Yellow dust filled the air along the official road.
Five horses galloped eastward into the twilight, their horseshoes clattering against the pebbles on the road.
Xie Linyuan withdrew his hand, and the horse stopped.
Four riders followed behind, pulling on the reins.
The bald monk spurred his horse forward a couple of steps, still panting, "Young Master, there's an inn five miles ahead. Why don't we rest for a bit?"
Xie Linyuan ignored him.
He put two fingers of his right hand together and made a half-circle motion on his chest.
This divination...
wrong.
He quickly closed his eyes, and his inner energy emanated from his fingertips, spreading silently forward.
The smells of the sea, horse manure, and smoke from distant village chimneys swept past him layer by layer, but he didn't stop.
Sixty miles away, a powerful aura crashed into them.
It's very light.
It was scattered and unformed, as if it had been split in two, with the two halves of energy spinning independently and unable to be turned back.
Xie Linyuan opened his eyes.
There was a three-breath silence.
Kim Seon-a has changed.
The bald monk was about to speak when he was silenced by a single word.
"Walk."
The reins tightened, and the horse's neck twisted slightly.
The bald monk added, "The horse has been running all day, young master..."
Xie Linyuan has already left.
With a squeeze of its legs, the horse, in pain, leaped forward several feet, its hooves clattering as it struck the stones.
The four monks exchanged a glance, said nothing, and followed after them, whipping their whips.
The bald monk, shaking the reins, caught up to his side and behind. The wind filled his mouth, making his words broken and fragmented.
"Young Master, we've traveled from the Northern Territory to Dengzhou, and were just about to set sail for Goryeo when the royal court informed us that the princess has led a delegation to Great Yan..."
You turned back without even having a sip of water; you've been running for days!
"Please tell me, what exactly happened?"
Xie Linyuan did not turn around.
The corners of his moon-white robe fluttered in the wind, and the golden wheel at his waist struck the saddle with a dull thud.
The bald monk, feeling awkward, muttered, "I finally managed to explain things to the sect, and I took all the gold, silver, and valuables with me, and this trip..."
No one responded to him.
The horsehair brushed against Xie Linyuan's hand, one stroke after another.
He recognized that aura.
Cold, hard, belonging to Kim Seon-a.
But now it's scattered in a mess, a complete disaster.
If the meridians were to collapse on their own, this method of dispersal wouldn't be used.
Someone has made a move.
The reins dug into his palm.
No one in Goryeo could break through that barrier.
Not a single one.
Those are people from the Great Yan side.
He urged the horse on.
Dengzhou Grand Camp, Watchtower.
Yun Shuyue leaned on the railing, half-eaten sugar cake in her left hand, and held up the binoculars newly made by Gu Moran and Zhen Meili in her right hand, pointing the lens at the official road ten miles away.
There was a shadow on the road.
She counted them: five.
Riding horses, they didn't look like soldiers or caravans.
The one in the lead wore a moon-white robe, with a round plate hanging from his waist; it was dazzling when the sun shone on it.
One white-haired guy in front... and a group of monks behind him?
Is this the strange person the prince mentioned?
He stuffed the sugar cake into his mouth, pulled out the copper whistle, and whistled three times.
The soldiers patrolling downstairs looked up and shouted, "What's wrong?"
"Send five men on horseback, charging straight at our camp!"
One soldier turned and ran, while another rushed up and shouted, "Keep an eye on him!"
Yun Shuyue leaned back onto the railing.
Five shadows pressed closer and closer, the muffled sound of hooves echoing up the ground.
She stared at the one who was leading the charge.
I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.
Not fierce.
It was that aura that set them apart from ordinary travelers.
It seemed to have its sights set on something and charged straight at it.
She wiped her mouth, slipped down from the watchtower, and ran into the main camp.
Inside the main tent, Gu Moran was marking lines on a map, the vermilion ink on his brush almost dry.
The curtain was lifted, and Yun Shuyue slipped in, her cheeks still puffed out with half a sugar cake.
"Your Highness, someone has arrived."
He swallowed the sugar cake indistinctly. "Five, one with hair as white as Sister Murong, and the other four are bald."
The lead one, with a gold wheel hanging from his waist, headed straight for our camp.
