Tang Bai Li

Volume 3 Chapter 85 First Snowfall in Taocheng

...

Xu Mu and Zuo Mingqiu left Tianshi Mountain, and the martial world gained two more wandering heroes, clad in bamboo hats and girded with swords.

Three days later, in the territory of the Kang clan, a prosperous trading post was the scene of a fierce battle. Two young direct descendants of the Kang clan and thirty-seven transport escorts from a gold and silver merchant guild all met a tragic end, yet the precious talismans, silks, and other goods they were transporting remained untouched.

Five days later, a bloody incident occurred within the Night Spirit Ruins of the Kang clan. Two youths, their faces obscured by bamboo hats, moved with lightning speed, annihilating an adventuring party of over forty individuals.

According to witnesses, the adventuring party were local powerhouses within the Night Spirit Ruins, notorious for preying on transient martial artists. Many had suffered at their hands, but due to their sheer numbers and the presence of a third-stage master within the group, they had endured. Now, they had been wiped out by two unknown figures in bamboo hats.

Twenty-seven days later, in the northern reaches of the Hundred Clans, a great battle erupted in the Xu family's territory. Two figures in bamboo hats destroyed a stronghold of a cult from the Golden Tent Kingdom, the Totem Church. They pursued for a hundred miles, ultimately killing a duke, who claimed to be a direct descendant of the Royal Court, by the banks of the Great Mud River.

This event garnered the Xu family's utmost attention. They mobilized vast resources for investigation, dismantling four Totem Church strongholds and eliminating over a hundred cult members, including a lord. The news spread far and wide.

Meanwhile, the two bamboo-hatted figures who first discovered the Totem Church stronghold had vanished. No matter how the Xu family and various factions searched, not a single trace of them could be found.

The only clue came from an old farmer, who recounted that two young men had sought shelter at his home a few days prior. They had prodigious appetites, and by dawn the next day, they had departed towards the border of Great Zhou.

Before leaving, they had gifted him a bag of silver.

...

Three months later, winter descended upon the land. A light snow fell upon Peach City in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

At the southern city gate, two wandering heroes in bamboo hats entered, one with a long sword at his waist, the other with a hunting knife tucked into his belt.

"The Great Zhou Dynasty is a land of talented people and free spirits, with a warlike populace. Compared to Great Xia, the imperial court's control over the regions is not as strict, and martial sects are numerous."

Zuo Mingqiu rode a small brown horse, leading it by the reins as he walked alongside Xu Mu down Peach City's main street, his voice calm.

Zuo Mingqiu was more familiar with the Great Zhou Dynasty than Xu Mu, having lived in a Taoist temple here for two years. True Master Bixu had also resided here for a long time, making Great Zhou akin to a second home for him.

However, for Xu Mu, this place was entirely foreign.

Xu Mu wore simple cloth attire, spotless, and rode a horse he had 'acquired' from a band of bandits. The horse, with straw in its mouth, seemed as relaxed as a nobleman on an outing from the imperial palace.

It had been nearly half a year since the Wine Immortal had unceremoniously deposited them in a remote, desolate mountain after the Tianshi Mountain's Heaven Worshiping Assembly.

Over these past six months, they had emerged from the wilderness, concealing their identities as they traveled south, truly like wandering martial artists. The heavens were their bed, the dust their companion. They had drawn their swords to aid the wronged wherever they encountered injustice, their cultivation had advanced considerably, and they had lived lives of great joy.

Of course, in the Jianghu, while they were rarely outmatched when fighting together, they had encountered many dangers. For instance, in a certain ruin, they had been besieged by an adventuring party of dozens. During the confrontation, they had even disturbed a fourth-stage undead great demon deep within the ruins.

If Zuo Mingqiu had not risked exposing his identity to unleash a full-power sword strike at the great demon, they would have at least left half their lives behind to escape.

In addition, they had inadvertently stumbled upon a gathering of cultists from the Totem Church. Xu Mu had merely intended to seek lodging, but he happened to encounter these fiends. The cultists, unwilling to let him go, sought to refine him into an elixir, so Xu Mu had no choice but to kill them all.

Along the way, there were few times they needed to exert their full strength, but there were no lack of exhilarating battles. In short, over half a year, from the Hundred Clans to Great Zhou, Xu Mu had come to consider Zuo Mingqiu as his brother.

"Peach City is on the border of Great Zhou. In another three hundred and seventy miles, we will reach Jiange," Xu Mu said with a smile, taking a drink and flipping through a map on his horse.

