Ghost Carriage Outside the South Gate

Blackstone Crossing had no ferry landing.

At least, from the official road, it looked like nothing but wasteland. A few black stones lay buried in the grass, polished bright by wind and rain. Farther off ran a shallow river, no deeper than a child could wade with trouser legs rolled up.

But at night, everything changed.

As midnight drew near, mist rose over the river. From within it came the creak of wheels—creak, creak—as though someone were dragging an old coffin across the water.

Tang San stood by the riverbank. Blue Silver Grass spread close to the ground and vanished into the mist, soon carrying back the feel of dampness, blood, and an indescribable stench of rot.

"Someone's there," he said quietly.

Xiao Wu's gaze darkened.

Before long, a black wooden carriage emerged from the mist. Iron plates were nailed to its body, yet its wheels were dry, as though they floated an inch above the river. The driver was a hunchbacked man in a broad-brimmed hat, with three bronze bells hanging from its brim.

Jingle.

At the sound, the Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand trembled again.

The hunchbacked man stopped the carriage. "Blood."

Bai Jin tossed him the bloodstained piece of Blue Silver Grass.

The man caught it and held it beneath his nose for a sniff, then looked at Tang San. His gaze was cold and sinister—not like a man looking at another man, but a merchant inspecting merchandise.

Tang San met his gaze.

He knew what that look meant.

The Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline was no ordinary bait. To the Ghost Face Society, it might be a key to some door. But that was all the more reason he could not back down. If he did, the trail would go cold, the children would be lost, and the people behind it all would keep reaching out from the gutters.

Xiao Wu stepped forward.

Tang San held out an arm to stop her.

A soft sob suddenly came from inside the carriage.

Now even Dai Mubai's expression turned cold, not just Xiao Wu's.

The hunchbacked man acted as though he had heard nothing and held out a hand for the Token. "Entry pass."

Bai Jin smiled. "Open the Gate first. Let's have a look."

"You don't make the rules."

"What a coincidence." Bai Jin pushed his eyepatch up a little. His Azure Blue eye shone with startling brightness in the mist. "Changing the rules is my favorite thing."

The hunchbacked man's face changed, and he snapped the reins.

Black light burst beneath the carriage, sending it retreating into the mist. At the same time, six short crossbows sprang from its sides. Their bolts gleamed blue-black, aimed straight at Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Tang San was ready.

Blue Silver Grass coiled up from beneath the wheels, fastening around the axles layer by layer. Dai Mubai activated Martial Soul Possession and charged through the bolts behind his White Tiger Protection Barrier. Iron arrows struck it with a string of clangs. Zhu Zhuqing slipped along the carriage's shadow and slashed through the lock with one claw.

The carriage Gate was pulled open.

Seven or eight children were crammed inside, along with two unconscious Rogue Soul Masters. In the corner, a skinny little girl was bound tighter than all the rest. Cloth had been stuffed into her mouth, and her tears had washed two tracks down her face.

Xiao Wu's expression changed in an instant.

She flashed into the carriage like a pink afterimage, kicked away a black-clad Soul Master who lunged at her, and scooped up the girl. The carriage was cramped; her waist nearly brushed the crossbow mechanism. In the next instant, another Soul Master leaned down from the roof and thrust a dagger straight at the back of her neck.

"Xiao Wu!"

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass made it halfway to her before the Soul Power pattern inside the carriage repelled it.

Xiao Wu did not look back.

Holding the child, she swept her right leg behind her and struck the man's wrist squarely with her heel. The dagger flew up. She used the momentum to spin and hurled the Soul Master from the roof into the river with a Waist Bow.

Splash!

Water erupted.

At that same moment, Xiao Wu's Soul Power suddenly surged. Pink light bloomed from her shoulders like a flower opening on a rainy night. She stood in the carriage doorway, shielding the child in her arms, her eyes bright and fierce.

Level thirty-three.

