The Sage Musters the Troops

When Li Banfeng brought up the price, Chu Shaoqiang felt a knot tighten in his chest. He had used five Heavenly Heart Stones to guide Daogui Ridge toward the Peak of the Sages. It was practically at the doorstep when someone hijacked the stones. Those were Heavenly Heart Stones bestowed upon him by the Sage, priceless treasures. He had lost five, but only two were being returned to him, and he had to pay a ransom to get them back. No matter how he looked at it, he felt thoroughly aggrieved. Yet feeling aggrieved didn't change anything; he was the one who had lost them. Chu Shaoqiang said to Li the Seventh, "The goods are in your hands. Why don't you name a price?" Li the Seventh shook his head. "First off, the goods aren't in my hands. With my methods, there's no way I could steal the Heavenly Heart Stones from you. I don't have that kind of ability. "Never mind me—even the local spirit of this territory doesn't have that kind of ability. The person who stole the Heavenly Heart Stones is clearly an extraordinary figure." Every word Li Banfeng spoke was the absolute truth, without a shred of falsehood. To make Incontrovertible Words work, one had to start with some truth. Chu Shaoqiang was thoroughly convinced. "I'm very curious to know which great figure stole the Heavenly Heart Stones. Just how formidable are their methods?" Li Banfeng said, "I certainly can't tell you his identity. As for his methods, I'd say they're about on par with the Peddler." Chu Shaoqiang shook his head. "Now that's an overstatement. As far as I know, whether in the Inner States, the Outer States, or Puluo Province, among all the people walking upon this earth, not a single one would dare claim to match the Peddler." Li Banfeng raised an eyebrow and looked at Chu Shaoqiang without speaking. Chu Shaoqiang was stunned for a moment, then seemed to catch Li Banfeng's deeper meaning. If no one walking upon this earth dared claim to match the Peddler, could this person be the one in the heavens? Yet there had been no news of that one in the heavens for countless years. How many living souls had ever laid eyes on him? Why would someone of his stature steal Heavenly Heart Stones? Or could the one who stole the stones be the Peddler himself? Whether it was the one in the heavens or the Peddler, both were figures Chu Shaoqiang couldn't afford to provoke. Where he had previously felt aggrieved, he now felt a lingering dread. Yet was Li the Seventh telling the truth? Would someone of such lofty status really bother to steal a few Heavenly Heart Stones? Li the Seventh added, "Daogui Ridge has been sitting here for so many days, and aside from having anomalies step up patrols, this place's local spirit hasn't dared do a thing. Can't you see through this great figure's identity yet?" Chu Shaoqiang lowered his head in silence. Doubts still lingered in his heart, but those doubts no longer mattered. What truly mattered was what price had to be paid to make this deal happen. Li the Seventh said, "I wouldn't dare set the price. I don't have that kind of insight, and I don't know what kind of treasure could move such an eminent figure. "This trouble started with you. The Sage cannot be offended, the matter cannot be publicized, and your very life hangs in the balance. Think on it carefully yourself." Chu Shaoqiang lit a cigarette, pacing back and forth as he contemplated how high a price he ought to offer. Money was out of the question; this transaction could not be measured in currency. Offer a few magic treasures in exchange? That certainly wouldn't do. The value of magic treasures couldn't match the Heavenly Heart Stones, nor would they befit that great figure's status. When he considered it carefully, nothing on Chu Shaoqiang's person was worthy of that great figure. Could this deal still be done? It could. The cardinal rule of business was understanding who you were actually dealing with. No matter the true caliber of the great figure Li the Seventh mentioned, Chu Shaoqiang had never met him, and that figure was not the one he was transacting with. He was doing business with Li the Seventh. The chips he offered only needed to impress Li the Seventh. Having finished his cigarette, Chu Shaoqiang produced a yellowish-brown scroll and handed it to Li the Seventh. Li Banfeng unrolled it and took a look, unable to discern what material it was made from. It certainly wasn't paper, nor did it seem like cloth or pelt. The material could be ignored for now, but the main issue was that the scroll was completely blank—no words, no drawings. What was this thing used for? Chu Shaoqiang explained, "This is a map of the Inner States." "Did you grab the wrong thing?" Li Banfeng held up the scroll and gave it a wave in front of Chu Shaoqiang, indicating there was nothing on it. Chu Shaoqiang said, "A map of the Inner States will only reveal itself within the Inner States. You can take it first and show it to that great figure. If he knows his goods, he'll be able to tell if it's genuine. "I trust that great figure knows the value of an Inner States map. It is more than worth two Heavenly Heart Stones." Hearing this, Li the Seventh accepted the map and glanced up. Dawn had already broken. "Let's meet back here