Green Mountain

The sound of horse hooves approached, and Old Ears immediately got off the kang bed: "Judging by the noise, there are at least eight hundred of them!"

He and Chen Ji walked out of the main house together, an old man, a young man, and a cat, all poking their heads out the door to see a mass of men and horses pouring into the village like a tidal wave, scaring every household into extinguishing their lights.

Hundreds of armored soldiers rode forth, swords at their waists and spears under their arms, their cold gleam shining under the moonlight. In just a few breaths, they had sealed all the vital paths into the village.

Over a hundred crossbowmen climbed onto the rooftops, spreading across the entire Erdao Baihe Town along the roof ridges, the sound of bowstrings being drawn creaking harshly on the ears.

Elite troops!

Old Ears quickly pulled Chen Ji back inside, first blowing out the oil lamp in the room.

In the darkness, Old Ears lowered his voice and said, "This is a thousand-man troop; even Seeking Dao Realm Officials can be easily hunted. We shouldn’t get involved in this trouble. They’re here to seal the mountain, and perhaps they’ll leave soon."

Chen Ji asked in a low voice, "Whose armored soldiers are these?"

Old Ears murmured: "Now that you ask, I realize that this troop didn’t bring any flags... Wait, they’re acting secretly. What boldness they have."

In the dark room, a woman stammered, "Indeed, they’re brazen beyond belief..."

Chen Ji paused, scrutinizing the two by the faint light: "Are you two talking about the same thing?"

Old Ears said solemnly, "These men are here secretly at the risk of beheading; their intentions are significant... If they had come openly with banners, they would be here by order to help the Temple of Martial Arts seal the mountain. But why come covertly? It’s unfathomable."

Suddenly, Old Ears looked at the woman in the room, suspicious: "Did Old Xianggen sell me out?"

The woman quickly defended, "That can’t be. He wouldn’t open his mouth even if a pie fell from the sky. He definitely wouldn’t betray you."

At this moment, footsteps sounded on the roof, and Old Ears put his index finger to his lips, listening quietly to the movements above.

The next moment, the armored soldiers outside called out loudly, "Where is the village chief?"

Erdao Baihe Town was silent, as if no one responded.

The soldiers outside shouted angrily, "Where is the village chief? Get out here!"

Still, no one responded.

Old Ears and Chen Ji suddenly had a bad feeling, and both turned their gaze to the woman, who was already trembling and speechless.

Old Ears muttered, "Could Old Xianggen have become the village chief? When did this happen?"

The woman trembled as she spoke, "After the old lord left last year, Old Xianggen took over as the village chief."

Old Ears cursed under his breath, "Damn it, I’m going to be ruined by your family..."

Just then, there was the sound of a door being kicked in from the neighbor’s house next door, with a soldier standing at the door loudly questioning, "Which household is the village chief’s?"

The neighbor’s voice trembled as they said, "I’m not the village chief; the village chief lives in the house next to mine."

The soldier then turned to the house where Old Ears and Chen Ji were, pulling away the cotton cloth door curtain, revealing Old Ears, the woman, and Chen Ji inside.

Chen Ji saw five or six armored soldiers standing in the yard, and outside he could hear the dense sound of footsteps and conversations. Looking up, he saw five crossbowmen on the opposite roof aiming their arrows this way.

The soldier casually tossed the cotton curtain into the yard, looking Old Ears up and down: "Are you the village chief?"

Old Ears was momentarily stunned before awkwardly replying, "Yes, yes, I am the village chief."

The soldier looked him over: "Why didn’t you come out when you were called?"

Old Ears stammered in fear, "I was scared..."

The soldier stepped into the house, forcing Chen Ji and the others to retreat deeper inside.

At this moment, the soldier glanced around the room under the moonlight and finally fixed his gaze on the woman: "Who is this?"

Old Ears explained, "This is my wife."

The soldier then looked at Chen Ji: "And him?"

Old Ears hunched over and explained, "This is my son, the most unpromising and unfilial among my sons..."

The soldier, impatient, said, "Who asked you about that?"

Old Ears hurriedly cupped his hands, "What does the lord wish to ask?"

The soldier swaggered past Chen Ji and Old Ears, sitting on the chair in the main house, casually asking, "Who passed through Erdao Baihe Town today?"

Old Ears came forward and saluted, "The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry’s Great Commander, Yuan Hengli Zhen, led the Mo Blade Camp through, but they didn’t stop in the village."

The soldier asked, "I know that; was there anyone else?"

Old Ears honestly replied, "No one else."

The soldier seemed to ponder, "Did any messages come down from the mountain? Do you know what happened up there, why Yuan Hengli Zhen entered the mountain overnight?"

Chen Ji’s mind was stirred; this troop still didn’t know what happened in the mountains, but was quietly following the Mo Blade Camp?

Strange, this troop was clearly the Jing Dynasty elite near Changbai Mountain. Why weren’t they informed about the Temple of Martial Arts sealing the mountain, instead letting them come by themselves?

The armored soldiers didn’t get the answer they wanted, their cold eyes swept back and forth on Chen Ji and the others, their hands stroking the handle of their swords, pondering something.

At this moment, he saw the King Wen Drum on the ground and looked up at Old Ears: "Are you the chief incense bearer?"

Old Ears: "Huh?"

The armored soldier’s voice deepened: "I’m asking which incense column you are in charge of?"

Old Ears realized: "I am in charge of Grandmaster Hu San’s incense."

