Chapter Nine: Shadows

“Escaped the city?”

In the attic of the Zhao family mansion, a man in a brocade robe was seated on a wooden chair, leisurely sipping a bowl of tea. Before him, several men clad in black knelt on the floor.

“We’ve already sent people to follow the blood-guided insect outside the city,” reported the leader among the black-clad men.

“Have you identified that person’s background?” The man in brocade picked up a piece of candied fruit from the table and chewed it thoughtfully.

“Based on his escape route, he seems to be an ordinary fisherman living in the shantytown outside the city. His father is a carpenter, their family has been poor for generations,” replied the black-clad man, head bowed in respect.

“Generations of poverty?” The brocade-robed man raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Are you certain?”

“Our investigations confirm it,” the black-clad man lowered his head further.

“Then explain to me how a penniless youth from a poor family could possibly afford the resources to cultivate martial arts to the Outer School level, or acquire a genuine internal cultivation manual?” The brocade-robed man’s questions came in rapid succession.

The black-clad man fell silent, unable to answer. Perhaps one might stumble upon an internal cultivation manual by chance, but the resources required to reach the Outer School realm were not so easily obtained. For an ordinary martial artist, cultivating to the Outer School realm through internal methods would demand enough resources to pain even a powerful clan like the Zhao family. A poor household could slave for three generations and still never amass such means.

Martial arts, after all, had always belonged to the wealthy.

“Perhaps someone else provided him with the resources…” ventured the black-clad man after some thought.

“Oh?” The brocade-robed man’s interest was piqued. “You’re suggesting he’s a spy for another faction, planted here in Yangyuan County?”

“That seems to be the only possibility,” the black-clad man nodded slightly.

“Unlikely. Caizhou is remote, and Yangyuan County lies near the northern frontier. The Dayong court, preoccupied with the affairs of Prince Qing and Prince Jing, has already ordered the Northern Command to pull back to focus on them. They wouldn’t waste effort sending agents to such a small place. Besides, the Hui quarter and Redstone Palace in Caizhou have been tied up by the recent incident in Quyang Prefecture. Though they know our sect has many schemes in Caizhou, they wouldn’t stir up trouble now,” the brocade-robed man shook his head.

“But regardless, the sect’s plans are of great importance. Even though that person hasn’t actually met the ‘Protector,’ we can’t risk him leaking information. No matter which faction he belongs to, once we capture him and bring him back, we’ll know for sure.”

……

Li Ju crawled out of the dog hole and, seeing the vast world outside, scooped up handfuls of earth to block the hole behind him. He glanced at the dim sky and the vast wilderness beyond the city walls, determined his direction, then hoisted his father and little sister onto his back and headed toward a nearby woodland outside Yangyuan County.

He often fished in the stream within that forest. When he didn’t have time to return to town, he stayed there overnight, so he was intimately familiar with its terrain. If his pursuers caught up, he could use his knowledge of the woods to shake them off.

“Next, I need to find another city to settle in…” Li Ju pondered as he walked.

With his martial skills, he could easily survive alone outside, but with his father and little sister, it would be far more difficult. In these times, the world outside the city was barren and wild, crawling with venomous pests and beasts. And now, amid the chaos of war, bandits and rogue soldiers lurked everywhere.

Li Ju often heard tales in the city’s fish market of merchant caravans attacked by bandits; the entire group slaughtered, their bones fed to dogs.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know the roads to other cities from Yangyuan County. I’ll have to wait for Father to wake and ask if he knows the way,” Li Ju shook his head regretfully.

Neither the original owner of this body nor Li Ju himself had ever left the bounds of Yangyuan County, except to fish in the streams of its forests.

Rustling sounds…

Li Ju’s figure darted through the woods, body brushing against branches and leaves with barely a whisper. Thanks to his familiarity with the terrain, he didn’t slow down even amid the forest; in fact, freed from the constraints of the city, he moved faster than ever.

Thud.

Li Ju crushed a venomous snake lurking in the grass, ready to ambush him.

He stopped before a small mound, glanced around warily, then gently set his father and sister on the ground. Reaching beneath a stone at the foot of the mound, he revealed a hidden space. He placed Old Li the carpenter and Li Yan inside, then slipped in himself and used his hand to block the entrance with the stone once more.

Inside the mound, Li Ju groped in the darkness until he unearthed a glowing stone. Its faint light illuminated the cramped interior.

“Hoo…” Li Ju leaned against the earthen wall, watching his father and little sister drift into dreams under the gentle glow, and let out a long sigh.

This was a resting spot he’d dug out during his fishing trips. The luminous stone was something he’d found in the river and kept here as a lantern.

“I’ve run so far that even an Inner School expert shouldn’t be able to find me for now,” he thought.

From the descriptions in the Ghost Bat Manual of an Inner School expert’s abilities, Li Ju felt confident his pursuer couldn't catch up, especially since he’d deliberately left no trace after entering the woods.

“Now, I just have to wait for Father to wake up, see if he knows a route to another city, and wait for the cooldown on the panel, so I can enter the next instance.”

Thinking of the panel, Li Ju’s spirit lifted. Just the first instance had elevated him from an ordinary person to an Outer School expert. After a few more, even Inner School masters would be nothing before him.

“When my strength is sufficient, I won’t have to flee like a stray dog anymore,” Li Ju clenched his fists.

He’d always believed in not provoking others unless they provoked him first. If Zhao Bao hadn’t tried to harm his sister, Li Ju wouldn’t have sneaked into the Zhao mansion and landed himself in this predicament, pursued and hunted.

All he ever wanted was to protect his family. But in these chaotic times, those without power couldn’t even defend their loved ones.

Buzzing sounds.

As Li Ju rested in the mound, a group of black-clad men, guided by a flying insect, entered the forest.