In front of a large wooden gate, several guards checked each and every carriage entering the city. As the turn finally came for Xiao Shan's group, the guards surrounded their cart and ordered everyone down.
The group exited and stood silently behind Chen Kang as he and the old coachman conversed with a guard. The old man produced some paperwork and a seal while the cart was searched by the other guards.
Seeing no problems, the guards allowed the group to enter the city.
"Security seems very tight," Li Mo commented inside the cart as they passed the entrance. He noticed that even carriages leaving were being checked.
The cart rolled forward over paved roads. After taking a couple of turns, they entered a bustling area. The road was filled with shops and carts moving in and out with merchandise, and people walked along the streets busily.
Finally, at the edge of this area where the bustle wore thin, a large inn came into view. The inn had its own stables for carriages and their horses.
As they arrived, a middle-aged man with a round face, surrounded by a couple of maids, welcomed them.
"Welcome to our inn, Old Shou and Master Chen Kang," the round-faced man said, cupping his hands in greeting. He arranged for some workers to take the carriage to a resting spot, and the group followed the man as they entered the building.
Inside the building, a small hall was filled with comfortable seating, forming several waiting areas where other traveler groups awaited.
The maids led the group to a separate section where they sat around a table, and tea was brought out for everyone.
"Old Shou, given that you brought the young master, I prepared a good spot," the round-faced man laughed as he slapped the back of the coachman.
"Old friend, do you think you can arrange a table for the young master at the restaurant?" the old coachman chuckled.
"Not a problem at all. I will give a heads-up so a table is reserved on the second floor for your stay."
As the round-faced man and the old coachman continued to speak, a couple of maids approached and signaled that the rooms were ready.
The group was led to the second floor. Chen Kang was given his own suite with a bedroom, a study, and a guest hall, leaving him highly satisfied with his accommodations.
Xiao Shan and the rest were given a separate room on the first floor. While the room was spacious, the decoration was minimal, containing only cots and a large table area. The room was far more akin to servants' quarters.
The next day, the group divided itself into two. Chen Kang spent most of his time in the inn, while the rest followed the old coachman to move merchandise to and from the carriage.
In the afternoon, Chen Kang went to the restaurant, sitting by himself at a reserved table on the second floor, drinking tea.
The rest of the group usually partook in meals on the ground floor, where they focused on surveying the restaurant patrons, looking for regulars and other suspicious people.
This routine continued for a couple of days.
On the third day, as Chen Kang arrived at the restaurant, an attendant was already at the door waiting for him. "Young Master, a person just came and claimed to have an appointment with you. Given that we received no heads-up, we wanted to confirm with you first. If this is an uninvited guest, we are more than willing to clear the table to ensure you are not disturbed," the attendant said, bowing respectfully.
"Can you describe the person? Did he say anything else?" Chen Kang replied calmly.
"Yes, he seems like a man in his thirties. His clothing, although clean, consists of simple gray robes, which made us doubt. He did not mention any name, so his identity is unknown. He did mention, however, that he was here to see the sun rising behind the seven peaks with you," the attendant said respectfully.
Chen Kang thought for a moment. "Indeed, this man is my guest." He nodded as he walked toward the second floor. The attendant quickly signaled to the staff to ensure no discourtesy was shown to the man on the second floor.
As Chen Kang made his way to his reserved table, a slim man with sunken eyes, looking fairly exhausted, smiled at him as he lifted a cup of tea, seemingly inviting him to toast.
Chen Kang sat opposite the man and was served a cup of tea. "The seven peaks are indeed majestic, but it is the dawn that brings its blessings," he said, taking a slow sip.
"Indeed, the fragrance of the blooming heavenly lotuses soothes even the weariest heart." The man took a slow sip of his tea.
Chen Kang set his teacup down, rotated it three-quarters of a turn, and smiled faintly at the man.
The man watched Chen Kang closely, his pupils narrowing in rapt attention. He set down his own teacup. After the time it took for a couple of breaths, the man rotated his cup three-quarters of a turn in the opposite direction. A single drop of sweat rolled down his eyebrow.
Chen Kang nodded and replied, "My journey to the west nears its end."
"My path leads to the east," the man replied with a slight smile.
"It is good to see a friend, but tomorrow at noon I shall depart." With that, Chen Kang stood up and instructed the attendants to charge everything to his room.
As the day for departure arrived, the carriage was readied. Outside the inn stood Chen Kang and a middle-aged man, and everyone boarded the carriage as it made its way to exit the city walls.
Inside the carriage, everyone had a tense expression, seemingly on guard at all times. However, as time passed and the city walls started to shrink from view, everyone began to relax a little.