Just as he had told the Wine Immortal before they left, his ultimate goal in coming to the Great Zhou Dynasty was to safely enter Great Xia from here.

There were many ways to reach the Great Xia Dynasty, and the closest route was through the "Northern Long Road," the trade route between the two imperial courts.

"Jiange is one of the foremost martial sects in Great Zhou, and it is also the only place in this vicinity with a teleportation array. If we can ride the teleportation array there, it will save us a considerable amount of time," Xu Mu said with a smile.

Zuo Mingqiu nodded and added, "The teleportation array in Jiange leads directly to the Great Zhou imperial capital. The imperial capital, in turn, is the starting point of the Northern Long Road and is the closest point to Great Xia in a straight line. If you can ride the teleportation array, it will save you at least half a year of travel time."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mu nodded excitedly, his eyes gleaming.

He had been away from home for too long. He wondered how the villagers of Fengqing Village were, if Yin Shuir and the others were well in the Demon Extermination Division, and if they had been implicated by his affairs.

Like snowflakes drifting down, Xu Mu suppressed his surging emotions. He glanced at the pale, setting sun in the distance and frowned. "The sun is setting. If we travel further to Jiange now, it will likely be dark. Why don't we stay a night in Peach City and head to Jiange tomorrow morning?"

Zuo Mingqiu extended his right hand, watching two snowflakes melt on his palm. Then, as if remembering something, he said with a wry smile,

"It's snowing."

"Tomorrow, when you arrive at Jiange, you might not be able to board the teleportation array so easily."

Xu Mu was taken aback. He quickly reined in his horse and stopped, looking at Zuo Mingqiu in confusion. "Why?"

"Didn't you say that anyone can ride the teleportation array in Jiange as long as they have money? We've been robbing and looting, oh no, punishing evil and supporting good, and we've accumulated quite a bit of wealth. It should be enough!"

Zuo Mingqiu shook his head and explained,

"It's not about money."

"No, actually, it is about money."

Three faint black lines appeared on Xu Mu's forehead. He asked in confusion, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Zuo Mingqiu chuckled and stopped beating around the bush. He raised his palm towards Xu Mu, and the melted snowflakes on it refroze.

"Many areas of the Great Zhou Dynasty belong to cold mountain ranges, stretching for thousands of miles. Therefore, winter arrives much earlier than in the Hundred Clans. When it snows in one place, it usually affects the nearby cold mountain ranges. Hence, today's first snow in Peach City likely means it will snow within a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles."

"Jiange is a first-rank sect in the Great Zhou Dynasty, collecting all the famous swords in the world. Its forging techniques are unparalleled. The Dragon Spring Sword, one of the four great sword lineages, originates from here. Thus, swordsmen often visit Jiange, spending their fortunes and riches to seek a sword of exceptional quality that suits them."

"Dragon Spring Sword, I have heard of it. It is said that the current Emperor of Great Xia has a first-generation Dragon Spring Sword in his study, forged personally by the sword master of Dragon Spring, making it priceless," Xu Mu said slowly, then suddenly snapped back to attention.

"So what does all this you're saying have to do with the snow?"

Zuo Mingqiu said earnestly,

"Jiange is renowned throughout the land, and those seeking swords are endless. Not only from Great Zhou and Great Xia, but even from the Hundred Clans, and even from the distant Golden Tent Kingdom, sword cultivators make special trips to seek swords."

"There are many who seek swords, but although Jiange possesses countless swords and forges new peerless swords every year, it cannot withstand such consumption. Therefore, the leaders of Jiange have established a rule: every winter, during the first snow, Jiange will be sealed for three days. With the combined efforts of over a thousand top artifact refining masters in the sect, nine peerless swords will be forged."

"Once these nine peerless swords are completed, Jiange will place them in the Sword Sea, for powerful individuals from all over the world to contend for. Only those recognized by the swords can retrieve them."

"Only during this time each year does Jiange open its doors for sword retrieval to the outside world."

"And today happens to be the first day of the first snow."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mu scratched his head, then said blankly, "According to you, there must be a lot of people going to Jiange from all over the world right now. If there are many people, then there will definitely be many people using the teleportation array. If they use it, we won't be able to!"

Zuo Mingqiu nodded.

"That's precisely what I mean."

"Such group teleportation arrays consume a massive amount of spiritual ore with each use, and they also drain a significant amount of spiritual energy, invisibly affecting the feng shui and destiny of a region. Therefore, they cannot be used frequently."

