Wen Wenhai was exhausted. The riding crop in his hand mechanically lashed the horse's rump, urging it to run faster. Beside him, Xue Qing had once again veiled her face, hiding her expression from view, and she too spurred her mount onward.
Wen Wenhai occasionally glanced back at Xue Qing and encouraged her, "Junior Sister, hold on a little longer. We'll soon reach our sphere of influence, and then we can rest."
Xue Qing replied, "I know, Senior Brother. Let's hurry on."
After the two descended Stone Man Peak, they had not paid much attention at first. The mission was complete; they only needed to bring the items back to the sect. They had even remained immersed in the joy of obtaining the medicinal herbs. But once they mounted their horses and saw that these were among the finest steeds in the sect, they understood why their master had given them such magnificent horses. Wen Wenhai also recalled his master's inconspicuous instruction: "Return as quickly as possible." At the same time, they realized the danger of their situation. Never mind whether the other three factions harbored other intentions—even an ordinary martial sect, if it caught the slightest rumor or discovered what they carried, would covet those priceless treasures in the eyes of the martial world. A common man was innocent, but carrying a jade made him guilty; their lives would be hard to preserve. Their hearts clenched. Exchanging a glance, they leaped onto their horses and, without lingering another moment, cracked their whips and galloped away.
The two rode day and night without sleep or rest. Fortunately, they were martial artists with bodies tempered through training. Ordinary people would have long since been shaken to pieces.
Near noon that day, as they traveled, they spotted a tea stall by the roadside in the distance. Such stalls were usually simple tents or thatched shelters built beside the main road, open on all sides to the wind, offering plain tea, wine, and food for passing travelers to rest.
As they neared the tea stall, Xue Qing could not help saying to Wen Wenhai, "Senior Brother, how about we rest for a while? In the time it takes to eat a meal, we'll enter the territory of our Misty Sect. It should be safe here, shouldn't it?"
Wen Wenhai was tempted as well. He slowed down and gradually approached the tea stall.
But after giving it some thought, Wen Wenhai smiled and said to Xue Qing, "Junior Sister, it's only the time it takes to eat a meal. We'll be there soon. We've traveled so far already; there's no need to care about this little stretch of road. Let's press on for a bit longer. We can rest once we reach our own territory, all right?"
Xue Qing said, "All right, Senior Brother. We won't do something that lets all our previous efforts go down the drain. Let's go."
With that, the two rallied their spirits and accelerated again, streaking past the tea stall like a wisp of smoke, utterly ignoring the sweat covering their horses and their already trembling legs.
There were not many people in the tea stall at the time. At a small table near the road sat two men in fitted martial attire. One had a pale face, five strands of long beard fluttering in the breeze, and held a sword in his hand. The other was dark-skinned, broad and sturdy, with large hands and feet, and carried no weapon. The two leisurely sipped tea from crude bowls on the table. When Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing's horses slowed slightly before the tea stall, then sped up again, both men saw it clearly.
After Wen Wenhai's horse passed, the sword-bearing man looked at the dust rising from the road, then glanced at the dark-skinned man across from him. Smiling, he said, "Sixth Brother, stop drinking. Let's get going too. I didn't expect A Hai to be so cautious that he wouldn't even enter this tea stall. Third Brother truly took in a good disciple."
Sixth Brother said, "Yes, Fourth Brother. Of all our disciples, none are as cautious and careful as A Hai. It's a pity his natural talent is limited, and it will be difficult for his martial arts to advance another inch. Otherwise, his potential would have been immeasurable. Ah, but it's a shame about those two fine horses."
With that, the two tossed down the tea money, brought over their horses, mounted up, and gave chase.
However, they did not know that an ordinary-looking passerby behind them had a sharp gleam flash through his eyes. He muttered inwardly, What happened that two of the Misty Six Tigers were sent to receive them?
After the two led away their horses, he too promptly paid his bill and quietly followed after them.
Wen Wenhai continued onward, galloping for another meal's worth of time. He saw more people and more roadside stalls along the main road, while Pingyang City appeared faintly in the distance. Suddenly, the horse beneath him let out a mournful neigh. Its four legs went limp, and it collapsed toward the ground. Feeling his body sink, Wen Wenhai immediately slapped the horse's back and used the force to leap from the saddle. Seeing this, Xue Qing hurriedly pulled tight on the reins and slowly brought her own horse to a halt. The horse lay limply on the ground, foam spilling from its mouth as its eyes gradually closed. It had been worked to death alive. Xue Qing quickly checked her own horse. It was scarcely in better condition: all four legs trembled without stop, and faint white foam had begun to appear around its mouth. It could no longer be ridden.
Standing by the roadside, Wen Wenhai looked at the fallen horse and the panicked pedestrians scattering around them. After thinking for a moment, he took a Signal Arrow from his robes and fired it into the sky with a whoosh. As it shot into the air, it released a piercing cry that carried far across the open sky.
The sound of the Signal Arrow had barely faded when someone called from behind, "A Hai!" Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing turned around, and joy immediately rose in their hearts.
