The Huiping City border checkpoint.
Caravans traveling north and south were undergoing inspection. Wang Ping queued quietly, his gaze sweeping past the border guards to the two Daoist Scripture Hall Qi Cultivators behind them, who were coldly observing the area.
The inspection for re-entry was much stricter than when Wang Ping had left.
"Look up," Yu Lian reminded Wang Ping.
Wang Ping did as she said and looked up, but saw nothing. He channeled Spiritual Power into his eyes, and his vision instantly changed. There, along the long, narrow borderline, was a faint, almost imperceptible illusory barrier. It looked like it was meant to stop something from leaving.
'What a grand display!'
The two Qi Cultivators from the Daoist Scripture Hall quickly noticed Wang Ping. The older of them stepped forward, offered a salute, and said, "Fellow Daoist, are you visiting relatives in Xia Country, or returning from your travels?"
"Returning from my travels," Wang Ping answered calmly.
"May I see your identity token?"
"Of course."
Wang Ping handed over the identity token he carried and asked, "What's happened in the country to require such a massive operation?"
The Cultivator did not answer immediately. Instead, he carefully used his Spiritual Power to inspect the authenticity of the token. After confirming it was genuine, he returned it to Wang Ping and said, "Ah, so you're a Fellow Daoist from Qianmu Temple..."
As he spoke, he invited Wang Ping to step out of the queue and led him over to the other Qi Cultivator. Only then did he explain, "Half a month ago, a demon infiltrated the Inspectorate in Mozhou Road to assassinate a Court official. Afterward, two Mountain Gods invested by the Court rebelled, leading to the destruction of most of Mozhou Road. In the end, an Immortal Master from the True Yang Sect had to intervene to suppress the demon, but one of the rebellious Mountain Gods escaped from Mozhou Road."
Wang Ping was taken aback. He quickly processed the information, then glanced at the crowded checkpoint. "With such a massive blockade, can they really stop him?"
"That's a problem for our superiors to consider. We just need to execute our orders," the older Cultivator said with a smile. "Fellow Daoist, your Qianmu Temple is in Nanlin Road, isn't it? Be careful on your way back, especially when passing through Mozhou Road."
'He was being dismissed.'
"Thank you for the warning, Fellow Daoist."
Wang Ping offered a cupped-fist salute in thanks, then made a simple excuse and departed.
Inside Huiping City, things were much as they had been before. The only difference was that the passing caravans were either in a great hurry or had simply rented small courtyards in the city, planning to wait until the Court completely crushed the Rebel Army before continuing north.
Wang Ping couldn't help but think of Wuping's caravan. By his calculations, if they had sold their goods in Sea City and quickly restocked, they would have returned to Huiping City right when the Mozhou Road rebellion occurred. Given the speed at which news travels, the caravan would likely only hear about it once they reached a city in central Hai Zhou Road.
'And if they hadn't heard the news and kept going…'
Yu Lian's head poked out cautiously from the collar of Wang Ping's robes, and she surveyed their surroundings.
Wang Ping found an inn to fill his waterskin, bought some dried meat for Yu Lian and some flatbread for himself, then resumed his journey north.
「Six days later.」
As Wang Ping passed through a coastal fishing village, he happened to see constables from the County Magistrate's Office on patrol. They were taking down the wanted posters from the notice board and dismissing the militia patrol.
This meant that the last Mountain God who had escaped had also been caught.
Wang Ping couldn't shake the feeling that something was very strange about the whole affair. It was as if the initial assassination attempt at the Inspectorate, followed by the appearance of the rebellious Mountain God, were all a deliberate show—sacrifices meant to appease certain people.
Whenever his thoughts ran too deep, Yu Lian would inevitably ask, "What's wrong?" pulling him back from his worldly troubles.
「One month later.」
Wang Ping finally saw the damage caused by the rebellion. A prosperous coastal fishing village he had passed through two months ago was now nothing but churned-up earth. Fishermen relocated by the County Magistrate's Office were rebuilding their community amidst the ruins.
What shocked Wang Ping even more was Yuanning City. The county town was now a field of ruins, and the stench of decay hung in the air, noticeable from a great distance. As soon as Wang Ping entered the ruins, he was questioned by Qi Cultivators from the Daoist Scripture Hall. After clearing up the misunderstanding, Wang Ping asked what had happened there.
As it turned out, the cause was somewhat related to Wang Ping. A few months ago, he, Feng Miao, and Cheng Ji had stumbled upon the dirty dealings of the County Magistrate's Office. During the subsequent investigation, it was discovered that Evil Cultivators from the Taiyin Sect had secretly established a Corpse Refinement site there. An unavoidable, great battle had ensued, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the county town.
The Taiyin Sect might sound malevolent, but its prestige was actually on par with the Yuqing Sect. They were known as the two great Heavenly Gates, with a lineage comparable to the five great Mystic Sects. The sect itself was complex; it contained Pure Cultivators who practiced righteous techniques, as well as Evil Cultivators who prioritized speed.
The second Emperor of Xia Country had once issued a decree banning the Evil Cultivators of the Taiyin Sect from proselytizing within Xia Country's borders, yet held a welcoming attitude towards the Pure Cultivation faction that practiced orthodox methods. This created many lingering problems, as some Pure Cultivators, unable to endure their ascetic lives, secretly turned to evil cultivation.
Leaving the ruins of Yuanning City, Wang Ping still couldn't suppress his curiosity. He headed for Changwen Prefecture, the capital of Mozhou Road, intending to find Feng Miao or Cheng Ji to ask for more details. After all, he was slightly entangled in the karma of this affair.
「Five days later.」
Outside the gates of the Daoist Scripture Hall in Changwen Prefecture, Wang Ping met Cheng Ji. Feng Miao was out of the city on a mission.
"Sigh... speaking of which, this rebellion is also related to us uncovering the collusion between the County Magistrate's Office and that demon in Yuanning County!" Cheng Ji said with some trepidation as he spoke of the matter. They were currently in a private room of a restaurant in the Prefecture City.
"They can't possibly trace the karmic threads back to us, can they?" Wang Ping frowned as well.
"That's not it. I'm saying that back in Yuanning County Town, there was at least one Cultivator who had mastered a First Realm Secret Technique. If they had wanted to eliminate us, it would have been as easy as lifting a finger. The fact that the three of us made it out alive was just sheer, dumb luck!"
The realization dawned on Wang Ping, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
'What a close call!'
Hearing Cheng Ji's words confirmed Wang Ping's earlier suspicions. The people who revealed themselves during this rebellion were indeed deliberate sacrifices, their deaths intended to silence certain people.
It was a simple truth, and Wang Ping believed the old foxes in charge had likely considered it far more deeply than he had. It sent a prickle of unease down his spine.
'The outside world is truly a dangerous place. You try to do one small good deed, and you nearly fall into someone else's trap.'
He and Cheng Ji chatted until dark, sharing a pot of yellow wine. Afterward, Cheng Ji returned to his Daoist Scripture Hall, and Wang Ping found a nearby inn to rest.
「The next day.」
At cock's crow, Wang Ping performed his daily marrow washing. As soon as dawn broke, he checked out of the inn and set out for Nanlin Road.
「Half a month later…」
On the twenty-third day of the fifth month, in the ninth year of the Bao Yuan era.
After being away for over four months, Wang Ping finally returned to Qianmu Temple. While in the market at the foot of the mountain, an outer sect disciple spotted him and excitedly ran up toward the Daoist Temple to spread the word.
By the time Wang Ping reached the entrance of the Daoist Temple, his three senior brothers and a number of Inner Sect Disciples were already waiting for him.