"No rush. Stand up and explain what happened."
Shopkeeper Wan's face was grave as he ordered someone to help the man to his feet.
Li Yan recognized the man—a craftsman from the village who worked odd jobs. Seeing that something was amiss, Li Yan couldn't just leave, so he stood by to observe.
Once helped up, the man's legs still trembled, his face pale. Ignoring the blood trickling from his forehead, he spoke in a quivering voice:
"Zhuzi was leading a few kids to cut grass at the village entrance. A child who ran back said a peddler came along the official road, scattering candies and coaxing the children to tell him their names."
"After eating the candies, the children fell unconscious. A passing villager woke them, but by then, Zhuzi had been taken."
"Uncle Wan, he's my only son. If he's lost, how will I face our ancestors?"
With that, he broke into anguished sobs.
The surrounding carpenters, hearing this, erupted in fury.
"Damn scoundrel, daring to kidnap someone from our village!"
"Let's go! They can't have gone far. We'll search!"
"When we find them, we'll skin them alive!"
The crowd, seething with anger, prepared to set out.
"What's all this panic?"
An older carpenter barked, "Uncle Wan hasn't even spoken yet! Even if it's a trafficker from Xianyang City, one word from Uncle Wan, and they'll obediently return the boy!"
The reminder jolted the crowd, who suddenly recalled Shopkeeper Wan's authority.
Shopkeeper Wan nodded. "Ershun, Shuangzi, take some gifts and my calling card. Go separately to the city's broker and the western beggar den. Have them find the boy."
"Speak politely and follow the rules of the martial world."
"Yes, Master!"
Two carpenters stepped forward, ready to depart.
"That won't bring the boy back."
A voice suddenly rose from the crowd.
All heads turned to see Shali Fei.
Shali Fei grinned, scratching his bald head, and clasped his hands respectfully. "Shopkeeper Wan, you're a righteous man. I can't hold back my thoughts, but if I speak out of turn, please forgive me."
Shopkeeper Wan nodded. "Speak."
Shali Fei glanced at the crowd. "Old Sha's roamed the martial world and seen plenty of crooked dealings."
"Kidnappers like these are everywhere, but they always target sharp, lively kids—young ones who fetch a good price."
"This peddler, though, asked for names first. That means he came prepared."
"What's more, anyone mixing in Xianyang's underworld would know Shangyi Village's reputation. This is likely revenge. Going to brokers or beggars won't help!"
"Brother Sha speaks sense!"
Shopkeeper Wan's brow furrowed. He stood abruptly, paced a circle, then spotted Li Yan nearby. His face lit up, and he clasped his hands. "I nearly forgot Brother Li's abilities. I'll trouble you with this matter."
Li Yan clasped his hands in return. "No trouble. I need a fast horse and something the boy carried."
"Quick, fetch a horse!"
"Shuangzi, get the item."
Soon, someone led over a chestnut horse and handed over a small wooden sword.
Without wasting words, Li Yan grabbed his blade and the wooden sword, vaulted onto the horse.
"Hyah!"
With a shake of the reins, the chestnut horse galloped out of the courtyard.
Hooves thundered, dust trailed, and soon they vanished from sight…
…
In a few breaths, Li Yan reached the village entrance. He activated his Yang Technique, sniffed the air, then turned the horse and sped down the official road.
The boy's scent was faint—perhaps he'd been stuffed into a sack.
But it couldn't fool his supernatural sense of smell.
Following the faint trace, Li Yan urged the horse into a mad gallop. Before long, Xianyang City appeared in the distance.
He gritted his teeth and pushed the horse faster.
Xianyang City was dangerous for him now, but some things had to be done.
Shopkeeper Wan had treated him with sincerity, and his blade never shied from spilling blood.
Yet, at the fork leading to Xianyang City, the scent veered in another direction.
Li Yan turned the horse, a flicker of doubt crossing his brow.
This path led to Menggu Village.
That place was notorious—not for scenic beauty, but because it had joined the Maitreya Sect's rebellion years ago, only to be razed by the imperial army.
Several such villages dotted Guanzhong.
Over a decade, time hadn't healed the scars. Tales of haunted villages and vengeful spirits lingered, keeping settlers away.
Could traffickers have taken over the place?
Curiosity stirred in Li Yan as he spurred the horse onward.
Halfway there, the scent shifted again, veering off the main road into dense weeds.
