The Second Piece

In Ning'an County, aside from Shuixian Town, the closest places to Niu Kui Mountain were the villages at its foot.

This time, Ji Yuan deliberately took Yin Qing and the fox along the smaller paths, heading toward Niu Kui Mountain from the direction of the mountain villages.

After having a simple lunch with Ji Yuan, Yin Qing went home to change out of his schoolboy clothes, then skipped and bounced along with Ji Yuan out of the city.

Before leaving the city, the red fox had remained hidden in Ji Yuan's robes. Only after they were outside did he let it out to follow at their side.

From Ning'an County to the nearest foot of Niu Kui Mountain was roughly over ten li in a straight line. With Ji Yuan's current foot speed, even without going all out, it would take less than a quarter of an hour. But with the fox and Yin Qing in tow, they might as well treat it as an outing.

Children of this era, especially scholarly children like Yin Qing, rarely had the chance to travel far while young. Though the mountain villages were still within Ning'an County, their scenery was especially enchanting to Yin Qing.

Once children started playing, their stamina seemed like a bottomless pit. No matter how tired they became, a short rest would have them brimming with life again. Besides, Yin Qing's constitution was somewhat unusual to begin with.

One moment, he cried out and laughed at the sight of a waterwheel. The next, he leaped into the fields to catch frogs and insects, currying favor with the fox. Then he wanted to jump into the river and bathe like the village children. Every so often, he would also raise his voice and howl at the broad fields and forests.

Ji Yuan did not stint on the pastries and crispy cakes he had prepared, letting little Yin Qing, who had been raised under strict discipline, properly enjoy what it meant to go on a carefree outing.

There was food, drink, and a dog—well, a fox!

Playing as they walked, after roughly an hour and a half, the two people and one fox reached the foot of Niu Kui Mountain. Following a mountain trail worn out by mountain guests, they spent about half an hour climbing a small hill that was not particularly tall.

Once they reached the hill, Ji Yuan no longer allowed Yin Qing to run around freely. If he got bitten by some venomous insect or snake, it would be hard to explain to Yin Zhaoxian.

The wind in the mountains carried a greater chill than below. Though the hill was not high, towering trees rose everywhere, and strange rocks stood in dense ranks.

Ji Yuan looked at the red fox, which had long been bubbling with excitement, then pointed toward the deeper reaches of the forest.

"You should go. I only hope you will not merely be a passerby in my life. If fate permits, we will meet again."

"And me, me too! Little Fox, don't forget me either! You absolutely mustn't forget me!"

Yin Qing had been holding it in all along. When he shouted those words, his voice already carried a sob.

"Yes, and little Yin Qing too."

Ji Yuan smiled, his heart a jumble of flavors. Yin Qing's appearance reminded him of the three turtles, two rabbits, and one parrot he had raised to death as a child in his previous life.

The red fox whimpered twice and moved away from Ji Yuan. With a few leaps, it jumped onto a rock, then turned around to look at the two figures, one large and one small. Its eyes held a humanlike reluctance to part.

Ji Yuan and Yin Qing stood there, looking at the fox for a while, yet it showed no intention of leaving.

"Mister Ji, Little Fox doesn't want to leave!"

"Perhaps it wants to watch us go first."

Having said that, Ji Yuan did not explain further. Taking Yin Qing's hand as the boy looked back every few steps, he turned and headed down the mountain.

After walking only about a dozen steps, Ji Yuan looked back. Sure enough, the red fox was still crouching atop that strange rock, watching them.

"Since we met by chance, Ji will give you another gift..."

Glancing at the clouds in the sky, Ji Yuan spoke to the red fox.

"Now that you have set foot on the path of cultivation, you are no longer an ignorant wild beast. You may lack anything, but you cannot lack a name. If you don't mind, from now on, you shall be called Hu Yun."

Hearing Ji Yuan's words, the red fox's eyes lit up. For a moment, it forgot Ji Yuan's earlier warning and, right before Yin Qing, clasped its paws and repeatedly bowed to Ji Yuan!

"Ah! Mister Ji, Little Fox really can bow to people! Ah, ah, ah, ah!"

Yin Qing had still been puzzling over the strange parts of Mister Ji's earlier words, but at the sight of the red fox bowing to a person, he was instantly shocked into loud cries.

"Hehe, let's go home!"

Ji Yuan patted little Yin Qing on the back and led the child, whose sorrow had been washed away by excitement, down the mountain.

Ji Yuan was happy as well—far happier than the smile on his face revealed. Though he was still somewhat lost in the clouds and mist, his arm within his sleeve had again felt as though struck by electricity just now, and a Chess Piece Shadow flashed across his fingertips before vanishing.

Perhaps he had exhausted himself, for little Yin Qing fell asleep on Ji Yuan's back on the journey home.

This made their return speed countless times faster than their pace on the way there. Ji Yuan circulated Spiritual Qi through his movement technique and soon rushed straight back into Ning'an County.

When he delivered Yin Qing back to the Yin Family, it was still before their mealtime. They truly had returned within half a day.

