Sha Lifei's heart gave a jolt. "What's the matter?"
He knew better than anyone that the lad before him was no pushover.
When he had first come a few years back, he had figured, *What kind of trouble can a crippled old man and a half-grown kid give me?*
Just stopping by their house to say a word was already giving them face.
No one would have any grounds to complain if word got around.
So that time, he had acted loud and blustery.
Not only had he been lacking in courtesy, he had also thrown his weight around, relying on his seniority to demand that Li Yan prepare food and wine, aiming to freeload a good meal.
Li Yan had still been young back then, but he was never one to take things lying down.
He had prepared the wine and food, and quite a lavish spread at that—only he had laced it with croton powder, carefully measuring the dose so the violent diarrhea kicked in only after Sha Lifei had left the village and hit the road.
Sha Lifei had been beside himself with fury at the time.
Yet with a team of wheat reapers in tow, snatching grain from the dragon's jaws was no laughing matter. He had no choice but to push on, thinking he would teach the kid a lesson when he came calling the next year.
He hadn't harbored any murderous intent, of course.
Against an insolent whelp, he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
For instance, under the pretext of a martial arts spar, he could thrash him black and blue.
What he had never anticipated was that, with the aid of the substitute idol, Li Yan threw himself into martial training like a man possessed, already attaining modest mastery by the very next year.
Though he was still a bit green in actual experience, he was no longer someone easily pushed around.
From then on, Sha Lifei had grown much more polite.
Now that Li Yan had suddenly called him back, could he be looking for trouble, or trying to reclaim the leadership of the wheat reapers?
At the thought, Sha Lifei put on a smile while quietly raising his guard.
These young wolf cubs who had just stepped into the jianghu were the most ruthless of all, acting without restraint and daring to do anything to make a name for themselves.
He had best not stumble and fall right here today...
Just as his mind was churning with unease, Li Yan asked, "I hear you have connections with folks in Xuanmen, Uncle Sha. Could you make an introduction for me?"
Sha Lifei stared blankly, breathing a sigh of relief even as his curiosity surged. "What, did you run into trouble?"
"Crossed paths with a spirit, or did your feng shui go sour?"
Li Yan did not answer directly. "Nothing much, just curious. Give it to me straight, Uncle Sha—do you actually have an avenue, or don't you?"
"Of course I do!"
Sha Lifei thumped his chest on the spot and gave a hearty laugh. "Ask around! I'm Sha Lifei—I've got friends under the whole sky!"
"On these Guanzhong roads, there's nothing I can't settle!"
Seeing Li Yan remain expressionless, he widened his eyes. "What, you don't believe me? Truth is, I really do know someone from Xuanmen."
"He's a hearth-dwelling Daoist, adept in Qimen Dunjia, character divination, fortune-telling, reading the feng shui of both graves and houses, exorcising ghosts, and subduing demons. Master of it all! The wealthy families in Chang'an City all vie to invite him..."
Sha Lifei talked with spit flying, but the more Li Yan listened, the more unreliable it sounded.
Though Li Yan was a layman, in his past life he had possessed a passing familiarity with folklore and the occult.
Within divination alone, there were Bazi, Six Lines, Plum Blossom Divination, Liuren, Qimen Dunjia, Taiyi Shenshu, Ziwei Doushu... countless schools and branches.
Mastering just one required immense time and energy.
Those lacking the talent could not even step past the threshold.
Let alone exorcising ghosts and subduing demons—that sounded like a downright charlatan.
Unaware of Li Yan's thoughts, Sha Lifei continued to brag: "His name is Wang Daoxuan. Word is, he has ties to the Taixuan Orthodox Sect in Chang'an City, and he used to endorse calamity placards for families in Xianyang..."
Hearing that, Li Yan's eyes lit up.
The Taixuan Orthodox Sect was true Xuanmen orthodoxy.
And issuing calamity placards was not something just anyone was qualified to do.
A calamity placard was a funerary document recording the deceased's dates of birth and death, as well as the exact times for cremation and the funeral procession.
Only with a calamity placard would the authorities permit a burial in the earth.
Du Daya had once mentioned that those who endorsed calamity placards were virtually all men of Xuanmen.
By Li Yan's reckoning, the placard master also effectively served as a coroner.
When a cause of death was uncertain or poison was suspected, a yin-yang master had the authority to refuse endorsement and report the matter to the authorities—and the same went for bodies that might be "unusual."
No matter how one looked at it, this Wang Daoxuan was bound to be an insider.
At the very least, Li Yan could ask him how to enter the Taixuan Orthodox Sect for cultivation.
With that in mind, a smile surfaced on Li Yan's face, and his tone became considerably more polite. "Then I'll trouble you, Uncle Sha. I'll make sure to express my gratitude afterward."
"Easy enough!"
Sha Lifei gave a loud laugh, then shook his head. "Though there is a catch. You'll have to make the trip with me, coming along with the team tomorrow."
Li Yan frowned slightly. "Why is that?"
Sha Lifei clicked his tongue. "Daoist Priest Wang is a very busy man, and he sets great store by rules and etiquette. You can't very well expect him to come out to see you, can you?"
"As luck would have it, we're heading toward Xianyang anyway, so I can handle this for you along the way!"
"I see."
Li Yan pondered for a moment. "That works."
Sha Lifei mixed truth with lies and loved to brag, but Li Yan could tell the man likely only knew Wang Daoxuan by sight without much real friendship between them.
Regardless, it was at least an opening. Meeting the man might yield some results.
Entering Xuanmen was a matter of utmost urgency.
He had awakened his Yang Six Roots. If another uncanny thing set its sights on him, there would be no Chuma Xian to offer tips on warding off evil.
