Chapter 253 - Parting Ways

Liangzhou Prefecture was set within a desolate landscape but, strictly speaking, it was not within the Gobi Desert. Traveling south from Liangzhou Prefecture, the majestic mountains and rivers of the Central Plains gradually unfurl before the eyes, like a painting scroll displaying its majesty.

A group of nine people with four horses were quite a sizable party, all things considered. However, Ye Beizhi and the others did not follow the canal south. Ye Beizhi had concluded that the Northern Qiang forces would surely pillage along the path of the canal should Liangzhou fall.

Not long after departing Liangzhou, Baili Gucheng and Yang Lu bid farewell to the group as the setting sun hung low on the horizon.

Baili Gucheng said, "Parting ways here means that it will be a long time before we meet again. On our journey, I owe much to all of you. I cannot repay it yet, but I will remember it always. Should you ever need me, I will not refuse."

Tang Jinnian leaned against a tree by the road and said, "Impending Sword, you owe me the most, and I’ve not forgotten it. Don’t die before I call on you."

Baili Gucheng chuckled lightly. "Indeed. I dare not forget. I await your instructions, Brother."

Xue Qiming squatted under the shade of a roadside tree, a blade of grass in his mouth slanted with his grin. "I’m still thinking about those jars of fine wine you buried at Fallen Moon Oasis. Last time I passed through, I didn’t get the chance to dig them up. Next time, I’ll make sure to drink my fill."

Baili Gucheng cupped his hands toward Xue Qiming. "I will certainly prepare a clean mat to welcome you."

Finally, only Ye Beizhi remained. Baili Gucheng turned to look at him deeply, then clasped his hands in a heavy salute. "Your life-saving grace... I will never forget it."

Ye Beizhi’s expression did not change. He simply nodded slightly, glanced at the horizon, and said calmly, "It’s getting late... time to go."

Baili Gucheng took two steps back and gave everyone a final, deep look. "Everyone—I bid you farewell!" With that, he swung himself onto the horse in one motion, sitting behind Yang Lu. Raising his whip high, it cracked crisply in the air.

"

Hiyah

!"

Hooves kicked up dust as the figure in blue robes receded into the distance.

Two people on one horse rode westward into the setting sun.

Toward North Watching Pass.

Baili Gucheng departed with carefree ease, leaving no regrets or attachments, like a true wandering swordsman.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Those who remained still had a journey ahead of them.

The seven who traveled south faced a journey that was far from smooth. Along the way, they encountered several groups of highway bandits. Seeing that the group included women and even a child, the bandits assumed they were easy targets.

Very few bandits managed to escape.

A few days earlier, Xue Qiming had been pondering whether he should let Xue Niang take action. After all, she had been practicing martial arts for so long—it was about time for her to shed some blood.

Chi Nanwei firmly rejected his idea. In fact, she had kept Xue Niang by her side recently, unwilling to let her stray too far from her and even kept Xue Niang as far as possible from her drunken so-called master.

Tang Jinnian refrained from taking action when bandits attacked because he no longer had his puppets. He decided to leave such matters entirely to Ye Beizhi and Xue Qiming.

On the other hand, Fang Dingwu was enthusiastic to engage with the bandits. To his dismay, Ye Beizhi and Xue Qiming settled the bandit ambushes before he could do much.

They travelled south for eight hundred miles. Along the way, the towns they passed were filled with songs, dances, and a sense of peace and prosperity. In the heartland of the Central Plains, war was never mentioned. The impact of the battle in the northern lands was barely noticeable.

After half a month on the road, the group arrived at a small city called Renyang. Once they left this city, Miaojiang would be to the west and Linhai would be to the east.

The group was currently finishing lunch at a roadside teahouse, and none of them seemed inclined to call the waiter to settle the bill.

Xue Qiming peeled peanuts from the table one by one and popped them into his mouth. Tang Jinnian took out his jade pipe after a long period of disuse and occasionally exhaled a puff of pale blue smoke.

The plate of peanuts was gradually emptied.

Xue Qiming peeled the last peanut, stood up, and clapped his hands to shake off the crumbs. "Let’s go."

With that, he turned and walked out.

Xue Niang grabbed the bundle on the table and jogged after him.

Xue Qiming stepped outside the teahouse, untied the reins, and turned back to wave at Xue Niang. She ran over and took his hand.

The man walked away, holding the horse in one hand and his disciples hand in the other. As his figure was about to vanish around the corner, he waved from afar— it was a simple farewell.

Fang Dingwu lifted his wine cup and drank the last bit of rice wine at the bottom.

The jade pipe burnt out at the same time.

Clack clack—

Tang Jinnian knocked the ash out of the pipe on the table’s edge, took out a silk handkerchief to clean it, and then hung the pipe back on his belt.

"That’s about enough," Tang Jinnian said, patting Rao Shuang on the shoulder. "We should get moving too."

Rao Shuang nodded and stood up. She glanced at Tang Jinnian before pulling Chi Nanwei aside, whispering something privately.

The three men sat around the table in silence for a while.

Ye Beizhi suddenly knocked on the table and said slowly, "There’s something... I’ve been meaning to ask you."

Tang Jinnian raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"The Transcendence Stone..." Ye Beizhi furrowed his brow as he thought back to his time in the Changfeng Escort Agency. "Where did you first hear about it?"

"From the Automata Scripture, of course. Why?" Tang Jinnian replied curiously.

"No." Ye Beizhi paused before continuing, "I mean... how did you learn that the escort agency would be transporting that shipment?"

Fang Dingwu's expression grew serious. "Now that you mention it, I recall that after the incident, Old Wu's investigation found only that Zhao Feihu, that traitorous scum, leaked the information to the bandits. Aside from him, no one else was supposed to know about it."

"Oh, that..." Tang Jinnian rubbed his chin, thinking back. "I got the information from the Ghostbane Association... Well, not directly. It was actually from one of the Ghostbane Association's top operatives.

"Have you heard of Mulberry Leaf Liu Lei? It came from him. He and I had an old grudge. I happened to run into him, dealt with him on the spot, and found a mission record about the Transcendence Stone on him."

"What kind of mission was it?" Fang Dingwu asked curiously.

Tang Jinnian’s expression turned puzzled. "That mission... I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. I was so focused on the Transcendence Stone that I didn’t think much of it. But now that I reflect on it, it was quite a strange mission.

"The record detailed who would handle the Transcendence Stone along its route and which paths it would take, but it didn’t call for the stone to be intercepted. It only instructed Mulberry Leaf to follow it closely and, after the employer took possession of the Transcendence Stone, to eliminate the employer secretly and retrieve the stone."

"The employer was Merchant Zhou of Meizhou, wasn’t it?"

"Retrieve it?"

The first question came from Fang Dingwu, and the second from Ye Beizhi.

Tang Jinnian first looked at Ye Beizhi and said, "Exactly. The record specifically mentioned retrieving it. The Transcendence Stone was deliberately released into circulation. I just happened to intercept it."

Then he turned to Fang Dingwu and added, "Merchant Zhou was just a middleman. The record didn’t specify the final recipient, but Meizhou wasn’t the last stop... the final destination was Wusi."

"The western grasslands?!" Fang Dingwu exclaimed. "It’s nothing but plains and herders out there. Why send it there?"

Ye Beizhi furrowed his brows even tighter. "No... there’s something else there."

Tang Jinnian’s expression became unpleasant. "The Jialan Temple."