79 Lost in Obscurity

Wang Jun chewed on bitter tea leaves as he waited for news in a tavern. He wasn't used to such rough accommodations, but it couldn't be helped. Stonefell was truly a godforsaken place, one where only seasoned adventurers stayed. According to his previous inquiries, it used to be a thriving village. No more.

Several decades ago, a rare species of spirit beasts had mobilized the entire cultivation world into action. They had banded together and hunted it to extinction, and in the process, the spirit woods and the other creatures it contained had been damaged beyond recovery. Such a story reminded Wang Jun of overfished oceans and lakes and overcultivated fields. Mankind was truly incorrigible in its ways.

"Another pot of tea?" a young man asked.

Wang Jun nodded, and the man returned shortly with a freshly brewed pot. The tavern was the only bar in town, the last one having burned down six months ago. His auguries had at last yielded him limited information on her possible position, so he'd sent out his men to investigate. Meanwhile, he continued his own futile attempts to find her.

For what seemed like the thousandth time, he picked up a fistful of black coins etched with silver runes. He then imbued them with his full soul force and his fate qi. They spun in the air as they collected information that was beyond the grasp of mere mortals, before finally collapsing on the table in a meaningless jumble.

Despite the lack of content, the message was clear: Wang Jun was not privy to the information he sought. Fate was funny that way. Every man had a story to his name, but seers and diviners were helpless when divining their own fate. To make matters worse, Wang Jun was an anomaly. Information on his fate was very difficult to obtain; he was like a shadow that evaded the scrutiny of the most skilled pair of eyes.

This didn't trouble him much. What bothered him was Hong Xin's fate. A year ago, she was simple and predictable. He could have divined her location with his eyes closed. However, none of these thousand auguries had found any hints of her these past six months. Either she had obtained some fortuitous encounter that shrouded her destiny or fate was playing a cruel joke on him, preventing him from seeing her story out of spite or malice.

Or has our short involvement completely merged our stories to the point that hers has become indecipherable like mine?

Such a possibility caused him even greater worry, and it was all the more reason to continue his search. Until he found her, the knot in his heart would to eat away at him little by little. His patience would become increasingly thin.

He recalled a moment that caused him to shudder, the heart-stopping moment when he'd visited her parents with Hong Ling. Madame Xu had burst into tears, and Xin Er's father had given him the earful he deserved. Afterward, he'd sought any piece of information that might lead to her discovery. Yet for some unknown reason, information that should be easily accessible just didn't reach him. It was as though she were a ghost. Fortunately, he knew she was alive. His auguries let him know that much.

"Xin Er, where have you gone?" he wondered aloud. As soon as he uttered those words, he heard a crashing noise from behind the bar. Something nagged at his mind, and Wang Jun sized the young man up before asking, "Did you work at the original bar?"

The man nodded. "Yes, I was a bartender there. That is, until it burned down with the owner still in it."

Wang Jun directed his piercing gaze at the man, who gulped and continued. "I heard you mention the name Xin Er. Are you perhaps acquainted with Gong Xin?"

Wang Jun frowned. "I know a Hong Xin. Was this lady you speak of this tall, with long black hair?" He held up his hand. "While she wasn't so pretty as to cause the downfall of a nation, she was quite charming with a warm demeanor."

The man at the bar hesitated. "Some of what you describe matches up, but many women fall under that category. Can you show me anything more precise?"

Wang Jun nodded and withdrew a jade slip from his bag of holding. He poured some qi into it until a transparent image of Hong Xin floated out from it and began spinning in circles. She was wearing her mauve dress with green vines, as well as the mauve hairclip that she'd taken with her when she ran away from home.

"Right, that's her," the young man said, his face lighting up with recognition. "She worked with us for a while. Unfortunately, the owner seemed to have ulterior motives for her. I kept telling her to quit and leave town, but she stubbornly refused. All she would do was drink away what she saved as though she'd never known a happy day in her life.

