Rumors

It was the thirty-third day since Gao Nian of the Golden Dragon Gang had met his demise.

At the hour of Wu.

Shen Xiuhan and Geng Weizhi went ashore and hired an old oxcart at the ferry crossing. The wooden wheels creaked as they rolled over the bumpy, muddy road, jolting them for two hours before they finally arrived at the foot of Mount Mang.

The Wuji Academy was built along Mount Mang, about twenty li away from the Nanxiang prefecture capital.

In the early years, this place was a barren wilderness infested with tigers and leopards.

Since the Wuji Academy was established twenty years ago and began widely recruiting students, the area had gradually gathered a bustling population.

Shen Xiuhan looked up.

A vast complex of buildings with blue bricks and black tiles spread upward along the mountainside, layer upon layer. Their upturned eaves were hidden amidst the lush, ancient trees, and shrouded in mist, they exuded a solemn and majestic aura.

Even though it was just a branch academy, its grandeur was truly spectacular.

At this moment, the foot of the mountain was bustling with traffic.

On the spacious, flat ground, dozens of various carriages were parked in an orderly fashion. Their canopies were adorned with tassels, and the draft horses were exceptionally magnificent. They all belonged to wealthy families from Nanxiang Prefecture and the surrounding counties who had come to pick up their children to return home.

Jumping down from the oxcart with Geng Weizhi, Shen Xiuhan fished out ten copper coins and tossed them to the old driver.

Familiar with the way, Geng Weizhi walked forward and greeted the manager of the corridor.

Before long, he led out a spacious and sturdy double-horse carriage. The carriage body was painted a glossy black, and the curtains hung low. It was clearly prepared by the Ji family.

“Patrol Envoy, this is the carriage for the two young ladies.”

Geng Weizhi tied the reins and pointed to the tea stall under the thatched shed nearby. “Please rest here for a moment and have some hot tea, Envoy. I can handle this trip myself.”

Shen Xiuhan looked toward the winding bluestone mountain path and said, “I'll go with you. The two young ladies' luggage is probably not light.”

“No need, no need...” Geng Weizhi waved his hands repeatedly and smiled. “The young ladies have maids with them, and as cloistered women, they don't have many personal belongings. Please sit here and relax, Envoy.”

“Alright.” Shen Xiuhan nodded, picked a clean bench at the tea stall, and sat down.

Before he could finish his cup of coarse tea, a burst of crisp laughter echoed from the mountain path.

Shen Xiuhan looked in the direction of the sound.

The morning light filtered through the forest leaves as several young masters and ladies dressed in fine silks walked down the steps together.

The two girls leading the group were exceptionally eye-catching, like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each with her own unique charm.

The older one was about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a light red silk skirt embroidered with plum blossoms. Her waist was slender enough to be held in one hand, her legs were long, and her eyes held a cold, aloof expression that warned strangers away. As she walked, her skirt rippled slightly, like cold plums reflecting in the snow.

The younger one was around twelve or thirteen years old, with a delicate, doll-like face and exquisite features. Her bright almond eyes sparkled with life, making her even more endearing than her older sister.

What drew the most attention was that although this little girl was petite and delicate, her dress was already filled out remarkably well at her chest. At such a tender age, she already possessed a stunningly curvaceous figure, drawing frequent sidelong glances from the surrounding young men.

The older sister was named Ji Xue, and the younger sister was Ji Yao.

Behind them, Geng Weizhi, who had been so confident just moments ago, was bent double alongside two maids under the weight of a pile of redwood chests and silk bundles.

Geng Weizhi in particular was gasping for breath and stumbling, looking exactly like an old pack mule.

Shen Xiuhan laughed in spite of himself.

He took out two copper coins, tossed them onto the rough wooden table, and stepped forward to meet them, steadily taking the two heaviest chests with one hand.

Geng Weizhi let out a sigh of relief, wiping the hot sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He smiled wryly and said, “I barely made it down alive... Thank you for the hand, Envoy.”

“No need to be polite.”

Shen Xiuhan waited for him to catch his breath, his gaze landing on the two young men walking beside the young ladies. “Who are those two?”

Geng Weizhi followed his gaze and lowered his voice. “They say they are the young ladies' classmates, also from Changyun County, and are hitching a ride back with us.”

As they spoke, he and the maids loaded the luggage piece by piece into the rear compartment of the carriage, then secured it to the top rack with thick hemp ropes.

