Volume One: The Wild Youth Chapter Fifty-Seven: Return

“Northern Territory?” Lin Changtian looked at Chen Mo in confusion, waiting for him to continue.

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, sorting through the intelligence gathered over the past days, before he spoke slowly, “This matter begins with Elder Liu. After he went to the Northern Territory in search of someone, he lost contact. Yet, just a few days before we left for Ru Zhou, he suddenly sent a letter, and the powerful cultivator who saved you in Ru Zhou City also appeared at that time.”

Lin Changtian showed no surprise, seeming more curious about Elder Liu. “So this young-looking master isn’t from ‘Yu’? What complaints did Elder Liu write in his letter this time? Was it the same as always—grumbling about your ineffectiveness, dragging things out day after day?”

Chen Mo could only give a helpless smile; after all, he had taken far too long to report to his superiors. When Elder Liu was still in Ru Zhou City, ten of eighteen letters each month berated him for delays and mishaps. But Chen Mo couldn’t be blamed—‘Yu’ had always kept clear boundaries with Wen Yuan Divine Continent, and it was asking too much for ‘Yu’ to interfere in Wen Yuan’s internal affairs merely on Elder Liu Qingshan’s word.

“This time, Elder Liu is not complaining. In the letter, he insisted you return to the Northern Territory after leaving Ru Zhou. Little Lin, you’d better read it for yourself.”

Lin Changtian furrowed his brow, took the letter, whose handwriting was still vigorous and bold, and the envelope well protected. He turned it over and over; it contained only a brief message: “When affairs in Ru Zhou are settled, Changtian, return to the Northern Territory at once!”

“Well?” Chen Mo leaned over, watching Lin Changtian’s dazed expression. “What did it say?”

Lin Changtian remained silent, his mind turning over doubts: “Since it involves the Northern Territory, why send it through someone else? Could it be they want me to drag Chen Mo along as well?”

Seeing Lin Changtian ignore him, Chen Mo blew on his hands, preparing to give him a playful slap, but Lin Changtian suddenly snapped out of it, his gaze at Chen Mo strange, heated with a hint of ambiguity that made Chen Mo shiver.

“Brother Chen Mo, since it’s so, there’s no time to delay. I must trouble you to accompany me on this journey.”

“Me?” Chen Mo pointed at himself, somewhat bewildered. “I need to stay in Wen Yuan Divine Continent. If I leave my post right after arriving, won’t the superiors skin me alive?”

Lin Changtian shook his head, putting a finger to Chen Mo’s lips, face serious and mysterious. “Don’t you understand, Brother Chen Mo? Do you think that cultivator appeared out of nowhere? It’s all a test from your superiors in ‘Yu’!”

“A test? No one notified me. Great, my bonus will be deducted again this year.”

“No, no, this is a different matter. This test is ‘Yu’s’ way of nurturing you. Think about it—why would a powerful cultivator suddenly show up to help, except as a sign from your superiors, urging you to follow Elder Liu closely? It’s a matter of great importance, so naturally, they had to use such means.”

Chen Mo was a little muddled by all this, but on reflection, Lin Changtian’s words made sense. Almost against his will, Chen Mo hesitated before speaking, “Since things have come to this, shall we pack up and leave tonight?”

“Brother Chen Mo, how can you still not understand? We must set out now—straight to the Northern Territory!”

...

Within the borders, the scenery changed with the seasons, but outside, the snow never ceased.

Chen Ziliang lay hidden among the hillsides, clutching the wound on his chest, like a lone wolf watching his prey below.

His spear trembled in his hand; he had lain in wait for over two days.

Had he not faced countless life-and-death struggles over the past year, this injury alone would have been enough to send Chen Ziliang to the underworld.

But he had no other choice—mercy had never been the creed of the Northern Territory.

So the spear flashed forth.

...

A sliver of light, clean and swift. It stirred only a few fallen leaves, and when it returned to earth, it bore no trace of dust.

The snow still fell.

His clothes were muddied, but the sachet Lin Xiaoxi had given him remained intact, unsullied by any dirt.

He no longer had the strength to return it to its owner. Down the mountain, a group of figures appeared, noisy and formidable.

“Looks like I won’t be going home today. Ah, it does smell nice.” Chen Ziliang murmured, greedily inhaling the scent from the sachet pressed to his nose.

The herbs inside had long since lost their fragrance.

He buried the sachet in the earth, marking it with a sign only two people could understand, then raised his spear and charged toward the group.

He stood at the mountain pass, letting out a long roar: “Northern barbarians, do you recognize Chen Ziliang? Who wishes to die, or will you all become ghosts beneath my spear?”

Frankly, Lin Changtian was in a foul mood after the exhausting journey. The road was long, and upon reaching the Northern Territory, several scoundrels tried to rob him. He dealt with them easily, only for more to appear. When did the southern part of the Northern Territory become so chaotic? In the past, a bribe or a token payment ensured safe passage, and rival gangs would never fight in front of outsiders. Now, two groups of bandits met and fought each other instead of him.

“Absurd! Shouldn’t Yu Baili have unified the Northern Territory? Paying protection money to one group should suffice—where did all these factions come from? Things are even messier than when I left!” Lin Changtian grumbled to himself. If Chen Mo hadn’t insisted on caution, he would have slaughtered these scoundrels long ago, leaving them no room to act so arrogantly.

