Huang Jiu rode the wind toward Old Dragon Gully, his mind weighed down with worries the entire way.
At daybreak, Lü Bufan was walking out of the mouth of Old Dragon Gully when he suddenly saw the tall figure of Huang Jiu waiting ahead of him.
"Master Huang Jiu!"
For once, Huang Jiu did not mock Lü Bufan. He merely nodded.
"Is something the matter, Master Huang Jiu?"
"Brat, I need to send you back to Two Realms Village right away. I have some business up north."
Lü Bufan frowned. "But Master said not to go beyond the Guardian City line. He said it was best not even to visit the commandery seat. It's too dangerous!"
Huang Jiu gazed north and said softly, "I know, but... we have to retrieve the one thing Shameless left behind!"
In Two Realms Village, Master Ming watched a paper crane fly toward him through the sky, his face expressionless...
At the village entrance, Old Skeleton sat with one leg crossed over the other and said, "He quietly sent a letter, but didn't dare come within a hundred li himself. I let it through. Have a look at what mischief he's brewing this time..."
Master Ming heard Old Skeleton's mental voice from the courtyard and nodded...
Beside him, the cripple Du Yuan sat on a little stool and cursed, "That fucking bastard still has the gall to send you a message using the talisman you taught him?"
Master Ming raised his hand, and the paper crane drifted lightly onto it...
Du Yuan said, "Watch out for his tricks..."
Master Ming scoffed and tapped the paper crane's head with a finger.
"Honored teacher, your unworthy student offers his respects!"
A faint, wavering voice emerged from the paper crane...
"Yesterday, I happened upon Master Huang Jiu. Seeing his haggard face and crippled body filled this student with grief... Fortunately, his heart curse has been lifted, yet the destruction of his Life-Bound Flying Sword still weighs heavily upon him! This student felt his pain as his own, and after a night of reflection, awoke as though from a dream... Master Dustless possessed heaven-given talent. Alone, he upheld Two Realms Village and kept you and the others alive, then traveled north with his sword to break the Immortals' heart curse and restore your cultivation! He fought an immortal with his sword, pressing forward without hesitation..."
Beside him, Du Yuan cursed, "That son of a bitch! If he hadn't turned against us back then, how could they have surrounded us so easily? And how did Li Fu and the other three die at his hands? Who's he trying to impress, puffing himself up like some great clove of garlic..."
Master Ming waved a hand, telling him to be quiet...
The voice from the paper crane continued, "In this life, Master Dustless could cast aside even the face he once wore, yet he cherished the Wei Family's world-renowned Dustless Sword above all else... In that earth-shaking battle, Master Dustless was reduced to ashes, while the Immortal Venerable snapped the Dustless Sword with a single finger and sent it falling to the bottom of the lake..."
Master Ming sighed. "He's laying bait... He must have calculated Huang Jiu's fatal weakness! Huang Jiu has probably nearly gathered all the materials he needs to repair his flying sword..."
The paper crane continued, "How could this untalented student bear to watch Master Huang Jiu run himself ragged over repairing his flying sword? To offer a small token of my sincerity, I presented him with several heavenly materials and earthly treasures, which Master Huang Jiu graciously accepted. Alas, only starstone remains, and this student truly has the will but lacks the means."
"This student recalled Master Dustless's Dustless Sword! Though it has been shattered and destroyed, three pieces of superior-grade starstone remain set into its hilt!"
"If the Dustless Sword could be recovered from the lakebed at the Jinhu Immortal Abode, it would first console Master Dustless's true spirit in the world below... Second, a single grain of star sand would suffice to reforge Master Huang Jiu's Life-Bound Flying Sword..."
Master Ming sighed. "This is bad. The bastard is using an open scheme, plain for all to see! He's counted on Huang Jiu's deep obsession with repairing his flying sword, and on the fact that Huang Jiu shared the strongest bond with Shameless..."
Du Yuan nodded. "There's bound to be a trap in the Capital City, and Huang Jiu is arrogant to the bone. He might hesitate to point his sword at an immortal, but retrieving Shameless's Dustless Sword and using it to repair his own flying sword... That temptation might be more than he can resist!"
