Chapter Seventeen: The Ancient Era Feels Off

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While Tao Yuanming and the other two were dining at the tavern earlier, two bamboo rafts finally found a suitable mudflat to dock on a tributary of the river a bit farther outside Wuling City.

Though it was quite a distance from the port, caution was understandable for safety’s sake, as long as they remembered the exact direction.

Zhuang Lin and the others dragged the two rafts out of the water and secured them, then looked around.

At first glance, there wasn’t an obvious path, but upon closer inspection, a narrow trail was visible.

Zhuang Lin exhaled deeply and looked at the others, who were all uneasy—even Master Mu carried a hint of anxiety.

“Master Zhuang, just now inside that port was Wuling City, right?”

Zhuang Lin shook his head.

“I’m not sure, but we definitely have to check in that direction!”

“If we go into the city, won’t we need a travel permit?”

“Then we’ll find a way! Or ask the locals if there’s any way. It can’t be that no one lives outside the city, right? Besides, the Jin Dynasty surely isn’t a model of honest governance. As the saying goes, money can make the devil work. We’ve gathered some gold and silver valuables on us; obtaining a travel permit shouldn’t be impossible!”

Zhuang Lin’s words bolstered everyone’s confidence. He looked at them and said, “Let’s go. It should be that way!”

He grabbed the bundle on his shoulder with one hand and pointed northward with the other. Although they had veered off the waterway earlier, they had always kept track of their bearings and had a good estimate of their direction.

Seeing Master Mu’s spirits flagging, Zhuang Lin offered some comfort.

“Young Master Liu must be out of sorts lately. It’s not just his fault that we didn’t notice something was wrong. In this situation, if he doesn’t leave with Mr. Yuan Liang, he might sneak out on his own, which would be even more troublesome. At least now we have some clues. The top priority is to find him first!”

The others joined in the encouragement.

“Yes, Master Zhuang is right. Master Mu, don’t overthink it!”

“Exactly, none of us wanted this!”

“Come on, cheer up. The sun’s about to set!”

“Mm.”

Master Mu felt somewhat relieved. The group gathered their strength, glanced once more at where they had secured the rafts, and then proceeded along the trail.

Zhuang Lin and a hunter led the way, with the others following in succession. The burly Fu Zeyang brought up the rear. Along the way, they checked their belongings.

Without Jin Dynasty currency, they carried gold and silver jewelry gathered from the valley folk, along with arrows, a machete, some tools that might be useful, clothes, provisions, and medicines.

Yet after traveling some time, they were reminded anew how sparse the population truly was in ancient times.

By logic, although they had traveled a fair distance from the port, it wasn’t terribly far, and in their own era, areas near cities were densely populated.

Wuling, after all, was a historically well-known place—probably a large city, right?

But as they advanced, no one was in sight—no villagers or settlements anywhere.

If not for the wheel ruts on the path and signs of tree cutting nearby, they might have thought themselves lost deep in the wilderness.

Though not exactly remote mountains, the area was far from open and flat. The trail meandered among small hills or rather mounds, thick with weeds that blocked sight lines.

No wonder there were no travelers here; such places were perfect hiding spots for snakes, insects, rodents, and also favored by robbers.

Zhuang Lin and his companions were physically fit; even Master Mu, who often ventured into the mountains to gather herbs and was versed in health preservation, kept up a brisk pace.

But the sun seemed to set faster than expected. The sky was painted with crimson clouds, the insects and birds on the hills grew louder, and frogs awakened from hibernation chorused in waves, overpowering other sounds.

In such an environment, their steps naturally quickened.

“Help! Help—”

A sudden cry shattered the relative calm.

Though not very loud, it was distinct in the stillness; perhaps startled, even the frogs ceased their croaking.

Zhuang Lin and the five others halted abruptly, exchanging glances.

“Someone’s in trouble?” “Do we help?”

“Let’s go see first!”

“Move quietly!”

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The six quickened their pace, no longer sticking to the trail but climbing over the mounds directly.

Especially the hunter brothers Li and the robust Fu Zeyang, who moved with remarkable agility, reaching the top of each mound within seven or eight strides. Zhuang Lin followed, with the others not far behind.

They moved swiftly but carefully, keeping their footsteps light and quiet.

Still, after crossing several mounds, there was no sign of anyone, as if the cry had been a false alarm. Yet faint noises occasionally drifted through the quiet, making it possible to discern their direction.

Finally, atop a large mound, the group crouched low, hiding behind bushes and weeds, scanning the surroundings for the source of the sound.

“Can anyone tell where it’s coming from? Why did it suddenly stop?”

“Shh... there’s laughter—over there...”

The eldest Li brother’s sharp eyes pointed to an inconspicuous path in the distance. Following his gesture, the group spotted several people on that trail.

“One, two, three, four...”

Five in total—four men together, and another figure, a woman, bound and gagged, with a knife pressed to her neck.

The four men were chuckling softly, with a leering expression any man would recognize.

Though too far to see their faces clearly, Zhuang Lin and the others imagined their fierce, lecherous looks vividly.

Yet Zhuang Lin was puzzled; the cry for help earlier sounded distinctly male.

Now faint struggles and crude teasing voices reached them again.

“Little lady, just come with us, and we’ll make you comfortable...”

“Heh heh, the sun’s already set, still sneaking off with your little lover? Honestly, we’re way better than him!”

