Chapter 2

This was a small town—though calling it a town was generous; it was merely a larger village, named Qingniu Town. Only the uneducated locals living in the nearby mountain gullies kept calling it “Qingniu City.” This was Zhang Er’s thought, a gatekeeper who had served for over a decade.

Qingniu Town was indeed small; its main street was only one: Qingniu Street, running east-west. There was only one inn—the Qingniu Inn—located at the western end of the town’s elongated shape, so travelers who didn’t wish to sleep outdoors had no choice but to stay here.

Now a carriage, clearly having traveled a long distance, entered Qingniu Town from the west, sped past the front gate of the Qingniu Inn without stopping, and raced straight to the opposite end of town, where it finally halted before the entrance of the Chunxiang Restaurant.

The Chunxiang Restaurant wasn’t large, even somewhat worn, yet it carried an ancient, elegant charm. It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was packed with diners—nearly every seat filled.

A round-faced, bearded fat man and a dark-skinned boy of about ten stepped down from the carriage. The man led the child straight into the restaurant, walking with bold confidence. Regular patrons recognized the fat man as the inn’s owner, “Han the Fat,” but no one knew who the boy was.

“Old Han, this black kid looks just like you—didn’t you sneak him out on your wife?” someone suddenly teased.

At this, those nearby burst into loud laughter.

“Pfft! This is my own cousin’s son—of course he looks like me!” The fat man didn’t take offense; instead, he looked slightly proud.

These two were none other than Han Li and his third uncle, known to others as “Han the Fat,” who had just arrived in town after three straight days of travel.

Han the Fat greeted a few regulars, then led Han Li to the back of the restaurant, to a secluded little courtyard.

“Little Li, rest well in this room, regain your strength. When the inner sect’s steward arrives, I’ll send for you. I need to step out first and greet a few regulars,” Han the Fat said gently, pointing to the side room in the courtyard.

Having finished speaking, he turned and hurriedly walked out.

At the door, he seemed to hesitate, then added one more warning.

“Don’t wander off. The town’s full of people—don’t get lost. Best not leave the courtyard.”

“Mm!”

Seeing Han Li give a dutiful reply, he finally felt reassured and stepped out.

Once Han Li saw his uncle leave, he felt exhausted and collapsed onto the bed, falling fast asleep—showing not the slightest trace of a child’s shyness or fear of strangers.

That night, a servant brought dinner. Though not lavish, the food was tasty. After eating, another servant came in to clear the dishes. Only then did Han the Fat enter calmly.

“How was the food? Missing home a bit?”

“Mm, a little,” Han Li replied, looking well-behaved.

His uncle seemed pleased with the answer and began chatting about everyday matters, recounting amusing anecdotes from his travels. Gradually, Han Li lost his reserve and began laughing and talking freely with him.

Thus passed two more days.

On the third day, as Han Li finished dinner and waited for his uncle to tell him tales of the martial world, another carriage pulled up before the restaurant.

The carriage was painted glossy black all over, drawn by rare, top-grade yellow stallions, and most strikingly, a small black triangular flag with a silver “Xuan” character stitched on its red border hung from its frame, radiating an inexplicable air of mystery.

Any seasoned traveler within hundreds of miles recognized this flag: one of the two dominant powers in this region, the Seven Xuan Sect, had an important figure arriving.

The Seven Xuan Sect, also known as the Seven Absolute Sect, was founded two centuries ago by the famed “Seven Absolute Elder.” At its height, it dominated Jingzhou for decades and extended influence into neighboring provinces, becoming renowned throughout Yue Country. But after the Seven Absolute Elder’s death, the sect’s power collapsed. Other sects joined forces to drive it out of Jingzhou’s capital, Jingzhou City. A century ago, the sect was forced to relocate to the most remote corner of Jingzhou—Xianxia Mountain—where it settled, becoming a third-rate local faction.

As the saying goes: even a dead camel is bigger than a horse. The Seven Xuan Sect, though diminished, still retained considerable latent strength. Upon arriving in Cai Xia Mountain, it immediately seized control of over a dozen small towns—including Qingniu Town—and commanded three to four thousand disciples, making it one of the two undisputed local powers.

The only other force capable of challenging the Seven Xuan Sect was the Wild Wolf Gang.

The Wild Wolf Gang originated as a band of marauding bandits operating within Jingzhou’s borders. After repeated government crackdowns, some surrendered and accepted amnesty; others became the Wild Wolf Gang, inheriting the bandits’ ferocity, bloodthirstiness, and fearless brutality. As a result, the Seven Xuan Sect repeatedly lost confrontations with them.

Although the Wild Wolf Gang controlled more villages, it lacked business acumen and far surpassed the Seven Xuan Sect’s towns in wealth. The Wild Wolf Gang coveted several prosperous territories under the Seven Xuan Sect’s control and had recently provoked frequent clashes—causing the current sect master great headaches and driving the Seven Xuan Sect’s recent surge in recruiting new disciples.

A thin man in his forties leapt down from the carriage. His movements were swift, clearly indicating strong martial skill, and he seemed familiar with the place, striding directly toward the room where Han Li was staying.

Han Li’s third uncle immediately stepped forward with a respectful bow.

“Master Wang, why have you come in person?”

“Hmph!” Master Wang snorted, his expression haughty.

“The roads have been unsafe lately—we need tighter security. The Elder ordered me to personally escort these recruits. No more talk—this child is the one you recommended?”

“Yes, yes—he’s my own cousin’s son. I beg you, Master Wang, to look after him on the journey.”

Seeing the man’s impatience, Han the Fat swiftly pulled out a heavy pouch from his person and slipped it to him discreetly.

Master Wang weighed the pouch in his hand, and his expression softened slightly.

“Han the Fat, you know how to handle people! I’ll keep an eye on your nephew. Time’s wasting—let’s get moving.”

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