Chapter Eighty-Seven: Departure [Please Subscribe]

“Ah... Brother Li, you have no idea. Ever since we parted at Bottle Mountain, my old Luo’s life has been miserable! In these past few years, Brother Chen has led the men, but we have not found a single good place. It has all been small-time skirmishes and petty jobs. Damn it all, the men under me are so poor they can barely afford a meal!”

Clinging to Li Yang, Luo Laowai bemoaned his fate with tears and snot alike, sounding as bitter as could be.

Li Yang merely smiled at that. He understood Luo Laowai’s nature well enough: rough on the outside, shrewd in the heart.

“What is this, Old Luo? From the sound of it, are you saying I, Chen Yulou, am incompetent, and that I have made the brothers suffer for nothing?”

Seeing Luo Laowai griping endlessly to Li Yang, Chen Yulou removed his sunglasses, gave him a sidelong glance, and said irritably.

“How could that be? How would I dare blame you, Brother Chen? Who doesn’t know that you are the backbone of us Xiang Army men, our very bread and butter?”

Faced with Chen Yulou’s displeased tone, Luo Laowai hurriedly put on a flattering smile and apologized.

“Enough, General Luo. You needn’t blame Chief Chen. It’s not that we do not want to work. You were there in Bottle Mountain; you know what that was like. If Brother Li had not been there, a man of such rare skill, I’m afraid of all of us present, how many would have made it back alive?”

“In the past, it’s not as though we never saw big scenes like that. The brothers all know that in our line of work, death can come at any time. But we’re after money, not death. We cannot know a thing is impossible and still insist on using the brothers’ lives to fill the gap.”

At this moment, Guai Zi, who stood behind Chen Yulou, also spoke up to explain.

Since the trip to Bottle Mountain, Chen Yulou had indeed become far less reckless than before. The whole man seemed steadier, perhaps because he had finally grasped his own limits and seen the myth and legend of this world with his own eyes, thereby shedding the impulsive foolishness of his youth.

“Daoist Li, have you any clue as to the exact location of King Xian’s tomb? Should we, the three of us siblings, go out to inquire first, and then set out after we have made plans?”

If there was anyone among them most anxious, it was naturally Partridge Whistle. After all, the mystic pearl within King Xian’s tomb concerned the ancient curse upon the Zagala tribe, and would decide whether their people could continue to survive and prosper.

Though these past three years of married life with Miss Hong had indeed made him a little too content to leave, he never once forgot the mission of finding that pearl.

In the past he had been alone, and thus fearless in the face of death. But since marrying Miss Hong, and even having the fruit of their love not long ago, with family now to think of, no matter how urgent his heart became, he would not dare take risks lightly. He could only wait patiently for news from Li Yang.

“Brothers, rest assured. I have already found the exact location of King Xian’s tomb. It is late today and not fit for action. At dawn tomorrow, we shall pack our things and set out at once.”

Seeing everyone looking at him with eager faces, Li Yang did not keep them in suspense. He drew out the map he had long since marked and handed it to Chen Yulou and the others.

“Good! We’ll do as Brother Li says! Damn it all, if this were my territory, Old Luo would bring the brothers here, and tonight we’d make merry properly before setting out tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Luo Laowai clapped his hands in agreement, then scratched his head and grumbled.

“Old Luo, I understand how you feel. And do you think I do not want to bring the brothers into the city as well? But the world is in turmoil now, and this is a sensitive time. To march into another man’s territory with troops already borders on danger. How could we dare bring the brothers into the city in broad daylight?”

Patting Luo Laowai on the shoulder, Chen Yulou went on, “Let us do as Brother Li says. Tonight we’ll dine at the Cloud-and-Come Restaurant, and all expenses will be on my account. Brothers, eat and drink your fill, so that you may be well rested for tomorrow’s journey.”

“Blackie... arrange everything for the brothers. Let everyone eat and drink well, then set a banquet in Brother Li’s courtyard. We haven’t seen each other for so many years; tonight we’ll drink our fill.”

“All right! Rest assured, Chief Chen. I’ll take good care of the brothers!”

Zhang Heizi, who had been standing behind Chen Yulou all this time, agreed at once and led the band of Changsheng Mountain men toward the Cloud-and-Come Restaurant.

They talked through the whole night. After years apart, Li Yang, Chen Yulou, Luo Laowai, and the others drank and boasted in the courtyard, chatting with great pleasure. It was not until deep into the night that they each returned to their rooms to rest.

...

The next morning, before dawn.

At the center of the courtyard, Li Yang was immersed in a seething medicinal bath. His blood and qi surged through him, and his heartbeat rolled like thunder, pounding without cease.

“Tsk, tsk... After not seeing him for these years, Brother Li’s cultivation has truly advanced by leaps and bounds.”

Chen Yulou and the others had been awakened by the commotion in the courtyard. Standing not far from the vat, they gazed at the scarlet, steaming liquid and Li Yang’s translucent skin, which shone like red jade, and could not help but marvel.

“Do you remember me, Old Luo? Here, have this to eat!”

Luo Laowai, eyeing the golden toad the size of a water buffalo before the cauldron, handed it a strip of dried meat and crept closer carefully.

“Croak... Hmph.”

