A Baffling Decision

A weary night passed, only to give way to an even wearier morning.

No one dared rest among the mountains. Once daylight came, the sheer cliffs were plain to see, which only made them more frightening. Walking between them sent even the faintest trace of sleepiness flying beyond the ninth heaven.

Fortunately, even this exhausting journey had to end eventually.

At around two in the afternoon, the caravan finally returned to the usual route across Ghost Gate Mountain—the plank road.

The plank road was hardly easy to travel, but compared with the towering mountains and treacherous terrain they had just crossed, it might as well have been a broad, sunlit highway!

After about an hour, a caravan steward sent someone to summon Zhao Lin, the strongest martial artist in Pan Long's group. There was something important to discuss.

"Uncle Zhao, how did that battle turn out?" Han Feng asked curiously as soon as Zhao Lin returned.

Zhao Lin's face was grim. "The King of Nine Mountains is an extraordinary fighter. Even with four Innate Realm experts from the Nanping Trade Association attacking him together, they only barely drove him back. All four were wounded, and one was hurt so badly he can no longer fight. Their caravan suffered even worse losses. More than three hundred people died, and they lost nearly forty percent of their goods."

"They're resting at the foot of the mountain now. I expect they'll stay there a while. Once they're past Ghost Gate Mountain, there won't be any serious obstacles ahead, so they won't have much to worry about."

Han Feng exclaimed in amazement, but Pan Long frowned. "Are they so sure the King of Nine Mountains won't come back?"

The King of Nine Mountains was the Northwest's most formidable bandit—at least, he had been until this autumn. After this autumn, it was hard to say. Jin Biao, the Left-Hand Sword, had fought the Six Fairies of Purple Cloud Palace alone and killed five of them, shocking all of Yong Province. For all the King of Nine Mountains' fearsome reputation, he still fell a little short of Jin Biao.

They need look no further than the battle just now. Four Innate Realm experts from the Nanping Trade Association had been enough to drive the King of Nine Mountains back. Against the Left-Hand Sword, the association would have lost long ago.

He Ping'an, the King of Nine Mountains, was immensely skilled and fairly just in his dealings, giving him great standing in the Greenwood. Across Yong Province, there was no telling how many strongholds were willing to fly his banner and honor him as their chief.

The title "King of Nine Mountains" did not mean he commanded only nine mountains. The "nine" suggested that he commanded more strongholds than one could count—the number nine represented the utmost.

It was like saying a waterfall plunged "three thousand feet straight down." That did not mean the waterfall was really three thousand feet long. Nor did "Mount Tiantai rises forty-eight thousand fathoms" mean it stood as tall as two Mount Everests, or "ten thousand miles of marching, and still no one returns" mean the Central Plains were actually ten thousand miles from Gansu.

To ordinary people, the King of Nine Mountains was not especially dangerous. After all, he had no reputation for slaughtering people without cause until blood ran in rivers and corpses lay everywhere. But to the Nanping Trade Association, which had already crossed swords with him, the odds of his wheeling back for another attack were high.

What would the Nanping Trade Association do if he returned?

Approval entered Zhao Lin's eyes as he looked at Pan Long. "That's why the Nanping Trade Association's steward approached the Chang'an Commerce Guild. He wants the two caravans to travel together as far as Lantian City, then split up—one heading east, the other south."

"Once they reach Lantian City, they can recruit experts willing to help. They might even use their connections to enlist the court's Attendants. Then they won't need to fear the King of Nine Mountains."

"We can't do that! We'd be drawing the fire onto ourselves!" Han Feng cried.

The King of Nine Mountains was the sort of fearsome bandit everyone went out of their way to avoid. How could they walk up to him and make him their enemy?

The Northerners might be brave, but even they could not ram their necks against someone else's blade!

"What did our caravan steward say?" Pan Long asked quickly.

Zhao Lin sighed. "The Nanping Trade Association is prominent in Yun Province. It has dealt with the Chang'an Commerce Guild for years, so they're business partners. Our steward is only one of several stewards in the Chang'an Commerce Guild. When they brought up the friendship between the two organizations, he found it hard to refuse."

Han Feng immediately flared up. "What does he mean, 'hard to refuse'? He's wagering all our lives on the King of Nine Mountains not attacking again! We have no ties to those people. Why should we risk our lives for them?"

He turned to Pan Long. "Brother Long, let's leave on our own once we're down the mountain. Stick with people who prize money over their lives, and we could die a dozen times over!"

Pan Long smiled. "Weren't you hoping some mounted bandits would turn up so you could have a proper fight?"

"That's different! If mounted bandits come, we draw our blades and fight, and fate decides who lives. But if the King of Nine Mountains comes, we won't even get a chance to fight back. He'll kill us in one blow!"

"Not quite," Pan Ying said mildly. "He'd kill Zhao and me in one blow. Perhaps Ah Long too. As for you... the shockwaves from his blows would leave people like you strewn across the ground."

Feeling belittled, Han Feng snorted. "Are you leaving or not?"

Zhao Lin and Pan Ying did not answer. They both looked at Pan Long.

There were four of them in the group. Pan Long surpassed neither of his elders in age nor in martial skill, but unless he chose badly, both men preferred to follow his lead.

As the Pan Lineage's heir, Pan Long was highly valued by his elders. Whenever they had the chance, they wanted him to gain experience and grow into a pillar of the Pan Lineage like his father, Pan Lei.