Master Ming raised his clouded eyes to the sky. "Huang Jiu won't want to drag us into this. He'll certainly rush ahead to the capital alone..."
"He went down the mountain to protect the little brat's path, and now he's just running off? No, I'll have the deaf one leave the mountain and bring him back..."
Master Ming shook his head. "Not one of us can stop Huang Jiu. That bastard has the quickest feet of us all..."
The paper crane in Master Ming's hand suddenly began to burn on its own, and one final message emerged. "Teacher... This student swears on his life that he has not told anyone from the Immortal Sects that Master Huang Jiu might travel north to the Immortal Abode. Please rest assured... Take care, teacher. Your student bows his head to the ground."
A wisp of paper ash drifted down. Master Ming's expression was grave, his brows tightly knitted.
On a mountain ridge, Huang Jiu patted Lü Bufan's shoulder. "Boy, you've walked the rest of this road twice. You know the way, right?"
"Yes! Don't worry, Master Huang Jiu. Big Black is with me! I can make it back."
Huang Jiu sighed. "Damn it, I've found out that Heart Lake Reversed Water Island, one of Great Jin's Four Great Immortal Sects, will receive an investiture decree from the immortal realm in five days. That bastard immortal from the Jinhu Immortal Abode will come to read it out... The Jinhu Immortal Abode will be left unguarded that day. Perhaps I can retrieve Shameless's Dustless Sword..."
Lü Bufan frowned and asked, "Are you going alone, Master Huang Jiu?"
Huang Jiu stylishly flicked aside a loose strand of hair near his forehead. "What, should I bring those useless old cripples along? There aren't many people in this world who can move faster than me..."
Lü Bufan lowered his head to look at his straw sandals, wanting to speak but holding back...
Huang Jiu gave his head a pat. "Brat, I know you're worried about me... It'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. If anything goes wrong, I'll just run straight back! I'm not like Shameless, charging off to die even when he knew that was all he'd accomplish..."
Lü Bufan bowed respectfully. "Then your disciple wishes you a safe journey and a swift return, Master!"
Huang Jiu nodded, then bowed to Big Black, who barely acknowledged him. "Sorry for the trouble of protecting this boy on his way back to the village. When I return, I'll be sure to bring you some good wine and meat..."
Big Black did not even spare him a glance.
Huang Jiu shook his head with a helpless smile, then turned into a streak of sword light and vanished along the valley in a flash!
Lü Bufan glanced at Big Black beside him. Expressionless, Big Black lazily rose and headed into the mountains.
Letting these people from Two Realms Village live under my protection was already the utmost in kindness and duty...
Lü Bufan knew Big Black would not concern himself with such matters. His hope of asking Big Black to lend a hand... had never found a chance to be voiced.
The boy and the dog walked through the valley, with insect calls and the sound of wind ringing constantly in their ears.
Just as Lü Bufan and Big Black were about to enter the outskirts of Two-World Mountain, faint cries reached them...
The area around Two-World Mountain was seldom visited. Few commoners or refugees dared approach, and something like this had almost never happened before.
Lü Bufan leaped onto a large rock in a few strides and looked out...
A group of government officers and several men dressed as village militiamen were driving a line of ragged refugees toward a small hill from horseback.
Two men raised wooden clubs and rushed forward to fight the government officers, only for several militiamen to thrust out their iron spears...
Two screams rang out, followed by a burst of wailing from the refugees!
The officer leading the group seemed furious. He pointed at the rash militiamen and unleashed a torrent of abuse!
The militiamen did not seem to care. Grinning, they bowed to him, then dismounted and headed toward the trembling crowd of elderly people, women, and children.
Two young women were lifted onto horses. The remaining refugees were bound together with a long rope and driven onward with riding whips as the group headed northwest.
Lü Bufan slammed his fist against a nearby pine tree! Countless pine needles trembled and fell.
Big Black quietly watched the scene beside him, without the slightest ripple in those eyes, as though long accustomed to such ugliness in the human world.
Lü Bufan said in a low voice, "I heard what the little beggar said. People die every day in those mines in the mountains! All for those ores... Ores you can't eat or drink! What do the immortals want with them? Do they spend all day eating ore?"
