A merchant carriage made its way along a winding dirt path, pulled by two large black horses. An old coachman held the reins, but it was the figure seated beside him that stood out. Dressed in fine white silk robes with intricate golden thread details, the young man sat with an otherworldly elegance that seemed out of place in the dusty wilderness. Though his features were quite ordinary, he exuded an aura of supreme confidence and superiority, as if he were a favored son of the heavens who could do no wrong. The young man was Chen Kang!
Behind the carriage, the sun was setting on the horizon, turning the sky into red hues.
"Young master, night is soon to fall. Would you like me to find a spot to camp?" the old coachman spoke. Chen Kang agreed with a gesture as he looked around.
The carriage pulled out from the road into a nearby patch. As it stopped, the coachman jumped down, inspecting a tool chest attached to the side of the vehicle.
Behind the carriage, several young men descended. Xiao Shan descended last after Li Mo, his face revealing an empty expression.
For the last few hours, he had zoned out as he ignored the yapping of the pair of Chen Kang's lackeys. Beside him, Li Mo was not faring much better, his eyes betraying a lost expression.
"Senior brother, allow us to set up camp!" excitedly, one of the lackeys quickly pulled a box from the carriage. Inside, a nice-looking tent set was pulled out to set up Chen Kang's tent.
As the tent was being set up, Xiao Shan looked for a place to sit cross-legged.
"Junior brother, what are you doing? You need to set up your tent," Chen Kang remarked as he threw a bag to Xiao Shan. "Remember to keep appearances," he said nonchalantly as he passed by and walked into a tall tent set up next to a campfire.
Xiao Shan frowned as he looked for Li Mo. Li Mo was setting up his own reed tent. Xiao Shan was a bit flustered as he understood that to avoid suspicion, he had to act more like a mortal, so sleeping in a tent was normal.
The bag contained a simple reed tarp and a couple of poles to make a tent. Xiao Shan recalled how things had changed since becoming a cultivator. In the past, he would have had to worry about making such sleeping arrangements, but now he had replaced sleep with deep meditation, which served to slowly improve his cultivation while keeping him rested.
Once the tent was set up, Xiao Shan got inside to meditate. However, not long after, he was interrupted. "Fellow disciple Xiao Shan, the first night shift turn is yours. Don't be lazy; stay on guard and keep the campfire going," the voice was one of the lackeys.
Xiao Shan frowned. He was not aware of when the turns were decided, but then thought getting the first shift was not bad. He went out and sat by the campfire. "Wait until the next turn comes to switch with you," the lackey said before entering his tent.
As Xiao Shan sat looking at the crackling fire in contemplation, a loud thud sound beside him startled him, interrupting his thoughts. "Don't slack and forget to keep the fire running." The lackey had come back to toss him a pile of wood, after which he went back to the tent.
Xiao Shan looked at the lackey's tent for a good while with a frowning expression. He then stood up and did a round patrolling around the campsite.
As he neared the carriage, he saw the old man settling himself into blankets in the driver's seat. Xiao Shan looked at him with an expression of pity. Chen Kang had even dragged this old man into this mission and made him sleep in the coach.
The old man looked at Xiao Shan and chuckled. "This old man is a member of the Chen clan. Although I did not achieve success in cultivation, I'm no ordinary mortal. There is no need to worry about me," the old man said as he gave another chuckle.
Xiao Shan was startled. His eyes narrowed as he focused his senses. He could feel a faint trace of spiritual energy coming from the old man, giving him the feel of a first level of Qi Condensation.
The old man took out a gourd, taking several loud gulps. He smacked his lips, letting out a grunt in satisfaction before putting the seemingly empty gourd away. "The young master can be a bit overwhelming, but he is a good person underneath..." The man looked at the moon in the sky with a sigh. "Very, very deep underneath..." Then he tucked himself down, falling fast asleep with a deep snore.
Xiao Shan was taken aback, but after seeing the elderly man fall asleep soundly, he decided to just finish his patrol and go back to the fire.
The night proceeded uneventfully. However, time passed and nobody came to replace him. He gritted his teeth as he thought of waking one of the lackeys up.
"Brother Xiao Shan, what are you doing here?" A familiar voice reached out from behind. Li Mo walked by and sat by the fire.
"Uh?" Xiao Shan was surprised to see Li Mo. "Brother Li Mo, is your turn next?" he asked with some doubt in his mind.
"Yes, now is my turn. However, I did not expect to see you since my turn came after Chen Wei." Li Mo frowned as he briefly glanced at the lackey's tents. However, he felt as if the light from the campfire had flickered unnaturally as a cold chill ran through his spine. His pupils narrowed as he looked back at Xiao Shan. "Brother Xiao Shan..." he blurted out. However, he quickly saw Xiao Shan's face merely furrowed, as if what he saw before had been merely his imagination.
Xiao Shan gave an exasperated sigh. "No matter, I'll take my leave. Don't worry, brother Li Mo." He stood up and went to his makeshift tent to meditate.
As Xiao Shan sat, sweat rolled down his forehead. A moment ago, he felt like something had taken over him, just for a slight moment. He looked at his hand; warm red drops rolled from small wounds. He had clenched his fist hard enough to burrow his nails into his palms.
He spent the last few hours before daybreak meditating, stabilizing his mind.