Pan Long exchanged glances with his three companions and quickly made up his mind.

"Of course we're leaving." He drew a deep breath and spoke quietly but firmly. "We have some ties to the Chang'an Commerce Guild, but not enough to risk our lives for them. And... there's no need to wait. Let's go now. We can get ahead of the caravan and find somewhere to rest before our eyelids start fighting to stay open."

The other three nodded. They swiftly packed their things, then used their movement skills to head toward the front of the caravan.

They had gone only a short distance when they spotted others heading the same way. Pan Long guessed those people had much the same idea.

A prudent man did not stand beneath a crumbling wall. If the Chang'an Commerce Guild had lost its mind and wanted to clash head-on with the King of Nine Mountains, that did not mean anyone else did!

Could a handful of ordinary Innate Realm experts deal with someone like the King of Nine Mountains? What a joke!

He thought of his father. Going all out, Pan Lei could chase six Innate Realm experts by himself, hacking at them as they fled. If his movement skills had been better, he might have killed all six of Purple Cloud Palace's top Northerner experts on his own.

The King of Nine Mountains was probably no weaker than his father. He might be stronger.

Of the Nanping Trade Association's four Innate Realm experts, one was badly wounded and three were lightly wounded. The Chang'an Commerce Guild had only two Innate Realm experts of its own.

By that reckoning, all they had done was turn a four-against-one fight into five against one.

A chance of victory? Pan Long did not believe they had one.

They were all ordinary mortals. What he could work out, others could too. And they could make the same decision he had.

Before long, they reached the caravan steward, who stood on a small patch of open ground at a bend in the mountain road.

Even before they got close, they heard an argument. Several people had gathered around the steward and were disputing something with him.

What was there to argue about?

Pan Long was puzzled.

To him, it was simple: say they were leaving, then go. That was all.

What part of that called for an argument?

None, as far as he could see...

When they drew near, however, they discovered that the dispute was rather strange.

Those people were not arguing, "I want to leave." They were asking, "Why are you going to help?"

Han Feng looked at Pan Long, his eyes plainly asking, What's wrong with these people?

Pan Long: I don't think anything's wrong with them. They must know something we don't.

Han Feng: Now I'm curious! What is it?

Pan Long: How would I know... But I doubt it's anything good.

Han Feng: That's no fun! Forget it...

The two traded glances, carrying on a lively conversation with their eyes. Just then, another group arrived.

The moment they spoke, they said, "If you want to take the risk, be our guests. We won't join you. Farewell."

Simple, clear, and to the point.

The caravan steward did not try to stop them. Instead, one of the people arguing with him spoke up.

"Brother Huang." He seemed quite familiar with someone in the newly arrived group. "Aren't you curious?"

A middle-aged man with a goatee nodded. "I am a little curious, but I can't gamble my life just to satisfy that curiosity. There are plenty of strange things in this world. Keep your curiosity in check, and you might live to a ripe old age!"

He sounded sincere. The two apparently were on good terms.

The first man shook his head. "You're mistaken, Brother Huang. What do we seek when we wander the martial world? Fame and fortune, of course! What else could make the Chang'an Commerce Guild throw caution to the wind and oppose the King of Nine Mountains?"

The goateed man's expression changed, and a trace of eagerness appeared in his eyes. "You know what's going on?"

"A little, but I can't be certain yet," the man said with a smile. "That's why we came to find out."

Han Feng: I'm confused! What are they talking about?

Pan Long: What they stand to gain.

Han Feng: Idiots! What good are rewards to the dead?

Pan Long: How should I know...

Just then, a deep voice rang out. "If you truly want to know, I don't mind telling you. But once you know, you must join us. We'll be in the same boat. Otherwise, be on your way."

As he spoke, a tall figure rounded the bend in the mountain road. It was Luo Yong, the Heavenly Dipper Saber, one of the caravan's two Innate Realm experts.

His gaze flashed like lightning as it swept over everyone present. The seasoned veterans lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. Han Feng and a few other novices were too slow. The instant they met his gaze, it felt as though lightning had slammed into their foreheads. Their bodies went numb, and they stood rooted to the spot.

Several muffled groans sounded at once.

Zhao Lin flew into a rage. He stamped his foot, sending dust billowing up to screen the people around him from Luo Yong's gaze. "How imposing you are, Heavenly Dipper Saber! So this is what you use your Soul Mystery cultivation for—bullying children!"

Only then did Pan Long realize that Luo Yong had cultivated the Soul Mystery, the rarest of the Four Innate Mysteries.

Martial artists trained their bodies; practitioners of the arts trained their souls. The Soul Mystery was an unusual development that occurred when a martial artist's cultivation reached great heights. Their soul changed, allowing them to produce magical power and fight enemies without physical bodies, such as ghosts and wandering spirits.

That ability was exceedingly rare among martial artists, far rarer than the other three mysteries. It was also widely regarded as the greatest hurdle on the path from the Innate Realm to becoming a True Person. Luo Yong had already overcome it. His cultivation had likely reached the very peak of the Innate Realm!

With an expert like him, the Chang'an Commerce Guild might indeed be able to beat the King of Nine Mountains. No wonder the caravan steward was confident enough to try snatching chestnuts from the fire!

(End of chapter)