The town was not very large, four or five alleys could reach its end.
Houses were densely packed, various sheds abutting each other, greatly obstructing the view, making it hard to see far when looking up.
Mo Li got on the carriage and discreetly observed the surroundings, yet failed to spot that suspicious follower, inevitably casting a puzzled glance at Meng Qi.
Meng Qi nonchalantly bought two freshly steamed buns from a roadside vendor, then sat on the shaft, eating while saying, โRight behind us, that person you think least likely.โ
Mo Li naturally did not look back directly, as that would startle the snake. He drove the carriage, taking the opportunity to glance back while turning a corner.
A shadow quickly hid under the eaves.
Although the movement was swift, it was unfortunate to encounter Mo Li, whose vision was exceptional; in that instant, Mo Li still made out the personโs appearance.
It was a child.
Mo Li, surprised, tugged at the horse’s reins, the lead horse discontentedly shaking its head.
โDo you know the phrase most liked when people discuss tales of the Jianghu? The three trickiest kinds of people in the Jianghu are the elderly, children, and women. Because these three types do not easily mix in the Jianghu, once they do, it means they have something extraordinary, best not to provoke them.โ Meng Qi said with a smile, almost as if holding a storytelling script.
Dr. Mo silently watched him, wondering how this man could be so amusing, worrying that he might find it boring at this moment and still needing to crack jokes?
As long as one seriously practices martial arts, anyone can mix in the Jianghu.
When people of the Jianghu say such things, are they too afraid others donโt know they bully the weak and fear the strong, always targeting the elderly, women, and children? Or is it a self-mockery that those who mix in the Jianghu do not live long, hardly having a chance to grow old? Otherwise, why specifically mention these three types who dare to mingle in the Jianghu, surely having something extraordinary?
โThis child does not know martial arts.โ
Mo Li did not pick up the cue from the storytelling script; Meng Qi was not disappointed, passed over a bun, and said slowly, โIndeed he doesnโt, but besides him, no one else followed us.โ
โThose following us might not necessarily be from the Holy Lotus Sect.โ Mo Li thought, perhaps an accomplice or spy of robbers, especially since the ruts were somewhat deep, easily mistaken as the carriage carrying goods.
After entering the town, they always had someone staying close to the carriage, further confirming the presence of valuables inside.
Because large items are difficult to move, the coachman often parked the carriage aside, stepping down to buy tea or food; as long as the carriage wasnโt stolen, a few distant glances posed no issue.
The curtain of the carriage did not lift, the person wearing a conical hat unwilling to reveal their true face, not entering any shop for refreshments, only visiting the horse station to feed and buy fodder for the horsesโcollectively, each aspect was quite conspicuous.
Thus, Mo Li believed that before the people from the Holy Lotus Sect arrived, they had already been marked by roadside robbers.
Meng Qi shook his head and said, โDoctor, you are unaware, I saw this child talking to another person, that person gave him some broken silver, right when you were talking with the stable boy. He wore boots covered in fresh mud, no rain last night, and townspeople wouldnโt wear expensive boots, he doesnโt look like a farmer who would be in the fields, only that he must have traveled a long way to get to the town. If robbers wanted to rob, wouldnโt they have laid eyes in the town much earlier?โ
Suddenly, the carriage curtain fluttered as if someone inside moved.
โHow much longer until the acupoints are sealed?โ Mo Li looked back inside the carriage.
โIndeed, itโs almost time, letโs discuss after leaving the town.โ Meng Qi leisurely took a bite of his bun, then holding up the bun in his hand to show Mo Li the steaming, greasy filling, seriously saying, โThe greens are fresh, with a bit of minced meat added, wonโt you eat, Doctor?โ
Mo Li tasted it, finding the flavor indeed not bad, and then asked, โWhy only buy two?โ
โWhat if they tasted bad, wouldnโt that be a loss?โ Meng Qi argued convincingly.
Mo Li: “…”
Stop playing dumb, he was asking about the person inside the car.
Meng Qi signaled with his eyes: Missing a meal won’t kill him, don’t expect me to spend a penny on someone from the Holy Lotus Sect!
Mo Li frowned at the bun in his hand, then shook it, similarly signaling with his eyes: Nonsense, you just bought them randomly, if they’re tasty, you bring them out to share, if not, you’d stuff them to Mr. Yin in the cart, you think I don’t know?
