Aoyama

Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Old Ears immediately got off the kang (a heated brick bed): "Judging from the noise, there are at least eight hundred people!"

He and Chen Ji walked out of the main house together. An old man, a young man, and a cat all poked their heads out the door. They saw a dark mass of people surging into the town like a tide, which frightened every household into blowing out their lights.

Hundreds of armored soldiers rode in, swords at their waists and spears tucked under their arms, their cold gleams gleaming in the moonlight. In just a dozen breaths, they had completely blocked off the main roads leading into the town.

Hundreds of archers climbed onto the rooftops, spreading out across the entire Erdaobaihe Town, the creaking sound of bowstrings being drawn was enough to make one's teeth ache.

Elite!

Old Ears hurriedly pulled Chen Ji back into the house and blew out the oil lamp.

In the darkness, Old Ears lowered his voice and said, "This is a thousand-strong force. Even a Dao Seeking Realm official could easily hunt them down. Don't provoke them. They're probably here to seal off the mountain; they'll probably leave soon."

Chen Ji asked in a low voice, "Whose armored soldiers are these?"

Old Ears let out a soft exclamation: "Now that you ask, I realize that this army didn't bring any flags... Wait, they mobilized troops without permission. How dare they!"

The room was dark, and the woman said in a trembling voice, "Yes, they're incredibly bold..."

Chen Ji paused for a moment, then used the dim light to examine the two of them: "Are you two talking about the same thing?"

Old Ears said solemnly, "These people have come here on their own, risking death. They have a lot on their minds... If they had come openly and honestly, they would have been ordered to help the Martial Temple seal off the mountain. But what are they trying to do by mobilizing troops on their own? I just can't understand it."

Old Ears suddenly looked at the woman inside the house and asked suspiciously, "Old Xianggen wouldn't have sold me out, would he?"

The woman quickly retorted, "That's impossible. He wouldn't even dare to open his mouth to accept a pie falling from the sky, so he definitely wouldn't betray you."

Just then, footsteps sounded from the roof. The old man put his index finger to his lips and listened quietly to the sounds above him.

The next moment, a soldier outside called out loudly, "Where is the village head?"

The town of Erdaobaihe was quiet, as if no one was responding.

The soldiers outside shouted, "Where is the village head? Get out here!"

Still no response.

Old Ears and Chen Ji suddenly had a bad feeling. They both turned their gazes to the woman, who was trembling and unable to speak.

Old Ears, with a toothache, said, "Old Xianggen didn't become the village head, did he? When did that happen?"

The woman said in a trembling voice, "As soon as the old master passed away before the New Year, Lao Xianggen took over as the village head."

Old Ears groaned in a low voice, "Damn it, your whole family is going to ruin us..."

As they were talking, a sound of someone kicking down the door came from the neighbor's house next door. The soldier stood in front of the door and asked loudly, "Which household is the village head?"

The neighbor's voice trembled as he said, "I'm not the village head; the village head is the one next door."

The armored soldier turned to the house where Old Ears and Chen Ji were staying, and casually pulled off the cotton curtain, revealing Old Ears, the woman, and Chen Ji inside.

Chen Ji saw five or six armored soldiers standing in the courtyard, and could hear dense footsteps and conversations outside. When he looked up, he saw five crossbowmen pointing their arrows at him from the opposite rooftop.

The soldier casually tossed the cotton curtain into the courtyard and looked the old man up and down: "You're the village head?"

Old Ears was taken aback at first, then chuckled and replied, "Yes, yes, I am the village head."

The armored soldier looked him up and down: "Why didn't you come out when I called you?"

The old man said in a panic, "This old man is scared..."

The armored soldier stepped into the house, forcing Chen Ji and the others to retreat deeper into the house.

At this moment, the armored soldier looked around by the moonlight, and finally his gaze settled on the woman: "Who is this?"

Old Ears explained, "This is my wife."

The armored soldier then looked at Chen Ji: "Where is he?"

The old man, his ears hunched over, explained, "This is my son. Of all my sons, he's the most useless and unfilial..."

The armored soldier said impatiently, "Who asked you that?"

Old Ears quickly cupped his hands and asked, "What would you like to ask, sir?"

The armored soldier swaggered through the ruins and the old man, sat down in a chair in the main room, and casually asked, "Who passed through Erdaobaihe Town today?"

Old Ear stepped forward and bowed: "The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry Commander Yuan Henglizhen led the Mo Dao Battalion in and did not stay in the town."

The armored soldier asked, "I know that. Is there no one else?"

Old Ears honestly replied, "That's all."

The armored soldier seemed to be deep in thought: "Has any news been sent down from the mountain? Do you know what happened on the mountain, and why Yuan Heng Li Zhen went up the mountain overnight?"

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat. This group of people didn't know what was happening in the mountains. They had just secretly followed the Mo Dao Camp.

Strange, this group is clearly the elite of the Jing Dynasty near Changbai Mountain. Why didn't they notify the Wu Temple when it closed the mountain? Instead, they were allowed to sneak over here on their own.

The armored soldier didn't get the answer he wanted. His cold gaze swept over Chen Ji and the other two, his hand rubbing the hilt of his sword as he pondered something. Just then, he saw the Wenwang Drum on the ground and looked up at the old man with the ear: "Are you the one who offers incense?"

Old Ears: "Huh?"

The soldier's voice turned stern: "I'm asking you, which incense stick are you holding?"

