Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilderness Chapter Fifty-two: Let Not the Fool Be Harmed

On the tree-lined avenue, a young man rode his horse at a gentle trot.

Behind him followed two carriages, driven by Mo Can and Ji Yan as before. The two burly men who once led the way were gone, leaving him, an idle guest, with the responsibility of escorting the party.

Yet the remaining journey was but a hundred li. Before nightfall, they would arrive at Que Ling Mountain.

"Yu Ye, turn right at the next crossroads—the one with the big tree. Do you see it?" Manager Kuang sat at the front of the carriage, enjoying the cool breeze and shouting directions loudly. Cai'er leaned behind him, watching the road with a smile of delight.

"Father, must you guide him so? He's not a fool..." she laughed.

"He’s certainly no fool. This is wisdom masked as simplicity, quick in action but slow in speech, mature beyond his years, and steadfast in his promises. Ah, he’s a man of many talents—one can’t help but like him more with each passing day!"

"You neglected him at first..."

"Cai'er, you don’t understand. Had I not done so, how could I have deceived Pan Yuan? Hey, Old Mo, what do you think of the boy, Old Mo..."

Father and daughter whispered together.

Mo Can, clutching his horsewhip, remained silent as always, perhaps out of necessity, he advised, "Better not gossip behind someone’s back—he can hear you."

"Heh, what does it matter if he hears? As long as he stays with me, my wealth is his—and Cai'er’s as well..."

"Father..."

Cai'er ducked into the carriage.

Manager Kuang stroked his beard and smiled, serene and composed.

Mo Can shook his head and continued in silence.

A dozen yards ahead, Yu Ye rode on alone.

He paid no mind to Manager Kuang and Cai'er’s conversation; his thoughts were elsewhere, recalling the events of the previous night and the middle-aged cultivator who died by his hand.

Last night had been a series of twists and turns.

But it all began earlier.

Upon arriving in Lishui Town and staying at the Ji Inn, he encountered Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu’s aggression. Yu Ye sensed trouble, for he overheard Mao Guan’s conversation with his accomplice as they departed. The next day, he noticed Mo Can, though crippled, concealed a powerful aura and had an intense gaze, hinting at a mysterious background. When Mao Guan led an ambush, Yu Ye did not intervene, hoping to discern Mo Can’s true nature, but the man remained reserved and elusive.

At the Kaiyuan Inn in Laitou Town, Yu Ye took the opportunity to buy talisman paper and cinnabar, venturing out to probe further. He discovered Mo Can secretly searching his pack and inspecting his sword.

After leaving Laitou Town, Manager Kuang claimed his wife had a headache, insisting they stay overnight at Xiangshui Village. Mo Can and Ji Yan guarded the door, clearly wary of Pan Yuan’s betrayal. That night, Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu acted peculiarly, and after Yuan Jiu slew a white snake, they hurriedly departed.

Manager Kuang appeared inept but was far shrewder than he seemed.

Upon reaching Caoben Town, they stayed at Maoyuan Inn. Yu Ye, while studying talismans, remained alert to the inn’s atmosphere. The luxurious Hibiscus Garden harbored hidden undercurrents. He noticed Yuan Jiu contacting local martial artists, while Mo Can watched both him and Yuan Jiu closely.

It was not until last night, when the party reached the hillside near Taiping Temple and camped there, that Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu finally revealed their villainy. As Manager Kuang’s family fell into peril, Yu Ye observed from the sidelines. Even after Mo Can intervened, and the family faced life and death, Yu Ye continued to wait. As expected, while the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole lurked behind. Eventually, a group of martial men arrived, surprising him.

Mao Guan, seeking vengeance, colluded with cultivators from Qizhou, falsely claiming Pan Yuan had ties to the Daoist sect, intending to eliminate him, Yuan Jiu, and Manager Kuang’s family.

At that moment, Yu Ye drew his sword.