at noon. Deal or no deal, I'll give you an answer. If things don't work out, the map will be returned in full." Chu Shaoqiang nodded. "I trust you. I'll wait for you right here." *** Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling and handed the scroll to the gramophone. "Precious Wife, do you recognize this?" The gramophone ran its needle over the scroll for a few moments, then said in astonishment, "This is something from the Inner States. It contains Inner States craft techniques." "Chu Shaoqiang said it's a map of the Inner States. Wife, do you think it's the real deal?" "I can only tell that it comes from the Inner States. I can't tell whether it's a map or not. Craft cultivation is something I only recently took up. It's better to ask the Old Master about this." Li Banfeng took the scroll and headed for Room Three. His wife called after him, "Husband, the Old Master isn't in a very good mood. Mind your words carefully." Why was he in a bad mood? Was he worn out from building the station? Entering Room Three, Li Banfeng called out, "Old Master, keeping busy?" After a long wait, he suddenly heard the Old Master let out a sob. "Did you come to take stones from me?" "What's wrong, Old Master?" Li Banfeng said. "Didn't we already agree? Five stones total: take three to build the station, and use the remaining two to send Daogui Ridge away." The companion dwelling sobbed again. "Those are my stones." What kind of talk was that? How did they become his? "The stones were picked up for free. We found five and kept three—we've already made a massive profit." The Old Master wept inconsolably. "They were all supposed to be mine..." The glove poked out from Li Banfeng's trouser pocket and sighed. "Boss, you don't understand our struggles. In our line of work, parting with something once it's in your hands feels worse than death." "This old man is not in the same line of work as you!" The companion dwelling cried terribly, yet didn't forget to curse at the glove. Li Banfeng produced the scroll and set it on the ground. "These two stones aren't being given away for free. Someone's trading an item for them." "I won't trade! Why should I? What item could possibly replace such fine Heavenly Heart Stones? Why on earth should you..." The weeping ceased abruptly. The companion dwelling swept up the scroll, its tone returning to normal. "Old Seven, where did you get this?" Li Banfeng said, "The man who lost the Heavenly Heart Stones wants to use this scroll to trade for two stones so he can move Daogui Ridge away." "Just for two?" "We agreed on two." "Hehehe!" The companion dwelling suddenly chuckled. "Old Seven, this is no loss at all! Never mind two—even if we gave him all five, we'd still come out ahead!" The glove chimed in, "Old Master, you were the one who said the Heavenly Heart Stones used to build the station couldn't be taken back out. Now you're saying give him all five? That doesn't add up..." Smack! A broom flattened the glove against the floor. The companion dwelling said, "Tell that man he can find two Heavenly Heart Stones tonight right where he lost his things." Li Banfeng asked, "Is this scroll really a map of the Inner States?" The companion dwelling replied, "It's real, absolutely authentic. Items like this are exceedingly rare." Li Banfeng understood. "Old Master, when you deliver the stones, you must be extra careful. Don't leave any traces that could lead them back to us." "Old Seven, you still don't trust my handiwork? Hehehe..." Hong Ying, who was doing her makeup outside, couldn't help but complain, "Good thing I'm brave. That old man cries one minute and laughs the next—don't you see how creepy he is? Anyone else would have been scared half to death." The gramophone stared at Hong Ying for a moment. "How many times have I told you not to smear your lipstick so thick? It looks so unrefined." "Then what do you call refined? Back in my day, I didn't use this sort of stuff anyway!" Hong Ying wiped the lipstick off the tip of her spear and drew a new mouth for herself. *** Having received word from Li the Seventh, Chu Shaoqiang went to the spot where he had lost the Heavenly Heart Stones that evening, laid out his magic treasures, and waited quietly. He waited all the way until midnight, when his magic treasure picked up a reaction. From beneath the hem of his trench coat, he pulled out a shovel and drove it into the soil. The shovel began digging downward on its own, tunneling down over seventy feet before reemerging from underground. Two Heavenly Heart Stones lay below. Chu Shaoqiang smiled. With these two Heavenly Heart Stones, his craft techniques would be enough to deliver Daogui Ridge to the Peak of the Sages. The companion dwelling had said two were enough, and Chu Shaoqiang also needed just two. How could things be such a coincidence? It wasn't a coincidence; the principle was simple. Two Heavenly Heart Stones could form a straight line, which was enough to guide Daogui Ridge's direction. Why had he used five in the beginning? Because Chu Shaoqiang hadn't wanted to expose himself. With five Heavenly Heart Stones, two locked in the heading while three made fine adjustments, allowing Chu Shaoqiang to wash his hands of the process and let Daogui Ridge march to