Chapter 22: The Road That Time Forgot
The first person to suggest that Ye Wuchen might be dangerous was a noodle shop owner.
Not a sect elder.
Not a powerful cultivator.
Not even Shen Tieshan, who had personally witnessed Ye defeat a Golden Core swordsman with two fingers.
It was an elderly woman named Auntie Lan.
And her reasoning was surprisingly simple.
"That young man doesn't look like someone who pays attention to prices."
Shen Tieshan paused halfway through his noodles.
"What?"
Auntie Lan pointed toward the street.
"That one. The black-robed fellow."
Shen Tieshan turned.
Ye Wuchen was walking past the shop, carrying a book.
"Why would that make him dangerous?"
Auntie Lan folded her arms.
"People who don't care about prices are either very rich or very troublesome."
Shen Tieshan considered that.
"What about people who are both?"
"Then you'd better make sure they like your noodles."
The grand elder laughed.
"Fair enough."
He placed a few spirit stones on the table and stood.
Auntie Lan looked at the payment.
"That's too much."
"Keep it."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're one of those troublesome people too, aren't you?"
Shen Tieshan laughed again.
Then hurried after Ye Wuchen.
"Fellow Daoist Ye!"
Ye Wuchen stopped.
Shen Tieshan approached with a broad smile.
"Going somewhere?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"The western mountains."
Shen Tieshan raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting. I'm heading that way myself."
Ye Wuchen looked at him.
"Are you?"
"Apparently."
"Convenient."
Shen Tieshan chuckled.
He wasn't particularly subtle about wanting to speak with Ye.
But he didn't see much point in pretending otherwise.
"I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"That sword technique yesterday. How did you know where to strike?"
Ye Wuchen considered the question.
"The force wasn't balanced."
Shen Tieshan frowned.
"I noticed that afterward."
"Then you already have your answer."
"Not quite."
He folded his arms.
"An imbalance doesn't automatically mean a weakness. Every sword technique has points where force gathers and disperses."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"True."
"So how did you know that particular point would break the technique?"
"Because the swordsman couldn't change his movement once he committed to the strike."
Shen Tieshan went quiet.
He thought about He Cang's sword art.
The sequence.
The rhythm.
The way the technique gathered spiritual energy before its final release.
Then his expression changed.
"His final transformation locked the previous movements together."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"Exactly."
Shen Tieshan stared at him.
Then laughed.
"Well, I'll be damned."
Several pedestrians turned to look.
The grand elder ignored them.
He'd spent hours trying to understand what he'd witnessed.
And Ye had explained it in two sentences.
Annoying.
Extremely annoying.
But also rather satisfying.
"Fellow Daoist Ye."
"Hm?"
"Would you mind if I accompanied you?"
Ye Wuchen looked toward the western road.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you plan to ask questions the entire way."
Shen Tieshan grinned.
"No promises."
At Moonfall Pavilion, Lin Qingyue was packing her formation tools when Ye Wuchen returned.
She looked up.
"You're back early."
"We're leaving."
She blinked.
"We?"
A large figure appeared behind him.
"Good morning."
Lin Qingyue froze.
"Grand Elder Shen?"
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"Young Lady Lin."
She looked at Ye.
Then at Shen.
Then back at Ye.
"...Why are you together?"
Ye Wuchen answered calmly.
"He followed me."
Shen Tieshan laughed.
"That's one way to put it."
Lin Qingyue stared.
Yesterday, the grand elder had criticized her formation.
Today, he was standing in her room like an old family friend.
The cultivation world was becoming increasingly difficult to understand.
"Where are we going?"
Ye Wuchen placed an old map on the table.
"The western mountains."
Lin Qingyue leaned closer.
"What's there?"
"An abandoned road."
She waited.
Ye Wuchen said nothing else.
"That's it?"
"Possibly."
Shen Tieshan examined the map.
His expression changed slightly.
"Where did you get this?"
"A bookstore."
"Interesting."
Lin Qingyue looked between them.
"Can someone please explain why an abandoned road is interesting?"
Shen Tieshan pointed toward the map.
"Because this route passes near the old western transport corridor."
Lin Qingyue blinked.
"The one connected to the missing shipments?"
"Possibly."
Ye Wuchen looked at him.
"You know about that?"
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"My sect lost a shipment."
Lin Qingyue's eyes widened.
"Wait, you're investigating that too?"
"Yes."