Yet after Ji Yuan returned home, he immediately went out again. He removed his casual blue robe and changed into coarse clothes with tightly bound sleeves, then used cloth ties to gather his free-flowing long hair and bind it behind his back.

After swiftly completing these preparations, Ji Yuan directly leaped with his Lightness Skill. Using the springiness of a Jujube Branch, he jumped out of Ju'an Pavilion, then repeatedly borrowed force from the rooftops. In an instant, he was out of the city.

Ji Yuan knew only two simple Illusion Techniques. One was called Form Dissipation, the other A Single Leaf Blinds the Eye. Their boundaries were vague and broad, but each had its own range of application.

An Illusion Technique was, after all, merely a means of obscuring or diverting another's gaze so they could not see the truth clearly. Put plainly, it could not be relied upon too heavily. At least, Ji Yuan did not believe that Form Dissipation truly made him invisible, even before ordinary people. A Single Leaf Blinds the Eye was rather more practical.

The so-called leaf was merely a concept, referring to something tiny. The art of A Single Leaf Blinds the Eye meant that because a small thing obstructed one's sight, one could never see the whole picture or the truth.

Ji Yuan cast the technique using several strands of his fringe, causing those who looked upon his face to see it unclearly or mistake it for something else. Since the fringe serving as the "leaf" truly existed, this small technique was much more reliable.

Ji Yuan had hurried out because, on the way back, he had spotted a carriage traveling along the Official Road in the distance. The two men riding beside it were precisely the men in fitted martial clothing he had seen at the county yamen entrance at noon. Ji Yuan would not mistake the sound of their conversation, so who was inside the carriage was self-evident.

Ji Yuan was not so petty that he would seek revenge merely because others had discussed him behind his back. It was not as though they had spoken ill of him. The main reason was that, at noon, after hearing the conversation between the County Vice Magistrate and that slightly plump man, he had instinctively glanced at them. With that one look, Ji Yuan saw a trace of concealed spiritual radiance at the plump man's collar.

That definitely was not due to the fat man himself. He must have been carrying something extraordinary.

At this stage, Ji Yuan was in a state of hunger when it came to matters such as cultivation. Reason alone kept him from running everywhere in search of immortals and the Dao. Now that an opportunity had appeared, he would not let it slip away. At the very least, he had to personally confirm what it was and discover its origin.

Yet at noon, he had clearly heard that the master and two servants would not leave until the next day. Now, however, they were already driving a carriage onto the Official Road.

The wind continuously brushed across his face. He had still held himself back within the city, but once outside, Ji Yuan unleashed his movement technique in full and pursued them at top speed in the direction he remembered. Around two quarters of an hour later, the carriage finally appeared in his sight, nearly out of Ning'an County's territory.

The sky was gradually darkening. Ji Yuan silently trailed far behind them, troubled over how to accomplish his goal.

Should I catch up and speak to them amicably? Think of another method? Or simply subdue them, search out the item, and ask afterward? Should I act a little more vicious?

Ji Yuan bared his teeth in a somewhat neurotic grimace, rehearsing a vicious expression. He considered himself to have some talent for acting.

But before Ji Yuan could think further, a new twist arose. From the woods to the left ahead on the Official Road, several figures in dark hempen coarse clothes suddenly darted out, brandishing weapons as they attacked the carriage.

"Not good! Bandits!"

The two guards slapped their horses' backs and sprang up, engaging the attackers.

Facing the incoming foes, the man in yellow fitted martial clothing sprang from his horse. At the same time, he planted one foot on the horse's body, borrowed the force, and launched himself forward. His fist crackled as he clenched it tight, then he savagely struck at one of the bandits.

"Give me your death!"

Clang—

His mighty, heavy punch was actually blocked by the other man's blade spine. In an instant, the man drew his saber aside from the fist, then turned its edge and slashed upward at an angle. The blade flowers seemed to split into three.

Hiss, hiss, pfft...

Three slashes cut apart the guard's fist technique, and one of them sent blood spurting from his shoulder.

"Wild Goose Feather Three Returns! You are Xiang Feng, one of the Thirteen Bandits of Yan!"

The yellow-clothed guard leaped backward to evade two other bandits attacking together, shouting in horror as he did so.

In his peripheral vision, his companion was facing four enemies alone and was already in grave danger, with several wounds on his body.

A muffled thud of flesh being struck rang out as the other guard took a heavy kick, smashing with a bang against the still-moving carriage.

"Stop the carriage, damn it!"

One of the bandits roared.

"Ah, ah, ow..."

The coachman hastily pulled the reins, trembling as he crouched there without daring to move. The people inside the carriage were so frightened that they did not dare make a sound.

Xiang Feng did not even look at the two guards, who faced him as though confronting a great enemy. Holding his saber, he smiled at the carriage.

"Wei Wuwei, rumor has it that the Wei Family passes down a piece of Blue Jade from generation to generation, one that can ward off evil and malign influences. You have it on you, don't you?"