Chapter Eighteen: It Isn’t Safe Outside the City!

Soon, Tang Bin, the bachelor, arrived beside Zhuang Lin and Fu Zeyang. Seeing the scene before him, he froze for a moment before looking around.

"You took care of him, but what about the woman from earlier?"

Fu Zeyang tightened his grip on the blood-stained firewood chopper. He shifted his gaze from the corpse on the ground to the surroundings as he replied to Tang Bin’s question.

"We didn't take care of him. When Master Zi'an and I arrived, it was already like this. As for that woman... she's gone!"

"Gone?"

Tang Bin looked confused, struggling to process the information. However, seeing the grim expressions of his two companions, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Zhuang Lin had regained his composure. Enduring his internal repulsion and discomfort, he bent down to examine the corpse at close range, observing the wound on its neck as carefully as possible in the twilight.

Zhuang Lin’s throat tightened. It looked as if a large chunk of flesh had been torn away, and despite the massive amount of blood loss, the ground was strangely...

"Rustle, rustle..."

The sound in the grass made Zhuang Lin stand up immediately. It was not a threat, however; the Li brothers had just rushed over.

Zhuang Lin didn't have time for a full explanation. He patted the elder Li brother on the shoulder.

"Quick, notify Old Master Mu! Tell him to come immediately!"

"Understood!"

The eldest Li brother immediately placed two fingers to his lips and whistled toward the hillside they had just come from.

As the whistle echoed, Zhuang Lin urged the group to move out.

By the time the five of them reached the three corpses on the road outside, Old Master Mu had already arrived, carrying several bundles. Seeing that everyone was standing there, safe and sound, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Is anyone injured?"

Old Master Mu asked with concern, and seeing that he was safe, Zhuang Lin, Fu Zeyang, and Tang Bin also felt a weight lift from their chests.

"No injuries. This is no place to linger. Let's move! Pick up the blades on the ground and take them with us!"

As he spoke, Zhuang Lin hooked a sturdy wooden staff from the ground with his foot, flicked it up, and caught it. Tang Bin and Fu Zeyang each picked up a blade.

For some reason, Zhuang Lin felt the surroundings growing chilly, stirring a bad premonition.

It was oppressive! The chirping of insects and frogs had ceased; the silence was abnormal!

"Er, Master Zhuang, what about that woman?"
"Right, we didn't see her when we arrived either!"
"Did she run off on her own?"
"No time to talk, let's go!"
"Do as Master Zi'an says, move!"

Zhuang Lin and Fu Zeyang spoke in quick succession. Neither wanted to elaborate, but their faces were grim. The others felt a chill, stopped asking questions, and followed closely behind.

As they passed the bodies outside, Zhuang Lin was about to say something, but seeing the Li brothers already pulling the arrows out of the corpses, he held his tongue.

A few steps later, everyone felt a growing sense of unease, which only made them walk faster.

In the dim, distant grass, a pair of pale yellow eyes watched the group of six move away.

To these eyes, the two men carrying bows were the most daunting.

It had spotted the others quite early, but the two with bows had kept their presence so faint that they seemed to merge with their surroundings.

Furthermore, they radiated a faint, murderous aura and an intimidating presence that made the creature’s heart flutter—they were clearly seasoned, highly skilled mountain trackers.

One such man was already difficult to deal with; two together would make even a wild beast retreat.

The most attractive target was, naturally, the refined and handsome man, whose aura seemed to carry a faint glow, smelling irresistibly sweet...

How many people would one like him be worth?

As for the others, they were relatively ordinary.

In the gloom, the owner of those eyes licked its lips, staring at the six as they left—or rather, focusing primarily on Zhuang Lin. Usually cunning and cautious, it struggled between its frenzied greed and timid rationality, hesitating deep inside.

But until they vanished from sight, it ultimately made no move.

A while later, the woman who had disappeared earlier reappeared. She sniffed the direction in which Zhuang Lin and the others had left before approaching the three corpses on the road.

To be precise, only one of these three was a corpse; the two whose throats had been pierced by arrows were not yet dead—they were merely in shock.

The woman’s expression was stiff as she bent down.

As she leaned over, the twilight caught her face, causing it to blur momentarily. When she lowered her head to the neck of the person on the ground, she was revealed to be nothing more than a large macaque draped in women's clothing...

