Chapter 267: 259 Ascending the Mountain (Thanks to Madam Richelieu for the Silver Alliance)

As the Sword Casting Conference approaches, the bustle in Jichun City grows with each passing day. The legends surrounding the Sword Casting Conference change with every telling. For those who stay in Jichun City too long and have a weak will, it is easiest to fall into a state of cognitive chaos; one moment they believe there is an immortal's cave dwelling on Jiugao Mountain where anyone can seek the Dao, and the next they hear that a rebel army is arriving and Jichun City is doomed.

On this day, another secret rumor began to circulate in the city, causing the city to gradually grow restless. Some experts from the martial arts world who had originally come to watch the spectacle found themselves unwittingly drawn into it.

Among them, people were constantly entering the shura field that was Jichun City, while others were leaving of their own accord.

The next morning, several large carts departed from the north gate of Jichun City, driving along the main road toward the mountainous region further north.

These large carts all had blue cloth covers, and the animals pulling them were nothing more than common blue and gray mules, appearing to be ordinary vehicles used by commoners for travel and hauling goods. However, an experienced scout could see that the wheel ruts left by these carts were extremely deep, clearly indicating that the carts were heavy and were certainly not carrying ordinary cargo. In other, more chaotic prefectures, some bandits might have tried to test them. Fortunately, Jiugao Mountain has always been tranquil, allowing all sorts of carriages to pass through.

After traveling for half a day, the carts gradually entered the mountains. The road conditions worsened with every mile; the dirt road was narrow and winding, not wide enough for two carts to pass side-by-side. Fortunately, the road surface was relatively level, appearing to be a newly laid gravel path that could accommodate carriages, and since the drivers were all skilled, the journey proceeded smoothly.

After traveling for a while, the mountains on both sides grew higher and the forests denser; they had entered the deep, old mountains. The wild grass along the dirt road was lush, and wild beasts appeared frequently—one moment a roe deer would dart out, the next a pheasant would fly away.

The lead cart was the guide for the convoy. The driver was a young man with a steady appearance. He drove at a measured pace, as if he were an old hand, and regardless of any unexpected situations on the road, he kept the speed of the cart—and the speed of the entire convoy—firmly under control.

Flap, flap—

Suddenly, a bird with brilliant plumage flew out of the woods and landed right on the mule's head. With its vision blocked, the mule immediately began shaking its head wildly and looked ready to kick. The young man flicked his wrist, and the horsewhip moved like an extension of his arm; he gave a light flick, wrapped the bird in the whip, and pulled it close, catching it in his hand. The entire process was clean and efficient; not only did he not hurt the mule, but he didn't even break a single feather of the bird caught in the whip.

He loosened the whip and gripped the bird with his fingers. Seeing it was a long-tailed pheasant common to the mountains, he found it was extremely panicked, struggling and chirping incessantly in his hand, yet it could never escape the light grip of his three fingers.

The young man smiled slightly and said, "What are you panicking for? Are you afraid I'll put you in the soup pot? I won't; nobody is paying me to."

With that, he loosened his grip and let the freed pheasant stumble and leap back into the forest.

This grab and release took only a fleeting moment; the convoy did not slow down, and the carts behind did not even know what had happened in front.

Suddenly, a flash of bright color appeared in the forest ahead, as if it were the magnificent feathers of a pheasant.

However, this time the young man's expression changed slightly. His half-closed eyes suddenly opened, his gaze sharp as lightning.

"Who goes there?"

Following his loud shout, the entire convoy stopped in unison. No one had given an order, yet all the animals were reined in at the same time, without the slightest disorder—truly well-trained.

"Ah, don't be nervous, I'm not a bandit."

A tall young woman emerged from the woods. She had a slender waist and long legs, her appearance hiding a sense of heroism within her beauty. Dressed in a red and white martial outfit, she looked like a wandering swordswoman.

"Um..." she smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I'm lost and wanted to ask for directions."

Seeing her appear openly and explain sincerely, the young driver relaxed, his body returning to a relaxed posture, though his hand remained tucked in his sleeve as if warming itself. He smiled and said, "Oh, so you're asking for directions. Where are you headed, miss?"

The tall young woman smiled and said, "That—Runcao Ferry, do you know it?"

The young man's eyes flickered, and he smiled. "This, well..."

"Little sister, since you're going to Runcao Ferry, you must be heading to Zhuoyu Villa, right?"

A woman's voice came from the mule cart behind. A middle-aged beauty in a cloth skirt and simple hairpin stepped down from the cart and walked forward gracefully.

The two women looked at each other. In terms of appearance, the tall young woman who had stopped the cart was much younger, at the age where spring flowers bloom, and her looks were naturally more striking. But in terms of charm, the beauty who had stepped off the cart was far superior. Facing each other, the young woman actually seemed to have a thinner presence.

The young woman who had stopped the cart bowed and said, "Greetings, Madam. Well, I am indeed going to Zhuoyu Villa. I heard we are supposed to gather at Runcao Ferry, is that right?"

The middle-aged beauty nodded with a smile and said, "That is correct. We are also going to Zhuoyu Villa. Since we are on the same path, it is fate. Why not come up and sit in the cart?"

