Outside Yumen Pass.
This was a vital gateway from the Central Plains to the Western Regions.
Around Yumen Pass lay numerous lakes, dense marshes, and thick stands of reeds.
It was like an island in a lake, with waterways to the east, south, and north, and only a single overland route to the west leading into the Gobi Desert.
In the barren wilderness of the Gobi, whoever held the water sources also held the military initiative.
Thus, this had always been an ideal place to build a fortified pass, a strategic prize armies were bound to fight over.
The wind sprang up, blowing harder and harder.
Yang Kai wore white, with a blue-green sword strapped to his back.
A pale sash encircled his waist as he approached against the wind.
His features were strikingly handsome, with a faint hint of aggression.
He was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, so dazzling that others dared not look straight at him.
That was the kind of man Yang Kai was, his keen edge laid bare.
Just then, a carriage appeared in his field of vision.
An honest-looking man ran out and spoke urgently.
"Brother! Brother!
My wife is dying, and this horse can't run any farther. Sorry for the trouble, but could you lend me your horse?"
When Yang Kai gave no reply, the man hurriedly took out some money.
"I won't borrow it for nothing! I'll pay! I'll never forget your great kindness as long as I live."
Faced with the man's desperate pleading,
Yang Kai merely gave him a disdainful look. He relished this feeling of holding everyone beneath his notice.
Ever since he had entered an immortal sect at eight to seek longevity and cultivate the Dao, mortals had been no more than pigs and dogs to him.
"Brother..."
The man tried to say more.
"Scram!"
Yang Kai coldly spat out a single word.
The man froze on the spot, feeling as though even his heartbeat had stopped at that instant.
An overwhelming pressure swept outward, and a moment later, the man was hurled backward.
His vision went black, his fate unknown.
By the time he woke again, a hazy drizzle had begun to fall.
Listening to the rain outside, the man suddenly came to his senses.
He abruptly sat up and saw a stranger inside the carriage, taking his wife's pulse.
"Husband, you're awake!" his wife said.
The man was about to speak when a sudden heat rose in his chest.
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"The stagnant blood has dispersed, but you'll still need some time to recover," the stranger said slowly.
The man noticed the strip of black cloth wrapped over the stranger's eyes... A blind man?
Li Ping'an took a pen from his sleeve, followed by a palm-sized booklet.
"Sichuan lovage, frankincense, eucommia bark, mulberry mistletoe, Paris rhizome, and yellow monkshood."
He wrote as he spoke, then tore off the page and handed it to the man.
"This is your prescription. Boil the herbs in water and drink the decoction twice a day. Remember, don't do any heavy work for the next few days."
With that, he lowered his head again and wrote on the paper, stroke by stroke.
Though he was blind, his handwriting was exceptionally beautiful.
His writing carried a sense of freshness and serenity.
Unlike some people's writing, which seemed to buzz and drone.
Hurried and unsteady-and an unsteady hand betrayed an unsettled heart.
"Your wife's life is out of danger for now, but she needs quiet rest just as you do. Have her take this prescription for three months."
The man accepted the prescription and finally grasped what had happened.
"Thank you for saving our lives, benefactor!"
As he spoke, he moved to kneel before Li Ping'an.
But Li Ping'an stepped forward first and held him up. "No need for such courtesy. It was only a small effort."
"My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Shang. May I ask your name and where you live, benefactor? That way, I can repay you someday."
"Why repay such a small effort?"
Zhao Shang added, "Benefactor, are you heading into the city too? Why don't we go together?
Our family may not be wealthy, but we do have a fairly sizable business.
At least let us treat you to a meal."
"Yes, please do."
Zhao Shang's wife chimed in beside him.
Earlier, her breathing had been feeble, her body alternating between hot and cold, as though she had been only half a step from death's gate.
Who could have imagined that this man would drag her back from it?
"No, I still have something to do."
Zhao Shang quickly said, "Whatever it is, benefactor, please tell me. I'll do everything in my power to help."
Li Ping'an smiled. "I won't trouble you. I only came... to demand an explanation on a young man's behalf."
Outside the carriage, the drizzle fell without end, blurring everything in the rain into a hazy smear.
Li Ping'an put his rain hat back on, rose, and stepped out of the carriage.
"Until we meet again."
As he rose, the man clearly heard the crisp clang of metal striking metal.
It sounded like blades clashing.
Only then did they discover that Li Ping'an's mount was actually an ox.
The man and the ox soon vanished into the hazy drizzle.
"Senior Brother!"
Yang Kai had only just caught sight of Yumen Pass's outline when he saw four figures waiting for him up ahead.
Three men and one woman.
All were fellow disciples of his sect.
"Senior Brother, how were your travels this time?"
The girl was named Ying'er. Though young, she was mischievous, quick-witted, and utterly endearing.
Yang Kai was a man of stark contradictions.
On the one hand, he despised ordinary mortals, regarding them as pigs and dogs.
On several of his journeys down the mountain, he had caused innocent people's deaths.
His master often scolded him for this.
Once, he had even gone so far that the sect leader nearly expelled him.
But Yang Kai had considerable talent for cultivation, and his master could not bear to let such a gifted disciple go to waste.
His master had fought hard to keep him, and only afterward had Yang Kai reined in his conduct somewhat.
On this journey, Yang Kai had worked for the Great Sui army.
He had received a handsome payment.
In secret, however, he had also been in contact with the Turkic Lands and received another generous payment.
Though he was from Great Sui, to him this was merely a fight between pigs and dogs. Whoever won or lost, he could always sit safely on the fishing terrace and reap the rewards.
On the other hand, Yang Kai took excellent care of his fellow disciples.
Whether they were senior brothers and sisters of the inner sect or junior brothers and sisters of the outer sect,
They all thought highly of Yang Kai, and he was extremely well liked within the sect.
"Senior Brother, I missed you so much."
Yang Kai smiled and patted his little junior sister's head. "Look what I brought back for you."
He turned his hand over as he spoke, and an exquisitely packaged box of pastries appeared in his palm.
Peach blossom crisps.
Ying'er's eyes lit up. "You're the best, Senior Brother!"
Yang Kai then cupped his hands toward an older man. "Sorry for the trouble of coming here to welcome me, Senior Brother Han."
Senior Brother Han waved a hand. "We're brothers of the same sect. There's no need for that."
Yang Kai then greeted his other two junior brothers, observing every courtesy.
He seemed an entirely different person from before.
The group chatted and laughed, discussing which restaurant to visit once they reached the city.
Yet amid the fine rain and gentle wind, a figure approached them.
He walked very slowly, but the moment he appeared,
He was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, carrying an innate aura of killing intent.
Yang Kai and the others all turned, watching the man warily.
He wore blue-green robes, his left sleeve hanging empty, and held a bamboo pole in his right hand.
A strip of black cloth covered his eyes.
A black ox followed behind him. It was a strange sight indeed.
He stopped a short distance away and stood there.
Sensing that the stranger's aura was no ordinary mortal's, Yang Kai asked, "What business do you have here?"
"I've come to demand an explanation from Young Master Yang."
The stranger had named his surname the moment he spoke, and Yang Kai could not help frowning.
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