After meditating through the night, Lu Yan got up early the next morning and took his toiletries outside into the courtyard.
Looking up, he saw that the sun had just risen in the east. Simu and Jiale sat cross-legged facing it, doing their morning exercises.
Lu Yan didn't disturb them. After washing up, he stood outside the courtyard and quietly watched the sun climb into the sky.
"Finished. That's enough for today."
Once the sun had fully risen, Simu opened his eyes and stood up.
"Good morning, Fellow Daoist Lu."
Simu spotted Lu Yan standing nearby and walked over to greet him.
Lu Yan nodded and was just about to reply when he saw three men and a woman approaching in the distance.
The man in the lead wore a blue-green robe and had a dignified bearing, though dust smeared across his face left him looking rather disheveled.
Two men followed behind him. One looked ordinary but seemed shrewd and capable, while the other was a giant, towering like a mountain.
The last was a woman in red with two braided pigtails and several throwing knives at her waist. She looked bold and spirited.
These four were Chen Yulou and his companions, who had traveled hard through the night.
"Daoist, look."
Lu Yan gestured toward Chen Yulou and the others.
As a cultivator, Simu had sharp eyes and ears. Seeing them in the distance, his expression changed, and he sighed. "It's him. I knew there was no way a box of gold bars would come so easily."
Seeing Simu's expression, Lu Yan grew curious. "Daoist Simu, who are they?"
Simu's face fell as he replied, "They're from Xieling. The one in front is their chief. They're a band of tomb raiders."
Lu Yan nodded and asked no more, but he was pleased. He hadn't expected it to be him.
The Xieling faction had over a hundred thousand followers and was one of the largest powers in Western Hunan. If he could accomplish his goal with their help, it would save him a great deal of trouble.
While Lu Yan's thoughts raced, Chen Yulou and the others had already reached them.
"Daoist Simu, it's been a long time. You left in such a hurry last time that I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life."
Chen Yulou had traveled for most of the night, and exhaustion showed in his eyes. But now that the Daoist he had been looking for was right before him, his spirits lifted. He clasped his hands and bowed.
"I assume you wouldn't have come unless you needed something. Chief Chen, what brings you here?"
Simu's expression was stern, and he spoke with the detached air of a Daoist master.
"Daoist, you may not know this, but warlords are fighting across the country. The north is stricken by drought and the south by floods. Many provinces have suffered total crop failures, and hundreds of thousands of people are starving."
"Xieling arose in the time of the Red Eyebrows. Though we've mostly made our living robbing tombs, we understand the people's suffering. How could we stand by and do nothing?"
"I, Chen Yulou, may not be much, but I've opened my granaries and distributed food to the refugees."
"But the refugees keep pouring in from every region. I've kept it up for months, but I simply can't continue."
Chen Yulou was exceptionally quick-witted and had always been a persuasive speaker. He had prepared his arguments well before coming, and now he delivered them with eloquence.
"Hmm."
Simu nodded, his expression softening.
Reading Simu's face, Chen Yulou was delighted and continued, "I've heard that Bottle Mountain holds many great tombs from the Yuan dynasty. The Yuan rulers were brutal, enslaving our Han people. Now our people are suffering. Why not take the gold and silver from their tombs and use it to help the people?"
"But Yuan tombs are usually buried deep and concealed, with no markers above ground. Bottle Mountain is also steeped in sinister legends. Going there unprepared could lead to disaster. I've come especially to ask for your help, Daoist, so we can retrieve the treasures and aid refugees in the four regions."
"This..."
Simu hesitated, unable to make up his mind.
Normally, if Chen Yulou had asked him to rob a tomb, Simu would have been furious and driven him away.
But with hundreds of thousands of refugees suffering across the country, and with Chen Yulou's efforts to help them already known to him, Simu couldn't decide whether he ought to make the journey.
Seeing Simu's expression, Chen Yulou was overjoyed. He was just about to press his case and persuade him when Lu Yan suddenly interrupted.
"Daoist Simu, why don't I go in your place?"
Lu Yan had watched the exchange for a while. Seeing that the moment was right, he spoke up.
"Robbing tombs damages one's virtue. Why get involved in this, Fellow Daoist Lu?"
Simu frowned at Lu Yan and tried to dissuade him.
"When I was abroad, I often saw foreigners act arrogantly while our countrymen suffered. I returned home intending to serve my country and rescue its people from suffering. Naturally, I can't refuse a chance to help the refugees."
Lu Yan spoke with solemn conviction.
Chen Yulou, who had been listening beside them, was thoroughly confused. He turned to Simu and asked, "Daoist Simu, who is this gentleman?"
Seeing Lu Yan's resolve, Simu sighed and introduced him to Chen Yulou.
"This is Lu Yan. He just returned from studying overseas. He's learned and highly skilled in cultivation."
Chen Yulou studied Lu Yan carefully, looking somewhat surprised. He clasped his hands and said, "I'm Chen Yulou, chief of Xieling. A pleasure to meet you, Brother Lu."
Lu Yan returned the greeting with a smile. "Do you think I'm too young to have any real ability, Brother Chen?"
"Of course not. You have an extraordinary bearing, Brother Lu. You're surely no ordinary man."
Chen Yulou was an experienced man, and he knew how to put others at ease. Even if that was what he thought, he would never say it outright.
Lu Yan smiled and made no attempt to prove himself. Actions spoke louder than words. Chen Yulou would soon see what he could do.
Now that guests had arrived, Simu couldn't leave them standing outside. He led everyone into the sitting room.
After a long conversation, Lu Yan and Chen Yulou's group grew much more familiar with one another.
Lu Yan realized that Chen Yulou was indeed knowledgeable and well-read. After talking with him, the rather one-dimensional figure from the films in Lu Yan's memories seemed to come alive.
Chen Yulou was also impressed by Lu Yan's knowledge and eloquence. Lu Yan's analysis of the situation at home and abroad in particular broadened Chen Yulou's horizons and captivated him.
Nearby, Hua Maguai went over to Red Maiden and quietly asked, "Red Maiden, do you think that kid has any real skill?"
Red Maiden glanced at Lu Yan and shook her head. "He's certainly knowledgeable, but he's so young. Even if he has some ability, it probably isn't much."
As everyone was talking, Jiale ran in from outside and called, "Master, Uncle Qianhe is here."
Simu stood up from his chair and headed outside. Hearing the commotion, Lu Yan and Chen Yulou's group wanted to see what was happening, too, so they followed him.
"Senior Brother, it's been a long time."
Qianhe wore a brand-new Daoist robe. He had a square face and a long mustache, and he bowed to Simu as he came out.
"Junior Brother, could it be that this is..."
Simu glanced at the crowd behind him and the Golden Coffin wrapped in a net of inked lines. He narrowed his eyes as he asked.
"That's right. Inside is a member of the Border Imperial Clan who has turned into a zombie."
"I've been ordered to escort it to the capital, so I've come to borrow some glutinous rice from you, just in case."
Qianhe was usually a stern man. Escorting the Golden Coffin to the capital weighed heavily on him, and he had come to borrow the rice as a precaution in case anything went wrong.
"Jiale, go get your uncle some glutinous rice."
Simu nodded and said no more. His junior brother wasn't especially talented, but after joining the remnants of the Manchu nobility, he had gained access to abundant resources. His cultivation hadn't fallen far behind Simu's, and he had already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, so there was no need to worry.
Before you continue