Upon a cliff amidst a sea of mountains.
Gu Heng, a streak of light, flashed across the sky and vanished. He landed on a large boulder on the cliff, turning to look at Yu Cheng Taoist, who was quietly gazing down at the endless forest below.
He smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Here to enjoy the scenery?"
Yu Cheng Taoist flicked his finger, sending out a pulse of force that scattered the fierce winds atop the cliff. "When we first succeeded in our Qi Refining," he said, "we patrolled the mountains hunting for demons, dreaming of slaying them and becoming Great Cultivators of the Mystic Sect, admired by all. Hasn't it been almost a few hundred years in the blink of an eye?"
"Almost three hundred years... but it feels just like yesterday!"
Yu Cheng Taoist exhaled a breath of stale air. He turned to meet Gu Heng's gaze and chuckled. "Someone nearly pulled the rug out from under you over there, and you have the patience to endure it!"
Gu Heng said irritably, "What choice do I have? The people above are the ones pulling the strings. All I can do is pretend I don't see it." After speaking, he pulled a flask of wine from his storage pouch and took a hard swig.
"The ones pulling the strings aim to steal the national fate of the Xia Dynasty... I estimate that in another hundred years, the world will be plunged into chaos. I just don't know what form it will take this time."
Yu Cheng Taoist took the wine Gu Heng offered and lowered his voice. "The Imperial Family..."
Gu Heng cut him off. "I have no interest in the grand scheme of things, and you shouldn't be so fixated on it either. Isn't it better to just quietly guard our shabby little Daoist Temple and enjoy the world's fine wine, beautiful sights, and lovely women?"
Yu Cheng Taoist gave Gu Heng a serious look, then tilted his head back for a drink of wine. Staring out at the magnificent landscape before them, he said, "It's true we lack the power to influence the grand scheme. But as a pawn on the board, we might have a small hope of influencing the situation on Nanlin Road."
"For that precious apprentice of yours?"
"For all of us!"
"Don't forget our last failure. Our words carry little weight. If the higher-ups don't give the nod, we can't do a thing."
For some reason, a smile touched Yu Cheng Taoist's lips when he heard this. He laughed and said, "Groveling? Who doesn't know how to do that? I do, you do, and my apprentice does too!"
「...」
「By the river.」
Feng Miao and Xia Yao built a wooden pyre for Zuo Sizi, then a great fire burned his body to ash. This was to prevent any Evil Cultivators from refining his corpse.
There was no concept of the "uncanny" in this world, but refining corpses was still possible. Moreover, the body of a Qi Refiner was the best kind of material.
Once the fire was roaring, Xia Yao and Feng Miao forced the Snake Demon down in front of it. One held its head while the other performed the Soul Searching Technique.
The Soul Searching Technique was a common Magic used by Qi Refiners. It was in one of Yu Cheng Taoist's Magic Books, but Wang Ping hadn't had the chance to learn it yet.
"How did it go?" Wang Ping asked as he saw Feng Miao finish the technique.
"Its memories have been erased. Even its memories of the North Mountain Forest have been wiped clean..." Feng Miao's expression turned grim. As she spoke, she glanced silently at Zuo Sizi's remains in the fire.
"Just as I thought. The Little Demons were bait to lure us here. Their goal was to eliminate us. It was supposed to be a foolproof plan..."
Xia Yao remained very calm. She looked at Wang Ping and said, "It's all thanks to Daoist Changqing. Otherwise, we all would have died here."
'A Secret Technique Cultivator working with dozens of Little Demons could have easily killed all four of them. Then they could have blamed it on the Little Demons of North Mountain. Even if the Daoist Scripture Hall investigated, a simple mountain search would have been enough to close the case.'
But now, things were different...
"There must be something hidden in North Mountain. During this search, even if I have to turn the entire forest upside down, I'm going to find out what secrets they're hiding!" Feng Miao said fiercely.
"I'm afraid it will just be a waste of effort by then!"