Both men held up their buns in front of each other, staring silently.
The townspeople who accidentally witnessed this scene: “…”
What’s with the buns?
What kind of weirdos are these?
They instinctively stepped back, walking around the carriage.
The child who had been following the carriage clutched the money in his pocket, his expression hesitant, but finally, the hardness of the silver coins made him decide, and he dashed forward and lay down in front of the carriage wheel.
The movement was swift, and the position just right, in the next instant the wheel would have hit the childโs legs.
The child clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, preparing to roll out to avoid actually getting his bones crushed.
Being small and agile, he had watched for a long time to find such an opportunity in the slow-moving alley.
Yet, after waiting for quite a while, the child felt no impact, no pain, and when he opened his eyes, he shockingly discovered that the carriage had already passed by, leaving him lying bewildered on the sandy ground.
“Goat Boy, what happened to you? Not looking where you’re going, you almost got run over by the carriage!”
“Yeah, your mother is still sick, what would she do if something happened to you?”
The people quickly helped the child up, who stared at the ground where the wheel tracks were, seemingly in a daze.
“Look, you see!”
The wheel tracks suddenly disappeared, then reappeared on the left.
Could a normal carriage really fly?
This surprising discovery by the child did not attract the townspeople’s curiosity, the wheel tracks disappeared? That was because they had run over to help him up, on this sandy ground, what marks could remain after being trampled?
The child’s face turned pale, clutching his clothes pocket in a flustered panic.
The man had given him money to stop the carriage, and now that he had failed, could he still keep the money?
On the carriage, Mo Li finally understood Meng Qi’s earlier hint about the “extraordinary aspect of the three kinds of people in the Jianghu”? Staging an accident?
“How did you know?”
“That person could have followed us himself, why find a local child who knows no martial arts? This was a test, he felt our traces were too obvious, somewhat unbelievable.” Meng Qi snorted, then said, “What can a child do? Nothing but shout and cause a disturbance, or lie down under your carriage wheels.”
The curtain of the carriage had fluttered just now, the observer hidden in the shadows had already seen that there was someone inside, wearing only a white undergarment.
Mo Li: “By avoiding the child with the carriage, have we now startled the snake?”
Meng Qi replied, “Not necessarily, it just confirmed for him that among us, there must be a master of internal martial arts. This fact should have been obvious to him when he discovered that people like Mr. Yin from the Holy Lotus Sect were missing. To kidnap someone without a trace and cause a huge uproar at the county office…”
Mo Li resignedly stopped someone’s boasting.
Thinking back to when they were in Zhushan County, Xue Lingjun had been palpably afraid when mentioning Master Meng. And recalling his first encounter with Meng Qi, the astonishment at this man’s ethereal hermit-like demeanor, the heartfelt camaraderie after a vigorous duel of swords, and sensing that the other might also secretly be a dragon vein…
Mo Li almost wanted to tell his past self: Press it down earlier, or another dragon vein might just ascend to the heavens.
Before recovering his memory, Meng Qi had some restraint, even startled by the original form of a sand rat, but now… it was better left unsaid.
The carriage meandered out of the small town.
At the town entrance, various coachmen were emerging to buy food, including the guards and handymen from the merchant convoy they had met on the road yesterday, who first recognized Mo Li’s horses, their expressions changing slightly.
For those guarding and escorting carriages, encountering the same people repeatedly was highly taboo.
It might be a coincidence, or it might indicate ill intentions, but being cautious could prevent mishaps.
“Where’s the cargo? Has everyone kept an eye on it?”
“It’s stacked in the inn’s backyard, watched over, and the bosses are there, nothing will go wrong.”
That was what they said, but if something were actually to happen, it would be too late.
Several handymen were just about to go to the inn to find the escort master when suddenly a sharp whistling sound was heard.
A short arrow harshly embedded itself into the carriageโs side panel.
The street corner fell silent, followed by the townspeople screaming and scattering as the sound of short arrows continued unceasingly, like a burst of heavy rain hitting the carriage. These were fired from a mechanical crossbow, powerful enough to make the carriage lean outward.
“Whinny!”
The carriage horses neighed long and loud, breaking into a run.