The armored soldier let out a cold laugh: "I’ve always heard you like to play tricks, come, perform for us and see if it’s effective."

Old Ears and Chen Ji exchanged a glance but didn’t respond slowly.

The armored soldier slowly drew out his sword. The crossbowmen across from him saw him draw his sword and immediately pulled back their bowstrings, the sound of the strings and the horn bow producing a creaking noise.

The armored soldier placed the sword across his knee and said leisurely, "What, are you unwilling to do it for us, or do you just lack the skills and are outright fraudsters?"

Old Ears respectfully said: "To report to you, Lord, I am not a fraud, but I have been the headmaster for years, and the incense bearing has been handled by my son. Let him come."

Chen Ji silently looked at Old Ears’ profile as if considering the best angle to strike.

The armored soldier pointed his sword at Chen Ji: "Then you do it. If you’re just a fraud, I’ll cut out your tongues so no one else falls for your trickery."

Chen Ji coughed lightly: "Lord, I’m not yet proficient, perhaps my father should do it."

Old Ears hurriedly said: "You do it, Grandmaster Hu San prefers you."

"You do it."

"You do it..."

The armored soldier was furious and struck down with his sword, breaking off a corner of the desk: "Haven’t you had enough fooling around?"

Chen Ji reluctantly picked up the King Wen Drum and the Martial King Whip, mimicking the woman’s previous moves and began to strike: "The sun sets below the western hills, turning the sky dark, every house locks their doors. Ten houses, how many have locked up, ten houses, how many have locked up...?"

The armored soldier angrily laughed: "You don’t know how many houses have locked, and you’re asking me?"

Chen Ji skipped the part he forgot and, putting aside his shame, continued singing: "Calling villagers, hear my words, lighting eight incense columns to invite the Immortals, aye aye aye aye ya..."

Unable to remember the next words, he could only close his eyes and tremble all over; before everyone realized it, he had already switched to a hoarse voice: "Grandmaster Hu San is here, who calls me?"

The armored soldier scrutinized Chen Ji: "What has happened in Changbai Mountain?"

Chen Ji kept his eyes closed and hoarsely said: "Someone has stolen the Holy Relic of the Weapon Master within Heavenly Pool, triggering the Five Sounds of Martial Arts Roar, causing Changbai Mountain’s birds and wild animals to rush into the Martial Temple, drinking by the pool’s edge."

The armored soldier was taken aback, Chen Ji spoke convincingly, leaving him unsure of its truth: "Who has stolen the Holy Relic of the Weapon Master?"

Chen Ji pondered in secret; since the Martial Temple had already dispatched the Zhongwu Guards and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry into the mountains, the truth couldn’t be hidden for long, and the outside world would eventually know.

While contemplating, the armored soldier angrily shouted: "Quickly, who is it?"

Chen Ji hoarsely said: "The one who practices the Sword Seed Path alongside Mountain Master Lu Yang, the very person the Martial Temple and court have long sought diligently."

The armored soldier’s pupils suddenly contracted, then he was doubtful: "Are you fooling me? This Sword Seed Inheritor has the audacity to steal from the Martial Temple?"

Chen Ji trembled convulsively, his voice lowering even more: "This person is cunning, first appearing deliberately in the Southern Dynasty to lure Mountain Master Lu Yang away, executing a maneuvre to draw away the tiger from the mountain, only daring to commit theft at the Martial Temple Mountain Gate."

The armored soldier seemingly pondered: "That makes sense... No wonder the Martial Temple dispatched troops to seal the mountain, no wonder Wu Kezhi dared to make heavy promises, such a great event indeed transpired."

Yet in an instant, the armored soldier realized: "But I can’t just believe what you say with these mere words, how do I know you’re not a fraud?"

Just then, a young armored soldier strode in, whispering to the middle-aged armored soldier in the room: "The Commander Envoy has sent a secret message, the Sword Seed Inheritor has appeared, it is imperative to find them, and discreetly escort them back to Tokyo Road’s White Tiger Festival Hall."

The middle-aged armored soldier was suddenly astounded, not by the news, but slowly turned to look at Chen Ji: "Is your shamanic skill real?"

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment, continued to tremble, eyes closed, hoarsely said: "It is real."

The middle-aged armored soldier marvelled: "Even this you could answer?"

Chen Ji, unwilling to dwell further, urged: "The matter is concluded, this Immortal shall..."

The middle-aged armored soldier stepped forward: "Wait, what does the Sword Seed Inheritor look like?"

Chen Ji, eyes closed, recalled: "Gray cotton clothes."

Old Ears looked down at his own gray cotton clothes.

The middle-aged armored soldier perked up again, leaning forward, afraid of mishearing: "Gray cotton clothes, and then?"

Chen Ji added: "Gray hair."

The middle-aged armored soldier’s eyes lit up: "Gray hair, an older person?"

In Old Ears’ anxiety, Chen Ji suddenly collapsed to the ground, and upon opening his eyes, they were clear; he feigned weakness saying: "Can’t hold on, that’s all I could ask."

The middle-aged armored soldier pondered for a moment, then strode towards the door: "Enter the mountains! Pass the order down, search for an elder wearing gray cotton clothes and having gray hair, ensure to find this person before the Mo Blade Camp, those who spot this person first will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver, promoted to Centurion!"

Before Chen Ji and Old Ears could relax, the middle-aged armored soldier suddenly halted, turned back to point at Chen Ji and Old Ears: "Bring these two as well, don’t neglect them, once successful, I’ll present them to the Commander!"