The sky brightened on the horizon as the first gentle rays of sunlight emerged, painting the deep black sky with a pale, rosy golden light.
Under this light, a young man sat cross-legged inside a simple, makeshift reed tent. This young man was Xiao Shan.
He had endured almost a full night guarding the fire. Granted, staying up all night posed no issue for a cultivator, but what triggered Xiao Shan was that others were supposed to switch turns, allowing him time to rest and cultivate.
Chen Kang's lackeys had left him high and dry, clearly another act of bullying in a long string of slights. The thought enraged Xiao Shan.
He had spent the past hour settling his mind, diving into deep meditation to stabilize his cultivation, which felt like a dam ready to burst.
As the light pierced the reed walls of the tent, footsteps could be heard approaching. Xiao Shan did not mind, keeping his eyes closed in meditation.
Before long, a familiar grating voice called out. "Fellow disciple Xiao Shan, it is time to wake up! Get those lazy bones out!" The shout was followed by a sharp thud as one of the pillars of the tent was kicked down.
In front of the collapsed tent stood Chen Wei, wearing a malicious smile. His hands were clasped behind his back as he looked down at Xiao Shan's figure under the fallen reed cloth.
Xiao Shan stood up silently, letting the reed cloth drop to the ground. He looked at Chen Wei with a flat face, seemingly devoid of emotion.
In an instant, Xiao Shan swiftly stepped in front of Chen Wei. A bandaged hand flashed out, clasping Chen Wei's shoulder. The movement was smooth and delicate, yet Chen Wei felt as if a cold iron claw had just clamped down on him.
"What did you just say?" Xiao Shan spoke in a low voice, his face barely a foot away from Chen Wei's.
Chen Wei felt a cold shiver run down his spine as a drop of sweat rolled over his brow. Something was deeply wrong. He felt as if he were being stared down by a predator eyeing its prey.
Chen Wei instinctively took a step back, forcing his way out of Xiao Shan's grip. "What is the meaning of this? What are you trying to do?" he shouted, reaching for his storage pouch.
"What is the meaning of this commotion?"
As the situation grew tense, a calm, cool voice drifted from the luxurious tent. A young man dressed in fine white silk robes walked out. The young man was Chen Kang.
Chen Kang looked at Xiao Shan, who stood expressionless, then gazed at Chen Wei, who was in the middle of reaching for his storage pouch. He frowned in displeasure.
"Senior Brother Chen Kang," the lackey said, quickly regaining his composure. With a slight smile on his face, he added, "I was just instructing fellow disciple Xiao Shan on his morning duties. However, he seems to have some objections." Chen Wei shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head dismissively.
Xiao Shan turned to meet Chen Kang's gaze. "I have no objections to doing my part for the mission. However, I do have objections to taking consecutive watch shifts while others sleep soundly in their tents." He glared back at Chen Wei.
"What are you talking about? The shifts were decided fairly!" Chen Wei responded, flustered.
"Is that so?" a voice interrupted. Li Mo stepped out of his reed tent, patting his peasant clothes straight before walking beside Xiao Shan. "When my turn came at dawn, Brother Xiao Shan was still on guard. Chen Wei and Chen Lin never left their tents. If this is a group mission, the duties should be shared equally."
With a groan, Chen Kang frowned. He did not care about the fairness of the watches, but if this situation got out of hand, it risked derailing the mission.
"Young master," a gruff voice called from the cart. The old coachman emerged from a bundle of rough wool blankets. "Young master is wise and just. With your superior planning skills, surely moving disciple Xiao Shan to the last turn would satisfy these complaints. Putting your subordinates on the first shifts would show the young master's absolute justice."
Chen Kang stood silent, looking at the horizon as if pondering. "Since this conflict, petty as it is, endangers the mission, I will step in," he said, turning his gaze toward the group. "Little brother Xiao Shan, you take the last turn. Make sure to do it well. As for you two..." He looked at his lackeys. "The first shifts are important, so I will leave them to you. Set a good example."
With a sweep of his sleeve, he set the issue aside and walked toward the cart.
Chen Kang's lackeys glared at Xiao Shan with scorn. Xiao Shan furrowed his brows; this was merely a slap on the wrist rather than real punishment. With a sigh, he decided to capitulate for the time being.
The group packed the tents and loaded the cart, departing once more toward their destination.
As night fell, the clacking of the cart wheels came to a stop. They had entered a forest earlier, and now they had to set up camp. Just like the previous night, tents were set up, and the first watch shift started with one of Chen Kang's lackeys.
