Chapter 15
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The Situation Changes Dramatically!
(Thanks to Grand Alliance Leader Ten Thousand Eight Thousand Teenagers Dream!)
Passing through the altar area and arriving at the training rooms, the atmosphere of the Daochang was like the “Yinrao” finger technique on an ancient guqin: sometimes tense, sometimes relaxed. After last night’s battle, the sense of relaxation from knowing the Eagle Yang Guard’s movements vanished instantly. If Zhou Yi hadn’t discovered it in time, the Taiping Dao’s casualties would have been more than just two.
Now, mountain patrols were increased to groups of three, with additional helpers from the Daochang assisting, providing前后呼应 (front and back support/echoing).
“Any news returned today?”
Xia Shu waited at the mountain gate, her eyes fixed on the pine forest path, while Yan Qiu held a book and read. Hearing Zhou Yi’s voice, the two young Daoist acolytes turned their heads.
“Senior Brother.”
They called out, and Xia Shu continued: “The person sent to deliver the message hasn’t returned yet.”
“Hmm, if there’s any news, notify me immediately.”
“Yes.”
Zhou Yi returned to wait, but there was no news until nightfall. The second day was the same. He already felt a strong sense of foreboding.
On the third day after Kuang Hui’s death on Fuzi Mountain.
Zhou Yi called for Xia Shu and Yan Qiu and ascended to the peak of Fuzi Mountain with the two young Daoist acolytes. At the summit, there was a stone storehouse containing medicinal herbs. This was not a secret; many people in the Daochang knew about it. But at the back of the stone storehouse, at the edge of the cliff, there was also a secret chamber. Only Jue Wuzi and the three true disciples knew about this place. All valuable items like alchemy books, scriptures, gold, and silver were hidden here. In case they had to flee and couldn’t take these things, there would be a chance to retrieve them later.
The two children were quite calm, as Zhou Yi had mentioned this earlier. Yan Qiu found some withered grass and branches to disguise the underground secret chamber, to prevent accidental discovery. Xia Shu saw Zhou Yi putting gold into his robe and asked, blinking: “Is Senior Brother planning to go down the mountain himself?”
“Hmm.” Zhou Yi’s expression was serious: “I can’t wait any longer. If there’s still no news today, I’ll set off immediately. Perhaps the person responsible for delivering the message can never return.”
The two children understood his meaning perfectly. Xia Shu remembered something and hurriedly said: “Does Senior Brother know the Giant Kun Gang’s base in Yongqiu?”
“Dou Kui said their original contact point was destroyed by their rivals,” Yan Qiu added from the side.
Zhou Yi genuinely hadn’t known about this. He shook his head, then praised the two children for their attentiveness. “If chaos truly erupts, you two must be clever. At that time, I might not be able to fully take care of you.”
“Don’t worry, Senior Brother.” Yan Qiu, though small, spoke boldly: “When I was still ignorant, Master picked me up from a pile of dead bodies, taught me how to read and write, and taught me many principles.”
“Now I’ve grown up. I’m a brave man, no less than Brother Zhang San or Brother Feng Si. I’m not afraid to die. I can protect Xia Shu and Senior Brother during retreat and will never be a burden.” He gritted his teeth, looking fierce, but when he looked at Zhou Yi and Xia Shu, his eyes couldn’t help but well up. Thinking of his white-haired Master, his heart ached even more, immensely reluctant to part with these three.
“You idiot.” Xia Shu knocked him on the head, making Yan Qiu yelp. With arms crossed, she chastised him with a displeased expression: “Senior Brother told you to be clever, not to make it a life-and-death farewell! If you become a corpse, we’d have to dig a grave, perform rituals, and burn passage permits for the city god. And you still say you won’t be a burden…”
“Have you forgotten what our Master taught?”
“Of course, I haven’t forgotten,” Yan Qiu rubbed his head, twisting his face. “In times of war and chaos, if you can hide, then hide; if you can escape, then escape.”
Zhou Yi felt both touched and a little amused. Master truly had world-shaking wisdom. Heh, I’m the Taiping Cult Master. The old man, being quick on his feet, has already slipped away. He patted the two children on their backs and led them down from the peak together.
The Taiping Daochang had other businesses outside, mainly farms and pharmacies. Zhou Yi discussed with them, seeing which places would be suitable for moving their assets. Descending near the altar area, he was about to look for Dou Kui, when, coincidentally, Dou Kui was rushing towards the three of them. Zhou Yi thought something’s wrong and quickly went to meet him.
“Senior Brother!”
