The room was brightly lit outside, but inside it was so oppressive that one didn’t dare to breathe.
Shopkeeper Sun’s face was as cold as water. With his hands behind his back, he paced around the flower hall in circles, occasionally looking up at the copper water clock in the corner of the wall.
A man in black stepped over the threshold. He kept his head down, not daring to look at Shopkeeper Sun’s expression. His skin was tight, and he hunched his shoulders, making him appear both dejected and fearful.
“Dawn is about to break.”
Shopkeeper Sun’s voice was very light, almost like a mosquito’s buzz, but the man in black suddenly trembled.
The six others standing in the shadow of the room also shivered at the same time.
They had arrived earlier, all with their heads covered, faces hidden, dressed in black nightclothes. Each one was hunched over, looking like a group of black quails.
“Who was it that boasted in front of me, saying that the people of Fengxing Pavilion were just like dogs without a home, and that it wouldn’t take an hour to catch them?” Shopkeeper Sun continued to pace, and it was unclear how he managed it, but the soft soles of his shoes made a piercing sound like metal striking stone on the smooth blue bricks.
The quails all stared at their noses, keeping their mouths shut.
No one dared to complain, even though they all felt wronged inside.
That wretched formation had been practiced until their hair was almost falling out. They trained day and night, normally practicing steps left and right in the courtyard behind closed doors, and on dark, windy nights, they would climb walls and walk on rooftops with their brothers to practice in real situations, all without letting the people of Fengxing Pavilion notice. If it weren’t for the fact that Sweet Spring Bathhouse hadn’t been built when Run County was already under the control of Piaoping Pavilion, it wouldn’t have been so easy to fool those people.
“The people ran, and the warehouse at the trading company was also scouted out… I made a military pledge to the Master, and this is how you handled the matter for me? It seems you all think I’m too old, resent me for occupying this position, and want to send me to the Yellow Springs early to drink the soup of oblivion?”
Shopkeeper Sun’s tone was sinister, and the crowd shivered violently. One of them was pushed forward, stammering, “Commander, please calm down. The city is surrounded tightly, with not only the soldiers but also our insiders in the various trading companies. We are doing our best to track down those of Fengxing Pavilion who have slipped through the net. There are more than twenty of them; the woodshed and ordinary houses can’t possibly hide them. News about them will be coming soon…”
Before he could finish speaking, a man in black hurriedly ran in.
“Report, there has been a discovery in the eastern city.”
The black quails breathed a sigh of relief but had no time to show any sign of relaxation before the next words of the messenger plunged them into cold water.
“There are marks of grappling hooks and ropes under the city wall. Following the traces all the way up, footprints have been found outside the city… The people of Fengxing Pavilion have escaped.”
“Bang.”
Shopkeeper Sun smashed the porcelain vase on the low table with one palm.
His eyes were blazing with anger, as if he wanted to tear apart the useless subordinates in front of him.
“Commander, we will depart immediately and definitely bring them back—”
“Return!”
Shopkeeper Sun shouted angrily. The shadow cast by the candlelight made his expression particularly hideous. Then, through gritted teeth, he spat out a distorted syllable.
“Withdraw.”
***
The swordsman watched as the people of Fengxing Pavilion climbed over the city wall one by one, noticing that Mo Li and Meng Qi had no intention of crossing.
“You’re not leaving?” the swordsman asked.
“That’s an interesting question. How would we meet your master if we left?” Meng Qi stroked his chin, dismantling the swordsman’s intentions with interest. “You’ve already decided to cling to me and the doctor, haven’t you? If we didn’t stay, you’d find a way to keep us in the city. For example, you know which inn the person who gives you opium stays at, what accent they have, and what kind of clothes they wear… Of course, you’re not lying, but I don’t need to hear it.”
The swordsman frowned, sensing an ominous premonition.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The clues you have are all false. You were never trusted by your benefactor.”
The swordsman clenched his fists, remaining silent.
Mo Li instinctively grew cautious, as the swordsman seemed ready to strike.
But the swordsman forcefully suppressed his anger. However, his expression betrayed him, looking as if he had suffered a great grievance.