"Seems like we have made it through the most perilous part," Chen Lin spoke, breaking the silence. "Brother, don't worry. With us here, everything will be smooth from here until we get to the sect." Chen Lin slapped his chest, feeling heroic.
"Yes, we may be at the third level of Qi Condensation, but we are experts and prodigies of our clan. Brother Li Mo over there is at the fourth level and is pretty strong. Xiao Shan over there is also fourth level, but given his background, he is not very strong. Still, I can assure you that even Brother Xiao Shan would be willing to become a meat shield if needed!" Chen Wei exclaimed excitedly.
Xiao Shan, who was looking at the city on the horizon from the back door, looked back at Chen Wei and narrowed his eyes.
"Brother must have had a perilous mission. What is Brother's illustrious name? We will make sure the sect receives you as you deserve!" Chen Lin said, closing in on the man and seemingly cozying up to him.
"It has been a while since I left the sect, so I am not familiar with current happenings. I would just want to return and recuperate in peace," the man said apologetically.
"Since that is what Brother wants, we will surely help you out. What can I call distinguished Brother?" Chen Lin pressed.
The man smiled mildly as he scratched his head. "This is probably not a secret, but I go by Chen Bingshan. I hope you youngsters can take care of me." The man cupped his hands.
"Uncle Bingshan!" Chen Wei stood up in surprise. "No wonder the family told us you died a while ago! You were actually out on a secret mission!"
"Eh?" The man looked at Chen Wei with a surprised expression.
"You probably don't remember since it has been so long. I am Chen Wei, my brother here is Chen Lin, and Senior Brother Chen Kang is leading this mission! You are in good hands back with the family clan, Uncle!" Chen Wei said excitedly.
The man's pupils shrank as he looked at Chen Wei closely. "Ah, yes. It has been a long time, nephew. No wonder I don't recognize any of the youngsters from the clan." The man slapped his leg as he let out a hearty laugh.
Li Mo looked at Chen Bingshan with surprise, blinking a few times.
Chen Bingshan looked at Li Mo with a slight smile, then turned to Xiao Shan, who was looking outside from the back door of the carriage.
"Oh? Look at those clouds. Don't they look like a phoenix? An auspicious sign!" Chen Bingshan said, pointing five times at the clouds in the distance.
Xiao Shan looked at the man with an odd expression.
"Hahaha! I spent so long underground for my mission that even clouds impress me. I made a fool of myself in front of you youngsters," the man let out a laugh.
"It is normal! For all Uncle has suffered, he can watch the clouds from the highest mountain peak in the sect if he wishes!" Chen Lin interrupted.
The banter continued for a bit. However, Xiao Shan and Li Mo remained quiet, watching the man.
Finally, the carriage entered the woods to the east of Huangzhen. Towering trees surrounded the path, blotting out the scorching midday sun.
As the lackeys kept yapping and exalting Chen Kang's prowess, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.
Li Mo stood up quickly while Xiao Shan focused on the back door. Suddenly, the carriage rattled and was flipped onto its side, throwing everyone into alarm.
Outside, the sounds of fighting broke out. Everyone scrambled out of the carriage to see a group of men in dark robes, their faces shrouded by a strange black mist.
A few meters in front of the carriage, Chen Kang was entangled with two black-robed men: a tall, slim man wielding a spear and a robust one wielding a battle-axe.
Chen Kang had deployed a magic saber to block the spearman while a wall of water blocked the axe-wielding man.
The robust man let out a shout as he sliced through the water wall with his axe, sending a ray of sharp energy toward Chen Kang.
Chen Kang was caught in the middle of an incantation and was pushed several steps back as a light curtain blocked the axe energy. At his waist, a jade talisman cracked, and his protective light dimmed a level.
Seeing this, the tall man slammed his spear against the saber, sending it flying upward as Chen Kang lost control of it momentarily from the previous attack. Then, the slim man followed up with a spear thrust, shattering the protective barrier and slamming into Chen Kang's left shoulder as he desperately tried to evade.
Although this sounds long, it actually happened in the span of a single breath. The group from the carriage was just regrouping to the sight of Chen Kang getting overwhelmed in the fight.
Li Mo quickly shouted for the lackeys to cover Chen Bingshan and for Xiao Shan to pull the coachman out of the wreckage.
As Xiao Shan moved to pull the coachman out, Li Mo took a step forward to aid Chen Kang. However, just as his hand rose to slap his bag of holding, a hair-raising sensation of danger erupted behind him, causing him to stagger instinctively to the left. A split second later, a horrific, cold pain tore through his abdomen. He spat a mouthful of dark blood.
Looking down in absolute disbelief, he watched the tip of a black, smoking blade protrude from his belly. The chaotic sounds of the forest began to fade, and his vision dissolved into a blur.