Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilds, Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Rough Men of the Rivers and Lakes
Dawn had not yet broken.
Lanterns flared in the rear courtyard, and Tianbao’s shouts rang out.
Inside the room, Yu Ye was dressing. He had retied his topknot and changed into a gray coarse cloth robe, a travel bag strapped about his waist, his hands wrapped in deerskin. These were the clothes Tianbao had prepared for him. The cloth strips, or deerskin, on the hands kept swords from slipping away in deadly combat; they were a little trick of life-and-death fighting, and the customary garb of wanderers on the road.
On the bed lay a longsword and a stack of talismans.
The blue steel sword was the weapon he carried in disguise as a man of the rivers and lakes.
With his present cultivation and magical power, he ought to have been able to command a flying sword. Yet after Jiao Ying urged him otherwise, he had dismissed the notion. A flying sword was not nearly so formidable as sword qi, and it might instead expose his true cultivation.
Among the talismans were twenty armor-piercing talismans, more than thirty fire-release talismans, two wind-riding talismans, and two dragon-subduing talismans.
His last journey to Chenling Mountain had consumed sixteen armor-piercing talismans and two fire-release talismans. These remaining talismans, together with his sword qi and the Heavenly Dragon Shield, were all he could rely upon on the way to North Ji Mountain.
Yu Ye took out several bottles of elixirs and a few ingots of gold and silver and set them on the bed. Only then did he gather up the talismans, seize the longsword, and open the door to go out.
In the courtyard, Tianbao and Ren Liang were rolling up their sleeves, full of vigor.
At the side gate leading to the front courtyard hung a lantern. Beneath its dim light stood several figures, among them old men, women, and children.
When the Tianbao brothers saw him appear, they strode toward the outside of the courtyard.
Yu Ye raised both hands and bowed deeply to the old men and women by the side gate.
Outside, three horses were already prepared and ready to depart. Three identical broad-brimmed hats hung from their saddles.
In the pale morning light, the three rode away from the manor.
After a while, they reached a country road. Looking back, Tianbao’s family estate had already vanished into the valley.
“Tianbao, does this place have a name?”
“There are many pear trees in the hills, so it is called Pear Tree Valley.”
“If anything untoward happens on the trip to North Ji Mountain and the brothers are separated, we may return here and meet again. What do you two elder brothers think?”
“Then we shall follow Third Brother’s suggestion!”
“Let’s go!”
...
Five days later.
North Ji Town.
Three mounted men had appeared on the streets.
They were Yu Ye and the Tianbao brothers. All three wore broad-brimmed hats, carried weapons, and looked dusty from the road, exactly like wandering martial artists heading to North Ji Mountain to watch the ceremony.
Seen like this, such men were everywhere, and with hawkers shouting their wares and carts and horses moving through the streets, the town was jammed with people.
At the western end of town stood a courtyard, and above its gate hung a banner reading Fortune Inn.
Tianbao rode straight into the courtyard, shouted a few times, then called out in frustration, “Forget lodging for now. Let’s fill our stomachs first!”
The three brothers went from the eastern end of town to the western end, from the Joyful Arrival Inn to the Fortune Inn, but every inn was full, with not a single place to stay to be found. As Tianbao had said, they could only rest for a while in an inn’s tavern and eat something to stave off hunger.
Yu Ye and Ren Liang dismounted and handed their horses over to the servants.
In front of the tavern, people came and went as well.
Yu Ye stopped and looked over the noisy yet familiar little town.
Nearly a year had passed since he had last returned to North Ji Town. Last time he had been fleeing; this time he came to meet hardship head-on. He had also changed companions, and even he himself had become a man of the martial world.
“Third Brother—”
Yu Ye turned and walked into the tavern.
The tavern was packed with people, drinking, clattering cups, shouting boisterously, a din of voices all around.
The three brothers seized a table in the corner and sat down, ordered a vat of wine and three basins of meat, and none of them stood on ceremony as they ate and drank heartily.
Yu Ye rather liked these days of large gulps of wine and large mouthfuls of meat, savoring a life of ease, carefreeness, and full-blooded pleasure. Yet while he ate and drank, he quietly spread out his divine sense.
After arriving in North Ji Town, he had been paying attention in secret. But in the crowd along the streets, he had not discovered any cultivators from Qizhou.
According to Hong An, thirty cultivators had arrived in the Great Marsh in succession, and many had already perished. Four Foundation Establishment experts and fifteen Qi Refinement masters still remained. Among them, Bu Yi and Nan Shan were at odds, and the five rogue cultivators they had hired would not be willing to risk their lives wholeheartedly. By this reckoning, Nan Shan and the disciples of the immortal sect he had brought with him were the true opponents.
“Gentlemen, this trip to North Ji Mountain is a rare opportunity...”
“How so?”
“To enter an immortal sect and cultivate the path of longevity...”
“Where in the world is there such a good thing? Have you not heard that more than a hundred fellow Daoists perished on Chenling Mountain...”
“In my opinion, we should just go and watch quietly. If there is any benefit, brothers, we should not hesitate to seize it; if there is any danger, then run like hell, ha-ha...”
“I hear all the parties’ fellow Daoists have already arrived at North Ji Mountain. How can we lag behind...”
The people in the tavern were discussing the upcoming journey to North Ji Mountain, excitement and expectation plain on their faces, though there were also the worried and the opportunists among them.
“Second Brother, Third Brother, since the inns here are all full, why don’t we head straight to North Ji Mountain? That way, if anything happens, we can respond in advance!”
“What Big Brother says makes sense!”
“That was my thought as well!”
