The gates of the Wild Steppe Fortress, a lonely sentinel guarding the borders of the Great Li Dynasty, stood open wide. A scant regiment of light cavalry, a mere thousand strong, dared a rare night march. Yet, as their warhorses’ iron hooves hammered against the earth, the ground trembled in response, a relentless drumbeat that stirred the very blood.

Beside the Imperial Road, a warrior-general, his face etched with worry, reined in his steed.

A younger officer, a jagged scar marring his face, thundered up on horseback. Slowing to match the general’s pace, he murmured, “General Han, what is the purpose of this northward raid? Surely, the vast lands north of Wild Steppe Fortress do not harbor such a large band of brigands that would warrant our attention? And even if they did, surely it would not be our legion called upon to deal with them?”

The stout general’s voice was a gravelly rumble, “Questions unspoken are questions unanswered.”

The young officer merely grinned, ceasing his inquiries.

The Wild Steppe commander hesitated, as if the silence weighed upon him. He finally spoke, his voice hushed, “Not only are we from Wild Steppe taking to the field, but every fortress and garrison along the southern border has mustered nearly half its core light cavalry. Tonight, the Southern Winds Legion rides.”

The young officer’s jaw dropped. “The Quennial Spring Hunt, Summer Bloom, Autumn Chase, Winter Solstice? But the timing is off! We participated in last year’s Spring Hunt. Even if there were to be such a large-scale exercise, surely it would be held in the summer months?”

The general instinctively stroked the silken mane of his mount. “Upon reaching the designated rendezvous point, Imperial Edicts shall be delivered. Speculation is the realm of fools.”

—

**The Whispering Shrine of Bread Loaf Hill**

Two hundred leagues west of Red Candle Town, the Embroidered River, wide and swift, flowed around a small, isolated rise known to the locals as Bread Loaf Hill. Upon its summit sat a forlorn shrine to the Earth God, its incense perpetually burning. Legend claimed its blessings were potent, granting children to the barren and riches to the supplicant, a place of pilgrimage for wandering poets and dreamers. Yet, few of the local folk dared to offer prayers within its humble walls.

The twilight of late spring hung cold and oppressive. The river roared past, each wave catching the faint moonlight. A flash of emerald cut through the waters – a carp, three spans long, hurtling toward Bread Loaf Hill. What defied nature was the rider clinging to its back: a boy-sized figure clad in scarlet, his tiny fists clenched tight to the carp’s barbels as if they were reins. Soaked to the bone, his face ashen, the small rider cursed and railed against the heavens.

The carp slammed to a halt near the shore, violently tossing the scarlet-clad imp onto the muddy bank. Tumbling head-over-heels, covered in grime, the boy launched a tirade at the carp, now lazily drifting back across the river. “Rotten fish! The fault lies in the mother that birthed you!”

The carp swung its head, fixing the boy with a baleful stare. The imp squealed and, declaring himself “too noble to bicker with a wench,” fled towards the shrine.

The shrine door stood ajar. Scrambling over the threshold, he landed inside and faced the chipped and faded clay idol, placing his hands on his hips. “I almost drowned in the river, old one! Shouldn’t you be on your knees, ready to answer my call?! I will see to it that you pay for your insolence and have your head chopped right off!”

*Thump!*

The scarlet imp was kicked out of the shrine like a pebble.

A squat, barrel-chested man sat on the threshold, muttering, “A spirit created in this broken-down shrine, daring to call himself Lord before me?”

Birds of a feather, flock together.

The scarlet imp stumbled back, nursing his aching head. He slowly climbed back up to the threshold, wincing as he sat down, looking up with mournful eyes.

The man frowned. “What is it?”

The imp mumbled, “A little hungry.”

The man raised his hand as if to strike, and the imp covered his head, shouting, “It was news I overheard from the City God’s Pavilion, you skinflint! Imperial Edicts, from the Court of Rites and the Celestial Observatory! Every spirit, river deity, and mountain spirit within a thousand leagues of Red Candle Town is to stand ready for immediate deployment! No retreat, no seclusion! Those failing to answer the muster roll will be executed on the spot! I would not have delivered this warning if it weren’t for you! And I forgot, you aren’t a person anyway…”

This time, the imp was hurled back into the shrine by a slap.

