Chapter 62: Gengyun Mountain

The southeastern region of Mangzhou is far from Cangmang Mountain and is considered a prosperous area within Mangzhou.

But precisely because of this, it has been a battleground contested by military powers throughout history.

South of Cangmang Mountain, vast stretches of mountainous land following the range’s spine were long forgotten by the imperial court and rebel factions alike.

In fact, these mountains contain fertile valleys and basins, rich in resources.

For example, Li City.

It was built on a basin near the foot of Cangmang Mountain and qualifies as one of the larger cities in the southern region.

But due to its proximity to Cangmang Mountain—northward lies Cangmang Mountain and desert, offering almost no development potential, while southward requires a long, arduous mountain path to reach the provincial capital—it has stagnated.

Moreover, it frequently suffers attacks from Cangmang Mountain’s demonic beasts; should the Tianhe people cross the Cangmang Mountain passes, Li City and similar towns bordering the mountain are their first targets.

Thus, throughout history, it has been abandoned by the imperial court and all factions.

It has also served as a buffer zone between the Tianhe people and the Great Liang Kingdom.

This time, warfare raged fiercely around the provincial capital and its vicinity, yet over half a year later, it had still not spread to Li City—clear proof that no one truly cares about Li City.

Luogui City, like Li City, is a town near Cangmang Mountain and the northern lands.

Along the spine of Cangmang Mountain, it lies more than ten days’ journey from Li City.

Yet Luogui City is merely a small town.

This time, Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian’s destination is Gengyun Mountain, located seventy li beyond Luogui City.

Gengyun Mountain is a tributary range of Cangmang Mountain.

Liu Family Village sits nestled in a valley surrounded by Gengyun Mountain’s peaks.

Legend says Liu Family’s ancestors fled here to escape war and enemies.

Seeing the mountains encircling a valley below, with clear springs flowing, fertile soil, and strange, serene scenery—and with only one entrance into the valley—they deemed it an ideal place, free from worldly strife, perfect for rest and lineage propagation.

Its greatest drawback is its location on a tributary of Cangmang Mountain, making it periodically vulnerable to attacks from ferocious birds, beasts, and demonic creatures within the mountains.

Logically, after Liu Family gradually prospered on Gengyun Mountain and produced a Martial Dao Grandmaster, they could have relocated elsewhere.

At the very least, they could have moved to nearby Luogui City.

Yet for reasons unknown, that Grandmaster refused to relocate, declaring Gengyun Mountain the Liu family’s blessed land, where they must develop generation after generation, and never move unless absolutely forced.

Later, that Grandmaster died unexpectedly, and Liu Family declined generation by generation; even if they wished to relocate, they lacked the strength to do so.

On this day, Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian rode side by side atop a hill, gazing down at the city below, their brows slightly furrowed.

Before arriving, Xia Daoming had already thoroughly inquired with Liu Qiaolian about her enemies.

They were a band of mountain bandits from Eku Mountain outside Luogui City.

The six leaders were known as the Eku Six Fiends, each bloodthirsty and cruel.

The Eku Six Fiends had long terrorized the area beyond Luogui City, killing countless travelers and burning, looting, and slaughtering countless villages and market towns.

Yet in terms of cultivation, the Eku Six Fiends consisted of three Fifth-Rank Great Martial Masters and three Fourth-Rank Martial Masters—insignificant in Li City, which is why they could only operate around Luogui City.

With such cultivation, even if the Eku Six Fiends had a gang of followers, Xia Daoming was confident he could exterminate them without much effort.

But unexpectedly, after several years, the leader of the Eku Six Fiends had transformed into the governor of Luogui City.

Rumor had it his cultivation had reached an astonishing Seventh-Rank level.

Moreover, along this journey,

Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian discovered that every household within a hundred li around Luogui City kept venomous snakes in their jars.

And they treasured them dearly, feeding them daily with meticulous care using various poisons and meat.

