Chapter 66

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Chapter 66: Encounter on the Road

     

Though they were close to Bao Town, it was completely dark by the time they arrived. The carriage stopped before a stable, and the guard was the first to jump out. Zhang Xiaohua and his brother were still sitting in the carriage, confused, when the other passengers also began to disembark. The young scholar saw the two still inside and chuckled: “If you don’t get off and stay at the inn, do you plan to spend the night in the carriage?”

     

Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback and asked: “Aren’t we traveling straight to Pingyang City? Why do we need to stop and stay in an inn?”

     

The scholar smiled and said: “Even if we don’t need to rest, the horses certainly do. They’d collapse from exhaustion before reaching Pingyang City if we didn’t stop. Besides, traveling at night is dangerous. Unless it’s an emergency, no one travels at night. Biaochi’s carriage service has branches in every town along the way, and the routes and schedules are fixed. Tonight, we’ll rest here. Come on down.”

     

Only then did Zhang Xiaohua and his brother understand. They felt a bit annoyed that Mr. Liu and Liu Kai hadn’t explained this to them clearly. When they got off the carriage and entered the inn, the other passengers had already found seats and were ordering food. Zhang Xiaohua and his brother were about to find a place to sit when the scholar waved them over from a corner. Exchanging a glance, they walked over. The scholar poured them each a cup of water and said: “Thanks for letting me sit by the window this afternoon. How about I treat you two to dinner tonight?”

     

Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand: “No need. It was just a small favor, don’t be polite. We can each pay for our own meals.”

     

Seeing that they were firm in their refusal, the scholar didn’t insist. He called the waiter over and ordered his own meal.

     

Though Zhang Xiaohua and his brother had never been to a restaurant, Mr. Liu had briefed them beforehand, so they roughly knew what to do. They ordered some simple dishes and, though not very expensive, still felt a pinch in their pockets.

     

While waiting for their food, the scholar and Zhang Xiaohua had a brief chat. They learned that the scholar was Li Jinfeng, a student from a certain academy in Pingyang City. Zhang Xiaohua asked about the Piaomiao Sect, and though Li Jinfeng had heard of it and knew it had considerable influence in Pingyang City, he didn’t know its exact location. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s disappointment, Li Jinfeng promised to help them find out more once they reached Pingyang City, which lifted Zhang Xiaohua’s spirits.

     

After dinner, they discovered the carriage service had prepared rooms and shared sleeping quarters at different prices. Naturally, Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu chose the cheapest shared accommodation. They didn’t see the other people, so probably the other passengers had found their own private rooms.

     

The bedding and other things on the shared bed were not very clean, and the smell was very bad. The room was already filled with people snoring, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t mind as he was exhausted and fell asleep immediately. Zhang Xiaohu carefully packed their belongings before lying down.

     

Pingyang City, in the council hall of Piaomiao Sect.

     

Big candles as thick as a child’s arm illuminated the entire hall as bright as day.

     

Ou Peng sat majestically in the central chair. The seats on either side of him were occupied not only by the Six Tigers of the Piaomiao Sect but also by numerous other individuals. Many stood behind the seated figures, hands clasped behind their back, while countless sect disciples stood at attention outside, seemingly in a big formation.

     

Inside the council hall, everyone was whispering among themselves, creating a constant hum of conversation.

     

Ou Peng frowned slightly and cleared his throat, bringing immediate silence. All eyes turned to Ou Peng.

     

Scanning the room, Ou Peng’s gaze settled on Fourth Elder Shangguan. He asked: “Junior Brother Shangguan, are all the preparations for the attack on the Luo River Gang in place?”

     

Fourth Elder Shangguan stood and replied: “Yes, Sect Master. After nearly two months of careful planning, the elite forces of our sect are positioned at key locations around the Luo River Gang. We’re just waiting for your command to initiate the attack. With our strategy, success is certain.”

     

Ou Peng then turned to Zhang Chengyue and asked: “How is the recruitment of new disciples progressing?”

     

Zhang Chengyue quickly stepped forward and bowed: “Sect Master, in the past two months, we have recruited about four hundred children with martial talent. They are currently being trained by our dedicated sect brothers for training. Due to Senior Uncle Shangguan’s mobilization, we faced some personnel shortages, but this disciple has supplemented our numbers by transferring a large number of disciples from the Lotus Escort Agency.”

     

Ou Peng nodded approvingly: “We still need to pay attention to the safety of the sect. We must avoid any tricks like the matis catching cicadas while the oriole waits behind. Also, we need to replenish the manpower at the Lotus Escort Agency promptly.”

     

Zhang Chengyue responded: “Understood, Sect Master. Recruitment efforts have already begun since the start of this month.”

     

Ou Peng said: “Excellent, you’ve done well, Chengyue. During our absence, you will temporarily take charge of the sect’s affairs. We’ll leave your Senior Uncle Hu here to assist you with any issues.”