The man rose to his feet, gazing towards Red Candle Town. With a stern expression, he reminded, “I left some food in the incense burner. Try to make it last.”

“Some consideration for once. I don’t know how you’ve managed to hold onto this position for so long. You’re the longest serving Earth God of the county! And not only is the relationship with your colleagues terrible, but even those shrimps in the Embroidered River won’t acknowledge you. Now, why did I have to be born in *your* incense burner? I should have found a better hearth for my next life!” the imp grumbled, but he did not waste any time as he scrambled up the incense table, burying his head in the copper incense burner, seven or eight of the incense sticks scattered over the table.

—

**The Apprentice and the Bookshop**

Returning to Pillow Post, Errand Master Cheng Sheng noticed the boy, Li Huai, alternating between furious glares and mournful sighs, as if wrestling with a life-or-death decision.

Finally, Li Huai stopped, gathering his courage. “Master Cheng, I have thirty copper coins. Could I buy a book from that shop we passed? What’s the cheapest book there? And… will I have any coins left over?”

The man, known as Master Cheng, almost chuckled. After a moment, he said seriously, “Difficult. That shop is renowned in Red Candle Town for being overpriced. Only bookworms seeking rare or obscure texts bother to frequent it. If you truly want to buy a book, I know of two large bookshops to the east, filled with Confucian classics, philosophical treatises, and tales of the strange and wonderful. I could haggle down the price for you.”

The stubborn boy shook his head. “No! It has to be the shop from earlier!”

These were all the savings that Li Huai had secretly accumulated, most of which he had stolen from his uncle’s house, and a small portion was from the private money of his sister, Li Liu.

Earlier at the bookstore, the impoverished scholar in the hemp sandals, the boy had seemed neither to be trying to appear extravagant by immediately buying a book that cost around ten taels of silver, or rejecting Li Huai.

Instead, he asked if Li Huai was able to understand the book.

This was a surprise to Li Huai. While he did say he could, the boy felt that it did not matter if he bought it or not, it was just for a quick read to pass the time, Li Huai was not really that interested in *The Shattered Cliffs*.

However, the fact that someone was willing to spend ten taels of silver on him did make Li Huai very happy.

Li Huai was not a fool. The boy knew when people were treating him well or not.

The hemp sandals, the bookcase that was yet to be made, and the *The Shattered Cliffs* meant that he owed the man too much. Li Huai felt that if he did not do something for Chen Ping An, he would not be able to feel at ease.

Actually, Li Huai did not like Zhu Lu. Even the fellow sufferer Lin Shouyi was someone he did not particularly like. Instead, it was Li Bao Ping who always bullied him at school who he felt was not bad.

Li Huai’s favorite was the devil-may-care A’ Liang.

As for that poor beggar from Mud Jar Lane, Li Huai was a little afraid of him.

At this moment, Errand Master Cheng Sheng looked down at the serious look on the boy’s face. He thought that it was as that man had said, that Li Huai had the constitution of an immortal. Some things, he was naturally more blessed with. He held back his laughter, and thought that now was a good opportunity to help this child, and it might form a great relationship. Being nice to someone, or to a thousand ordinary scholars, was far from forming a beneficial relationship with an immortal, this was what he had personally heard and seen, and this was the truth.

Cheng Sheng led the boy down an alley between two streets. The young store owner was sitting on the threshold, looking towards them with a smile, as if he was waiting for their arrival.

Just then, at the other end of the alley, an old man with a hunched back, holding a lantern, walked towards them.

The young gentleman slowly got up and waved towards Errand Master Cheng Sheng. “The store is closed today. Bring the boy to buy a book again another time.”

Without another word, Cheng Sheng pulled Li Huai away, turning around and walking away.

Once the refined young gentleman was sure that they had left the alley, he was no longer as calm and leisurely as before. He respectfully made a fist and bowed, saying in a quiet voice, “Li Jin from Chongdan River pays respects to Master.”

The white-haired old man put one hand behind his back, and held a lantern in the other. He nodded, crossed the bookstore threshold, and the young man gave way to him. The old man casually inserted the lantern handle into the lower end of the books on the book wall. He turned around and looked at the face of the young man, which was as beautiful as jade. The old man sighed, “The first time you and I met forty years ago, you had this face. Now, you are the same. How envious.”

