Chapter 146 – The Carpenter’s Workshop - Part 2

“Please come this way,” Han Ying invited.

With a nod, Li Yuan smiled. “Lead the way. Old Wang, follow this woman’s instructions.”

From the driver’s seat, Wang San gave a good-natured grin. “Yes, sir.”

Li Yuan prepared to climb back onto the carriage, but then turned abruptly. “Miss Pang?”

Pang Qian, off in her own thoughts, didn’t react until he called again. She looked up, confused. “Uhhh, huh? Are...are you talking to me?”

Han Ying admonished her. “Mind your manners!”

Pang Qian hastily apologized, feeling both embarrassed and curious. She couldn’t resist sneaking a few more glances at the legendary Blood Blade Patriarch, who at a glance didn’t look any older than she was.

Li Yuan spoke to her with an easy smile. “I’m new here and don’t know the area. Would Miss Pang mind riding with me for a while and telling me about life here in Flowerpath? My goddaughter is in the carriage, too, so no need to worry about being alone with me.”

Without missing a beat, Pang Qian replied, “Yes, of course!”

Han Ying quickly intervened. “Pang Qian, don’t be rude!”

Li Yuan tilted his head. “What’s rude about it?”

Flustered, Han Ying mumbled something about meaning no offense and allowed Pang Qian to climb into the carriage. Inside, Tang Nian scooted over to give her some space, though she frowned slightly and sniffed the air in curiosity. Pang Qian’s light perfume was surprisingly pleasant.

Pang Qian sat with her head lowered, occasionally sneaking cautious looks at the young man seated across from her. She’d never seen a sixth rank martial artist in person before, and her nerves showed in the way she fiddled with her sword robe, knees pressed tightly together.

Li Yuan broke the silence. “Miss Pang.”

“Y-yes!” she answered, sitting up straight.

“Pang Yuanhua has really gone missing?”

“Yes,” Pang Qian said. “Our sect master and the abbess from Floating Moon Abbey disappeared first. Aunt Pang looked everywhere for them but uncovered nothing. Then she fell ill. A few days ago, the sect master and the abbess suddenly reappeared, but Aunt Pang vanished. Not long before that, she wrote back to the Blood Blade Sect, and she had our life chronicle with her. Now she’s gone, and the sect master and abbess are doing all they can to find her.”

“Where did the sect master and the abbess go missing? Have you tried searching there for your aunt?”

“We never got the full story,” Pang Qian said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “But rumor has it they disappeared at some carpenter’s workshop. There was a string of disappearances around town, and the sect master and the abbess went there to investigate. Aunt Pang went as well and came back sick. People are calling that carpenter’s workshop a ghost domain. But the sect master and the abbess claim it’s not—just a bizarre place. They said they wandered around inside for a while, but by the time they came out, nearly two years had passed outside.”

Li Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Peering out through the curtains, he noticed Flowerpath County was still bustling despite the late hour. Amid the crowds, someone in front of a restaurant was shouting, “Snowbrew! Ginger Tavern’s Snowbrew! Limited supply—get it while it’s here!”

“Stop the carriage,” Li Yuan suddenly called.

Wang San pulled to a halt.

Pang Qian asked, “Would you like to try some of that wine?”

Li Yuan shook his head and smiled. “No, I’m letting you off here.”

“Oh...right. Thanks for the ride.” Pang Qian stuck out her tongue playfully, then hopped off the carriage.

Just as the curtain fell back into place, Li Yuan pulled it aside again and said, “Miss Han, Miss Pang—since it looks like your sect's life chronicle isn’t here, I won’t be entering the township after all. I have other urgent matters to attend to. Farewell.”

The sudden announcement stunned them both. Han Ying hurriedly asked, “Did we somehow fail to receive you properly? The sect master has prepared a welcome banquet just up the road, waiting for you.”

“Please thank her on my behalf,” Li Yuan said politely. Then he dropped the curtain and called, “Old Wang, turn the carriage around.”

Everyone stood there, dumbfounded. Even Tang Nian stared at her godfather in surprise, unsure what had suddenly changed his mind.

“Old Wang,” Li Yuan said in a sharper tone.

Wang San snapped out of his confusion, whipped the reins around, and had the horses double back toward the gate.

“Out of the township,” Li Yuan ordered. “Hurry.”

Wang San cracked the whip, and the carriage lurched forward at speed. They soon reached the entrance, where the guards, startled to see the Blood Blade Patriarch leaving so soon, threw open the gate without question.

Not long after, hoofbeats thundered from the far end of the street as several riders approached. Leading them was a woman in a dark sword robe, noticeably different from the usual white Frost Sword Sect attire. An air of authority clung to her, and the pair of swords strapped to her back gleamed under the lights. She dismounted in a fluid motion, and the city guards bowed at once, greeting her.

“Sect Master!”

This was Pang Dantai, head of the Frost Sword Sect.

“Where is the Blood Blade Patriarch?”

“He just left.”

“How long ago?”

“Almost the time of two incense sticks.”

Pang Dantai’s face soured. She turned to her two disciples, Han Ying and Pang Qian, who both hurried forward to apologize. After a moment’s pause, she sighed. “Very well. Perhaps he has other business. Tomorrow, I’ll send San Niang to the Blood Blade Sect to offer our apologies...and to find out what happened.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Outside the township walls, a pale fog rolled across the desolate countryside, shrouding everything in a ghostly haze.

Tang Nian couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “Godfather, why did we leave so suddenly?”

