Blade - Unbound

Chapter 14: Step Out the Door, and the Road Becomes the Jianghu

Sha Lifei’s heart skipped a beat. “What is it?”

He knew more than anyone that the brat in front of him was no pushover. The first time he had come years ago, he had thought little of the crippled old man and a half-grown kid. What trouble could they possibly cause?

Showing up at all already gave them face. No one could fault him for it.

Back then, he had swaggered in, acting all loud and overbearing. He had been careless with his etiquette, and even thrown his weight around, ordering Li Yan to prepare food and drink in an attempt to freeload a meal under the guise of seniority.

Li Yan had been young then, but he was never the type to swallow losses.

He prepared the meal alright, and even made it lavish. But he slipped in a bit of croton powder, carefully measured so it wouldn’t take effect until Sha Lifei had already left the village. The croton powder hit Sha Lifei halfway down the road, leaving him with a devastating bout of diarrhea.

Sha Lifei had nearly exploded with rage back then. However, he had a group of harvest laborers with him, and time was everything during harvest season. He could only grit his teeth and move on, thinking he would teach the brat a lesson next year.

Back then, he hadn’t harbored any killing intent. After all, the kid was obviously just a punk. He had plenty of ways to deal with Li Yan, or so he had thought. He had figured a simple spar would be enough to beat the kid senseless.

Yet the result had fallen far from his expectations. Li Yan had relied on his substitute statue and trained like a madman. By the following year, he had already achieved some real skill. He might still be lacking in experience, but he was no longer an easy brat Sha Lifei could simply beat up.

From then on, Sha Lifei became much more polite.

Since Li Yan had called him back, he was now wondering if the kid was trying to stir trouble again. Or worse, he might be trying to reclaim the role of the leader of the harvest crew!

His mind running over the possibilities, Sha Lifei maintained the smile on his face while staying on guard for whatever Li Yan was about to throw at him. He felt that the youngsters who just stepped into the jianghu were always the craziest. They were reckless and unrestrained. They would do anything for the sake of making a name for themselves!

I better not trip up here today...

Just as unease crept into his thoughts, Li Yan spoke. “I heard Uncle Sha has connections with people of the mystic path. Could you introduce me to one?”

Sha Lifei froze for a moment, then relaxed. At the same time, his curiosity flared. “What’s this? Did you run into something strange? Was it possession? Or is it just bad fengshui?”

Li Yan didn’t answer directly. Rather, he answered casually. “Nothing much, I’m just curious. Just give it to me straight, do you have a connection or not?”

“Of course I do!” Sha Lifei immediately puffed out his chest, laughing loudly. “Ask around; I’m Sha Lifei! I have friends all over the land! In the Guanzhong Plains, there’s nothing I can’t handle!”

Seeing the blank look on Li Yan’s face and the youngster’s eyebrows slowly arching up, he glared and snapped, “What, you don’t believe me? I actually do know someone from the mystic path! He’s a household Daoist and goes by the name Wang Daoxuan. He is skilled in divination, fortune telling, fengshui, and the secrets of yin and yang. He even catches ghosts and subdues demons. Anyway, he’s good at everything. The wealthy families of Chang’an are always inviting him over...”

Sha Lifei talked endlessly, spittle flying everywhere.

But the more he spoke, the more unreliable Li Yan found it to be. Though he had never walked the mystic path as a master, he had some knowledge of such things from his previous life. Divination alone had countless branches, including the Eight Trigrams, Six Lines, Plum Blossom Divination, Six Ren, Mysterious Gate, Taiyi, the Ziwei Astrology, and others. Just mastering a single path required immense dedication!

Without talent, one might not even be able to touch on the power of divination, let alone ghost hunting and hunting demons. All of Sha Lifei’s claims reeked of bullshit.

Unaware of his thoughts, Sha Lifei continued boasting. “I heard Wang Daoxuan is connected to the Taixuan Orthodox Sect. He’s even handled death registers in Xianyang...”

Despite Sha Lifei’s nonsense claims, Li Yan’s eyes lit up at the mention of the Taixuan Sect. After all, that was a true pillar of the mystic path. Handling death registers was no small matter either. Those documents recorded the birth and death dates of the deceased, as well as cremation time and even burial schedules. Official approval was required before anyone could be buried.

According to what Big Tooth Du had once said, those who handled such matters were almost always genuine practitioners. In Li Yan’s mind, they were also comparable to modern day coroners. If the death seemed suspicious, they could refuse the rites and report the matter to the authorities.

Either way, Wang Daoxuan sounded legitimate. At the very least, he might point the way into the Taixuan Sect.

Li Yan’s tone softened slightly when he spoke again. “Then I’ll trouble you, Uncle Sha. I’ll repay the favor afterward.”

“That’s not a problem!” Sha Lifei laughed, then shook his head. “But there’s a catch; you’ll have to come with me. Perfect timing, we leave with the group tomorrow.”

Li Yan frowned. “Why?”

Sha Lifei clicked his tongue. “Daoist Wang is a busy man. Everything’s about rules and etiquette. You can’t expect him to come to you, can you? We’re heading to Xianyang anyway, so we might as well take care of your business along the way.”