They were precisely the two burly men in fitted martial attire who had been resting at the tea stall.
When the two rode up before them, Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing stepped forward and saluted. "Greetings, Fourth Martial Uncle and Sixth Martial Uncle."
The two swung down from their saddles and said with smiles, "No need for such ceremony, Nephews. We were ordered by Sect Leader to receive you here. Wait a moment; they will arrive shortly."
Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing both nodded in acknowledgment. They stood beside their two martial uncles and waited quietly.
Only then did the taut strings in their hearts finally loosen completely.
Sure enough, before long, a group of riders came galloping from afar. At their head was a scholar wearing a square headscarf, around forty years old, fair-faced and beardless. He wore white robes and looked remarkably young, like a man devoted to his books. Close behind him rode a beautiful married woman with an air of maturity between her brows and eyes, dressed plainly as well. Both rode white horses. Behind them followed more than ten people in fitted martial attire, each armed with saber or sword, their eyes gleaming sharply. Some even had temples bulging high; one glance was enough to tell they were experts of the martial world. As they urged their horses forward, their gazes swept constantly in all directions, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
When the two arrived before them and dismounted, Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing stepped forward to salute. "We pay respects to Master."
This scholar was actually Oupeng, the Sect Leader of the Misty Sect!
So utterly unremarkable.
The two then saluted the beautiful woman. "We pay respects to Mistress."
The beautiful woman looked at them with a warm smile but said nothing. Oupeng said, "All right, A Hai, Qing'er, you've worked hard. No need for formalities. You know your mistress rarely concerns herself with sect affairs. Consider today an outing in the countryside for her."
The two men behind Wen Wenhai also stepped forward and saluted. "Greetings, Sect Leader Brother and Sister-in-law."
Oupeng reached out to help them up. "You've worked hard as well."
Fourth Brother rose and said, "Not at all. We merely drank tea. Yet your disciple would not even enter the tea stall—cautious to the extreme."
Only then did Wen Wenhai understand. He hurriedly said, "This disciple did not know Martial Uncles were there. Otherwise, I would have traveled with you long ago."
Then he said to his master, "This disciple did not disgrace your command and returned safely with Junior Sister. But these horses..."
Oupeng burst into laughter. "It's no matter. No matter how magnificent the horses are, they cannot compare to you. As long as you return safely, that is better than anything."
He then said to those behind him, "Leave a horse for Qing'er, then deal with this place."
With that, he led Wen Wenhai, Xue Qing, and the other four away on horseback, leaving only two people behind to deal with the dead horses. He did not mention a single word about what Wen Wenhai carried.
The ordinary passerby who had followed them witnessed the entire scene, and his surprise deepened further. Without giving it much thought, he mounted his horse and galloped away in another direction. He was presumably rushing back to report the matter to his own sect. Anything worthy of Oupeng personally coming to receive them could not be a small matter.
Wen Wenhai and the others rode with the large party toward Pingyang City. When they arrived at Pingyang City, they did not enter it, instead bypassing the city gate and heading in another direction. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at a manor outside the city.
The manor was built against the mountains. Scattered homes stood before it, houses of varying heights arranged in pleasing disorder. Many people were busy with their own affairs. Seeing the large party approach, they moved aside from the main road well in advance and saluted Oupeng on horseback.
Farther inside was a straight avenue lined with massive trees. At the end of the avenue stood a magnificent ceremonial archway. Two enormous characters, "Misty," were inscribed upon it, identical to those on the token Xue Qing had given the Zhang family, only these characters possessed an indescribably more unrestrained elegance.
Beyond the archway stood a high platform, and above more than ten steps were wide-open gates. Dozens of sect disciples had long been waiting before the gates and along the steps. At their head stood a fair-faced young man with a refined and gentle bearing, not much older than Wen Wenhai. He was the sect's eldest senior brother, Zhang Chengyue. Once Oupeng and the others dismounted before the steps, Zhang Chengyue led everyone in saying in unison, "Welcome back, Sect Leader."
After Oupeng and the others dismounted, people came forward to take their reins. Oupeng said, "Good. You've all worked hard. Disperse and attend to your duties. Those disciples participating in the Advancement Competition should quickly make the most of their time to train. There is not much time left for you."
The disciples replied, "Yes, we will heed Sect Leader's instruction."
Then Zhang Chengyue followed Oupeng and the others through the gates, while everyone else returned to their own tasks. These disciples had been gathered together by the Sect Leader's order some days earlier and had maintained vigilance day and night, believing that some major event would occur. Yet today, after the Sect Leader went out once, he announced the cancellation of this vigilance that had begun like a tiger but ended like a snake, leaving the disciples deeply puzzled. Still, these were matters for the Sect Leader. The Advancement Competition, which concerned their futures, was more important. If they advanced, their status and treatment within the sect would change. Perhaps they might even learn more profound martial arts. That was what truly concerned them. As for everything else, the disciples did not ask further.
Oupeng led everyone to the Council Hall. Seeing that they had sect business to discuss, Oupeng's wife excused herself first, while the others followed Oupeng into the Council Hall.