Xia Yao gazed toward North Mountain. Since the Secret Technique Cultivator failed to succeed in one blow, he must have fled immediately, taking most of the secrets with him.
She had returned to her rational state of mind. "Also, Daoist Gu Heng was right. It's not suitable for us to participate in this mountain search anymore..."
"I'll stay behind. You go back and report first..."
"What I mean is, we can join as ordinary Qi Refiners, not in the name of the mission."
Wang Ping added, "Let's wait for our Fellow Daoists from Sanhe Temple to arrive first..."
「...」
The people from Sanhe Temple arrived the next day.
Zhao Qing had met them on the road. Their leader was a middle-aged Qi Refiner with the Daoist name Guangxuan. He led dozens of disciples, and from their formation, it looked like they intended to completely eradicate the demons of North Mountain.
The group didn't go to the county seat, but instead stayed at the residence of a wealthy household outside the city.
The wealthy man's surname was Tian, and Guangxuan called him Master Tian.
After the groups exchanged greetings, Feng Miao got straight to business...
Guangxuan didn't answer her directly. Instead, he looked at Master Tian and smiled. "Why don't you start? Tell us how things got to this point."
Master Tian appeared to be around fifty years old. His hair was streaked with gray, the wrinkles on his face were deep, and the qi and blood in his body were already in decline. Hearing Guangxuan call on him, he chuckled, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Daoists, the matter of North Mountain began ten years ago..."
It was a clichéd story. Ten years ago, someone started by trading high-quality pelts from North Mountain. This slowly grew into a massive business network, and eventually, no one could say just how deep the rabbit hole went.
"We're just ordinary mortals, you see. We don't think about such things. Over the years, at least six hundred thousand taels of silver have passed through my hands, but less than twenty thousand taels actually ended up with me. Most of the money went to cover the deficits of the Inspectorate..."
"What deficits at the Inspectorate?" Xia Yao demanded.
"The military expenses for suppressing the rebellion in the Northwest were all scraped together by the various southern Inspectorates. If it weren't for the business from the forest propping things up, the people here would have been boiling with resentment long ago..."
"So, are you saying this is our fault?" Guangxuan asked with a faint, unreadable smile.
"I wouldn't dare!" Master Tian said, waving his hands repeatedly.
Guangxuan didn't waste any more words with him and got straight to the point. "My disciples from Sanhe Temple will be able to establish a forward encampment and watchtowers on the outskirts of the North Mountain Forest by tonight. The Prefect's official documents have also been delivered to the two County Magistrates. They will muster their troops at top speed and rendezvous with us."
These words were directed at Master Tian, a clear statement of his intentions.
"I am willing to contribute twenty thousand taels to fund this mountain search!" Master Tian declared decisively, then excused himself and left.
Once their host had tactfully departed, Guangxuan turned to Wang Ping and cupped his fist. "Fellow Daoist Changqing, to be honest with you, I've long been aware of the situation in Shu County. But the waters here are murky, and the relationships are all interlinked. All we could do was try to maintain a balance and prevent the demons from the forest from coming down to harm people."
"This world is getting more and more twisted," Feng Miao sighed.
Things like this were common in this world. The mountain forests were governed by Mountain Gods appointed by the Court, but the Mountain Gods themselves were just pacified demons. Over time, they would claim the mountains as their own kingdoms or collude with local Prefecture Magistrate's Offices and clans to conduct shady dealings. The darkness that bred in such places was immeasurable.
Feng Miao and Xia Yao had traveled and trained for years, so they had seen far too many things like this. But for cultivators, there were some things that, if left undone, would create a mental block. Some even ended up becoming part of the problem themselves.
Guangxuan met Feng Miao's gaze with a slight smile and continued, "Since things have come to this, not a single demon from North Mountain will escape this time—and that includes the Secret Technique Cultivator behind them!"
"Qianmu Temple will also be participating in the mountain search. The Inner Sect Disciples are on their way here now. The order came from my master last night," Zhao Qing added.
"Master?" Wang Ping asked, a little surprised.
"That's right!"