Chapter 90

Pointed Crest Sect (點蒼派)

.

-Creak, creak

After about an hour had passed with the sound of the carriage wheels rolling along the road,

-Whine, whine!

I tried to be a bit more intimate with my wife, as there was no one else in the carriage, but the barking of a dog from somewhere interrupted our pleasant ride, making me jump up in surprise. When I confirmed that the black thing that had jumped onto the carriage was Dukgu, I was even more surprised.

“Hey, you! How did you get here?! Dukgu?”

It seemed that Dukgu, who was tied at the entrance of the Tang Family Compound, had somehow freed himself and followed us. Dukgu, exhausted from following us, panted heavily and sprawled out on the carriage.

“What should we do?”

My wife, Zhuge Qing, was flustered upon seeing Dukgu. There was nothing we could do about him following us, and we couldn't turn back to tie him up again.

We would have to send him back with the carriage later.

“Let's send him back with the carriage later. We've already traveled for an hour, so it's impossible to send him back now.”

“I didn't know dogs could follow people so well.”

In an era where dogs were generally used to guard homes or chase away thieves, and were usually raised in pens like pigs, my wife found Dukgu's behavior quite remarkable.

Seeing Dukgu sprawled out and panting, it seemed he had indeed come looking for his master. Feeling touched, I took out a piece of dried meat and gave him a piece.

***

After two weeks of traveling with Dukgu in the carriage, we headed from the capital city to the city of Panzhihua at the entrance of Yunnan.

We traveled along the main road, passing through villages to avoid touching the emergency rations we had for the Yunnan jungle.

There were many martial arts sects in Sichuan, so we passed through the territories of various sects on our way to Yunnan. Near the capital city, many Qingcheng Sect members were around, and in Ya'an, which was close to Mount Emei, we saw quite a few nuns from the Emei Sect.

Although we were a bit tense passing through the territories of these powerful sects, the members of Qingcheng and Emei were generally friendly, perhaps to show respect.

Even without wearing clothes that revealed our affiliation with the Tang Family Compound, they seemed to recognize us as fellow professionals.

The members of Qingcheng and Emei we met during our journey recognized the Tang Family Compound's warriors and greeted us warmly, even sharing news about Sichuan.

Though we were slightly weaker than the national-level gangs, we were still part of the Tang Family Compound, which belonged to the massive gang alliance, the Martial Arts Alliance.

Thinking about it, the Martial Arts Alliance was essentially a huge network of connections among the Central Plains gangs, and being part of it meant we were all in the same network.

Even if they didn't treat us as family, the sight of the Tang Family Compound's Poison Blood Gang leader standing in front of the carriage was enough to ensure a free pass.

We passed through Dachang without any issues, but as we approached Dachang, the leader of the Poison Blood Gang approached us and said,

“Master, we are about to enter the territory of the Pointed Crest Sect.”

Although he had already hinted at this in the morning, the leader's reminder was a warning to be cautious again.

Despite being part of the same righteous sect, the leader warned us because the Pointed Crest Sect had suffered the greatest losses in the bloody incident twenty years ago, when the enraged Southern Beast Palace lost its successor.

The Pointed Crest Sect suffered significant damage until reinforcements from Emei and Qingcheng arrived, and even though both sides later realized they were victims, the dead could not be brought back.

Moreover, from the Pointed Crest Sect's perspective, they had been unjustly attacked, so their feelings towards the Southern Beast Palace were the worst.

That's why he had already told us not to reveal our destination to the Southern Beast Palace, and now, entering the Pointed Crest territory, he was reminding us again.

“I understand, Leader.”

I nodded at the leader's warning and looked at my wife, who also nodded in understanding.

The carriage slowly entered Dachang, the territory of the Pointed Crest Sect.

Despite some concerns, we entered Dachang without any issues.

We stayed at an inn in Dachang for a day, but nothing unusual happened. The next day, as we were about to leave through the southern gate of Dachang and head to Panzhihua, I noticed a group of martial artists scattered around the gate, slowly approaching us.

A man's voice came from outside.

“Excuse me. I am Xu Yu, the fourth disciple of the Pointed Crest Sect. May I know the honorable name of the great hero?”

The Pointed Crest Sect disciple spoke politely but with a subtle pressure.