"After I left work that night, the bar caught on fire. One of my friends told me that Gong Xin had escaped the flaming building. However, her eyes were red, and her face was covered in tears. Her robe had been torn in many places. I really can't help but think that the owner had assaulted her and gotten what he deserved."

Wang Jun's teacup shattered in his hands as he heard the man's story. He looked at his palm and saw that his fingers were coated in blood, jagged pieces of porcelain protruding from them. Yet he felt more alive now than he had these past six months. He ignored the young bartender's panicked expression and began pulling out shards of glass bit by bit, as though reveling in the pain they caused him. Finally, once the last piece had been removed, he withdrew a pill from his bag of holding and ate it. The wound on his hand disappeared without a trace.

"Do you know which direction she left in?" Wang Jun asked in a hoarse voice.

The young man shivered before answering. "She left through the north of town. She stole a horse from a farmer on the way out, though she left him a hefty payment in silver." The young bartender was now sweating profusely.

This didn't surprise Wang Jun, whose aura was now completely unrestrained. He stood up and flicked a pouch over to the young man. The boy didn't know it yet, but he wouldn't have to work for the rest of his life.

As Wang Jun walked out of the bar, he saw Protector Ren and another Wang family guard approaching him.

"I've found out all we need to know. Let's move," Wang Jun said.

His protectors said nothing, and the trio flew out of the village on flying swords, leaving behind many villagers gasping in awe at the spectacle.

***

The villagers greeted Cha Ming as he walked through the merchant district. He entered a familiar store, the grocer's, where he picked up the provisions he required for their meals. When he arrived at the clerk to pay for the goods he'd gathered, he was waved through with a cheerful smile. He tried to protest and pay anyway—after all, many villagers had left them shards as payment—but then the owner stepped out personally and told him they wouldn't accept his money.

This was a testament to the impact he and Li Yin had on the people's lives. He had treated many diseases, fractures, and vicious cuts. He had also personally performed surgeries, including those used to deliver babies. He had named the surgery a Caesarian section, and although the name had puzzled Li Yin, he couldn't back out on his offer to allow Cha Ming to name it.

With Cha Ming's help, the old doctor had managed to perform many more experiments, as well as hold educational seminars and meetings for the residents. He had spoken on things like hygiene, nutrition, and first-response activities such as bandaging basic wounds and splinting fractures before patients were brought to him.

Cha Ming's only regret was that he couldn't stay for longer. His cultivation was slowly recuperating. As of today, all his organs' qi pathways had been completely reconnected. In fact, they functioned better than before he had been injured. Currently, he could circulate qi through these pathways to achieve one third of his original cultivation rate. In addition, his useable physical strength had skyrocketed, and he could now utilize nine tenths of his original strength.

Still, he planned to stay until he made a full recovery. The cultivation world was dangerous, and he saw no reason not to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere while he could. As he returned to the doctor's house, he noticed a crowd of people surrounding it. Frowning, he walked through the crowd, and after putting away the groceries, he proceeded to the doctor's office.

Li Yin was busy staring at a badly wounded man who lay on the examination table. Seeing the doctor pondering, Cha Ming went ahead and pressed his hand on the man to observe his condition.

Three arm fractures, head trauma, arrow wound to the shoulder… That last one made him raise his eyebrows. Fortunately, the man was not beyond saving.

"What are you thinking?" Cha Ming asked.

It seemed like a clear-cut case. The doctor shook his head and walked up to the injured man. He pulled back the man's shirt, revealing his forearm. There, Cha Ming saw a black mark. It was a tattoo that resembled a serpent woven around a sword. The sword was stained in blood.

"This mark is worn by all members of the Serpentine Sword bandit group," Li Yin explained. "They are a bunch of vicious killers who kidnap, ****, and pillage. I have nothing but utter contempt for them." The doctor then looked at Cha Ming. "I refuse to save this man."

Cha Ming was conflicted. "Why did you save me when I washed up on the river?" After all, it was difficult to judge a book by its cover.