She looked toward Ye Wuchen.
"And you found the road by reading history books?"
"Yes."
Lin Qingyue slowly sat down.
"Of course you did."
They left the city shortly before noon.
The western mountains rose beyond Lanyue's outer districts, their lower slopes covered in forests and terraced farmland.
A well-maintained stone road connected the city to several smaller towns.
But the route marked on Ye's map lay farther north.
It had been abandoned for centuries.
Lin Qingyue walked beside Ye, carrying a small bag of formation tools.
Shen Tieshan followed at a relaxed pace.
For a while, they traveled in silence.
Then Lin Qingyue asked, "Senior Shen, why did your sect purchase so much Cloudsteel?"
Shen Tieshan glanced at her.
"Weapon refinement."
"That much I guessed."
He chuckled.
"We're rebuilding several training halls. The younger disciples have been destroying practice weapons faster than our craftsmen can replace them."
Lin Qingyue looked surprised.
"That many?"
"Last month, one of them shattered twelve swords in a single afternoon."
"Twelve?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"By trying to imitate a technique he wasn't ready to learn."
She winced.
Shen Tieshan shook his head.
"Young cultivators are always in a hurry."
Lin Qingyue glanced toward Ye Wuchen.
"Some people aren't."
Ye Wuchen looked at her.
"Is that a complaint?"
"Just an observation."
Shen Tieshan laughed.
"Patience is good. But too much patience can become hesitation."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"True."
The grand elder looked pleased.
"Finally, something we agree on."
Ye Wuchen glanced at him.
"We've agreed on several things."
"Have we?"
"Yes."
"Such as?"
"Your noodles were good."
Shen Tieshan burst out laughing.
An hour later, they reached the abandoned road.
Or what remained of it.
Broken stone slabs disappeared beneath weeds.
Old retaining walls leaned against the hillside.
Several sections had collapsed completely, leaving only narrow paths between the rocks.
Lin Qingyue examined the surroundings.
"This hasn't been maintained in ages."
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"At least a few hundred years."
Ye Wuchen looked toward the mountain.
The terrain was familiar.
Not exactly the same.
Rivers had shifted.
Forests had grown.
Entire hillsides had been reshaped by erosion.
But the underlying mountain range hadn't changed.
He remembered crossing this region long before Lanyue City existed.
Back then, there had been no roads.
Only a broad valley and a river flowing toward an enormous lake.
He looked toward the western ridge.
The lake was gone now.
So was the river.
Lin Qingyue noticed his expression.
"Something wrong?"
"No."
"Then what are you looking at?"
"The mountains."
She followed his gaze.
"They're nice mountains."
"Yes."
Shen Tieshan looked between them.
Then shook his head.
"You two have strange conversations."
They discovered the first sign of recent activity near a collapsed bridge.
The bridge had once crossed a narrow ravine.
Most of its stone supports had fallen away.
But someone had recently reinforced the remaining structure with wooden beams.
Lin Qingyue crouched beside one.
"This wood is fresh."
Shen Tieshan examined the joints.
"Installed within the last few months."
Ye Wuchen looked toward the far side.
Wheel marks.
Faint, but visible.
Several heavy carts had crossed recently.
Shen Tieshan's expression grew serious.
"Someone's using this road."
Lin Qingyue nodded.
"Probably merchants trying to avoid the main route."
The grand elder examined the wheel marks.
Then frowned.
"These carts were heavily loaded."
Ye Wuchen looked at the bridge supports.
"Heavy enough to need reinforcement."
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"Exactly."
Lin Qingyue glanced toward the ravine.
"Should we keep going?"
Ye Wuchen stepped onto the bridge.
"Yes."
She stared.
"You're not even going to test it?"
He looked back.
"It's stable."
"How do you know?"
"Someone reinforced it."
"That's not—"
Shen Tieshan laughed.
"Come on, Young Lady Lin. I'll go first."
He stepped onto the bridge.
The wooden supports creaked.
Lin Qingyue sighed.
Then followed.
Beyond the bridge, the road narrowed.
The surrounding forest grew thicker.
After another half hour, they reached a small clearing.
Several wooden sheds stood beneath the trees.
A few empty crates lay nearby.
And three men were loading supplies onto a covered cart.
The moment they noticed the visitors, they stopped.
One of the men stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
Shen Tieshan folded his arms.
"Travelers."
The man looked at his robes.