The young man gripped his folding fan and smiled, “For us beings who are different, to be born as a human being is already a great fortune.”

The old man nodded without refuting.

The young man curiously asked, “Was it Master who arranged for those people to stay at Pillow Post?”

The old man remained silent.

The young man knew better than to ask again.

He had opened this small bookstore a hundred years ago, and had seen many things. He was no stranger to the officials of Great Li. To free up so many suites at Pillow Post, it would be about the ability of an assistant minister of the Six Ministries. Of course, except for the three chiefs. In the Great Li court, the chief was the head of each department under the ministers and assistant ministers of the Six Ministries. A chief and assistant chief were officials of lower rank. There were three chiefs who had power that went beyond imagination.

This was the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Personnel, the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War, and the Department of Sacrifices of the Ministry of Rites. These three chiefs were said to have high authority, and all of the court was paying attention to them. Once they were sent out to a location, they would be exceptionally promoted to the level of a vassal.

One was in charge of the promotion and assessment of all local officials below the fourth rank in the dynasty.

One was responsible for selecting and reviewing the promotion of martial artists in the dynasty, and also in charge of recruiting people of the martial world.

One was in charge of the sacrificial ceremonies of a country. In many cases, the monarch would seek advice from this person. This civil official of low rank often came from Confucian academies.

The unremarkable old man in front of him was one of them.

Forty years ago, Li Jin, as the owner of this bookstore, had given two books to a poor scholar who was on his way to the capital to take the imperial examinations. He never expected that the scholar would go all the way to become the chief of the Sacrificial Department of the Ministry of Rites of Great Li. But to Li Jin, who was not in the court but in the Jianghu, the Sacrificial Department of the Ministry of Rites had another meaning, this small department was secretly in charge of the selection and evaluation of the true spirits of the mountains and rivers of the world.

After Li Jin learned from the officials and merchants passing through Red Candle Town that the old man had taken the position, he sent several letters, but all of them sank like stones into the sea without any response. Li Jin did not dare to act rashly and gave up regretfully.

The “young man” known as Li Jin had been carefully trying to get the position of the true spirit of Chongdan River for a hundred years, using many methods of incense, but all of them were unsuccessful.

The old man suddenly said, “You should know why the position of the spirit of Chongdan River has not been established, so I pretended not to see the letters you secretly sent to my house. It is not that I am unwilling to help, but it is beyond my ability.”

The young man gave a bitter smile, and nodded, “I understand. Unless His Majesty the Emperor agrees, I am afraid that even the Minister of Rites will not be able to change anything.”

The old man smiled, staring at the young man in front of him. Every twenty or thirty years, this man would change his skin and appearance. The old man narrowed his eyes and said, “But now there is an opportunity in front of you, it depends on whether you dare to fight for it.”

The young man did not reveal any excitement, but asked, “I heard that in Longquan County, once part of Lizhu Paradise, the Great Li Emperor conferred the title of River God of the Dragon Whisker River, and the River God of the Iron Talisman River. The three mountains of Pi Yun, Dian Deng, and Luo Po were each conferred with a Mountain God. All at once he gave out three mountains and two rivers, a total of five seats. This has already used up a lot of His Majesty the Emperor’s funds, how could it be possible to give out a precious slot for the Chongdan River when he is about to be stretched?”

The old man laughed, “Don’t worry, it’s not a conspiracy against you. To put it bluntly, you are not someone that I would have to personally deal with.”

The young man was a little embarrassed and angry, but then he looked helpless. He stopped talking.

The old man put away his smile and said, “With Red Candle Town as the center, all the mountain and river spirits within a thousand miles, who are conferred by the Great Li court, as well as the candidate land and river goddesses, all need to stand by and be ready to participate in an extermination. In addition, the southern border towns, including Great Li Wild Steppe Fortress, has deployed a large number of elite cavalry, and has sent out countless scouts and sentries. As for you Li Jin, if it weren’t for the gift of books that year, I would never have told you this news. Your existence or not makes no difference at all.”

Li Jin was shocked and bewildered. “Why would Great Li have such a big formation? What are they trying to exterminate?”

The old man said directly, “A person.”

Li Jin looked at the old man’s eyes, which did not seem to be false. He slowly asked, “Master, what do you need me to do?”

