In the carriage.
Jiang Ning's gaze inadvertently shifted to the right, toward the forest.
The next moment.
His eyes suddenly focused.
In the woods, a white-robed monk stood barefoot on the ground, a vermilion mark between his brows, his appearance strikingly youthful.
Noticing Jiang Ning's gaze, the monk smiled.
His face was as fair as jade, his lips red and teeth white.
At this moment, as Jiang Ning observed the white-robed monk, his heart grew heavy.
Because before his eyes had landed on the monk, he hadn't sensed the monk's presence at all.
Even now, aside from visually perceiving the white-robed young monk, it was as if such a person didn't exist in the world.
"Unity of man and nature, harmony with the heavens?" Jiang Ning murmured inwardly.
Unity of man and nature.
This phrase appeared frequently in Daoist texts.
Moreover, Lin Qingyi had once explained to him that achieving this state of mind would allow one to become a Heavenly Master.
Could this white-robed monk be a Heavenly Master?
Meanwhile.
The white-robed monk, looking at Jiang Ning, also revealed a trace of surprise in his eyes.
Among the Six Divine Powers of Buddhism, he had preliminarily mastered the Heavenly Eye and Heavenly Ear.
With these two powers, his vision was unobstructed, capable of seeing what ordinary people could not, and hearing the joys and sorrows of all living beings, as well as every sound in the world.
As he observed Jiang Ning, his expression gradually grew solemn.
"What a formidable physique, what an astonishing body!"
"At such a young age, his physical strength is actually on par with mine!"
The next moment.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he was about to scrutinize further.
But then he closed his eyes, suppressing the impulse.
Restraining curiosity was also a form of spiritual cultivation.
For a fleeting moment, the thought had arisen in his mind to fully activate the Buddhist Heavenly Eye.
The instant he began, he immediately quelled the distracting thought.
He knew that even if he used the Heavenly Eye, others might not notice.
But he could not deceive his own heart.
Yet, he couldn't help feeling astonished.
"Indestructible Vajra Body!"
"He also possesses the Indestructible Vajra Body?!"
In that brief moment when his Heavenly Eye opened, he glimpsed the patterns beneath Jiang Ning's skin.
Meanwhile.
At the same time, Jiang Ning suddenly felt as if he were being scrutinized.
An inexplicable emotion surged from the depths of his heart.
It was like an emperor being insulted by a commoner, or the heavens being defied.
The Heavenly Eye between his brows opened on its own, sweeping a glance toward the white-robed monk.
Thud, thud, thud
The white-robed monk felt as if his brow had been struck, staggering back several steps.
He opened his eyes, his expression filled with shock as he looked at Jiang Ning.
"Was that the Daoist Heavenly Eye, the Martial Heavenly Eye, or the Eye of Heaven?"
From what he knew, those who possessed the Heavenly Eye would reflexively retaliate when probed by others of their kind.
What had just happened was precisely the backlash from the Heavenly Eye.
At that moment.
A shout came from the front of the caravan.
"Everyone, let's get moving!"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning looked ahead and saw that the bald monk blocking the road had already ordered his men to clear a path.
Negotiations had concluded, and the necessary toll had been paid.
"That went smoothly," Jiang Ning thought to himself.
By now, the carriages at the front of the caravan had already begun moving.
He withdrew his gaze once more.
Then, he glanced again at the white-robed young monk.
The monk met Jiang Ning's eyes and offered an apologetic smile.
"Friend, I meant no offense. My apologies!" A clear voice rang in Jiang Ning's ears.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded slightly from afar.
Now he understood that the earlier sense of being scrutinized had come from the white-robed young monk.
And the spontaneous activation of his Heavenly Eye had also been triggered by the monk.
Though he still had questions, he sensed that this mysterious young monk bore him no ill will.
With that, he averted his gaze.
The caravan's carriages soon resumed their journey, slowly proceeding along the official road that cut through Twin Sun Mountain.
A short while later.
Once the entire caravan had moved far ahead.
The burly monk returned to the side of the white-robed young monk.
"Junior Brother, you see? I'm always reasonable! As long as they pay, I let them pass without trouble."
"And if they don't pay?" asked the white-robed young monk, his lips red, teeth white, and face as fair as jade.
Hearing these words,
The burly monk gripped his heavy staff and slammed it into the ground.
Boom
Dirt flew everywhere.
"Then I'll let my staff have a proper conversation with them."
Upon hearing this, the young monk in white robes said, "It's fortunate you didn't act, Senior Brother."
"Why do you say that, Junior Brother?"
"There's a formidable expert among that merchant group!"
"How formidable?" the burly monk asked.