Then at the sword hanging from his waist.
"Travelers?"
"Yes."
"On an abandoned road?"
Shen Tieshan smiled.
"Beautiful scenery."
The man didn't smile back.
"This is private property."
Lin Qingyue glanced around.
"Since when?"
The man's expression darkened.
"That's none of your business."
Shen Tieshan's smile faded.
"Actually, it might be."
He pointed toward the crates.
"Those look like transport goods."
The man stepped sideways, blocking his view.
"Leave."
Shen Tieshan sighed.
"Young man, I'm trying to be polite."
The man reached for a whistle.
Before he could blow it, a voice came from one of the sheds.
"Enough."
An older man stepped outside.
He wore dark green robes and had a short beard.
His cultivation was at the middle Foundation Establishment Realm.
He looked at the visitors.
Then his expression changed.
"Grand Elder Shen?"
Shen Tieshan raised an eyebrow.
"Do I know you?"
The man bowed hurriedly.
"This junior is Fang Rui. I once attended a martial gathering hosted by the Iron Mountain Sect."
Shen Tieshan thought for a moment.
"Fang Rui..."
The man nodded eagerly.
"Yes, Senior."
Shen Tieshan's expression cooled.
"Then perhaps you can explain why you're operating a transport station on an abandoned road."
Fang Rui hesitated.
"Senior, this is merely a temporary storage site."
"For what?"
"Merchant goods."
"Whose goods?"
Fang Rui swallowed.
"Various merchants."
Shen Tieshan looked toward the crates.
"Open them."
Fang Rui's expression changed.
"Senior, I don't think—"
"Open them."
The grand elder's voice remained calm.
But the meaning was clear.
Fang Rui hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Very well."
The first crate contained ordinary iron tools.
The second held bundles of medicinal herbs.
The third contained refined Cloudsteel.
Shen Tieshan's expression darkened.
He picked up one of the metal bars.
A small mark had been stamped into its surface.
The Iron Mountain Sect's purchasing seal.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Then Shen Tieshan looked toward Fang Rui.
"Explain."
Fang Rui's face went pale.
"Senior, I can explain."
"Good."
Shen Tieshan placed the bar back into the crate.
"I'm listening."
Fang Rui swallowed.
"We were hired to store the goods."
"By whom?"
"A merchant broker."
"Name?"
Fang Rui hesitated.
Shen Tieshan's eyes narrowed.
"Don't make me ask again."
"Black Crane."
Lin Qingyue looked toward Ye Wuchen.
He remained silent.
Shen Tieshan folded his arms.
"Continue."
Fang Rui lowered his head.
"We were told the goods had been legally purchased. The broker arranged the transport documents."
"And you believed him?"
"We had official authorization!"
Shen Tieshan's expression cooled.
"Show me."
Fang Rui hurried into the shed.
He returned with several papers.
Shen Tieshan examined them.
Then laughed without humor.
"An outdated seal."
Fang Rui froze.
"What?"
"The authorization seal was retired years ago."
The man's face drained of color.
"That's impossible."
Shen Tieshan handed him the document.
"Apparently not."
Lin Qingyue examined the storage site while Shen Tieshan questioned Fang Rui.
She noticed several formation flags placed around the clearing.
A concealment formation.
Second-grade.
Not particularly sophisticated.
But well maintained.
She crouched beside one of the flags.
"Interesting."
Ye Wuchen approached.
"What?"
"This formation hides the spiritual signatures of the stored goods."
He nodded.
"Yes."
"But it doesn't conceal the buildings themselves."
"No."
She frowned.
"Then why use it?"
Ye Wuchen looked toward the crates.
"What would happen if someone searched the mountains using spiritual sense?"
Lin Qingyue considered the question.
"They'd notice the buildings."
"Would they?"
She looked around.
The sheds were made from ordinary wood.
No spiritual energy.
No unusual materials.
From a distance, they would look like abandoned hunting shelters.
Her expression changed.
"Oh."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"The formation isn't meant to hide the location."
"It's meant to make the goods look ordinary."
"Exactly."
Lin Qingyue studied the flags.
"That's clever."
"Simple, but effective."
She looked toward the sheds.
"Someone planned this carefully."
Ye Wuchen said nothing.
While Shen Tieshan continued questioning Fang Rui, a young worker quietly slipped away.
He moved behind the largest shed.
Then hurried toward the forest.
He'd nearly reached the trees when a voice spoke behind him.