The old man smiled, “A small matter within your power. Just help keep an eye on a man who has just arrived in Red Candle Town, because I know that you have been operating very well in Red Candle Town for more than two hundred years since you left Chongdan River. You are more familiar with the waterways than the City God, and you are more familiar with the trends of the town than the two River Gods. And if the archives of the capital are not wrong, you have a few rare Azure Nether Fish, which comes from ancient books, and are most suitable for reconnaissance and transmission of messages within a small area.”

Li Jin’s face was not very good looking.

The old man mocked, “Relax, the Azure Nether Fish are indeed rare, but I will not stoop to the point of wanting to steal your treasure.”

Li Jin laughed at himself, “It was I who judged a gentleman with the heart of a villain.”

He then asked, “Who is that person?”

The old man slowly replied, “A man wearing a straw hat, with a small silver gourd on his waist, accompanied by a group of children. Those children came from the former Lizhu Paradise, now Longquan County. As for the man’s true identity, Great Li intelligence has yet to obtain it.”

Li Jin was stunned. “That man came to my store before.”

The old man’s eyes flashed like lightning.

Li Jin carefully said, “It was just a coincidence.”

The old man waved his hand and instructed, “It doesn’t matter, from now on, remember not to reveal anything, even if you don’t succeed, it is better than having faults. If you accidentally startle the snake because of your mistakes, you don’t have to worry, because you will definitely be dead at that time. If that person doesn’t kill you, I will personally do it.”

“But if this matter succeeds, I can’t guarantee that you will become the River God of Chongdan River, but I can let the Emperor remember your name first.”

Li Jin mocked himself, “Does this count as being favored by the Emperor?”

The old man stopped flipping through the books and turned to ask, “What, you don’t want to?”

Li Jin laughed, “Wealth and glory can be found in danger. What’s more, I don’t need to take to the front lines myself. It’s a sure profit without loss, I’ll do it!”

He snapped his fingers, and near his shoulders, two exquisite small fish with extremely slender tails appeared. Their divine sense was the same as his, what the fish eyes saw, was what Li Jin could see.

They swayed their long tails, and instantly disappeared.

Before the old man left, he said with a smile, “The price of your books is still so expensive.”

Only at this moment did Li Jin feel that the old man had a bit of the demeanor of the young scholar from before.

The old man took back the lantern and left the store.

The old man walked out of the alley. At the corner stood a burly man with his arms crossed. The two walked side by side, and the man asked, “Aren’t you afraid of making things worse?”

The old man said casually, “Actually, this hunt, the net has been drawn to this point, even if Li Jin suddenly went crazy and ran to that man named A’ Liang, and told him everything, it would not matter.”

The man said unhappily, “In the end, you still want to repay him for the gift of books that year?”

The old man smiled with narrowed eyes, revealing some complacency, and said softly, “The favor I owe is still worth some money.”

—

Zhu Lu said that she wanted to eat candied haws. Although Zhu He was a little curious as to why his daughter suddenly liked sweets, this request was nothing. He took the girl to look for a vendor.

In the end, the father and daughter really found one. There was a peddler carrying a large string of candied haws, walking through the streets and alleys, shouting loudly.

Zhu He did not like this snack. Zhu Lu bought three strings in one go. Zhu He was a little puzzled. The girl smiled and said that she would eat one string herself, and the other two strings could be given to the young lady and Chen Ping An.

The girl also said that she wanted to apologize to the young man tonight. At least she should say sorry to him so that she could have peace of mind.

Zhu He was greatly relieved, and was extremely happy.

The father and daughter returned to the post. They learned that Chen Ping An and Li Bao Ping had returned to Pillow Post.

Zhu Lu had not finished eating a string of candied haws. She picked a courtyard behind the first-class post suites, and asked her father to pass a message to Chen Ping An, saying that she wanted to meet Chen Ping An there.

Zhu He walked away, finding the situation a little funny. This girl was too shy. What was so embarrassing about lowering one’s head and apologizing to someone?

Before long, the boy in hemp sandals appeared at the end of the painted corridor. After seeing Zhu Lu sitting on the bench at the other end, the boy slightly quickened his pace.

On the bench next to the girl, there were fifteen or sixteen candied haws scattered.

The girl smiled and stood up, putting her hands behind her back, her posture looking innocent and lovely.

She walked towards the boy.