Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 34

Yun Qing was walking normally when suddenly her expression tensed.

Ahead, someone jumped down through a window with a sword and rushed straight at her.

Yun Qing had suspected someone wanted to harm her, but didn’t expect them to act so soon.

She unsheathed her sword with a metallic ring to meet the enemy.

Jiang Baiyu was the second to draw his sword, followed by Fu Xue and Cheng Suiyan.

The person clearly had some skill, leaping and jumping several times to reach them quickly. While thrusting their sword toward Yun Qing, they said, “All of you step back, I only want to—”

Yun Qing used just one strike.

One strike that deflected the opponent’s blade, seemingly light but powerful enough to make the young woman’s hand go numb. Her precious sword flew from her grip and embedded itself in a nearby doorpost.

Afterward, Yun Qing habitually followed up with a kick. Having noticed the opponent’s extremely ordinary swordsmanship, she didn’t use much force in this kick.

The woman was kicked in the chest and flew away like a sheet of paper, spitting blood in midair.

She only landed after flying about twenty feet.

Yun Qing really hadn’t expected this woman to have such mediocre swordsmanship and to be so easily kicked.

During their brief exchange, she sensed the opponent had no cultivation whatsoever. For someone of this level to try to ambush her was truly insulting.

Bystanders screamed at the sudden conflict, scattering with their heads covered. The area around Yun Qing’s group emptied in the blink of an eye.

A group of men rushed over, followed by a crowd of people. One of the men crouched down and picked up the young woman.

The woman opened her eyes in his arms, wiped away the blood from her mouth, pointed at Yun Qing’s group, and said in a delicate voice, “Those wretches! Arrest them all!”

Weapons were drawn with a collective metallic sound.

People on the main street retreated far away, though many couldn’t suppress their curiosity and stood watching from a distance.

Even Li Siniang peered out from her window, but quickly shrank back into her carriage when she saw the group of people holding gleaming weapons that looked threatening.

The coachman hid behind the carriage.

There were about twenty people armed with knives approaching. When they rushed forward, Yun Qing gripped her scabbard with her left hand and tossed it at them.

The three-foot scabbard carried tremendous force, like an enormous invisible hand striking the crowd. More than twenty people were knocked backward, many falling and groaning in pain.

After hitting its mark, the scabbard returned to Yun Qing’s hand like an intelligent pet.

Jiang Baiyu couldn’t help but silently cheer.

Yun Qing stood tall, her red clothes fluttering, her face severe. She pointed her dark sword at the woman and said coldly, “My sword doesn’t cut the nameless. May I ask your honorable name?”

The woman wore pink clothes with red leather boots. Her accessories weren’t many but were all dazzling. At this moment, she was pale-faced and refused to speak.

The man supporting her was elegantly dressed with refined manners. Seeing the situation, he said, “A misunderstanding! Just a misunderstanding! Please calm down, my lady.”

Fu Xue said sarcastically, “Now that there’s a sword at your throat, you want to be calm?”

The man’s face turned awkward at her words.

As people from the ground started to get up, the man handed the injured woman to a sharp-featured man in tight clothing, then walked up to Yun Qing. He bowed deeply to them and said:

“I am Chu Yanchuan. This is my sister Chu Yanhe. The child was impudent and has offended you all. Please forgive her. However, my sister truly didn’t mean to ambush this lady; she only wanted to practice swordsmanship with you.”

All four of them were stunned.

Fu Xue asked curiously, “Her swordsmanship is so terrible, yet she wanted to practice with the most skilled person? Is she crazy?”

Chu Yanhe’s face turned bright red. Clutching her chest, she said, “Ai Ge, why are you still talking to them?”

Yun Qing asked, “Isn’t your surname Chu? Why is she calling you ‘Ai Ge’?”

The question made Chu Yanchuan blush as well. “I’m the second son in my family.”

“Oh, so you’re ‘Er Ge’, but she has a speech impediment,” Fu Xue couldn’t help laughing. “She has trouble pronouncing ‘er.'”

Chu Yanhe became so angry she started squealing incomprehensibly and tried to step forward again, but was stopped by the sharp-featured man.

Yun Qing said, “Since it’s just a misunderstanding, let’s disperse. We need to continue our journey.”

Chu Yanchuan bowed to her again and smiled, “We’ve greatly offended you today. Another day when you’re free, we will certainly visit to apologize properly. For now, we won’t delay your business.” He stepped aside to make way.

“No need to be so polite,” Yun Qing said. The group continued walking. After a few steps, they passed a door and saw a sword embedded in the doorpost.

Yun Qing pulled out the sword and threw it back toward Chu Yanhe.

The sword handle flew toward Chu Yanhe, who raised her hand and caught it.

“Your swordsmanship isn’t bad either. Don’t underestimate yourself,” Yun Qing consoled her.

Chu Yanhe burst into tears with a “wah.”

Yun Qing: “???” She didn’t understand.