-----------------

Zhuang Lin and the others didn't stop for a moment. The most tense among them were Zhuang Lin and Fu Zeyang.

The rapid pace and oppressive atmosphere persisted for quite some time. It wasn't until the chirping of insects and frogs resumed in the distance that the feeling in Zhuang Lin’s heart finally began to fade.

Only then did Zhuang Lin’s pace become noticeably lighter, and he let out a long breath of relief.

Fu Zeyang kept looking around, especially behind them, but seeing Master Zhuang’s apparent relief, his own internal tension began to ease.

"The city is just ahead!"

Someone shouted, causing Zhuang Lin’s relaxed mood to tighten once more. As they rounded a small hill, the ancient city became clearly visible.

Because the sun had dipped behind the mountains, the city was shrouded in shadow, making it look even dimmer, as if it were about to enter the night ahead of schedule.

Still, it wasn't hard to make out the city’s name. It was indeed Wuling!

"People are still coming and going; the gates haven't closed yet!"
"What should we do? Shall we try to enter?"
"Master Zi'an, what do you say?"

Fu Zeyang asked, and the others looked toward Zhuang Lin as they observed the gate.

Just then, they noticed a change at the city gate.

"Bad news. Find somewhere to hide!"

In truth, they didn't need Zhuang Lin to tell them; they already realized something was wrong and scattered to the side.

Because they had developed a rapport, their movements were swift and quiet, disappearing into the dense vegetation.

It was an instinctive reaction. In no time at all, they were all crouching or lying low.

Before long, a squad of bailiffs, armed with clubs and weapons, ran past toward the road where Zhuang Lin and the others had just come from.

"Hurry, hurry!"
"They are right ahead..."
"Follow along, don't fall behind—"

The sound of footsteps and harsh commands echoed.

Had they not hidden, they would have certainly run straight into them. Among the bailiffs was a young man with a look of extreme distress on his face.

Zhuang Lin and the others lay huddled in the nearby brush, not daring to breathe.

They all understood that the officers were headed to the place they had just left, which complicated things significantly.

Not until the bailiffs were far away did they emerge, but they didn't come out immediately. After a brief consultation, they moved to a spot where they could observe the city gate.

The area around the gate seemed to have returned to calm; the earlier disturbance didn't stop people from entering or exiting.

Zhuang Lin looked at his companions and asked, "Do you want to stay outside the city tonight?"

All five, including Old Master Mu, replied almost in unison.

"No!"

That settled it. Even though they knew it was risky, nobody wanted to spend the night outside the city walls.

"What if we pretend to be ordinary folk and just walk in?"
"Right, just like we did in the valley. Act natural..."
"Exactly. Master, what do you think?"

Zhuang Lin glanced at them, his eyes thoughtful. He looked at the gate. Act?

If one looked at those entering and exiting the city, who appeared the most relaxed and carefree?

That was it!

Zhuang Lin whispered a few words to the others. They were not slow-witted and understood immediately.

They found an inconspicuous spot to emerge, brushed off the grass and debris, wiped away the sweat, and straightened their clothes to look less disheveled.

Zhuang Lin handed his staff to Tang Bin, and they discarded the blades they had taken from the bandits into the bushes.

They then walked toward the city gate at a brisk pace, intentionally veering to one side.

The wall wasn't particularly high, but the psychological pressure still made them slightly nervous.

The other five slowed their pace, while Zhuang Lin, fully in character, continued at a brisk walk, catching up to two pedestrians ahead.

The closer he got, the more certain he was.

The leader of the two was dressed as a Confucian scholar. His clothes looked simple and elegant, and he wore not only jade at his waist but also a white jade belt hook. The person beside him was clearly an attendant.

As soon as he approached them, Zhuang Lin called out to get their attention.

"Sir, excuse me, kind sir, please wait a moment~~"

The men stopped, looking back with puzzled expressions. They saw a man behind them bending down, as if picking something up from the ground.

When the man straightened up, he revealed himself to be a scholar with a clear, refined face. He seemed to have just picked up a gold ring.

Seeing their attention caught, Zhuang Lin stepped forward and held out the ring.

"Just now, as you two passed, I saw a flash of light on the ground. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was this object. I assume it was lost by you, so I called out to return it to its owner!"