"Jiange is probably already overflowing with people by now, everyone waiting for the three days to pass so they can compete for those five peerless swords. The number of people using the spatial array will not be small either. If you and I do not have any special status, and we have to queue, we might as well wait until next year."

Xu Mu's spirits plummeted. He had never imagined his luck could be so abysmal. He had just arrived in Great Zhou, only to coincidentally encounter the first snow and Jiange's closure.

Did he truly have to walk all the way back to Great Xia?

Thinking of all the things he had experienced over the past half year, Xu Mu couldn't help but shudder. While traveling the martial world was enjoyable, it was indeed dangerous and far too time-consuming.

He hadn't forgotten that the demon god's soul was still in the dark palace deep within the Western Mountains, on the verge of breaking free from its seal at any moment. The three-year covenant was rapidly approaching, and he had to return as soon as possible. Without using the array, he would definitely be too late!

"I've made up my mind," Xu Mu suddenly turned his horse around and said to Zuo Mingqiu with a serious expression, "We'll travel there tonight and queue up as early as possible to try and be among the first to use the teleportation array."

"It's too late," Zuo Mingqiu shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Don't forget, one can also use teleportation arrays to travel to Jiange from other places."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the teleportation array in Jiange is probably already smoking from overuse. It's impossible for it to be opened for you and me now."

Xu Mu slumped like a deflated ball, his head hanging low.

"Then there's nothing we can do. Let's find an inn to stay in for now and try our luck at Jiange in three days."

As Xu Mu spoke, he was about to urge his horse towards an inn when, in the next second, he found himself surrounded.

A throng of people had appeared on Peach City's street, seemingly out of nowhere. They were packed shoulder to shoulder, dressed in various attire, clearly from different regions.

Xu Mu stared in astonishment.

Where had so many people come from in such a short time?

Zuo Mingqiu's gaze became serious.

"They've probably entered from other city gates. Peach City isn't far from Jiange, so people heading to Jiange have chosen to lodge here."

Xu Mu dismounted and struggled to lead his horse forward, looking at the packed inns lining the street and shaking his head with a bitter smile.

This was a fine mess. Not only had they missed the teleportation array at Jiange, but now they couldn't even find a place to stay.

Should they sleep on the streets?

"Let's go check the outskirts," Xu Mu said, scratching his head. He was planning to venture outside Peach City to see if he could find any families willing to let them stay.

Just then, a person was violently ejected from the third floor of a crowded inn beside him, crashing onto the street and spitting blood. Shards of wooden planks from the window flew out, hitting several people.

"You dare try to stay without paying, hmph!"

An elderly man, hunched over and emanating the terrifying aura of a fourth-stage cultivator, stood at the third-floor window. He looked at the person lying in the street, saying angrily,

"I opened this inn not for anything else, but to prevent my mind from rusting from idleness. If you come here to dine and dash, then I'll have to take your arm as collateral!"

The onlookers, sensing the innkeeper's fourth-stage pressure, quickly scattered in fear. In the center of the street, the cultivator, who had lost an arm, was in utter misery.

Who would have thought that in a random inn in a border town of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the innkeeper would be a fourth-stage martial artist? It was utterly preposterous!

"From now on, anyone checking into the inn must pay in advance, or else don't blame me for being impolite!" the fourth-stage innkeeper declared angrily from the window.

Xu Mu, below, stared for a few seconds before calling out loudly, "Esteemed senior, what is the price for a room here? The two of us have nowhere to go. May we stay?"

The old man glanced at Xu Mu and then waved his hand impatiently. "This is a superior room. It would normally be fifty taels of silver per night, but since the window is broken, you can pay what you think is fair."

Xu Mu smiled and was about to say that fifty taels would be fine, when someone else spoke up first.

"I'll pay a hundred taels."

On Peach City's street, a rather large carriage had arrived, its entourage consisting of menacing-looking cultivators.

"I want this room. No one else is allowed to compete for it," a calm yet slightly noble male voice emanated from the carriage. He had arrived last, yet he spoke as if he had every right, as if his claim was irrefutable.

The old man frowned. "You'll have to discuss this with the other customer. After all, it's a matter of first come, first served."

"No need to discuss," Xu Mu said, looking at the owner on the third floor. He calmly raised one finger. "I'll also pay a hundred taels of silver."

"This room, I will not yield!"

...