Chapter 118: Hunting the Wild Spirits in the Mountains

“Watch out, we’re setting off!”

At the boatman’s shout, two crewmen jointly pushed their bamboo poles, slowly pushing the ferry away from the dock.

This wooden plank boat was the most common type in Jinzhou, about ten meters long, with cargo loaded at the rear and room for over ten passengers up front.

Li Yan and the other two sat at the bow.

Their appearance was unmistakably conspicuous: a bald man with a fearsome face, a young swordsman, and an old Daoist—no need to ask, they were clearly people of the Jianghu.

The boat was heading downstream along the Dan River toward Luonan; all aboard were merchants and common folk who, seeing their looks, naturally kept their distance.

Sha Lifei, bored, chatted with the boatman: “Boss, when we reach Luonan, will there really be another boat to take us further?”

“Well… maybe there will be,” the boatman replied vaguely.

Sha Lifei immediately grew angry: “Hey, you didn’t say that before we boarded! Now that we’re on board, you’re reneging?”

Seeing Sha Lifei’s menacing face, the boatman cursed inwardly—another troublemaking fool, taking anyone aboard just to make a profit.

At the dock, boats were plentiful and passengers were snatched up one by one, so sometimes they gave vague answers, promising destinations they couldn’t reach, but always collected payment regardless.

The crew must’ve lost their minds, letting these people on board.

Thinking of this, the boatman put on a pleading smile: “Sir, I’m not lying to you—northbound boats are truly scarce, and I dare not guarantee anything.”

He leaned in, speaking in a hushed, mysterious tone: “Also, I advise you—all of you—to take the mountain path once you reach Luonan. It’s safer.”

“That river… isn’t safe at all…”

Li Yan frowned. “What do you mean, not safe?”

If they took the mountain path, they’d waste a long time, for they’d heard that north of Luonan lay a waterway that, once reached, required only crossing one mountain to arrive at Lantian.

If the boatman’s advice held, why bother going to Luonan at all?

“You gentlemen don’t know…”

The boatman glanced toward the distance and explained patiently: “This goes back to the Tang era.”

“At the time, to ease grain transport pressure, Cui Shi and others petitioned the court to link the Dan and Ba rivers by carving a canal through the southern hills, turning the Shangshan land route into a waterway.”

“Later, the court appointed Cui Shi as envoy, conscripting tens of thousands of laborers. But due to the difficulty of excavation, three or four out of ten laborers died, and the waterway frequently collapsed and became blocked by summer floods, gradually falling into disuse.”

“Gentlemen, there are things I dare not say on this boat for fear of offending taboos—but once you reach Luonan’s dock, ask around freely, and you’ll find out.”

“That place… truly isn’t safe…”

Upon hearing this, Li Yan and the other two exchanged glances…

…………

At Luonan Dock, the cold wind howled.

This dock was small; after disembarking, the common folk left immediately, and cargo transfer was minimal, leaving only a few scattered tea stalls.

“Damn it, we took the wrong path!”

After circling and asking around, Sha Lifei returned and sat down helplessly: “I asked—yes, that river really is dangerous. I had to use a bit of trickery to get the truth.”

“According to the porters, too many civilians died during excavation, leaving heavy resentment. Those who passed by on boats would suddenly jump into the river, said to be lured by water ghosts.”

“Especially this summer, a major incident occurred: a mountain flood completely blocked the waterway. Some southern grain merchants tried hiring laborers to clear it, to save time.”

“But that same day, many laborers died. The incident caused an uproar; the grain merchants fled, and the channel remains blocked to this day—no one dares to use it.”

Li Yan frowned and shook his head: “We miscalculated. Do we really have to retrace our steps along the ancient Qin-Chu Road? That would delay us by at least seven or eight days.”

“Gentlemen, don’t listen to their nonsense!”

At that moment, the tea stall owner chuckled: “Those boatmen just think that waterway doesn’t pay, so they don’t want to go. The porters are just repeating rumors.”

“It was summer flood season—the laborers weren’t prepared, so many drowned. The grain merchants, fearing blame, made up a story to scare people off.”

“This morning, before dawn, I even saw a boat pass by…”

Li Yan asked: “What if the waterway is blocked?”

The tea stall owner smiled: “If you’re heading to Lantian, take a side path halfway up the mountain and cross over—it’s the lowest point of the Qinling range. Any other route would require a long detour.”

Sha Lifei shook his head: “All this talk means nothing if there’s no boat!”

The tea stall owner quickly spoke up: “I have one!”

…………

“This is your boat?”

Looking at the dilapidated little wooden boat, Sha Lifei’s eyelids twitched with rage: “Damn it! All my years of hunting geese, and now I’ve been fooled by a backyard sparrow! You’re all lying, all of you, aren’t you?”

“Sir, you’re joking—how could this be deception?”

The tea stall owner hurried forward, slapping the boat’s hull hard: “Don’t judge by its age—this old thing is sturdy as hell. I’ve been plying these waters for years and never had an accident.”