Li Yan thought for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

Sha Lifei’s words were half truths at best, but Li Yan could tell he barely knew Wang Daoxuan. They were not buddies. Regardless, it was still a lead. Any clues to the mystic path were important at the moment. WIth his awakened spiritual sense, he was bound to attract trouble again sooner or later. Next time, he wouldn’t have Widow Wang to guide him.

Xianyang wasn’t too far away either. It was a five to six day journey at most. With someone to watch over his grandfather, the trip could easily be done.

Seeing Li Yan agree, satisfaction flashed through Sha Lifei’s eyes. “Good. It’s settled then. We leave at dawn!”

With that, he took his leave.

Li Yan watched him go before heading back to his room to prepare for the journey.

***

The next morning, before dawn, hoofbeats approached.

“Little Yan, time to go!” Sha Lifei’s booming voice rang through his courtyard.

Li Yan was already prepared. Grain Ear season was nearing, and the weather was turning hot, so he wore a short black outfit with a straw hat to shade his face. He slung his pack on his shoulder and wore his Guanshan blade on his waist.

As he walked out, he stopped at his grandfather’s door and knocked.

“Grandpa, I’m leaving.”

He received nothing in response, causing him to sigh softly. He told the old man of his plans the day before, and naturally, he was met with disapproval. However, the trip concerned their lives and he had no choice but to make it.

Just as he turned away and started to walk to Sha Lifei, a frail voice came from behind the door. “The jianghu is dangerous. You better keep your wits about you.”

Hearing the familiar voice, a grin crept over Li Yan’s face. “Got it!” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

His footsteps faded into the distance and only then did Li Gui push the door open to watch the youngster’s departing figure.

It was his turn to sigh softly as he was reminded of his son back then.

“Father, what’s the jianghu?”

“Jianghu? Step out these doors and the road ahead becomes the jianghu!”

***

Li Yan had once thought that nothing could truly excite him anymore after having lived two lives. After all, he had seen dazzling cities and towering sights in his previous life. Even this world’s grandest capital would only feel quaint by comparison. But the moment he stepped beyond the village, he realized he was wrong.

As Li Clan’s Fort faded behind him, the vast land of the Guanzhong Plains unfolded before his eyes. There were yellow earth ravines, golden wheat fields, lush green forests, blue skies and drifting clouds.

Modernization had no foothold on these plains. The world around him felt clear and alive. Coupled with the mysteries of the mystic path, Li Yan felt, for a fleeting moment, like a boy again, as curiosity and a longing for adventure filled him.

“Brother Yan, you’re coming too?!” Heidan’s voice broke his train of thought. “Since we’re going to Xianyang, I think we’ll see Chang’an along the way! Also, I heard it’s really far.”

The boy was just as excited, as it was his first time traveling so far beyond the village.

However, their initial excitement quickly gave way to hardship after some time. All of them walked along the road under the blazing sun, and dust rose on the earth as heat waves shimmered around them. The golden seas of wheat swayed like waves under scorching winds.

Their coarse black clothes trapped the heat, turning into a cauldron that felt like it was burning them alive. Before long, everyone was flushed and drenched in sweat. Sha Lifei had managed to gather around fifty laborers from nearby villages for the trip. All of them carried their equipment as they marched onwards.

At the very start, they were neatly dressed. By the time they were far from the village, their clothes were in disarray. Many of them had doffed their tops, and their bronze skin glistened in the sun.

Even Sha Lifei was sweating heavily on his horse. From time to time, he drank from his waterskin, sneaking glances at Li Yan who was trudging along. There was nothing interesting to see; Li Yan simply walked in silence, occasionally observing the scenery around.

Having started at dawn, they walked all the way till the sun was directly overhead. By then, Heidan was completely exhausted. His legs were weak and his vision was blurring. Every step felt like his legs had turned to cotton.

Li Yan was soaked in sweat as well, but his expression remained calm. Years of training had given him endurance far beyond ordinary men.

Finally, Sha Lifei glanced at the sun overhead and called out, “Find a place to rest. We’ll wait out the worst of the heat.”

They still had two days of travel ahead. Walking at midday would only drain them faster. It was better to conserve energy and travel further in the cooler evening. Sha Lifei didn’t even consider bringing them to an inn. Even if he did, the villagers wouldn’t spend the money to stay.

Resting spots were easy to find. Ahead, several large locust trees cast wide patches of shade. At the command, everyone hurried over, settling down and pulling out hard grain cakes, washing them down with cold water.

Li Yan sat with his back against a tree, eating quietly. To him, the journey was simply another form of training. When he finally arrived, he might visit the mule and horse market in Xianyang to see if he could afford a good horse.

Clip-clop... clip-clop...

A string of hoofbeats echoed in the distance.

As soon as he heard it, Li Yan narrowed his eyes and looked up, going on full alert. More than twenty riders appeared in the distance, all of them mounted on strong horses. Straw hats covered their faces. Some carried long blades, while others had short swords. Clearly, they were people of the jianghu.

As they approached, the look in Li Yan’s eyes changed. He rested a hand warily on his blade as he prepared to pull it out.

He could smell blood from them.