At dusk, in a small village at the foot of the mountain, a few thin wisps of cooking smoke drifted gently into the air. Three or five young children ran about, laughing and playing between the houses. Meanwhile, a large black dog lay lazily outside one of the homes.
By the fields, some farmers were still working the land. The scent of food drifted on the wind, mingling with the smoke curling up from cooking fires. Mist clung faintly to the surrounding mountains, making Old Pine Ridge seem all the more steep and foreboding.
A young herdsman played a pastoral tune on his flute, sweet and meandering, adding to the tranquil beauty of this countryside scene. It was a peaceful and harmonious village.
The sound of hooves approached from the distance, shattering the village’s calm. The large black dog, startled and annoyed, rose to its feet with a growl, baring its teeth and staring warily into the distance.
A black steed and a white steed galloped toward the village and slowed down at the entrance.
At this time, the horses were reined in.
Wait, no. The black one... wasn’t a horse. It looked more like a... donkey? Yes, a black donkey!
“This Longmen Village does have a bit of an immortal air about it,” remarked the young noble riding the white horse.
He was tall and striking, with handsome features and a long sword at his waist. A faint, effortless smile played at the corners of his mouth.
The rider of the black horse, or more precisely black donkey, was a young man with chiseled features and a calm, composed demeanor. A long saber hung at his waist, and he lacked the fierce edge of wandering martial artists, nor did he carry the frailty of a scholar.
Instead, there was a quiet, unassuming air about him. He looked... peaceful.
Upon hearing the noble’s comment, the calm young man didn’t respond right away. Instead, he looked silently into the village for a long moment.
“What’s wrong?” the noble asked.
“Nothing,” the calm young man came back to himself and smiled. “I just felt... this village is exceptionally clean.”
Hearing this, the young noble’s expression grew serious. He turned to look at the village, his gaze now carrying a hint of wariness.
These two were none other than Li Yanchu and Bai Hongtu, who had come into the mountains in search of Longmen Village. This time, Li Yanchu hadn’t come on horseback. Instead, he rode the donkey from his Daoist temple. Many high-ranking Daoist cultivators had a preference for riding something symbolic, such as oxen, cranes, dragons, tigers. Some preferred donkeys.
Li Yanchu couldn’t tell whether this black donkey originally had any spiritual nature. But over time, he had fed it all the dregs left over from his brews of powerful century-old tonic elixirs and also the leftover herbs from refining Qi-Booster Pills. After consuming these, the black donkey had gradually grown strong in bone and muscle, and its strength increased noticeably.
At first, Li Yanchu hadn’t paid much attention, until one day, he discovered by chance the donkey could now leap nearly two zhang into the air.
Li Yanchu had been stunned. His first thought was that this donkey had gained sentience! But when he checked it with his Qi Sight, he saw no demonic qi or evil qi on the donkey. On the contrary, it radiated a faint trace of spiritual qi.
Only then did he abandon the idea of inviting Bai Hongtu to eat donkey meat to help nourish his body.
It was also said that donkey hooves were effective against zombies. Li Yanchu began to suspect that his master, Daoist Xuancheng, had raised the donkey for just such emergencies.
But later, after earning enough money himself, Li Yanchu no longer felt tempted by a bit of donkey meat, so he never had the heart to go through with it.
“Hee-haw... Hee-haw...”
With a gentle stroke on the head from Li Yanchu, Blackie let out a joyful bray, assuming its master appreciated how it could outrun that white horse. Unbeknownst to it, images of braised donkey meat and donkey sandwiches had just flashed through Li Yanchu’s mind.
Bai Hongtu glanced at Blackie, his expression a bit strange.
Good heavens. He’d never seen a donkey that could run like that, so explosively fast and seemingly with boundless stamina. Plus, the donkey didn’t even look muscular or imposing. It wasn’t tall or bulky either.
Bai Hongtu glanced subtly at Li Yanchu. Hmm. The donkey suits the rider.
“Hongtu, what kind of look is that?” Li Yanchu suddenly asked.
So sharp... Bai Hongtu panicked for a moment and gave a quick smile. “I was just thinking about how we should go about our investigation.”
Li Yanchu nodded, visibly pleased. “It’s rare to see you so motivated this time.”
An old man approached, his face blooming like a chrysanthemum with a wide grin. “Honored guests, are you heading into the mountains? It’s getting late, why not stay at my place for the night? It’s cheap.” ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
His words had a mix of rustic charm and a hint of shrewdness.
He wants money? Bai Hongtu frowned. Where did this business-savvy old man come from?
“How much per night?” Li Yanchu asked calmly.
“One tael of silver per night,” the old man said, holding up a single finger.
Li Yanchu stared at him for a moment, then smiled.
But Bai Hongtu wasn’t having it. He called out, “One tael of silver? What, do you take the two of us for idiots?”
The old man’s smile remained simple and honest. “These mountains are steep and isolated. Our Longmen Village is the only place around. If you want a place to stay, it’s here or nowhere.”
Bai Hongtu snorted and said with a smirk, “Old man, take a good look at how we’re dressed. You know what that means? We’re jianghu experts! Aren’t you afraid I’ll lose my temper and just kill you right here?”
His eyes turned cold, and his tone became increasingly frosty.
But the old man still grinned patiently. “The two of you carry yourselves with righteousness. You look like men of honor and status, how could you kill over a mere tael of silver?”
Bai Hongtu replied coldly, “And what if we were the bloodstained scum of the jianghu?”
The old man scratched his head and chuckled, “Then I wouldn’t dare go up to collect money. I’d have hidden far away already.”
Bai Hongtu paused, then burst out laughing. “You've got some nerve, old man.”
He had only left three days ago and had been staying the whole time at the home of a widow named Lady Zhou.