     

Zhang Chengyue nodded in agreement.

     

Ou Peng then turned to First Elder Hu and asked: “Eldest Brother, are you willing to stay behind and oversee the rear for us?”

     

First Elder Hu smiled: “Sure, my old bones could use a rest anyway.”

     

Ou Peng stood up and addressed everyone: “Since everything is arranged, issue the command. We start the attack on the Luo River Gang now. Conquering Luo River will elevate our Piaomiao Sect to a first-class sect.”

     

With a wave of his hand, the council hall erupted into activity as everyone got busy. The same order was passed to different places, that is, one sentence: “Begin the attack!”

     

The, Ou Peng smiled and said to his martial brothers and second-generation disciples: “Let’s go see what the Luo River Gang has up their sleeve. Let’s see how they plan to resist our Piaomiao.”

     

He then led the way out of the council hall.

     

Outside, in the square, horses were ready and waiting. Everyone mounted up and, under the cover of night, set off under Ou Peng’s leadership.

     

Meanwhile, in the Jichi Carriage Service’s inn at Bao Town, the day’s travelers were fast asleep, their snores filling the air.

     

[TL_Note: Jichi->Rapid Ride]

     

Suddenly, the quiet night was shattered by shouts, the clash of weapons, and the sound of fists striking flesh. Awoken from their dreams, the travelers were initially angry. Before they could open their windows, one hot-tempered man yelled: “Which bastard is making all this noise, disturbing this grandfather’s sleep? Do you want to die?”

     

His loud cursing was very loud in the night sky and spread far away. Zhang Xiaohu was also jolted awake. Before he could sit up, a sharp “whoosh” followed by a “thunk” sounded. Something embedded itself in the room’s pillar. Everyone took a closer look In the moonlight and saw it was an arrow shot in from the window. Everyone was startled and all sleepiness disappeared

     

A voice from outside shouted: “Brothers from the Evil Tiger Gang are handling matters here. Those not involved, stay out of it. If you’re sleeping, keep sleeping. If not, shut your mouths.”

     

Many people quickly covered their mouths, eyes wide with fear.

     

The fighting outside continued. Unable to resist their curiosity, some travelers sneaked to the windows, peeking out, while others looked through cracks in the walls to witness the scene outside.

     

On the street outside, two groups of people were fiercely fighting. Some wielded weapons while others fought with bare hands. The sounds of the battle were intense, punctuated by occasional screams of pain. Although the moonlight provided some visibility, it was still difficult to see clearly. After a while, it seemed that one side was losing. Someone whistled sharply, and the losing group scattered and fled the street.

     

A few even displayed their lightness skills, darting across the roofs of the carriage service’s inn, causing the onlookers to duck and hide in the darkness. When the sounds of the fleeing fighters faded, people cautiously peeked out again. The street had returned to silence, though scattered bodies remained, casting dark shadows. It seemed that there was no time to clean up the corpses. A timid voice whispered: “It’s over. Let’s close the windows and get back to sleep.”

     

Another braver voice suggested; “Let’s wait and see if anyone comes to deal with the bodies.”

     

Zhang Xiaohu also watched through a crack in the wall. He silently returned to his bed, glancing at Zhang Xiaohua, who was still sleeping undisturbed. He thought to himself: “Ignorance is truly bliss. Is this the martial arts world? After learning martial arts, you would enter such a cruel world? Is this what I want?”

     

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhang Xiaohu eventually fell asleep. The other people in the communal sleeping area whispered excitedly for a while before quieting down, drifting back to sleep at some point.

     

The next morning was overcast. Zhang Xiaohua woke up as usual, noting Zhang Xiaohu’s reddened eyes and the weary looks of the other occupants. After some questioning, he learned about the events of the previous night. When Zhang Xiaohua and others went out to inspect the street, they found it had been cleaned thoroughly, with no trace of the previous night’s battle. Only the arrow lodged in the pillar of their room indicated that something unusual had indeed occurred.

     

The people staying at the carriage service inn hailed from various places and continued on their separate ways after breakfast.

     

When Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua boarded the carriage, they noticed that the two elderly passengers from the previous day were replaced by a middle-aged man wearing Confucian clothing.

     

Under the skilled guidance of the driver, the carriage moved smoothly. Zhang Xiaohua, with nothing else to do, continued to watch the passing scenery. The man in Confucian clothes and the young scholar engaged in a lively conversation, though Zhang Xiaohua could not understand much of their discussion.

     

Unlike his previous excitement, Zhang Xiaohu was unusually quiet today. Zhang Xiaohua assumed his brother hadn’t slept well, unaware that Zhang Xiaohu was deep in thought about the events he had witnessed and what they meant for their future.

     

The spacious carriage sped along the road to Pingyang City, with several changes of passengers. Only Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu, the young scholar Li Jinfeng, and the guard remained constant. By noon, they reached another town for a rest. The guard mentioned that this would be their last stop before the final leg to Pingyang City.