Seeking Truth with a Sword

"Sewn up and bandaged." Li Ang used the gauze and bandage from his medicine chest to wrap Jiao Cheng's injured leg. He then put away the silver hook and silver thread and, with a piece of white cloth from his medicine chest, wiped his palms and the bloodstains off the surgical tools. Jiao Cheng seemed immune to the pain. He pinched his right leg, which had been tightly wrapped several times with the bandage, and with the support of Di Wu and the middle-aged Sword Cultivator, he got out of the carriage.

The breeze lifted the carriage curtains. Through the green shade of the bamboo leaves, one could see a flat-bottomed pleasure boat slowly approaching on the river not far in front of the carriage. Hanging on the side of the pleasure boat was the sign of a building in Pingkang Square—a sign that did not belong to Lotus House. The bamboo hat-wearing boatman at the bow, pushing a bamboo pole, brought the boat to a stop at the riverbank. Jiao Cheng turned around and said to Li Ang, who was still in the carriage, "Mr. Li, come with us, will you?"

"Where to?"

Li Ang did not ask why the other party was detaining him, nor whether they were aware of the potential consequences of doing so. Jiao Cheng was a smart man. There was no need to waste words. "I have already treated your leg injury. Tomorrow, I have my final exams at the Academic Palace."

"I know. If things go smoothly, tonight you, Mr. Li, could return to Chang'an with 10,000 strings of flying money in time to take part in tomorrow's final exam. Right now, we're just asking you to come along with us."

Jiao Cheng said hoarsely, "Please."

Jiao Cheng was adamant, even risking his right leg wound bursting open rather than resting.

They must have been planning this for a long time, and the situation is extremely urgent. This pleasure boat came from the northeast direction of Jinchang Square, heading southeast. That means the destination is... Yellow Channel.

Thoughts raced through Li Ang's mind. Are they trying to leave the city?!

The water system of Chang'an City in Yu Country is collectively known as the Eight Rivers and the Five Canals. The Eight Rivers are the eight rivers surrounding Chang'an City, including Hao River, Yu River, Jing River, and others. The Five Canals are the main channels artificially built to utilize the water from the Eight Rivers and introduce the water flow into the city. They are Qingming Channel, Dragon Head Channel, Yong'an Canal, Yellow Channel, and Cao Channel. The Yellow Channel is located to the southeast of Chang'an, being the main channel of Qujiang Pool. Following the water flow of Qujiang Pool, one can directly leave the city—there are simply too many pleasure boats commuting daily on Qujiang Pool, and now with the Ullambana Festival approaching, the crowds of visitors are thick. Even if the Government Officials, bad people, and garrison soldiers poured out, they might not be able to cover every corner.

Normally, only boats entering Qujiang Pool to enter the city had to be thoroughly searched, while those leaving the city received just a quick glance. This was especially true for a high-grade pleasure boat from Pingkang Square. In Pingkang Square, there were common terms like "leading a horse" and "staying overnight." "Staying overnight" meant exactly that, while "leading a horse" referred to taking a courtesan on an outing. Leading a horse out of the city, in particular, was not considered shameful among scholars; on the contrary, it was seen as quite chic and dashing. Many literati, high officials, and nobles engaged in this practice. Consequently, the soldiers responsible for patrolling and surveilling Qujiang Pool would naturally avoid embarrassing themselves by searching a high-grade Pingkang Square pleasure boat about to leave the city. What if they found a Prime Minister or a Chief of Staff inside? That would be quite awkward.

In the blink of an eye, Li Ang guessed Jiao Cheng and the others' plan. However, he kept his expression unchanged, picked up his medicine chest, and got out of the carriage. Under the watchful eyes of the two Sword Cultivators, he boarded the boat.

Inside the lavishly decorated pleasure boat, with its carved beams and painted rafters, sat several men with tattooed foreheads and a few women from Pingkang Square who looked somewhat nervous. Li Ang glanced at them, then found a spot to sit, clutching his medicine chest.

"Doctor Li, please."

Jiao Cheng and the others also boarded the pleasure boat. Di Wu came forward, handing over a black square cloth. Li Ang glanced at it, then took out the handkerchief Chai Cuiqiao had sewn from his breast pocket and blindfolded himself. The pleasure boat silently moved again. Sounds of music and the clinking of cups and chopsticks emanated from it, just like a regular pleasure boat.

Blindfolded, Li Ang quietly felt every turn of the boat, internally calculating the water's flow rate and the boat's speed. The pleasure boat left the creek and entered the waters of the Yellow Channel. Gradually, the sounds of other boats began to fill the air.