Gu Moran paused for a moment.
"How far?"
"Ten miles."
"Can you tell his cultivation level?"
Yun Shuyue scratched the back of her head, "... No. I just felt that person had a commanding presence."
The pen was put down.
Golden Wheel.
Monk's robe.
Benden Dengzhou.
He closed his eyes briefly, and the system panel popped up, still displaying red text.
[The protagonist Xie Linyuan, has entered Dengzhou territory and is less than ten miles from the main camp.]
It was a day and a half faster than expected.
A series of data follows.
[ Xie Linyuan, young master of the Vajra Sect, Peak First Rank, weapon: Golden Wheel, cultivates with hair intact, skilled in Buddhist Demon-Subduing Palm and Vajra Indestructible Body, true qi is 5.2 times stronger than the host's.]
[Current Threat Level: Extremely High.]
Gu Moran stared at the line of numbers for two breaths.
5.2 times.
If they met head-on, he wouldn't last three moves.
He got up, lifted the curtain, and glanced outside.
As smoke rose from the cooking fires, soldiers squatted against the wall, eating their meals, while others practiced stance training on the drill ground.
The curtain fell back down.
"Add two more teams to the gate. Receive them normally when they arrive; don't panic."
Lin Qingdai stood up from the corner of the tent.
Who is it?
"Guest."
Gu Moran rubbed the vermilion on the penholder with his thumb. "The kind that's not easy to handle."
"Those from the Northern Territory, go and summon Murong Xue to me."
"You, Gu Moran, are you ordering me around again? You're asking for it!"
Lin Qingdai glared at him, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
The curtain fell, Gu Moran sat back down at the table.
My finger traced the coastline and pressed it onto the vermilion circle at Incheon Port.
Kim Seon-a needs to speed things up.
The official road ends.
The hoofbeats stopped.
Xie Linyuan dismounted, tossed the reins behind him, and didn't even bother to see if he caught them.
Two iron cage lanterns on the camp gate swayed, casting long shadows.
He stood there for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
The bald monk moved closer, and just as he opened his mouth, a sidelong glance from him silenced him.
The true energy dissipated.
It was even finer than the time on the way here, peeling away layer by layer to probe inside.
Camp gate, watchtower, tents... we explored all the way to the innermost part.
Master account.
Three people.
One possesses a profound and deep aura, Peak Third Rank.
Two women, one exuding a sharp, knife-like aura, the other radiating coldness.
Neither.
He leaned back.
Yes.
That aura, however chaotic, he could recognize it even with his eyes closed.
At this rate, people should have collapsed long ago.
The gas is still moving, slowly, but it's being drawn back in.
She didn't accept it herself.
Someone is handling things for her.
Xie Linyuan withdrew his true energy.
His gaze lingered on the direction of the main tent for a long time.
The wind blew in from the sea, causing the hem of his robe to tilt to one side.
He turned and mounted his horse.
"Young Master..."
"Tomorrow."
Without saying a word, he turned around and left.
The four monks were stunned for a moment, then spurred their horses and gave chase.
The bald monk caught up to him, this time not daring to say a word, only stealing a glance at the young master's profile.
I can't tell anything.
An icy expression, just like usual.
On the watchtower, Yun Shuyue lay prone, watching the five figures disappear into the night.
... left?
He got to the door and then left?
She stuffed the half-eaten sugar cookie into her sleeve, slid down the ladder, and ran towards the main tent.
The curtain was lifted, Yun Shuyue poked her head in.
"They left. They stood at the entrance for a while, didn't go in, and then turned around."
Gu Moran held the now-cold tea cup and rubbed his thumb along the rim.
Which direction?
"Heading into the city."
The teacup was placed back on the table with a clinking sound.
They reached the door but didn't come in.
They checked for breath, knew the person was inside, but still didn't go in.
"Keep an eye on it. Come back tomorrow, and let it through the gate directly."
Alright!
The curtain swayed twice, and the person disappeared.
The tent fell silent.
A new line appeared on the system panel.
[ Xie Linyuan has completed the first round of probing and will officially visit tomorrow.]
Gu Moran gulped down the herbal tea, then turned the teacup upside down on the table.