She rubbed her nose and asked the other three, “Did I say something wrong? Why is she crying?”

Jiang Baiyu, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, said, “Well, your tone was a bit harsh.”

Cheng Suiyan: “And your expression looked somewhat insincere.”

Fu Xue: “It is a bit insulting.”

Conclusion: Better not to have said anything!

Finally, Cheng Suiyan consoled Yun Qing, “It’s fine. You’re the Immortal Lady Yun. She should count herself lucky that you condescended to comfort her!”

Fu Xue: “Young Master Cheng, I warn you, don’t try to take my position. The best lackey by my senior sister’s side is always me, and can only be me.”

“Please, Fu Xue, can’t you have some dignity?”

“Well then, tell me, if I let you have this position, would you take it?”

“Absolutely! No take-backs! From now on, I am the best lackey at Yun Qing’s side!”

“How dare you, Cheng Suiyan! Take my sword!”

Jiang Baiyu watched them bicker and shook his head, “So childish.”

****

The Liu family was a prosperous household living in a house built of blue bricks. Mulberry trees and elm trees were planted in front of the house, along with a tall osmanthus tree that appeared to be at least two hundred years old.

At this time of year, the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom, filling the air with a rich, sweet fragrance, as if golden honey were silently flowing through the air.

When they entered the Liu household, Yun Qing pretended she had taken a wrong turn while buying sesame oil. She opened her celestial eye and walked around the Liu house, but as expected, found no wandering earth souls.

However, under the osmanthus tree, she saw a female ghost in red clothes who appeared dazed and wooden.

Yun Qing asked Li Siniang if there had been any haunting or strange incidents in the area.

Li Siniang shook her head and pointed at the osmanthus tree, saying, “The only remarkable thing is that in summer, it’s especially cool under this osmanthus tree. The neighbors all like to enjoy the coolness here.”

Yun Qing thought to herself, how could it not be cool?

After learning that the female ghost had done no evil, she questioned the ghost further.

This female ghost was a lost soul who kept saying she was waiting for someone here. She knew nothing about the surroundings, so Yun Qing let her be.

Li Siniang still had some hope that with noble people escorting her, perhaps her in-laws wouldn’t drive her away again out of respect for these dignitaries. So she led Liu Sanlang into the courtyard.

However, as soon as they appeared, her mother-in-law chased them out, brandishing a broom.

Yun Qing saw Li Siniang quietly weeping while holding her child and felt this situation couldn’t continue. They couldn’t keep her with them, first because it was inconvenient, and second because it would be dangerous for Li Siniang.

Thinking this, Yun Qing reached for her money pouch, intending to give Li Siniang some silver to help her settle somewhere.

But Cheng Suiyan moved even faster, directly producing a bank note and saying, “Take this money and set up a small business. It’s enough for you and your son to live on for a lifetime.”

Li Siniang refused to accept it. “Noble ones, you saved me, and I already don’t know how to repay you. How could I take your money?”

“Take it. Consider it a gift for the child.”

Li Siniang accepted the bank note with trembling hands, then knelt down and kowtowed.

Cheng Suiyan quickly helped her up.

Yun Qing said, “We suspect your son isn’t the only one who has lost his soul, so we plan to stay in Linglong City for some time to investigate this matter properly.

If you need to find us, go to… well, go to the largest and finest inn in Linglong City.” She knew without asking that this would match Cheng Suiyan’s taste.

Fu Xue said, “Don’t worry too much. Our Longshou Sect is very powerful. We might be able to find your son’s earth soul.”

Li Siniang nodded excitedly.

After saying goodbye to Li Siniang, Yun Qing’s group did indeed go to the largest and finest inn in Linglong City.

On the way, Yun Qing found a few simple-looking beggars and examined their bones along with Fu Xue, while teaching Cheng Suiyan the bone-reading technique. In the end, they discovered, just as they had suspected, that these people had all lost their earth souls.

……

The largest inn in Linglong City was called “Fusheng Residence.” Not only were the rooms comfortable and impressive, but the food and wine were also exceptional, and they even sold aged wine brewed by descendants of the Chu family.

The group ordered a table full of dishes and wine, eating and chatting.

Cheng Suiyan asked, “Could those people’s earth souls have been eaten by some demon? Just as some demons like to eat wealthy people, perhaps there are demons that love to eat earth souls.”

Yun Qing replied, “It’s hard to say right now. Such demons do indeed exist as you described. But there are many reasons why people lose their souls—some are frightened, some are under illusions, and others have their souls captured to forge magical treasures.

The only clue we have now is that Linglong City has offended the mountain god, but we don’t know what this mountain god looks like, where it is, or whether we can find it.”

They discussed these matters in the inn’s main hall, not bothering to avoid others.

At a neighboring table, four men were eating. One of them, about forty years old, fat with a round face and sparse beard, overheard their conversation and turned around to interject, “The mountain god is certainly on the mountain.”