Big Black closed those eyes.
Lü Bufan suddenly lowered his head and said, "If... if I went down the mountain and burned those mines, would you help me?"
Big Black opened those eyes and glanced at Lü Bufan.
"You wouldn't, would you?"
Lü Bufan sat down and continued, "I know you don't get involved in human affairs lightly. Master Ming said you only guard that stone tablet in Two Realms Village... I don't know why I can understand what you mean, but I don't think it's a bad thing for me."
Big Black sat up and looked at Lü Bufan... There was a glimmer in those eyes, without their usual indifference.
"You mean... if I encountered a powerful enemy, or someone was about to beat me to death, you'd save me?"
Big Black huffed and lay down.
Lü Bufan stood up happily and clenched his fists. "That's enough! I'll try to burn down two mines and get back safely. But... I'm betting I won't need you to save me!"
Big Black closed those eyes and lay motionless.
Lü Bufan ate some dry rations and drank half a flask of clean water. Then he quietly meditated to regulate his vital energy.
Granny Yu's pills were indeed effective. The injuries he had suffered in Huqi Town two days earlier were almost healed.
At dusk, Lü Bufan readied himself and said goodbye to Big Black, agreeing to meet there early the following morning.
A figure bounded across the wilderness. Following the tracks left by the refugees being driven away, Lü Bufan pursued them northwest into the depths of the mountains.
A wooden sign stood beside a roughly built path... On it were the large words, "Guangling Commandery-restricted grounds of the Taihua Sect Immortal Sect."
It marked this place as territory jointly controlled and mined by the Taihua Sect, one of Great Jin's Four Great Immortal Sects, and the Guangling Commandery authorities.
Other sects and ordinary mortals were forbidden to pry!
What bullshit... Ordinary mortals were scared half to death at the mere mention of an immortal mine. Who would be so tired of living that they'd come snooping here?
Lü Bufan chose a thorn-covered slope and slowly slipped in under the moonlight.
Rescue people? Lü Bufan knew he lacked that ability, but he could still vent some anger on behalf of the innocent commoners driven to their deaths by the authorities and the Immortal Sects!
You don't treat people as human, do you? Then you'd better be ready for them to pay you back viciously!
Places like the storehouses, prisons, and prisoner barracks would certainly be guarded by Martial Warriors, perhaps even cultivators from the Immortal Sects.
Lü Bufan knew he was, at most, a Martial Warrior on the threshold of the third realm. Charging in to fight and set fires would be courting death... If Big Black dozed off or decided not to save him, he probably would not even get the chance to survive as a slave miner!
So Lü Bufan headed straight for a mine tunnel with only a few guards at its entrance.
Four government officers and four militiamen stood guard there under a Martial Warrior who served as their squad leader.
A militia corporal handed the squad leader a small flask of liquor with an ingratiating smile...
"Heh heh! Squad Leader Qian, it's already the middle of the night, and those Immortal Sect lords have all gone to rest. Look... We've worked hard half the night too. How about letting the brothers have a little fun?"
Squad Leader Qian casually took the flask and drank a mouthful, then suddenly raised his brows. "Oh? This isn't that sour horse piss. Is this the home-distilled Spring Liquor from the Ma Family Old Shop in town?"
"Heh heh, you really do have a discerning palate, sir! Heh heh..."
Squad Leader Qian nodded, took another drink, then said, "You can't go a single day without abusing those women, can you? Why not put that energy into practicing the army's Martial Scripture? Work your way into a Martial Warrior realm... Then couldn't you land a post as a squad leader or a commandant yourself?"
The corporal fawned over him. "Oh, I don't have that kind of talent. How could I compare to a genuine Second Realm Martial Warrior like you, sir? All we can do is look up to you..."
"All right, all right, enough ass-kissing! Take my token to the rear camp, pay that old pimp out of your own pocket, then bring two women to the guardhouse next door and have your fun! Keep it down, and don't fucking torment anyone to death again..."
"Right you are! Don't worry... If there's any fresh meat, you'll get the first taste!"
"Get the hell going! I like cleaning up at the end..."