Chapter 53

Guide

The Great Wall was constructed to block the splendid empires of the Dongyi (Eastern Yi) tribes, such as Buyeo and Goguryeo. Since the enemy was a nomadic people with excellent mobility, it was difficult to defend against them, but once the wall was built, all these problems were solved at once, which led to a gradual expansion westward. Thus, the Great Wall, which stretches from the northeastern coast of Hebei Province to the northern end of Shanxi Province, through the northern part of Shaanxi Province, and to the western end of the long Gansu Province, was constructed, almost reaching ten thousand li in length.

The Xirong (Western Rong) tribes and other southern barbarian tribes based in Tibet were not nomadic, so they did not feel the need to expand the Great Wall, which had already consumed a huge amount of national resources. Therefore, the Great Wall ends in the upper part of Qinghai Province after passing through Gansu Province. Instead, Qinghai Province, Sichuan Province, and Yunnan Province had defensive lines that were much weaker than the Great Wall, but these were sufficient to repel the invaders.

Following the well-developed imperial road leading to Lanzhou, the capital and the highest military city of Gansu Province, one would come across Wushan, known as the gateway to Lanzhou. Unlike Wushan in Sichuan Province, this Wushan is not a mountain but a huge commercial city that serves as a supply route for military provisions to the western part of the Great Wall and a thriving center of commerce. The fact that the Black Wind Sect is moving in the direction of Wushan suggests that they either plan to hide in the mountains of Qinghai Province or move further to Tibet, bypassing the Great Wall, which was built to check the northern nomadic tribes.

Tibet, with its many mountains and rugged terrain, would be a suitable place for them to build a small fortress and settle. While settling in the plains like Mongolia might be advantageous for grazing, the Black Wind Sect, having committed such deeds, would not be left alone by the Mongols to live in peace. This was all that Muxiang thought while riding along the imperial road.

It was past noon, and a small village appeared, so Muxiang entered a guesthouse without hesitation. Despite being a small village, there were quite a few restaurants and inns, so Muxiang entered one of the larger ones. Now that Muxiang was no longer a novice in the martial world, he could sense the atmosphere of the place as soon as he entered. Although he could not see clearly due to the deep bamboo hat, he could automatically feel the atmosphere through his skin.

The restaurant, though not small, was quite crowded, and Muxiang took a seat and ordered a simple meal to fill his stomach. At that moment, he heard a voice from the seat in front of him. It was probably the seat of the highest expert in the restaurant since Muxiang had chosen a seat where he could see them directly. Suddenly, a voice caught his attention, a girl's voice that touched a nerve.

"Why are you going to where the Black Wind Sect is?"

Then a dignified voice, feigning authority, replied.

"Because they are not guilty. I'm not foolishly going to fight for them as you think. I just want to give them some advice."

Then another woman's voice was heard. This woman's voice was calmer than the first.

"Is that so? From their current path, it seems they are heading to Tibet?"

"You're right. Tibet has rugged mountains, making it a good place to hide. If they were planning to flee to the southern barbarians, they would have gone to Sichuan or Yunnan Province, wouldn't they?"

"Exactly. That's the problem."

"What is?"

"If they were just hiding in the rugged mountains of Qinghai or Sichuan Province, it would be one thing, but if they flee to Tibet, it becomes even more dangerous."

Then a somewhat puzzled voice was heard.

"Why? Isn't it safer to flee abroad?"

"That's not the case. You only know one thing but not the other. If they hide within the country, it becomes a problem for the Song to solve."

"Yes."

"Is there a powerful military force capable of defeating them now?"

"What do you mean? The military forces of the five Grand Marshal's offices are the strongest."

Then a proud-sounding man boasted.

"Tsk tsk... Normally, yes, but not now. Most of the military forces of the Yulin Army are deployed in the war against the Liao. So, there's almost no military force left. The only places with sufficient forces are the Northern and Western Grand Marshal's offices. The Western Grand Marshal's office has bad relations with the southern barbarians and cannot withdraw troops for the war against the Liao. So, it's only the Northern Grand Marshal's office. If the 200,000 elite troops are removed, who will deal with the war against the Liao if it becomes difficult? If we mobilize the local defense forces, they are not strong enough to stop the Black Wind Sect. And the generals in each camp, with most of their troops deployed in the war against the Liao, would not want to lose their few remaining subordinates. They would just pretend not to notice. But if they flee to Tibet, the situation changes completely. We just need to put pressure on Tibet. If they don't hand over the Black Wind Sect, we threaten war. Then Tibet will gather experts to eliminate them, creating a worse situation than if they had stayed in the country."

After showing off a bit, the response from the sisters was playful ridicule.

"Wow! Are you overdoing it today, brother?"

"Wow! You've thought this much... I see you differently now."

"These brats!"

They seemed to be siblings, speaking in low voices, but their conversation could not escape Muxiang's ears, who found it interesting. Muxiang felt that meeting them was a stroke of luck. The brother seemed to be more informed and thoughtful than Muxiang.

'Great! I just need to follow this guy.'