Xianyang was neither too far nor too close; a round trip would take five or six days at most.
Asking a neighbor to look after Grandfather meant going on the journey would pose no harm.
Seeing him agree, a flash of smugness crossed Sha Lifei's eyes. He waved a hand and said, "Fine, then it's settled! We set off first thing tomorrow morning!"
With that, he hurriedly took his leave.
Watching his departing figure, Li Yan shook his head slightly, turned back into the house, and packed his gear for tomorrow's departure.
...
The next day, before dawn had broken, the sound of hoofbeats approached from a distance.
"Young Yan, time to go!"
Sha Lifei's booming voice rang out right after.
Li Yan had long been prepared.
With the Grain in Ear solar term approaching, the weather was already sweltering. He wore only a black cloth tunic and trousers, with a straw hat to shield against the sun, his travel pack slung across his back, and his Guanshan blade resting horizontally at his waist.
He walked over to Grandfather Li Gui's room and knocked on the door. "Grandfather, I'm heading out."
Yet no one answered from inside.
Seeing this, Li Yan felt a touch helpless.
He had mentioned the matter yesterday, and Grandfather had naturally been reluctant.
Unfortunately, this involved his future survival; he had to make the trip.
Just as he was about to turn away, an aged voice sounded from within the room: "The jianghu is perilous. Keep your wits about you when things happen."
"Got it!"
Li Yan broke into a grin and strode off.
*Creak—*
The moment he walked away, Grandfather Li Gui pushed open the door. Watching the boy's receding silhouette, he let out a faint sigh, somehow reminded of Li Hu from all those years ago.
"Father, what is the jianghu?"
"The jianghu?"
"The moment you step out this door, that's the jianghu..."
...
Li Yan had once believed that having lived two lifetimes, nothing could truly excite him anymore.
After all, having grown accustomed to the neon lights, bustle, and magnificent sights of his previous world, even the most prosperous imperial capital in this realm seemed merely quaint to his eyes.
Yet the moment he walked out of the mountain village, he found he was mistaken.
As the silhouette of Fort Li gradually faded, loess ravines, golden wheat fields, verdant woods, blue sky, and white clouds unfolded before him—the vast, rugged grandeur of the Guanzhong plains struck him full in the face.
This was an unpolluted world.
All things under heaven and earth seemed extraordinarily clear.
Coupled with the uncharted realm of Xuanmen, Li Yan felt in a daze as if he had reverted to that youth he had once been, filled with curiosity and longing for the world beyond.
"Brother Yan, how come you're coming along too?"
Heidan squeezed over, breaking his train of thought.
Equally excited was this dark-skinned lad.
Unlike Li Yan, apart from heading to the Lantian County temple fair, this was the first time he had ever traveled so far. Gone was his usual composure as he chattered non-stop along the way.
"Xianyang... I hear it's real far..."
"Wonder if we'll catch a glimpse of Chang'an City on the road..."
Naturally, before long, he came to feel the hardships of travel.
They marched along the official highway under a blazing sun. Dust seemed to churn up from the dirt road, while golden wheat fields on both sides rolled like waves in the scorching summer wind.
To make matters worse, their coarse black cloth garments absorbed the heat, baking them as if over an open fire. In no time, Heidan's face was flushed red, sweat dripping down continuously.
Sha Lifei had gathered about fifty wheat reapers from the villages surrounding Fort Li, all carrying travel packs with sickles and whetstones hanging at their hips.
When they set out, their clothes had been fairly neat.
Now, most had unfastened their tunics, and some had stripped off their tops entirely, going bare-chested under the sun to reveal bronze-colored skin.
Though Sha Lifei was mounted on horseback, the heat wore heavily on him too.
From time to time he unhooked the waterskin from his waist, stealing glances at Li Yan.
To his disappointment, Li Yan simply marched in silence, occasionally taking in the surrounding scenery.
Setting out at dawn, the group walked without pause until noon.
By now, Heidan was drenched in sweat, his vision dimming, the soles of his feet aching, and his ankles going soft. Every step felt like treading on cotton wool.
Li Yan was likewise dripping with sweat, yet his expression remained calm.
After all, with years of martial arts practice behind him, his endurance far surpassed that of ordinary folk.
Finally, Sha Lifei glanced up at the sky. Seeing the midday sun overhead, he called out, "Let's find a spot to rest and wait out the poisonous sun before moving on!"
They still had two continuous days of hard marching ahead.
Walking under the midday sun drained too much energy, and with several elderly men in the ranks, it was better to conserve strength and cover more distance in the evening coolness.
As for staying at an inn, Sha Lifei never even considered it.
Even if he were willing, these penniless reapers would never part with their money.
A resting spot was easy enough to find. Not far ahead on the official highway stood several large locust trees, casting ample shade for people to lie down.
Hearing Sha Lifei's order, the crowd scrambled forward to claim their spots, pulling out rock-hard multigrain steamed buns and washing them down with cold water.
Li Yan also sat down against a tree, eating his dry rations.
Possessing a resolute mind, he treated this stretch of road merely as foot-training.
When it came time to head back, he planned to look around the mule and horse market in Xianyang to see if his savings were enough to pick up a good horse.
*Clatter, clatter...*
While he was lost in thought, a flurry of hoofbeats echoed in the distance.
Li Yan squinted and looked up, immediately putting his guard on alert.
Over twenty riders approached, all on swift horses and wearing bamboo hats, armed with long sabers at their waists or short swords slung across their backs. At a glance, they were clearly jianghu figures.
Suddenly, Li Yan's expression shifted slightly, and his hand clamped down on the hilt of his blade.
From these men, he caught the scent of blood...
Chapter 14