We hadn't worn clothes with the Tang Family Compound's emblem to avoid trouble, but it seemed we were being inspected.

The leader's voice soon responded.

“Sichuan Tang Family Compound. I am Fan Jin, the leader of the Poison Blood Gang. We have a token, so please check it.”

The Pointed Crest Sect disciple sounded surprised.

“Oh, it's Fan Jin of the Tang Family Compound. I apologize.”

“No, no. What is the matter?”

“I heard that a few members of the Southern Beast Palace recently came to the Central Plains. Therefore, we are inspecting martial artists passing through Dachang and Panzhihua to enter Yunnan. However, if you are from the Tang Family Compound, you must be here to collect poisons, so you may pass.”

Since members of the Tang Family Compound often went to Yunnan to collect poisons, the Pointed Crest Sect disciples assumed we were here for the same reason and let us pass.

The carriage slowly started moving, but as we approached the area where the leader was talking, Dukgu growled, seemingly displeased with something.

Then, a voice from outside shouted.

“Wait! Great Hero Fan Jin, may we inspect the carriage for a moment?”

The carriage, which had just started moving, came to an abrupt stop. The Pointed Crest Sect disciples demanded to inspect the carriage.

“Someone inside is a noble, so it's difficult. Can't we just pass?”

But the Pointed Crest Sect disciple insisted, speaking bluntly.

“I clearly heard the sound of an animal inside. You're not hiding members of the evil Southern Beast Palace, are you?”

It was rare to hear such blunt language in the Central Plains, clearly showing their dislike for the Southern Beast Palace.

Usually, a Central Plains person would say something like, “What a nice carriage. Could we take a look inside? We need to buy one too and don't know what to look for,” or “There's a noble inside? I'd love to meet and greet them.”

“Haha, we have our dignity. How can you be so rude...”

The leader tried to maintain our dignity, but the Pointed Crest Sect disciple was not swayed.

“I will apologize later, but please allow us to inspect the carriage.”

Though he spoke politely, his tone was clear.

He would inspect the carriage by force if necessary.

[My lady, let's put on the veil just in case.]

[Yes, Master.]

Seeing the situation outside was getting tense, I couldn't wait any longer. I whispered to my wife to put on her veil and shouted outside.

“Leader, there's no problem showing the carriage. Please allow it.”

“Master, are you sure?”

“Of course.”

As I finished speaking, the curtain at the back of the carriage was lifted, and two men poked their heads in.

-Growl

They were about to look around the carriage when they saw Dukgu growling and screamed in shock, falling back into their seats.

“There's a dog! There's a dog inside!”

“What?!”

-Swish

The sound of swords being drawn came from all around, and the leader's voice boomed.

“What are you doing?! How dare you draw your swords at the Tang Family Compound's carriage! Don't you know that once the Tang Family Compound's poison is unleashed, no one can escape?!”

The leader's threat was like saying he would release chemical weapons if provoked.

The situation was tense, but I thought there was a misunderstanding, so I shouted again.

“Everyone, calm down. There seems to be a misunderstanding. I'll explain!”

I shouted loudly to signal that I was coming out to prevent any unnecessary conflict.

My wife shook her head and grabbed my arm, but if a conflict broke out, it would be embarrassing for the Tang Family Compound.

These were borrowed warriors, and I couldn't return them with missing limbs.

I couldn't make a good person worse.

Moreover, it seemed there was a misunderstanding, so I thought explaining would help.

“It's fine. I'll go out and explain. The misunderstanding will be cleared.”

“I'll go out too.”

My wife, who had her lips tightly pressed and two fingers on her thumbs, was ready to fire.

She had eight bullets loaded, four in each hand, and there were eight Pointed Crest Sect warriors in front of us.

“Calm down, my lady!”

I hugged her in shock to stop her.

-Swish

Then, two men flew towards me using light body techniques, shouting.

“What's going on here?! Did members of the Southern Beast Palace appear?!”

More Pointed Crest Sect disciples were gathering.

It seemed like a reunion of the Pointed Crest Sect could happen here.

With a higher-ranking person arriving, I tried to clear the misunderstanding again.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. We are from the Tang Family Compound and the Zhuge Family...”

“Hey? Liu Xiong?”

“Hey? You are?”

Fortunately, one of the two men seemed to be someone I knew.