Li Yan turned the horse and charged into the undergrowth. Soon, he reached a small river.
The river wasn't deep. He rode across, but the scent vanished entirely.
Li Yan's brow creased. He activated the Yang Technique, inhaling deeply.
"Damn cunning bastard!"
Cursing, he wheeled the horse and galloped on.
The trafficker had waded through the river, then doubled back to shore in another direction, heading toward the abandoned village.
Such a trick might fool ordinary trackers, but it was useless against the mystic arts.
Sure enough, after riding a few hundred meters and cresting a yellow earthen ridge, Li Yan spotted two figures on the road ahead.
A woman drove a donkey cart piled high with straw.
A peddler carried a wooden box, its compartments filled with kites, candied hawthorns, clay figurines, and other trinkets, a dazzling array.
The peddler held a rattle drum, whispering to the woman.
At the sound of hooves, both turned, eyes wary.
Li Yan's heart stirred. He clasped his hands and called out, "Please hold, you two. I'd like to ask for directions."
As he spoke, he subtly pressed his legs, keeping the horse's speed.
"No trouble, sir. Where are you headed?"
The peddler stopped and turned, a young man with a kindly face.
Though his smile was ingratiating, his right hand slipped to his waist. With a sudden twist, he flung a half-foot iron arrow whistling toward Li Yan's forehead.
A hidden projectile!
They were less than ten meters apart.
The peddler's throw was forceful—most would have been struck.
But Li Yan, with his supernatural senses, had already smelled the iron. As the arrow flew, he leaned sideways, tumbling off the horse.
It looked like a fall, but in midair, he twisted like a cat, landing steadily, crouching low, blade drawn, and charging behind the horse.
To the peddler, Li Yan seemed to vanish. Then the chestnut horse thundered toward him.
The horse's momentum was overwhelming. The peddler dodged aside.
But as the horse passed, a flash of blade light roared toward him.
Disaster!
The peddler's heart sank, and he stumbled back.
Yet the blade light clung like a leech, closing in on his neck.
"Take this!"
As the peddler froze in terror, the woman leapt from the cart, her meteor hammer spinning. She pressed her left leg down, and the sharp cone shot toward Li Yan.
Li Yan dodged, raising his Guanshan blade to block. The meteor hammer veered, wrapping around the blade with a series of whirs.
"Come here!"
Li Yan summoned his strength and yanked backward.
The woman, still airborne, lost her balance and crashed to the ground, covered in dust, her meteor hammer slipping from her grasp.
Meanwhile, the peddler evaded the deadly blade with a desperate roll. Rising, he drew several more iron arrows, hurling them with both hands.
Dodging hidden weapons is hard when the body can't keep up with the eyes.
Skilled fighters could discern the wind's sound or move instinctively, blocking with weapons or catching and returning the projectiles.
But Li Yan, with his heightened sense of smell, could track every movement within a hundred meters. He didn't even need his eyes to dodge.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
His Guanshan blade parried left and right, deflecting every arrow. His feet never slowed, charging toward the peddler.
Seeing Li Yan pursue like a vengeful spirit, the peddler's scalp tingled. He knew he'd met a formidable foe. Drawing two daggers from his waist, he shrieked, "He's tough! Together!"
He rolled forward, legs bending, and lunged, daggers aiming for Li Yan's abdomen.
The woman, meanwhile, drew a white waxwood spear from the straw pile. Her arms shook, spear flowers blooming—nine parts feint, one part real—mainly to distract, but each solid thrust coordinated with the peddler to form a killing move.
Li Yan blocked and dodged, seemingly retreating, but his eyes grew colder, like a beast biding its time.
Finally, a flaw appeared in their coordination.
The woman's spear struck too soon.
Li Yan sidestepped, shouldered his blade upward, and leapt back.
Clang!
The blade flashed, severing the woman's spear.
At the same moment, the peddler rolled sideways, daggers crossing upward in a piercing strike.
Li Yan's retreat dodged it perfectly. His left leg tensed, dark energy surging, and his right leg shot forward in a kick.
"Take that!"
Crack!
The peddler's head snapped back, lifeless, collapsing silently.
Thud!
The woman, seeing this, paled. Before she could beg for mercy, Li Yan's palm struck, sending her tumbling, eyes rolling back as she fainted.
Li Yan approached and pushed aside the straw pile.
Inside, three children lay, faces flushed, unconscious…
*(End of Chapter)*