We've left the city.

Li Ang, aware of the boat's direction, felt a bump and a shake as the pleasure boat docked.

SWISH.

Sounds of people standing up surrounded him. Li Ang removed his blindfold to see Jiao Cheng, Di Wu, and the others walking out of the pleasure boat toward the bow. This place seemed to be a secretive forest, and in a clearing within, horses had already been prepared. Li Ang followed Jiao Cheng and the others off the boat, watching as the pleasure barge slowly sailed away. It joined other barges anchored in the middle of the river, where candles for evening illumination were lit.

"Mr. Li, you took the initial exam at the Academic Palace and ranked first in the Imperial Examination. You should be familiar with horse riding, right?"

Jiao Cheng lifted his chin slightly. With Di Wu's assistance, he mounted a horse and fastened the bamboo cane he never parted with to his waist.

Li Ang glanced at him, said nothing, and also chose a horse to mount.

The two Sword Cultivators constantly watched him from the corners of their eyes.

Li Ang did not doubt that if he made any unusual movement, the two Sword Cultivators would summon their Flying Swords and strike swiftly.

"Can your leg still hold up?" Li Ang asked indifferently.

Jiao Cheng grinned. "No need for Mr. Li to worry about this. Let's go."

With a flick of the reins, Jiao Cheng spurred his horse into a gallop. The two Sword Cultivators, Di Wu, and the tattooed men who had come down from the barge to meet them in the woods all quickly followed on horseback.

The path through the woods was rather bumpy, yet Jiao Cheng, his leg wrapped in bandages, did not slow down at all.

「An hour later」

Everyone stopped in a hollow between the hills. Di Wu was the first to dismount. He quickly determined the direction and strode to a withered pine tree, where he squatted to sweep away the fallen leaves, revealing a square wooden plank hidden beneath. Di Wu grabbed the copper ring on the plank and lifted the wooden door. Beneath it was a hole, half a zhang in diameter. Looking down, one could see a staircase sloping downward. Listening carefully, faint sounds of trickling water could be heard from below.

Chang'an Ghost Market...

Li Ang let out an imperceptible sigh. He had considered that Jiao Cheng and the others' destination might be here, but seeing it with his own eyes only deepened his confusion.

The Chang'an Ghost Market is a place for underground transactions, selling forbidden goods such as demons, Devils, and Aliens. Given Jiao Cheng's position in Chang'an City, his connections, and his wealth, he could have easily had his men leave the city to trade on his behalf and then find other ways to transport the goods back. There was no need for him to risk his own safety—there's no telling how many desperate fugitives and renegade Cultivators are hiding in the Ghost Market. If a conflict arose, even those two Sword Cultivators might not be able to protect him. Unless... he hasn't come to the Ghost Market to trade. Instead, it's for something else.

Di Wu was the first to descend the steps in the dark. He took a Fire Stick from his clothes and lit the torches on the tunnel wall. Jiao Cheng, leaning on his bamboo cane, limped forward. Just as his head vanished into the hole, he glanced back at Li Ang.

Still need to keep such a close watch on me?

Li Ang's brows knit together. He carried his medicine chest forward, myriad speculations arising in his heart. The risk of holding him captive seemed disproportionate to any benefit. Jiao Cheng was a rational and calm man; he wouldn't seek revenge merely because Li Ang had taken Song Shaoyuan and You Xiao six days ago—especially not after finding out the money Li Ang acquired came from Duke Yan Mansion. This visit to the Ghost Market had to involve something extremely important. Is he here to treat the mastermind behind the Ghost Market? Or perhaps...

Li Ang glanced at Jiao Cheng's right leg in front of him—a trace of blood was seeping out from beneath the bandage.

Jiao Cheng's injury wasn't a chopping wound from a sharp weapon, but a slashing wound. That's why it looked horrific but didn't hit the main arteries or veins, allowing him to hold on until it could be stitched up. The kind of attack that could cause such widespread and numerous slash wounds points to two possibilities. One, a Sword Master's Flying Sword. Two, the Innate Gang Wind.

Considering the Innate Gang Wind only exists at high altitudes, and Jiao Cheng's men who inexplicably suffered from high-altitude cerebral edema six days ago in an environment where it shouldn't occur...

Li Ang stared intently at Jiao Cheng's back as he reached the bottom of the steps.

This was an underground Dark River. Three wooden boats were chained to the riverbank. The river rushed unceasingly toward the deep cavern's darkness, an unfathomable and unknown abyss.