His opponent was a lone middle-aged cultivator. Though formidable, Yu Ye had no choice but to confront him. This was his first direct challenge against a powerful foe since becoming a cultivator. Since Bu Yi refused to let the matter rest, Yu Ye could not avoid the confrontation.

Fortunately, his protective true energy was formidable, able to withstand the raging flames of the fire talisman. His Seven Kill Sword Qi again revealed its immense power...

"Yu Ye, turn right—"

He had reached the crossroads by the great tree. The mountain path parted left and right.

Absorbed in thought, Yu Ye nearly missed the turn. He hastily guided his horse to the right, glanced back, and offered an apologetic smile.

He was the guide, yet did not know the way. Manager Kuang insisted he lead, perhaps to express trust?

The former guides, Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu, seemed forgotten.

Last night, Mo Can had severed Pan Yuan’s arm as punishment. Upon waking, Manager Kuang gave him a horse and money. The man no longer wept, wrapped his wound, and rode away, laughing into the night.

As said, Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu were wolves and tigers—one now roams the world, the other lies abandoned in the wild. Their brotherhood would fade into the rivers and lakes.

Of course, Yuan Jiu was not the only one who died. His accomplices, Mao Guan, and over twenty martial men were also slain. Ji Yan labored through the night, tossing all the bodies into the deep gorge below the slope.

Ah, among the dead was also a cultivator from a foreign land.

Yu Ye now possessed a white jade token, inscribed on one side with "Qizhou Zhongshan," and on the other, "Yunchuan." Qizhou Zhongshan must be the dead man’s origin. The master he slew on North Qi Mountain also bore a similar jade token.

...

Evening.

Before a residence in Que Ling Town, two large carriages arrived.

The gates were already open, lanterns hanging bright. A crowd stood at the entrance, young and old, smiling in welcome for Manager Kuang’s family.

Manager Kuang, his wife, and Cai'er alighted from the carriage, immediately surrounded by relatives, exchanging greetings in a lively, cheerful scene.

Yu Ye again lagged behind.

He sat atop his horse, watching from afar as the family reunited in warmth. He did not join the bustle, for it was time for him to depart.

Having entered Que Ling Mountain’s domain with the carriages, Ji Yan had shown him the road to Deer Call Mountain. Now, with Manager Kuang’s family delivered safely to their kin in Que Ling Town, his escorting duty was complete—it was time to leave.

Yu Ye turned his horse and began a slow ride away.

Though he wished not to disturb the family, someone alerted Manager Kuang.

"Yu Ye—"

Yu Ye halted, pulling the reins, and looked back.

Manager Kuang and Cai'er broke from the crowd, running after him, with Ji Yan and Mo Can in tow.

Manager Kuang hurried up, calling, "Ah, why do you leave without a word? Stay a few days, let me play the host..."

"Manager Kuang, please stop."

Yu Ye dismounted, gesturing for them to halt, then clasped his hands and said solemnly, "You all know I have offended many enemies. It is not that I am ignorant of courtesy, but I wish not to implicate the innocent. Besides, I am pressed for time and cannot linger."

Manager Kuang sighed, "Well..."

Cai'er, hesitant, stepped forward and handed him a box. "Osmanthus cake, your favorite," she said.

Yu Ye accepted the bamboo box and replied, "Am I not once again your freeloader?"

Cai'er couldn’t help but laugh, though her eyes brimmed with tears, reluctant to part.

Mo Can raised his hand, "Manager, let me accompany him for a while."

"Manager Kuang, Brother Ji, Cai'er, farewell!"

"Yu Ye, my name is Kuang Xian, from Lishui Town—don’t forget!"

"Brother Yu, take care!"

"Freeloader... take care!"

After bidding Manager Kuang, Cai'er, and Ji Yan farewell, Yu Ye led his horse away from town, accompanied by Mo Can.

Outside the town.

Night descended.

The wind swept the hills.

The two sat facing each other.

Yu Ye did not refuse Mo Can’s company—he knew the man had something to say, and he himself was full of questions, hoping for answers from this seasoned master.

