Volume One: The Wild Child Chapter Forty-Eight: News of an Old Friend

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"Xiao Lin, what kind of thing have you brought back this time?"
In the end, it was Liu Qingshan who could not suppress his curiosity any longer and turned to question Lin Changtian.

It was hard to blame the old man for being nosy, for at this moment Xie Daoyun’s appearance was truly too peculiar—his clothes were in tatters, and remnants of the martial apparatus still clung to him.

Lin Changtian scratched his head, tapped on the bound and bundled Xie Daoyun, and spoke slowly, "Elder Liu, this fellow should be the commander of the Lin clan's legion. The others around him are his personal guards. It took me quite some effort to capture him."

"Oh? Then tell us about it." Seeing Lin Changtian’s smug expression, Liu Qingshan didn’t interrupt but instead smiled and made a show of listening intently.

Lin Changtian winked at the people in the courtyard for a long time before clearing his throat with feigned solemnity and began, "Well, this is exactly what happened to me. You wouldn’t know how fierce the battle was that day. The defenders of Ru Zhou were on the verge of losing the inner city. With a single long blade, I cut down a thousand warriors and fought my way out of the encirclement. But the defenders of the inner city had set up some kind of formation, and it let Wei Shaoqing ascend several realms in succession. How could I let such an opportunity pass by? I followed them out of the city, and just by holding my blade horizontally, these fellows immediately begged for mercy. With my Buddha-like compassion, I could do nothing but bring them here."

Xie Daoyun’s face was full of helplessness, but as a prisoner, he could say nothing. However, Zhang Wenshu behind him could not hold back her fiery temper and immediately cursed, "That’s utter nonsense! Our Wangchuan legion doesn’t even have a thousand officers in total, and most of our brothers died at the hands of that old man. What’s it to you? And as for how you caught us—you know very well you disguised yourself as Xie Shuai’s personal guard and trailed us for over ten miles before daring to make a move, then ambushed Xie Shuai. You really have no shame. Since we have fallen into your hands today, just get it over with!"

"Oh?" Lin Changtian blinked innocently, replying, "Your unit isn’t that large—surely the Lin clan didn’t send just one legion to die?"

Zhang Wenshu snorted coldly and said with disdain, "The might of the Lin clan’s soldiers is overwhelming. Within half a month, the Gonggong legion’s iron hooves will flatten all of Ru Zhou!"

"Enough!" Xie Daoyun frowned, his gaze sharp as he scolded, "Say another word and you’ll reveal all our military secrets!"

Liu Qingshan’s smile broadened. He waved his hand, stopping whatever Lin Changtian was about to say, and instructed, "Xiao Lin, take these people and lock them in the side house. I’ve set up a barrier—they won’t escape."

Lin Changtian nodded without another word.

Time slipped by unnoticed as the sun gave way to the moon.

The lights of Ru Zhou city were dim, but the white banners of mourning had multiplied. Wailing could be heard everywhere, as if every household was in mourning.

In the side house of the courtyard, Xie Daoyun was admonishing his own adjutant. "Wenshu, your idea wasn’t wrong—playing the reckless brute and feigning to leak information to protect us. It might work on ordinary people, but those two are not so easily deceived by a few words from us."

Zhang Wenshu looked confused. "But, sir, aren’t they just a green-faced young lad and an old man near fifty? How could they be so formidable?"

Xie Daoyun’s tone was full of resignation and he smiled wryly, "Think about it. After this battle, how high must the bounty be for the Lin clan members in Ru Zhou? Yet they capture us and don’t hand us over to the authorities—there’s already plenty of hidden intentions here. And more than that, the pressure I feel from that old man is not unlike the one who annihilated our Wangchuan legion that day."

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"How could that be!" Zhang Wenshu couldn’t help crying out, then hurriedly lowered her voice. "Isn’t it bad enough that Ru Zhou has one ‘monster’? If there’s another, even the Gonggong legion will be doomed."

Xie Daoyun calmed down, speaking with a touch of self-mockery, "When Lin Su and I were fighting the Zhou clan, things got out of hand. He even drove me from the command tent during a council. Later, I managed to slip across the river, took Xin City, and regained some pride—made Lin Su lose face in the army. But now, if he really captures Ru Zhou with the Gonggong legion, who knows what fresh humiliation awaits me."

Zhang Wenshu sighed as well. So much hard-earned merit, all lost in the battle for Ru Zhou. "Commander, I can’t speak for others, but you watched me grow up. Wherever you go, I go. If you live, I live. If you die, I die!"

Xie Daoyun patted Zhang Wenshu on the shoulder, putting aside his worries. He joked, "Your path of growth has been full of twists—almost had to start over from scratch. All right, I’ll level with you. That old man’s depth aside, even that young man beside him could take us both down, believe it or not?"

Zhang Wenshu shook her head. Even without martial apparatus, she was a veteran of over a hundred battles. How could she lose to a slick-talking kid who loved sneak attacks?

Seeing her expression, Xie Daoyun understood and knocked her on the head. "How many times have I told you—not to be fooled by appearances! His tricks may be underhanded, but in a fair fight, you’d still lose."

Zhang Wenshu pursed her lips and kept silent, her face nearly spelling out her defiance.