Immediately, several figures leaped out from behind a large house at the town entrance, rapidly pursuing, kicking up a trail of dust.
The merchant team’s coachmen and handymen slowly emerged from their hiding spots, their faces filled with fright. They could handle bandits with knives, but those using prohibited crossbows were too much for them.
At that moment, Meng Qi’s face was stern, although he had sensed an ambush at the town entrance, he hadn’t expected the Holy Lotus Sect to act so brazenly in front of everyone.
Mo Li brushed aside the carriage curtain, inside Mr. Yin was both shocked and angry, clearly hearing that the lethal arrows were all aimed at him.
No, the primary target of the short arrows was actually the horses.
After all, if the horses died, the carriage would stop.
But with Mo Li present, none hit their mark; the force of the arrows only ruffled the horses’ manes, making them look as if they had run through a haystack.
The time to seal the acupoints had arrived, Mr. Yin’s limbs were stiff, he desperately curled up, lying low, not daring to lift his head, cursing continuously.
“No more pretending?” Meng Qi spoke with a taunting tone.
When they had captured Mr. Yin last night, he had only kowtowed, pleading ‘Great King, spare my life’, constantly playing dumb.
Mr. Yin, nearing fifty, had graying hair and a corpulent figure, lying across the entire carriage. From last night until now, he had barely closed his eyes, anxiously eavesdropping on the conversations between Mo Li and Meng Qi.
Yet, for all his listening, he couldn’t glean much, aside from learning that Mo Li was a doctor and the other person surnamed Meng. They seemed to be against the Holy Lotus Sect, but he found no other useful information.
Their accent was from the capital, their Mandarin very standard. However, the doctor had spoken in the dialect of Yuzhou when buying tea, and switched to another accent when discussing the price of fodder at the stable.
Just who were these people?
Mr. Yin knew his own affairs well. Those naive villagers who only worshiped the Ziwei Emperor were hardly considered members of the Holy Lotus Sect. True followers were listed in the register and practiced martial arts. Although Mr. Yin held a position in the local branch, it was because he was literate and often received visiting cards from the gentry of the county town, making connections with official figures to gather information. When it came to martial prowess, he had none.
Mr. Yin was also of some scholarly renown, so aside from the weapons carried by followers or procured by themselves, most were hidden in the cellar of his house. He had often been anxious, fearing discovery, and now he was even more terrified.
Caught by the authorities, he could excuse himself as uninformed or coerced, but these unknown jianghu figures cared not for his reputation; a swift slash could end his life.
“Run south, there are no Holy Lotus Sect members in the county town that way.” Mr. Yin was even more anxious than Mo Li and Meng Qi, fearing the carriage would be overtaken.
Mo Li did not plan to listen to him, but coincidentally, the direction he chose was also to the south.
Mr. Yin breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to see who was pursuing him but afraid of taking an arrow if he stuck his head out.
Then he heard a stern voice from behind.
“Fire more arrows!”
Mr. Yin paled with fright, urging desperately, “Faster, go faster! Why are your horses so slow?”
Meng Qi’s whip coiled through the air, narrowly missing Mr. Yin’s head.
“Shut up!”
Choosing to be picky while in their carriage?
Mr. Yin was a mixture of shock and anger, his voice hoarse: “You come looking for trouble with the Holy Lotus Sect, did you not inquire about the local branch masterโs reputation beforehand? This is Mad Tiger Fist Liang, the branch master, who can smash a whole slab of bluestone with one punch, once blood-washed twenty-four gangs in Yuzhou, not to mention…”
Before he could finish, his vision blurred, and Meng Qi was no longer in his original position.
Meng Qi, now beside the carriage, keeping pace through light footwork, grabbed a person.
“Recognize him, is this your branch master?” Meng Qi twisted the man’s head, signaling to Mr. Yin.
Author’s Note:
Mo Li: We’ve reached a secluded place, time to take action, Meng…
ใBefore he could finish, the fat mouse had vanishedใ
โโโโโโ
Cannon fodder: Our branch master is very powerful, you can’t defeat him…
Meng Qi: Is this the one?
Cannon fodder: We have many people, you can’t defeat…
Fat Mouse, yawning atop a pile of defeated foes: Oh