The young woman immediately agreed, "I would be delighted, thank you for the trouble, Madam."

The beauty led her to the second cart, where another young driver was waiting.

The young man had a cold expression; he bowed slightly to the Madam and moved aside to make way for the cart. The tall young woman inexplicably felt he looked a bit familiar. She took another look, and upon thinking about it, she realized—this driver was very similar to the driver of the lead cart.

This similarity was not in their looks, nor in their temperament—in fact, one was cold and one was warm, their temperaments were vastly different. But setting aside these appearances, she sensitively discovered that the two were extremely similar in their bones; it was a very dangerous feeling.

Seeing her notice the driver, the beauty smiled and said, "This is my son."

The young woman was stunned. The beauty's appearance didn't resemble this young man in the slightest; how could they be mother and son? She could only politely say, "Your son is truly a man of talent."

The beauty smiled, "Not just him, every driver here is my son."

The young woman let out an 'oh' and scanned the row of large carts. There were seven large carts here, and every driver was an adult; how old was this beauty? She immediately realized and said, "They are adopted sons, right?"

The beauty smiled and nodded, "Exactly, I adopted them."

The young woman nodded. Although it was a bit strange for a woman to adopt so many foster sons, it wasn't impossible; all sorts of things happen in the martial arts world. Some people even adopt over a hundred foster sons.

The second cart was piled high with large crates, leaving little room to sit. The beauty raised her hand, lifted one crate, and stacked it onto another. The young woman hurriedly said, "Let me." She reached out to touch the crate, weighed it in her hand, looked at the beauty, and stacked the crate on top. When the two crates touched, they made a "bang" sound, as if two large stones had collided. She praised, "Madam, you have great strength."

The beauty smiled and said, "Little sister, you are the one with natural Divine Power."

The two sat side-by-side on the cart, and the convoy set off again.

The beauty took some washed fruit from a bundle and handed it over, smiling, "Listening to your accent, it's from Daizhou in the west. It must have been hard traveling all the way to Yunzhou. Are you here to seek an Art Tool at Zhuoyu Villa?"

The young woman said, "No, I'm here to visit a friend. I have a friend at Zhuoyu Villa who specifically invited me to attend a banquet he's hosting. I originally thought it was too far and didn't want to come. But then I thought, if I don't go to such a big event, that wouldn't be very brotherly, so I came. What about you, Madam?"

The beauty smiled, "I am going to see my daughter. My daughter is studying at Zhuoyu Villa. As a mother, I can't stop worrying, so I'm going up to see her."

"Oh... then those crates..."

The beauty said, "They are all my daughter's dowry. My girl has been pampered and spoiled; I'm afraid she won't be used to the thatched huts on the mountain, so every quilt, every pillow, every tent, and every towel must be brought up."

The young woman laughed heartily, "So it's just bedding, haha. Just now, feeling the weight when I lifted the crate, I thought it was a box full of gold and silver jewelry, hahahaha..."

The two women chatted happily, one sentence after another, talking about the local customs of various places and the scenery on the mountain, as if they were close aunt and niece. The only thing missing was the common procedure for making friends in the martial arts world—up to this point, the two had not even exchanged names.

After walking the mountain road for a while, the beauty suddenly said, "Miss, did you go to Jichun City?"

The young woman smiled, "Ah, yes, I came from there."

The beauty said thoughtfully, "That is a bit strange. There is a shop for Zhuoyu Villa in Jichun City, and they have a register of all the guests. As long as one has an invitation, every guest is given a needle pointing directly to Runcao Ferry. If you follow the needle, you would never get lost. How could you still get lost, miss?"

The young woman was stunned for a moment and said, "Ah... that... I didn't see the shop. I'm a bit careless; I didn't enter the city and just headed up the mountain."

The beauty pondered, "I see. But it's still very strange..."

Veins popped out on the young woman's forehead, and she said, "What's so strange about it?"

The beauty said, "Then how did you know the three words 'Runcao Ferry'? This ferry was specially built to receive guests for the Sword Casting Conference; it didn't exist before. You can't find it on a map, and you can't find out about it by asking ordinary people. Since you knew about this place, you must have been specifically directed by people from the villa in the city. How can you say there was no needle?"

The young woman remained silent.

"And also—" the beauty said in an extremely light, youthful, and playful voice, "The mountain roads here have all been renovated. There is only one straight road up the mountain; you could walk up it even with your eyes closed. To get lost even like this, isn't that too strange?"

"Strange—my ass!"

The young woman could no longer endure it. She jumped up and said, "Oh my god, I'm suffocating. I told you, I'm not suited for this kind of beating-around-the-bush work. It's better to be direct."

She waved her hand casually, and it was as if a Sword Light had lit up the carriage, illuminating the empty room with a white glow.

"I just find your group too strange! The things on the carriage are so heavy, are you hiding some gold or iron weapons? And from the driver to you, everyone is wrapped in an aura of killing intent; are you going to cause trouble for Zhuoyu Villa? Quickly tell me your origins from start to finish, otherwise, this lady will settle this matter here for my brother. None of you are getting up the mountain!"