Just as his anger found no outlet, someone challenged him from the crowd. Lin Changtian ignored the latter half of the speech, leaped several yards high, and slashed with his blade. Chen Ziliang refused to be outdone, his spear flashing silver against the blade’s blue light. Their weapons clashed, and at last, they recognized one another.

“Chen Ziliang!” “Lin Changtian!”

The two fools had run into each other. Four eyes met, and both breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Changtian’s face lit up with joy, but his brows quickly knitted in worry as he saw Chen Ziliang’s unsteady posture. He hurried forward to support him, saying, “Ziliang, what happened to you? Such serious injuries! Where are the others?”

Chen Ziliang leaned on Lin Changtian’s shoulder, weak as could be, murmuring, “Go to Si Mountain first, we must. Don’t go back to Yi Mountain!”

With that, he collapsed into Lin Changtian’s arms, losing consciousness.

...

Below Yi Mountain, countless corpses paved a stairway ascending the slope. Lin Changtian shielded the eyes of Chen Yixiao and Wei Mou, carefully following Chen Mo who led the way.

The other members of ‘Yu’ carried Chen Ziliang forward, moving cautiously as if afraid one misstep would plunge them into this sea of blood.

Lin Changtian’s face was beyond grim—once, Si Mountain had been lush and green, one of the few verdant places in southern Northern Territory.

It was said that the aura of the Celestial Python blessed this land, making it a paradise.

But now, what words could describe its state? “Mountain of corpses, sea of blood” seemed inadequate.

Vitality had fled; only death remained.

...

As the group reached a clearing halfway up Si Mountain, a pack of burly men suddenly surged from the undergrowth, their leader a giant nearly eight feet tall.

The fat man’s face was fierce; he pointed at Lin Changtian’s group and shouted, “Which band of thieves are you? From the west or the north?”

Lin Changtian took no offense, instead laughing and calling out loudly, “Son of the Kui family, do you still remember Lin Changtian?”

The fat man called Kui Sheng paused, his eyes wide as he stared, then tossed aside his weapon and ran to Lin Changtian, clutching him tightly, tears and snot smearing all over Lin Changtian.

“You rascal, you’ve gained more wickedness than kindness since last we met. Looks like you’ve suffered plenty.” Lin Changtian didn’t mind the mess, laughing as he dragged Kui Sheng up the mountain. “Seems your weight’s gone up, too—and you’ve grown taller. What happened to bring things to this state?”

Kui Sheng wiped his tears and answered, sobbing, “Brother Lin, you’ve finally returned. I’ve hoped for a year, and now it’s happened at such a critical moment—joy and sorrow mixed together.”

Lin Changtian sighed, patting Kui Sheng’s head. Having grown up together, he knew Kui Sheng’s temperament well; clearly, he had suffered much during this time.

“We met Ziliang on the road—he was gravely wounded, barely rescued. How did Si Mountain become like this? Where is everyone else?”

Kui Sheng glanced behind Lin Changtian, spotted the still-living Chen Ziliang, and relaxed. He spoke slowly, “No one knows what happened to Commander Yu—he left with Shen Yian without warning. If it hadn’t been for Elder Liu Qingshan arriving to search for someone, none of us would have survived the descent from Yi Mountain. Oh, Brother Lin, when Elder Liu came and we learned you were safe, our joy was boundless. Come, let’s head up; everyone’s been talking about you for days.”

Lin Changtian nodded, remarking offhandedly, “Was it those leaders subdued by Yu Baili’s force who took advantage of the chaos? Hmph, Zhang Yi’s methods are lacking.”

At the mention of “Zhang Yi,” Kui Sheng’s eyes filled with blood, his knuckles cracking as he ground his teeth. “That wretch secretly colluded with those scoundrels to stir up trouble. After all the days we spent together, so many brothers who’d survived the gates of hell were betrayed and slaughtered by him on Yi Mountain!”

“With so many women and children behind Zhang Yi, isn’t he afraid?”

The fat man sneered, contemptuous. “He used to have a shred of humanity, but once that passed, the beast in him showed itself. Any woman with a hint of beauty was used to win favor, claiming that Northern women had hard lives and should find husbands early. As for children and elders, those he could use he kept, the rest he slaughtered, with no regard for morality! If he ever falls into my hands, I’ll cook him alive!”

Lin Changtian saw the murderous intent on Kui Sheng’s face and sighed, moved by how much had changed. Once a gentle scholar, immersed in poetry, now he was a fierce bandit of the Northern Territory, brutal and wild.

Yet perhaps that was for the best—in troubled times, survival required strength.

“Kui Sheng, rein in your anger. Let’s wait until we see Elder Liu Qingshan before making judgments. With him here, the situation won’t be so dire.”

Kui Sheng nodded, clapped Lin Changtian’s shoulder, and pulled him in front of the group, shouting to the burly men, “Listen up, sons! This is my elder brother, the direct disciple of Commander Yu—show your respect!”

One by one, the unruly toughs became meek as lambs before Kui Sheng, kneeling with their weapons and crying out in unison, “Salute to Commander Lin!”

A tiger’s army, roaring like thunder.