“Besides, no one else dares go either…”

Wang Daoxuan sighed and shook his head: “Fine, we’ll take this route. We’ll just get off early—it’ll still save us time.”

With no other choice, the three boarded the boat.

The tea stall owner pushed his bamboo pole, and the small boat slid into the river.

Watching the dock recede, Sha Lifei grinned: “You’re so focused on making money, you even abandoned your tea stall?”

The tea stall owner grinned, revealing his big white teeth:

“Sir, you don’t know—I haven’t made a single copper in days.”

Sha Lifei: “…”

…………

Though the tea stall owner spouted nonsense, one thing he didn’t lie about was his rowing skill—he was truly skilled.

At first slow, once he gained speed, he wielded his long bamboo pole, darting between the bow and stern.

Like a master of Hua Jing, he always found the perfect point of leverage, harmonizing with the current to make the small boat both steady and swift.

“Boss, your skill is impressive.”

Sha Lifei’s expression softened—Jianghu people didn’t respect officials or wealthy gentry, but they held deep admiration for those with true mastery.

Whether you were a performer, a street artist, upper or lower nine flows—if you had a unique craft, you earned respect.

Wang Daoxuan also smiled: “With such skill, why not own a boat and make your living on the water? That tea stall’s too remote to earn much.”

“Alas, I sold the boat…”

The owner sighed: “Life on water isn’t easy. The court taxes you, gangs take their cut, and even for deliveries, you must offer bribes just to get work.”

“My ungrateful son couldn’t bear the hardship—he sold the boat, took the money, and ran off to the wealthy south. He hasn’t written in years—I don’t even know if he’s alive.”

Sha Lifei shook his head: “Boss, don’t despair. A true man’s ambition lies beyond the horizon—maybe one day he’ll strike it rich and return to care for you.”

“Forget it!”

The tea stall owner scoffed: “As long as he’s alive and has food to eat, that’s enough. My wife and I will just muddle through.”

“People must know contentment—life is just like this…”

They had set out at dawn; now it was dusk. The mountains on either side were silent, crimson twilight slanting across the sky, painting the entire river with shimmering fish-scale light.

“What a beautiful scene!”

Sha Lifei couldn’t resist walking to the bow, unhooking his wine flask, gulping down two big swallows. He opened his mouth, wanting to recite some elegant poetry—but his mind went blank.

After struggling for a moment, he cursed: “The boss is right—those boatmen are just lazy. This place is fine—how could it be dangerous… What’s that!”

Before he finished speaking, he cried out in shock.

On the river’s surface, something bobbed up and down. As they drew closer, it was unmistakably a corpse—pale and purplish, long dead, its face frozen in a strange smile. “Don’t… don’t touch it!”

The tea stall owner visibly startled, shoved his pole hard, steering the boat far away. He stared at the drifting corpse behind them, his expression shifting between fear and calculation: “So it’s real…”

Wang Daoxuan slowly rose, his face grim: “Boss, that corpse was killed by something unclean. What do you really know?”

The tea stall owner swallowed hard: “There’s a legend about this river—it’s called ‘Smiling Face.’ They say if you’re watched by the ‘Smiling Face’ while rowing, you’ll drown, and your corpse will look just like that.”

Sha Lifei was annoyed: “Boss, you’re not being honest.”

The owner defended himself: “It’s just gossip—no one’s ever actually seen it. I thought it was just superstition.”

As they spoke, a boat suddenly appeared ahead on the shore—large, new, sturdy, clearly valuable.

But the boat was empty, tied loosely to a rock on the bank, with chaotic footprints leading from the muddy ground into the nearby forest.

“I remember now.”

The tea stall owner suddenly spoke: “That’s the boat that passed this morning. Did those people cross the mountain to Lantian County? Why leave their boat behind?”

Li Yan stood up, gazing into the distance thoughtfully: “Boss, can we reach Lantian by crossing the mountain from here?”

!.

“Yes.” The boss nodded quickly, pointing ahead: “Cross that ridge, pass through a few gullies, descend the other side, and you’ll be in Lantian.”

“It’s a detour, but the riverbanks ahead are sheer cliffs—you can’t climb them. Also, there are many wolves in these mountains. I see you’re skilled, but still, be careful!”

“Thank you!”

Sha Lifei tossed a string of coins casually, then leapt off the boat with Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan, heading up the slope.

Watching their figures fade into the distance, the tea stall owner’s eyes gleamed. He dragged a rock, smashed it against his own broken boat—bang, bang, bang—sinking it, then leapt onto the fine new vessel, untied the rope, and rowed swiftly away…

…………

“Young Li, what did you notice?”

As soon as they reached the slope, Sha Lifei hurried to ask.

His eyes were sharp—he’d noticed that since seeing the floating corpse, Li Yan’s expression had changed, his eyes flickering with killing intent.