"Going somewhere?"
The worker froze.
Ye Wuchen stood a few steps away.
The young man stared.
"How did you—"
"Walk."
The worker swallowed.
"I was just..."
Ye Wuchen looked toward his sleeve.
"Sending a message?"
The young man's face changed.
He reached for a talisman.
Ye Wuchen raised a hand.
"Don't."
The worker hesitated.
Then crushed the talisman.
A faint red light appeared.
For a moment, it seemed ready to fly away.
Then it stopped.
The light hung motionless in the air.
The worker stared.
"What?"
Ye Wuchen looked at the talisman.
Then flicked it lightly.
The red light returned to the broken paper.
The worker's eyes widened.
He stumbled backward.
"Who are you?"
Ye Wuchen picked up the talisman.
"Someone who dislikes interruptions."
The worker turned and ran.
Ye Wuchen didn't chase him.
A moment later, Shen Tieshan appeared.
"What happened?"
Ye Wuchen held up the talisman.
"Someone tried to send a message."
Shen Tieshan examined it.
His expression changed.
"You stopped a communication talisman?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Ye Wuchen looked at him.
"Interrupted the transmission."
Shen Tieshan stared.
Then sighed.
"One day, Fellow Daoist Ye, you're going to give me a proper explanation."
"Perhaps."
The grand elder laughed.
"I'll take that as progress."
They spent the next hour examining the storage site.
Fang Rui eventually admitted that the operation had been running for several months.
Goods were diverted from official transport routes.
Stored temporarily in the mountains.
Then transferred to other merchants using forged documents.
He claimed he didn't know the goods were stolen.
Shen Tieshan didn't believe him.
Not completely.
But Fang Rui had kept records.
Detailed records.
Dates.
Names of transport workers.
Payment amounts.
And several references to Black Crane.
That was useful.
Very useful.
Shen Tieshan contacted Inspector Zhou using a communication talisman.
The inspector's response arrived shortly afterward.
Remain at the site. Imperial guards are on their way.
Shen Tieshan read the message.
Then looked toward Ye Wuchen.
"Looks like we'll be waiting."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"Fine."
Lin Qingyue sat on a fallen log.
She looked toward the crates.
"So that's where the missing shipment went."
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"Part of it."
"Part?"
He pointed toward the inventory.
"The original shipment was larger."
Lin Qingyue frowned.
"Then where's the rest?"
Fang Rui lowered his head.
"Already transferred."
Shen Tieshan looked at him.
"To whom?"
Fang Rui hesitated.
Then answered quietly.
"I don't know."
The grand elder sighed.
"Of course you don't."
High above the Lower Realms, Ji Wuhen stood alone before the corrected sword scripture.
The other elders had departed.
Only Gu Shixuan remained.
The Grand Archivist was examining the ancient formation records.
"I found something," he said.
Ji Wuhen turned.
"What?"
Gu Shixuan placed a jade slip on the table.
"This formation was not originally designed to test sword techniques."
Ji Wuhen frowned.
"Then what was its purpose?"
"Recognition."
"Recognition of what?"
Gu Shixuan hesitated.
"That's the problem."
He pointed toward the inscription.
"The original records say it was meant to recognize a particular principle of sword cultivation."
Ji Wuhen examined the jade slip.
"And?"
"The description has been removed."
Silence.
Gu Shixuan continued.
"But I found an older copy."
Ji Wuhen looked up.
"Where?"
"In the records preserved outside the main palace archive."
"The independent archive?"
Gu Shixuan nodded.
"The one established by the Assembly of Ten Witnesses."
Ji Wuhen's expression grew serious.
"What does it say?"
Gu Shixuan took a breath.
Then read aloud.
"The sword is not made complete by its forms."
Ji Wuhen listened.
"It is made complete when nothing unnecessary remains."
Silence.
For a long moment, neither man spoke.
Then Ji Wuhen looked toward the corrected scripture.
Nearly half the original transformations had been removed.
Yet the technique had become stronger.
He slowly exhaled.
"So that's what it means."
Gu Shixuan nodded.
"The correction wasn't simply a better technique."
"It was a different understanding of the sword."
"Exactly."
Ji Wuhen looked toward the ancestral hall.
For generations, the palace had taught that mastery came from accumulating transformations.
More forms.
More techniques.
More variations.
But the ancient principle suggested something else.
True mastery might require removing everything unnecessary.
