Wei Zhi sat hunched at the back of a hay-carrying cart, lost in his thoughts. His elderly frame and demeanor made him seem as if he was contemplating the sunset of life.
Wei Zhi looked at the dense forest on the horizon. "Huanmu Valley... never heard of such a place or forest." He looked at the mountain range in the other direction. "That fellow Chen said this was the Canglong mountain range. This place is so different."
"Immortals... the corpse may be one of such beings. The way he controlled nature fits the description." He stroked his pointy beard as he continued his train of thought. "However, how can all-powerful beings like that care for poor villages? The raiders Xiao Jian mentioned seem more like very skilled martial artists. Even in my world there were folks with such physical abilities."
As Wei Zhi went through all that he learned of this new place, night came and the caravan prepared to make a stop. In front of the caravan, a large shadow of the Canglong foothills filled the horizon.
Just like the lights of stars in the sky, fires turned on around the makeshift camp in groups. Wei Zhi walked around looking for the elder group.
Along the way he met some of the guards. They were young and middle-aged men. He noticed the cold gazes of indifference. As Wei Zhi walked around the camp, a guard called him out. "Old man, don't stray from the camp. We are busy and will not do anything if a beast eats you out there." Wei Zhi nodded, feigning ignorance as he kept walking around closer to the inner camp.
Eventually he found the group of elders he got acquainted with before. "Old Ji Fei, come and sit with us," waved a bald old man with a white beard. This man was Chen Fan.
"Greetings, fellows. Seems like we are getting close to the mountains." Wei Zhi sat with the group.
"Indeed. I think it will take a couple of days to cross the mountain range, and from there three days to arrive at the capital," Chen Fan said. His mood seemed to improve thinking about reaching the capital.
As the elders talked, Xiao Jian arrived with provisions. The same old hard bread. Chen Fan sighed. "At least it's not moldy. Ah, the capital. Fellows, let's go drinking once we arrive."
Laughs and banter could be heard as everybody started to contemplate a tomorrow they couldn't see before.
Xiao Jian sat with Wei Zhi. "Elder, I'm here to say goodbye." Wei Zhi looked at Xiao Jian. "I joined the caravan to look for my daughter. However, she is not here and I want to go back to look for her a little more." He took out a wood figurine. The figurine depicted a roc soaring in the sky.
Xiao Jian offered the figurine to Wei Zhi. "If you go to the capital, in the east there is a famous Xiao Carpenters. Give them this figurine and ask for help on my behalf. Tell them I will join later."
"Young man, I'm in my twilight years. I cannot guarantee I can carry on your message." He politely rejected. "Ah, you misunderstand me, elder. Use this to seek help if you need it." Xiao Jian took Wei Zhi's hand and put the figurine in his palm.
Wei Zhi felt his chest tighten. On one side, he barely knew the man and did not want to get too involved. However, the man's kindness made him remember his own son, who he had not been able to see in many years. He wondered if he was doing well.
He took the figurine at the end, putting it under his robes, nodding to Xiao Jian.
The last time he saw Xiao Jian, he was slipping through the darkness. Wei Zhi wondered if the man had actually left that night or the next day early. He would sometimes wonder what happened to him.
As the night settled in and groups broke to rest, Wei Zhi pondered on the straw cart. "Seems like staying in the valley would not be helpful. Nobody has seen immortals. I guess the capital may be a better place to look for clues on the Azure Dragon Sect." He held the jade pendant in his hand.
The next morning, the guards lined up the caravans to continue the journey. A young man in leather armor came by Wei Zhi's cart. "Old man, take it." He threw a piece of bread to Wei Zhi, who realized that Xiao Jian was really gone and somebody else was taking the task of passing out rations.
The clacking of the caravan continued as they started climbing the mountains. The path was wide enough for a whole cart to move through.
Eventually they reached an area where a river formed from a waterfall. The guards decided to rest the horses.
Wei Zhi noticed that an unknown man arrived. The man was wearing a loose black robe and was talking with the captain of the guards.
A moment later, the captain shouted, "We have news that another caravan is waiting just ahead for us. We have a mission to go back, so we will leave after."
There was some confusion among the people. "We need to take everybody on foot through the side path. The caravan is waiting shortly." Several guards started to dismount and help people get down the carts.
Wei Zhi found this a bit strange. He had an odd feeling about the man in black, so he stood at the back waiting to see. However, a guard came. "Come on, old man. We cannot leave anybody behind. Move out." Sounding more like a threat, Wei Zhi ended up leaving the cart and joining the group. However, he stood at the back.
As the caravan group moved through the path, they arrived at a large field. The path ended here. Only a large mountain loomed at the end.
Wei Zhi immediately tried to slip out. However, he found out they were surrounded by guards which were blocking the path back.
Wei Zhi felt a cold chill run through his spine.
A middle-aged man dressed in a black robe embroidered with red symbols appeared. His pale complexion, dark long hair, and sharp eyebrows gave him a sinister air.
"Greetings, immortal master!" The guards bowed to the man, which startled everybody.
The middle-aged man nodded, and other men dressed in similar robes came out of a cave. Wei Zhi immediately tried to leave. However, the guards drew their weapons and started to wrestle the people into the cave, where the black-robed men took them inside.
"What is the meaning of this?" screamed Chen Fan as the guards took him and other elders. They couldn't even fight back.
The scene quickly turned into a riot. Screams of young and elderly rang through as they were submitted by force.
Wei Zhi slipped by in the mess but got grabbed by a stocky guard. Fighting to free himself, he bit the guard's arm. The man let out a scream, his hand bleeding with a wound and teeth embedded.
Wei Zhi ran as hard as he could. As his mouth bled, however, just as he felt he was leaving everybody behind, a cold sensation wrapped over his legs. As if they were frozen, Wei Zhi lost his balance and fell. He looked back to find a thick grey smoke wrapping around his legs.
"I said I wanted every single piece. If you let this one escape, I will take you in his stead," said the middle-aged man as his hands moved, flashing incantation signs. Thick smoke swirled where he was standing.
"Yes, immortal master." The burly guard dropped to his knees in worship. He quickly ran to Wei Zhi to grab him. He also started to pummel him down in revenge.
Wei Zhi gritted his remaining teeth in fury. He tried to fight back, but the smoke held him to the ground. Memories of the past where he had been assaulted flashed through his mind as his vision grew blurry. As he was passing out from the strikes, he could hear the middle-aged man. "If the goods are too damaged, I will need an explanation."
The burly guard stopped punching. His blood turned cold as smoke started to coil around his neck.
"Old, young, it doesn't matter. Just bring them in." The middle-aged man walked out indifferently, leaving the guard also passed out.
The captain then arrived and dragged both Wei Zhi and the burly guard into the cave.
Inside, rows of cells carved out of the rock lined the hall. At the end of the hall, another stair led to darkness, likely more floors of cells.
The captain threw the burly guard into a cell, while he moved Wei Zhi to a separate cell along with other elderly folk.
"The harvest this time is a bit pitiful, but it will suffice," the middle-aged man said, walking into the hall. He flashed some incantations. The air seemingly started to vibrate. A very low hum could be heard across the hall.
The middle-aged man left the prison along with the guards, leaving behind the young and old, the men and women, all prisoners of despair.