Chapter 11: Passersby
"I see."
Li Musheng nodded in understanding, and Cang Yinyue began leading him along desolate paths and small roads, deliberately avoiding some of the main thoroughfares.
Li Musheng didn't mind this.
After all, Chong Province was close to Jing Province. They were only a few days' journey from Shangyang City, so going any route was about the same.
Moreover, along this journey, through conversing with Cang Yinyue, he had gained a general understanding of the overall situation in Great Li.
Within Great Li's territory were nineteen provinces. Among them, martial world sects stood in great numbers, there were many martial Dao experts, and the forces were large and complex, even able to stand on equal footing with the imperial court.
It was no exaggeration to say that all of Great Li was currently in a state of co-governance between the court and the martial world.
The martial world forces were unwilling to provoke the court, and with neighboring nations watching from all sides, the Great Li court also didn't have many ways to deal with those martial world people who from time to time violated prohibitions with martial force.
According to what Cang Yinyue said, the situations in the other four great dynasties were similar to Great Li.
The situation in Great Wu to the north was even more severe, with the entire dynasty almost showing signs of being controlled by several top martial world sects. This was also the reason Cang Yinyue was unwilling to deal with the Blood-Bathed Alliance. In the hearts of some martial world forces, they actually didn't take the court seriously at all.
Of course, Cang Yinyue wasn't afraid, but rather didn't want to create additional trouble to avoid uncontrollable factors appearing on this journey.
The remote mountain paths weren't easy to traverse, but they had the advantage of nice scenery.
Li Musheng's previous black-maned yellow horse had been sold halfway through the journey due to exhaustion from many days of travel, replaced with a mule-horse with better endurance.
Although this horse was cheap and didn't look good, it was excellent at climbing rugged mountain paths. It could use its four legs to climb even the most winding and twisting road sections.
"Cool breeze chases clouds to this place, the horse carries me to the mountain peak!"
In the vast verdant mountain forest, Li Musheng lightly patted the horse's back, humming a little poem as he and Cang Yinyue traveled together on the winding steep path.
In the vast wilderness, the two people and two horses appeared extremely small.
Cang Yinyue remained cold in expression, eyes looking straight ahead. Along this journey, she had discovered that Li Musheng was somewhat strange.
Although due to staying in that small city's martial arts school, his knowledge of current events was very limited and he needed to ask her about many things.
However, his ability to absorb information was very strong. He understood things at a single point, and some of his insights were even quite unique.
Moreover, he would occasionally come up with phrases she'd never heard before, and often when she pondered these phrases carefully, she discovered they were extremely incisive.
Cang Yinyue saw many contradictions in Li Musheng.
For example, his martial arts, that acupoint sealing technique that even made her wary, and that attitude of sometimes joking around, sometimes showing a carefree manner as if seeing through worldly affairs...
Overall, he just gave people a strange feeling.
"Hm? Miss Cang, look, are there people on the opposite mountain?"
At this time, Li Musheng suddenly spoke, interrupting Cang Yinyue's thoughts.
Her gaze sharpened as she looked in the direction his finger pointed.
Sure enough, she saw that several li away among the densely distributed trees, there were vaguely three people leading horses, hurrying along a mountain path with heads down.
The three figures would occasionally be obscured by brambles and branches, but with slight discernment, one could see they were traveling in the same direction as them.
"Looks like these people have the same idea as you, planning to take a detour through here." Li Musheng stroked his chin.
"The mountain paths in this area are extremely hidden. Ordinary people wouldn't think the same as me to pass through here toward Jing Province."
A gleam flashed through Cang Yinyue's eyes. However, when her gaze turned, she saw Li Musheng had already patted his horse's back to continue forward.
He didn't seem to find anything odd about suddenly encountering a group of strangers in this deep mountain forest.
"Be careful."
Cang Yinyue reminded him once, though she wasn't too worried about Li Musheng.
After all, in situations without preparation, even she had no way to resist that miraculous acupoint sealing technique of his. His self-preservation should be no big problem.
Before long, the people on the opposite mountain path also discovered Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue.
While feeling very surprised, they also became extremely vigilant.
Not only did they keep staring at them, their hands never left the knife hilts at their waists as they walked, as if they might draw their blades and attack at any moment.
Finally, both parties happened to meet at a fork in the road ahead.
For a moment, Li Musheng's group of two and the other party's group of three both stopped.
Li Musheng observed the people before him: two men and one woman.
A heroic-looking woman wearing green fitted clothes with a blade at her waist, a young scholar with a gaunt face carrying a book basket, and a middle-aged man wearing a conical hat, also carrying a blade.
Cang Yinyue was likewise observing the three people. Her gaze focused on the middle-aged man for a while, then lingered briefly on the woman and scholar before suddenly speaking, "Which general's subordinate are you? Where are you currently stationed in the imperial capital?"
She asked this looking at the middle-aged man. After hearing her words, his face clearly showed a trace of astonishment.
Cang Yinyue calmly explained, "Your steps are steady and powerful, your breathing rhythm is distinct. You should have practiced the 'Mountain-Shaking Fist Technique' from the Great Li military, so you're probably someone from the armed forces."
"Additionally, although your blade looks ordinary overall, the hilt's design is quite exquisite and unique. It should be from the 'Yanbing Pavilion' in Shangyang City."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's gaze changed. Then his entire aura suddenly rose rapidly, with martial Dao true qi faintly flowing through the hand gripping his blade hilt.
He gazed at Cang Yinyue and said in a deep voice, "Miss has a sharp eye. Being able to discern these origins of mine, you must also be from the imperial capital, and definitely not an ordinary common woman. I wonder if Miss is returning to Shangyang City on this journey?"
"That's correct."
Cang Yinyue nodded, then suddenly sneered, "From the looks of it, you should be under General Wu'an's command, either belonging to the Wu'an Army or a personal guard from his residence."
Hearing this, Meng Shan's expression showed great shock again.
His gaze quietly narrowed, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes as he asked, "How can Miss tell?"
"From your martial Dao true qi. You cultivate the 'Chongyuan Technique.' This is the main technique practiced in the Wu'an Army."
Cang Yinyue's voice was calm. Sitting upright on her horse's back, she remained unmoved by the killing intent the other party had just revealed.
Meng Shan was suddenly stunned. He stared at Cang Yinyue in silence. After quite a while, he slowly nodded, "To even recognize this, it seems Miss's identity and background are quite extraordinary."
At this time, Li Musheng, who had been like an invisible person beside them, suddenly lightly clapped his hands in admiration, "Miss Cang is truly amazing. Perceiving the minute to know the significant, well-informed and knowledgeable. This truly opens one's eyes. Six Doors not inviting you to solve cases is their loss."
Having said this, he glanced at the middle-aged man opposite them and said, "I can see you're not bad people. Since we're going the same way, let's travel together. We can look out for each other on the road."