the Peak of the Sages on its own. Under those circumstances, even if the Inner States discovered Daogui Ridge had arrived at the Peak of the Sages, it couldn't be traced back to Chu Shaoqiang. Now, however, that was no longer an option. Two Heavenly Heart Stones could only lock the direction; the fine adjustments had to be made by Chu Shaoqiang himself. Though it carried risks, Chu Shaoqiang couldn't afford to worry about them. He had to complete the task ordered by the Sage as quickly as possible. He proceeded with extreme caution throughout the journey. If Daogui Ridge were spotted by Inner States scouts, Chu Shaoqiang would be in deep trouble. He was confident there was nothing wrong with his craft cultivation, but Daogui Ridge's condition was rather unusual. As it moved, faint howls echoed continuously from the mountain, bearing a strong resemblance to the cries of Daolao ghosts. Yet it wasn't raining, which contradicted their normal habits. Perhaps the changing environments along the way had unsettled the Daolao ghosts. Once they reached Jianrengang, the commotion on the mountain gradually subsided, and Chu Shaoqiang felt slightly more at ease. When the Heavenly Heart Stones came to rest and Daogui Ridge settled beside the Peak of the Sages, Chu Shaoqiang headed to the Sage's residence to report that his mission was complete. The Sage was reasonably satisfied with Chu Shaoqiang's performance. "Though there were setbacks along the way, the task was accomplished in the end. Shaoqiang, I have taken note of your merit. As for Ge Junma's matter, I will find someone to handle it; you need not worry about it further." Chu Shaoqiang expressed his gratitude. Before leaving, he added a word of caution: "The Daolao ghosts possess bizarre temperaments. The Sage must exercise utmost caution." The Sage smiled and gave a slight nod. Chu Shaoqiang continued, "The climate shifted along the journey, and the Daolao ghosts' habits may have changed as well. The Sage should keep a close watch." The Sage said nothing, his expression unchanging. Chu Shaoqiang persisted, "Daolao ghosts are savage and cruel, virtually impossible to tame. If the Sage wishes to form them into an army, you must think thrice before acting." His intentions were good; he genuinely felt the Daolao ghosts' condition was abnormal. However, the Sage was displeased. "Are you perhaps overthinking things?" Chu Shaoqiang held his tongue. The Sage, instead, reminded him, "Ge Junma's matter no longer concerns you, and Daogui Ridge's matter no longer concerns you either. You had best remember that clearly." Why did Daogui Ridge no longer concern Chu Shaoqiang? Because this matter involved the Sage's prestige. Chu Shaoqiang descended the mountain and walked through Jianrengang, quickly discovering the reason. A mountain had suddenly appeared beside the Peak of the Sages; the common folk of Jianrengang couldn't fail to notice it. Where had this mountain come from? The Peak of the Sages needed a reasonable explanation. The explanation the Sage provided was that he had moved it there. "The root of heaven and earth begins in the Sage's heart; the changes of heaven and earth begin in the Sage's thought." The Sage's disciples in Jingde Village proclaimed, "The overturning of heaven and earth takes place within a single thought of the Sage. What does moving a mountain count for? The Sage merely blinked, and the mountain arrived." The common folk believed this without reservation. Every day, they first burned incense and kowtowed toward the Peak of the Sages, then kowtowed once more toward Daogui Ridge. Daogui Ridge had to have nothing to do with Chu Shaoqiang; it was all the Sage's divine might. *** When Critick discovered that Daogui Ridge was gone, he was thoroughly enraged. "Li the Seventh, we agreed on three days of investigation time! Barely two days have passed, and Daogui Ridge has vanished just like that. You are blatantly trampling on our friendship!" Li Banfeng explained, "Daogui Ridge left as inexplicably as it arrived. I truly have no idea why, and you can't blame me for it." Critick didn't buy it. "I believe you deceived me!" Li Banfeng said, "Think about it carefully. Do I have the ability to control Daogui Ridge?" Critick pondered for a moment. "Judging by your personal capabilities, you shouldn't." "If it's something I can't do, then I certainly didn't do it. Isn't that perfectly clear?" Indeed. Not only was it clear, it seemed completely unassailable. Critick sighed. "Wherever Daogui Ridge goes, it will trigger a catastrophe. I had hoped to witness this catastrophe with my own eyes, but now I can only wait for news from others." Li Banfeng said, "As long as people don't go up Daogui Ridge, they won't encounter Daolao ghosts. This catastrophe should be manageable." Critick shook his head. "I thought about it all night yesterday. The situation may have changed." Li Banfeng frowned. "What change?" "This change stems from their primal habits." Critick used a twig to sketch on the ground. "Daolao ghosts rarely leave Daogui Ridge. There are likely two origins for this behavior. "The first origin: Daolao ghosts favor the environment of Daogui Ridge, which in Puluo Province terms is called dense yin energy. What yin energy actually