Li Yan gave a slight nod and turned to Wang Daoxuan: “Master, do you remember I told you about the cold altar’s chang soldiers who possessed wolves and haunted Li Family Village?”

“Of course I remember.”

Wang Daoxuan suddenly understood: “That corpse back there… was one too?”

Li Yan nodded: “It’s gone now. The residual aura is slightly different, but unmistakably similar.”

Wang Daoxuan pondered for a moment. “That must be it.”

“Changbing come in many varieties. Their abilities differ based on origin and training methods. The one that entered your village was likely a Soul-Stealing, Life-Claiming Changbing, and the one just now may be tied to the river.”

He glanced toward the distant mountain ridge, thought for a moment, and asked, “Do you think it’s feasible?”

Li Yan nodded. “Worth a try.”

“Hey hey hey!”

Sha Lifei immediately protested, “What are you two whispering about? Is there something you’re hiding from me?”

Wang Daoxuan chuckled softly and shook his head. “Li Yan’s meaning is this: since the Cold Altar Changbing emerged from here, there must be a ruined Cold Altar temple on the mountain.”

“There might still be some relics left by the Daoists. More importantly, those Changbing—my Yin Soldiers and Little Ghosts were lost, weren’t they? If we can subdue a few, I won’t be so helpless when facing enemies in the future.”

Li Yan also spoke gravely. “Leaving this behind will only bring disaster. If we can eliminate it, we’ll be doing something for our hometown folks.”

“Perfect!”

Sha Lifei’s interest sparked. “A gift handed to us? How could we pass it up? Let’s go, let’s go!”

Their horses had already been left at the stable; for a bit of silver, they’d be sent back to Xianyang.

Now Li Yan led the way, Sha Lifei carried the Daoist’s bamboo pack gifted by Luo Mingzi, with the Yunlei Divine Drum hanging from it, while Wang Daoxuan walked beside him.

It wasn’t that Li Yan was lazy—he needed to scout ahead. If he carried the divine drum on his back during combat and it got punctured, it’d be too late to regret.

The group ahead—no one knew who they were—but even without Li Yan’s supernatural senses, their scattered footprints revealed their direction.

Of course, Li Yan’s target wasn’t these people.

But among them still lingered the scent of Changbing…

Not long after, they found two more corpses.

One had been stabbed through the heart; the other’s neck was half-severed, yet its crookedly tilted head bore the same eerie smile.

“Tsk tsk…”

Sha Lifei shook his head. “These people were truly unlucky. A Changbing slipped into their group, and they didn’t even run fast enough.”

Li Yan mused, “They probably had other business…”

…………

“Quick! Quick! Tie him up!”

Lu Xiaowu’s face twisted with fury, a bloodied short knife in his hand.

He had set out secretly last night, thinking he’d avoided surveillance—but deep in these mountains, he’d encountered something unclean.

Luckily, he was clever enough to uncover the traitor within.

On the tree trunk, Feng Ping, along with two attendants, had tightly bound another attendant with ropes soaked in black dog blood.

Black dog blood had been prepared before entering the mountains, meant as a precaution—yet it had actually proven useful.

Now, the bound attendant struggled and screamed, his face still wearing that chilling smile, his skin pale and icy, oozing droplets.

Black dog blood clearly couldn’t destroy the Changbing—but when soaked into hemp rope, it could trap it within this body.

“Let’s go. He’s beyond saving.”

Lu Xiaowu panted, shook his head, and signaled everyone to leave.

He knew several Daoists—but according to his mother, the treasure burial site was extraordinary. If a Daoist discovered it, they might grow greedy. So he’d brought only trusted retainers.

The others were terrified and hurriedly pushed the wooden cart forward. On it lay Lu Kang’s coffin.

“Sorry, Old Zhou…”

Feng Ping, the head attendant, glanced at the bound man, his heart heavy with sorrow.

They had been deeply indebted to Lu Kang since childhood, training together—yet now, as Lu family faced disaster, one good brother after another was slipping away.

Seeing their expressions, Lu Xiaowu quickly spoke gravely. “Rest assured, after we complete this task, the Lu family will relocate.”

“As long as the Lu family endures, your wealth and status are guaranteed!”

“Thank you, Second Young Master!”

After comforting them, Lu Xiaowu pulled out a cloth scroll from his robe, detailing the exact location and burial method of the treasure site.

He couldn’t help but feel hopeful—his father, even in death, had laid such a plan. If followed, perhaps one day he himself would stand upon the Golden Throne!

Thinking of it, his heart burned with fervor.

Not long after, Li Yan and the other two arrived.

Seeing the attendant bound to the tree, his face twisted in that eerie smile, Li Yan smiled wryly. “Saved us the trouble. Daoist, prepare.”

Wang Daoxuan nodded, unfurled the yellow cloth, dipped his brush in cinnabar ink, and drew a large talisman upon it, while pulling out a black clay jar.

Li Yan, meanwhile, opened his left palm, revealing the Gou Die seal mark…

(End of Chapter)