Yu Ye ate and drank in a rough, casual manner, looking no different from any other wandering martial artist. Yet his appetite was now very small; a piece of meat and a bowl of wine were enough. In the blink of an eye he was sated. After saying his farewells to the Tianbao brothers, he rose and stepped out of the tavern to get some air and seek a bit of quiet in the inn’s courtyard.
But just as he entered the courtyard, his expression shifted.
At the same moment, a man who had just brushed past him suddenly stopped and said in surprise, “Could this be Mr. Yu...”
Yu Ye hurriedly turned and raised a finger, signaling him to be silent.
“Oh?”
The man was in his early thirties, wearing a Daoist robe and a short beard, his eyes bright. Suddenly delighted, he cried, “So it really is Yu Ye...”
Yu Ye could not help rolling his eyes and said helplessly, “Brother Tao Feng, we have met again after such a long time. Why must you try to get me killed?”
Tao Feng, whose given name was Tao Fengzi, was a disciple of the Western Cloud Mountain Daoist sect and a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refinement. They had met outside Qingye Town and had joined forces to kill two cultivators from Qizhou, after which they had gone their separate ways. He had never expected to meet him again here by chance, and even less expected that Tao Feng would call out Yu Ye’s real name.
“Brother Yu, you are being far too cautious!”
Tao Feng said dismissively, “How could we speak without fear of others overhearing?”
At mealtime, there truly was no one nearby.
Yu Ye lowered the brim of his hat and said softly, “I am a coward.”
“Heh, Brother Yu really knows how to joke. If you were a coward, how would you dare come here in person?”
Tao Feng still wore an expression of delight and said excitedly, “And you are not the only one who came in person. There are also a few skilled fellow Daoists here. Let me introduce you, and afterward we can travel together to North Ji Mountain. Come—”
A few skilled fellow Daoists?
Instantly several faces surfaced in Yu Ye’s mind. He quickly said, “No need...”
“These days are unlike the past. People from all quarters have gathered at North Ji Mountain. Even if the cultivators of Qizhou harbor ill intent, they would not dare defy the world. Besides, the founding of the immortal sect on North Ji Mountain is neither proper nor justified...”
Tao Feng went on and on by himself, then beckoned with his hand. “Brother Yu, let us speak in the guest rooms!”
But Yu Ye stood where he was without moving. Beside him were now two burly men; all three wore broad-brimmed hats, and their clothing was much the same.
“Brother Tao, it is inconvenient to disturb you today. Another day, I shall seek your guidance!”
With an apologetic smile, Yu Ye raised his hand in farewell.
Tao Feng said in astonishment, “Brother Yu, how can you forget your identity, forget where righteousness lies, and consort with such martial rabble?”
“Brother Tao...”
Yu Ye had not even finished speaking before Tianbao and Ren Liang beside him were displeased.
“What’s wrong with martial rabble?”
“And who are you?”
Tao Feng smiled faintly. “I am a cultivator of Western Cloud Mountain and do not keep company with rustic louts. I advise Brother Yu to value himself and conduct himself properly...”
Tianbao and Ren Liang looked at each other and instantly flew into a rage.
“Damn it, I am a rustic lout! And what the hell are you? Even the Daoist sect has been wiped out, a homeless dog with no master, and you still pretend to be some great figure. I spit on you!”
“Hmph, so you dare look down on martial people, look down on my Third Brother? You’ve got guts. Just wait!”
Tao Feng’s face darkened as he snapped, “Impudent...”
As a cultivator, he prided himself on his refinement. Even though he had suffered hardship, no one had ever cursed him so viciously before.
Tianbao widened his eyes and drew his long blade with a clang, snarling, “Damn it, I was born bold!”
In an instant, more than twenty martial men surged out of the tavern, each one fierce and roaring, “Who dares look down on us? Where is he—” Among the crowd, Ren Liang’s figure appeared as he shouted to incite them, “That damned Daoist, brothers, hack him down!”
Tao Feng had not foreseen this at all. He raised his hand and summoned a streak of sword light.
When the crowd saw the flying sword, their momentum faltered. Tianbao, however, remained as mad as ever and charged forward with his long blade raised.
Yu Ye watched the chaotic scene, equally stunned.
He had merely wanted nothing to do with Tao Feng, and he had never imagined causing such a huge disturbance. Yet he could not simply stand by and let it continue, or a bloody clash would be unavoidable.
Yu Ye hurried forward to block Tianbao and said to Tao Feng, “Brother Tao, enough is enough!”
Though he seemed to be trying to dissuade them, in truth he was shielding the band of martial men.
Tao Feng shook his head in disbelief and said regretfully, “Brother Yu, I never imagined that you would...”
Yu Ye gave a wry grin and pulled Tianbao toward the outside.
Tianbao still refused to let it rest, cursing all the while, “Third Brother, let go of me. I’ll hack him to death—”
From within the crowd, Ren Liang shouted at the right moment, “Good brothers, disperse. If this gets any bigger, it will be hard to clean up!”
The martial men present understood the wisdom of knowing when to stop. Besides, they had not suffered any loss and had even won some pride. One by one they swaggered off, swinging their arms.
Tao Feng had no choice but to let it drop in vexation.
Still, he could not understand it. That Brother Yu was a master cultivator and had killed countless people, yet now he was fraternizing as brothers with a band of rough men. Could it really be that the orthodox lineage had perished and human nature itself had fallen into ruin?
Yu Ye had no time to care what Tao Feng was thinking. He urged the servant to bring their horses, and together with Tianbao and Ren Liang he hastily left North Ji Town.
Their destination was North Ji Mountain.
There were still several days before the viewing ceremony of the immortal sect on North Ji Mountain. Rather than let Tianbao and Ren Liang, both so prone to causing trouble, remain in North Ji Town, it would be better to let the two brothers stir up some trouble on North Ji Mountain instead...