is, I have yet to fully determine. "The second origin: due to impaired vision, Daolao ghosts suffer from severe cognitive deficits, causing them to reside only within familiar territorial bounds. However, through our joint efforts..." "Hold on!" Li Banfeng had a bad feeling. "Those were your efforts alone. I have no intention of taking credit." Critick insisted, "Your strength contributed to this achievement. Even when I write my autobiography in the future, I will certainly mention you. "Because the formula we developed caused a visual mutation in the Daolao ghosts, their range of activity may have expanded somewhat." Li Banfeng took a deep breath. "Expanded by how much?" Critick couldn't give an exact answer. "This requires extensive biological knowledge, along with substantial observation and experimentation. "However, Daolao ghosts still depend on the yin energy of Daogui Ridge, so they won't stray too far from it. Previously, their activity range was within two to three li of the base. Now, they might appear twenty to thirty li away—at most, no more than a hundred li." Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat. A massive catastrophe was about to strike Jianrengang. *** Two days later, at nine in the morning, the weather over Jianrengang was clear and bright. Atop the Peak of the Sages, the Sage bathed, burned incense, donned a yellow cloud-patterned robe, and boarded his litter. A litter was an unusual conveyance, which could be understood as an exceptionally luxurious palanquin. From the outside, the Sage's litter could easily be mistaken for a house, complete with a front hall, bedroom, roof ridge, doors, and windows. Twenty-eight disciples carried the Sage down the Peak of the Sages. Along both sides of the road knelt scholars and aspirants, their foreheads pressed flat against the ground, none daring to steal a glance. Behind the litter were another eighteen disciples carrying a bronze tripod down the mountain, while the remaining disciples, neatly attired, followed in procession. Upon reaching the foot of Daogui Ridge, ten disciples went ahead to scout the mountain. In truth, scouts had already investigated several times. Three separate groups of disciples had ascended the ridge beforehand without discovering any Daolao ghosts. Had some of them not visited Daogui Ridge before, they might have suspected this mountain was an imitation. Where had the Daolao ghosts gone? Chu Shaoqiang's earlier deduction had been correct. The change in environment had indeed disoriented the Daolao ghosts. Initially fearful, then agitated, they had ultimately burrowed underground and fallen into dormancy. Having confirmed the ridge was free of danger, the disciples carried the bronze tripod up the mountain first and laid out an array at a preselected location. Once everything was prepared, the remaining disciples carried the litter, escorting the Sage up the mountain. Halfway up the slope, the Sage stood atop the litter carriage, looked up at the clear sky, and swept his gaze over his disciples. Every disciple knelt on the ground, performing their kowtows to the Sage. The Sage issued his command: "You may rise, my subjects. Muster the troops!" To all the Sage's disciples, this command bore extraordinary significance. From the day he fled the Inner States until now, the Sage finally had troops under his command. This was the Sage's first step toward reclaiming his realm! The eighteen disciples carried out their designated duties. First, they added water to the tripod, then placed sacrificial offerings inside, and finally lit a fire beneath it. As the broth inside bubbled and steamed, dark clouds began gathering in the sky. This tripod was a magic treasure, a potent artifact capable of altering the weather within a localized area. In under twenty minutes, it could bring a thunderstorm across all of Daogui Ridge. Thunder boomed and heavy rain poured down. Across the previously silent Daogui Ridge, roars erupted one after another. *Skreech!* Several Daolao ghosts emerged nearby, darting in and out of the tangled grass and underbrush. The Sage and his disciples swallowed medicinal pills. The pills they consumed were meant to seal their breath. The toxic mist spewed by Daolao ghosts could poison anyone, demanding strict precautions. Ten mind cultivation disciples acted first. Their task was to use their thoughts to control the Daolao ghosts' movements. If they succeeded, the plan to tame the Daolao ghosts would be more than half complete. After five minutes, the Daolao ghosts that had merely been watching began attacking the group. The mind cultivators had failed to control them; instead, they had enraged them. This was the cognitive discrepancy Critick had spoken of. Mind cultivators could sense and infiltrate a Daolao ghost's thoughts. However, the Daolao ghosts' perceptions had mutated severely; in their awareness, the mind cultivators were already engaging them in lethal combat. With the mind cultivators failing, the insect cultivators immediately took over. Could insect cultivation work on Daolao ghosts? This was hardly the Sage acting recklessly; it was based on past research findings. During his reign, the Sage had sent people to investigate Daogui Ridge and obtained numerous