Chapter 105: Braving the Valley of Unfeeling
Zhou Yan watched Gongsun Zhi and his group retreat into the night, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The first time he met the Valley Master of the Valley of Unfeeling, the other party wielded a longsword. Now, he held a thick-bladed, wide, serrated saber in his left hand and a thin, long black sword in his right.
It seemed the other party had at least mastered the “Yin Yang Reversal Blade Technique,” and was no longer the same as before. He just didn’t know if he had also mastered the “Acupoint Sealing Technique.”
“Caw!” the Great Eagle let out a soft cry. Zhou Yan’s thoughts returned, and he said, “A friend of mine is injured, and I came specifically to get a snake gallbladder for treatment. I thought I’d visit Brother Eagle when I had time, but I ran into this. Is this the first time Brother Eagle has fought these people?”
The eagle’s head nodded slightly.
Zhou Yan mused that after he left, Gongsun Zhi’s cultivation would likely improve, and he would still trouble the Divine Condor. The Divine Condor was valiant, but scoundrels were hard to guard against, especially the Fishing Net Formation, which was its nemesis. Once entangled, it was difficult to break free. The Divine Condor had appeared to help him repel enemies, which was how Gongsun Zhi spotted it. This matter had started because of him, and it should be handled properly.
“Brother Eagle, I am busy at the moment. I will visit again when I have time.”
“Caw!” the Divine Condor seemed to respond.
He cupped his hands in farewell, stretched his body, and headed straight for the forest where Huang Rong and the others were camped.
As dusk settled, Zhou Yan appeared at the camp.
Huang Rong asked, “What’s the situation?”
“I was escorting a Letter Escort through Jingzhou earlier this year and encountered a strange eagle here. It was quite intelligent and had helped me repel enemies. The eagle encountered some opponents, but they have already retreated.”
“Such a valiant Great Eagle.” Huang Rong was curious. She was about to ask why the Divine Condor wasn’t visible, but then she thought, since Zhou Yan said it was intelligent, and the Divine Condor wasn’t visible, it probably didn’t appear to strangers.
“But if we leave, will they come looking for the Divine Condor again?”
“I will handle this matter.”
“If you and she join forces, can you eliminate the threat?”
“I don’t have a sure victory.”
“Then we’ll invite more experts next time.” Huang Rong thought this, secretly resolving to wait until she saw her father and inform him of this matter, asking him to intervene, so as to return a favor.
Zhou Yan didn’t linger with Huang Rong and Mei Chaofeng. He told them to take the snake gallbladder to circulate their energy and heal their injuries, and then he returned to the runners.
“Xiao Wu hasn’t returned?”
The runners had piled up firewood and were waiting for Liang Xiaowu to fetch water to make snake soup.
“Not yet.”
Zhou Yan’s heart sank. If it were still early, it might be possible to get delayed while gathering wild vegetables and mushrooms on the way to fetch water. But now, dusk was gathering, and given Liang Xiaowu’s careful nature, this was absolutely not the case.
Zhou Yan felt uneasy. Could they have encountered Gongsun Zhi and his group?
Thinking this, he instructed the runners not to start the fire yet, took his Fine Steel Spear, and headed straight for the creek valley where Liang Xiaowu usually fetched water.
…
The creek water gurgled, and the rocks were rugged.
Zhou Yan’s figure appeared by the creek valley. He walked along the creek, searching repeatedly, but found neither Xiao Wu nor the Medicine Boy.
Something had happened.
Zhou Yan didn’t optimistically think that they had gotten lost at night, nor did he directly rule out an attack by wild beasts in the mountains and fields, leading to their demise. Liang Xiaowu’s cultivation was not bad, and he had Signal Flares on him. If they encountered tigers, leopards, jackals, or wolves, at least in a fierce struggle, he could have bought enough time for the Medicine Boy to send a signal.
There was only one possibility: they had coincidentally encountered Gongsun Zhi and his group who were withdrawing from the valley.
Zhou Yan knew the approximate location of the Valley of Unfeeling. He looked at the stars to orient himself and began to search in an expanding area to the north.
…
Dew like pearls, the moon like a bow. The temperature dropped at night, and crystal dew hung on the tips of the green grass. Water droplets rolled down and fell onto the lime on the ground, solidifying into white hard objects the size of fingernail clippings.
“Swish!” A black figure leaped past the clear moonlight. Suddenly, Zhou Yan’s figure solidified. He turned back, squatted on the ground. The moon, with a missing bite, hung in the sapphire blue sky, offering good visibility. What entered Zhou Yan’s eyes was a small clump of lime powder, some of which had solidified after being mixed with dew, and the wind could not blow it away.
“Hoo!”
Ever since their escort flag was stolen in Xiangyang, and after his repeated admonishments, Liang Xiaowu had kept lime with him at all times.
The bad news was that Xiao Wu and the Medicine Boy had indeed been captured by Gongsun Zhi and his group.
Fortunately, the clever runner had left a clue on the ground with the lime.
Zhou Yan turned, his figure stirring up a rapid whistling sound as he rushed towards the camp.
…
“Shuai Man”
“Zhou Yan”
“The Head Escort is back.”