"This is a token of my regard," Mo Can said, handing him a bundle.

Yu Ye was surprised, but smiled.

"Manager Kuang has left you some travel money—take it as well," Mo Can continued, producing a purse, a packet of dried meat, and a flask of wine.

"He guessed you’d leave, knew he couldn’t persuade you to stay, and asked me to see you off, to toast you with a cup of wine—"

Yu Ye did not drink, but ate the cake Cai'er gave him.

Mo Can poured himself a drink and said, "Manager Kuang may have treated you coldly at first; though it seemed discourteous, he had his reasons. Don’t blame him—he is a good man."

Yu Ye bore no grudge against Manager Kuang, nor was he one to complain.

Mo Can continued, "Perhaps you wonder how I came to be like this, how I met Manager Kuang, and how I uncovered your identity. We had no chance to talk before; tonight, let me speak freely."

Yu Ye nodded.

Mo Can drank, his scarred face showing a trace of reminiscence. He sighed, then went on, "Years ago, I was a disciple of West Cloud Mountain, one of the eight Daoist families in Daze. After reaching the acquired realm, I ventured overseas seeking fortune. It was said the immortal sects of Qizhou were numerous; if one could gain guidance or elixirs, with my talent, I might reach new heights as a cultivator. But, proud as I was, I offended some cultivators on a sea voyage. Unable to match them, I jumped into the sea and barely survived, losing an arm and an eye. I returned to Daze, gravely wounded, nearly died by the roadside. Manager Kuang saved me, spent heavily on my recovery, and I settled in the Kuang family home..."

In Daze’s Daoist sects, few reach the acquired realm. Mo Can’s perseverance and insight were remarkable, so his attempt to surpass his limits and become a cultivator was understandable. Yet he had a tale of seeking immortals overseas, fraught with hardship. Now, with Daze’s Daoist world in turmoil, he was uneasy, so he traveled with Manager Kuang, only to find the chaos deeper than expected.

"Compared to overseas, Daze is a backwater. Why do those cultivators come here? Is it only to hunt you, Yu Ye? Why destroy Daoist sects and recruit martial men? I’ve been in seclusion for years—I can’t fathom these times."

Mo Can did not know of Yu Ye’s dragon pill or his feud with overseas cultivators, nor did he ask. He simply came to see him off and speak from the heart. Perhaps Yu Ye reminded him of his younger self, or perhaps his ambitions remained unfulfilled, and he hoped this young man would succeed where he could not.

To Yu Ye, Mo Can was a worldly, seasoned elder. The scars on his face marked his suffering; the lost arm and eye bore witness to a past too painful to recall. Yet the calm in his lone eye suggested he had come to terms with life and found his future.

"Do you blame me for not killing Pan Yuan and for letting him go? As a cultivator, I did not want you entangled in worldly grudges. I crippled Pan Yuan’s arm; with so many enemies, survival means leaving the martial world and disappearing. For someone so ferocious, nothing is more painful. Revenge by killing is simple, but for the victim, it’s not always fair..."

Yu Ye had guessed Mo Can intended mercy for Pan Yuan after severing his arm. Though displeased at the time, he said nothing. Seeing Pan Yuan leave laughing angered him. This was why he hesitated to grow close to Mo Can and Manager Kuang, not realizing their intentions ran deeper. By comparison, he seemed shallow.

Moreover, killing is not the only means of vengeance.

"You are so young, yet already a cultivator. Even if you are a true dragon, in Daze you’ll struggle. I urge you to go overseas, to train in the immortal sects. Avoid rashness; learn to act with caution and speak little. My troubles came from speaking out—now I regret it deeply. It’s said: three years to learn to speak, a lifetime to learn silence. In the sects, there’s a saying: ‘the wise do not speak, the virtuous do not debate; the wise speak slowly, the foolish speak much.’ That is the principle. Ha, you and I are both fools. As for how to travel overseas, there is a dock at Huazhou Town..."