Who was it, sabotaging my plans from the shadows?
And who could foresee things before they happened?
Zhang Chi frowned deeply, countless thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant. He even suspected there might be a traitor among them. But on second thought, even if there were, that person would never have let the target escape. They would have captured him first and returned to the capital to claim credit.
Suddenly, a name surfaced in his mind.
Someone who could act ahead of them and who knew the whereabouts of that little bastard…
“Xu Shixiong!”
Zhang Chi’s gaze turned icy as he enunciated each word.
For the past two months, they had tracked clues and followed trails, enduring wind and hardship, finally learning the whereabouts of that Gu fellow five days ago. Along the way, they had taken countless detours and suffered untold difficulties. Was it all going to amount to nothing but an empty dream?!
“After him!”
Without the slightest hesitation, the young Taoist let out a sharp shout and shot toward the edge of the marketplace.
Beside him, Wang Erhu, though heavyset and seemingly clumsy, now displayed astonishing speed, closely following behind.
That Gu fellow was just an ordinary man carrying a bamboo basket; he couldn’t have gone far. With spiritual power augmenting their speed, if they gave chase at full force, they would surely catch up!
***
The Red River Market sat along the banks of the Red River. It hadn’t existed at first, but as time passed, more and more people discovered the extraordinary nature of the snow mountain across the river.
Some began venturing into the mountains in search of treasures and medicinal herbs. Word spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred. Merchants caught the scent of opportunity and flocked in droves, while the mountain foragers, having tasted profit, gathered in ever greater numbers.
And so, through this cycle, the marketplace gradually came into being.
Gu Qing left the marketplace from the western side. Without the cover of continuous buildings, the first thing that greeted him was an extremely fierce cold wind.
Beyond the market, as far as the eye could see, the land was barren, with scarcely even a wild tree in sight.
Only a short distance ahead, a chain suspension bridge stretched across the Red River, spanning both banks. Towering and perilous, it inspired fear in all who saw it.
The roaring river slammed into a mountain ridge here, turning sharply downward. The river channel narrowed from over a thousand zhang to just a little more than a hundred, which made the construction of the chain bridge possible.
Gu Qing stepped onto the bridge.
His black hair whipped in the wind, his robes billowing, as he walked and recounted to Qiu Niang what had happened earlier at the inn.
After listening, the girl fell silent. She seemed to have thought of something, her lips parting several times, only to press them together again.
By dusk, the setting sun was as red as blood. There were hardly any pedestrians on the bridge; occasionally, one or two mountain foragers passed by, most of them looking weary, hurrying back to the market to rest.
A distance of just over a hundred zhang could be crossed in a few minutes.
At some point, a faint mist began to rise, shrouding the final stretch of the bridge. It spread endlessly, as though it had no end in sight.
Moreover, the mist was not the ordinary white of the mortal world, but a faint crimson, resembling a haze of blood, stirring unease in the heart.
The mountain foragers called it the “Red Mist”.
This was the origin of the legend that the divine mountain was a forbidden zone for immortals.
It was said that no matter how powerful a cultivator was, once they came into contact with the Red Mist, they would no longer be able to use the spiritual power within their bodies. Their cultivation would become nothing but an empty shell, leaving them no different from ordinary mortals.
Only by leaving the divine mountain could they return to normal.
Gu Qing was an ordinary man to begin with, so he naturally had nothing to fear. Just as he was about to step off the bridge and enter this legendary vast mountain, he suddenly heard a shout from behind.
“Little brother ahead, please wait!”
The voice was extremely urgent.
Gu Qing had just started to turn his head when another equally urgent voice rang in his ear.
It was Qiu Niang.
“Run!”
Between Qiu Niang and the stranger behind him, there was no question whom to trust.
In an instant, Gu Qing tightened his grip on the hemp ropes securing the bamboo basket and, without looking back, sprinted straight toward the mountain.
His legs were indeed strong; in no time at all, he left behind only a faint silhouette.
Half a minute later.
Standing before the rolling red mist, the young Taoist narrowed his eyes, his expression cold and shifting.
But he knew he had no time to think. After a brief hesitation, he rushed in as well.
Zhang Chi naturally knew the strange nature of this red mist, but the person he had longed for day and night was now right before him…how could he possibly give up?
Besides, even if he couldn’t use spiritual power, he still possessed a strong physique and skilled swordsmanship. What threat could a mere physician from Xiqi City pose to him?
Not to mention, it was two against one. The advantage was theirs!
…
…
There was no doubt that the divine mountain was vast.
That eerie red mist enveloped the entire peak, and aside from it, all that could be seen was an endless expanse of snow.
The setting sun hung in the sky, its afterglow filtering through the red mist, spreading like boundless rays of light.
Gu Qing did not keep running.
Continuing like that wasn’t a solution and more importantly, he was about to run out of strength.
He had only arrived at the Red River by evening today and was already thoroughly exhausted. He had finally had a chance to rest for a night in the marketplace, yet because of a single note, he was forced to set out early again.
Though, judging from the outcome, he had clearly made the right gamble.
But he wasn’t made of iron. He was human, a living, breathing person. And people needed rest.
Rather than wasting his last bit of strength on fleeing, he might as well try to make a stand against them.
Finding a somewhat concealed hollow in the mountains, Gu Qing set down the bamboo basket and took out the short sword inside.
This sword had traveled three thousand li with them and had yet to be unsheathed. Now, it seemed, it would finally be put to use.
Watching his actions, Qiu Niang said in a low voice, “Those two… they’re from the Tianshi Manor. They’ve come to capture me.”
Her voice was somewhat hoarse.
Aside from the first day he bought her, Gu Qing had rarely heard her sound this strained.
The girl’s body was trembling as well. Her thin shoulders shook continuously, her head lowered, her lower lip bitten tightly.
Back at the inn, she had trembled like this too.
But that had been out of a timid longing upon nearing home. Now, it was fear…visible, unmistakable panic. Her face was pale, almost translucent.
It was as if time had returned to three months ago, back to that torrential rain, back to that night when the long street ran red with blood.
Taoists clad in jet-black robes stepped through the gates of the marquis’s residence under the escort of the imperial guards. Some were sneering, some calm, some indifferent, some greedy… Every form of malice in the world fell upon a twelve-year-old girl that night.
The rain fell harder and harder, and the blood flowed more and more.
Servants screamed, begged for mercy, and fled in all directions.
Her father roared in the rain, his mountain-like figure standing at the very front with a blade in hand. Behind him were her two older brothers, also gripping their blades, burning with the same fury.
Further back stood her mother, with her hidden in her embrace.
She was terrified, her mind blank, knowing only that there was blood everywhere… everywhere, covering the ground. No matter how the rain poured down, fresh blood would immediately surge forth again.
The blood splashed onto her face, warm and sticky, like the melting sugar paintings sold on the street.
She watched as one person after another fell, never to rise again.
And now, it seemed this scene was about to repeat itself.
“No… don’t…”
She trembled, her voice hoarse, almost pleading.
“Don’t worry. Wait here for me.”
The young man in front of her forced a smile. Fatigue was evident between his brows as he raised a hand to ruffle her hair.
Then, holding his sword, he turned and walked away without hesitation.
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