"Likely no weaker than me!"
"Impossible!!" The burly monk immediately shook his head repeatedly.
He continued, "Junior Brother, you are the reincarnation of the Buddha, one of the few in our temple who has received the Bodhisattva Precepts. In this small Dongling County, the number of experts who can rival you can be counted on one hand. How could such a person appear in a random merchant group?"
The young monk in white robes smiled faintly. "There are always greater masters beyond our sight and heavens beyond our skies. How dare we underestimate the heroes of this world?"
"Junior Brother, who is this person you speak of?"
The young monk in white robes thought for a moment.
Then he said, "A youth like me, at the rear of the merchant group."
"That's even more impossible!!" The burly monk shook his head again. "To rival Senior Brother is already nearly unthinkable, let alone someone as young as you!"
After a pause, he added, "If such a person truly existed, his name would already be renowned throughout the land, shaking the world."
"Before long, Senior Brother will surely hear of this person's rise to fame!" the young monk said.
Luoshui County.
Canglang Martial Hall.
Yu Manyun gazed at the battered old man before her, lost in thought.
For days, she had pressed Wang Jin about Jiang Ning's whereabouts, but he had refused to yield, leaving her empty-handed.
Just as she was about to give up, interrogating a few of the martial hall's disciples unexpectedly yielded a clue.
Jiang Ning had taken his entire family to Dongling City.
Her eyes flickered between Wang Jin and the three disciples beside her, her expression shifting between hesitation and calculation.
To kill or not to kill?
She was torn.
Days of interrogation had already turned Wang Jin into a sworn enemy.
She knew that if given the chance, Wang Jin would not hesitate to strike back at her in the future.
But that wasn't what worried her.
At his age, Wang Jin had barely touched the threshold of the sixth rank in martial arts hardly a threat to her.
The only person she truly feared was Jiang Ning.
Trained in both internal and external arts, a sixth-rank martial artist.
Though he and Wang Jin shared the same rank, their significance was worlds apart.
Because Jiang Ning was too young.
More than a decade younger than her.
Youth was an advantage, youth had boundless potential, and youth had an infinite future.
Even she couldn't confidently claim that Jiang Ning would never surpass her one day.
After a long silence, she turned and left.
Her actions over the past few days had only sown enmity, not an irreparable blood feud.
But if she killed Wang Jin now, attempting to silence him forever
If this were ever exposed, she would be forging an undying vendetta with Jiang Ning.
In this era, the murder of one's master was no different from the murder of one's father.
As she stepped out of the martial hall, she glanced back one last time.
"Fine. I'll leave room for reconciliation," Yu Manyun sighed, adjusting the bamboo hat on her head before walking away.
Behind her, inside the martial hall.
"Traitor!" Wang Jin roared at the disciple beside him, his face twisted in fury. "A backstabbing traitor!!"
The disciple shrank under Wang Jin's glare.
"Master, I was only thinking of your well-being!" he pleaded dramatically. "If we hadn't revealed Senior Brother Jiang's whereabouts, that woman might have lost patience and killed you!"
"Besides, Senior Brother Jiang is so strong. Even if she finds him, she might not be his match."
"And the road to Dongling City is long. It won't be easy for her to track him down."
Wang Jin was filled with regret.
He never should have revealed Jiang Ning's destination in front of his disciples.
At the time, he hadn't thought much of it Jiang Ning's trip to Dongling City wasn't some secret mission, so there was no need to hide it.
So when his disciples asked, he had casually mentioned Jiang Ning's plans.
But now, a formidable woman had suddenly appeared, forcing him to reveal Jiang Ning's whereabouts.
He had endured the torture, but in the end, the information had slipped from his own disciples' mouths.
The thought made Wang Jin curse again: "Traitor! Once I can move, I'll make you regret this!"
Hearing this, seeing the rage on Wang Jin's face, the disciple's eyes flashed with malice.
If I'm going to do it, I might as well go all the way!
A dark thought crossed his mind.
But when he noticed the other two disciples nearby and remembered Wang Jin's long-standing authority, his resolve wavered.
The moment passed.
Meanwhile.
Yu Manyun swiftly left Luoshui County, galloping along the official road straight toward Dongling City.
Dongling City.
When the merchant caravan caught sight of Dongling City, smiles broke out on everyone's faces.
Long journeys and arduous travel were never easy, no matter the era, especially in these times.
For merchant caravans on the road, aside from a few brief days of rest in towns along the way, most of the time was spent camping in the wilderness.
The food was poor, and sleep was hard to come by.
Under such conditions, the hardship was undeniable.
Jiang Ning stepped out of the carriage.