Old Ears realized: "This old man is carrying the incense of Third Master Hu."

The soldier sneered, "I've long heard that you like to play tricks. Come on, put on a show for me and see if it works."

Old Ears and Chen Ji exchanged a glance, but remained silent for a long time.

The armored soldier slowly drew his sword. When the archer opposite him saw him draw his sword, he immediately pulled back his bowstring, and the bowstring and the horn bow made a creaking sound.

The armored soldier placed his sword across his lap and said slowly, "What, are you unwilling to serve me, or do you lack real skills and only know how to bluff and deceive?"

Old Ears cupped his hands and said, "Replying to this sir, I am not trying to swindle anyone, but these past few years, as the head of the hall, I have let my son do the incense offering. Let him do it."

Chen Ji silently looked at the old man's profile, as if considering where to begin the cut.

The armored soldier pointed his sword at Chen Ji: "Then come here. If all you do is swindle and deceive, we'll cut out your tongues so that no one else will fall for your tricks."

Chen Ji coughed lightly: "Sir, I am not yet skilled enough to do this. Please let my father do it."

Old Ears hurriedly said, "Come on, Third Master Hu likes you more."

"Come on in."

"Come on in..."

The armored soldier flew into a rage, slashing down with his sword and breaking off a corner of the table: "Have you made enough of a scene?"

Chen Ji steeled himself and picked up the King Wen Drum and King Wu Whip, imitating the woman's earlier manner as he began to beat them: "The sun sets in the west, darkness falls, every household closes its doors. Ten houses locked, ten houses locked...?"

Jia Shiqi laughed: "You don't know how many locks I've put on them, and you're asking me?"

Chen Ji skipped over the part where he forgot the lyrics, put aside his embarrassment and continued singing: "Calling my fellow villagers, listen to me, light eight sticks of incense to invite the gods, alas alas alas..."

He couldn't remember the next words, so he closed his eyes and started trembling. Before anyone could react, he changed to a hoarse voice: "Master Hu is here. Who called me?"

The armored soldier examined the remains: "What happened in Changbai Mountain?"

Chen Ji closed his eyes and said hoarsely, "Someone stole the sacred relics of the Lord of War in Tianchi, which triggered five martial arts sounds, causing birds and beasts from Changbai Mountain to enter the Martial Temple and drink water at the edge of Tianchi."

The soldier was taken aback. Chen Ji's account sounded convincing, and he couldn't immediately tell if it was true or false: "Who stole the sacred relic of the Lord of War?"

Chen Ji pondered to himself, since the Martial Temple had already mobilized the Loyal Martial Guard and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry into the mountains, the truth could not be kept secret and the outside world would find out sooner or later.

Just as he was pondering this, the armored soldier shouted angrily, "Speak quickly, who is it?"

Chen Ji said hoarsely, "A person who cultivates the sword technique with Headmaster Lu Yang, a person whom the Martial Temple and the Imperial Court have been searching for."

The armored soldier's pupils suddenly contracted, then he asked with suspicion, "Are you trying to fool me? This disciple of the sword lineage is incredibly audacious to dare steal from the Martial Temple?"

Chen Ji trembled as if in spasm, his voice becoming even lower: "This man is cunning. He deliberately appeared in the Southern Dynasty to lure away Headmaster Lu Yang, using a diversionary tactic, before daring to steal from the Martial Temple gate."

The armored soldier pondered, "That seems to make sense... No wonder the Martial Temple mobilized troops to seal off the mountain, no wonder Wu Kezhi dared to make such a solemn promise, it turns out something so serious has happened."

In an instant, the soldier realized something: "I can't just believe you based on what you say. How do I know you're not bluffing?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young soldier strode over and whispered to the middle-aged soldier in the room, "The envoy of the military commander has sent a secret letter. The successor of the sword lineage has appeared. We must find him and secretly escort him back to the White Tiger Hall in Tokyo."

The middle-aged armored soldier was startled, not by the news itself, but by Chen Ji's slow gaze: "Is your ability to appear in a shaman real?"

Chen Ji remained silent for a moment, then continued to tremble, closing his eyes and saying hoarsely, "Really."

The middle-aged soldier clicked his tongue in amazement: "This one also answers?"

Chen Ji, unwilling to linger any longer, urged, "Now that the matter is settled, this immortal must..."

The middle-aged armored soldier stepped forward: "Wait, what does the successor of that sword lineage look like?"

Chen Ji closed his eyes and recalled, "Gray cloth clothes."

Old Ears looked down at his gray cloth clothes.

The middle-aged soldier perked up and leaned closer, as if afraid he had misheard: "Gray clothes, and then?"

Chen Ji added, "Gray hair."

The middle-aged soldier's gaze was intense: "Gray hair, you're getting on in years?"

Just as Old Ears was getting anxious, Chen Ji suddenly collapsed to the ground. When he opened his eyes again, they were clear. He pretended to be weak and said, "I can't hold on any longer. That's all I can ask."

The middle-aged soldier lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then strode towards the door: "Go into the mountains! Pass down the order to search for an old man dressed in gray cloth with gray hair. Make sure to find this man before the Mo Dao Camp. The first person to find him will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and promoted to centurion!"

Before Chen Ji and Old Ear could even breathe a sigh of relief, the middle-aged armored soldier suddenly stopped, turned around, and pointed at Chen Ji and Old Ear: "Bring these two along too. Don't neglect them. After the deed is done, I intend to present them to the commander!" (End of Chapter)