Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wild Chapter Forty-Nine: The Sacred Ground

In the morning light, a line of carriages and horses departed from Prosperity Inn. It was the sixth day since Master Kuang’s family had arrived in Herb Town, and also the day of their renewed journey.

Pan Yuan’s leg, after treatment, had recovered by seventy or eighty percent. As a reward for his valor in slaying bandits, Master Kuang had purchased a horse for him. Now, Pan Yuan could once again ride at the front, leading the way with his usual fierce and aggressive demeanor.

Yu Ye still rode at the rear, like an unnecessary addition to the group. Before leaving Prosperity Inn, he bought a pile of meat-filled flatbreads from a food stall by the street.

It was said that the road ahead stretched for hundreds of miles, sparsely populated, and they would inevitably have to camp in the wild. Carrying dry rations was only prudent.

As they left Herb Town, perhaps because it was still early, they did not encounter any martial world patrols.

The weather was clear, the road smooth, the horses’ hooves lively, and the group headed southwest in high spirits. At noon, they took a brief rest and then continued on their way.

By dusk, the carriages and horses stopped on a grassy patch by the roadside. Nearby, woods circled a flowing river, and in the distance, the lights of a village could be seen. Master Kuang considered lodging in the village, but Pan Yuan objected, declaring the place filthy and far less comfortable than the cool, open wilds. Master Kuang, ever compliant, instructed Ji Yan to pitch the tents, light a bonfire, and prepare food so everyone might rest where they were.

After settling his horse, Yu Ye slipped away, unfurled a raincloth on the ground, ate his meat-filled flatbreads, drank a little water, and lay down with his longsword to rest.

With no spirit stones, he was in no rush to cultivate. Taking advantage of this leisure, he leafed through his manuals, pondered his techniques, and reflected on minor methods to make up for his ignorance—all of which would aid his cultivation.

By his calculations, they would reach Magpie Spirit Mountain in three days. Once he inquired about the road, the next stop would be Deer Call Mountain. If only this easy, food-for-nothing errand would remain so effortless.

After Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu had eaten and drunk their fill, they took turns surveying the surroundings with dutiful vigilance...

The night passed uneventfully.

They set out again at dawn.

After more than ten miles, the main road narrowed, dense forests replacing open hills, and towering mountains obscured half the sky, as if they had lost their way and were trapped in a dead end—only for a twist in the path to reveal hope ahead.

Three men on horseback, two carriages, wound their way between mountains and forests.

By midday, the mountain road was still rugged and tight. Wheels spun, sending stones tumbling down the slopes, adding an unpredictable danger to their difficult journey.

Pan Yuan dared not pause for rest, urging everyone onward. As for lunch, they had to make do as best they could.

Yu Ye, riding far behind, feared the flying stones might injure his horse. The treacherous road made him uneasy; should one of the heavily laden carriages roll down the steep slope, no one could save it. Fortunately, Ji Yan and Mo Can were skilled drivers, so the journey, though tense, passed safely.

Unnoticed, dusk approached.

“Damn it, can’t go on—let’s camp here for the night,” Pan Yuan shouted.

At his call, the party stopped on a hillside.

The setting sun blazed red, evening clouds brushed the sky, the mountains grew shadowy, and weary birds returned to their nests. After a day spent crossing mountains and ridges, they found themselves in an open place, the landscape unfolding in all directions, a cool breeze on their faces, filling them with a rare sense of tranquility.

“Yes, man and horse are exhausted—let us stay here,” agreed Master Kuang, stepping down from the carriage with his wife and Cai’er, while Mo Can and Ji Yan busied themselves with the camp.

On the hillside stood a dilapidated stone hut.

Yu Ye dismounted and approached to inspect it.

Half the hut had collapsed. Before the door stood a stone pillar, on which were carved the words “Temple of Peace.”

A Daoist temple?

Yu Ye, having some understanding of the Daoist way, knew that such temples served as residences and cultivation sites for Daoist practitioners.

A single room, yet still a temple.

But the Daoist was long gone, leaving only the abandoned Temple of Peace.

Seeing Master Kuang’s wife and Cai’er approaching, Yu Ye tactfully turned away, took his pack from his horse, and found himself a place to rest.

Night fell, and a waning moon climbed into the sky.

Before the Temple of Peace, tents were pitched, lanterns hung, and a bonfire was kindled. Master Kuang drank with Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu, while his wife, Cai’er, and Ji Yan sat aside eating pastries. Laughter and conversation rose now and then, dispersing the fatigue of the journey and rendering the night peaceful and calm.

Yet two others seemed untouched by the night’s conviviality.

Mo Can kept watch by the carriages.

Yu Ye sat on the grass, more than ten yards away. No one invited him to the feast, nor did he wish to seek humiliation. When hunger struck, he took out his flatbread with meat, but after a single bite, he spat it out.

“Bah—”

Bought early the previous morning, the flatbread was still tough but edible, yet the stewed meat had spoiled and reeked, inedible now.

Yu Ye had no choice but to remove all the spoiled meat, tossing it away, though he could not bear to discard the bread. He stood and walked to the bonfire.

He would toast the bread over the fire, make do, and fill his belly.

At the fire, he placed two flatbreads by the ashes, squatted to wait, and overheard Pan Yuan and Master Kuang speaking—

“Master Kuang, tell me... do you think I, Pan Yuan, am a man of honor?”

“Brother Pan, you risked your life for my family, fought against great odds, slew several foes, and took an arrow in your leg. Such gallantry is plain for all to see. Here, let me toast you with a cup of wine in gratitude!”

Pan Yuan sounded drunk, his words slurred. Master Kuang, ever conciliatory, patiently comforted him.

“Master Kuang... is my life worth only one cup of wine?”

“Rest assured, Brother Pan—beyond your reward, I have more to thank you with!”