Ji Wuhen closed his eyes.
Then drew his sword.
One simple movement.
No elaborate technique.
No dazzling display.
Just a clean, direct slash.
The air trembled.
Gu Shixuan's eyes widened.
Ji Wuhen lowered the sword.
He smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
Back in the Lower Realm, the imperial guards arrived shortly before sunset.
Inspector Zhou personally led the group.
He examined the storage site.
Then the forged documents.
Then the recovered Cloudsteel.
His expression grew increasingly grim.
"Black Crane again."
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"Seems so."
Inspector Zhou turned toward Fang Rui.
"You'll be coming with us."
Fang Rui lowered his head.
"I understand."
The guards began securing the goods.
Lin Qingyue watched them work.
Then approached Shen Tieshan.
"Senior."
"Hm?"
"Will your sect recover its shipment?"
"Some of it."
"And the rest?"
Shen Tieshan shrugged.
"We'll see."
She looked surprised.
"You're not angry?"
He laughed.
"Of course I'm angry."
"Then why are you so calm?"
Shen Tieshan looked toward the crates.
"Because getting angry won't bring the missing goods back."
Lin Qingyue considered that.
He continued.
"I'd rather find the people responsible."
She nodded.
"That makes sense."
Shen Tieshan smiled.
"Good."
Then he glanced toward Ye Wuchen.
"Besides, today's been interesting."
Ye Wuchen looked at him.
"Has it?"
"Very."
They returned to Lanyue City after sunset.
The streets were busy.
Merchants were closing their shops.
Cultivators were returning from training.
The smell of roasted meat drifted from roadside stalls.
Lin Qingyue stretched.
"I'm exhausted."
Shen Tieshan laughed.
"We barely fought."
"Walking all day is tiring too!"
"Fair enough."
They reached a crossroads.
Shen Tieshan stopped.
"Well, I'll leave you two here."
Lin Qingyue bowed.
"Thank you for today, Senior."
He waved a hand.
"No need."
Then he looked toward Ye Wuchen.
"Fellow Daoist Ye."
"Hm?"
"I owe you a meal."
Ye Wuchen raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"Helping recover my sect's goods."
"I didn't do much."
Shen Tieshan laughed.
"That's what makes it annoying."
Ye Wuchen considered the offer.
"Perhaps another time."
The grand elder grinned.
"I'll hold you to that."
Then he departed.
Lin Qingyue watched him go.
"He's different from what I expected."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"Yes."
"Still arrogant, though."
"Very."
She laughed.
"But not a bad person."
Ye Wuchen looked toward the departing figure.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then nodded.
"Perhaps."
That night, Inspector Zhou examined the recovered records.
The storage site had provided valuable evidence.
But the case was far from solved.
Black Crane remained unidentified.
Several shipments were still missing.
And the forged documents suggested that the operation involved more than one corrupt official.
He examined a list of payments.
Then paused.
One entry stood out.
It wasn't a payment to a merchant.
Or a transport worker.
Or a warehouse owner.
It was a recurring fee.
Paid every month.
To someone listed only as the Surveyor.
Inspector Zhou frowned.
"A surveyor?"
He examined the surrounding entries.
The payments began long before the missing shipments.
Nearly three years earlier.
That was strange.
The smuggling operation appeared to have started only a few months ago.
Why had someone been paying a surveyor for years?
He marked the entry.
Then continued reading.
At Moonfall Pavilion, Lin Qingyue was already asleep.
Ye Wuchen sat beside his window.
On the table lay the old map.
He examined the abandoned road.
Then the surrounding mountain range.
The storage site had been ordinary.
A smuggling operation.
Nothing more.
But the road itself remained interesting.
He'd recognized the terrain because he'd crossed it long ago.
And during that distant age, something had stood near the western ridge.
Not a palace.
Not a tomb.
A small stone observatory.
He remembered it now.
A place where travelers once measured the movement of stars.
It had been unremarkable.
One of countless structures scattered across the ancient world.
Ye Wuchen looked toward the map.
The observatory wasn't marked.
Perhaps it had been destroyed.
Perhaps buried.
Or perhaps the road builders had simply never noticed it.
He folded the map.
There was no reason to rush.
The mountain wasn't going anywhere.
At least, probably not.
He extinguished the lamp.
Tomorrow, he would ask the bookstore owner whether any older maps existed.
End of Chapter 22