"There was a time in Fan City, in the Shanhe region, when a stranger injured Lin Mingren, one of the Three Elders. Have you heard of that?"

Zhang Wenshu swallowed hard. "My word, don’t tell me he’s the one who did that to Elder Lin? Ru Zhou is outrageous—where do they find these monsters?"

Xie Daoyun shook his head, ignoring her, and continued, "He didn’t injure the Three Elders, but I was lucky enough to see some confidential documents. The so-called leader of the ‘Godmaking Project’, Zhang Cheng, was killed by his blade. Didn’t you undergo modification in the same batch as Zhang Cheng? You’ve heard of his strength, surely?"

Zhang Wenshu was dumbfounded, standing silent for a long time. During the gene upgrade tests, Zhang Cheng used to thrash her soundly. If this lad had finished off Zhang Cheng, and with such devious methods... the thought sent shivers down her spine.

...

In a corner of the courtyard, another conversation unfolded in the night.

As Xie Daoyun guessed, their clumsy act didn’t fool Old Liu the Fox and Lin the Clever. But at the moment, Lin the Clever was not happy—because Old Liu the Fox had docked his dinner, justifying it by saying: "You brought them in, so if you want to show compassion, use your own rations."

"Xiao Lin, stop sitting on the wall. Come down and play a few games of chess with me," Liu Qingshan called out cheerfully.

Lin Changtian glanced at him and replied, "I don’t know how to play Go."
"How about Gomoku?"
"That too!"

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"Well, aren’t you proud. Come down, I have serious matters to discuss with you. Otherwise, you won’t get any food tomorrow," Liu Qingshan said with a laugh as Lin Changtian sulked atop the wall.

Hearing the old man threaten his lifeline, Lin Changtian muttered curses under his breath, baring his teeth as he walked over.

"In the days to come, you’ll have to manage on your own. Chen Mo will arrive soon, and I must take a trip," Liu Qingshan said, stroking his beard.

Lin Changtian’s eyes lit up. He suppressed his smile and said with feigned seriousness, "Is it urgent? Don’t worry, I’m here. And when you return, take your time—don’t rush and risk those old bones of yours."

"Oh? Aren’t you curious where I’m going?"
Lin Changtian pursed his lips, thinking the old man must be a hopeless wayfarer, afraid of getting lost with no one to find him. But what was it to him? He grumbled, "Go wherever you like, just don’t come back here. I must have terrible luck—cooking for you all these days, always sent into danger, and when there’s nothing to do, you beat me for fun. What’s the difference between you and Yu Baili!"

"Ha! You’re clever. I’m heading to the Northern Domain, and it seems you have many complaints about Yu Baili. Fine, I won’t mention you to him," Liu Qingshan teased, hiding his amusement.

Lin Changtian’s eyes went wide, then the annoyance vanished from his face. He grinned obsequiously, trying to please Liu Qingshan, "Oh, why didn’t you say so? I’ve been rash—please don’t take it to heart. Could you deliver a letter for me? By the way, why are you suddenly heading north?"

Liu Qingshan stretched lazily and gestured toward the teapot. Lin Changtian hurried to fetch fresh tea before Liu Qingshan continued, "Actually, Chen Mo sent word several days ago, but with the Lin clan’s invasion, it wasn’t the time to tell you. According to Yu’s intelligence, the Northern Domain is now completely under Yu Baili’s control. But he did something puzzling—after taking control, he didn’t rebuild the border towers, but after a fierce battle with a mysterious expert, he severed the connections between Qishan and Lianshan at the border, blocking all entry. No one knows what he intends."

"Yu Baili conquered the Northern Domain so quickly?" Lin Changtian asked in disbelief. Before he left, Yu Baili and Chen Ziliang had only just taken Sis Mountain and Yi Mountain.

Liu Qingshan’s expression turned odd. After a long pause, he said, "Word is, he put on a spectacle, using the height of Sis Mountain to broadcast his victory across the Northern Domain. He drew all the leaders of the region’s powers, and anyone who defied him—regardless of size—he killed. Then he had the corpses carried to their factions to persuade surrender. As always, those who refused were wiped out. Within half a year, every notorious figure in the North now bows to Yu Baili."

Lin Changtian looked both amused and exasperated. After a moment, he muttered, "That’s so like Yu Baili. What about my other companions?"

Liu Qingshan thought for a moment before answering, "I don’t know if these are your companions, but besides Yu Baili and Shen Yian, two veteran border guards, a few new talents have emerged. There’s Chen Ziliang, unmatched in the North with his spear; Xu Yong, who reversed the tide at Changqiao Mountain with a single instant of ice; and a chubby fellow called Kui Sheng, famed for his unpredictable movements—he’s fought seventy-two battles, and his presence has cowed many veteran generals. That’s all I know—are any of them your companions?"

Lin Changtian beamed with delight. "All of them!" He wasn’t surprised by the first two, but that Fatty’s name had become so renowned thrilled him.

Liu Qingshan looked him up and down, secretly impressed though he showed nothing on his face. He said casually, "Well, it seems you’re the least accomplished among your group. By the way, can you guess my purpose in heading North?"

Lin Changtian shook his head honestly, admitting ignorance.

Liu Qingshan finally turned serious, his tone solemn. "I am going to persuade the generals of the Northern Domain to march out!"