They shouted from afar. Zhou Yi’s gaze passed over Dou Kui and swept towards the group behind him. Zhang Cheng and Feng Si were carrying a wooden door panel, on which a person lay. It was an old man in coarse cloth clothing, whom Zhou Yi recognized at a glance. It was precisely Old Li, who often brought vegetables and rice to the Daochang. He had a scar near his right eye, which he said was left a few years ago when he was conscripted as a river worker to build the Hangou Canal. Emperor Yang had mobilized over ten thousand commoners to build the Hangou Canal, from Shanyang to Yangjiang. Old Li often spoke of this, simply because he almost died in the river. This scar naturally left an indelible memory for him.
“Heavenly Master Zhou…” The old man saw Zhou Yi and tried to get up to speak. Knowing that the old man had only recently fallen and injured himself, Zhou Yi stepped forward to support him.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Yi looked at Dou Kui, who immediately shook his head: “Senior Brother, Uncle Li almost crawled all the way up the mountain, only saying he needed to find you.”
Others couldn’t relay the message, so Zhou Yi could only say to the old man: “Uncle Li, please speak slowly.” “Go get some water,” he said, then noticed a new injury above the old man’s left eye and added, “And some external wound medicine.” Yan Qiu replied and immediately ran off.
The old man had scratches on his hands, and his fingernails were full of dirt. He spoke in a trembling, extremely weak voice: “Heavenly Master Zhou, the day before yesterday, my young daughter went to Waihuang county town to get medicine for me. There, she heard people spreading news, saying that the Taiping Dao was preparing to launch a rebellion…”
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone’s expressions changed.
Old Li continued: “This old man only recently received help from the Daochang, and it was even Strongman Dou who helped send me to the doctor. We talked along the way, and I never heard anything about forming a righteous army. My daughter was always nearby, so when she heard this news in Waihuang, she found it strange.”
“She followed a few of the people spreading the news and then realized that one of them was from the Hunyuan Sect.”
Hunyuan Sect! Zhou Yi suppressed his emotions and gently pressed: “Did your daughter mistake them?”
“Couldn’t be wrong,” Old Li shook his head bitterly. “People from the Hunyuan Sect often show their faces in Yongqiu. Their shadows are in shops and teahouses, so some people’s appearances are easy to remember.”
“When she returned and told this old man, it was already dark. So I told her to come up Fuzi Mountain at daybreak.”
“But she left early yesterday morning and hasn’t returned since…”
“This old man has no other choice but to seek your help…” He reached this point, his voice trembling, his old eyes welling with tears, his heart filled with bitterness: “This old man has only one daughter, and she is very frail. I don’t know what kind of suffering she’s enduring out there. All you heroes, if you have time, please help this old man find her.”
“I can never repay you in this life. In the next life, I will be a cow or a horse to repay your kindness!”
If Zhou Yi hadn’t been holding him, Old Li would have already knelt down.
Dou Kui gasped, his face flushed, and he couldn’t help but step forward. A large circle of muscles surged around him. Everyone was warm-hearted, and now, with blood rushing to their heads, they were ready to sharpen their knives and descend the mountain!
“The Hunyuan Sect is going too far!”
“Senior Brother~~~!”
Everyone cupped their hands in unison, waiting for him to speak. Yan Qiu had already run back and, with Xia Shu, stepped forward to feed water and apply medicine to Old Li.
Zhou Yi slowly rose under everyone’s gaze. His mind raced. He slowly asked: “When Uncle Li came up the mountain today, was anyone obstructing him?”
The old man shook his head. “On the contrary, kind people helped me.”
Everyone looked confused, not understanding why he asked this.
Zhou Yi cut to the chase: “If the Hunyuan Sect wants to use the Sui army as a knife, they would likely prevent messages from reaching the mountain.”
“From this, it can be seen that when she returned from Waihuang, no one was tracking her. Otherwise, we would never have seen Uncle Li.”
“Therefore, the rumors in Waihuang, and Uncle Li’s daughter’s disappearance, should not be the work of a single force.”
Feng Si instantly understood: “That’s right! At the Cao residence’s longevity banquet, Elder Wu Guanlan of the Hunyuan Sect was already colluding with the Baling Gang!”
“It must be a joint effort by those two dog thieves!”
Zhou Yi said coldly: “Such filthy rats like the Baling Gang in Yongqiu truly won’t do anything good.”
“Senior Brother, what do we do?!” Everyone’s veins bulged, like exploding powder kegs!
“Hmph, how can my Taiping Dao be easily bullied?”
“Better to hold a fragrant death on the branch, than to be blown down by the north wind.”
Zhou Yi’s voice was impassioned and firm: “If the Sui army is lured to attack my Fuzi Mountain, the Daochang might not be preserved.”
“But before that…”
“My Taiping Dao must act without shame, settle old scores! We must act on Heaven’s behalf and eliminate a scourge for Yongqiu!”
“Kill!”
Dou Kui, Zhang San, Feng Si, and the others all felt their blood surge, roaring to the sky: “Kill! Kill! Kill!”
– Mochinuna.