—If this person didn’t have scars on his face, with that enduring and restrained gaze and the slightly downturned corners of his lips, the grievance could break through the sky, moving those who heard it to sorrow and those who saw it to tears. Now, affected by the scars, the impact was greatly reduced, making him look like a bandit who couldn’t rob any money.
Mo Li: “…”
Meng Qi: “…”
A bamboo hat and face covering were still very necessary.
Some people, without their face coverings, are like soldiers without armor, or turtles without shells.
“Master Meng, trying to sow discord won’t work on me.” The swordsman couldn’t see his own expression, but he still spoke viciously, word by word, “Even if my master has hidden some things from me, I never asked him, so it doesn’t count as deceit.”
“Then what are you anxious about?” Meng Qi asked with a faint smile.
The swordsman remained silent.
Meng Qi leisurely calculated for the swordsman: “Let me guess, what you care about is nothing more than martial arts and yourself. If you want to reach a higher level, to pursue a higher realm of martial arts, first you must stay alive… You haven’t taken any opium, and the doctor has examined you, confirming that you’re not poisoned. Your master uses gratitude to drive you, saving you from prison, giving you martial arts, turning you into what you are today. What you’re concerned about is nothing more than the martial arts and the initial rescue.”
Are there hidden flaws in the martial arts?
Was the rescue itself also part of a scheme?
The swordsman’s face alternated between pale and flushed as he coldly replied, “In this world, if one has no value to be used, how would anyone come to their rescue in times of trouble?”
Mo Li frowned at these words, feeling that they dismissed those who genuinely wished to do good deeds. He knew the swordsman’s life had been full of hardship, making his thoughts extreme, so such a statement was not surprising. However, Mo Li still felt dissatisfied and couldn’t help but retort, “That’s not true. Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs to save his people from famine and disease; during the chaos at the end of the Han dynasty, when corpses filled the land and plagues were rampant, leaving the common people in dire straits, Zhang Gong wrote medical treatises to save the people. Did he do it for fame or profit?”
The swordsman hadn’t read much, so while he knew Shennong, he was lost on the latter part.
But he couldn’t admit his ignorance at this moment, so the swordsman had to stubbornly argue, “There were sages in ancient times, but people today are more self-serving. Using examples from so long ago is laughable.”
This time, Meng Qi was also displeased.
Was he trying to dismiss all the founding fourteen ministers of the Chu dynasty?
Although Emperor Yuan of Chu wasn’t much of a person, Meng Qi still sincerely admired some of his old friends.
“Marquis Leyang, Zhu Yan, was a renowned scholar of the world, wealthy beyond measure, and a man who could be called a sage in the future; Duke Wei, Yin Qingheng, topped the imperial examination at seventeen, resigned from office at twenty, traveled a thousand miles to seek out a wise ruler, and along the way, saved tens of thousands of displaced people. He obtained the three counties of Nanyang, Xunyang, and Maochuan through his strategies. If it were for fame and profit, they could have lived in seclusion in the mountains, only to return to court once the world was at peace to seek official positions. With their reputations, even the emperor would have treated them with respect. Why would they involve themselves in the chaos?”
The swordsman was dumbfounded, thinking that he was just an ordinary person, yet Meng Qi kept bringing up this duke and that marquis, as if picking a fight.
“You consider yourself a martial artist and don’t want to be involved with the government, but what about the number one martial artist in the world thirty years ago, Doctor Qin?” Meng Qi timely added Old Mr. Qin’s name to back up Mo Li, questioning the swordsman, “Doctor Xuanhu roamed the martial world for decades, never losing a single fight. He never sought to become the leader of the martial arts alliance, never commanded others, didn’t seek fame or profit, didn’t fight for martial arts secrets or legendary weapons, and only saved countless lives. Could healing the world enable a master to achieve martial prowess?”
The swordsman: “…”
He was just trying to find an excuse for himself. His master had only helped him because he happened to come across him and saw that he had great potential and talent.
But with his master’s status, how could he have known that a child, covered in wounds and locked away from daylight, had any potential?