findings. Among them was one conclusion the Sage had endorsed: humans became Daolao ghosts after being infected by a certain parasite on the ridge. If insect cultivators could control the parasite, there was a chance of controlling the Daolao ghosts. This was a carefully prepared plan by the Sage. After another five minutes, the insect cultivators failed as well. The Daolao ghosts grew in number and became increasingly frenzied, with many disciples getting splashed by toxic secretions. They wore waterproof soft armor, and the Sage carried waterproof magic treasures, providing a degree of protection against the venom. Yet the sheer number of Daolao ghosts proved overwhelming, and several disciples suffered fatal injuries. The Sage remained unperturbed and ordered the third group of disciples to act. The third group consisted of nightmare cultivators, prepared according to yet another past finding. One theory posited that Daolao ghosts, as their name implied, were the ghosts of those who died from poisoning. Nightmare cultivators could manipulate deceased souls, so handling ghosts was naturally their forte. Seven or eight minutes passed, and the nightmare cultivators failed too. Daolao ghosts gathered from across the entire mountain, surrounding the group three layers deep. The Sage was not worried in the least; such an outcome was within his expectations. Turning Daolao ghosts into an army sounded fantastical to ordinary folk, an undertaking of immense difficulty where initial failure was entirely natural. Though this attempt had not succeeded, it had yielded three valuable lessons: mind cultivation, insect cultivation, and nightmare cultivation were ineffective on Daolao ghosts. The Daolao ghosts' movements remained under the Sage's control. Once the thunderstorm passed, their habits dictated that they would immediately return to their nests, allowing the Sage to depart at his leisure. As for the injured disciples, those who could be treated would be treated; those who couldn't would become Daolao ghosts and serve in his army down the line. In that sense, everything was put to good use. Twenty minutes soon passed. The rain stopped, and the thunder faded. The group prepared to retreat, but the Daolao ghosts didn't pull back. Instead, they appeared even more excited. The Sage was somewhat surprised by this. He ordered his disciples to hold their ground without panicking; if they stalled for a bit longer, the Daolao ghosts would surely depart. Another twenty minutes went by, and the number of Daolao ghosts only grew. Over a dozen of the Sage's disciples fell, killed not by poison, but torn to pieces by the Daolao ghosts' fangs and claws. Black mist enveloped the surroundings until one couldn't see their own fingers, and the effects of the disciples' breath-sealing pills were beginning to wear off. The Sage ordered a retreat. The disciples still tried to carry the litter. The Sage abandoned the litter himself, employing joy cultivation techniques to suppress the Daolao ghosts' excitement and dampen their fighting spirit, hoping to create an opportunity to escape. Yet the Daolao ghosts' perception was entirely different. After consuming Critick's concoction, their cognition had undergone an even more radical shift. Their fighting spirit didn't wane; instead, another desire expanded rapidly, overtaking their consciousness. Amidst the chaos, one disciple after another was violated by the Daolao ghosts—the living taken until they died, and the dead taken even afterward. And toward the Sage, who had cast his joy cultivation arts, the Daolao ghosts displayed an exceptionally intense interest. *** At dusk, clothes tattered and torn, the Sage rushed down Daogui Ridge accompanied by barely a dozen disciples. With his cultivation and his subordinates' strength, had they retreated immediately upon spotting the Daolao ghosts, things would never have ended like this. Yet his objective had been to control them. Even after being surrounded, he had refused to pull back. Now, having suffered catastrophic losses, he had nearly lost his own life. Back at his residence, the Sage remained thoroughly shaken. Only today had he truly experienced the terror of Daogui Ridge firsthand. The earlier plague had already wiped out more than half of his disciples, and now nearly all the remaining ones had perished on Daogui Ridge. The Peak of the Sages had suffered devastating losses, and fury flared repeatedly in the Sage's heart. His disciple Song Deke advised, "Master, the way of leading an army requires strictness above all else. If we wish to tame such vicious monsters, we must lure them to the foot of the mountain and slaughter more than half of them before they will submit to fear!" The Sage nodded. "I leave this matter to you to handle." Song Deke quickly protested, "Your disciple is not skilled in warfare..." The Sage fixed his gaze on Song Deke, who lowered his head and fell silent. Du Xiangwen smoothed things over from the side. "Daolao ghosts do not easily leave Daogui Ridge. Luring them down the mountain may not be feasible. We ought to consider this matter thoroughly." *Skreech!* A roar echoed from outside the residence. The Sage was startled and asked Du Xiangwen, "Is that... the sound of a Daolao ghost?"