Tang San froze for an instant, then smiled. "Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu turned. She looked first at the child in her arms, then at Tang San, but her voice still burned with anger. "We can talk when we get back. Save them first!"

When she handed the girl to Ning Rongrong, her fingers were still shaking.

Not from fear.

That instant had been too close. The dagger had come within half an inch of her neck, and the child in her arms was as light as a sheet of paper. Xiao Wu did not fear being hurt herself. She feared being a moment too slow. She feared this child might end up like the others locked in the carriage, treated as a bargaining chip, merchandise, or even something expendable along the way.

Ning Rongrong saw that something was wrong but did not ask. She merely cast the light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda over the girl. "Don't be afraid. We'll take you back."

The girl nodded, her eyes brimming with tears.

Tang San pulled a blood-red strip of cloth from beneath the carriage. A few withered Blue Silver Grass leaves were tangled in it. He felt the veins of the leaves and frowned.

The leaves shared the same origin as his Martial Soul, but some kind of killing intent had soaked the life out of them. The Ghost Face Society did not want his blood on a whim. They really did seem to be studying Blue Silver Grass—or rather, what Blue Silver Emperor Blood could open.

Tang San put the strip of cloth into his Soul Tool.

He did not rush to ask questions.

This was not the time.

Bai Jin stood by the river and raised a hand, holding the entire carriage in place.

The Ghost Carriage, on the verge of escaping into the mist, stopped in midair. Its wheels kept turning, but it could not retreat another half inch. The hunchbacked man poured Soul Power into it until his face turned crimson. In the end, even the bronze bells cracked from the strain.

Bai Jin walked over and lifted him off the driver's bench.

"Don't leave so soon," he said with a smile. "You haven't paid the fare."

The hunchbacked man tried to bite through the Poison Sac hidden in his teeth, but Tang San's Blue Silver Grass slipped into his mouth first and held his jaw open. Oscar immediately passed Dai Mubai a Recovery Sausage. Dai Mubai took it and stuffed it into his mouth without a word.

Ma Hongjun burned through the patterns outside the carriage, yet for once he did not set the whole thing alight. He guided a thin line of fire along the seams in the wood. Like a slender knife, the flame burned through the iron fastenings, then withdrew.

Bai Jin glanced at him. "You didn't roast the carriage and everyone in it this time. That's real progress."

Ma Hongjun was just about to look pleased when Bai Jin added, "Still a little way from earning your supper."

"You've got to be kidding!"

Lu Heng's people took charge of the children in the carriage. The skinny little girl huddled in Xiao Wu's arms and asked hoarsely, "My brother... did he steal something?"

Xiao Wu paused.

Tang San crouched down and softened his voice as much as he could. "He's all right. Someone tricked him while he was trying to save you."

Tears spilled from the girl's eyes.

Bai Jin threw the hunchbacked man to the ground. "South Mountain Mine?"

The man's face went deathly pale.

Bai Jin raised an eyebrow. "One of your people said that when someone's afraid, their eyes are more honest than their mouth."

The hunchbacked man finally broke. "Yes, yes, South Mountain Mine! Blackstone Crossing is only a transfer point. Everyone else is sent beneath the mine!"

"What's down there?"

"A Fight Arena... and a stele inscription."

Tang San's gaze sharpened.

A stele inscription.

The trail leading to the Slaughter Stele Rubbing had finally picked up again.

Bai Jin looked into the depths of the mist.

The river mist still churned, as though something beneath the water had opened its mouth.

He reached out and patted Xiao Wu on the head. She ducked on instinct but failed to avoid his hand.

"Congratulations. Level thirty-three," Bai Jin said.

Xiao Wu snorted. "I was almost there anyway."

"Mm." Bai Jin smiled. "So we'll add to the beatings when we get back."

Xiao Wu: "..."

Tang San could not help lowering his head with a laugh.

From the direction of South Mountain Mine, the faint scrape of chains dragging across the ground came through the mist.

The night was not over yet.