The swordsman wanted to believe it was just a coincidence.
Pressing down the complex emotions churning in his heart, the swordsman looked up and suddenly realized that there was no one in front of him.
Meng Qi had already dragged Mo Li away.
“Stubborn fool, why should the doctor waste his time?” Meng Qi deliberately said loud enough for the swordsman following behind to hear.
Mo Li thought, “This is a patient who still needs treatment. Besides, we need to find clues about the dragon vein companion from him.”
Meng Qi signaled with his eyes: Don’t worry, he won’t get lost.
The swordsman was as stubborn as a mule; if you pulled, he wouldn’t move, but if you provoked him a bit, he would come running on his own.
—Better to provoke than to command. He’ll be useful later on.
Meng Qi was smug, as if he were a fox proudly parading around with a chicken in its mouth.
Mo Li quietly turned his head.
The way of a gentleman and all that—it was better to forget about it when Meng Qi was around. For instance, right now, Mo Li had to temporarily abandon his conscience and watch as the swordsman delivered himself to their door.
“I went to the Sun Trading Company earlier, but the person you had immobilized was nowhere to be found. Now the people of Fengxing Pavilion have escaped despite being surrounded on all sides. They must have realized something was wrong.” Mo Li gazed into the distance, where figures flitted across rooftops and darted through alleyways. Piaoping Pavilion was still searching the city.
If they could find the leader of one of the squads and follow them, perhaps they could uncover the main base?
“No matter. I have an eighty percent chance of knowing where the Sun family is hiding.” Meng Qi clasped his hands and smiled as he looked at the distant streets, “Every formation has an eye. This one may seem intricate, but the eaves of the buildings obstruct the view, so the formation’s eye must not be flawed. It has to be their own property, with no alterations, to maintain the basic formation, allowing them to observe all directions and hear everything.”
Mo Li understood and asked, “How many such formation eyes are there?”
Meng Qi sneered, “There are three in total. I’ve already checked, and two of the houses are silent, but only one is brightly lit.”
“There’s no time to lose, let’s go.”
The two of them simultaneously used their lightness skills, leaving behind only fleeting shadows in the night that resembled wisps of smoke.
The swordsman gritted his teeth and followed closely, barely managing to keep up.
Moments later, the three of them climbed onto a rooftop.
The courtyard below was empty, with only the swaying lanterns casting crisscrossing shadows.
Meng Qi picked up a small stone and threw it into the courtyard.
“Plop.”
The stone was thrown without any results—no hidden weapons, and no sign of a group of black-clad assassins.
Meng Qi suddenly turned his head and leaped onto the second-floor rooftop of a nearby tavern.
In the darkness, the shadows that had been constantly flitting back and forth gradually diminished, like withering camellias, disappearing layer by layer.
“They ran.”
Meng Qi felt that he and the doctor had come quickly enough, but the Sun family shopkeeper, the one in charge of Piaoping Pavilion in this place, had actually managed to assess the situation and escape in time?
Piaoping Pavilion had put so much effort into bringing Run County under its control, making this place their stronghold, and now they could just abandon it so easily?
“With such resolve, I really underestimated him,” Meng Qi muttered to himself, “But then again, even a crafty rabbit has three burrows.”
The swordsman thought Meng Qi would fly into a rage, but instead, Meng Qi unhesitatingly chose a direction and continued the pursuit, and Mo Li didn’t question it at all.
The commotion in the city gradually quieted down.
The soldiers, unable to find any suspected “rebels,” began to complain, thinking the magistrate was making a big deal out of nothing.
“Maybe it was just some clumsy thief who knocked over a lamp. The shopkeepers in the eastern city are always making a fuss. If they’re going to mess with us like this, they’d better pay us a bit of hardship money so we can have a drink!”
“Shut up! What do you know? They found crossbows and weapons over at Sweet Spring Bathhouse! Now the people have escaped, and the county magistrate has ordered that the rebels must be caught before dawn!”
Below, the soldiers rumbled about as they ran.
On the rooftops, the swordsman followed along but soon realized something was off about the route they were taking.
