Rogue soldiers

The Huamei River wound through mountains and over ridges to the foot of Huamei Mountain, where it flowed into the Nine Sources River.

Siming County stood at the confluence. Water transport flourished here, and quite a few small and medium-sized cargo vessels lay moored at its little dock.

The ships' rigid sails all bore their owners' markings. Zhou Wuji often came to Siming County and knew them well.

He spotted the Li Household's merchant ship among the many vessels at a glance, the large characters "Wanfeng" written across its sail.

The Wanfeng Trading House was precisely the Li Household's business. It specialized in selling mountain pepper oil elsewhere and made handsome profits.

Huamei Mountain was a spur of the Siming Mountains that thrust straight into the Nine Sources River, changing the river's course.

The Siming Mountains abounded in natural resources and produced all sorts of medicinal herbs. The most famous of these was mountain pepper.

The Li Household's ancestors had mastered the technique of extracting mountain pepper oil, making their fortune and establishing themselves as a great clan in Siming County.

A group of Li Household workers busily loaded cargo, while Li Xin, the Wanfeng Trading House's second manager, stood on the dock shouting directions.

The middle-aged man wore a kudzu-cloth robe and a headwrap, with a mustache that slanted down on either side. He looked mature and capable.

Carrying his little case, Zhou Wuji strolled over and greeted him with a smile. "Second Manager Li..."

"Oh, Daoist Zhou." Li Xin looked up, saw Zhou Wuji, and could not help freezing for a moment.

They had not seen each other for a few months. How had Zhou Wuji become like a different person? His eyes in particular were bright and lustrous, making him look exceptionally spirited.

Li Xin quickly recovered and came over with an ingratiating smile. "You're here so early. Is something the matter?"

"Yes, I need to make a trip to Yunyang Prefecture."

Zhou Wuji took out a jade token and handed it to Li Xin. "I've spoken to Ruyi. Sorry to trouble you, Second Manager, but I need a ride."

Li Xin accepted the jade token with both hands. Seeing that it was indeed his young lady's, he nodded repeatedly with an ingratiating smile. "You only need to say the word if you want passage. With you presiding aboard, we'll all feel especially secure. We couldn't ask for more."

"There's something rather urgent, so we need to leave as soon as possible. That won't be a problem, will it?" Had Zhou Wuji merely wanted to catch a ride, he would naturally have had no need to speak to Li Ruyi.

But he dared not waste time, so he needed the Li Household's cargo ship to accommodate him.

"No problem. The cargo's already loaded. We'll leave once the provisions and fresh water are aboard." Li Xin could see that Zhou Wuji was somewhat anxious and dared not delay.

Even without the young lady's jade token, the personal disciple of the Hidden Dragon Temple's abbot was someone of standing in Siming County. He would not dare offend him.

Leaving a little early would only mean some extra work for the boatmen and shop hands. It was nothing much.

Under Li Xin's direction, the ship soon weighed anchor and set sail.

The cargo vessel was long and narrow, with a pointed bow and stern and a low hull. It was commonly called a bird boat, meaning that it was compact and extremely fast.

The cargo ship had only three cabins, and the second manager gave Zhou Wuji the largest.

Though called the largest, the cabin was only about a zhang across, barely enough to fit a wooden bed and a small table.

Yellow talisman papers covered the cabin walls, wooden table, and bed. The vermilion inscriptions were unmistakably the Golden Light Incantation.

Demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters were beyond counting in this world, and everyone carried protective talismans.

Traveling by ship was even more dangerous, so talismans had to be pasted all over the vessel.

Zhou Wuji understood this very well. In fact, selling talismans was an extremely important source of income for the Daoist temple.

He put the gold beneath the bed, then sat on the bed watching the scenery along the shore through the window. As the fresh morning breeze blew over him, he felt relaxed and comfortable all over. Even the cabin's damp, rotten smell no longer mattered much.

He had not slept at all the previous night. After watching for a while and noticing nothing unusual, Zhou Wuji closed the window and went to sleep.

At noon, Second Manager Li Xin brought over a tray of food.

A braised fish, a plate of cured pork, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a bowl of white rice.

Li Xin wore his usual deferential, ingratiating smile. "Conditions aboard are humble, Daoist. Please don't mind."

Zhou Wuji waved a hand. "My cultivation has recently reached a critical stage, and I'm practicing grain avoidance. Thank you for your kindness, Second Manager, but I won't need the food."

The martial world was treacherous. He could not afford to let his guard down.

Things that entered the mouth were the easiest source of trouble.

Even if Li Xin lacked the nerve and had no reason to do anything wicked, he still could not be careless.

Besides, the food aboard was not clean. An upset stomach would also be troublesome.

Li Xin looked a little taken aback, then said with admiration, "Your cultivation is profound, Daoist. Sustaining yourself on Qi and dining on rosy clouds-you truly are like an immortal..."

"You flatter me." Zhou Wuji exchanged a few polite words with him. With nothing else to do, he asked Li Xin about recent conditions in Yunyang Prefecture.

Merchants were generally well informed. Li Xin was also an intelligent man who frequently traveled to and from Yunyang Prefecture, and his insight and experience far surpassed those of ordinary people.

"Yunyang Prefecture hasn't been peaceful lately. Large numbers of deserters have fled here. They're even more vicious than bandits and robbers and have caused a great deal of trouble..."

"They still haven't been dealt with?" Zhou Wuji knew a little about this. The reason Zhang Xinhu was away from home was that his superiors had summoned him to deal with the rogue soldiers.

