The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 40 Dugu Xin leaves An Island, Han Yue seeks out friends

Five days have passed since Qi Yuan and his group left An Island. During these days, it has been raining on and off, only stopping occasionally.

The island's fishermen no longer went out to sea, and the people of Sword Immortal City stayed at home and did not go out. Only the carriages of the wealthy traveled on the road to the markets they frequented.

"It's been raining for days. I wonder where Qi Yuan and the others have gone," Qiao Zhi said with a sigh, looking at the rain in the courtyard.

"The rain has been on and off, and I don't know when it will stop. I hope they can have a safe journey," Hua Xi said with a sigh.

The day before yesterday, taking advantage of a break in the rain, the group hired a carriage from Meng'an Inn and moved to Bili's courtyard. Also the day before yesterday, Dugu Xin left An Island.

The courtyard had been cleaned spotlessly by the laborers Qiao had hired, and the items purchased from the market had been put away.

Qiao Zhi kept two of the temporary laborers he had hired as long-term workers, and because of Ji Mi, the city lord's mansion sent two maids.

Qiao Zhi is very good at taking care of the yard, but his cooking skills are just average. He and Wei Er are discussing going to the market and various restaurants to find a chef when the rain subsides.

The small, three-courtyard house became lively and gradually came to life. The group no longer had to live a life of constant fear and trepidation as fugitives.

The front yard, the central courtyard, and the back yard all seem to have returned to their original state.

……

Before leaving An Island, Dugu Xin went to the fifth peak behind the mansion of Sword Immortal Chen City Lord.

The scenery in the back mountain is completely different from that in Sword Immortal City.

Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, there is no trace of human activity in these mountains; it looks like a primeval forest, a stark contrast to the bustling city life.

The scene that came into view reminded Dugu Xin of the blessed land that everyone in the martial arts world longed for.

Dugu Xin stood at the foot of the mountain for a while, then walked to a slightly flatter area to prepare to go up the mountain to see Ji Mi.

It had just rained heavily, and the mountain road was muddy. Even though Dugu had internal energy protecting him, he dared not make any rash moves. If he were to use his lightness skill rashly, he might slip and tumble down the mountain.

The mountain peak wasn't very high; the sky was simply blocked by trees. Following the path carefully, Dugu quickly reached the mountainside and saw an extremely simple mountain gate, or rather, a makeshift doorway made of bamboo.

"Who are you? What brings you to my Fifth Clan?" A mountain boy appeared before Dugu Xin from inside the gate.

The mountain child's expression and tone were calm; he was simply asking a question and showed no fear or arrogance.

Dugu Xin couldn't help but admire them. The Sword Immortal Sect was able to protect the peace of this region, probably not only because of their swordsmanship and martial prowess, but perhaps more so because of their character and cultivation.

"My name is Dugu Xin. I would like to meet Ji Mi, the disciple you recently accepted," Dugu Xin replied.

Who are you to him?

"His sister is my betrothed."

"Okay, I'll go and inform them right away."

The boy walked steadily and quickly along the muddy mountain path, each step landing firmly on solid stones—a skill he must have honed through frequent travel in the mountains.

A short while later, Shan Tong brought Ji Mi down the mountain.

Dugu Xin was somewhat surprised to see Ji Mi descending the mountain and asked, "I heard from Wei Er that you suffered a serious injury, but you recovered in just three days?"

"No, but after taking the elixir, moving around freely is no longer a problem."

"Mmm," Lonely Heart nodded, and continued, "Then can you go down the mountain now?"

"Okay, there's no homework today, but you have to come back for class tomorrow."

"I'm leaving An Island. Study hard, and you'll be responsible for protecting your sister."

Ji Mi nodded, without asking Dugu Xin why he couldn't stay.

"I know the sword techniques of the Sword Immortal Sect are more than enough for your cultivation. However, I still want to teach you a set of mental cultivation methods. It will ultimately benefit your swordsmanship."

……

Han Yue has been in Tongren County for four nights now, and Lanxi County has not sent any troops to demand his return, perhaps because of the rain.

Han Yue could only helplessly sample the local delicacies under the persuasion of Magistrate Fei of Tongren County. However, he still couldn't find Fan Ye and his band of mountain bandits.

Finally, on the fifth day, news arrived, and it came from the palace.

After hearing the imperial decree, Han Yue knew that he could no longer find Sanmu through Fan Ye, and he would have to think of other ways.

"Prime Minister Han, since the Emperor of Southern Han has issued an edict, you may accept the reward and return home. I will naturally send men to escort those bandits to the capital." Magistrate Fei said to Han Yue with a smile.

"Magistrate Fei, I still have the same request. Could you allow me to meet with Fan Ye? I want to try and find out the whereabouts of our grain official," Han Yue asked, still hoping for the best.

“Now that things have come to this, I won’t hide it from you anymore,” Magistrate Fei paused for a moment before saying, “The night I invited you back, I sent men to escort those bandits to the provincial capital of my Mengma province overnight. They are probably being taken to the capital by now.”

Han Yue wasn't too surprised. He had already considered several possible outcomes over the past few days, and this was one of them—the bandits were no longer in Tongren County.

"Then Magistrate Fei should send troops to continue suppressing the bandits in the mountains and eliminating the remaining ones." Han Yue wanted to confirm Magistrate Fei's attitude for the last time.

"Of course, these bandits robbed Taihe Money Exchange in our county, a crime that cannot be forgiven. Now that they have been taken to the capital to be beheaded and displayed to the public, it is naturally a great relief to the people. Perhaps the whereabouts of the money are currently unknown. I, like the magistrate of Lanxi County, have lent you some manpower, and I hope you can lead us to find the remaining bandits." Magistrate Fei's words took shamelessness to the extreme.

"Yes, Han Yue will certainly live up to your expectations." Han Yue smiled bitterly to himself, cursing the magistrate of Fei County as a complete scoundrel.

……

In the northwest of the eastern continent of the Floating Life Continent, not far from Free City, miners are working in an orderly manner in a mine.

In recent days, a considerable number of colorful stones have been unearthed, and the foreman's mood has improved significantly, with the number of times he has wielded his whip decreasing.

Every colorful stone unearthed by a miner had to be wrapped in oiled paper by a little boy, and then carried onto a minecart by others to be transported out.

Outside the mine, an elderly man with white hair walked into the mine. This man was none other than Shi Qingfeng, the elder of the Shi family.

"Master, what brings you here? I've been keeping an eye on this mine, and production has been steadily increasing. No one dares to cause trouble." A middle-aged man greeted him. This man was Shi Qingfeng's third son, Shi Chuan, and also Shi Hao's father.

Shi Qingfeng did not reply, but pointed to the pavilion where Shi Chuan had been sitting and walked over there.

Two days later, Shi Qingfeng said to Shi Chuan, "The five-colored stones alone are not enough; we need an altar. I'll have Lao Si come and guard it in a couple of days."

After finishing his sentence, Shi Qingfeng looked at the little boy in the mine and continued, "He's the only one right now, so don't let him work too hard. It's okay if the output is a little low. In a couple of days, go to Western Shu and take a trip to the Black Forest to see if there are any other people like him among the Sleepless Clan."

"Yes, Master." Ishikawa nodded.