“Are you heading to the military camp outside the city?”
Meng Qi didn’t answer.
Wasn’t it obvious? Did he really think Piaoping Pavilion could cover the sky with one hand, relying on their intricate formations to move back and forth across rooftops without fear of being discovered by the soldiers, and even cleverly leading the soldiers to catch people?
Those who set up formations would always leave themselves an escape route.
It was also a way to leave room for recovery in case of a mistake.
“Where could the Sun family hide so many people on a regular basis? The trading company wouldn’t work, and they couldn’t possibly stay in tunnels every day,” Mo Li speculated from a different angle.
It was common for soldiers in the barracks to be on the payroll without actually being there, so normally, no one would check the origins of the soldiers. This made it easier for Piaoping Pavilion to operate.
Some of the people, once they took off their nightclothes, were soldiers.
And there were their people mixed among the soldiers.
The swordsman hadn’t thought of this because his mind was still in the martial world. He assumed that martial world matters should be resolved within the martial world, so this clever tactic was beyond his grasp.
Meng Qi sneered at this.
They had their sights set on the entire world and were suspected of being descendants of Xiliang. Having taken over Run County, could they possibly overlook the military camp?
That house earlier must have had a tunnel leading out of the city!
But neither Mo Li nor Meng Qi would enter it. There were too many traps that could be set in a tunnel, and if all else failed, they could even collapse it!
The Sun family had already retreated, and knowing they had encountered a formidable opponent, could they possibly leave without a contingency plan?
No way.
In a battle of wits, the worst thing was to be led by the nose.
Mo Li looked at Meng Qi’s back and, for a moment, saw a glimpse of the brilliance Master Meng had in his younger days.
The three top martial artists used their lightness skills, moving so fast that ordinary people couldn’t even see their shadows.
Every obstacle, every checkpoint, even the city wall was no hindrance. The people of Fengxing Pavilion still needed ropes, but with just a tap of his toes on the vertical city wall, Mo Li floated over it with ease.
Even though the swordsman hadn’t fully recovered, his best skill was still his lightness technique.
As for Meng Qi, there was no need to say more.
If he changed into a robe with wide sleeves, he’d look more like an immortal than a human.
The military camp wasn’t far from the county town.
Mo Li slowed down in time, reminding, “Be careful of traps.”
Meng Qi found a small hill and swept up it to take a closer look at the layout of the camp.
The more he looked, the more strange his expression became.
“How is it?” Mo Li asked.
“The people of Piaoping Pavilion stationed in Run County’s military camp aren’t of low rank. Whether or not they have official positions is hard to say, but they certainly have some influence with the county captain.”
Mo Li looked at the camp and noticed something peculiar. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is this also a formation?”
“…It probably doesn’t count,” Meng Qi rubbed his nose, his expression turning strange, “This is a method of setting up camp to prevent a night raid. With just eighty people rotating shifts, they can guard all directions, while the rest of the soldiers can sleep. It’s a common camping method used by the Chu dynasty’s army, one that the Chu army was the first to adopt. They’ve learned it quite well.”
Mo Li could tell Meng Qi had more to say. After thinking for a moment, he asked quietly, “You’re very familiar with it?”
Meng Qi avoided the swordsman and whispered to the doctor in a low voice, “I invented it. Back then, I was always in charge of escorting grain supplies.”
Author’s Note:
Zhang Zhongjing was truly remarkable. He lived during the late Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, coming from a noble family and serving as the governor of Changsha. At that time, many people died in battle and weren’t buried in time, leading to epidemics. Combined with natural disasters, the common people had no way to survive. Often, entire villages would be wiped out.
“The white bones lay exposed in the wild; for a thousand miles, no rooster crowed…”
Zhang Zhongjing was determined to practice medicine and save the world. He traveled to many places, collecting numerous medical prescriptions, and wrote several medical books, including the *Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases*. He hoped that when the common people fell ill or epidemics broke out, those who wanted to save them would have the means to do so, giving the people a chance at survival. That’s why he’s honored as the “Sage of Medicine.”
