"Hurry, hurry!"
"Isn't that Tiger Cub from the next village?"
"They've been drugged with a sedative—quick, brew some licorice water!"
When Li Yan drove the donkey cart back to the village, a crowd of villagers swarmed around him. Those familiar with the ways of the martial world immediately recognized that the children had been dosed with a sedative drug.
Sweat-inducing drugs were not uncommon in the martial world. Substances like Immortal's Drunk, Yabulu, or Mandala could be refined into such concoctions. Flowers were harvested in August, blended with hemp seeds in July, dried in the shade, and ground into powder in equal parts.
The remedy was even simpler: a decoction of raw licorice.
After one bowl, the three children stirred awake. Seeing a throng of adults surrounding them, they looked bewildered, unaware of what had happened.
The father of one of the missing children clutched his son, weeping with joy.
The crowd buzzed with words of comfort and angry curses, the scene descending into chaos.
Wan, the shopkeeper, his face grim, instructed his men to calm the villagers before leading several disciples toward the stable.
The captured woman trafficker was being held there.
As for the peddler's corpse, Li Yan had already discarded it in the woods.
Li Yan, Sha Lifei, and another exchanged glances before following closely behind.
Inside the stable, the woman was tightly bound, ropes cutting deep into her flesh.
Martial artists often had tricks for escaping captivity—dislocating joints or collarbones, hiding blades under their tongues or in their hair, or even concealing needles beneath their skin.
Thus, despite a thorough search, the Craftsmen Sect disciples remained cautious. They tied her with extra-tight ropes, knotted securely, sinking into her skin.
The woman, about thirty years old, had a sallow complexion and fierce, triangular eyes. Half her face, struck by Li Yan's slap, was bruised purple and swollen like a steamed bun.
Seemingly aware her life was forfeit, she remained silent. Even as the group entered, her gaze stayed cold and venomous.
Wan, the shopkeeper, was in no rush to interrogate her. He sat on a chair brought by a disciple, silently puffing on his pipe a few times before speaking. "Eating off the streets, abducting children, ransoming for wealth—none of these are your usual trade. Who ordered you to do this?"
Seeing her silence, he gave a cold snort. "A tough tongue won't help you. I'm well-known on the streets of Xianyang City, yet I've never seen your kind. You're from Chang'an, aren't you?"
"Is your contact Cai the Third Aunt or Butcher the Second Master…?"
"Oh, it's Butcher the Second, that rule-breaking rascal."
As he spoke, he watched her expression closely.
Without her saying a word, he had already pieced together most of the puzzle.
Li Yan and Sha Lifei, observing this, couldn't help but inwardly give him a thumbs-up.
The woman, realizing her background had been exposed, grew visibly flustered. She shut her eyes tightly, gritted her teeth, and said, "Don't ask me. I don't know the employer. Even if you go to Butcher the Second, he wouldn't dare speak. Break the rules, and more people will die."
"Hm."
Wan nodded, his voice heavy. "I have no intention of breaking your rules. I only want you to understand what you've gotten yourself into."
He turned to a disciple nearby. "Have you found anything?"
"We have!" The disciple bowed respectfully, presenting a slip of paper with both hands.
Wan took it, frowned as he read, then shook his head slightly. He handed it to Wang Daoxuan beside him, saying in a gravelly voice, "Friend Wang, my knowledge of divination is limited. Please take a look and see if anything seems amiss."
Wang Daoxuan, clearly sensing something serious, took the paper with a grave expression. After a few glances, he said solemnly, "Meeting Ding in the first month, Hai in the fifth, and Yin in the eighth—all are Heavenly Virtue Nobles. Someone is trying to borrow their fates to break through a cultivation barrier!"
Wan sighed. "I suspected something was off earlier. If they only targeted the children of our Shangyi Village, I'd assume it was revenge. But abducting children from multiple villages and asking for their names? That's suspicious."
"It seems someone isn't content with their lot. Targeting only Heavenly Virtue Nobles suggests their cultivation is mediocre at best…"
Seeing Li Yan and Sha Lifei's confusion, Wang Daoxuan explained gravely, "This is a crooked method of borrowing fate to break through. They take the lives of boys and girls with extraordinary destinies, offering them in profane sacrifices to boost their cultivation."
"The Great Xuan Dynasty has decreed that anyone practicing such methods shall be executed without mercy!"
Li Yan, thoughtful, asked, "What should we do if we encounter this?"
"Report it to the Law Enforcement Hall of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, naturally."
Wan rose slowly. "Someone, bring her along. We're going to the Xianyang City God Temple."
He cast a cold glance at the woman. "You don't need to say anything. At the City God Temple, they have ways to make you talk. And as for Butcher the Second in Chang'an—he won't escape either!"
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The woman, now panicked, screamed, "Butcher the Second told me to deliver the children to Menggu Village, to tie them up in the ruined ancestral temple. Someone else would come to collect them. It's all Butcher's doing—it has nothing to do with me!"