Chen Wei was sitting next to the campfire looking annoyed when he saw Li Mo pass by. "Brother Li Mo, have you seen Xiao Shan? He was supposed to fetch water for the horses."
Li Mo glanced toward the cart and replied, "Brother Xiao Shan has already brought water and fed the horses."
With a disgruntled humph, Chen Wei hunched, stroking his chin as he stared back at the fire. Li Mo rolled his eyes and quietly retired to his tent.
Amidst the crackling sound of the fire, Chen Wei was lost in his thoughts. He schemed of ways to get back at Xiao Shan the next day, wearing a malicious smile. But as soon as the smile flashed on his face, a heavy thud startled him from behind. A thick stack of wet wood slammed onto the ground. A couple of wet logs tumbled into the fire, immediately releasing a plume of thick white smoke and spitting crackling sparks.
Chen Wei jumped, looking up at the figure beside him. For a moment, a cold shiver ran down his spine as he sensed a foreign, chilling presence; however, upon close inspection, it was only Xiao Shan, standing expressionlessly in the dim light.
"I brought you some extra firewood. We wouldn't want senior brother to be cold," Xiao Shan spoke in a flat, dispassionate tone. He kicked another damp log into the fire, then turned and walked back to his tent.
Chen Wei stood shocked and angry. Gritting his teeth, he went directly to Chen Kang's tent to complain. Minutes later, the three of them were standing by the fire.
"Brother Chen Wei, I brought water as instructed. I even left you a bucket in case you needed some during your turn, and I moved the firewood closer so you wouldn't have to search," Xiao Shan said with a distraught expression, pointing toward an empty bucket lying next to the wood pile. "Yet you dare to take it out on me for your own mistake?"
Chen Kang slapped his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "I don't care about these trivial matters. Chen Wei, don't bother me with this." With a wave of his hand, he returned to his tent, leaving Chen Wei completely befuddled.
Xiao Shan turned back toward his tent. Before entering, he cast a cold, victorious smirk back at Chen Wei, then disappeared inside.
Other than the firewood incident, the night went uneventfully. By the end of Xiao Shan's morning watch, the group packed up and prepared to depart.
"Young master, we are getting close to our destination," the old coachman assured Chen Kang as they readied to move. "By tomorrow, we should be there."
Later that day inside the carriage, Chen Wei sat in sullen silence. Beside him, Chen Lin saw his gloomy state and gritted his teeth before speaking. "Ah, Brother Wei, don't look so distraught. Sometimes the young master gives us hard tasks because he trusts us."
Li Mo rolled his eyes, already feeling a headache from the incessant yapping ahead.
"Senior Brother really is a dragon amongst men!" Chen Lin continued, speaking with excited fervor. "Who else in the sect is as talented and powerful?"
Xiao Shan looked out the window, completely ignoring the noise.
"Humph. Fellow disciple Xiao Shan, what do you know?" Chen Lin said, shifting his target to taunt Xiao Shan. It was turning into a familiar routine, knowing that Xiao Shan would usually just silently put up with them. "Even if Senior Brother fought you with one hand tied behind his back, you still wouldn't be his match!"
"Is that so? I wonder how Chen Kang compares with Brother Fenghuang Qing." Xiao Shan narrowed his eyes as he replied.
"Is your head empty? How do you dare to compare!" Chen Lin retorted, his breathing growing agitated. "If Senior Fenghuang Qing were at the same cultivation level, our Senior Brother would still win!"
"Oh?" Xiao Shan lifted an eyebrow. "So even the heir of the Fenghuang clan is not his match?"
"No! And neither are you!" Chen Lin's eyes reddened as he raised his voice.
"No need to fight over it," Li Mo intervened, noticing that Xiao Shan had struck a deep nerve with the lackeys. "We know Fenghuang Qing defeated Chen Kang with a single move in a spar, but even that is honorable. All the folks from the Fenghuang clan are monsters."
Chen Wei's mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
A heavy, uncomfortable silence filled the carriage. For the next hour, the only sound was the rumbling of wheels. However, in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a faint voice drifted from the front of the carriage.
"We've arrived," the old coachman called, opening the door to the back of the carriage to announce their arrival.
In front of the carriage stood a large wooden gate surrounded by a mile of fortified stone walls. A long line of caravans queued to enter. They had finally arrived at their destination: Huangzhen.