"You want the truth?" the doctor asked. "Very well. I saved you because you didn't have any such markings, and you seemed young and impressionable. Furthermore, it didn't look like you had very long to live anyway. You wouldn't be a threat to this peaceful community. This man, however, is an entirely different case."

The truth hit Cha Ming like a sack of bricks. He had always been taught that doctors should be benevolent and help everyone. He had often heard tales of pure-hearted doctors who treated allies and enemies alike. Yet this old doctor he admired most refused to do the same.

"I believe everyone deserves a chance," Cha Ming said softly. "I will save him."

The doctor shrugged. "I think that's foolish, but I won't stop you. It's your right to choose to save a life. However, you must be willing to shoulder the consequences of your actions." Then the doctor stepped out of the clinic and began to disperse the crowd.

Cha Ming first cut out the barbed arrow that was protruding from the man's shoulder. Then he adjusted the man's bones and set them in place with splints. Afterward, he stitched up several larger gashes, cleaned him, and set him up in the room next to his.

With any luck, he would recover.

***

A few days passed by before Cha Ming woke up to a crash in the room next door. He yawned and put on his robes. The man's reaction was expected. After all, he'd restrained him, confiscated his weapons and bag of holding, and drugged him so he couldn't harness his qi.

Cha Ming knocked on the door before opening it. He was greeted by an attempted back kick to the mid-section. Snorting, he dove past the kick, grabbing the man by the neck in an instant. Then he squeezed slightly, showing the man that if he wished to, he could kill him in an instant.

"Where am I? Why did you lock me up? What happened to my cultivation?" the man asked ferociously.

"We found you washed up on shore, and I saved you and treated your wounds," Cha Ming replied. "If you don't want me to create new ones, I suggest you get back in your bed and cooperate."

The man hesitated but ultimately agreed to sit on his bed. After waiting for a minute, Cha Ming came back with a flask containing a putrid-smelling potion.

"Drink this," Cha Ming instructed. "You're extremely dehydrated. This will help alleviate the symptoms. Besides, even if your qi was unsealed, a measly sixth level of qi condensation wouldn't pose the slightest threat to me."

The man sighed and drank the potion in a single gulp. He grimaced, but his countenance instantly improved. "I don't suppose I need to drink something like this every day?" he asked.

Cha Ming chuckled. "Only if you misbehave. I've confiscated your weapons and your bag of holding. I'll give them back to you when you leave. In the meantime, recovering your qi isn't out of the question if you behave." He approached the man and directed his spiritual force to the man's arms. The bones had already begun mending.

"What realm of body refinement have you achieved?" Cha Ming asked.

The man shrugged. "I cultivated to the fifth level many decades ago, but I wasn't able to improve any more. It's a hard life out there, and a man needs all the advantages he can get."

"Fair enough," Cha Ming said. "It seems to me like you'll recover within three weeks' time. I'm afraid to say that due to your questionable background, you're under house arrest. I hope that won't pose a problem for you."

The man nodded. "That's very reasonable. I would do the same thing. Very well, I'll stay in this room and won't complain. Besides, if I cause any trouble, it seems like you're more than capable of chasing me down and handling me."

Cha Ming's heart softened slightly at the man's understanding attitude. "It won't be necessary for you to stay in this room. I'll call you out when breakfast is ready."

Weeks passed by uneventfully. Cha Ming continued to care for his lone patient while Li Yin treated the residents in their homes. This was all to maintain secrecy. The less the man knew, the less reason he would have to return to this village after he left.

Cha Ming had even delayed his recovery to ensure that the man, Lei Dong, didn't cause trouble. Fortunately, he had been quite cooperative. Cha Ming eventually allowed him to regain control over his qi so that he could at least cultivate to pass the time.

Finally, the time came to send the patient on his way. While Lei Dong seemed full of gratitude, Cha Ming still didn't dare expose the rest of the village to him. He had Li Yin alert the villagers, who were instructed that everyone should stay in their houses for two hours around lunchtime.