“Yeah, that guy peed his pants when he saw us—gave us money and kowtowed, then took off without looking back! Didn’t give a damn about you!”

“Ha ha ha ha...”

“Hey, behave and you’ll be comfortable; don’t, and it’s your life. Not gonna lie, we’ve taken lives before!”

“If you don’t speak, that means you agree!”

“Ah ha ha ha, I’ll go first...”

Amid their taunts and laughter, the woman trembled in terror but dared not struggle too much.

Fortunately, after a few days with Tao Yuanming, they had adapted somewhat; otherwise, the speed and accent of the men’s speech might have been hard to understand.

Now, understanding nearly eighty percent of the words and fully grasping the gestures, they knew these were no good men!

“Master Zhuang, do we intervene?”

The group on the mound hesitated, then all looked to Zhuang Lin, clearly relying on him to decide.

He furrowed his brows deeply, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. Yet surprisingly, he felt little fear. Seeing the others’ silent leanings, he knew their hearts were inclined one way.

It was only natural for decent people to want to punish evil and uphold justice. Rationally, their situation didn’t allow for interference.

But on the other hand, helping meant saving a life and possibly gaining an ally to aid their escape.

In a flash, Zhuang Lin made up his mind!

“There are four of them; two have knives, two have clubs. We only have machetes, medicines, and hoes. A direct fight would be unwise, but we have bows! Li brothers, I know you’re skilled. Do you dare shoot?”

He paused, looking at the hunter brothers as he spoke.

The Li brothers were adept archers, able to hit fleeing prey in the mountains; shooting men shouldn’t be a problem—it was a question of courage.

They exchanged a glance, fingers tightening on their bows and arrows.

“What’s there to fear? They’re beasts. I’ll shoot the one holding the woman; you shoot the one with the knife!”

“Got it!”

“Good!”

Zhuang Lin turned to the burly man.

“Brother Fu, you train in the valley and are strong. Can you handle one of them?”

Fu Zeyang bit his lip and nodded immediately; this was a life-or-death fight, no room for retreat!

Zhuang Lin glanced at Master Mu and Tang Bin.

“Brother Tang and I will take on one each with our machetes. We’ll attack together. The Li brothers can shoot when the moment’s right or come to help directly. We need to finish this quickly. Master Mu, you stay hidden—if we get hurt, we’ll need your treatment!”

“Don’t be afraid. These rural bandits only look fierce. They rely on their scary faces and numbers. They’re not very tall or strong, just like the city ruffians we know—loud and troublesome but lacking real skill!

True martial arts capable of leaping rooftops or splitting stone don’t exist here. Even if they did, they’d be rare talents from history’s great generals. We have numbers and the element of surprise. We’ll be fine. Stay safe and avoid injury!”

“Mm.” “Alright...”

Zhuang Lin’s rapid speech encouraged everyone, himself included. Thanks to recent training, his mind was unusually calm.

At that moment, the man holding the woman dragged her into nearby grass, apparently preparing to take turns.

Zhuang Lin’s eyes brightened; he whispered orders.

“Now’s the time. Drop your extra gear and sneak over. Li brothers, watch our positions and act accordingly. Once we’re in place, strike immediately!”

No more words were needed. As soon as Zhuang Lin finished, everyone set down their packs.

Fu Zeyang, wielding his machete, darted forward with astonishing speed, astonishing the others like a silent black panther moving through the shadows of dusk.

Damn! Fu Zeyang really is something!

Zhuang Lin snapped out of his surprise and immediately followed, with Tang Bin close behind.

Fu Zeyang clearly unleashed his best skills—while Zhuang Lin and Tang Bin were still halfway there, he had silently reached within striking distance of the three lecherous men.

Back on the mound, the Li brothers had already drawn their bows. At about thirty meters—the distance of a standard target—they were sure shots.

But their focus was on the bandits. With dusk affecting their vision, they only caught a glimpse of Fu Zeyang’s arrival and assumed the whole group had gathered.

At that moment, the brothers acted in perfect sync, locked onto their targets, and released their arrows.

“Thwack!”

The faint twang of bowstrings sounded as two sharp arrows sliced through the space.

“Pfft!” “Sssk!”

“Ahh...” “Ugh...”

Blood splattered as the two arrows pierced the throats of two bandits—one on the left, one on the right. They barely made a sound before choking and collapsing under the arrows’ momentum.

“What’s going on?”

The remaining bandit looked on in shock, panicked and confused. At that moment, Fu Zeyang leapt from the grass, machete raised, and let out a low shout.

“Die...”

“Ah—”

The man screamed, barely raising his club to block before the machete struck with a crack, breaking the weapon and smashing into his face.

“Thunk!”

A muffled sound as the third bandit fell, twitching violently on the ground.

When Zhuang Lin and Tang Bin arrived, they found three bandits down.

“There’s one more!”

Momentarily startled, Zhuang Lin quickly recovered and dashed toward the grass, Fu Zeyang trembling with excitement racing alongside.

But when they reached into the thicket and saw the scene, both froze on the spot.

The fourth man was no longer their problem—he lay half-dressed on the ground, terrified, with a gaping, fist-sized wound in his neck, fresh blood oozing out. He was clearly beyond saving.

The woman, however, was gone.

“Master Zhuang, do you smell that faint stench? Like something from a zoo...”

“Yes...”

At that moment, Zhuang Lin and Fu Zeyang both felt an inexplicable chill shoot from their feet to their skulls!

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