Li Yuan answered calmly, “That girl who got on the carriage smelled like a corpse. Didn’t you notice it?”

“A corpse smell?” Tang Nian felt her heart drop. A chill ran through her as she instinctively clutched her cold, metallic puppet tighter. She might have no fear of killing, but ghosts were a different story. After a pause, she shook her head. “I...I only caught a faint fragrance.”

“What kind of fragrance?”

“Something herbal; it smelled woody.”

“That

woody

scent was masking the stench of decay,” Li Yuan said, closing his eyes in thought.

He had heard of the mysterious disappearances in Flowerpath County long ago; Pang Yuanhua had even sent him a letter asking for help. Coming here, he planned to discuss the missing-person cases and the Frost Sword Sect's life chronicle with her. Now, with Pang Yuanhua having gone missing herself, he’d already suspected something was off. That was why he invited Pang Qian into the carriage, to see if he could detect anything unusual. Sure enough, he caught the odor of death.

“Old Wang,” he called to the driver. “Did you smell anything like a corpse?”

Wang San, already spooked by talk of ghosts, stammered, “N-no, sir. I didn’t smell a thing.”

Li Yuan thought for a moment. Maybe, thanks to the faint decay smell he’d encountered before, like with his daughter’s crows, he was unusually sensitive to it now.

“Where to next, sir?” Wang San asked.

“Let’s find an isolated spot and spend another night outside.”

“Yes, sir.” Wang San flicked the reins.

Night descended, and Li Yuan felt goosebumps prickle his arms. He’d experienced sinister things a few times by now, so the fear wasn’t as strong as it used to be.

Tang Nian, on the other hand, clearly felt more frightened; she inched closer to him and asked in a hushed tone, “Godfather, do you really think it’s ghosts?”

Li Yuan replied, “If there’s even a small chance, I won’t risk going back. That’s why, once I sensed danger, I left the township instead of charging in blindly.”

She nodded. “I understand. So tomorrow we just head back to Gemhill?”

After a moment’s thought, Li Yuan smiled faintly. “First, we’re going to wait for someone.”

“Who?”

“Pang Yuanhua.”

“But isn’t she the one who disappeared?”

“Yes, and the one who told us she was missing smelled like a corpse,” Li Yuan said. “The more they insist she’s gone, the more likely it is she’s still alive.”

“What if she doesn’t show?”

“Even if there’s only a slim possibility, I’ll wait,” he said, gazing at the moonlit barrens. “These ghoulish things keep popping up everywhere. Sooner or later, I’ll have to face them. Might as well start learning what I can.”

As the night wore on, Tang Nian clung to Li Yuan’s arm while he kept an eye on the surroundings. They halted the carriage atop a rise that offered a good view of the wilderness, with a small stream behind them. The water wasn’t fit to drink, but it was enough for washing.

In the distance, a white finch flew in from the north, homing in on Li Yuan’s location. He had abandoned his previous lookout at Antelope Pass just to send it here.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next day.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Sunlight flooded the landscape.

Tang Nian stayed tucked inside the carriage, reflecting on all she’d learned; every step of this journey felt like a new lesson. She had to admit her godfather was far more extraordinary than she’d imagined, definitely not just some strongman in a far-off frontier.

She blushed, remembering how she’d once declared she would defeat him. Even so, she stood by that goal; it gave her something to strive for.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan went hunting, managing to bring back two rabbits and a pheasant despite the dead of winter. A sixth rank martial artist had it much easier than ordinary hunters, after all. He quickly got a fire going, cleaned the game, roasted it, and shared the meal with Tang Nian.

The rest of the day passed in peace.

The third day.

By now, the white finch had arrived. Li Yuan sat atop the rise, pondering about the concept of a life chronicle. Off in the nearby woodland, a figure in gray hurried forward, led by that same white finch. Drawing closer, this person appeared quite lean and wore a hat and face covering, making it impossible at first glance to discern any features.

A smile tugged at Li Yuan’s lips. “So we finally meet, Miss Pang.”

He’d only been guessing, but it seemed he’d guessed right. Pang Yuanhua could perceive the finch’s spiritual link—and followed it straight to him.

Pulling down the cloth that hid her face, Pang Yuanhua revealed gaunt cheeks stretched tight across her bones. Bowing respectfully, she said in a frail voice, “I apologize for appearing before you in such a wretched state, Senior. I look positively dreadful.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Silver Creek, Gemhill County.

A homing pigeon swept down, and Tie Sha beckoned it closer, retrieving the slip of paper strapped to its leg. He scattered some feed for the bird. “An urgent message from the Frost Sword Sect? But our patriarch only just reached them. What’s going on now?”

Unrolling the note, Tie Sha froze. A string of red words screamed across the page in hurried, shaky handwriting—

"GHOSTS HAVE TAKEN OVER! DON’T COME!!!"

Tie Sha shot upright. By now, Li Yuan was undoubtedly in Flowerpath County. If he walked into a trap without knowing what lurked there, the consequences could be dire.

“Damn it,” Tie Sha muttered. “They wait until now to send this warning?”

He paced back and forth for a moment before making up his mind. “We have to go after him. Gather the men; we’re leaving for Flowerpath!”

Gemhill County could not afford to lose its Blood Blade Patriarch. Even Tie Sha himself didn’t know if setting out now would do any good, but he had to try. If nothing else, he could at least see for himself what was happening, whether or not he could reach Li Yuan in time.