Their conversation continued regardless of Muxiang's thoughts. The calmer woman's voice continued.

"By the way, if Father finds out we took a detour, he won't let you off, what will you do?"

"Don't worry. At most, he'll make you do a few days of wall meditation."

"The problem is us. By the way, brother, what if we do this?"

"Do you have a good idea?"

"Since we're getting punished anyway, you should take all the blame."

"What? This brat..."

Then a deliberately playful voice was heard.

"Come on, brother, you should suffer for us. Isn't that right, sister? What's so good about being a brother? I can't live just looking at walls. So, brother, okay?"

"I can't stand it. Fine, I'll take responsibility. It's all my fault. Ugh... I shouldn't have brought these along..."

"By the way, when are we going to Huanghua Tower?"

"You're acting like you're not a novice..."

"Let's go after we finish our business."

Then a pouting tone...

"Come on, brother, I want to go quickly. The scenery at Huanghua Tower is so famous... I heard no martial artist has not been there."

"Your tone makes it sound like you're not a martial artist if you don't go."

"Isn't that true? You and sister have already been there..."

Then a gently scolding voice...

"No, it's a beautiful place, but it's very expensive, so it's more visited by high officials and rich people's children. The scenery here is also famous in this area. That's why there are many inns and restaurants nearby. The best scenery of the Yellow River is in Qinghai Province, but Gansu Province also has many famous spots. This is one of them..."

"But I want to see Qinghai Lake this time."

"Well, I'll show it to you later... Stop talking and eat. We need to leave quickly."

"Hmph!"

The siblings finished their meal, paid, and left the restaurant on horseback. But after some time, they realized a black figure was following them. The woman in light red robes, glancing back, said to the man beside her.

"Brother... someone is following us."

"I know."

"You knew?"

"Yes... I didn't notice at first, but after thinking about it, I realized they started following us after we left the restaurant."

Then the woman in light blue robes, with a plum blossom pattern, glanced back and said.

"Brother, you mean the man in black?"

"Yes."

The woman in red robes thought for a moment and said.

"He doesn't seem like a great expert from the sword on his waist and his old black robes... Could he be a government spy who overheard our conversation?"

"Hmm, that's possible... If he's a trained spy, it will be hard to shake him off. We should eliminate him when the opportunity arises."

Then the woman in blue robes, showing interest, asked.

"When?"

"When I said, when the opportunity arises."

"Killing... I can handle it alone."

Then the man, being cautious, said.

"No, there might be another spy... and we can't kill in broad daylight. We need to lure him into a secluded forest and eliminate him there."

They carefully glanced back at the following spy and quietly planned their strategy before finally taking action. Seeing a deserted path to the left, they calmly led their horses down it. After about 200 meters, the man handed the reins to the girl in blue robes and leaped onto a branch, using it to jump to a large tree about 12 meters away. His movements showed he had undergone extensive training.

The man, now on the tree, watched as the girl in blue robes moved forward and said to the girl in red robes.

"Brother's movement is really perfect. When will I reach that level?"

But the response was a mocking voice...

"Get real, kid."

"You... I will, someday. How can you judge people like that..."

"Hehe, when rabbits grow horns?"

"Hmph! I hate you so much..."

"Shall we wait here?"

"Yes."

The two women dismounted and tied their horses to branches to prevent them from escaping. They then drew their swords from their scabbards and hid in the bushes, waiting for the spy who was following them at a distance.

The girl in blue robes glanced at her sword and said softly and weakly.

"This is the first time I'll kill someone..."

Her hands were trembling, either from excitement or fear of the unknown act of killing. The girl in red robes, noticing this, teased her in a playful tone.

"Brother will do the hard work, so it won't be your turn. Don't worry. Don't get too excited and accidentally hurt Brother."

"You... This is your first time too, isn't it?"

While the two women were tired of waiting and started to bicker, their brother was having a bizarre experience. The spy in black had always followed them at a distance of about 90 meters since leaving the restaurant. They had planned for the man to stay in the tree, blocking the spy's escape route, and for the two girls to ambush. But the spy, somehow knowing, stopped 90 meters away and stood still.

'What a formidable guy. He doesn't seem like a great expert, but he must be very skilled in pursuit. I made a mistake... What should I do?'

After hesitating for a while, the man finally decided and leaped to a branch about 9 meters below, using it to jump about 30 meters to another branch, and then to the ground behind the spy. His movements were truly remarkable.

The man slowly turned to face the spy and drew his sword.

Clang.

The man, drawing his sword with a clear metallic sound, immediately aimed it at the spy's neck. He didn't attack immediately because of a shallow sense of righteousness, not wanting to kill someone who wasn't resisting.

"Draw your sword!"

"Why?"

"Don't you know why?"

But the spy still looked puzzled, so he asked again.

"Why are you following us?"

"To where the Black Wind Sect is, right?"

"Exactly. We can go, but we can't bring a tail."

"Is there a problem with me following?"

"They are on the run. Bringing a spy with them..."

"I'm not a spy."

"Then why are you following?"

"I have a connection with the Black Wind Sect and am going to help them. I don't know their exact location, so