Before him, the city walls stretched like a crouching dragon, towering twelve or thirteen zhang high (approx. 40 meters).
Beyond the outer walls, he could make out even taller inner walls.
Judging by Dongling City's layout, it was clear that the entrance led to the western district.
The even more imposing walls behind marked the eastern district as a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, a veritable paradise of prosperity.
The western district served as Dongling City's first line of defense, while the eastern district was its next barrier.
"So this is Dongling City? Truly magnificent!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Walls standing twelve or thirteen zhang high were something unseen in his previous life. He had once visited the oldest and largest surviving ancient city walls from that era the Jinling City walls yet they only reached twenty-six meters in height.
In contrast, Dongling City's walls soared close to forty meters.
The eastern district's walls, visible from here, were undoubtedly taller perhaps fifty meters or more, maybe even seventy or eighty!
"Staggering!"
He marveled inwardly at the sheer scale.
Meanwhile, at the city gates of Dongling City...
Two men clad in black-and-gold uniforms, with ring-pommel sabers hanging at their waists, scrutinized the long line of people entering the city.
"Brother Xu, any idea when Jiang Ning will arrive?"
"No clue."
"Brother Xu, we've been standing guard here since last night, and we still haven't spotted him. According to the message from Luoshui County, he should've arrived yesterday! Who knows if he's even coming to Dongling City at all?"
"Patience."
"Brother Xu, this damned assignment is driving me crazy! Standing here all day without a moment's rest it's beyond tedious!"
"Hold on. No matter how slow Jiang Ning is, he'll show up within a day or two. At most, we'll only be stuck here for three days."
"Brother Xu, if we have to stand guard for three days, I'll lose my mind!"
"Even if you go mad, you'll have to endure it. Jiang Ning isn't some nobody he's an official of the eighth rank. Now that something's happened to his master in Luoshui County, we have to inform him."
"Brother Xu, speaking of which, his master was unlucky. Who knows what kind of powerful enemy Jiang Ning provoked to bring such misfortune upon him?"
"..."
Elsewhere...
After the merchant caravan came to a halt, Liu Guangqi approached Jiang Ning.
"Brother Liu!" Jiang Ning greeted.
"Scholar Jiang, Dongling City lies just ahead!" Liu Guangqi pointed toward the city.
Jiang Ning cupped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you for your care along the journey, Brother Liu."
Liu Guangqi laughed heartily. "It was nothing."
Then he added, "If you run into any trouble in Dongling City, come find me at the Herbal Hall. I'll be staying there for the next month."
"Many thanks, Brother Liu!" Jiang Ning bowed slightly.
This middle-aged man had shown him kindness from the moment they left Baisha County, treating him with warmth and consideration despite not knowing his background.
It was only last night that Jiang Ning learned the merchant caravan had initially been reluctant to take him in.
After all, the five taels of silver he'd paid weren't even enough to cover the toll for crossing Twin Sun Mountain.
The only reason they'd allowed him to join was Liu Guangqi's intervention seeing him as a scholar heading for the examinations. The caravan had agreed out of respect for Liu Guangqi.
Though Jiang Ning didn't need the caravan's protection, he was still deeply grateful to Liu Guangqi.
To help a stranger to this extent was rare indeed.
After a brief exchange, Liu Guangqi hurried back to the front of the caravan.
They had preparations to make for entering the city.
For merchant caravans, entry wasn't as simple as it was for ordinary travelers. They had to pay an entry fee and grease a few palms to avoid harassment from the city guards.
At that moment, carried by the wind, Jiang Ning overheard the caravan owner speaking to Liu Guangqi.
Once again, he detected the woman's veiled reprimand toward Liu Guangqi.
His inclusion in the caravan had been Liu Guangqi's doing a decision made first and reported later.
This wasn't the first time Jiang Ning had heard the woman use this matter to admonish Liu Guangqi.
She'll never achieve greatness.
Jiang Ning shook his head inwardly.
During his two days with the caravan, he'd learned of its origins.
This caravan belonged to the Su family of Baisha County a dominant force in the local herb trade.
The woman was one of the Su family's direct descendants, and leading this caravan to Dongling City was a test assigned by her clan.
The more impressive her performance, the greater the responsibilities she would be entrusted with in the future.
That was why, at Twin Sun Mountain, she had sought to recruit the towering monk.
In this world, without martial prowess, great endeavors were difficult to achieve.
The bigger the undertaking, the greater the stakes and without strength to deter others, one would inevitably be exploited, drained dry.
Thus, the Su heiress needed such a formidable figure to anchor her ambitions.
Jiang Ning shook his head, brushing aside the distracting thoughts, and chose to ignore the murmurs carried by the wind.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader