Upon seeing the cloud pattern, the experiences from ten years ago surged back into Li Guanyi's mind.
Having concealed his identity for a decade, he had been evading pursuit for ten years. This period had been relatively peaceful, but now, that illusory tranquility, as fragile as foam, was shattered. The cloud pattern from ten years ago reappeared, the scent of blood lingering at the tip of his nose. The strong man's grip was as ironclad as a vice; no matter how hard Li Guanyi struggled, it was of no use.
The strong man rested one hand on his waist knife, his fierce eyes sweeping left and right.
No one around dared to speak, only the muffled cries of pain and gasps from the three martial men could be heard.
These cries of pain only made the onlookers' faces turn even paler.
This was the largest apothecary on the old street of Guan Yi City. The three hired martial men usually trained their strength with grinding wheels, capable of easily chopping through thick tree trunks the size of a bowl, yet now they were kicked down and unable to rise. The crowd merely covered their mouths and noses, their faces filled with panic.
Looking at the young man being lifted by the neck, they could only feel deep sympathy.
Only the Old Shopkeeper of Huichuntang hurriedly bent down and jogged over, a flattering smile on his face. He grabbed the strong man's arm while stuffing a bulging pouch into his sleeve, humbly smiling and saying:
“It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! This military sir, is there some kind of misunderstanding?”
“Our Huichuntang is a time-honored brand in Guan Yi City, conducting honest business and always abiding by the law. How could we possibly harbor a criminal wanted by the court? Is there some misunderstanding? Let’s discuss this slowly.”
“This child is in poor health; if he causes a death, it would not be auspicious for you, military sir.”
The strong man glared angrily and shouted, “Hmph, slippery-tongued old pig, are you saying I’m wronging you?”
With a casual toss, he flung Li Guanyi away. As he reached out, the bulging pouch fell into his own robe. Perhaps due to the Old Shopkeeper's timely bribe, Li Guanyi was not smashed against the wall but rather landed heavily on the table, which cracked with a loud snap. The young man fell heavily to the ground.
A flash of red light flickered within the bronze cauldron in his chest, and Li Guanyi felt a sharp pain in his back, yet his lungs were unharmed. His back was likely already bruised and swollen, and he barely managed to turn over, hiding his face as his heart momentarily calmed down—
They were not here for him.
The Old Shopkeeper was there, pleading and making all sorts of excuses, even mentioning connections with some important figures in the city, but it was of no use. The strong man raised his hand, and a group of knife-wielding men rushed into Huichuntang like madmen, violently searching, overturning the medicine cabinets.
In just the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, Huichuntang was left in disarray.
Different medicines were piled on the ground, various medicinal scents wafting through the air, and every room was turned upside down. The Apothecaries and doctors of Huichuntang looked pale, their hands and feet weak, standing amidst the chaos, wanting to speak but unable to utter a sound.
Li Guanyi lay on the ground, watching as a young man stepped inside.
The strong man hurriedly stepped forward, bowing and saluting, saying, “My lord.”
The young man waved his hand, stepping over Li Guanyi with his spotless boots, seemingly disgusted by the scattered medicinal materials on the ground. He stepped on the young man's back, causing immense pain, but Li Guanyi remained silent.
The young man was dressed in clean, luxurious clothing, his right sleeve hanging down, densely adorned with white cloud patterns. He said lightly:
“Didn’t find anything?”
The strong man respectfully replied, “We’ve searched several times, and indeed found nothing.”
The Old Shopkeeper smiled apologetically from the side.
The young man didn’t even glance at him, merely nodded slightly and said, “It seems the thief is cunning, Old Shopkeeper…”
The Old Shopkeeper hurriedly said, “Yes, yes, what do you command, my lord?”
The young man raised his hand and took out a scroll, suddenly shaking it open, revealing a drawing of a middle-aged man.
The man had curly hair and a fierce gaze; even in a drawing, an imposing aura made one’s heart tremble, as if encountering a human-shaped azure dragon. The Old Shopkeeper shivered and instinctively said, “No, I don’t know him…”
The young man looked at him, a glimmer flashing in his eyes as he used a secret technique to confirm that the Old Shopkeeper indeed had not seen this man.
He slightly raised his chin, and the strong man threw a piece of paper over, shouting:
“Get all the medicines on this list for me!”
The young man said lightly, “The fugitive has been injured; he needs these medicines for healing.”
“The medicines from your place have been requisitioned by the government. Once we capture the wanted criminal, they will naturally be returned in full.”
The Old Shopkeeper felt a wave of despair, nearly crying out.
How could the government’s requisitioned items possibly be returned?
But seeing the ferocity of the strong man, he dared not speak back and could only watch as these knife-wielding men took away all the medicines, including most of the nourishing herbs like ginseng and lingzhi. The Old Shopkeeper knew this was a blatant act of robbery, and he could only seethe in silence.
The young man in black with cloud patterns walked out, the strong man following closely behind, bending down to assist the young man onto his horse. The strong man looked around and, with a flick of his hand, nailed the scroll to the sign of Huichuntang. The scroll unfurled, and he shouted loudly, “This man is a major criminal wanted by the court, intending to break out of prison. Anyone who discovers his whereabouts should report to the government.”
“If it’s true, a reward of five hundred taels of silver will be given.”
One tael of silver is worth a considerable amount, approximately one hundred to two hundred coins.
Five hundred taels would amount to sixty thousand coins.
A hefty reward!
The onlookers immediately understood that this was indeed a vicious criminal. To be labeled as attempting a prison break, what kind of prison break would warrant such a high bounty? Regardless, this person was certainly extremely dangerous.
This group of people came and went like the wind, swiftly rushing towards another large apothecary.
The strong man galloped like a flying horse, laughing beside the young man, “My lord, you are brilliant! That thief is heavily injured and must need these medicinal materials for healing. Let’s clear out the medicines from the surrounding cities; let’s see how he can heal without our help!”
The young man said lightly, “Yue Qianfeng’s martial arts are unparalleled, possessing the Dragon and Tiger Dharma form, ranked forty-second on the Dharma form list.”
“Even if he was injured by the Great General and the current female sword immortal of Luzhou Sword Pavilion, it wouldn’t be so easy for him to die.”
“Moreover, the tracking hounds have already been dispatched.”
The strong man was momentarily stunned, then suddenly enlightened, laughing, “I see! We’re openly collecting medicinal materials to force Yue Qianfeng out, but in reality, we’re just putting on a show to deceive him. If he comes out, that’s best; if he hides in suspicion, once the tracking hounds arrive, we can naturally find him!”
The young man said, “There’s a third reason.”
The strong man listened attentively.
The young man slowly said, “The government office is short on medicine.”
He sat high on his horse, looking down at the passing commoners, saying lightly, “We protect the common people; without us, how could they have good days?”
“Just borrowing a bit.”
“This is a good opportunity, saving us the trouble of finding another excuse to take medicine. These commoners can be of use to us; it’s also a contribution to the country, which is a matter of honor.”
…………
“Ouch, it hurts.”
“Ah—be gentle, be gentle…”
“It hurts!”
Inside Huichuntang, there was a chorus of lamentations. Some were tidying up the medicines, while others helped the three martial men up. Old Doctor Chen helped Li Guanyi up, looked at the young man’s bruised back, sighed, and said, “You’ve taken quite a fall, but thankfully, your lungs are unharmed; that’s a stroke of luck.”
“I’ll prescribe some ointment for you; apply it when you get home, and you’ll heal faster.”
Li Guanyi grimaced in pain, which made Old Doctor Chen chuckle.
The smile faded from the old doctor’s face as he looked outside, saying, “Alas… they come in force; I fear the apothecaries and clinics in the city will be ransacked. I don’t know who they are putting on a show for, but they’re back again.”
Li Guanyi said, “As long as it has nothing to do with us, that’s fine.”
Old Doctor Chen sighed, “Yes, these officers always act so tyrannically. Look at these medicinal materials; they’re either for nourishing qi or calming the mind. This time, it’s likely not because of any fugitive; they’re simply here to take what they need for their own cultivation.”
Li Guanyi took the medicine from the doctor’s hand and said softly, “Old Chen, too many ears around.”
The old man stopped talking, added some nourishing medicine to the young man’s prescription, patted his shoulder, and went about his business.
The customers in Huichuntang scattered, leaving the atmosphere inside heavy. Li Guanyi, having been injured, returned home early. On the way back, he bought a roasted chicken, a jar of old wine, and a few steamed buns, walking slowly. His home was somewhat remote, and he took a secluded path, where he was the only one walking.
Ahead was a dilapidated Mountain God Temple.
He stopped.
The bronze cauldron in Li Guanyi’s chest began to warm slightly.
The red liquid within the bronze cauldron slowly began to accumulate, the cold feeling of toxins being expelled once again, replaced by a healthy vitality. The bronze cauldron glimmered slightly, and a breath of energy flowed into his eyes, allowing him to see certain special existences directly with his naked eyes.
He raised his head, a faint azure light flickering in his eyes. In his line of sight, an extraordinary creature circled slowly above the Mountain God Temple.
Its red-scaled armor shimmered with clouds, quietly resting, the clouds seemingly connected to the mist at the horizon, behind it were the city, the scholars passing by, the bashful beauties, the trotting blue horses on the ancient path, the swaying doctors, and the laughing children.
All of this lay prostrate beneath this existence.
That being was so vast, so serenely gazing down at the small boy in front of the temple.
A dragon.
Li Guanyi steadied his mind, feeling the red liquid in the bronze cauldron gradually accumulating.
He lowered his head, ignoring the dragon, and entered the Mountain God Temple, which had seen few visitors in the past year.
Inside the dilapidated temple, he raised his head, his gaze skillfully landing on a barely noticeable corner.
There sat a beggar.
He had a stature that no ordinary beggar possessed, his tattered clothes stained all over. His eyes were closed, eyebrows unkempt, back straight, and his large hands rested on his knees. His hair and beard swayed in the wind as he sat quietly and calmly, like a tranquil tiger in the night.
He looked exactly like the person depicted in the scroll hanging in Huichuntang.
(End of Chapter)