She was clearly terrified.
For people like her, living on the edge, death was just a scar the size of a bowl, perhaps even earning them a reputation for loyalty.
But offending the Mysterious Sect? Who knew what horrors they might face—perhaps being refined into some monstrosity, unable to find peace even in death, let alone reincarnate.
Slap!
At Wan's signal, a disciple stepped forward, struck her across the face, then stuffed a rag into her mouth before dragging her out like a dead dog.
Wan shook his head slightly, turned to Li Yan and the others, and clasped his hands. "Thanks to young brother Li this time, or the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"Xianyang City is rife with turmoil now. Leave this matter to me. I'll take her to the City God Temple. No matter who's behind this, they won't escape."
"Stay in the manor and rest. Food and drink will be provided."
"Senior Wan, please handle your affairs."
As it involved the Mysterious Sect and crooked paths, the three refrained from asking further.
Wan, the shopkeeper, clearly had more experience in such matters.
…
After Wan left with his men, the manor buzzed with activity once more.
With nothing else to do, Li Yan decided to seek out Zhao Donkey.
Wang Daoxuan, with Wan's permission, had already buried himself in the study, poring over Wan's collection of Mysterious Sect texts. Sha Lifei had no interest in going up the mountain, so Li Yan set out alone.
The back mountain wasn't far. Carrying a box of food and wine, Li Yan left from the rear of the village. Soon, he spotted a small hill.
The hill wasn't tall but was covered in dense vegetation. Exposed areas revealed rocky, yellowish soil, making it steep and hard to climb.
After the morning's chaos, it was already afternoon by the time he ascended. The setting sun cast a slanting glow, and an old, weathered mountain god temple stood in a hollow halfway up the slope.
It exuded an eerie, aged aura.
Before Li Yan could approach, he heard voices from within.
"Brother Zhao, this is a big job. Won't you consider it?"
"My ancestors forbade taking jobs that involve going underground."
"You're such a blockhead! That's a…"
The speaker cut off mid-sentence, hearing Li Yan's footsteps. He turned sharply, voice cold. "Who's there?"
Sharp ears…
Li Yan pretended not to have heard, calling out loudly, "Brother Zhao, it's me! I've come to drink with you!"
"Brother Li!"
Zhao Donkey, initially wary, lit up at Li Yan's voice. He turned to the other man. "Senior Mo, I won't take this job. You should go. I have a guest to entertain."
"Fine, forget it!"
At that moment, Li Yan saw the speaker.
He was a short, middle-aged man in coarse black robes, a small black cap on his head, and an iron rod tucked at his waist. His wrinkled features were pinched together, with protruding front teeth, resembling a large rat.
Li Yan also caught a whiff of decayed earth from him.
The man's gaze was sinister. He shot Li Yan a cold look, clearly unwilling to engage, and swiftly departed, vanishing around the ridge.
"Brother Li, are you free now?" Zhao Donkey, a young man who lived in the wilderness and wasn't much for words, had grown to genuinely regard Li Yan as a friend after their shared adventure.
He was delighted by the visit.
"Haha, no matter how busy I am, I've always got time for a drink!" Li Yan laughed heartily, subtly gesturing toward the ridge.
The rat-faced man, despite appearing to leave, was actually lurking behind the ridge, eavesdropping.
Zhao Donkey understood immediately and grinned. "Brother Li, come in! Let's drink till we drop tonight… No, stay the night!"
"Sounds good."
Li Yan chuckled and followed him into the mountain god temple.
The temple resembled a cave dwelling, half-exposed and half-carved into the hillside. From the outside, it looked ancient, but inside, it was swept clean. There were a kitchen and woodshed on either side, as well as an earthen bed.
A statue stood in the main hall, depicting an old man dressed as a medicinal farmer.
Sensing the lingering incense aura, Li Yan's expression grew solemn. He respectfully lit three incense sticks before sitting down to chat with Zhao Donkey.
The two talked idly, avoiding serious matters. After a while, Li Yan smiled and said, "He's gone. Who was that guy? He didn't seem right…"
Zhao Donkey didn't hide anything, shaking his head. "He's from the Treasure-Seeking lineage, an acquaintance of my father's. He roams around Guanzhong, searching for great tombs. He has a few disciples, all ruthless in their methods."
Li Yan frowned. "Was he here to cause trouble?"
"Not exactly."
Zhao Donkey hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Someone in Xianyang City spread word of a heavenly treasure. He came to ask me to join him in seeking it."
"Oh?" Li Yan's interest was piqued. "What kind of treasure?"
Zhao Donkey shook his head. "It could be called a treasure or a cursed object. It's called the Mountain Tai Sui."
"It's not far, just in the mass graveyard outside Xianyang City…"
*(End of Chapter)*