"The Crimson Phoenix Army marched against a great demon in Yunmeng Marsh, only to suffer a crushing defeat. The court sent men to punish the army's commanders severely, provoking a mutiny."

Li Xin shook his head and said with deep feeling, "Several thousand elite troops turned into scattered bands of rogue soldiers, bringing disaster everywhere. How could they be so easy to deal with?

"These times we live in, ah..."

Li Xin had wanted to talk about the court's corruption and the people's misery, but then he remembered that Zhou Wuji was a Daoist priest. Both Buddhism and Daoism received support from the court, so he could be considered one of its people too.

Some things were therefore inconvenient to say. He could only forcibly swallow the complaints that had reached his lips.

After chatting for a while, Li Xin left carrying the tray.

As dusk began to fall, the cargo ship docked and dropped anchor at White Stone Ferry.

The river ran swiftly at night, making sailing very dangerous. As usual, the Li Household's cargo ship stopped at White Stone Ferry.

Zhou Wuji also felt quite at ease. They had traveled two hundred li downstream in a day. Even if the Zhang Household and Fang families received word, it would be too late to catch him.

Taking advantage of the stop, Zhou Wuji stretched his limbs at the bow but did not leave the ship.

With a case of gold aboard, he dared not be careless.

On shore, Li Xin studied Zhou Wuji. He kept feeling that something was going on with him, so he paid him a little more attention.

Beside him, Li Qiang muttered, "This Daoist Zhou is quite good-looking. He just doesn't have any ability."

Li Xin glanced at his tall, powerfully built nephew and said quietly, "Don't talk nonsense."

Li Qiang explained with an innocent expression, "I'm not the one saying it. Everyone says Zhou Wuji is the most useless of all the temple's disciples."

He added, "I didn't believe it at first either. But seeing him sneaking around with a case of gold, not even daring to eat our food, I know he really is a coward."

Although Zhou Wuji had carried the case with ease, the men aboard were far too experienced. One look at how much the gangplank shook when he boarded told them that the case was heavy.

It had to be gold, without a doubt.

Li Xin felt somewhat helpless. His nephew had strong muscles and bones and had cultivated manifest force, becoming a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist. He was very capable in a fight, which was why he looked down on Daoists like Zhou Wuji.

He was still too young to conceal his thoughts.

He admonished him, "Disaster comes from the mouth. If he hears you, you'll have offended him badly... Why bother?"

Li Qiang's broad, coarse face was full of indifference. He chuckled. "We're so far away. How could he hear us..."

The two sides were ten zhang apart, but Zhou Wuji had indeed heard Li Xin and Li Qiang's conversation.

After advancing to the eighth grade and raising his Swordsmanship to the proficient realm, his senses were now extremely keen.

Zhou Wuji's expression remained unchanged, but he marked a debt against Li Qiang in his heart. This brat has eyes but cannot see. Sooner or later, I'll show him what I'm capable of!

The boatmen and shop hands, more than a dozen in all, gathered on shore to light a fire and cook, chatting and laughing in a lively bustle.

They stopped at White Stone Ferry year-round, knew the place well, and were all very relaxed.

"Once I've eaten my fill, I'm going to see Widow Li. She's getting on in years, but her body's so fair..."

"Damn, you'll even screw a woman over forty? You really are a horny bastard!"

As the men talked about women, every one of them grew animated and excited.

While they were joking and laughing, a man suddenly burst out of the woods, shouting toward Li Xin from afar, "Help! Help!"

Though dusk had deepened, a little daylight remained.

Li Xin looked twice before recognizing him as Old Xu from White Stone Village, a li away. He had some skill at cooking, and they occasionally went to his home for a meal.

"Old Xu, what happened?" Li Xin stepped forward and supported the panic-stricken man as he asked.

"A band of rogue soldiers came, more than a dozen of them. They started killing as soon as they arrived. Run..." Remembering their savage slaughter, Old Xu trembled and stammered as he spoke.

Li Xin was also shocked. The rogue soldiers had actually come all the way here?

He looked toward the woods and saw figures moving. Four soldiers in leather lamellar armor had already rushed out, carrying sabers and bows, bristling with killing intent.

Rather than being alarmed at the sight of Li Xin's group, the leading soldier was delighted. He shouted excitedly, "There's a merchant ship here! We've struck it rich! Hahaha..."

He barked at his companion, "Send the signal! Notify the squad leader and the others!"

Relying on his strength and sturdy build, Li Qiang stepped forward and shouted, "Soldiers, we're from the Wanfeng Trading House-"

Before he could finish, the soldier holding the bow had already drawn and loosed an arrow.

The man was a skilled archer. With fewer than twenty paces between them, his arrow flew straight toward Li Qiang's heart.

Li Qiang was horrified. In his haste, he could not even make out where the arrow was, and could only twist his body as hard as he could to dodge.

The speeding arrow punched through Li Qiang's shoulder. The impact jolted his entire body, and he immediately fell to the ground.

Everyone else from the Wanfeng Trading House was terrified.

Though they sometimes fought, they only brawled with sticks and clubs. When had they ever seen anything like this?

The rogue soldiers were fully armed and brimming with killing intent. Their brutal methods shattered everyone's courage.

No one spared a thought for Li Qiang. They all retreated in panic.

The archer was about to draw again when his companion stopped him. "Don't waste arrows."

They were deserters and had no way to replenish their arrows. With the most powerfully built martial artist shot down, the others no longer posed a threat.

Grinning savagely, the soldiers advanced with sabers in hand. Li Xin and the others retreated to the ship, but there was nowhere left to go. Every face was deathly pale, every pair of legs weak...