

Someone's foot slipped. With nothing to brace against, he slid toward the cliff at the edge of the path.

The merchants felt a tug at the end of the rope and realized someone had fallen behind. They stopped at once and scrambled to pull him up.

"A-Yue, hold tight to the rope! We'll pull together!"

"I've got no strength left." A-Yue dangled beside the cliff, kept from falling by the thick hemp rope tied around his waist.

He was exhausted and starving, unable to summon the slightest strength. Even climbing back up the rope would be difficult.

The old hunter was experienced. He calmly directed the others while pulling on the rope himself.

"Some of you, grab hold of that big tree! Don't let the seven of us slide down too!"

"The rest of you, wrap the rope around your wrists. I'll count to three, then we all pull together!"

"One, two, three—pull!"

"One, two, three—pull!"

After a tremendous effort, they finally hauled A-Yue back up. The others were so exhausted that they could barely stand.

The old hunter did not let up. He anxiously checked A-Yue over. "A-Yue, how did you slip? Did you feel someone push you?"

A-Yue shook his head in confusion, not understanding why the old hunter would ask. Of course he had slipped on his own. It wasn't as if someone would try to harm him.

"Old Sun, what are you getting at?" Qi Wu asked. He was the leader of the merchant caravan, and the old hunter's question had made him sense that something was wrong.

Old Sun shook his head and pointed toward the ruined temple ahead. "Let's keep moving. I'll explain once we reach the Mountain God Temple."

The rain was coming down in sheets. This was no place to talk. Qi Wu nodded, offered a few words of encouragement, and urged everyone to hurry to the Mountain God Temple for shelter.

When they reached the temple, the group paid no heed to appearances. They took off their rain capes, dropped onto the ground, and gasped for breath before quickly checking whether the goods in their baskets had been soaked. If they had been ruined, the trip would have been for nothing, and they would have lost everything they had invested.

"Thank goodness! We wrapped everything in waterproof cloth beforehand. Brother Qi really knows his stuff."

The Mountain God Temple was nothing special, but it was spacious. Three old, dust-covered statues of mountain gods sat in the middle. Dirt and droppings littered the area around them. The plaques bearing the gods' names were nowhere to be seen, and wild beasts must have eaten the offerings long ago. Both doors were missing, the windows were broken, and icy drafts whistled inside.

The group didn't mind. To them, anywhere that kept out the rain was a good place.

Qi Wu took some goods out of his basket and offered them to the three mountain gods, thanking them for letting the group take shelter in their temple.

The three mountain gods were carved from clay. The workmanship wasn't particularly fine, but the differences between them were still clear. The one in the middle held a gentleman's sword and wore a look of righteous resolve. On either side sat a civil and a martial god: one wore Confucian robes and held a book, occupying the civil position; the other radiated pure yang energy and occupied the martial position. Their ranks were distinct, their order impeccable.

"May the mountain gods bless our journey and keep us safe."

Qi Wu couldn't shake the feeling that the three mountain gods were full of life, almost as if they were alive.