Zhuang Lin’s expression was sincere; he had already prepared for how to respond regardless of whether they took it or not.

The scholar in front did not have particularly sharp features, but he had a fair complexion and stood out in the crowd. He looked at Zhuang Lin with surprise.

His accent was unfamiliar, but his words were smooth and clearly enunciated, and he carried himself with dignity.

The man saw Zhuang Lin before he saw the object in his hand. Noticing it looked like gold jewelry, he quickly waved his hand, refusing to take it.

"This object does not belong to us..."

Zhuang Lin looked enlightened, then smiled and bowed to the man.

"I have long heard that Wuling is a land of outstanding people. Having just arrived, to meet a man of such high character is truly admirable!"

Zhuang Lin’s bow caught the man off guard, and he quickly returned the gesture.

"You are too kind, you are too kind! It is not mine, so I cannot claim it. You, too, have shown great integrity in returning lost property. I am impressed!"

Though he said this, he was secretly pleased to be called a man of "high character."

Zhuang Lin seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation, praising the man’s honesty and exchanging a few pleasantries.

A scholar who knows how to flatter is far more effective than an ordinary person, especially one like Zhuang Lin, who had been influenced by the information age.

Facing a man who clearly possessed an extraordinary demeanor and hearing himself praised repeatedly, the local scholar was overjoyed.

Zhuang Lin learned some information during their brief exchange and soon felt the moment was right. He smiled and bowed again.

"I am Zhuang Lin, fond of traveling and studying. I am new here and unfamiliar with the area. Meeting a man of such noble character today is a true delight. Would I have the honor of inviting you for a drink?"

Tao Yuanming loved drinking in the Hidden Immortal Valley; Zhuang Lin figured scholars of this era wouldn't mind it either.

Upon hearing the words "man of noble character," the scholar’s spirit soared, and his smile became impossible to hide.

"How could I refuse an invitation from a gentleman? I am Yu Jingxuan. As a local of Wuling, I should play the host. Please, follow me to the Zuifeng Tower in the city for a chat!"

Zhuang Lin smiled.

"In that case, Zhuang shall accept your kindness! By the way, I am traveling alone, but I have a few companions with me for protection. I didn't want to startle you earlier, so I didn't bring them forward. Might they join us?"

"That goes without saying!"

The two spoke intimately, and the gold ring that had served as an icebreaker was never mentioned again.

...

To Old Master Mu and the others, they only saw Master Zhuang walk over, bend down to pick something up, and then exchange bows.

Soon, they were chatting away like old friends, leaving the five of them stunned.

"Master Zhuang is truly capable..."
"Of course, that’s why the Chief Director personally invited him!"
"Oh, he's calling us!"

Seeing Zhuang Lin waving at them, they perked up and walked over, trying their best to look relaxed.

When Yu Jingxuan saw the five men approaching, he was slightly startled and instinctively glanced at his own book boy.

He had expected Zhuang Lin’s entourage to be like his own, but he hadn't expected this group.

Two of them were wearing furs and carrying bows, one was a large man carrying a blade, another held a staff, and the old man also looked quite dignified.

What Zhuang Lin had said earlier wasn't a lie—he was traveling with guards, and such an entourage was clearly not something an ordinary family could afford!

As they reached them, Zhuang Lin leaned in and whispered, "Rest easy, we can enter the city. Just follow me. Also, remember not to use the term 'travel permit'; they call it a 'Guosuo' here!"

They nodded slightly, and Zhuang Lin walked back to Yu Jingxuan with a smile.

"Brother Yu, please!"
"Oh, ah, Brother Zhuang, please!"

The group of eight, led by the two scholars, walked toward the city gate.

The six who had come from the Hidden Immortal Valley instinctively watched the guards at the gate. The guards were yawning constantly. They looked up at the gate, and the three large characters "Wuling County" passed over their heads as they walked through.

Without incident, they had finally entered the city!

Under Yu Jingxuan’s warm invitation, the group headed straight for the famous restaurant in the city.

Along the way, the six of them felt like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. Though they tried their best to restrain themselves, they couldn't help but look around in wonder at everything—this was a real ancient city from the Jin Dynasty!

It was only a pity that it was already dusk, and the streets were no longer bustling...