After Zhou Yan left, the three runners became vigilant, each holding Iron Caltrops and Bone Piercing Nails, lurking in the shadows. Zhou Yan came through the forest, and after exchanging the secret password, the runners emerged from behind the trees and surrounded him.
“Shuai Man” was a question asking for a name. When the escort team camped at night, the runners on watch, lurking in the shadows, would call out to inquire if they detected any disturbance. If the approaching person couldn’t answer properly, they would use hidden weapons or send a signal flare.
The runners saw Zhou Yan returning alone, their expressions grave, but none of them asked questions.
“Prepare yourselves. We’ll hitch the horses and set off to rescue Xiao Wu.”
Zhou Yan went to Mei Chaofeng and Huang Rong and said, “Xiao Wu and the Medicine Boy have been abducted. The perpetrators are the same group I fought earlier. Xiao Wu left a clue with lime.”
Huang Rong had already overheard Zhou Yan’s conversation with the runners.
“I can ride a horse.”
“No, you’ll ride in the carriage.”
“Thank you.”
Mei Chaofeng had no objections. Huang Rong was gradually recovering, and she owed her a great debt of gratitude. She had even intervened when they were in Xinye, so why wouldn’t she now?
Without wasting any time, the runners hitched up a horse carriage, and everyone left the forest, heading north.
…
Zhongdu, Fu’an Escort Agency.
The sound of hooves was like thunder. One person with three horses quickly closed the distance and arrived under the gatehouse of the Fu’an Escort Agency.
The runners on duty saw that the person was wearing an escort uniform and had one person with three horses. This was a Letter Escort traveling eight hundred li a day, indicating extreme urgency.
The person landed, unsteady, and stumbled a step. The runner quickly supported him. The person said, “I am an Escort from the Zhenwei Escort Agency in Kaifeng Prefecture, delivering a Letter Escort for Escort Zhou Yan.”
The two runners’ hearts sank simultaneously. They thought, could it be that Head Escort Zhou’s Personal Safety Escort had met with trouble?
“Please have a seat in the guest room, Escort. I will report to our Chief Escort immediately.”
“Thank you!”
One runner led the Escort from the Zhenwei Escort Agency to the guest room, while another rushed to the Meeting Hall.
After the Escort who arrived at the guest room drank a cup of tea to quench his thirst, Zhang Wangyue’s tall figure flickered from under the eaves and appeared inside.
The runner quickly said, “This is our Chief Escort Zhang.”
The Escort stood up, cupped his hands in a bow, and took out the sealed Letter Escort from his person.
“Please examine this, Chief Escort Zhang.”
“Thank you.”
Zhang Wangyue opened the letter and took out the bamboo paper. From the text, he learned that Zhou Yan, due to the Yellow River being blocked in the Jinan Prefecture line, and the ensuing war and chaos, had rerouted towards Kaifeng Prefecture, Xinye, and Nanyang. In Xinye, he encountered an ambush by remnants of Great Qi, who were from the Zhenwei Escort Agency. Zhou Yan also specifically mentioned the bandits from Jiangxi.
Zhang Wangyue let out a slight sigh.
Huyan Lei, Wang Kui, Yang Tiexin, Mu Nianci, and others were escorting a Letter Escort to Jingzhou. According to their pace, they should be around the Handan area and could be caught up with.
He was a discerning person and could tell that the Great Qi remnants and the Jiangxi bandits active in the Jingxiang and Xinye areas were targeting the mules and horses. If the escort team was even slightly careless, trouble would surely arise.
Zhang Wangyue ordered the runners to properly settle the Escort from the Zhenwei Escort Agency and rest. He also asked a runner to invite the Boss to the escort agency, while he himself began to handle the Letter Escort.
…
Spring water flies in a stream, peaks emerge halfway into the clouds. Ancient walls are painted with cinnabar colors, new flowers are like embroidered patterns.
Zhou Yan followed the faint lime traces left by Liang Xiaowu for two days, and then a deep valley with high cliffs appeared within his sight.
The carriages and horses had already been left in the forest when they entered the creek valley.
Mei Chaofeng carried Huang Rong forward, with Huang Rong guiding the way. The two cooperated tacitly.
There was a river in the valley, and Zhou Yan found another small clump of lime by the river.
He looked at the secluded valley and thought that this should be the passage used by Golden Wheel Law King, Ni Mo Xing, Yin Kexi, and others from the Divine Condor world to enter the valley. Thinking this, he couldn’t help but think again of the Hu People, Yin Kexi, who was now at the branch office of the Changfeng Escort Agency in Zhongdu.
Life was truly unpredictable.
Mei Chaofeng arrived at the creek bank at this moment, and Huang Rong said, “The stream winds and turns. Moving forward from here will surely lead to another hidden place.”
“That’s right. Xiao Wu also left lime traces by the creek. It’s likely they entered the depths of the valley by boat. You all rest for now, I’ll look around to see if there are any boats.”
“Alright!” Mei Chaofeng went to rest by a large stone near the creek, and Huang Rong took a snake gallbladder and swallowed it.
Zhou Yan then followed the creek to search for a boat.