“Say it plainly, Master Kuang, how will you reward me? Will you give me the jewels from your carriage, or what...”

“Heh, Ji Yan, Brother Pan’s had enough—help him to bed...”

“Damn it, I’m not drunk yet...”

With a thud, Pan Yuan collapsed in the tent as if dead drunk. Yuan Jiu sat by, cold and silent. Master Kuang looked surprised. His wife and Cai’er huddled together, faces pale with fear. Ji Yan looked around anxiously, clearly unsettled.

Just then, the sound of hooves echoed from down the hillside.

In no time, four strong horses burst through the night, galloping toward the bright campfire. Upon them rode four burly men, each armed with a blade, one of whom pointed his sword at Master Kuang—

“Master Kuang, if you value your life, hand over your jewels and money. Otherwise, we’ll kill you, and your womenfolk will be at our mercy!”

The other three shouted brazenly—

“What’s the point of talking—kill him!”

“The woman’s still pretty—I want her!”

“The girl’s fresh and tender—she’s mine, ha ha...”

These were desperadoes, mountain bandits who killed without remorse!

Master Kuang’s wife and Cai’er were already paralyzed with terror.

Master Kuang himself was seized by panic, trembling as he rose. “Gentlemen, let’s talk this over... talk this over...” He begged for mercy, lowering his voice to call, “Brother Pan... Brother Pan...”

But Brother Pan lay unmoving, dead to the world. Helpless, Master Kuang turned to Yuan Jiu, pleading—

“Brother Yuan, my family’s lives depend on you...”

Yuan Jiu seemed not to hear, sitting motionless, calmly drinking his wine.

This man had once fought off an ambush by over twenty martial artists, risking his life with savage ferocity, eventually driving off the enemy—earning Master Kuang’s deep gratitude and respect. Who would have thought that, faced with just four bandits tonight, he would act so differently: not only remaining seated, but sipping wine as if he meant to sit this one out and let others die.

Master Kuang, despairing, cried, “Brother Yuan, I have treated you well—how can you stand by and watch us perish...”

Ji Yan suddenly stood, urging in a low voice, “Madam, Miss, come with me—”

Behind the tent, next to the Temple of Peace, the ruined stone hut became the last refuge for Master Kuang’s wife and Cai’er.

But disaster struck.

As the women rose, a bowstring twanged and blades flashed; Ji Yan screamed and crashed to the ground.

An arrow stuck in the grass behind Yuan Jiu. He himself pressed his blade to Master Kuang’s throat, and said coldly, “No one leaves.”

Ji Yan, fallen two yards away, his arm sliced open, struggled in agony. He had tried to shoot Yuan Jiu while leading the women away, but Yuan Jiu had seen through his ruse, slashing him. Had he not dodged, his arm would have been lost.

Master Kuang’s wife and Cai’er froze, unable to move.

Master Kuang, dumbfounded, stammered, “Brother Yuan—you... you’re with them...”

Yuan Jiu, blade gleaming murderously in one hand, sipped his wine with the other, indifferent to Master Kuang’s questioning, as though addressing the dead.

“Ha! I’m in on it too—” came a loud, arrogant laugh.

Lying on the ground, Pan Yuan sat up, no longer drunk, but spirited and smug.

“Brother Pan...” Master Kuang felt as if thunder had struck his soul. “Brother Pan... why would you betray me so?”

It was obvious: Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu, under the guise of escorting them, had colluded with their comrades to lay a trap, intending to murder Master Kuang’s family. A plot long in the making, a snare set since the Heji Inn back in Lishui Town.

“Haha!” Pan Yuan grabbed the wine jug and drank deeply, beaming. “Wherever I go, I seek out the local wealthy. It so happened that at Heji Inn, I heard a jewelry merchant named Master Kuang was hiring, and that some martial friends were scheming a big job. When opportunity knocks, I answer—even with an arrow in my leg, this was too good to miss. Brothers, come on over—”

The four men dismounted, blades raised, swaggering toward the tent.

To them, Master Kuang’s family were helpless prey to be toyed with at will.

Cai’er clung to her mistress, her little face twisted in despair and fury. She could not understand how these men, who spoke so much of chivalry and virtue, could commit such betrayal, especially after taking generous pay.

But wait, there was one who had not accepted payment, who had not fled—would he stand up in their hour of need?

Cai’er glanced at the figure by the bonfire, suddenly hopeful.

It was Yu Ye. Even as the bandits attacked, Yuan Jiu betrayed them, Ji Yan was wounded, and the Kuang family fell into peril, he continued roasting his bread. When the four armed men approached, he calmly picked up his bread, blew off the ash, took a cautious bite, and, feigning nonchalance, stared into the distance before slowly walking away. The four men ignored him; it was as if he was beneath their notice.

Cai’er’s hope turned to tears.

Hmph, even he ran away. What could one expect from a mere freeloader?

“Master Kuang, sit down!” Pan Yuan shouted, beaming. “Madam, Miss, come serve me!”

“Outrageous!” Master Kuang could endure no more. “Pan Yuan, how dare you insult my family?”

“Ha, you threaten me?” Pan Yuan grinned savagely. “Madam, Miss, if you don’t come here, I’ll chop off Master Kuang’s arm. Yuan Jiu—”

Yuan Jiu spun his blade, poised to strike.

“Ah—!” Master Kuang’s wife and Cai’er cried out in terror.

“Ha ha—” Pan Yuan grew ever more elated, laughing loudly, as if master of all he surveyed.

Crack!

Just then, a whip cracked through the night air.

Yuan Jiu’s blade flew from his hand at the sound. He, Pan Yuan, and the four approaching men were all stunned.

The spinning blade landed in midair, caught by a single hand.

The one who seized it was one-eyed, one-armed...