***

"Is it really necessary to keep me blindfolded?" Lei Dong asked Cha Ming. They were both treading on a barely used path, the only way out of the village. The smell of roses invaded their nostrils as they proceeded. "The degree of secrecy you've treated me with is unusual."

"We just like our privacy," Cha Ming responded. "Outsiders aren't welcome, and while I'm not so black hearted as to leave you to die, I don't want to put our isolation at risk. Outsiders mean trouble, and I don't want you finding your way back."

Lei Dong shrugged. "Quite frankly, I would only need to follow the scent of roses to find this place if I really wanted to. Still, I'm very thankful you've treated me, and letting you keep your secret is the least I can do." Cha Ming wasn't sure how to react to his sarcastic tone of voice, so he kept silent as they walked.

They continued walking for an hour before Cha Ming heard some branches breaking. Sighing, he cast out his spiritual force and located two small silhouettes.

"You can come out now," he yelled.

Two shy children, Yi Qiao and Ling Shen, emerged from the bushes beside them.

"Didn't your parents tell you not to come out?" Cha Ming asked.

"They told us, but we really wanted to see the outsider," Yi Qiao said. "It's been over a year since we last saw one. Ever since you came—"

"That's enough," Cha Ming said, cutting her off. "You've seen him, now hurry back to the village."

Both children looked aggrieved but scampered off nonetheless. Cha Ming's authority in the village was quite high now that he had taken over as the doctor's assistant.

He continued guarding the man as he led him farther and farther away from the village, winding in circular paths to confuse him. Eventually, he took the man to a boat and brought him down the river. After another few hours of travel, they arrived at a small village, where he released him and returned his possessions.

Cha Ming didn't stick around. Instead, he took the long way around and returned to his boat, which he led down the river through an alternate path. He kept a careful eye out for the brigand he had saved, ensuring that there was no chance he was being followed. He had done his best to preserve the village's secret.

If it were to be exposed, disaster could befall them.

***

Lei Dong was seated at the bar of a tavern. He ordered an ale; it had been far too long since he'd had a proper drink. A pleasant-looking tavern wench brought the drink over and insinuated that she had other services she offered. For a price.

He shooed her off. He normally wouldn't have refused, but his mind kept racing whenever he remembered one of the few scenes he had seen from the village. He had caught a glimpse of those two children while his caretaker, Cha Ming, shooed them away. In the short instance when he shifted his blindfold, he saw a little boy and a little girl.

The two were both unremarkable. They had a different accent than Cha Ming, so it was just like they said—he was a foreigner as well. That meant that there was something in the village that Cha Ming knew would tempt him, thus the isolation. He wouldn't have bothered to speculate what it was, and he had been prepared to never return to the village again.

Until he saw those two children.

The boy and the girl wore ragged clothes, clearly of crude construction. However, they had one thing in common. They each wore a bracelet, and the little girl wore a necklace. They were made of simple rope and clear crystals. But as a cultivator, how could he not recognize those crystals?

It's my lucky day today. If those children could afford to wear spirit stones like jewelry, there had to be plenty more where that came from. Sorry, kid. You might have saved me, but I'd sell my own mother if enough profit was involved.

The young healer had thought he was being very clever, leading him in circles like he did. However, there were still a few hints that the experienced bandit could follow. For one, the village was within two hours of a river. Most villages would be built very close to one, so he might have led him the long way for the sake of deception. The second clue was the steep drop in humidity after he left the village. It was as though the village was covered in a perpetual fog. Very few places would have such high humidity in the area. Therefore, he speculated the village was near a waterfall.

The only tricky detail was that the healer was a powerful body cultivator. Fortunately, Lei Dong could feel that as powerful as he was, he wasn't a foundation-establishment cultivator. Therefore, his strength wasn't insurmountable.

He mused at how his failed mission had instead changed into his greatest fortune. "The world of cultivation isn't for the kind-hearted," he muttered. "I'll plead for them to spare you when the time comes."

After finishing his drink, he set off immediately. It would still take a few weeks to track down his leader and gather the bandits for an outing.