Seeing Luo Laowai’s sly expression, the toad rolled its eyes with disdain-like human incredulity, blew a puff of breath toward the brazier beneath the cauldron, and looked at him as though he were a fool.

“Brother Chen, Brother Partridge Whistle, look at this toad. It seems to understand what I’m saying, and it can even roll its eyes. That’s uncanny. Could it really have become a spirit?”

Pointing at the golden toad, Luo Laowai acted as if he had discovered something wondrous, tugging at Chen Yulou and Partridge Whistle with a face full of astonishment.

“Old Luo! Why all the fuss? It is a three-legged golden toad. Haven’t you seen it before? Though its cultivation is still shallow, its intelligence is by no means low, so of course it can understand your words. What is there to find strange about that?”

Shaking off Luo Laowai’s hand, Chen Yulou said irritably.

“I did see it years ago, but back then it didn’t seem this clever. Look at that expression—it’s like it’s looking down on me. Damn it all, just a toad, and it dares look down on me, Luo Laowai!”

Staring at the toad’s uncannily expressive face, Luo Laowai scratched his head and cursed under his breath, looking thoroughly displeased.

“Croak... whoosh!”

As though it understood Luo Laowai’s words, the golden toad let out a low cry, then shot out its tongue, thick as rope, and looped it around Luo Laowai’s ankle, flipping him upside down in midair.

“Ah... Chief, save me! Brother Partridge Whistle, save me! This toad is going to kill someone! Grandfather Toad, I was wrong, my mouth is too cheap, I deserve a beating. Please calm down!”

Caught off guard, Luo Laowai was left hanging and swinging in the air, immediately crying out in terror and begging for mercy.

“Hahaha... Old Luo, let’s see if you dare run your mouth again. Consider this retribution!”

Seeing Luo Laowai’s miserable state dangling in the air, Chen Yulou burst into unrestrained laughter, mocking him even as he laughed. Even Partridge Whistle, who had always been solemn, could not help but press his lips together in amusement at the sight.

Gurgle...

Seeing Luo Laowai beg for mercy, the golden toad did not make things too difficult for him. It knew these were all Li Yang’s friends; a small lesson would do. If it went too far and caused too much commotion, disturbing Li Yang’s cultivation, then the next batch of elixirs would surely be cut by this stingy, miserly master.

Ever since Li Yang had fused with the golden centipede and no longer feared the poison of discarded pills, its life had only grown harder by the day. Whenever the whim took him, Li Yang would find some excuse to deduct a few pills from it. In earlier months there had at least been something to spare, but these past few months its share had dwindled and dwindled. It had grown cunning as well, and naturally could not allow this black-hearted master another chance to skimp on its rations.

“Damn it all, what sort of misfortune have I, Luo Laowai, committed? Tell me, is there any justice in this world? Even a toad dares bully me. No, when Brother Li has time, I’m going to make him teach me a few moves. With my talent, maybe I can’t go up the mountain and beat a tiger, or go down and catch a dragon, but I shouldn’t be this pathetic!”

Luo Laowai stood on the ground, straightening his clothes, muttering nonstop under his breath.

...

Only when the sun began to rise and the medicinal liquid in the cauldron had turned murky beyond recognition did Li Yang open his eyes. His entire body dissolved into emptiness, and when he appeared again, he was already fully dressed.

“Brother Li, this is...”

At the instant Li Yang vanished into nothingness, Partridge Whistle’s eyes narrowed. Though the inheritance of the Mountain-Removing Sect was incomplete, it still differed from Chen Yulou’s, leaving him with a trace of faint magical power.

Yet at the moment Li Yang disappeared, he had sensed no fluctuation of power whatsoever. By ordinary reasoning, no matter how high one’s cultivation, the use of any art should leave some trace behind, unless one’s power had already reached an inconceivable realm.

But Li Yang was clearly not of that latter kind.

“Just a trivial trick, nothing worth mentioning.”

Li Yang did not say much about the divine ability of standing upright without shadow. He simply smiled and brushed it aside with a casual answer.

“Croak...”

Seeing Li Yang emerge from the cauldron, the golden toad let out a low cry and swallowed the cauldron whole, along with Li Yang’s bathwater, into its belly.

“Has the Chief and General Luo finished preparing? If everything is ready, then let us set out.”

Li Yang glanced at the sky and saw that the sun had fully risen, then said to Chen Yulou and the others.

“Good! That’s the very line I was waiting to hear from you, Brother Li.”

Luo Laowai clapped his hands, looking exhilarated, while Chen Yulou nodded toward Guai Zi behind him and said, “Go wake the brothers. We’re ready to depart.”

“Yes, Chief Chen.”

Guai Zi, who had stood behind Chen Yulou all this time, cupped his fists and turned to leave the small courtyard.

Once everyone had assembled, the party of several dozen set out in grand procession from Kun City and headed swiftly into the wilderness.

Though the Changsheng Mountain brothers were all ordinary men, each was agile and sturdy, and to them climbing mountains, crossing rivers, and traveling over ridges had long become second nature.

Their speed was astonishingly fast, and before long they had left Kun City far behind.

“General Luo! Chief Chen, you’re back!”

Once the group reached a forested mountain area, the Xiang Army brothers who had long been waiting there suddenly rushed out from the woods and joined Li Yang and the others, making their way together toward the Hui village marked on the map.