Standing beside the carriage, Shen Xiuhan quietly sized up the two young men.

One was surnamed Ma, wearing a white jade crown and a gold-woven brocade robe. His every gesture exuded the extravagant air of a wealthy young master.

The other youth, surnamed Wen, wore only a simple blue scholar's robe. Unlike the Ma youth who was draped in gold and silver, his facial features and bone structure were exceptionally refined.

Shen Xiuhan could tell at a glance. These two were eagerly trying to please, clearly suitors of the two young ladies.

Once everyone had climbed into the carriage one after another, Geng Weizhi cracked his whip. The carriage slowly set off, heading toward Lingshui Pier.

Along the way, the laughter and conversation of the young men and women occasionally drifted out through the silk curtains of the carriage.

Geng Weizhi listened intently for a while. It was mostly the two young men speaking inside the carriage, with the two Ji family young ladies occasionally offering a brief response.

Although the conversation was sparse, it only seemed to make the two youths even more enthusiastic.

Geng Weizhi smiled secretly and leaned back into a more comfortable position, a hint of regret rising in his heart. It wasn't easy to make a trip to the prefecture capital, yet I didn't even have time to go into the city to pick out a hairpin for my kids' mother.

“Whew...” Putting his worries aside for the moment, Geng Weizhi tightened his grip on the steel saber in his arms, his eyes quickly scanning the deep, dense woods on both sides of the official road.

After all, the two young ladies of the host family were sitting behind him; he had to maintain the vigilance he ought to have.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Shen Xiuhan, who was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with him, sitting up slightly straighter, his eyes fixed on the official road ahead.

Geng Weizhi's heart skipped a beat for some reason, and he asked, “Envoy Shen, is there any movement?”

Shen Xiuhan withdrew his gaze. Waiting for a couple of breaths, he said in a voice as thin as silk, “Be careful. Something's not right up ahead.”

Geng Weizhi's heart tightened! Without showing any outward change in expression, his large hand quietly rested on the hilt of his saber as his muscles tensed.

...

Two li away.

Behind a windward earthen slope, several burly men dressed in black short-sleeved shirts crouched in the shadows.

The leader was a lean man with a centipede-like scar slashing from the corner of his right eye down to his mouth, adding a touch of ferocity to his appearance.

Beside him stood a dark-skinned, broad-backed giant of a man with thick, powerful arms, built like an iron tower.

The giant looked slightly anxious, occasionally poking his head out to look toward the official road. “Third Brother, Erniang went off alone. Nothing will go wrong, right?”

The lean man lay back comfortably, resting his head on his crossed hands behind his neck. He said casually, “Don't worry. The intelligence clearly states that the escort leader has only just entered the Blood Tempering Rank and comes from a martial arts hall. He's eighty percent likely to be another greenhorn who has never seen blood. Erniang is at the Minor Accomplishment of the Blood Tempering Rank and has been licking blood off her blade for years. How could she possibly fail?”

He crossed his legs and swung them leisurely. “Besides... with Sun Erniang's personality, she definitely won't strike rashly. She'll likely lure those greenhorns onto a detour to toy with them first. Once she's had her fun, she'll slaughter them all.”

“True...” The dark-skinned giant scratched his head, a lustful expression flashing across his face as he leaned in with a sycophantic grin. “Third Brother, I heard... those two young ladies of the Ji family are rare beauties. Later, how about we first...”

“Shut up!” The lean man's gaze suddenly turned ice-cold. He sat up abruptly and glared at the giant. “Are you fucking out of your mind?!”

“Those two young ladies of the Ji family are cargo that the First Chief personally demanded! If you dare touch a single hair on their heads, let alone me, even Big Brother won't be able to protect you!”

Frightened by the scolding, the giant shrank back, quickly waving his hands and smiling sheepishly. “Hey, I was just saying...” His eyes darted around as he quickly changed the subject. “Third Brother, where is Big Brother right now?”

The lean man lay back down, his tone softening slightly as he said indifferently, “Training at the pier, of course. Ever since he got that treasure, Big Brother has been soaking in the water all day. His technique's progress has been advancing by leaps and bounds. Now... hm?” He broke off mid-sentence.

The lean man suddenly raised his head, squinting toward the official road for a moment. “They're here! Everyone, snap out of it! Once we finish this job, I'll take you to the Fengyue Pavilion in the prefecture capital to have some real fun.”