It was said the governor had ordered this, and these snakes were highly specific: they must be hatched in a Yin year and Yin month.

If hatched in a Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour, they were even more precious, and the governor would reward the owner.

The governor sent men periodically to collect them; anyone who failed to submit or tried to deceive with unsuitable snakes would see their immediate family and neighbors executed by association.

This discovery filled Xia Daoming with a thick sense of eerie malice.

“Master, Luogui City is no longer the Luogui City of old, and the Eku Six Fiends are no longer what they once were. I feel deeply uneasy—perhaps we should return home and postpone revenge for another time,” Liu Qiaolian said.

“Hmm, this matter does reek of strangeness. Charging in recklessly for revenge would indeed be perilous. A gentleman waits ten years to repay a grudge; perhaps it would be wiser to return once I’ve become a Grandmaster.”

“Still, since we’ve traveled so far, we must at least visit Gengyun Mountain and Liu Family Village—you haven’t returned in years; you should pay respects to your family.” Xia Daoming replied after a moment of thought.

“Thank you, Master!” Liu Qiaolian breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Let’s go—detour around Luogui City,” Xia Daoming said, somewhat dejected.

One day later.

Morning.

The fiery sun rose slowly from the eastern hills.

The mountain ranges shimmered with mist and rosy light, like a fairyland.

“Master, ahead lies Gengyun Mountain. There’s a path down into the valley—Liu Family Village’s entrance—but it hasn’t been used in a long time,” Liu Qiaolian said, pointing first to the towering peaks ahead, then to the right-front, her face flushed with emotion, tears already welling in her eyes.

The area was overgrown with weeds, thick and tangled branches—no trace remained of what had once been a trail.

“Let’s go,” Xia Daoming said gently stroking Liu Qiaolian’s smooth back.

“Mm!” Liu Qiaolian wiped her tears, spurred her horse forward, drew her blade, and chopped through branches to clear a path for them.

Xia Daoming watched Liu Qiaolian’s plump, graceful figure wielding the axe to clear their way, his eyes filled with tenderness and helplessness.

At home, when he needed her to take medicine or study secret diagrams, he could threaten her with family discipline to make her comply.

But with these manual tasks, no matter how he pleaded or even threatened her with family discipline, it was useless.

So Xia Daoming could only silently be the man behind her.

Liu Qiaolian hacked through the undergrowth for about half an hour, when suddenly the path vanished—sheer cliffs rose before them, their base swallowed by thick mist, depth unknown.

Opposite stood towering emerald peaks, and together with the peak they stood on, they enclosed the churning mist below.

This reminded Xia Daoming of the Cold Mist Valley he’d visited months ago in Cangmang Mountain.

“What thick mist!” Liu Qiaolian exclaimed, standing at the cliff’s edge.

“Wasn’t the mist this dense before?” Xia Daoming’s heart stirred slightly as he asked.

“It was sometimes, but rarely. By noon, when the sun blazes down, the mist clears. But we don’t need to wait—it’s safe to jump straight down,” Liu Qiaolian replied.

“So the cliff isn’t deep?” Xia Daoming peered downward, straining to see through the dense fog, still unable to gauge the depth.

“About two zhang. Below is a broad, flat ledge covered in green grass, then a gentle slope leading down to the valley—this is the only entrance to Liu Family Village.”

“In the past, I never dared jump down directly—I relied on ropes and vines. But now, with your cultivation, I’ve developed hidden strength, so I no longer need external aids,” Liu Qiaolian replied.

Xia Daoming looked up at the sky—the sun still hung low in the east, far from noon. Knowing Liu Qiaolian’s eagerness to return, he said: “Then let’s tether the horses first. I’ll carry you down.”

“Mm!” Liu Qiaolian nodded obediently, tying the horses to a large tree on the ridge.

Then, Xia Daoming took Liu Qiaolian’s delicate hand, glanced down once more, seized an old vine, and leapt down.